In Good Company

I was honored this last week to find out that I was listed as one of the top 15 interior designers in Sacramento!  I am close with many of my colleagues listed and know they are worthy competition.  Many years of hard work and wonderful clients has made this possible and I truly appreciate it.  You can read the article here and vote for yours truly on the poll.

Many Thanks,

Rebecca Ward

Design: Sacramento

I haven't done an installment in this column for a while but I found something worthy of noting for Design: Sacramento - I only wish I had noted it earlier!  Listen up my Sacramento readers!

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If you love design and are looking for something fun to do tomorrow, Sunday the19th, head to midtown and join the Design Rides on their bike ride around midtown's design hot spots!  They will be stopping in one of my favorites, Scout Living.

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If you can't make it this weekend, like me, they have another on planned for October 14th.

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What a great idea!

Photos via Facebook and Scout

Photo Ready

The month of June has flown by and the blogging class I have been taking is coming to a close. 

I have once again found Holly Becker of Decor8 blog's class so enlightening.  I have been instructed by Holly and other fabulous guest teachers such as Jeanette Lunde of Fryd and Design.  Without her inspiration, I probably would never have considered and e-magazine (which I now am!).  Also, I was already a huge fan of Nicole Bach of Making It Lovely, who showed me how to find balance in work and life and how to grow your blog and possibly make income from it (I hope to one day, thank to my supportive readers!).  Katrina Tan of the Pugly Pixel showed so many creative ways to feature photos in more interesting formats.  I will definitely start to practice these tips and integrate them into my blog.

Since my blog is largely visually based, I found a great benefit from these photo teachings.  I especially enjoyed Holly sharing some of her favorite photo apps for my iPhone that I have already started to use.  One of these apps is instagram, which I have been using for a while but not really for my blog.  I love the effects that you can do to the photos right off your phone to enhance them.

Photo I took at a Sacramento River Cats Baseball game

I added a few apps to my repertoire on Holly's recommendation such as Pic Stich. This app will combine two or three photos in various configurations:

Progress photos of a recent installation

I also like Labelbox, which will allow you to add fun labels to any photo:

My cat having a crazy moment

I also picked up a photo booth app.  I chose a free one called photoautomat, which is a lot of fun!

My sister and I being goofy

Bottom line, I loved this class and would recommend it to anyone wanting to blog.  It has a great support community as well and I look forword t contiuing to get to know the other bloggers in the class.  I will soon be sharing a few new favorite blogs of mine that have come out of the class.


Photos by Rebecca Ward

Let's Hear From You

Sometimes it's nice to get a change of scenery.

This morning I took my work to a local cafe called Temple, where I can get a good cup of tea and free wifi.  I overheard a glowing recommendation for the cafe from a table nearby.  One lady was telling her friends, " I have never had a bitter cup of coffee here. Ever!"  (My local readers and Sacramento coffee enthusiasts should go and find this out for themselves!)

Some of my "work" consisted of my blogging class that I mentioned before.  One of our tasks is to try something new in our postings.  We were given a list of ten option for ideas and I found I am already doing many of them.  There were a few, though, that I ave yet to try.

So.... I thought I would survey my readers to get some feedback from you!  I promise this one is short and sweet.  I love hearing from you, some of my regular commenters, but I would also love to hear from those who are just stopping by!  All comments are private, for my eyes only, so be as free as you like in your answers.  I appreciate your opinions very much!

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.

Adding Vintage to your Walls

Christopher Stott is an artist that has become a favorite of one of my clients, and is now one of my favorites as well.  He captures vintage items for his paintings in everyday compositions.  One of Sacramento's galleries, the Elliott Fouts Gallery, has hosted several of his shows and his works have been very popular.

You can see two of his pieces here in my client's home:

And another one in this corner:

Here are some other works that can be seen on his website:

Love the look!  Vintage is such a wonderful trend right now, but these painting would look great in any environment.

Sacramento: You are cordially invited...

For all my Sacramento readers, I wanted to let you know that I have been asked to be a "design expert" speaker at West Elm at the Fountains in Roseville for a special invitational event.  Myself and two other fabulous designers will be giving our design and decorating tips, illustrating our points with the current West Elm Fall line.  This event will happen on Saturday September 17th from 10am-11am.  I would love to see you there!

If you would like to attend, you will need to RSVP to the store: 916-784-2109.

Image courtesy of West Elm.

New In Town

Last week, we went downtown with some friends to finally check out some of the new happening places.  There are a few places that have opened in the past year or two, in spite of the economy, that I haven't kept up on. We decided to hit the new spots on K street which have gone in on K street.  Being a Thursday night it wasn't too busy, so we stopped into Dive Bar while we were waiting a short time for a table at Pizza Rock. 

I thought both places emit a vibe of The City (what we Sacramentans call San Francisco) in that they were long narrow spaces with exposed brick walls.  What makes the Dive Bar unique for Sacramento is the fish tank above the bar with actual mermaids swimming back and forth, flirting with the patrons.

Pizza Rock had excellent food!  I loved the selections for their pizzas and the atmosphere was fun and suited my age group.  Rock music from the 90's played loudly  while we sat at our high top watching pizza dough being twirled for entertainment in front of the giant semi truck sticking out of the wall. 

