PS. Building more dreams here!

I nearly forgot to mention, the latest installment of NBC's American Dream Builders propaganda just went into circulation!! (In case you've already forgotten, I'm a contestant on the show, so you better be watching on Sunday, March 23rd, when it airs!)

Check us out!!!

I know we're essentially impossible to see, so here's a creepy, zoomed-in, pixelated version of the photo:

In case you still can't find me, I'm the first blond from the left. Also pictured, from left to right: Andrew Flesher, (me), Jay Riordan, Darren Moore, Nina Magon, Elaine Griffin, Nancy Hadley, Lukas Machnik, Tarrick Love, Erinn Valencich, Dann Foley, and Vanessa Deleon. Believe it or not, there was kind of a cast-wide love-affair on this show, and most of us are still friends. Strange, but true.

Who would have thought?!?!

More ideas for the Parisian apartment I don't own...

While looking for a full-length mirror to replace the one I broke last week (it's possible that I ran into my bedroom in a crazy hurry, threw open the door, and shattered the mirror with the door handle...) I discovered this gorgeous mirror...

It isn't really appropriate for my Brooklyn bedroom, but I'm definitely putting it into the memory bank for future use. I'm thinking it could go at the top of the stairs in the farmhouse, as a sort of "pier mirror", or-- even better-- in the Parisian apartment I'm obviously going to own in the future, when I become a Martha-Stewart-sized-millionaire, and need numerous homes to keep all my stuff-and-money. : )

Or, maybe I could "install" it into the kitchen in Brooklyn, between the two windows there... Theoretically, I could paint the frame white and it would almost look built-in, sort of like the image below, minus the fabulous carved molding on the top. Hmmm... Now that's a thought.

Fun, fun, fun!

Okay, this probably isn't going to be relevant "until" I own an apartment in Paris, but since that's obviously going to happen eventually, it doesn't seem premature to start collecting images for said fantasy-apartment now.

What's even more amazing-- it's a wallpaper-- so it doesn't have to be a life-time giraffe commitment! What's not to like?!? 

Sneak Peek! There is something exciting brewing for the new office...

Can you guess what it is? 

OMG. I'm bursting to get this project started. So happy we're spending this coming weekend in the city! 

Next up-- master bedroom @ the farm!

We're trying to knock these projects down, one room at a time, and decided last weekend we were going to tackle the master bedroom. Luckily, Julian was having a sleepover with John's parents, so that allowed us to deal with most of the dirty/nasty/dusty stuff while he was out of the house. 

All I can say is, "Hallelujah for grandparents!" or this house would be at TOTAL STAND STILL.

The drywall was already up in our bedroom upstate, and admittedly, has been for a while (okay-- months!) Pretty much after the initial progress of installing the drywall and ceiling, we got considerably side-tracked by our desire to move back into our room and things came to a complete and utter halt. Until Saturday morning when I woke up and thought, "Now or never! Geronimo!" Poor John had no idea what he was waking up to. By the time he was stirring, I was already decked out in paint clothes, guns at the ready. 

He didn't stand a chance! 

Luckily for both of us, he knew better than to resist me when I've got that crazed look in my eye, and in no time flat, he was putting the final layer of spackle on the wall seams and I was sanding the ceiling. Never try to come between me and progress once I've got the idea in my head. It's just a lost cause....

Originally the plan had been to paint the room my tried, but true-- Benjamin Moore's "Healing Aloe" (1562), but then decided that I was a mother on the lam and it was time to be wild! If I learned anything from competing on NBC's American Dream Builders, it was "Go BOLD or GO HOME!" and go bold I went! Okay, not exactly bananas, but I elected to paint the room Benjamin Moore's "Beach Glass" (1564) instead, and I'm totally loving it.

We still have a long way to go until this room is finished-- namely-- crown molding still needs to be installed, the floors stripped, art work properly hung, and possibly most importantly, I've got to get finials for those lamps, because those wonk-a-doo lamp shades are drivin' me nuts!

This is definitely an instance of "I can't believe we waited this long. I can't believe we were living that way." 

