How To Build A Nest

Sticking with the Theme...

2010-09-20T13:34:00.000-07:00

(from my new favorite blog Things Organized Neatly.)

Other Favorite Walls...

2010-09-13T09:42:00.001-07:00

(from my desktop, I'm not sure where...)

Gallery Wall...

2010-09-11T15:43:00.001-07:00

I'm still learning how to do this correctly. Every time I group items on a wall it ends up looking wrong. This looks very right.

(found at Dangerbird)

Neglected. Again.

2010-09-08T17:47:00.000-07:00

I have been absent. Again.

But if you miss me, you can always visit me in my new store and tumblr site, here.

(image of the Ta Prohm temple in Cambodia from StumbleUpon)

Just Because...

2010-07-14T09:47:00.001-07:00

(found at Old Faithful Blog)

A-Frame. Again.

2010-07-14T09:11:00.001-07:00

(source?)

A-Frame.

2010-06-13T20:34:00.001-07:00

They call the Allandale House a cabin. That kind of opens my mind to cabin style a bit, how about you?

(found at A Cup of Joe)

........

2010-06-07T08:06:00.000-07:00

(here)

........

2010-06-04T11:56:00.000-07:00

(found at Black Eiffel)

Bare.

2010-05-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

...Wishing I could strip it all down to it's core and just leave it that way.

(found at Katy Elliot)

Comfy, Comfy.

2010-05-24T20:38:00.000-07:00

Don't you just want to get lost in this little nook, just nuzzle in and disappear into dream land...

New Favorite House.

2010-05-23T20:29:00.000-07:00

(found at coco & kelley)

Catherine Ledner.

2010-05-21T09:19:00.000-07:00

I have been quietly coveting these photographs for a while now. The awesomeness is overwhelming...

(available at the beholder)

Black. White. Brown.

2010-05-08T14:27:00.001-07:00

More inspiration for white, black and shades of natural, found at Bloesem.

Garden.

2010-05-07T08:19:00.000-07:00

I think summer is officially here, after toying with us for the past few months. Work on my new secret project has been speeding along, the cabin project needs lots of attention and our wedding is now less than two months away -- which means it's time to garden! It's just so much more rewarding to put a plant in the ground, water it and watch it grow than to tackle all the endless phone calls and spreadsheets...

(Image found at Black Eiffel)

So...

2010-05-01T22:02:00.000-07:00

Maybe it's just my art school backround, but I really, really LOVE the composition of this photo.

(found at Being Fabulous)

Beautiful.

2010-04-30T19:34:00.000-07:00

Here's some eye candy to get you through the weekend. Hope it's a great one!

(Tsatsuji Matsuri and Ori Gersht. Found at Super Massive Black Hole)

More Kitchen Envy.

2010-04-29T17:12:00.001-07:00

Beautiful.

(found at Katy Elliot)

Kitchen.

2010-04-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

Last year, we pulled out piles of cheap, white shabby chic cabinets from the cabin. The kitchen isn't separated from the rest of the living space, and the cabinets really consumed the whole house. It's much better with them gone, but now we have a lot of empty space while we wait until we can rebuild the kitchen. This time, no upper cabinets!

(found at Automatism)

Another Treehouse.

2010-04-26T09:53:00.000-07:00

Here's another treehouse to add to the collection. Look at that staircase! No stumbling home from the bars to this house.

(found here.)

OOoooh.

2010-04-25T14:26:00.000-07:00

LOVE this lamp by Michael Anastassiades.

(found at YHBHS)

Back to the Cabin.

2010-04-23T08:26:00.001-07:00

Meeting with Architects and Contractors this weekend to build a garage and new deck and see if we can't boost the house back up again. Sort of wishing I could just start from scratch, find a cool exterior and just plop a house inside it like these people did.

(found at All the Mountains...)

Commune.

2010-04-21T11:17:00.000-07:00

Everything they make is just amazing....

Black. White. Wood.

2010-04-14T23:17:00.000-07:00

Good Wood.

2010-04-12T20:39:00.000-07:00

Saturated Colors.

2010-03-31T09:36:00.000-07:00

Here's my favorite example of a home with very little white. Isn't it warm, inviting and just fun? I'm so reluctant to go white again...

Palette Change.

2010-03-29T11:06:00.000-07:00

It had been my hope to keep white out of the cabin for the most part. Right now, our walls are a very dark brown and we have a bunch of neutral furniture with shots of saturated color. This was the direction I had planned on going, keeping things warm and cozy.

Then came the orange stairs...Now I'm not sure we can keep the dark walls without it looking really funky. I'm trying to get my head back around the idea of white walls again...

Midori Hirose.

2010-03-19T21:16:00.000-07:00

Found via Tell You (Today)

Upside Down.

