The name of this blog is actually an homage to my favorite bakery in the whole world, Sweet Inspiration, in SF. There is nothing that a slice of their poppy seed cream cheese cake can't solve - broken hearts, back taxes, lack of lovin' - whatever it may be, they have a slice of cake for that!

So on the subject of having something for everyone's everything, I just came off of a full-throttle month of creativity that saw me making and buying new jewelry, painting furniture, sewing pillows, drawing garden plans and re-arranging the store. I would say that right now, more than ever before, there is more of me in the shop. For a long while I've worn my vintage Vodka alcohol tag necklace and had gotten so many comments on it that I decided to cave in and make others like it for like-minded folks. As with everything here, there is a very limited quantity and they are of course one-of-a-kind.



Right now I'm also obsessed with the idea of industrial design, but not in the grand industrial sense. I'm more interested in exploring smaller pieces of man-made ephemera such as the re-purposed charms on this line of jewelery:



I'm also loving the antique lock plates I found and turned into sweet little nichos.



I have stuffed a lot of love into each tiny frame and have used only words that are very important to me.



Even in my regular curating for the shop I've changed the way I am looking at objects. I find that I'm less impressed than ever by new items and even more fascinated with those that have some kind of history. I just brought in this hand-carved antique Javanese panel and can see it mounted horizontally as a headboard or on a long wall dividing two windows. It's an amazing piece that invites closer study and definitely inspires conversation.



To round out my frenetic month, I've been working on furniture that has not yet made it to the shop. Sitting on the cement in the garden, hand-sanding an antique Chinese stool, I realized that the dust I was covered in was cedar. I have never come across a piece of cedar furniture before. What an awesome, and great-smelling surprise! I don't think the stool will have a chance to live in the shop though as it's sort of pre-destined for my friend Alicia's house. I suppose the upside of having a friend that is a designer is that I am always on the look-out for things that belong in other people's spaces - a sort of personal curator.

I hope you are having a wonderful summer and finding the time to do things close to your heart that bring you some joy.

Melisa

When it comes to fantasies, one of my biggest is to own anything at all by Solange Azagury-Partridge. Her designs are so singular and lush that I have been tearing out ads and images for as long as she's been making gorgeous things to wear. Edgy, odd, dark, and completely playful, she's my kind of gal!



I'm especially in love with her fat lip rings. SO sexy!



I get lost in her web site, always amazed at the things she pulls off. For me, jewelry is to be worn and it should tell the world who you are and what you're about. I love LOVE. I'm constantly searching for it, feeling it, and harmed by it. Who better to wear her human heart necklace than Moi?!



What self-respecting style lovin' girl doesn't need a platinum and diamond fish skeleton ring? What? You must be mistaken. I think you DO need it. I know I do!



Let me just say that if you're ever inclined to walk into my shop bearing gifts for me, I'd gladly accept anything at all from this fabulous lady's fantastical imagination!

All my best,
Melisa

Like anyone in a service related industry, I don't often do for myself what I do for others - as in, the shoemaker's children have no shoes. In fact, my own home and garden are more like aesthetic laboratories than bastions of great design. I'm fascinated by magazine articles featuring designer's homes if for no other reason than I can't believe they actually finished their homes.

I'm not sure I could ever get to the point where my home is "done" enough to have it photographed. I am continually learning, revising my style, visualizing new ways to group objects and changing the way I use my space. Often times I'll be relaxing on my couch when I decide that a certain picture looks like crap on my wall and if I don't move it immediately I may have a panic attack. Thus begins a several hour exercise in re-arranging.

The other day I was talking to my daughter about the upholstery fabric I bought for a chair in the living room and she said, "Is it a temporary or a permanent chair?" It occurred to me that I move things so often that she has no framework of reference for permanence in furnishings. Not that it's a bad thing. She's able to let go of just about everything very easily. In fact, no one gets comfortable with anything in my home because it may just be visiting for a short time.

