Here is the Vreta in its newest home – the Loft.
As anyone can tell, some throw pillows will spruce up this look right quick, and I’ll be adding some very soon. For the time being, I’m quite pleased with my sofa anchoring my living room.
The One, the Only – the Sofa
After reading a great NPR article about the meaning behind the sofa, I was immediately reminded of my own sofa that I’ve had for about 6 years now. I had just been approved to move into these adorable cottages in San Diego (they’re everywhere!), and I didn’t have a bed. I decided that rather than getting a bed, I would turn the bedroom into my office/project room and get a sofa bed for the living room that I would sleep on. I started doing research online and visiting department stores for ideas. I even ordered a plush, sage/olive chenille sofa from Nordstom’s, but changed my mind and canceled the order a day later.
Something was needling away in the back of my head that I couldn’t shake: had we looked at Ikea yet? I had always been an Ikea fan. I knew all the shortcuts in the store, I knew where just about every section was, and I loved taking friends who hated to go because it could be such a maze to them. How could I forsake at least taking a look there for my future bed? I went to my local Ikea and walked around the sofa/chair section for a good hour. I sat down, I laid down, I slouched, I rubbed – I really put a lot of thought into which sofa bed was going to become mine. Not only would I be spending nights on this particular piece of furniture, but it was the first ‘grown up’ sofa I was going to purchase.
Did I want a futon-esque piece that could be folded and unfolded?
No. I did not. I wasn’t in college anymore.
Did I want it to be a pull out number?
Nope there as well. I wanted my ‘bed’ to be a bed when I was ready to sleep. I wanted something that was easy to care for. I wanted something that had a look that could fit into any style. And I found it.
The Vreta Sofa Bed was – and still is – my perfect sofa bed. It had a comfortable mattress, didn’t look like a sofa bed when in couch mode, literally fit against any wall, and was very easy to wipe down if and when I spilled on it. I mean when my nephew spilled on it.
My Vreta Sofa Bed has moved with me 3 times. I took it from its birthplace in San Diego to the little-known town Bellevue, Idaho. The most recent move it and I have made has been up to Ketchum, into a very cool little loft that my sofa looks super chic in. It will soon be adorned with decorative pillows like these, these, or these, and quite possibly a throw like this, this, or this. That’s one of the greatest things about my Vreta – the possibilities are just about endless. Oh, and I can have house guests!
Getting it into The Loft was no easy feat. In fact, I thought it was going to have to go over the kitchen counter! While I was moving the extremely heavy sofa bed, I kept thinking to myself, ‘This is it. I will never move this thing again! It’s way too heavy!’, but that’s not the case. I’ve become incredibly attached to my dark brown leather sofa. It’s still as comfortable to lounge on as the day I got it. My dog and her buddies love to hang out on the back cushions (which still retain their shape after I fluff them back up).
Child & Dog Hanging Out
And while I don’t have to use it as my permanent bed anymore, the pull-out still functions beautifully.
Sofas are more than something you just sit on. They are the focal point for almost every living room and den. They are where special memories are made with kids, dogs, movies – life in general. Picking out your sofa shouldn’t be like picking up a pair of socks. Take great care when picking out your next memory maker.
Food Can be Inspirational
In all aspects of life, I see things that I find beautiful, creative and just fun to look at overall. Last night, as two other colleagues and I were starting our journey to New York for Market, we had dinner at the fabulously stylish Barbacoa restaurant located in Boise. When you first walk in to the space, you are pleasantly overwhelmed by different textures, colors, styles and themes. Your eye begins to wander all over, trying to catch every and any little detail. There is a history to the place that seems to be as unique as its decor, but I was most impressed by the dishes!
*Last night wasn’t my first time to the restaurant. I first went a few months ago with the ASID Intermountain chapter, and I felt incredibly fortunate to be a part of that dinner experience.
When I found out we had reservations for last night, I was absolutely thrilled. I was ecstatic because it’s such an amazing visual treat, but I was mainly excited because I do love and appreciate food so much. Barbacoa has such a delicious menu overall, starting with the appetizers and ending with desert, that I was really looking forward to trying something different from last time. Since we had such a long day yesterday getting ready for the extended trip, none of us had eaten very much. Needless to say we were starving and we started with some appetizers. The first app was a ceviche trio. Take a look at how beautiful and appetizing it looked!
It consisted of a Crab Mojito Ceviche, a Tuna Mango Ceviche and their Ceviche of the Day, which was made with red snapper. The crab mojito was an unusual twist on ceviche by adding a little bit of rum and simple syrup to the tangy lime. It was of course topped with mint! The tuna, which was my favorite, was ahi, topped with fresh avocado and a small scoop of mango sorbet. What an amazing treat! The flavors of the ahi and mango were perfect with the texture of the avocado. The red snapper ceviche was a delicious, basic lime, tomato and cilantro dish. A classic! Still feeling peckish, we moved on to app number two: corn bisque topped with dungeness crab and a jalapeño pancake. The broth of the corn was enough to melt my taste buds. The crab and jalapeño were the absolute perfect addition.
