House Beautiful

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Friday Faves | 2.17.17

Gooooood MORNING!  Happy Belated Valentine’s Day.  These are for you:

Daisies

OMG – WHAT is UP, people??!  Long time no see.  Just sitting here with my to-do list that is – like everyone else’s – 87 miles long, and I’m thinking about all the things I’m DYING to blog about – including but not limited to:

  • Beauty faves (Karrie and I have THE BEST stuff to rattle off – life-changing stuff),
  • Whole 30 (which I did in January and which was also sort of life-changing),
  • a long Musings post because I’m up to my eyeballs in design inspo,
  • the Bach (sorry!) which I am a cool 12 episodes behind on,
  • Casa Covet Living updates,
  • an update on my biz (I launched an official website last month), etc.

But alas… I’m pretty sure I have a few clients who will mangle me with their bare hands if I don’t get their designs over to them today… so howsabout just a little Friday Faves snack?

1 – THESE ADORABLE MUGS, which scream laid-back Cali beach life, and which I’m absolutely certain I need to have in my laid-back Cali beach life. I swear I look at them and see surfers at sunrise and hear this song playing. They just sold on Etsy, but the seller looks like she makes all her pottery by hand, so I’m sure she could make me s’more, right? My birthday is March 19, folks. Just sayin’.

Cutest Mugs Ever

2 – THESE PANTS. LIKE BUTTAH. The softest, comfiest pair of sateen britches *ever*, currently at Anthro. I had to size down 2 sizes from my norm (who doesn’t love vanity sizing?), and it’s taking all the self-control I can muster not to go buy ’em in the honey mustard color, too.

Anthro Pants | Covet Living Stephanie Ballard

anthro sateen pants

3 – THE PRETTIEST PINK LIPSTICK YOU’LL EVER BUY. First off, I love MAC lipsticks because they’re so buttery and rich. I was on the hunt for an everyday lip color that isn’t a bold BANG hot pink, but that also isn’t a sheer gloss (my usual go-to, which Karrie constantly reminds me makes me look washed out… gotta love that your besties & parents don’t sugarcoat anything). Anyhow – this color (“Lustering”) is just enough pink with a hint of sheer and it’s PER-FECTION.

Lustering, MAC Lipstick

 

Sorry bout the car selfie but this is what it looks like on:

MAC Lustering Lipstick

 

4 – THIS GLORIOUS IMAGE that the chick who writes the Gypsea Lust blog took. Every time I look at it, I feel like I breathe a little deeper and easier. It’s so beautiful – currently my screen saver but I can’t wait to blow it up big time and slap it on my wall.

SNORKLER

5 – THIS TILE my boy Amiel found for me last week at Country Floors while he was loading me up for my library. It’s a Tabarka I hadn’t seen before in that color combo, and because it’s so light & neutral, it’s a good one for the faint of heart to use – so simple but without being boring. You better believe I’m trying to weasel it into project #keepingupwiththejoneses – hey girl heeeeeeeeyyy! Talkin’ bout you!

Tabarka Tile Country Floors

6 – THIS DIVINE CLUTCH. Suede + a big tassel = true love.

Suede Clutch

7 – CONGAPLEX. I realize this is a bizarre add to a fave things list, but I’m just lookin’ out for all you campers: This immune booster is NO joke… think Emergen-C, on crack.. times 10. My chiropractor – who’s also a personal friend – told me to pick some up once when I was getting sick, and it nipped whatever I had right in the bud. I’ve turned a few friends onto it too when they’ve had something coming on, and they’re now Beliebers. Keep it on hand, just in cases.

Congaplex

8 – HOW STINKIN CUTE WOULD THIS BE IN A POWDER BATH?  Flanked by some sweet little sconces?  I mean, I doubt I’d pay $1,300 for it, but if I saw it at Homegoods I’d snap it up stat.

Gilman Wall Mirror

9 – THIS CHICK’S OUTFIT IS EVERYTHING. Or maybe it’s just her attitude. I’m not a mom jeans lover, but I am loving her bob + blunt bangs, sunnies, that shirt… the dark nails, the bag. Everything.

Jeans + White Tee

10 – THIS QUOTE ABOUT RISK. I realized recently that every. single. good thing I’ve got going would’ve never come to be had I not done something REAL scary, and maybe borderline stupid.  E.g. uprooting 3 years ago and moving to the other side of the country (best decision ever); leaving a job that had run its course at the end of 2015 and then just going – what the hay? – imma go ahead and start my own biz (other best decision ever); sucking it up and doing something that makes me inordinately uncomfortable and landing a killer gig (more on that later); getting into a long distance thang with someone I swiped right on who lived over 1,000 miles away –  which is legitimately insane.  And also something every person I know warned me against, as it had Craigslist killer / axe murderer written all over it, and about a 0.2% chance of working out. Uh.. that was almost a year ago. And among other things, he thinks Gus is the most precious thing that ever was. Which means I pretty much think he hung the moon.