2010-03-14T15:15:00.000-07:00

"I also liked the idea that somehow there's a parallel world which coexists with ours."

Ji Lee's ceiling installations are delightful.

Damn.

2010-03-12T11:46:00.000-08:00

Before we decided to remodel the bathroom and stairs/closet, we were torn between working with the existing structure or just putting up a Wee House and calling it a day. Prefabs are just so cool, and they sound quick and easy to install and fun to live in. In the end, we were concerned that the setting was too difficult for the delivery truck to access, and that it seemed environmentally wasteful to tear down the existing home altogether.

In hindsight though, this would have been a much better idea...

Chaos.

2010-03-12T11:24:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry for the lack of posts lately. Life has just been doing that thing where it completely gets ahead of you and you find yourself just trying to catch up.

Things have not been the best at the cabin. After a four month, over-budget "project" we now have a half painted bathroom, orange stained stairs and a carpenter ant infestation. On top of that, the snow pile-up on our deck has caused it to bow and parts of it are beginning to break away. The pressure on the deck from the snow is literally pulling the house down, and the floor is beginning to bend at the spine.

All in all, it has not been a very good couple of month for the cabin. We are trying not to get too overwhelmed, but it looks like this summer will be full of more "small projects", including building a new deck, jacking up the pylons, installing a new gas stove, removing stumps, killing carpenter ants, sanding, painting and installing new doors and windows...Fun, right?

Oh, and getting married of course...

Stone Cabin.

2010-02-25T12:42:00.001-08:00

Wow.

(found at Freckle Farm)

Log Cabin.

2010-02-18T11:53:00.001-08:00

While playing around on Erie Basin's blog, looking for wedding bands I stumbled across this amazing "Log" Cabin and had to share.

(more images here)

Wow.

2010-02-10T22:31:00.000-08:00

Iceland.

(found at Hearthrobs and Villians)

Cabin.

2010-02-04T15:46:00.001-08:00

Love that they exposed the ceiling -- even though there isn't anything particularly special about it.

(found at Unruly Things)

I Like.

2010-02-02T08:45:00.000-08:00

A little unexpected bedazzling.

(found at Little Grey Book)

Incoming.

2010-01-30T21:57:00.001-08:00

(via Texturism)

I Want.

2010-01-28T09:34:00.000-08:00

This blanket. Sadly, it's only available in Europe...

(found at Remodelista)

Cozy.

2010-01-27T13:04:00.000-08:00

I like this. Instead of sitting by the fireplace, you can sit in the fireplace.

(found at RadKat)

Antlers.

2010-01-12T17:42:00.000-08:00

I have a very small collection of antlers started. Right now they are spread throughout the house, but this makes me want to group them all together again.

(Found via Auburn and Ivory. Thanks!)

Christmas, I'm done with you!

2010-01-08T12:32:00.001-08:00

Just took our tree down and can't really say I was sad to see it go. Since "they" decided to start Christmas before Thanksgiving again this year by January 1st I was officially over it.

(images via swiss-miss)

New Stairs.

2010-01-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

So, I had a chance to see the (almost) finished staircase this past weekend and I LOVED it! Thank God. This whole renovation business is so nerve-wracking. It just feels like months of paper-clipping money to balloons and letting them go.

Glad that I didn't see this staircase until just now. It's not as if anything like this would be possible, but I'm sure I would have tried.

(Image found via Texturism)

Shadows.

2010-01-03T17:41:00.001-08:00

(Images by Marcus Buck via The Dark Victory)

Neglect.

2010-01-03T17:30:00.000-08:00

Hello Blog,

Please forgive me for neglecting you for the past few weeks. I know I have been absent and distracted, but it's not from a lack of interest in you, I swear. It's not like I didn't think about you often. I hope to be able to give you more attention in the New Year, as you deserve.

Yours Truly.

(image from Vena Cava)

Woah.

2009-12-19T21:58:00.000-08:00

Underground home in Switzerland via Freckle Farm.

I want an owl.

2009-12-17T10:51:00.001-08:00

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!

2009-12-13T20:50:00.001-08:00

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.

2009-12-12T22:21:00.000-08:00

Great balance between old and new in this kitchen.

Stairs.

2009-12-09T17:47:00.001-08:00

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.

2009-12-07T09:09:00.000-08:00

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

2009-12-04T09:38:00.001-08:00

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

Wishlist. #1

2009-12-02T22:22:00.000-08:00

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

Party Life.

2009-11-21T22:40:00.000-08:00

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

(found via emmas designblogg)

Gallery

2009-11-20T08:26:00.001-08:00

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.

2009-11-18T11:54:00.001-08:00

Kevin Appel is my new favorite.