Although I am constantly collecting, I am also constantly purging. I am on the complete other end of the spectrum from a hoarder. I also raised my daughter with the belief that if we can fill more than one grocery bag with things we don't use, love or need, then we have a full day of cleaning ahead of us. That said, I am also completely infatuated with the late Tony Duquette and I could easily live out the rest of my days in any of his over-the-top fantasy homes. He was one of the last true design geniuses. Although he did things on a very grand scale, he was actually very thoughtful about what he added to a space. There are a lot of colors and textures in his rooms, but he knew how to create otherwordly spaces that you could move around in. I love to stare at images of his rooms, knowing how each piece was placed with care and a desire to make a statement.



However, purging is the first bit of homework I give all my design clients - EDIT. You hear it all the time on design shows and it truly is the foundation for a fresh new look. You have to get rid of stuff to create new energy, new feelings, and a new outlook. I often suggest making piles or sections of things. Things you love so much you'd die without them, things you're not sure of, things you are embarrassed to have or don't know where they came from. Then you take the second two sections and make donate, re-finish, and sell sections. If you can get money back to use on cooler stuff then why not? Purging hurts sometimes. It's psychologically hard to have someone like myself come in and tell you that you have no style or that your collection of vintage toilets just doesn't work. I do try to have some sensitivity to people's love of a thing but I also realize that people don't hire me to agree with them - or if they do, they have hired the wrong designer!

I want the process of redecorating to be one that invites an "AHA!" moment when the clients see their new rooms for the first time. They "get" it. They understand the use of their space in a new way and they enjoy being in their own home, no longer taking for granted that they have a place to call their own. I want people to feel pride, and believe it or not, many people feel nothing when they come home. It's just home. For my newest client, a gentleman in Fremont living with two teenage boys, it's been a huge experience for him in many ways. I challenged his ideas on what "classy" looked like. I challenged his idea of pattern, texture, metals, woods, just about everything. As his home is coming together piece by piece he is understanding that it's about the big picture, not about the singular switch plate or the nesting tables. I no longer get emails with links to items that make me shudder. It's a slow process sometimes but a good one.

I really do walk into a room and quickly make mental notes of what I'd change. It's maddening sometimes. Not that my style or my way are the best ways. Clearly there are many interpretations of beauty and style and I have one viewpoint. Just know that if you ask my opinion, I will give it. Good or bad.

I have a friend who hired me to redo her gardens - front and back. We don't really talk about her house. She's a minimalist in the extreme. She doesn't have anything because she sees herself as a gypsy, constantly moving. However, her next move is almost 4 years away! I can't really relate to a space that has a couch, a chair and a tiny television and that's it. That, to me, is prison. :) This same friend accompanied me to Golden Lotus Chinese Antiques today and was so inspired by "stuff" that she had me select a beautiful vase for her guest bathroom and throw pillows for her living room. When you realize that your space is about relaxing, existing and hiding away from the world you start to appreciate how important it is to decorate it properly. Make it yours.

I hope to always inspire you to move forward with your style until you find where it is you are meant to be.

Melisa

It was an incredibly busy weekend for us with the fundraiser, the flea market and going to Alameda. I kept telling myself that if I could get through my overlapping activities everything would be unicorns and roses once again. It was so humbling to be a part of the Samaritan House's chosen designers. In fact, I had a self-esteem meltdown pretty soon after I saw what the other participants were putting together. I'm not a table decorator by trade nor do I really know how many spoons, knives and strange ladels have to go on which side of the plate. I just like pretty things. It's as simple as that. When I decorate my own events or those of others it's always with my heart firmly focused on what looks fun, fresh and interesting. I have to admit here and now that I probably shouldn't be hired to do a formal setting because that is completely alien to me. However, if you need me to create an unforgettable tablescape, I now know who to call!

My theme for the event was "Nature in Bloom" and I centered it around a piece of hollow birch bark. Many quail eggs, tiny nests, branches and pieces of antique Chinese porcelain later, this happened:



I used a piece of sheet moss as the table runner and a glass cylinder inside the bark to hold the live branches.