79813-Denis-Waitley-Quote-Life-is-inherently-risky-There-is-only-one-big

11 – THE SWEETEST TANGERINE-EST FABRIC EVER. Just saw in House Beautiful and can’t wait to use it (anywhere)… like on some roman shades in a breakfast nook maybe. I can’t even.

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12 – THE BEST LEATHER JACKET OF ALL TIME. And the best $69 I’ve ever spent invested. I would SPRINT TO ZARA if I were you. Sizing: I’m 5’9″ / athletic build and I got a small, which is snug (but so cute), but I couldn’t wear it over a sweater – just tees & tanks.

Perfect Leather Zara Jacket
That’s all I got! …well, that’s a big fat lie but I gotsta get back to work.  Have a great weekend!!!!

Hearts & Stars,

Steph's Scanned Signature

 

Casa Covet Living: She’s all done, folks!

Kitchen | Interior Design by Stephanie Ballard | Casa Covet Living
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Kitchen, After | Interior Design by Stephanie Ballard | Casa Covet Living

It’s been so long since we last posted about our beloved dollhouse project / labor of love that I don’t even know where to start…  I could break this up into about 10 different posts, entitled things like:

  • Hardware is a real b*tch” (for how tricky it is to find inexpensive hardware that isn’t heinous… especially brass.)
  • Couldah Shouldah Wouldah” (for the things we may’ve done differently if we had ’em to do over… but for every one of those, there’s also a ‘this fortunate accident actually turned out way better than we’d expected.’)
  • Ohhhhhhhhh F**********dge” (for the mistakes we caught just in time that could’ve been REAL ugly.)
  • Fifty (million) shades of grey” (for the daunting paint selection process… because no matter how many ‘these are the 5 best no-fail neutrals’ posts that are out there on Pinterest, the truth is that EVERY paint color looks different in EVERY individual house, and sometimes you have to just have to slap a bunch of ’em on the wall and stare at them for a few days until you’re cross-eyed. Slash, I say that, and yet there are actually a few neutrals I’ll keep in my arsenal from now on.
  • Splurge & Save” (for what not to skimp on, and where you can cut corners).
  • Timing is Everything” (aka a good solid order of operations / checklist you need to have in place when you’re approaching a renovation.)
  • Talk to me, Goose” (for how ABSOLUTELY VITAL it is to have a solid working relationship and open line of communication with your contractor, because the second that breaks down is the second something slips through the cracks. And while we have spatted (is it spat or spat-ted?) like brother & sister a few times – he yanked my pigtails, I’ve def put him in timeout more than once, etc – I do adore, have the utmost respect for and have been incredibly lucky to have been able to work with Karrie & Tim’s contractor, Joe Borci.  Who really is the absolute best at what he does.  And who – bless his heart – we legit tortured with things like hilariously inappropriate group texts, April Fools jokes, endless intricate details for him to implement that probably made him want to lose my #…

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We also tortured him delivering weekly payments delivered in envelopes like this:

poor joe | casa covet living
poor joe | casa covet living

And wardrobe razzing like this:

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But I’ll save all those tangent posts for another day, cuz this sucker’ll be long enough.  Probably best to go take a bathroom break now before you settle in and start reading.  But I bet y’all just wanna see some before & afters & some highlights, right??!  Welp, here you go!  We’ll start back at the beginning… remember this chopped up, super vintage fixer upper it seemed there was no hope for?

{ BEFORE }

BEFORE Floor Plan | Casa Covet Living

{ THE PLAN }

The idea was to open the space up, which basically required blowing out most of the interior walls in the main living area and kitchen.  The major challenges were then that we needed: a) a long wall to put a built-in media center on, b) a home for the washer/dryer, and c) an office for Tim.

blowing out walls | casa covet living

{ AFTER }

This is where we landed… After we blew out those interior walls (and had to bring in a few huge support beams), I extended the hall bath wall to create an office for Tim where the “bar” once was, which gave us a spot for the entertainment center.  We also decided to house the W/D inside of cabinetry in the office.  AND reconfigured the master suite some – removing that giant heinous fireplace wall

AFTER Floor Plan | Casa Covet Living

{ KITCHEN… BEFORE.  HOLY MOSES. }

before kitchen 3
before kitchen 1

before kitchen 2

{ DEMO }

…To sum up all of us during the demo / design process, I was kinda like this:

Interior Designer Stephanie Ballard | Casa Covet Living

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And Karrie was kinda like this: (“…hey girl, a little to the right.  Waiiiiiit, whaaaaaat?  Timeout – could somebody bring me a mai tai?”)