I'm pretty sure we'd almost stopped noticing that the walls were un-sanded, unfinished, and unpainted. Ah-- the power of denial-- truly a remarkable thing! I'm so excited to actually relax in our beautiful bedroom next weekend--- that will make all the hustling totally worthwhile. 

Thanks again to grandparents-- making it all possible! 

Up next!

John and I also tackled our master bedroom up at the farmhouse this weekend... I promise I'll fill you in on all of the details, but this seems like a good place to start.

Having a family lie-in after we finally finished painting!

         Now we've just got to move the furniture back in... 
                 But at least our priorities are in order. 

Crafty weekend!

New dresser. Full of potential?

I forgot to mention that I also "acquired" a vintage dresser when I picked up my fantastic office tulip table in Red Hook. (Thanks again to friend w/ truck. Couldn't have done it without you!) The dresser was cute-- albeit a little boldly painted-- but more importantly, it was a perfect replacement (ie. structurally sound) for Julian's changing table dresser up in the country, which was literally collapsing. Maybe DECAYING is the more appropriate word. It wasn't a pretty sight.

So-- I lugged my street-find dresser upstate (Yes. On the roof of our car. Safety first.) and got straight to work: sanding, priming, and painting. I started by just doing the drawers and realized that I actually didn't have issue with the green frame, only the lavender drawers. So I tackled the purple full-force, and things were completely transformed.

Round One of my transformation...

New hardware on my new dresser = the old hardware from my old dresser, reused! 

In an act of die-hard reduce-reuse-recycle, I replaced the hardware on the new dresser with knobs I salvaged from the old collapsing dresser. Fantastic. This was literally a freebie in the most true sense of the word! 

Admit it. This is cute.

 

                    Admit it. This is cuter. 

                   But stores less clothing.

Speaking of shout-outs...

Brilliant photographer Charlotte Jenks Lewis, who happens to also be a good friend and a fellow Williamsburg mama, just took time out of her crazy schedule to take some headshots for me so that I would never have to look like this in a press release again.

(Yes, I do look like a lobotomized stepford-wife in the picture NBC provided. Go ahead, click the link. I dare you.)

As soon as I saw my photo on the domainehome.com website, I called Charlotte. I said, "Sh--#! is dire here! Can't you squeeze me in?" Thankfully, she made it happen, and here is the final product. Thank goodness for incredibly talented friends or I'd really be up a gum tree. 

Thanks again Charlotte! What a life saver! 

Getting Closer: Waiting on Floors and a Window!

Still got a distance to go, that's for sure. 10,000 boxes of samples to move from the old office to the new office... New window has been measured for and "supposedly" will be installed Monday. (Not holding my breath on that delivery date, let me tell you.) And then-- the real doozy: I've still got to paint my floors. Thinking I'm going to go with a deep charcoal color that riffs off the industrial, oil-rubbed bronze of the sputnik light, the 400lb. library ladder, and the old-school sprinkler system overhead.

If you can't beat 'em-- join 'em right?!? 

Loving my EXPEDIT shelves and all of the potential storage in my future--- IKEA is discontinuing these babies, so if you like the look and the price tag (about $800.00 less than Design Within Reach's equivalent) I'd make a hot move, because once they're gone, they're gone!

I hope everybody is also taking a second to bask in the glory of my free sputnik light fixture. David from Equity Modern probably deserves a second shout-out for the awesomeness of that gift, because I'm beyond pleased with it and it looks rad in place. It also completed eliminated my need to decide about splurging on a new fixture or using the vintage brass pendant I already had. (Note that I just found the same fixture online for $578.00, so not only did I not have to address my indecisiveness, I also got a preposterously good deal. David from Equity Modern probably deserves a third shout-out for the sheer generosity of his gift. Whoa.)

Free = The Best Deal Around.

I promise I'll get some better photos up on the blog once everything is finally in place. I've also got more exciting surprises in store for the office in the coming weeks, so keep on checking in to see what I'm up to there...

Great things are happening in the world...

Just caught this article in the New York Times and thought I'd spread the love... First Banana Republic, next, the world!

Good things are happening, people!