I used two large birds in the branches as they made me smile.

I was particularly in love with the antique turquoise porcelain tea cups and saucers. So Spring-like and unique.



I put little secret messages in the water goblets to liven things up.



I met an amazing woman there, Christine Andiola, who has a custom event designs business called "The Perfect Setting." Her table was gorgeous and of course it was my favorite since it featured all things ocean-tastic! Tiny glass crabs holding beautiful and poetic quotes, seashell vases filled with bright blue orchids and candles candles everywhere! I must immediately find a way to work with her!



I was so appreciative of her kindness and support. Her attention to detail is stunning!



Another great shot of Christine's work:



Another table I really loved featured a simple, classic, but whimsical theme, "Chinese Takeout". I loved the little fighting fish in their individual bowls. Several people thought they were dead, and ended up screaming when they looked closer and the fish moved! Who doesn't want to scare the hell out of their guests at dinner?! I thought it was hilarious.



I liked the fact that the setting was elegant enough for a formal dinner (at least, MY idea of a formal dinner) and a classy luncheon. I would have spent the whole time playing with my fishie.



One thing that really caught my eye were the machine parts that Stacy Rhodes used for Dream's table top place card holders. Definitely want to incorporate something this industrial in my next design! Love the beautiful weirdness of it.



No doubt I couldn't hold a candle to Denise's table for Shelby's garden. It looked like a giant, fancy, fun, teenage birthday cake! A compliment of the highest order coming from me! I thought the big Eiffel tower in the center was so pretty and the themed glasses were such a great touch:



It was a wonderful event and I was so excited to have been chosen to be a part of it. I heard from the organizer that it was a great success but I'm far too embarrassed to call and ask if anyone actually bid on my table so let's just forget about that part!

Have a wonderful week!

Melisa

The other day I had a heavenly Caligula moment. I was indulging myself in anything and everything involving design. I went to the local bookstore and filled my arms with every imaginable publication - from designing southern style mansions to decorating tiny big city apartments. Flipping through the pages it's easy for me to decide which ones are worth taking home. If even one picture deeply inspires me, I buy it. This time around I brought home only European design mags, among them, Elle Decor UK (who unfortunately doesn't let you see the site without a subscription) and Home and Design. Compared to the American design mags, the rooms are much more eclectic and individual. They seem warmer and actually livable. Traits I have built my business on!

This leads me to my current train of thought on designing a successful space - defining who you are. This requires both in-depth philosophical and emotional analysis. When people come to me to help them redesign their homes, they often tell me what they were trying to achieve before I got there. They see a picture in a magazine, go to a nice hotel, or visit a friend, and they are inspired. They go about buying furniture and accessories they think will help them get that look. The problem is, they can't recreate that look or feeling because neither is truly who they are.

Those of you that know me know that I am neither a minimalist nor do I love overstuffed, over accessorized spaces. I'm a clean and tidy girl who wants warmth and comfort in a kind of retro high style way. I am a restrained gypsy I guess. However, I can appreciate a luscious dose of Rococo style like what you'll find in the Hotel de Varnegeville, in Paris:



But honestly, I don't want to live in that type of space. However, I like aspects of Rococo style a lot, and I love to mix the swirly, curly, beauty of it with harsh, clean-lined furniture. Take for instance my Alice in Wonderland inspired mirror, it's a 1960's take on Rococo style. It was even gold before I painted it matte black:



I would put this mirror above a very straight lined desk, console or dresser. I would not mix femme with femme usually. To me, that's just too much femme going on. It's taken me all of my 41 years to know who I am design wise, but I did figure it out, and to my family's dismay, it's an ever-evolving style that finds me bringing in and taking out pieces of furniture week after week and never being "done."

