G’morning!  I’m back from Vegas and with zero trips planned between now and bambino arrival it’s time to move full speed ahead on kiddo decor.  I’ve acquired most of the items needed to create the world’s most precious and heartwarming nursery, now I just need to give everything a spit-shine and drop it in place.  Ok, easier said than done.

My biggest project?  Curtains.  I got the brilliant idea to use drop-clothes as curtains from the always inspiring AB Chao.  As soon as I saw her post I knew I wanted to cover the window wall floor-to-ceiling with some fab chunky drapes.  I ordered bleached white drop clothes online*  but decided that bleached white wasn’t quite awesome enough for, what is sure to be, the world’s most radical baby.

I’ve decided to paint on my pristine white drapes.

I had a few ideas for prints and patterns but none quite worked (the yellow raindrops were quickly nixed when I considered the allusion to golden showers).  A panicked email to blog BFF Raina quickly subsided my woes when she suggested I emulate the work of scribble genius Cy Twombly.

I relayed Raina’s suggestion to Erin who instantly agreed and reminded me of this Kelly Wearstler entryway.  This is about the time when my heart started beating out of my chest and I knew the curtains had to be made.

Again, this is an inspiration post, so, no curtains today (they just arrived at my house yesterday and painting should commence this weekend).  BUT!  Look at the awesome interior shot above which I found ages ago on Designalogue and have been fantasizing about ever since.  I will be channeling this heavy handed painting while wielding my brush-sword this weekend.

Proving herself to be the fountain of pure link magic and knowledge that I knew her to be, Erin also sent me this link via Eye Spy which continues to confirm that Raina’s scribble idea is great and good.

Once I got the scribble bug, I started to see scribbles everywhere.  Yesterday’s post on Desire to Inspire conjured up scribble images when the cord of this lamp formed a lovely 3 dimensional scribble.  Maybe, just maybe, I’ll emulate the cord drape in the little dude’s room for the sake of repetition.  Or not.  I promise to draw the line just before overkill.

For the ultimate 3D scribble I bow my humble head to the appropriately named Scribble lamp by Thout.  I will be conjuring it’s warm glow as I take paint to canvas this weekend.  Wish me via con Dios and, with some luck and all that via con Diosing I will hopefully be showing you some yellow and white scribble curtains next Tuesday.

*If you’re wanting to do drop cloth curtains and you want them to be bleach white, skip home depot and lowes, theirs are canvas color and no amount of bleach on the planet is making them white.  Believe me, I’ve tried.   Buy these instead. You’re welcome.

This past Weekend If the Lamp Shade Fits posted soul-crushing pictures from a bed and breakfast in the south of France. The whole spread was just lovely and I strongly urge you to go check it out, but first I want to show you the room I just can’t get enough of:

Ok, so admittedly those suspiciously adirondack-like chairs have got to go, but the rest just warms my very heart. Of course, the designer utilized my go-to pallet of black white and yellow, so I instantly feel at home in the room but this house differs from mine in that it’s got a more sophisticated yet comfortable feel. When I grow up I’m totally doing this to my room.

Ever since the back porch demo last weekend, my mind has been racing with ideas for our backyard.  Seriously, I woke up at 5am Tuesday (thank you Rowdy!) and I could not fall back asleep because my mind was racing with ideas on how to best beautify our new outdoor retreat.

Due to an annoyingly intrusive work schedule, I have yet to lay hands on the newly exposed soil but (hooray!) Erin and I have an outing to the Natural Gardner scheduled this week.  I’ll give you a full report provided it’s the shangri la of landscaping that I envision.  While I’m there, I plan to keep a few images from my outdoor spaces inspiration folder in mind:

Let’s keep in mind that it’s the feeling of these spaces not the exact look that i’m going for.  Much as I would love a crazy stairwell over my lovely exposed concrete wall, I don’t think I’m going to get either structure.

I have wanted  a pergola covered in vines for as long as I can remember.  It had been my plan to build one at this house.  In fact, part of the reason our backyard demo took so long was that I was waiting for my husband to have the time to build one.  Reality finally set in and I realized that my children’s children would probably off to college before Matt ever had the time to construct the pergola of my dreams.  I decided the sun sails I bought were almost as good, and the fact that they can go up immediately make them even better.