And Nate's lookin' good doing it! : )

Did somebody say, "Let's Go Mets"?

I know this is the real reason you guys are here reading, so let's just cut to the chase. A special thanks goes out to Julian's uncles Jon and Peter for supplying us with this hat. Pretty much the cutest thing I've seen. Ever.

Gotta love that baby. Yow. 

Not wasting any time here!

John and I drove out to Red Hook yesterday afternoon and met up with mid-century modern furniture dealer/extraordinaire, David Jaffe from Equity Modern, to scope out the glorious marble tulip table I was hoping to buy for my office. It's as beautiful in person as it is in theory, and I readily loaded it into my friend's borrowed truck. (Thanks Friend!)

Not too shabby for a 30-minute trip to Red Hook! 

Because David is great and I'm a cunning (unrelenting) negotiator, I also ended up coming home with two fabulous plexi-glass/lucite eiffel chairs, two nutty reproduction sputnik lights, and a couple of  cute miniature classic chairs.

What's not to like about these tiny chairs? Nothing but charming! 

My plan is to make a big push getting the office assembled and organized today, and hopefully I'll have lots to show for my efforts by tomorrow. Too exciting! I can't decide what I like most: getting organized, designing a new space, or shopping for mid-century furniture! 

This looks like a win-win to me. 

OMG-- I think I've found the work table for my office...

Need I say more? This glorious 42" hulking slab of carrera marble may well be mine later this afternoon! I'm going to visit it in Red Hook later today, cash in hand, and I'm ready to throw down.

It's pretty much exactly what I was looking for-- something gorgeous, but also functional, but mostly gorgeous.

Check, check, and check. 

Needless to say, I'm really going to wish the freight elevator was running today (I know it isn't), when John and I lug this ton of stone up the 1,000,000 steep stairs to my office. Good thing I'm so nice/pretty/smart, or this kind of thing might prompt John to cut his loses and start looking for a new wife. : )

Remind me to thank him profusely. 

My New Williamsburg Office Begins!

I just signed the lease on an incredible loft office in Williamsburg! It's an old school building-- only a freight elevator or a million tall narrow steps to get to my garret, but once I'm there-- it's awesome. Or, more to the point, it's going to be awesome.

Granted, it's looking a little rough in this picture. I promise it's got charm! 

Before you guys roll your eyes, that only I would consider the space shown above "awesome", let me say in it's defense that the location is unbeatable, the rent is great, and once they replace that window, I'm going to have a lovely view of my fire-escape, which I'll access through that heavy-duty looking door.

When I say fire-escape, you should realize that is most likely synonymous with "happy-hour balcony" and "coveted green space", which are both plans I have for the extra square footage outside of my window.

I'm in the throes of designing the space now-- trying to focus on the maximum amount of storage and a work space arrangement that actually accommodates the way I work with my assistant. I'm considering foregoing a traditional "two desk" set up for a big work table in the center, so we can spread out while we're working.

Something like this:

I ferried out to IKEA today, and picked up a pair of these EXPEDIT 4 X 4 Cube Shelves and another pair of these smaller EXPEDIT 4 X 1 Cube Shelves which I'm going to stack to make a huge 10'0" X 8'0" wall of shelves to store all of my supplies and materials.

I'm going to get everything set up, and then I might venture back to IKEA for their high gloss desk/console called the BESTA BURS. (I love that you can always count on IKEA for weird, consonant filled furniture names...)

All of that is mostly functional, rather than aesthetic design. The really fun part is going to be finding the right work table and deciding what the overhead light fixture should look like... I happen to have this fixture on hand--

It's a big baby-- about 18" in diameter and gleaming brass. I bought it for a whopping $5.00 in a thrift store in New Hampshire, and for the time being, it's a (very cheap) front runner for the light in my office. Of course, I'd also love to put up a cool, ultra modern pendant, like one of the bad boys shown below, but I'd say I'm gonna have to bide my time after my big blow-out at IKEA today... 

That said, looking at these makes it all the more apparent how fabulous they are in comparison to the brass fixture I've got. Alas-- patience is a virtue-- right?!?

