before and after by Grace Bonney 32

Before & After: Sarah’s Kitchen + Bedroom Renovation

Today’s second makeover comes from Sarah Sandidge. Three years ago Sarah and her husband Jay bought a 1930s home that was, in her words, “tragically outdated”. The layout felt crowded and awkward, but they saw potential in the spaces so Jay worked weekends and week nights (while Sarah was pregnant and caring for their two year-old) to renovate their space over the course of two years to get it where it is today. Today we’re sharing two spaces that got a major modern work over: the kitchen and bedroom.

Sarah has shared her makeover details after the jump, as well as photos of the bedroom makeover. I hope you’ll enjoy them. Thanks so much to Sarah and Jay for sharing this with us.

*Both sets of before images are from different angles than the “after” shots so I’ve tried to explain that in the captions. I know that drives some people nuts, so I apologize ahead of time. Sarah and Jay had their hands full with this project (and their kids!) so the before shots weren’t their priority at the time.

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before and after by Grace Bonney 17

Before & After: Andi’s Painted Guest Room

As color month comes to a close, I’ve been trying to find some great before & afters that feature paint as their primary makeover material. This cute guest room makeover comes from Andi Teague of Quiet Home Paints, so she knows a thing or two about using organic paints to transform spaces. Andi’s attic guest room had been relatively untouched for a long time, and the slanted ceilings meant that traditional headboards wouldn’t fit. So Andi decided to paint them using bold blue chalkboard paint. This would work well for any guest, but I think this is such a fun idea for kids. It would be so fun for them to be able to write their names or even little poems or song lyrics. Thanks so much to Andi for sharing this with us! xo, grace

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products by Amy Azzarito 9

12 Bold, Beautiful Paper Goods

We’ve had color on the brain this month so it’s not a surprise that Max and I gravitated toward the most colorful, bright paper products in the show. At the 2013 Stationery Show, trends from the past couple of years are still going strong and that goes triple for the neon and geometric trends – often paired together. I love a bold bright, happy card so it doesn’t bother me one bit! (Keep in mind that due to the nature of the Stationery Show, some of the following items aren’t available to purchase yet.) -Amy Azzarito

Image above: Banquet has been a favorite of ours since they first came to the Stationery Show last year.

Image above: Can’t go wrong with neon! From Dude and Chick (represented by Crow & Canary)

Image above: Great card to cheer up a friend. From Rifle Paper Co.

See all of our favorite bold, beautiful paper picks from NSS after the jump!

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products by Maxwell Tielman 23

The Charming Utilitarianism of Scout Regalia

I have a bit of a cognitive dissonance problem when it comes to design. On one hand, I have always had a strong predilection towards the scrappy, cutesy, retro-chic subsection of the design spectrum. I just recently professed my love for all things scout-themed and I have been known to collect such functionless items as vintage toy tractors, glass soda bottles, and rusted-out cigarette tins—not to mention a whole slew of midcentury children’s books that I have no intention of reading. Despite the fact that I was born in the 80s, I can’t seem to prevent myself from waxing nostalgic or even inventing sentimental feelings about the good ol’ days of yore. On the other hand, part of me has fallen head-over-heels for the pared-down utilitarian creations that have taken the design world by storm as of late—something that has made me seriously re-evalute my love for the more frivolous side of things. Over the past year, I’ve found myself navigating a treacherous territory of mixed design emotion: do I indulge my deep-rooted love for all things kawaii or lighten my clutter intake by opting for a more carefully considered, minimal design diet? Luckily, it appears that I can have my cake and eat it, too!

If the booths lining the corridors of ICFF this year were any indication, the world is feeling the exact same way (or all designers have simultaneously read my mind—in which case, get out my head, designers!). Everywhere I look, design companies are negotiating the seemingly paradoxical desire for liberating simplicity and spirit-enriching whimsy. Although design companies are as interested as ever in crafting with industrial materials, they are adding warmth to their creations by combining them with organic materials and, more frequently, bold splashes of color. One such company is the LA-based Scout Regalia.

Originally featured on our site way back in 2011 as a Sneak Peek, Scout Regalia is the brainchild of Luddy and Makoto Mizutani, two SCI-Arc graduates with a shared passion for sustainable, locally-produced design. Established in 2006, the company has made a name for itself by producing home goods and furniture that strike a beautiful balance between utilitarian simplicity, lighthearted charm, and expert craftsmanship. Self-proclaimed multitaskers, Benjamin and Makoto have dipped their hands into numerous design ventures over the past few years including a line of DIY garden kits, book shelves, picnic tables, and even bicycles. Most recently, the design studio has created fully-realized interiors for the Colorado-based restaurant New Belgium Ranger Station, the adjacent Wildwood lodge, and a Steven Alan retail space. The Ranger Station in particular, gave way to the company’s new Ranger Stool, a beautiful construction made from white oak and powder coated steel (pictured above). It certainly looks like these scouts like to keep busy and I can’t wait to see what Regalia has up their sleeves next! Check out more of their designs after the jump! —Max

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Health + Wellness by Amy Azzarito 18

10 Creative Workout Ideas + 5 Fitness Tips

Sometimes, creative workout ideas come from where you’d least expect. In late March, my good friend Dylan Thuras invited me to a secret speakeasy. I had just come from an intense yoga class and was tempted to stay home with Netflix and a glass of wine but Dylan is the co-creator of Atlas Obscura and has a direct line into all things awesome and wonderful (and frequently weird!), so I was pretty sure that this wasn’t going to be a normal night out. After climbing stairs, fire escapes and hopping across building tops, we reached the roof of an abandoned building with a water tower where the speakeasy, Night Heron, was located. The inside was decorated with old piano parts and the bar itself was a half of a piano. We were served house drinks and chatted with the other patrons and, while getting to Night Heron was nearly a workout in itself, it lead to one of my new favorite creative workout obsessions.

A fellow Night Heron patron Lisa Jamhoury, told me about this thing she did called “aerial silks” and something about the openness of the entire evening made me pay attention to the light bulbs going off in my head. Two days later I was taking my first aerial silks class with Laura Witwer and since then, I’ve been going as often as I can. I love it because it’s not about bikini-body fitness, but about learning what you can do with your body. Inspired by this creative- and healthy!-awakening, I decided to share some of my favorite creative ways to stay in shape when you’re not trapped behind a laptop like we so often are. You may have to hunt some of these down in unexpected places in your town, but sometimes the most unique experiences are the ones that make you stick with them. -Amy Azzarito

This post is brought to you by Poland Spring® Brand 100% Natural Spring Water.