One of my favorite things to do over the summer weekends is scrolling around little beach towns in the neighborhood. I couldn’t think where I can go to get some fresh cool beach breeze , explore unexpected vintage founds and enjoy my different colors of macarons. Often, the color palettes on the hight streets of these little towns are so fascinated that they put me in such a relaxing mood. I start to slow down and really take time to absorb and observe my surroundings. So, today I am going to feature color of red. Color of red refers to passion, happiness , positive vibes, high fashion, romance. When pairing with pale blue, pink , black and blush, it creates different moods.
Red and Pale Blue—very vintage
This blue and red interior is classical with a modern twist.
Red- on- Red and Black—modern
Red and black kitchen —super modern and luxuryRed and Pink—happy and cheerful
Orange red with pink interiors—fashionable and youthful.
Red and Blush—peaceful, soft and romantic. This is the color palette where I love to enjoy my sweets.
Enter a captionRed and blush interiors—romantic artsy space
Last Saturday was a beautiful day—sunshine, nice breezes and full-blooms everywhere. I was invited to an open house by a Japanese Gifu craft showroom in west LA. Since I need to find some unique kitchenwares for couple of projects. I decided to take a little road trip.
As you can see, I always love to stop and small flowers specially when it is spring season.By entering the showroom, OMG, I was just amazed by how they arranged these beautiful organic kitchenwares with a little touch of ikebana–subtle, calming yet elegant.
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What I hold is a mini donabe condiment bowl. It is just so cute. Donabe is a kind of Japanese traditional earth-ware(clay pot). You can see how we open these little donabe from the following video.
These little bowels for sure put me in a good appetite.
We found this cool middle-size clay smoker with various kinds of charcoal choices.And look, this lid also serves ads a bowel.What a genius idea!Tradition Japanese Hoba miso in Gifu–grill miso over dried magnolia leaf for an unique aroma.
So, if you are in the process to re-organize or re-style your kitchen for spring cleaning here are several tips to make the task fun and easier:
Kitchenwares are one of the major components in the kitchen. So, find something that is Love in the first sight. When you have something you truly like and enjoy, you probably won’t feel it is not really that boring to do any chore in the kitchen.
Have some fresh flowers or greenery in your kitchen no matter how small and how simple your kitchen is. I guarantee those little beauties will brighten up your everyday-life.
Have the habit of collecting inspiring menus that talk to you. That way, you know how you are going to use your kitchen and how you would like to arrange and display your kitchenwares.
It will be a good idea to have couple pieces of earth wares–they are natural, organic and artsy, and always remind you of your mom’s kitchen. So at the end of the day, you may find kitchen is your favorite place to wind down and reconnect with the family.
I love visiting artists’ studios. Often, I am just so amazed how they make the spaces so livable with simple creative ideas and great cares. There are always fresh flowers and plants in their studio making guests feel so inviting and fresh. Of course, we can learn from them too. Here are 3 simple ways to bring spring indoors.
Having fresh flowers and greenery everywhere in your home. You can just pick them from your backyard–it is touch of nature.
Fresh flowers always make me smile!
2. Hosting a spring party in your garden with fresh-cut flowers , home-made organic cocktail and cozy seating , and your party venue become part of spring memory.
It’s finally Friday and its grey, cloudy and overcast in LA. I thought the rain is coming but Siri said no. Anyway, it will be a perfect day to cuddle at home, doing some heavy readings and just gathering all of my thoughts together. I came across some topics on interior trends in 2018. One of the trends that everybody is talking about is Maximalism. I talked about Maximalism in one of my blog last year and it seems that this trend is going to mainstream in 2018. For me, Maximalism is so inevitable after several-years of Kondoing and Scandinavia minimalism. It gives you a such big release and freedom to express yourself. When you start to see a lot of colors, patterns , textures and adoring objects, you truly feel happy from inside.
First of all, here is the food. This is one of of the events we went recently. Don’t you just love these colorful veggies?
And here is the tabletop I just did for our MLK weekends. Don’t you agree with me—the more the merrier?
Here are some great plates and linens with patter-on-pattern Maximalism style.
Then here is the art event we went recently. It’s Pip & Pop’s debut US installation entitled “Here Comes Sunshine”. The installation is constructed by highly detailed works that embrace notions of abundance, utopian dreams and fleeting pleasure. The installation made me feel so happy for the whole night.
Last but not else, here are some great Maximalism interiors I really enjoy.
Love the saturated color palette and various textures.a cheerful living roomMore is more
The weather has been really nice lately. The roses in my backyard garden start to bloom. And there was Valentine’s Day. Therefore, I decided to do some spring make over a week ago. The color palette I used here is magenta, pink, lavender, gold and neutrals. Here are some vignettes I love to share here:
Playing different shades of pink. Love the pale pink table cloth which makes everything look so soft and subtle. Gold truly adds a touch of sophistication and class to any space.Beautiful blooms from my backyard. I mixed purple and hot pink together. It’s fashionable, chic and cheerful.a little vignette for love!the corner of our dining room.
It’s right middle of the week. I am looking for something that can cheer me up. Then I saw this design we did recently. Something in this photo makes me feel soft. Maybe it’s a group of pastel-colored pillows on the banquette. Here are 5 ways to create formal, elegant yet relaxing dining room.
Have a neutral color palette with pop of pastel on the ceiling.
Install ceiling-to-the-floor drapery.
Mix formal with cozy. For example, we mix very formal mahogany dining table with this lay-back banquette.
Modern flower arrangement and candles light up this traditional room.
Modern chandelier also adds a touch of freshness to this dining room
It’s right middle of the week. You probably feel there is still a long way to go and feel pretty drained already. However,” Life is in the living, in the tissue of every day and hour.” We have to embrace every moment. Office is where we spend most of our time. Let’s make it beautiful. Therefore, we are able to enjoy every moment of being there. Here are 4 tips to create a work space that you will madly fall in love with.
Make the ceiling unique just as what we did in this office project: it is a pink ceiling! How fun!
Have a lot of natural lights and good lighting design. Good lighting will put you in the right mood and help you stay focused.
Install sleek drapery panels to give the space a more upscale look to keep up with your upbeat spirit.
Always keep your desk uncluttered after you call it a day. That way, you will feel refreshed when you start very next day.