I could have made a meal of the bisque, but I definitely had to try one of their many entrees. I ordered the seafood pasta in a tomato sauce, which I thought sounded pretty simple and basic, but there’s never anything ‘simply’ done at Barbacoa! The presentation of my dish was served in a large, white, asymmetrical bowl which was perfect for showing off all the textures and colors of my dinner.
And yes, it tasted as amazing as it looked! Having dinner at Barbacoa was the best way to start our whirlwind trip. I can’t wait to see what other foods the Big Apple has to offer us next week!
Fun with Furniture
As a designer, I appreciate and drool over high end furniture all the time. Its newness, its genius, its high quality of materials and craftsmanship – it’s enough to make one swoon! If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here are just a few examples.
These little gems are some pieces by Christopher Guy, Gregorius Pineo, Holly Hunt, and Kravet Design. They’re all purchased through the trade only, so if you absolutely love one of these pieces, and have gobs of money, contact me!
But maybe you have a piece of furniture already that you love and could use a little attention. For the last 5 years, I have dragged around a credenza that I bought at a consignment store in San Diego. I wish I had a ‘before’ photo to share, but I’ll describe the original color. It was a dark vanilla with a beautiful veneered top. The top was like a light walnut finish, but it had been a while since anyone had given it some love. The hardware on the piece was, at the time, the best looking that could go on it. They were black metal shaped in a trefoil.
The top was peeling, the dark vanilla color was looking drab, and the hardware was lacking. Bottom line, something needed to happen, and soon.
I couldn’t stand it anymore, and by chance, a friend of mine had purchased a beautiful dark blue teal paint that was too much for her room and gave it me. I decided to turn my drab credenza into a vibrant, unique piece. My assistant/boyfriend helped me sand the body and top down. We then painted and stained away. The entire process took maybe 2 days. We just had to wait for the paint to dry.
The last thing that needed to be done was finding new hardware. I wanted something just as unique as the color, but not matching. I checked Anthropologie’s Sale section because they almost always have something I can’t resist! Alas, there were plenty of beautiful pieces, just not *the one* I was looking for. So my credenza sat bright and pretty – and unfinished. Until yesterday!
Here is the finished piece, complete with new hardware I found at Anthropologie in Boise (on sale from $12 to $3!) just 2 weeks ago.
And a close up of my favorite new knobs!
So take that drab piece of furniture that’s been gathering dust in the corner and dress it up with a bright color, bold pattern, unique designs, and a little love!
From Ugly Old Room to …….
Recently, the third member of the house moved out and left me with a bare bedroom and a small bathroom. I am so excited! I will be turning the bedroom into a guest room so my friends and family don’t always have to sleep on the pull-out sofa bed. And I will be sprucing up the bathroom with color and soft textiles, but that’s another project.
First though, the bedroom. Here’s a picture of what I’m working with.
Not too pretty, as you can see. But I like a challenge! The first thing I’ll be doing is cleaning the heck out of this room.
The previous occupant had an awesome hobby: making bicycles motorized with small, but very cool, gas tanks. They are perfect if you need to get from point ‘A’ to ‘B’ in a bit of hurry, but don’t want to waste the gas in your car. The downside to this hobby: putting the bikes together in his room. The carpet has been stained with oil, gasoline, and who knows what else! Fortunately, these are carpet tiles from FLOR, one of my absolute favorite company’s out there. (In the near future, I’ll do an in depth post about them.) By being able to pull up the carpet, tile by tile, cleaning these won’t be nearly as difficult as a wall to wall carpet, and it will save me a lot of money.
My next step will be figuring out an overall color scheme, but before that, I’m going to be creating a ‘Program’, which is basically a detailed check list of what will be going into the project. Check back in a day or two for more about the Program. And to see about my color scheme! I am so excited to get this room looking hospitable.
Wish me luck. 
Why We Design
Interior design is not a new concept. It started thousands of years ago with basic picture story telling. Most people know about the cave paintings that were discovered in Lascoux, France in 1940. The paintings date back approximately 17,300 years and act as visual history as to what people saw, did and how they lived back then.
Since that time, interior design has gone through as many phases as fashion, and has become a creative outlet for many. The home is no longer just a place to shelter you from the elements, it is the place that is most comfortable, the safest place, and a place to surround yourself with nice things to look at that make you feel happy and zen.
We design our spaces for many reasons. To reflect the use of that particular space. To reflect our personalities. To display our hobbies and interests. To put ourselves into that space. When you walk into a person’s home and they love to cook, their kitchen will definitely reflect it with top of the line cooking appliances and well-used countertops. An athlete who’s life focuses around the sports they love will have their talents on display in a trophy room. Their heros and inspirations might also have a place in that room. That friend of yours who loves all things movie related will have an amazing home entertainment center complete with deep reds, theater style seats, and – of course – movie posters.
Design is one of the many ways there are to express ourselves. Like getting a new outfit, when we’ve re-styled a room, we want to show it off to our friends and family. We have an urge to differentiate ourselves from fellow humans, to feel unique. And we want our homes to reflect that as well.