Oh, but for the record, don’t you love this picture?

I can’t even find a spot to hang my new chair, much less a crystal chandelier, but I do still love the structured greens in this photo.

I want a pool.

This is my very favorite style of landscaping.  Slightly structured chaos, lots of overlap, mixed textures, native grasses, lush without being tropical, zero shrubs and not too many flowers.  It’s pretty much perfect.  Raise your hands if you think a novice planter like myself can recreate this look.

And here are a few more random images I like:

And that is that, I will keep you dudes posted on progress.  But I do promise that this won’t become a landscaping blog.

The post I have for you today is looks a lot more like a Friday post (short, sweet, pretty) then a Tuesday post (long, labored, totally hilarious) but, you see, I was working on a traditional Tuesday-style post when I came across this Friday-style content and I just could not keep it secret until the end of the week.

I don’t even think I heard a word of the song in this video I was so enchanted by all the scenes.  If you’re at the office, turn off the volume, you don’t need it, it’s just that rad

70 Million by Hold Your Horses ! from L’Ogre on Vimeo.

Normally the recreation of famous works of art in a music video would get a giant eye roll from me, but I like that these dudes aren’t taking themselves too seriously or trying to show off their art history knowledge.  It’s just fun.  I like it.

Thursday you’ll get a long post.  Promise.

Sorry for the late post today, yesterday was my wedding anniversary and the hubs and I went to dinner so I didn’t write my post last night.  Bad!  Bad Karly! 

As promised on Monday, I’ve rounded up more office inspiration, let’s see if you smarty pants can guess what these pictures have in common:

So we’ve figured it out by now?  Man, you guys are AMAZING!  So, yeah, I love things en masse, cluster up just about anything and I’ll swoon.  I have lots of colorful art in simple frames that is poised to be hung all about my office salon-style.  Here are more inspiration pics

Ok, this isn’t quite the look I’m going for, but I do have a pair of antlers that might make the cut

As part of the magical “heirloom” collection my mother sent, I received a couple of pieces that are not unlike these.  The giant gold guilded frames may or may not find a home in my office.  

Ok, it’s a bit much.  I also don’t like that couch or the stacked spools of thread.

Yes, I’ve shown you this before, but who can get enough of that table????  Oh, wait, I mean that clustered art????

Clean Cluster

Crazy Cluster!

Karly Cluster!

That’s me in my old apartment about 4 or 5 years ago.  I won’t be revisiting the empty frames motif in my current space, I just wanted to show that the cluster art thing isn’t a new theme for me.

About a year ago, just after this blog was born, I wrote a post about one of my favoritest hotels ever ever.  Because I celebrated my independence a week bit too hard this weekend (thank you house of slappy for your mad party throwin skillz) I’ve decided to repost it today.  Enjoy and I promise all will be back to normal tomorrow

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You know, Belinda Carlisle really sang her way right into my heart with all her talk of vacation business.  Do you think that the missing verse to that song mentioned anything about well appointed hotel rooms and amenities up the wazoo, like pillows of varying firmness upon request?  I certainly like to think that the Go-Go’s would not have been willing to spend said dream vacation traveling across the hot desert in an un-air-conditioned car with nothing but a Howard Johnsons on the horizon.  Gross.  

I digress, the point is, I want to go on vacation, I want to go to the Hotel Particular, and I want to steal every last gold leaf accessory in sight.  Behold:

I know, right?  Do I really need to write a paragraph about how this wallpaper is the most mind blowing thing you’ve ever seen?  Do I need to point out that the sconces and table lamps make the forest look like it’s glowing and only magnify the already awesome dramatic silhouette?  Do you really need little old me to tell you that the uber-minimalist crisp, clean linens are the perfect counterpart to the most perfect wall decor ever?  I didn’t think so.

I will tell you that this room was designed by Martine Aballéa, an American artist working in Paris.  

