Design Dish with Katie Gavigan

Happy weekend my friends!

Today I want to share with you one of my favorite San Francisco based designers, Katie Gavigan. I came across her blog and absolutely fell in love with her
style, approach, and overall passion. As a budding designer myself, I think it's incredibly important to network and connect with other designers in your area and so I was beyond excited when Katie agreed to meet with me for coffee so I could pick her brain.

We met at one of my favorite lunch spots in the Hayes Valley neighborhood of San Francisco called Arlequin. This place has fantastic food and an unexpected beautiful garden in the back where you can sit and enjoy a glass of wine and pretend you aren't in a large city for a while. Take a peek...

Isn't it beautiful?! Ok, anyway, back to Katie :) Let's hear what she has to say about being a designer in this beautiful city of ours...

How did your passion for interior design start?

I think it really kicked in when we moved into our place about five years ago. Curling up with a design magazine was always one of my favorite things to do and it never really occurred to me that I could take this passion further. I would help friends with different projects here and there but once I really started getting into decorating my house I realized I was tapping into something--I could get paid for this?! It was a big revelation about 3 years ago and so I took some classes online through the Sheffield School of Art and Design. I then just started reaching out to friends and growing my business. 

What are some of the biggest lessons you've learned as you've developed your business?

I think one of the biggest things I've learned is to trust your gut--realize and believe that you truly do have something to offer. When I was first starting out I kept thinking I wasn't ready, that I needed more practice or training, but in reality I just had to go for it and remember to enjoy the process. 

So when did you start charging for your work, when did you feel ready?

Well, I started charging pretty early on but at first it was a 'portfolio building' rate. That way, even if you are doing work for friends, it maintains that business relationship and credibility. Then eventually over time I started increasing my rate as I gained more and more experience. 

Katie has an incredible and eclectic sense of style, here are some of my favorites from her portfolio:

Thank you Katie for taking the time to meet with me and sharing your passion for interior design! To learn more about Katie and the services she offers, visit her page here.

Enjoy this beautiful Saturday and I'll see you next time!

Summer in the City: featuring Stern Grove

Happy hump day my loves! This summer is going by way too fast, so I wanted to share some fun summer activities going on here in San Francisco. This city is so rich with culture, innovation, inspiration, and things to do it can be very overwhelming--not to mention expensive. However, if you do your research, there are plenty of fun things to do that don't cost a dime. Stern Grove Festival is one of those things. I've been going to Stern Grove free concerts in the park since I could walk. As a child, my mom and grandma would take us to see San Francisco Ballet because, how often can you see a world class ballet company for FREE?!

Sadly, SFB did not participate this year but several other amazing performing arts were and are on the docket:

My sister and I saw Andrew Bird last weekend and it was awesome. We got there a bit late (and by late I mean noon when the concert starts at 2) so we had to sit up in the trees on the hill. It's actually a beautiful spot, but the downside is the down-slide you will experience trying to get to and from your spot to go to the restroom or what have you. Although, the cool part is we became known as the "tree people" which I thought was pretty special ;). Here's a pic of me and Sof:

We the tree people...

Any other fun and free activities you know of in SF?? I'd love to hear!

xoxo

Travel & Design: Peruvian Style

Buenos dias mis amigos! If you've been wondering why I've been MIA for the last couple of weeks, it's because I was down in Peru visiting Lima, Andahuaylas, and Cuzco. I went down with an organization called Kids Alive International to serve in an orphanage in the small mountain town of Andahuaylas, inland from Lima. I can't even begin to tell you what an amazing experience it was with the friendships made, the amazing children, beautiful landscape, fantastic shopping, and lives changed.

Aside from spending time with the children, one of my favorite moments was when the director of the orphanage found out that I love DIY furniture upcycling and asked if I could re-finish a table for them. Of course I said YES! The table was nice solid wood, but the finish was a bit out-dated so I decided to sand it down (by hand, which was the biggest part of the job, but I enlisted some helpers). Here's the original:

Instructables: Changing the World of DIY

I hope you all had a fantastic holiday weekend! Now for most of us it's back to reality, and for many that means going back to work, and for very few, that is an enjoyable feat. Who finds going to work enjoyable?? Well, I know for a fact that the people who work at Instructables fall into this category. I'm willing to bet that most of them probably don't even call it work--it's their passion and they love what they do, so they will never work a day in their life (sound familiar?). This is something that many strive for, but few achieve so major props to all you bots people!

What is Instructables? So glad you asked! As an avid DIY-er this online community is like Mecca. Here you will find tutorials on everything from fashion to technology to your new favorite dinner recipe. And the best part? Anyone can be a part of this creative community and grow as artists, designers, foodies, etc., share our ideas, learn from each other, meet new people, make new discoveries, and enrich our lives in ways we never thought possible.

