A Plethora of Pots for Plants

Indoor plants are now more en vogue than ever. And I wholeheartedly embrace this trend. I've always been a huge advocate of inserting plants to bring life and greenery into any room. 

What's just as important as placing plants throughout your home? As with everything, details matter, and the vessels into which you place each of your plants determine whether your plant family will shine and impress or fade into the background. Keep the aesthetic of your room in mind, but I generally gravitate towards more neutral colored planters with clean lines.  Below are some of my favorites. 

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A couple of things to keep in mind if you are creating a plant collection. If you are keeping a simple color palette for your plant containers, there are a couple of ways to make each vessel stand out. Consider putting one or two plants in a vessel with a stand or maybe using a footed container to get some elevation. Using a container with some texture such as one made of concrete or a pebbled ceramic brings in something different while staying neutral enough to work with whatever else is going in your room.  

Amp up your plant game even more? Dress them up in their Sunday best by placing river rocks, gravel or moss on the top soil. Your plants will thank you and your house guests will steal this idea for their own home. 

And sometimes you just need one really big vessel for that plant that won't stop growing...

A Secret Closet Garden

When I first walk into a consult, I never judge my clients' homes. They are busy with work and family, it's understandable that things get busy and their home isn't perfect all the time. I however do judge my home constantly. Since it's my profession, it's important for me to keep it presentable at all time if at all possible. I'm just glad we can hide some things behind closed doors. For example, my closet has been an eyesore for a while. Proof below. 

No styling, no prep, this is what it used to look like. We live in an older home and actual closet space in the master bedroom is non-existent. This closet butts up against the eaves of our roof which means expansion is out of the question. And one of the few times in my life where I'm glad that I'm vertically challenged. Anyone taller than me would never be able to use this as a closet. 

As you can see the closet is technically "finished" but rather drab and seemingly dirty although I promise you it's not. I briefly considered hiring a closet professional to come and help me but then I regained my sanity and realized we have a laundry list of more important items to focus on. So what to do? Armed with $200 I decided I could make it look and feel better. Ready? 

I decided wallpaper was the way to go, the biggest impact for relatively low cost. And I chose this one by Hygge and West during a recent sale. I love the pattern, it's feminine without being overtly so. And it's just so darn cheerful and happy. It looks even better on the walls!  

First step, I cleaned out my closet and donated/removed anything I haven't worn this past year. I actually clean out my closet every 4 to 5 months. I'm not a capsule wardrobe type of girl but I do keep my closet fairly edited. 

I moved the dresser horizontally to make this tiny closet feel roomier. I had a leftover round mirror from another project and reused it here. This mirror is perfect for when I apply makeup, lotions and potions. 

The old shoe rack was no longer working for me. Since I retired my pumps, I definitely have more flat shoes which didn't grip well to the shoe rack. I also wanted a more built-in look without the cost. It's amazing how many of life's problems can be solved by a trip to Target. Hyperbole, I know but somehow true. This shoe storage unit from Target is white and fits in with the dresser fairly seamlessly. 

Not all of my clothes fit into this one dresser. I'm a minimalist but not a monk. Below is how I store my hanging clothes. 

This closet actually runs the entire length of the house and there is another entrance to it from the guest room. So a fixed closet rod was out of the question since there is no immediate wall to the left. The garment rack is the only practical way to store my hanging clothes. I wheel it forward when I need something from the rack and wheel it back when I need some shoes or an item from the dresser.  In an ideal world I would prefer a walk-in closet a la Carrie's closet in Sex in the City. Alas, this is real life. And this setup works for me for now, especially with the small updates. 

Every morning when I open up my closet doors to get ready for the day, it's an absolute pleasure to have this bright and cheery closet greet me and set me in the right mood. It's just a closet and perhaps one wouldn't normally invest some time in such a small space but like in most of my work, I'm a big believer that every detail matters. Our spaces are a vessel for not only the life we currently inhabit but also a means to create the life we wish to have. And this closet to me says there are many more fabulous and exciting things to come! 

