My Beautiful Desk

In a previous post, I wrote about my brother, J Segal, who is a talented designer. (See previous post here.) I am happy to announce that I am now the proud owner of the beautiful iLean desk, designed by him.  The iLean desk is a marvel in balance. Though I am not usually a lover of wood, I had a hard time deciding whether to paint it. It's so gorgeous. I must admit that I adore zebrawood.

Before

Inspiration

I decided I wanted to incorporate pale pink and gray in its design.  Milk glass ashtray from Etsy, psychedelic pillow from Amazon.  Paint chips are from Valspar, pink icing, piglet and electric sky. 

After

I used piglet on top. I love this color so much, I want to do all my walls in this color. On the bottom is pink icing by Valspar and a silver gray from mistake bin by Clark and Kensington, which I used on a small bookcase also built by my brother. (See previous post here.) The shell bentwood chair is by the Novogratz, and is available at Amazon for a reasonable price.

Now I just need to decide what art to hang. A fun dilemma.  I love it!

Contact Jeff on Instagram @JSegaldesign

My Apartment for Today

Dear readers, I mentioned below, that I wish I were in Washington, D.C. today. I'm not feeling well enough to be with the marchers today, but I am there in spirit and am showing my support on YouTube and Twitter.  I am so proud of the youth of today.

So, I'm puttering around the apartment. It may seem frivolous, but it brings me great joy. It is a meditation for me. And while I am sending loving support to the marchers today, I am quieting my mind and focusing on gratitude.

My personal space is important to me. I've been in this apartment eight months now. As you know, I had to start over when I got back from Denver. All my furniture has been donated by friends and family. And though my home is humble, I love it.

Here's what I want from my place:  a simple restraint, flirting with minimalism. A modern look, influenced by mid-century mod and Japanese decor. I want it to be colorful and cozy, unapologeticly girly.

Here's what it looks like today. I spent no money, I simply moved things around.

Here's a secret. I use my dining room as my office. Here's what it looks like when I am working.

I often cut up my art to make new art. I like to think that my art is Zen, and that it celebrates the impermanence of all things.

Here's a couple vignettes from my teeny tiny kitchen, which is not clean enough for a reveal today. Yes, my place does get messy.

As you know, I am not very sentimental about things. I purge easily. I don't miss my TV or microwave. However, I do miss my desk top computer and its vast functionality. I am blogging with my Android.   I'm not having great success editing my photos.  Even though I like my place to be cave like, I'm not happy that my photos are too dark. Ahh..wabi sabi photos to match a wabi sabi environment. I have great respect for interiors photographers.

Pretty Pink Vase No. 2...or...Ask and You Shall Receive

Dear readers, I've been listening to the book The Secret (it's available on Netflix). I've read it many times, but I am finding it particularly profound of late. The law of universal attraction is something that I've been considering more and more. I've been following quantum physics, simulation theory and Elon Musk.

BTW, have you seen Cover Girl's model Maye Musk (Elon's mother)?

She is a stunner! I have a major girl crush on her. This family definitely knows The Secret. Sorry, I digress. But y'all know how my mind works. Creativity influences creativity.

So... pretty much the law of attraction is very simple. You receive what you focus on. So one day last week I'm sitting on my sofa and I'm thinking I really want a pretty pink vase for my dining room table. I take to my drawing pad and I'm drawing the vase that I want. I start searching Etsy.

I've got a specific image in mind. I want a fully committed and unapologetic pink. Not blush, not mauve but a fearless, real pink. I want a modern simple shape and I want it to be about 11 inches tall.

I can't find it on Etsy, I find a couple of maybes, but not exactly what I want. And not in my budget.

After spending a little time contemplating the vase, I decide to go grocery shopping. As I walked into the grocery store, what was in my eyeline? A wine bottle. The perfect pink, the perfect height and the perfect (cheap) price. I snatched it without a second thought. Thank you universe, I said. That night I celebrated with a rare glass of wine, as I admired my good fortune. I sent love and gratitude to the manufacturer of this wine for having the fortitude to use labels that peeled off easily.

Isn't it gorgeous! It proves you can decorate on a budget. You will notice there are no dining room chairs around my table. There's a reason for that. Here's another secret: when I want something in my apartment, I create a vacuum for the universe to fill. I want two square ottomans to use as seating for this small space. I have no doubt I will find the perfect ones.

But why stop there? If the law of attraction works on something small, it can work for something big. Sound too simple? All truth is simple. I'll have more to say about that in asubsequent post.

I am taking part in a thought experiment with focus, I'll be sure to let you know how it goes. In the meantime I'm totally in love with my perfect pink vase.

Pretty Pink Vase

Dear readers, as you know, two of my favorite things are vases and the color pink. I have a clearly defined aesthetic when it comes to vases. I love a simple, modern form, and I love a matte finish. I'm aways on the hunt for the perfect vase.

Finding pink vases in a modern form is difficult. Most pink vases tend to be too frou frou. Finding the right color and finish is also difficult. I love a lot of the modern shapes of Haeger, but I don't like their glossy finishes, which make their vases look mass produced. Nor do I like their pink, which is usually too mauvey or fleshy.  I love the simple form and matte finish of McCoy Floraline, but unfortunately, they don't do a pink. (They do a lovely sage green, though.)

What's the solution? Painting your vase. Spray painting is best if you have a space to do it. And remember spray paint takes a lot of patience. I don't have the space right now, so brush painting it is.