Today I had the pleasure of taking a tour of their INCREDIBLE workshop located at Pier 9 in San Francisco. Anything you could possibly imagine can be created in this workshop--I'm not exaggerating. This state-of-the-art facility includes a cutting edge digital fabrication lab, a woodworking shop, a metalworking shop, a 3D printing lab, laser cutting and printing capabilities, an electronics workshop, a commercial test kitchen, and an industrial sewing center as well as smaller specialty project areas. Here's a little sneak peak:

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Ready to get to work? I sure am! Here are some of my favorite Instrucables so far:

The Honeycomb Pinboard:

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I think I'd use different colors, but this is definitely a contender for my wall above my desk! Black, white, and gold perhaps?

The Laser Cut Light Fixture:

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How cool is this? I love the pattern they chose, but it also gets my mind reeling with the infinite possibilities with this project as far as pattern, shape, color, texture....now I just need to get my hands on a laser cutter...more on that later ;)

Big and Beautiful Bed Headboard

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I've been wanting to make a tufted headboard for years now but for some reason just haven't gotten to it. This method, however, looks to be much easier and just as effective (if not more!) This one looks pretty modern, but if you just change up the fabric you could achieve any style or mood you want.

These are just a few selections from their thousands of tutorials, and it keeps growing every day! So if you are in need of a little creative outlet, spend some time checking out the amazing things you can make at home from Instructables and the creative community that surrounds it, come join!

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Stars and Stripes Forever

Happy "Friday" my friends! I hope you are looking forward to this long weekend as much as I am. This sounds weird to say, but I keep forgetting that it's summer because it's so cold and foggy here in San Francisco, especially where I live (near the ocean). Due to these misty mornings and cool evenings, this 4th of July holiday really snuck up on me!

When it comes to holidays, I always say, thank goodness for Pinterest (well I say thank goodness for Pinterest for almost anything) so I thought I'd share some of my favorite red white and blue pins with all of you...

Follow the jump to see more...

Featured Designer: Tord Boontje

Happy Friday! I'm so excited for the weekend, first of all it's a three day weekend for me which means more time for projects. Lately I have been fascinated by unique light fixtures, particularly pendant lights. As I was browsing Houzz (one of my absolute favorite resources for local designers, inspiration, products, and more!) and I came across this gorgeous brass garland pendant by Tord Boontje (don't ask me how to pronounce THAT one!). Take a look:

It was love at first sight, and I got even more excited when I discovered that you actually form it yourself so each one is unique. I will definitely be investing in one of these puppies as soon as my wallet allows. The best part is, they aren't that expensive! I found the one pictured above on Amazon for only $72 with free shipping!

Tord is a designer from the Netherlands who has worked with a range of international companies such as Shiseido, Yamaha, Hewlett Packard, Bisazza, Target, Philips, Kvadrat, Alexander McQueen, Perrier-Jouët, Nanimarquina, Artecnica, Authentics, Meta and has continued his work with Swarovski, Moroso, and Habitat. In addition to his beautiful lighting designs, he also has an array of tableware, jewelry, fashion, accessories, stationary, and books. Check out his online store here. 

All of his work is very whimsical and enchanting. Here are a few of my other favorite things by him:

Lake platter in ocean:

Transglass, made from recycled bottles:

Table Stories: a collection of porcelain and glass tableware filled with drawings of flowers, deer, squirrel, birds, bear, butterflies, horses, bunnies and a peacock:

Have a fantastic weekend, until next time!!

xo

Design Dish with Michaela Warner

Happy hump day my friends! Today I will be sharing my interview with the beautiful and talented interior designer Michaela Warner of Michaela Noelle Designs. As I develop as a designer, I find that learning from others is imperative--whether they are decades ahead of me in their career or just a few years, there is always something to learn and I get to have fun in the process!

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Like me, Michaela was born and raised in the beautiful San Francisco bay area. How lucky we are to live in a place that is so diverse and inspiring! After discovering her blog and falling in love with her aesthetic and approach, I reached out to see if she would be willing to answer a few questions for my blog and she very kindly accepted! Yay! Since she is now living in Michigan, she agreed to a virtual interview. Take a peek:

When did your passion for interiors begin?

 I've always loved decorating, being creative, and crafting things for my room or house (or my parent's house!) It wasn't until freshman year of high school when I realized I could ACTUALLY do this for a living and go to school to become a designer. The passion for interiors and homes has always been there, though. I used to draw floor plans on scratch paper and then come home and build the floor plans out of block all across my bedroom floor!

follow the jump to read more!