You probably think that I blew my wad on the first picture, but just you wait.

ta-da!  Artist and photographer Natacha Lesueur thought it would be the coolest thing ever to put gigantic glowing portraits on her suite’s wall and I agree.  I showed this picture to Matt awhile ago hoping he would rush out and buy a large-format camera for this very purpose.  Funny thing, he didn’t like the idea at all.  Does anyone know a good divorce attorney?  I mean, did he really take a good look at this room?  Maybe he thought our space wouldn’t look as nice without the spiral staircase in the center of it all.  He would have had a point.  On a side note, I’ve always loved the idea of a free standing bathtub in the bedroom.  No, I’ve never been one for practicality.

More:

When you’re done bathing in the bedroom, you can cruise on over to the bathroom proper and adore the black and gold walls while brushing your teeth and using the bidet.

Another black bathroom.  This place is rocking my world.  I usually hate pedestal sinks (where do you put your stuff?  I guess I am practical sometimes) but this one is great because it has that other pedestal dealie right next to it for storing said stuff.  And it’s a different shape, even better.

If you want to mingle with the other guests, here are some public spaces:

When I first saw this picture I thought that crazy giant angel was the coolest thing in the room, then I decided that the heavy red drapes might trump the crazy cherub, finally I came to my senses and realized that the crown over the mirror is the greatest gold accessory I’ve ever seen.  I really want to store it right next to my crunk juice goblet.

Still feeling social?  

I will give a dollar to anyone who can tell me what is going on in that photograph above the stunning black tulip chairs.  I will give four dollars to anyone who will bring me the chairs.

Did you spot an American tourist in a starter jacket and need to race back to your room?  Go to this one:

Purple and gold… so regal.  I could wear my gold crown from the breakfast room in here! I have to admit that the distressed scribbly wallpaper is a little 2004, I bet I’ll like it again in about 12 years, which works out great as I will have finally saved enough Euros to book this room by then.  (room designed by Pierre Fichefeux)

**Ok, everyone, this is important:  I want you to take a good look at the photo I just showed you.  Did you note the incredible gold bathroom?  Yes?  Got it?  Listen to this:  I painted my master bath in my last rental in the most luxurious (and insanely expensive) metallic gold paint.  Floors, ceiling all of it.  My landlord liked it (it was just a duplex not an apartment) he kept it when I moved.  BUT  the, ahem, stylish, girl who moved in after me is painting over it.  I am so grossed out.  I’m tempted to cut out all the UK magazine articles I’ve been reading about gold walls and mail them to her with a threatening letter.  Seriously, what is she thinking?  I bet she paints it beige.  yuck! yuck! barf city!**

sorry. back to the hotel.

Incase you’re as in love with this hotel as I am and you want to find it, here’s what to look for:

so cute, right?  I couldn’t find any information on the building, but I’m guessing it was originally a home built forever ago, like everything else in Europe.  Go there, let me know what it’s like, bring me back a little scrap of wallpaper.

Ok kids, I have exactly one hour to write a blog post, make dinner for 6, and update some graphics files for a client that need to go to print tomorrow.  With that in mind, you dudes are getting (very) pretty pictures and not much else.  Since my husband is in the garage putting the finishing touches on our brand new bed that he’s made for our room (note:  not cooking dinner or updating graphics files), and now I’m moving on to picking out artwork, I thought I would pull images from my “random art” inspiration folder to share with you.  I’m hoping to find, for $20 or less*, a large, bright piece of artwork to hang over our bed that resembles the following

*a girl can dream, right?

I’m sorry that I did not include any sources, I honestly don’t have time to hunt them down.  If you would like to know the origin of anything shown in today’s post, please leave a note in the comments and I’ll be more than happy to share the artist / source info

KISSES!

As you may remember, last week I mentioned that I started a new gig. The new job I landed isn’t actually that new at all, one of my very favorite clients who I have been doing graphic design for over the last 2 years is expanding (business is actually booming!) and has hired me on as their marketing manager, I will also be working with the owners to open new locations, read:  use my finely tuned haggling skills to get them the best deals on vintage furnishings and contracting services.  Perks of the job include:  awesome bosses and the ability to continue working from home.  Not to mention that we’re about to move offices, which I do visit once a week and have big, unbeknownst to them, plans to decorate the hell out of.