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LAWD.  Which prompted me to stop and refuel at the West Hollywood mothership (Gracias Madre) a few times – and by refuel I mean wash down a hill of nachos with a margarita or 3.

working lunch, gracias madre | casa covet living

nachos, gracias madre | casa covet living

gracias madre margarita | casa covet living

And, Tim – bless his heart – was all posted up in a suit and serious at all the Friday a.m. construction meetings to get materials like the sand bags we much needed, trying to reign me & Karrie in and (unsuccessfully) trying to put the smack down on things like the mint pineapple hall bath wallpaper.  Ask him how that turned out for him.

There are some materials that when used together make up a good and durable combination, and then there are some materials that have been in use for long enough that they have started to lose their effectiveness. In order to make the best decision on which materials you want to use for your projects, you need to do a durable materials review first. Superdurable will definitely help you with that, it is a great source of reviews on the topic. A good durable materials review should tell you not only how durable the materials are, but also what it takes to maintain the durability of materials as well. This article will give you the answers to these questions so that you can make the best decision possible on the materials that you use for your projects. With the answers to these questions, you will be able to make the best decision possible.

Screen Shot 2016-06-20 at 10.43.38 AM


{ CABINET DETAILS }

We did a few extra custom details to make Karrie & Tim’s house extra warm & fuzzy.  Behold: the X wine rack over the refrigerator… because wtf does anyone ever really do with that space??  Other good options would’ve been to do a top hinge, so that the door lifts upward and it’s easier to access what’s inside… or to have added vertical dividers and stored baking pans / cookie sheets up there, since it’s 26″ deep and there’s plenty of space for lesser-used items.  But we wanted to open the space up some, so this was a perfect solution.  Also… a moment of silence, please, for Henri – Tim’s godawful life-size-wine-rack-man that used to sit in their breakfast nook in Santa Monica.  And that I always wanted to chuck over the balcony.  He’s currently sleeping peacfully in a dumpster behind their old apartment.

x-wine rack over refrigerator | casa covet living x-wine rack over refrigerator | casa covet living

{ HARDWARE }

We sprung for the most beautiful tarnished brass hardware on the island (look at the x-detail on those sweet aztec knobs – color: light bronze | hex pull – color: light bronze), and cut a major corner by scoring cheapie and fabulous ORB hardware for the perimeter cabinetry.

Brass Cabinet Hardware | Casa Covet Living

ORB Hardware | Casa Covet Living

Master Bath got glass knobs & pulls, courtesy of Home Depot (again – we needed hardware on that vanity that would “go away” and not detract from that gorgeous finish):

Master Bath Glass Pulls | Casa Covet Living

And for the Hall Bath, we recycled the perfectly gaudy vintage cut glass golf ball knobs that were there when Karrie & Tim bought the place:

vintage hardware | casa covet living

hall bath | casa covet living

{ SCALLOPED TOE KICKS / FEET AT THE KITCHEN SINK }

scalloped toe kicks | casa covet living

{ X-TOWEL RACK IN MASTER VANITY }

x-detail, master vanity | casa covet living

{ L-O-V-E HOW THE CUSTOM FINISH CAME OUT ON THAT BAD BOY, BTW }

It’s almost got a bluish undertone, which I love with the lagoon glass shower tile.

master vanity | casa covet living

{PS, ME & TEEM TOTALLY WON THE BATHROOM MIRROR BATTLE …hip hip, hoooraaaay!}

Sidenote: chalk this up as maybe the first thing in history we’ve ever agreed on.

master bath | casa covet living

The sconces in the master bath were also a huge score… the finish is “brown nickel” – which I have never seen done before and which is super baller in person.  We needed something that wasn’t too matchy to the polished nickel plumbing, but brass (albeit amazing) wasn’t the right call either.  These are perfect… even Joe thought so.

master bath | casa covet living

polaris sconce, arteries | casa covet living

{ THE PRECIOUS GEM THAT IS THE MASTER SHOWER }

Shower Tile Going In | Casa Covet Living

master shower, blue glass tile | casa covet living
master shower, blue glass tile | casa covet living