I recently consulted with an awesome woman on her single family residence. She felt a deep need to create a fresh new space for herself yet she believed that it meant forgoing what she truly loved design-wise. She felt she had outgrown her cottage style and wanted to move on to something more modern and "grown-up". The ideas she had and the accessories she had already bought were fighting with the space she truly wanted. When I explained to her that she could love cottage style and still have a modern home, she seemed relieved to hear it. If you aren't a glass and steel loft dweller, why try to be one? Modern cottage style can border on contemporary if you do it right:



There isn't much that's shabby chic about this room, but it is more traditional than a true contemporary style.

I find that nearly all of my clients are eclectics like myself. Undoubtedly that's why they gravitate toward giving me the privilege of designing their rooms! I want people to live in homes that are lovingly curated. Whether over a course of months, by me, or throughout their own lives. I want rooms to have a dose of personality and class and most significantly, be about the people that live in them. This isn't an easy task, as most people haven't spent a great deal of time figuring out who they are stylistically. Sadly, many people are "mimics". They walk into Pottery Barn, see a nice vignette, and purchase the whole deal. It's like they transported a movie set into their own living room. To me it's both sterile and depressing, no matter how cool the leather club chair and industrial light fixture might be. If a person bought a "room kit", I can feel it - and so can everyone else.

So when you are considering what you want your home to feel and look like, sit down with a notepad and figure out how you like to feel when you walk in your door. Do you want to look at a piece of art that reminds you of a once in a lifetime vacation? Do you want to plop down on an extra plush sofa and nest? Do you want your friends to wander from space to space with endless interesting things to look at? Write it down. Collect pictures of things that inspire you and identify why. Choose colors that make you feel comforted, classy, proud, expressive, etc. All of these things together will begin to outline the story you want to create with your furnishings and accessories.

And of course, if all else fails, you know where to find me!

Happy analysis friends,
Melisa

This is the first in a series of posts I am doing in regards to redecorating and how to start. After several years helping people get past that first step, I realized that it's a process we all go through and thus, I wanted to share what I have learned.

Decorating, or lack of it, is so ingrained in who we are and what we do that it rarely works to have someone come over, redo the place, and continue to live like that for the next however many years. People will keep it nice and neat and "decorated" for all of a month, then it's back to the old ways. This doesn't mean it's hopeless, however, it's critical to identify your current patterns and the way that you live before you ever begin to re-do your space.

For instance, two of my favorite clients made piles by the front door. Actually, they make piles everywhere and I love them for it but we tackled this challenge by giving them well-designed things to put their piles in. An antique wire basket by the phone charger is filled with mail, outgoing objects and anything else that emerges from their pockets. A nice ceramic jar in the kitchen collects pens, pencils and whatnot. A big, beautiful desk in the bedroom is now home to office papers and folders. Acknowledging their love of piling and giving them a way to do it more constructively worked out well. They can manage. If I would have designed their space with no such concessions, it would never have worked. Creative storage is one of the biggest requests I get. I like to use vintage baskets and containers in to artfully store things:



This vintage blue Indian basket works well to hold the rolled carpets in my shop. It would be great in a bathroom holding rolled towels or toilet paper rolls.



This French leather-handled tote now holds vintage frames but would be perfect for holding magazines, knitting, or a collection of scarves and gloves near the front door.



I love the rolled map pages in this glass ice bucket but think it would be charming holding cooking utensils or collecting wayward mail.



Small but beautiful bowls are a great way to corral jewelry, keys and change.

Learning who you are and how you live is step 1 to figuring out a new design style that can both propel you forward but support your lifestyle. You have to work with it, and through trial and error you'll recognize which habits you can and want to change and which ones will be there for the long haul.

In my next post I'll be talking about breaking the though barriers in design and why it may be a losing battle to try to do so.

All my best!
Melisa

Though it can still be freezing cold outside and rain storms seem to come out of nowhere, I find myself believing that the warm days of summer are right around the corner. I've furthered this delusion by surrounding myself with gorgeous garden books, redoing the shop windows with wonderful Spring-timey things and blasting the heaters in the evening. The start of the year signaled that it was time to start with a clean slate - finish those languishing projects, fix those broken things, clean the closets, and of course, refresh the nest. I am so excited to be involved in several home projects for new clients and I'm looking forward to providing them with "new" spaces full of life and comfort.