Seeing as how the only piece of office furniture we have so far is one of these:

I think I’m off to a pretty good start.  (and yes, the skee ball machine is for real and it is vintage).

 Hopefully my new bosses will agree with me when I say that I would like to walk through these doors every time I show up to work:

Chandelier Creative via This aint no disco

Perhaps a close-up will hammer home the deal:

It makes my head hurt and my heart melt to think about what had to be done to create this grand entrance but I am willing to climb every mountain and ford every stream in order to get these mama-jammas into my working life.

Of course, what lies behind the doors is just as good:

I am loving every piece of this office, except maybe that questionable bowling ball dangerously placed in the middle of the room, and think it is totally reasonable for me to ask new bosses if I can have an exact replica of this space for my one-day-a-week visit.  Don’t you?

I think my coworkers will enjoy checking things off their to-do lists surrounded by these chairs and lovely Front Design Horse Lamp.  We will be passing on the DIVA lettering, however.

If new bosses are looking for something more masculine (whatever) I will attempt to sell them on a space similar to this:

Oh!  So stately!  Way to go Household, you know I’ve always got your back when you start bringing the animal artwork.  Let’s tour the rest of their digs.

I think the most important thing to incorporate into a new office, other than a fully functioning skee ball machine, is a place to relax, tufted, please, as well as some handsome deer sketches.

And please believe me when I say I’ve already been cruising the web trying to decide which wall mural will go best in my new work space.

If new bosses ask me to tone in down a notch (could you imagine?!) I would probably request a humble set up such as this one:

Gunkelman Flesher via Desire to Inspire

Would you all like to help me decide what image I should have commissioned for my custom oil painting?  I’m thinking about having my Laser Cat standing next to a faucet, she loves that.

If the oil painting puts us over our budget, I can probably save money by swapping out the desk and putting all of my old design magazines to use:

But I’m thinking this is a little impractical and I would most certainly give myself several years of bad luck by breaking the mirrored glass I would use for the top over and over again.  yes.  mirrored.

via This Aint No Disco

While I have never advocated the use of chalkboard paint, in this instance I really just love it (bye bye directors chair).  I may even show up more than once a week to visit that bright orange desk.

Won’t we all feel so important when we have our creative meetings here?

via This Aint No Disco

Perhaps I could convince New Bosses to knock out the roof so that I may build myself an office in the sky like the one above.  On the condition that we get a little girl holding balloon painting, obv.

I will also be requesting this map and chair combo:

Oh!   And I just noticed those green and gold chickens!  I am so sold on this joint

And you know, I’m not having any problem at all imagining my 3 martini lunch on this couch.

Oh!!  I can’t wait for new bosses to see what they’ve gotten themselves into, they’re going to be so happy!

I’m not big on New Year’s Resolutions.  Seriously, I have enough guilt already, I don’t need to make myself feel even worse by failing to cease one of my (really not that bad) vices.  Besides, when was the last time you ran into someone in August who looked all crazy fit and they said “yeah, it was my New Year’s resolution to stop drinking, eat healthy, and go to the gym”?  Don’t lie, it was never.

Good morning, good morning!  What a wonderful Monday it is thanks to Raina who sent me this insane article from W magazine.  After months of loyal readership she has managed to pinpoint, with laser-like accuracy, exactly what mama likes:  obscene use of color?  Check. Artwork run wild?  Check.  Garish accessories, interesting use of materials and a view to boot? Check, check, and check.  Behold:

You may be wondering if I could actually wake up every morning to such a full-blown-hyper-color attack on my retinas.  The answer is: yep, you bet your sweet ass I can.  Did you get a load of those dogs?  If I thought my pets would still come snuggle up to me at night, Laser and Magnus would be in neon lampshades faster than you could say holy good lord that’s hot.

Let’s talk about what’s going on here: Blessed owners Tobias Meyer (ahem, head of Sotheby’s worldwide contemporary art) and Mark Fletcher pose in front of mural by Brazilian artist Assume Vivid Astro Focus. A John Currin oil is perched above a French 1740s kingwood commode.  Commode!  Who owns one of those?  Jeeze.