DIY

2009-11-17T10:33:00.000-08:00

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

(Found at emmas designblogg)

Love it.

2009-11-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

What a perfect room....

Jamie's Garden

2009-11-10T09:40:00.000-08:00

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.

2009-11-08T19:17:00.001-08:00

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

Donna Wilson.

2009-11-02T21:43:00.000-08:00

Happy.

2009-10-31T22:29:00.001-07:00

Halloween!

(image from Lolita)

Beautiful.

2009-10-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

Collages by Chris Thompson of Junior Taxi.

(found at but does it float)

Perfect.

2009-10-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

Rope.

2009-10-14T16:45:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-10-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

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

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

Reus.

2009-09-30T15:36:00.001-07:00

London.

2009-09-30T15:35:00.000-07:00

Nonsense.

2009-09-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

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

Terrain.

2009-09-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-09-16T15:19:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-09-12T17:05:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-08-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-20T12:56:00.000-07:00

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.

2009-08-19T13:28:00.000-07:00

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)

Drew

2009-08-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

Just posted this image on Beautiful/Wild and thought how congruent it would be to add this lovely picture of Drew Barrymore's kitchen here at the Nest. Love the dark cabinets and green walls...

(from the late Domino Magazine. RIP)

Same elements, all mixed up.

2009-08-11T12:49:00.000-07:00

Love this interior on Design Sponge, too. The palette looks pretty much the same, just mixed around a bit. The floors are dark like this post and the ceilings are paneled like Thom Filicia's. I love the rustic feel of the kitchen.

The wall color in the bedroom is so beautiful with the dark wood floors and industrial fixtures!

(found here)

A living room.

2009-08-11T12:38:00.000-07:00

Wow. This is the living room that haunts my dreams. Isn't it perfect? Huge windows, vintage stove, dark ceiling and texture everywhere...If you ask me it doesn't get any better.

(found via here)

Simple Perfection

2009-07-29T16:04:00.000-07:00

I need to constantly remind myself that I fell in love with the cabin because of it's rustic charm and imperfections. I didn't want a cookie-cutter condo, I wanted authenticity. I'm in the middle of planning a small reno (gotta get the squirrels out of the walls, you know, the basics) and I find myself tempted to fix this and that thing and I forget the beauty in simplicity.

(found here)

Eyes Wide Open

2009-07-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

They say the windows are the eyes of a home. In that case, why not have the biggest expanse of window possible? Especially if you are surrounded by beautiful green foliage. I want to live in this home, don't you?

Therapy

2009-07-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

Spent the weekend at the cabin...Every time we go up there we reset ourselves and come back more settled, more calm. We beat ourselves up playing in the mountains and the lake, yet feel like we just got back from the best spa ever, slightly sunburned and totally exhausted.

(photo by Margaret Durow from here)

Tree Houses for Grownups

2009-07-16T10:46:00.000-07:00

I want to know who decided that at a certain age Tree Houses are no longer a respected place to spend your time. Did you have a tree house? Do you remember how it felt to be perched up in the branches, how it changed your whole perspective of your backyard and made you feel big and powerful and very sneaky at the same time?

Baumraum and La Cabane Perchee are two companies currently designing beautiful tree houses for grown ups. Sadly, they are not in the U.S. (of course), but they can still provide us with great inspiration.

(Found via frolic!)

i like...

2009-07-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

...Anthropologie's new Maritime Collection. Wish it wasn't so damn expensive, though.

Kind of reminds me of Thom Filicia's lake house in the late Domino Magazine. Oh, how I miss you Domino...

(images from katie elliot)

Cabin of My Dreams...

2009-07-08T11:07:00.000-07:00

Oh, the Swedes. They always manage to create the perfect combination of modern and rustic in their spaces. I want to devour this house, every bit of it; the blue trim, random kitchen, punching bag and staircase in the middle of the room, is so unpredictable and effortlessly cool.

And the lake...

(images by Martin Lof, via here)

Cabin

2009-07-07T10:52:00.000-07:00

If you look really closely, through the blizzard and the trees, you can see our little cabin in the woods. This photo was taken the first day we saw it in the worst storm of the season. We tried to stop in the road to take a closer look and ended up sliding backwards and doing a complete doughnut before heading right back down the hill again, so all we had was a really brief view of it, while spinning out of control.

To Begin With....

2009-05-03T09:30:00.000-07:00

An apology. Maybe not the best way to start a blog, but necessary none the less.

I must disclose that I am by no means a scholar on nesting -- neither the aviary meaning nor the human one -- but the latter is something that I am determined to get better at now that I am an owner of not one but two homes, both in complete disarray. Somehow, my web wanderings in the design world have not materialized into much in reality, and it may be time to start organizing them in one place.