One of my favorite things about doing a home consultation is identifying furnishings and objects that should stay. There is often so much more to work with than people think. Some paint, a lot of elbow grease and my amazing upholsterer tend to have an enormous impact for considerably less than you would think. Re-doing furniture is like spring cleaning in that something old and unloved becomes fresh and new. Each time I drop off a chair I get anxiety. I second-guess whether I chose the right fabric, whether my instructions were crazy (and sometimes they are), and whether anyone but me will like it. I am always excited to see what the end result is! My friend Donna gave me this very sad and unloved chair knowing I would appreciate the low, simple shape:



The fabric was stained, the chair was not sturdy and it definitely looked like it had seen a dorm room or two.



I decided that the chair was more feminine than masculine and I chose a modern but romantic floral that I thought would give it a glamorous look.



I chose to have the back panel done in a quilted canvas fabric to give it a little surprise. The whole frame was rebuilt and it's now immensely comfortable.



The piping is so fresh and modern and as always, Andres did an impeccable job!



The chair is now in my shop and is available for sale! I'm excited to see whose home is lucky enough to have it.

All my best,
Melisa

With 2009 neatly tucked in behind us, it's time to get started on the path ahead - financially, emotionally, physically - it's another chance to start fresh. Along with renewed hope for the future, I find that I am newly inspired to examine, create, and share. If you have never been artistically or decoratively inclined, there is never a better time to start than now. While I'm not saying I want you to rip out the fireplace and re-tile the shower, I am saying that every single person I know has some creativity buried somewhere inside. Starting small and casual is always the best way. You could buy some wine, get some random art supplies at the craft store and invite friends over to make things. Anything. It doesn't actually matter what you make, just that you tried to make it. You know me, I like to make just about everything. I go through growth spurts of inspiration and different artistic phases. However, it seems that I'm pretty stuck on my latest love.

Toward the middle of December I realized I am having a crazy passionate love affair with twigs. Though I have been collecting and discarding all manner of nature-based ephemera for as long as I can remember, twigs and branches captured my attention more than ever this fall. In San Mateo the wind is often punishing and it's prone to giving every living thing a good thrashing. In the mornings after a particularly bad wind I would wake to find giant branches strewn up and down our street. Their stark, sculptural beauty captivated me. I began bringing smaller branches into the store and using them in arrangements, creating vignettes of hanging necklaces, postcards on ribbons and string, and hanging them in their creepy-hand-like glory from the ceiling. People began bringing me their downed branches to make art from.



This Christmas someone gave me a lichen-covered twig. It was beautiful! A tiny little ecosystem of gloriously green alien plant life. I used it in one of my new clock-box vignettes (photo below). On a recent visit to Golden Gate Park, Miranda and I collected numerous lichen covered branches lying on the ground. They are now artfully displayed around the store and I definitely love them too much to part with them.



This whole strange arboreal affair got me thinking, I should share it! Thus, in late January my good friend Lisa will be helping me to co-host an "I heart Twigs" night at the store. We'll be drinking wine, sharing laughs and creating things with found nature and beautiful objects. When it gets closer I'll be sending out an invite.



In the meantime, I encourage you to admire the little things nature puts in your path. Bring in an acorn, collect some pine cones, save a broken branch for use in a tabletop arrangement. The sky is the limit!



Much love,
Melisa

This has to be my most favorite upholstery job EVER. Jenny is my super fun, sexy and fashionable Hillsborough client who has allowed me to do her garden, weigh in on important decorating decisions and infuse her home with some young, fresh, energy. Jenny and her husband Ricardo are the proud parents of two very amazing and energetic kids, so anything that goes into the home has to not only be stylish, but it has to work with their lifestyle - lots of entertaining with nothing off-limits to the kids.