These dudes had me at hello, but I’m sure, like me, you’re dying (dying!) for more:

The only dream-shatterer here is the mural on the ceiling, I’m not 100% on that.  But really, don’t you all just want to curl up in a little ball next to that pillar while hugging the Missoni pillow, thanking whatever god you believe in that you’re alive?  Holy Crap my mind is going to explode!

Time for us all to hyperventilate in tandem:

Andy Warhol gun + LIGHT UP DOLLAR SIGN + a naked man that Nagal would have painted if he’d painted men?  It’s just TOO GOOD!  Here’s what the owner’s had to say:

Everything is about the reality of it all, about the human condition and facing death. Art right now is about desire, human nature, sexuality, power and violence.

These men are spending life inside a living, breathing piece of art.  And I want to strangle them for it.

Kleenex time!

Plywood befriends the trippy Stark carpet while a diptych from Matthew Barney’s Cremaster series hangs above a German 1760 gilt-wood console.  The whole kitten-kaboodle is topped by German rococo ormolu candelabra  (MATTHEW BARNEY!!! what is this?  The freakin Guggenheim?)

The owner’s note that they enjoy using low-grade materials in the design as there is “a hopefullness to it’s unfinished quality.”  Um, right.  Keep talkin, buddy.  Now, don’t get me wrong, j’adore la plywood, but if I even consider putting that moldy old board next to my plethora of craigslist finds, it will be all over.  I think it’s important to note the power of context here, with a side note that I, despite my delusions of grandure, am not the head of the world’s premier art auction house.

To wrap it all up, let’s take a look at the window I may or may not have to jump out of:

Do you see the dollar sign reflection?  Doesn’t it just make your heart sing?  You can all send your thank you notes for providing such a majestic kick off to your week to me at godsend@design-crisis.com*.

*not a real email address, but it should be, huh? 

Wow!  I am so tuckered out from the insane awesome globe trek Erin took us on yesterday.  It was so great vacationing with you all but now I need a little rest.  And you know what my favorite relaxing pastime is?  Ok, other than watching, rewinding, and rewatching Michael Phelps time trials, I love to read design magazines under the fan in my living room.  Well, I’ve got to start mentally decorating the luxury town home Phelps and I will share.  …and that the Nerdy Fashionista will have unlimited access to.

I have approximately 472 magazine subscriptions and I usually grab a couple of foreign rags off of the newsstand each month as well.  This month one of my very favorite issues was Living, Etc.  a magazine, that mysteriously, had evaded me in the past.  Was it the boring covers?  The lack of a great newsstand in Austin?  I don’t know, but somehow I’ve just now discovered it and I’m ready to pack my bags and move overseas so I can actually afford the subscription rate (thank you again, Erin, for letting us know how to get there)

Less talky, more photoy.  I’ve picked out a few of the rooms from the issue that I’m really crushing on.  I know that white spaces with pops of color are a bit passe at this point, but, well, I still love them. Enjoy:

Ok, only mildly exciting, but it’s the intro page to one of my new very favorite rooms ever:

la la la la love this guest bedroom, it is one of the inspiration rooms for my own guest bedroom that I’m about to decorate.

The same London apartment also houses this lovely green couch.  And look!  Dictators!  Ok, one dictator!  You know that Design Crisis fully accepts the tenants of the dictator chic regime.

I also love the art in this Manhattan apartment:

yes, I will certainly stop off in New York on my way to London so that I may cat-burgle their entire collection.  Including this yellow piece and the amazing artichoke-esque white lamp:

I love the fabric combination on this London couple’s guest bed:

And finally, brace yourselves for the dressing room of your dreams:

And just because I love you, I’ll share this new great find, you can enjoy it while I rest up for my next post.

Because I know that you want to see some cheer and loveliness, rather than just the mean snarky top design review that I usually post on thursday, I want to introduce you to the lamps that I am currently coveting:

and it’s sedate fraternal twin:

both lamps are by Thout design and I must must have the top one.  Now, do I want 2 for my bedroom or for the guest room?  White?  Black?  My head is spinning.

If you really want to see some hardcore light porn, you best get over to if the lampshade fits.  like, now.

Don’t worry, Top Design review is just around the corner