So, I hunt for a vase with a modern shape. I try to find one with a porous surface so I don't have to use primer. If the base you're painting is glossy, you will need to use primer.

I had a cute vase by West Elm in my closet. I forgot to take a before picture of it. But here's a picture of it from their website.

Dig that shape. I'm a sucker for anything resembling a genie bottle. However, as is often the case when I order a vase online, I was disappointed with the color and the texture. So I decided to paint it.

I used this fabulous chalk paint from Pat Catan's. I'm totally hooked. Because the paint was chalky, it needed no primer. Yay! And how cool is it that the name of the paint is innocence?

Voila! I love it. It's the perfect pink and the perfect shape. I got so hooked on this paint, I used it on my new painting in the post below. I also used it on the back of my shelf in my kitchen.

I can't wait to go back to Pat Catan's to get more of this paint. And I'm on the hunt for more vases to paint.

You know my mantra: you can never have too much pink, pink can be used in a thoroughly modern environment, it looks great on everyone, and it is not just a girly color.

BTW OMG have you seen Mr. Kate on YouTube?  If not, you must!  They are too fabulous.  If you run into them, tell them I need them to come decorate my place!  ❤ 💋

Mood Board Blush

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know I adore pink. Always have, always will. It thrills me that pink is such a popular color now, and I like to think I've had a part in that. I believe you can never have too much pink. Pink looks great on everyone, and it goes great with any color. And pink is not just a girly color, it can be used in modern decor.  Not ready to make the leap to hot pink? Can't convince hubby to paint the walls pink?  Try blush.

Blush is a very versatile color. It makes a fabulous and moody neutral with gray and violet. It also makes a great pop color with blue. Use a little, use a lot. You can't go wrong with blush.

Blush drapes add a bit of warmth and reflect the sunlight beautifully in this soft, yet thoroughly modern room.

The swan chair never looked better!

Violet and blush. Dreamy.

Simone Blush Chair at CB2. Drool. Need.

Refurbished table and lamp recently seen at Habitat for Humanity display at IX Center. Man dig that lamp. These would look great with the Blush Chair from CB2.  

A pop of blush with blue. Mysterious and sexy.

Have you seen the Project 62 collection at Target? It's a must for lovers of mid century mod.  I need several of those slipper chairs.

My Apartment - For Today

It's taken some time, but my apartment and I are having a love affair. My personal space is very important to me. Here's a quick peek at how she looks today.

I love color, especially pink.

I'm a big proponent of color psychology. I got the knock off Middle Kingdom vase at a thrift store for $4.00. If you need cheering up, try a pop of yellow.

The chandelier is a work in progress.

Yep. I've got vase addiction.

Pink City

Pink City I, digital photography and editing.

Pink City is a series I've been working on for a long time. It is influenced by my love of Cleveland and the Lake Erie sunsets.

As a child, I was thrilled when my dad drove us to Cleveland. This was in the hey day of Cleveland's steel production. The sky was literally pink. I didn't realize it was toxic, I just thought it was beautiful. Little did I realize that years later the dilapidation created during this time period, would also become an influence in my art.

I hope to put together a retrospective showing of this work soon, which will incorporate photography, paintings, slideshows and music from local artists.

See more of my Pink City series on my urban photojournal, here.

Pink City: Evolution of a Painting

Pink City II

Pink City IIa

Pink City IIb, 16x20", acrylic, marker and pencil on canvas

Design ADD: The Story of a Little Bookcase

Here's a little secret:  I love puttering in my apartment so much that I move something almost everyday.  Even if it's just a vase or a pillow.  It's taken a while for this place to evolve. I've been really lucky, all my furniture was donated by friends and family.

My talented brother made me this sweet little bookcase.  I intended to paint it gloss white, but my bro told me to check out the mistake section of the paint department. A happy discovery indeed!  I bought a pint of satin enamel by Clark + Kensington for $1.00!  Yep, no shit. $1.00.  After sanding (which I hate) the paint went on smooth.

Bam.  I love it.  I placed the little bookcase on my focal wall.

The chair is a gift from my mom.  It's a little chunky for my taste, and I wasn't sure I liked the sage green.  It sure is comfy, though and did I mention it was free?

After studying this wall for a couple of weeks, I began to go through a familiar stage in my decorating. Panic. I love beautiful things, but I panic when I have too many.  Maybe it comes from growing up in a hoarder home (the subject of a subsequent post).  I decided the focal wall needed to be cleaner.

Yep. That feels good. It's hard to photograph my place, it doesn't get much light. But I kinda dig its cave like feel.  So where did the little bookcase end up?

In the bedroom, where it is the perfect nightstand.  Now that's what I call form AND function.  BTW, I hate making my bed.

New Paintings

I'm happy to announce that I started painting again!  Here's a couple of my new paintings.

This work is still in progress.

Untitled, 16"'x 20", acrylic on canvas.

This painting is deceptive. Simple, but not easy. It may look like a solid color, but the color is actually achieved in layers.  Inspired by Mark Rothko.

 Pink City II: Underwater, approx 8" x 10", acrylic and pencil on canvas. Was part of a larger canvas that I didn't like, so I chopped it up.

All the art in my apartment is by me. More importantly, it's all pink -- which makes me ecstatic.  

And the winners are..

After much deliberation, these are my favorite colors du jour.  And, oh yeah, if I haven't said it a trillion times...I love color blocking.