Woah.

Underground home in Switzerland via Freckle Farm.

I want an owl.

I have always been mesmerized by owls...something about those eyes...

...Or maybe it's the obsession with Twin Peaks that I have carried with me for the past nineteen years.

In any case, this girl FOUND an injured one on the side of the road and had the pleasure of sharing a ride with it.

(found here via kate pruitt)

Snow!

First day on the mountain!!!!

It was really decent for so early in the season. The pup loved it too. Now I have snow on the brain...

(image from treehugger via automatism)

Rustic/Modern.

Great balance between old and new in this kitchen.

Stairs.

Hopefully the next time we see the cabin we will have a brand new staircase that looks a little something like this...

...So rad. Just gotta tackle the white IKEA country kitchen and beige shag carpeting some day.

(image via remodelista or desire to inspire)

It's Coming.

The first big storm of the year is pummeling Tahoe right now. Can't wait to play in the snowy mountains...

(images via all the mountains...)

Holiday

The cutest couple is cute during the holidays, too, making wreaths out of driftwood together. Aww...

Wishlist. #1

Donna Wilson Throw Blanket, Lace Wallet, United Bamboo Dress, Grand Lodge Salad Plates, Mountain Beanbag.

Party Life.

Is that a giant die in the back corner? Love it.

(found via emmas designblogg)

Gallery

I love displaying art gallery style, but my skills aren't that great yet. Here are some inspirational examples...

(Images from emmas designblogg and skona hem)

Mmmmm.

Kevin Appel is my new favorite.

DIY

I'm not much of a DIYer, but this project looks soooo easy and really cool.

(Found at emmas designblogg)

Love it.

What a perfect room....

Jamie's Garden

Though this is mainly a place where I write about mountain living, renovating and decorating, I have a huge soft spot for the desert as well (I'll get to that a little later). So ever since Jamie from A Desert Fete asked for some ideas for her Southern California walled garden I've been eager to do some brainstorming. Here's what I have come up with.

Flora Grubb does amazing, low impact landscaping using native california plants that require little water and maintenance. Her succulent installations immediately came to mind. For a garden with a large wall, why not adorn it?

Up close, it's really just a bunch of small plastic six-pack garden containers, probably nailed to a backing and then refilled with the succulents (sorry Flora!). This would require little attention and water, and the coolest thing is that it's like art that is constantly changing as it grows and blooms!

Flora also does an amazing bromeliad wall (below). It looks like the key here is alignment, and as an architect I'm sure Jamie would be great at it. To create this, they drilled long nails into concrete, sticking out about six inches, and then just clipped the air plants with metal clips to the nails.

For an urban outdoor space there is no reason not to treat it like another room in your house, with furniture, side tables, objets d'art and pillows and rugs. If you are worried about weather, just move the plush stuff in at night. Remodelista did a great "steal this look" of the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs a while back that prompted me to immediately order a hammock for our Oakland backyard. Now I think every yard needs a hammock. And a rug on a patio does all kinds of good things too...

Yes Please.

Lindsey Adelman's work is a m a z i n g!

Donna Wilson.

Happy.

Halloween!

(image from Lolita)

Beautiful.

Collages by Chris Thompson of Junior Taxi.

(found at but does it float)

Perfect.

Rope.

So, we have this stair project underway at the cabin and we have come to a wall at the railing. Wood is so predictable, iron so in vogue. My question to you, how about rope? Too cliche for a lake/mountain house?

(found at freckle farm)

Welcome to the Dollhouse.

Can you imagine? A real life dollhouse! It's every eight year old girl's dream. Seriously.

(found here via ...all the mountains...)

Reus.

London.

Nonsense.

I'm coveting this Nonsensical Infographic No. 2 print by Chad Hagen from 20x200.

Terrain.

As someone who may never get to visit the brick and mortar I am beyond thrilled that Terrain has launched their online shop. They have such beautiful things, and I love that they sell bulbs as well. Hopefully they will be able to fill a small piece of the gap that Smith and Hawken left behind.

I ordered some Fritillaria Meleagris right away. It was one of my favorites in my mom's garden growing up and I can't believe they have it. I'm wracking my brain to figure out who I can give the Shitake Mushroom Log to. Seriously, how cool is that?!

(found via Oh Joy)

Aire de Bardenas.

The first obvious place to start when sharing our Spanish trip would be in the middle, at the amazing Aire de Bardenas hotel in the desert outside of Zaragoza. It's a pretty out there, true, but it happens to be exactly between Barcelona, San Sebastian and Madrid. Thus, it seemed an obvious stop along the way.

The landscape is dramatic; an arid desert in the middle of Spain. However, being from the southwest I found it to be very similar to the land around Moab, Utah. The hotel is a lesson in reserved modernism. The blonde pine and stark white walls have a scandinavian simplicity to them, and the restaurant and amenities were exceptional. We found the whole place especially refreshing after a week spent in the hustle and bustle of Barcelona.

To anyone considering a stop at this hotel I would strongly suggest a room with a soaking tub. As an American conditioned to think hot tubs should have neck rests and massaging jets aimed at every muscle I was skeptical, but after a night soak under the stars in the quiet of the desert I am convinced.

(all photos via Aire de Bardenas)

Home again.

We just returned from a two week trip to Spain! I'm sorry I was gone for so long, but I have plenty of fun inspiration to share in the upcoming weeks.

(found via pink shirts and car wrecks)

Change of seasons.

It's beginning to feel a lot like fall already. Hopefully someday our deck will look like this, and we will spend chilly fall evenings with a bottle of red and some good friends around the fire*.

*Might have to abandon the dream of an outdoor fireplace. After last years fires around the lake the fear of open flames is very real. I would rather not be the fool to start another round of fires. It's a nice dream though.

Viola Park

Finally.

I can't believe it how long it has taken for somebody to take the IKEA kitchen idea to the next level; modular, design-it-yourself and without all of the trim and border nonesense. These kitchen units by Viola Park are so beautiful. I love the accent of lime green against the dark grey.

(found via here)

Bathroom.

By November, we will have a brand new bathroom in the cabin. I am so excited. I'm having trouble narrowing down the options though. Here's a collection of my favorites:

Um...I don't think we will end up quite this rustic (it's Tahoe and insulation is kind of a necessity), but it's a great reminder that minimal is beautiful.

The bathroom above is a bit too traditional, but has a lot of elements that I like.

I love the painted wainscot in these two images below.

And this one. I know it's stark, but I love the clean simplicity of it.

(All via remodelista)