Barok 'N Roll

I just finished up my new headboard accent project using WallCollection's Barok 'n Roll design. It is one of my very favorite custom patterns offered. But, I thought the black might be better in my bedroom in smaller dose, so chose not to do the whole wall.

Because black is a bit more difficult to work with, to eliminate any issues with the seam showing, I used a Bic pen to color the edges black. Technically speaking, I'm sure there are more professional ways of doing this, but it seems to do the trick.

I then measured the placement of the first strip so that is would hang evenly behind my bed.

Less than an hour later, it was up. Just the wood trim to complete...

One reason I love this pattern is because it looks like it repeats from a distance, but upon close inspection each design is distinct. The cowboy is in the details!

So is the cliff-hanger...

And the peace loving hippie!

And my sky of diamonds :)

A week (or three) later, I finally found the time to put up my wood trim. I'd painted it the trim black, but feared how to make the corner edges meet so allocated several hours to completing the project. It turned out to be much quicker and easier than I'd anticipated - I just used a little saw, a miter box (who knew?) and some little nails, and it only took about 20 minutes total to put up. Although, in hindsight I'd recommend spending 30 and actually measuring the trim length rather than just using an "eyeballing it" technique.

One day, I'd love to meet the designer, Emil Kozak. I suspect he knows how to have a lot of fun! Till then, I'll sleep peacefully with visions of obscure birds and pirate ships dancing above my head...

Simply Pattern

ferm LIVING just made its book debut in Simply Pattern, published by viction:ary!


Simply Pattern pays tribute to the ways truly great patterns can transform any surface. I second this notion, as I do believe I have just about transformed every possible surface my apartment can handle with clever design :) We're hoping to carry this book on www.fermlivingshop.us starting next month, so please check back!

Hello! Pretty Note Cards

It was great to see the staff at Elements Design feature our new note cards on their blog helloelements. I have a bit of an aversion to cats, so have been using the birdcage ones :) So pretty and that shade of yellow is quite delightful.

One of our other favorite stationary companies, Hello! Lucky is right here in SF. I went to visit them the other day in SOMA. The offices are almost as adorable as their note cards!

One of the many reasons they are so fabulous is their Julia Rothman collection. Love it!

A nice display of organization here. Very inspiring. I need to deal with my filing system which is currently involves some piling of paper in kitchen cabinets and a coat closet.

I had no idea letter presses were so big and complicated looking!

I think they said these were originals from the 60s, but I could be way off about that given the letter press high I was riding. So, please don't quote me.

They also have some really fun custom shelving, including this red siding and the shelving above, made by Because We Can!

Thanks for the tour, Shauna! It was so nice to see you again!

Smart Growth

Kristen, at IF+D in Austin, Texas, just sent me my new most favorite memo pad! Kristen is lucky enough to live in one of the smartest growing, progressive cities in the US (with a great music scene!). While Austin's smart growth is something to emulate, Enron's scandalous growth is just the opposite. However, it's legal pad is something to collect. I may need more. I love how integrity was just so important to them it had to be noted on the bottom of each page, in case one were to forget...

Kristen also sent some gorgeous pictures of a client's new home. ferm LIVING's bindweed design with Blu Dot's bright pink sideboard looks fantastic.

And speaking of smart growth, this kid's room is sure to inspire. I think the green bed is Blu Dot too. Looks perfect with the family tree in petrol! Thank you so much, Kristen!

Being former lawyers, Aimee and I also got a huge kick out of this McSweeney's list that our freind just emailed. We could have used a jeans advocacy workshop, as our firm wasn't buying into the concept of "casual Fridays." And ever since Sweetheart's Dance 1991, I refuse to buy into the concept of "dress jeans," because even if they have pin stripes and pleats and you pair them with a bolo tie, Vic, they're still just denim jeans. So basically, I never was able to wear jeans as a lawyer which is sad because that's when I could still afford really rockin' ones. I could have also used a little more training in forwarding emails. Or rather, what is not email appropriate. Oh well, live and learn. And hopefully get a little smarter :)

Arkitektura In Situ

I just stopped by Arkitektura In Situ in San Francisco and was so excited to see ferm LIVING's Old News on display!



I really love the black and white pattern with the pastel bedding. I usually go for brighter pops of color with black and white, but this has really got me rethinking things...


Arkitektura carries so much fantastic classic design including my favorite birdie lamp!!! So, I guess I wasn't too surprised to see a little ferm LIVING in the mix :)

Real Simple!

Just picked up July's Real Simple at Stacey's Books on Market Street! And then I stopped by Anthropologie where I lost a minor argument with the manager. But I won't get in to that, because it turns out it is possible that I might possibly have been wrong :)

So the big question pretty much boils down to this: Can ugly bathrooms become pretty?

And the answer is... Yes! With the help of ferm LIVING, of course! One caveat - an unspectacular sink probably can't become 100% spectacular. But, if you dress the walls behind it beautifully, the focal point shifts to your fabulous walls which is a very good thing!

I always like the this month's questions feature in Real Simple. My favorite answer this month was the women who answered "live in the moment" for all three. Agreed. Next month is your biggest mistake? Don't get me started...

Design Sponge's Sneak Peek

Aimee and I both think Trine and Martin's home in Aarhus, Denmark, is stunning. So, we were thrilled to see it featured on design*sponge today!!! GORGEOUSNESS. Thank you so much, Grace and Anne for the sneak peek! To see the whole post, click here!




We are heading to Denmark later this year for a "business trip" to go learn more about the Danish way of living well. But, mostly we are looking forward to spending as much time as possible chatting with Trine and Martin on their balcony. How blissful does that look? Very hygge!

Home Improvements

Last week, I stopped by my friend Kim's home to meet her new baby, Charlotte!!! As much as I loved the pre-mommy Kim (i.e. the girl could drink), she's a total natural with her baby. It was amazing to see!

KIm and her husband, George, had spent the previous few months working on a few home improvement projects getting ready for the baby, including remodeling their master bathroom. It was down to the wire, but the finishing touches were completed, just as Kim and Charlotte came home from the hospital. Love it!

They had the carpenter promise not to damage the Kingflower wallpaper as he turned their former bathroom into their new laundry room. I was so happy to find that the wallpaper survived their home improvements, and I hope it will make washing those dirty bibs a little more exciting...

Congratulations you two! What a lucky girl to have two such wonderful parents!

Clever Headers

We're big fans of Design Hole (aka Jennifer Mitchell), so we were really excited that she wanted to use a little ferm LIVING in her new headers on her design blog.



We like how she switched up her headers, so grabbed a few more images.

We also like the feature she did on ferm LIVING, of course! I'm on the same page as Jennifer when it comes to classic design. Nothing beats a bold black and white graphic wallpaper. I tend to use it on accents walls as well, although am not opposed to going for all four in the right space...

Work it Out

I've pretty much always have a hard time motivating to go to the gym. Until now. Here's one gym I can finally get excited about: The Craft Gym in San Francisco. I was just there yesterday to meet Lotta Jansdotter and and learn how to make patterns out of anything!

Lotta is just so talented! No doubt this has something to do with her Scandinavian roots. I've been a craft manic the past couple weeks myself working on some wallpaper projects for Sunset Magazine. I've concluded that if something's flat, it's worth considering whether to put wallpaper on it. Wallpaper can truly enliven just about any flat surface. Although, I'm thinking now that I probably should have hit the craft gym a bit more before taking on the projects. My techniques could use some fine tuning. Luckily wallpaper is pretty forgiving.