A Holiday Punch Party!

I'm perhaps a bit late with the plethora of holiday decor suggestions and party ideas already out there. But I propose that this post is a bit different than what is already out there - some quick tips below on how to update your existing holiday decor with a few inexpensive additions and how to throw a mostly make ahead holiday party. 

Although I love decorating for the holidays, I try not to purchase new items unless it's for something meaningful and timeless. The holidays come only once a year, and I don't have the storage space to accumulate a ton of things. And frankly, I would prefer to save money for gifts!  

I have a good foundation of ornaments and table decor that are mostly white, gold and silver, a base of neutral metallics that I've accumulated over the years. See below! 

Everything on the tree and the stockings are things I've collected gradually through the years. The $5 garland allows me to create a mantle on our mantleless fireplace. Thanks to Morgan for taking a break from her nap, sort of, to pose for this photo. 

A creative way to update your existing holiday inventory? Add some colored ribbon! Seriously. I love all our holiday items, but I like to change it up a bit each year and I've found a $12 investment in some ribbon spools can help make your things feel fresh and new. This year, I chose black ribbon accents. I wanted something a bit more modern and unexpected.  I love how it turned out, especially on our staircase.  

All I did was get a wider black grosgrain ribbon and tied it with a striped black/white ribbon atop a green garland, creating this beautiful yet simple bannister decor. If you scroll below, I also carried accents of black onto to the tablescape using slate serving platters. I'm already thinking about what accent colors I will be bringing in next year.  

We also hosted a holiday party this year which was incredibly fun. Hosting 40 people is no easy feat. I'm the first to acknowledge that I often get caught up in making sure that everything is perfect that I don't talk to my guests as much as I would like. So this time, I tried to make almost everything beforehand, which worked out so well! This allowed me to catch up with friends instead of tending to the table and bar, well most of the time at least.  See below for photos and recipes! 

Yes, that's a huge bowl of punch. I wanted to serve a drink that was fizzy, pretty and delicious, this punch did all of that and more. It is the holidays and for the holidays, it's always nice to have something special and unexpected. 

I know, that's an enormous container of popcorn. I have to thank my sister for making it for me. It's difficult to see in the photo but the popcorn has sprinkles on it! Amazing. It also had white chocolate drizzled on it which elevated popcorn to new levels.  

We also had egg salad and curry chicken mini sandwiches. Since we weren't serving dinner, I wanted to make sure we had more substantial food items to set a good base for all that punch! The egg salad and chicken salad we made the day prior, and stuffed them right before the party. Also pictured above is a pea, fava bean, and burrata spread. If you're averse to vegetables, this dish will change your mind. Promise. 

There is no party unless there is a cheese plate, charcuterie and olives in our house! And for dessert...

A tower of donuts! Those may look like normal donut holes, but they are hidden bites of sheer joy.  I'm on the fancy donut bandwagon, no doubt. We went to this donut store in Oakland at around 9 am on a Saturday morning to pick some up for the party, and they had already sold out on many of their options!  Since I do everything but bake, this was a great option to fill out the sweet end of the table. 

This was the beautiful photo of our bar, and I'm glad I took photo before it got a little crazy.  Not pictured is the keg, which I insisted on keeping outside. Yes we had a keg, my high/low philosophy doesn't stop at design although admittedly the keg was full of fancy IPA for our fancy California beer palates.

Almost everything on our table was made the day before and assembled right before the guests arrived. It was hectic just before people started arriving, but I'm so glad I did almost everything beforehand which allowed me to spend time with our guests! If you're holding a last minute holiday gathering or any party really, I highly recommend the small bites we served, so you can make everything ahead of time and enjoy your own party. 

Our home was bursting at the seams in the best way possible. Happy Holidays! 

Recipes:

Pomegranate Punch

Egg Salad

Curry Chicken

Pea, Fava Bean and Burrata Dip

Party Popcorn