They are both worth checking out if you're going to downtown Sacramento, especially for the 30 something crowd.

Color Change

Today my work took me outside and to downtown Sacramento where many Victorian style houses can be found.  I was referred to this client for my eye for color by my painter, Dayne Beals of Infinity Paint and Restoration.  He has been spending much time prepping the job, as these older homes require, and meanwhile the homeowner was having some difficulty deciding on color.  It really is best to call in an expert on these types of jobs. 

Victorians are beautiful, when they are done right.  Unfortunately there are quite a few in disrepair downtown or that have been washed out in a single color, hiding all the detailed craftsmanship.  Here are a few photos to give you an idea of the beauty they can reveal when a little TLC is given to them.

We came up with a pleasing and sophisticated 4-color scheme that I'm positive will translate well when it's finished.

Paints are Dunn Edwards Brand

I'll be sure to post photos once it's completed!

Photos from sac historic house blog and Easton Painting

Bloom

So I was interested to a new coffee shop in my area that has amazing coffee.  It's called Bloom Coffee located in Roseville,CA.  It's very much an artisan cafe with an individual vibe that no chain cafe can ever have.  Each coffee is crafted with special care.  Most espressos are finished up with that artistic foam patterns that leave me hesitant to ruin the work of art.  I haven't tried their teas yet but I'm sure they are equally as good.  If you are ever in the area, you must stop by and try it!

Images by Rebecca Ward

Cupcake Anyone?

Cupcakes stores have been trendy for the last few years, like self serve frozen yogurt.  I haven't been to any before yesterday but I think they're a great idea.  I'm about to start a new project with one of my architects to open  new location for her cupcake shop.  I stopped by Esther's Cupcakes in Sacramento to see how her flagship store checks out. 

It was adorable,as you would expect a cupcake shop to be.  Marble counters and pink walls with clean contemporary display cases.  My job will be to transfer the same image into a new, larger space with a few minor details and then an even larger store location that will double as a coffee shop. 

I met Esther, a lovely lady who seems to know her stuff about cupcakes.  I even got to sample on of her creations, the Earl Grey cupcake with Lavender flavered frosting.  It was amazing and made me wish for a cup of tea to accompany it!  I can't wait to get started on the project!


Images by Rebecca Ward

Design: Sacramento

Today's Sacramento spotlight is on Planet Granite.
When you have a limited budget or  a small area that you need a slab of stone, check our Planet Granite.  This is the place to go for remnants when you don't need a whole slab.  They have an incredible amount of inventory that is quite fluid so chances are the have what you need, or will have it soon.  Their website is really easy to search through by color or name and once you see a piece you like, you can call them to put it on hold or pay for it right then!  If I'm going to suggest to a client to buy a remnant this way I usually find what I like at one of my local stone showrooms to see it in person, and then search for it on the site.  They show pictures of each piece they have available in the selection you want so you can get a piece with the "character" you like and fits your need.

 This is a a piece of Costa Esmeralda that I'm searching for for a current client.  Unfortunately this piece isn't long enough for the vanity, but I'll keep looking!

Images from Planet Granite

Design: Sacramento

International Ideas Imports I have found to be a great wholesale and retail source for outdoor and indoor and indoor furniture.

Located in Rancho Cordova, they have a great selection of teak outdoor furniture and other unique furniture peices and casegoods for interiors.  They carry some great rustic and reclaimed wood pieces too. 

They even carry a few decorative items.

Their high quality furniture is not only well known and used in Sacramento but to the general trade in all areas.  They had a temporary showroom at the Las Vegas Market that I was sure to stop by while I was there this last winter market.

Be sure and check them out next time you're looking for some great outdoor furniture!

Images from International Ideas

5 April Favorites

This months 5 favorites!

First April Fave: Easter Chocolate

This year, Easter landed on the first weekend of April.  I love Easter!  In spite of the uncharacteristic stormy weather, I managed to wear a dress to church!  I was quite determined.  My reward for my efforts was yummy Easter chocolate, thanks to my mom :) (and yes I have featured chocolate for the past three months - I am a chocoholic!)

Second April Fave: Caleb's Photos

My three year old nephew loves to get a hold of my camera and take as many photos as I will let him (thank goodness for digital!) He actually takes some creative photos.  I'm not sure if it's because he's only 3 feet off the ground or that he's not afraid to get up close and personal with his subject.  Here are a few that he took this month for you to enjoy, there's even a self-portrait!

Third April Fave: Josh's Basketball Games
Caleb's older brother, Josh is in 3rd grade and started playing basketball this year.  As you can see in the photos, he has a height advantage as he is the tallest on the team (Josh is #2).  It's fun to see the kids play, even when they don't quite get all the rules down.

Fourth April Fave: Old Sacramento
Last weekend I went down to Old Sacramento with some family to pick up an item from a particular shop and we ended up hanging out for a few hours, enjoying the historical site.  Sometimes you forget to enjoy some of the touristic of the city you live in.

Fifth April Fave: Strawberries
Strawberries have arrived on the grocer's shelves and in the restaurants and we have been eating a lot of them for dessert lately.  They are so colorful and refreshing by themselves.  They are definitely one of my favorite fresh fruits!

What are your April favorites?

Photos by Rebecca Ward