Earlier on I posted a picture of another chair we did for Jenny's bedroom, a really great modern floral that has just enough romance to work with the crystal chandelier but just enough edge to show Jenny's fun side.

She was looking at chairs for a sitting room off the kitchen and had decided that she wanted something with a bold print that would anchor an otherwise neutral space. A big name store had really wonderful exotic print chair that was low and wide - but they were sold out. I'm not a fan of getting something everyone else has (and if it's sold out loads of people have it) so I went on a search. I came across this fantastic antique chair that was also low and wide. The material was horrible but the details in the wood were crazy-charming. I showed it to Jenny and it was a go! She picked out a big, graphic, tropical print and I had it reupholstered. With the extra material we made throw pillows for the beige sofa. I think it came out amazing and Jenny says everyone that visits comments on how much they love it. For literally half the cost of the original chair she now has a completely custom, antique chair that no one else on earth can ever have!

I'm a big believer in creating things for your home that reflect who you are and what you like. If you have furniture you adore, but it's lost its magic, let's talk about what we can do to paint it, reupholster it or otherwise give it a facelift!

Take care,
M

Along with millions of other Americans I am addicted to HGTV and its amazing home makeover shows. While I have always been an advocate of doing it yourself, I also know when to draw the line and hire an expert - i.e., plumbing, upholstery, electrical, structural changes...I've been saddened lately by what I see as a big gap between what you CAN do yourself and what you SHOULD do yourself.

My love of interior design has been tempered by what appears to be a lack of understanding about why designers themselves are important. Apartment 46 exists to guide people into new territory, to explore ideas outside of their immediate comfort level and to create spaces that uniquely and beautifully suit each individual's style.

Anyone can go out and buy furniture and accessories but only some will know what to do with that furniture and how to properly edit accessories. Buying matched sets never works and too much or too little can impede the flow in the room. Designers know how to mix and match so that the space flows nicely, is interesting, and welcomes everyone that enters it. Arranging furniture is not a science. I always compare it to having math skills. You either have them or you don't - there is no in between. I wasn't born a mathematician, far from it! However, I was born with a deep need to create moods, stories, and places of comfort. I've been doing it since I was a little girl and will hopefully continue on for a long, long while.



I have a lot of people come into the store to pick my brain and get ideas of what to do with their furniture, homes and gardens. I don't mind giving tips. If you've come to me you know I'll happily share. On the flip side, I also offer my services for interior and garden design services, so it's a fine line I tread. I don't want to tell you how to strip a dresser then you go home and it doesn't come out right because you really don't know the ins and outs. I can give advice but I can't teach style. The most common questions I get asked are about flower arranging, painting, and restoring furniture. Sure, you can restore furniture yourself. I actually recommend it - once! It's difficult and time-consuming work that smells, is dirty, and takes a while. Inevitably, my clients end up bringing me half-finished pieces they gave up on. I admit, it's not as simple as it looks on TV and absolutely takes longer than 30 minutes (including commercial breaks!) It's important to remember that these shows are stocked with assistants, trained carpenters, painters and designers and THAT'S why it all gets done quickly and beautifully. They also have immense budgets, which normal people do not.



A designer is important if you feel stuck. We offer an unbiased eye, years of training, access to wonderful furnishings, art and accessories, and a list of talented resources such as upholsterers, electricians, and other craftspeople. We also offer TIME, the most overlooked, but most important aspect of hiring a designer. A designer spends countless hours locating one-of-a-kind items, negotiating pricing, collecting pieces for a client's review, choosing fabrics, taking things to the seamstress or upholsterer, refinishing furniture, and putting it all together in your home in record time. When you hire a designer, you are hiring someone who can turn your dreams into a reality, and while there are corners that can be cut in terms of the budget, you will always get what you pay for.

In this crazy economic world we are now living in, having a special and calming place to escape to at the end of the day is more important than ever - I'd love to help you create that space!

Have a joyful week!
Melisa