I'll keep you in the loop as the office starts to take shape, and of course, as my work table pursuits evolve. The hunt is on! 

More details on NBC's American Dream Builders!

In case you're jonesing for more intel on NBC's reality TV show, American Dream Builders, which I'll be competing on this coming March, here's a a lot more to whet your palette...

If you look REALLY closely, I'm the blond, third person from the left.
And no. The cast was not a collection of amazonians.
Everyone's photos are completely out of scale with one another!
I swear I'm not three feet tall! 

ABOUT THE SHOW

Renowned designer Nate Berkus hosts NBC's bold new one-hour reality competition series "American Dream Builders," premiering March 23 at 8/7c.

Showcasing the talents of the most accomplished designers and home builders in the country, "American Dream Builders" will pit 12 worthy contestants against one another in a high-stakes competition designed to push everyone's creative reach. The show will celebrate creativity and style while revealing magazine-worthy home transformations.

With each weekly episode, two teams will take on a brand new project and be asked to redesign and renovate the space from the inside out - all in a matter of days. From Spanish to Tudor to midcentury modern, the designers will be expected to produce sweeping home renovations that bring a fresh, modern sensibility while remaining true to the home's innate charm and design characteristics.

Joining Berkus on the show as judges are Eddie George and interior design expert Monica Pedersen.

George is a former Heisman Trophy winner (Ohio State University) and NFL all-pro (Tennessee Titans) who has now become a renowned landscape architect. Pedersen has appeared on several segments for "Today" as well as served as host on such HGTV shows as its popular "Designed to Sell."

Berkus, George and Pedersen will review the finished work and determine which team achieved the best results. After facing the panel of judges, the losing team must send one member home.

In the finale episode, the last two designers will take on renovations for two impressive Southern California homes, bringing their unique vision to life.

It's possible I get a little sassy up in this piece! 

I'm going to keep on posting links to the trailers and advertisements as they go up, but if you're really interested, you can explore NBC's website to see me in action. You'll also catch a glimpse of my fellow contestants, who have since become my fellow friends. With a couple of exceptions.

You'll get that joke later, I swear. : ) 

Giving the word HIATUS new meaning...

I know I've gone off the radar before, but this last break was truly exceptional! I mean-- I haven't written a blog post since OCTOBER!

Holy smokes... Talk about slacking off! 

That said, I'm back in action, and ready to get back on the horse at full speed. I contemplated going into great depth about everything I've been doing for the past 3-1/2 months, but I'm not sure I've got the stamina or patience, so I'm just going to go an overview...

Here's the synopsis:

• We've made lots of progress on the farmhouse and I can't wait to show you guys all of the latest photos and newest acquisitions. It's been a truly awesome treasure hunting time in our lives, and you're not going to believe some of my finds or where I found them! 

•  Julian is totally walking and sort of talking, and has reached new heights of ridiculously cute. Be prepared for the barrage of photographs, and to be utterly stunned by his charm. Steal yourself now. 

Okay, neither of us are very cute in this picture. : ) 

•  I've been working like a mad woman and just rented a new office in Williamsburg, Brooklyn that I'm beyond excited about. It is totally bare bones now (would you expect anything less?) but has buckets of potential. Maybe more potential than square footage, but that's where my supersonic innovative nature will come in handy...

•  There is an insane amount of snow up at the farm and almost equal amounts in New York City. Finally, the national weather reports about New York's weather are true. It truly was a giant f-#$&*-ing storm. 

• I should probably also mention that I spent a portion of my "hiatus" competing on a reality TV show. 

Yes. I did just say that. 

• I rolled up my sleeves, packed up my family, and moved to Los Angeles to fight the "good fight" on NBC's new reality-design show, AMERICAN DREAM BUILDERS. It probably goes without saying that I can't tell you who won or lost, or almost anything else about it, but I can tell you to watch the show, every Sunday @ 8:00pm on NBC, starting March 23rd. 

**You should also probably prepare yourself for me plugging the show every chance I get until it airs in March. Apologies in advance to everyone who has already heard all they can stand about the show, because that sh-#@@ is happening regardless. 

If I don't promote it, who will???