Karrie | Casa Covet Living

{ AS A REMINDER, THIS WAS THE MASTER BATH BEFORE.  YEAH. }

before master bath

{ DELIVERING OUR COOING, BOUNCING TWIN BABIES TO THE JOBSITE }

IMG_3606

I'm an aunt! | Casa Covet Living

{ AND THEN WATCHING IN WONDER AS WERE HOISTED TO THEIR RIGHTFUL HOME IN THE SKY ABOVE THE ISLAND }

island pendants | casa covet living
island pendants | casa covet living

island pendants | casa covet living

kitchen AFTER | casa covet living

{ RECLAIMED OPEN SHELVING }

I sourced the open shelving from Reclaimed Wood San Diego, from this giant hill of lumber.  The best pieces were on the bottom… whoops slash HUGE thanks to the amazing folks who work there who heave-ho’d it out for me.  I grabbed 2 long planks of White Oak that we had cut into 27″ shelves.

reclaimed wood san diego | casa covet living

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Their lead time was too long so we had to have it custom stained in LA.  And buzzang – did they come out PERFECT:

reclaimed shelving | Casa Covet Living

{ TABARKA INSET JUST WENT IN THIS WEEK.. CAN YOU DEAL? }

PS: Amiel for President.

tabarka inset | casa covet living

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kitchen AFTER | casa covet living

kitchen AFTER | casa covet living

{DRUMROLL… HALL BATH BEFORE & AFTERS}

* sink *

before hall bath

hall bath | stephanie ballard interiors | casa covet living
IMG_6148

* shower *

before hall bath shower

brass hall bath shower | casa covet living

hall bath | casa covet living
…don’t worry – I already christened this bad boy with a bubble bath the other night.

hall bath | casa covet living

* I can’t take it. *

before hall bath 3

hygge and west mint pineapple wallpaper | casa covet living

hygge and west mint pineapple wallpaper | casa covet living

* Look at our boy Javier go! *

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hygge and west mint pineapple wallpaper | casa covet living

hygge and west mint pineapple wallpaper | casa covet living

{ KITCHEN SINK }

kitchen sink | casa covet living

kitchen sink | casa covet living

kitchen sink | casa covet living

{ FAMILY ROOM BUILT-INS }

PS, this is about the coziest dang situation I’ve ever seen in person.

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GYAH IT’S JUST NOT UGLY.  The construction / design portion is finished, and Karrie & Tim are merrily unpacking boxes as we speak, but we still have SO MUCH work to do on the decorating end it’s not even funny.  Starting with barstools… and we’re using this stunning Carolina Irving fabric:

Carolina Irving Aegean Stripe | Casa Covet Living

And for the breakfast nook / dining area, which currently looks like this…

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We’re in the process of making nook seat cushions…

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Using the NUBBIEST EVER Thibaut Crypton fabric for the bench cushion seats… that way ain’t nobody can ever screw ’em up. Crypton is amazingly pet / kid / Pig Pen Karrie friendly, because of its stain, moisture and odor resistance.  The fabric literally has an integrated moisture barrier, so most stains come up with a damp cloth and water, or if they’re super stubborn, mild soap and water.  Bing bang boom.

thibaut crypton juno in flax | casa covet living

Also in the process of choosing throw pillow fabrics.  Which is basically like trying to choose a favorite piece of candy from Candy Land.  And by Candy Land, we mean Nicky Rising & Hollywood at Home.

Interior Designer Stephanie Ballard | Covet Living Interiors | Casa Covet Living

We’re leaning somewhere towards here – for one, because we’ve both loved this Tulu Textiles fabric since the beginning of time, but also because it’ll show fewer spaghetti sauce / red wine stains.  Jury’s out but we’re percolating… hard.

Breakfast Nook Fabrics | Casa Covet Living

One more time for good measure. Cuz this post isn’t long enough:

Before & After | Interior Design: Stephanie Ballard | Casa Covet Living

Before & After | Interior Design: Stephanie Ballard | Casa Covet Living

Before & After | Interior Design: Stephanie Ballard | Casa Covet Living

Before & After | Interior Design: Stephanie Ballard | Casa Covet Living

Before & After | Interior Design: Stephanie Ballard | Casa Covet Living

Last but not least, this is about how we all feel about the house at this point… all a little bit deliriously happy.  I don’t think it translates via pictures or even video, but it is magical in person.  So cozy, and exactly what we wanted.

{ KARRIE }

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{ TEEM }

{ ME }

stephanie ballard | casa covet living

Also – totally holding Karrie to this:

And this was the scene last week when I popped up to shack up at Casa Covet Living. Home sweet home.

done! | Casa Covet Living
We’ll keep you posted as we continue to layer goodness into Karrie & Tim’s happy new abode!!!  Thanks for following along with the renovation and helping us make decisions along the way and cheering us on!!  You guys are the BEST! Sidenote:

don't quit your daydream

PS: Steph’s Interior Design website is currently under construction, so in the meantime, stay tuned here and over on her insta for updates! She’s currently booking out projects for the Fall of 2016 – email: stephanie.m.ballard@gmail.com with inquiries.

xoxo,

Steph & Karrie