If you follow along on Instagram, I'm often sharing trips that I take to the Rosebowl Flea Market or estates sales. My love for vintage has truly gotten stronger and more cohesive over time. It's developed partially based on a deeper appreciation for pieces from the past as well as me coming into my personal style more so as I have gotten older. Here are a few reasons why I love shopping vintage...
When we last left off with the design process, I shared the exterior design and architecture of our home with you! While the house was being designed, we had weekly meetings with our architect to review each step and the design plans as they evolved and needed tweaks. I remember being SO pregnant at the time with my second baby (this is back in 2014 when we designed the house!), and there was so much to consider. We were designing and building for our future life with two kids (a life I wasn't living in YET), so it's wild to see this house now coming to life with our two kids now being 4 years older since it was originally designed by our architects at Project M+. Here's a look at how the layout of the house was designed to consider form, function, and our family's needs....
As a refresher, the overall shape of the house is like a "U" on the bottom with a long rectangle on the top. It was designed to give flow and movement between the inside and outside and really make the house feel one with the outdoors. When you look at a house to buy, layout is something you notice but you don't have a ton of say over. The layout of an existing home may be important in your decision to buy a house, but often you work with what exists. So in thinking about layout for our home build, we had to retrain our brains to think about how we wanted rooms to flow with one another because we actually had the ability to decide...!
The First Floor: When we were thinking about how the rooms were positioned, we started with the bottom floor. This is the heart of the home where we will spend most of our awake hours and where we will entertain with friends and family. With the U shape, the two largest rooms and biggest areas for entertaining were at the ends of the "U". They both surround the outdoor area so it made sense for us to focus those larger areas on the living room and the kitchen. We did away with the idea of a formal living room and more casual living room because we wanted to take advantage of the outdoor space, and we didn't really feel the need to have two living rooms like some homes have.
Also, while I would normally want the kitchen and living room to be side by side and spill into one another, the unique shape of the bottom floor makes it such that you can see the living room from the kitchen and vice versa through the large glass doors in the courtyard. Since we'll have an outdoor dining area, we're making our kitchen island a spot for quicker meals inside and the more official dining room in the back of the house by the kitchen.
The Second Floor: The second floor is all about the spaces we retreat to for relaxation and rest. Similar to how traditional two-story homes are laid out, all of the bedrooms are upstairs. With the desire to mix indoor and out, the master bedroom has a balcony and the girls' rooms share a balcony. It's a 4-bedroom home. And while we designed it so each of our girl's has their own room, they LOVE sharing a room currently in our apartment, so we'll keep them together until they are ready for their own spaces. The second kid's room will serve as their playroom until then.
When it comes to the master bedroom, we didn't need a huge bedroom. Sometimes I walk into homes, and the master bedroom is the size of a whole apartment! For us, it was more important to have double sinks in our bathroom and a bigger closest. I am finally getting a walk-in closet! If you follow me on Instagram stories and have seen my TINY closest, you know part is extra thrilling for me :P
Finally, our 4th bedroom will serve as an office/guest room. We don't have quite enough space in this house to have a separate stand-alone guest room, so this felt like a great way to double up on potential use of the last room. If you have any questions about any of this, please leave a comment below!
Check out my post over at Architectural Digest's Clever for tips on what to consider when deciding the layout of your house during a custom build or major home renovation. Plus, I'll start sharing my design inspiration for each room with you in upcoming posts!
{Photos by Lily Glass. Architecture renderings by Project M+}
In my place, my kids do not have a separate playroom, so their play and craft areas are mixed in with our living room. If you're in the same camp, sometimes it feels like toys can completely take over the living room. So today, we've got a clever way to store toys in shared spaces! This is a great way to keep them organized while still having them accessible in your family room...
I love a good faux fur jacket! So today, we're showing you how to take one that you already have and make it extra unique and special. PLUS, it looks like a great vintage find. Here's how...
Back in the early days of blogging, I was taking random (often not amazing) photos and posting them here for all to see. It was rough and scrappy, but also there was so much less pressure and expectation than social media often has today. Now, we offer original content (which I love) and beautiful, professional photos (which I also love). But, we really wanted to remind you of the real stuff that goes on behind the frame...all the mess off to the side, the beautiful photos that sometimes come about by accident, and just a little bit more behind-the-scenes. Hence, this post today...!
It's a simple look at a moment in time here at Oh Joy, but it shows you the talented people who help make our concepts, photos, posts, products, and partnerships come together. In this instance, I was checking out the work that Julia and Jess (pictured above) were working on for another project when they started taping pieces of art from the other project onto my jumpsuit. All-of-a-sudden, I was a walking canvas, and this photo you see first in the post came to life. Those are sometimes the happy accidents that come when we're fast at work on other stuff, and I love it all.
If you want to see more of these little peeks at the real life stuff happening over here at Oh Joy!, let us know below in the comments!
Happy Friday!
{Photos by Lily Glass, styling by Julia Wester, styling assistance and crafting by Jess Hong.}
A New Year means lots of new things, from new goals to new dreams and new plans! So today, I'm sharing a few of my favorite things to help you achieve any resolutions you've set for the year or pieces that help signify a fresh start. Come check it out...
I've been working on drinking WAAAAY more water this year. Whenever you have something you want to get better at, it's always helpful to figure out ways to make that task more fun. By keeping a fun water bottle on my desk or by my nightstand, it's a gentle nudge to stay hydrated. So, today, we're showing you how to spruce up a plain water bottle for yourself or as a gift to give to a friend trying to get into better habits! Here's what you need to know to make your very own...
This year, I'm trying really hard to start my mornings off right by eating a healthy breakfast! So today, we've partnered with Wonderful Halos to show you a really simple (and beautiful!) parfait that you can quickly make in the morning for YOU and your family. I love indulging in a sweet treat in the morning, but it can often be difficult to find snacks that are both sweet and healthy, which makes Halos the perfect choice. You can indulge without guilt and start your day with Pure Goodness! Here's how...
You'll need...
- Halos
- plain yogurt
- granola
- shredded coconut
- small cups/glasses
Here's how...
1. Peel halos, section into wedges and dice into cubed pieces.
2. Add a layer of halos to the bottom of the cup.
3. Follow with a layer of granola, yogurt, and shredded coconut.
4. Repeat each layer until the glass is full.
If you're a parent, you know how much paperwork your kids bring home everyday from school! From worksheets to artwork to projects...it's amazing to see all they are learning and creating but it also gets harder and harder to figure out where and how to store it. So, today, we have a few tips for how we keep it at bay...
Happy Friday! Last month we showed you how to go from sweatshirt to dining room, and today we're showing you how to go be inspired by a sweatshirt to style a living room! I've been pairing this YEAH sweatshirt with pretty much every outfit for instant coziness the last few weeks, but how do you bring that same warmth and fun to a space when using it as your inspiration? Here's how...
