Rejection is always difficult.  Creative types are very sensitive, especially under intense circumstances that cause you to be vulnerable.  To work very hard on something, and then get torn apart, is very devastating. The good news is, design is subjective.  There is no right and wrong, no exact, formulated answer to study for.

Gen, Vern, and Sabrina saw the least amount of potential in me tonight, which is hard to accept.  Especially when being judged on ideas that aren’t 100% my own, under circumstances that I have no control over.  But thats the name of the game, and even if I had created something that I was completely satisfied with, it probably still wouldn’t have won me this competition. My aesthetic is not translated well television, especially on a small budget with limited resources.

But you know who would appreciate my affection for “More is More?”

Hutton Wilkinson.

Judging by the pictures of his home, I think leopard is his favorite color also.

I was feeling a little bummed about being snubbed by panel last week and in desperate need of some reassurance my vision was not, in fact, boring.  So I did the only logical thing I could think go, I e-mailed pictures Mr. Wilkinson himself to see what he thought.

And he e-mailed me back.

Right after I was eliminated, this showed up in my inbox.

THANKS FOR THE COMPLIMENT… AND THANKS FOR SENDING THE VIDEO… I WATCHED IT WITH GREAT INTEREST… AND THINK YOUR’S WAS THE BEST…

BE WELL AND KEEP IN TOUCH…

SINCERELY,

HUTTON

It’s not like he would e-mail to tell me he didn’t like my space, but still it makes me happy.  Thank you Mr. Wilkinson for making this crappy night, fabulous!

I took everyone’s feedback on painting my foyer very seriously, and decided to go black on black.  I just think it’s the chicest. And the easiest. And it’s what my boyfriend wanted.

Welcome to our home.

Don’t judge my half ass styling.  The majority of my belongings are still packed up in boxes.  I don’t even have a sofa yet people.

The white mirror was bought for a client, then I decided to keep it, and now I have decided I don’t like it.  It looks a little too Kardashian. The brass etagere is vintage, as are most of the items on it (needs to be properly styled) plus a little Target action. Duh.

In other news, the inside of my fireplace is also now black, and also not properly styled.

Everything is vintage/thrifted, with the exception of Jessica’s “Oui” print.

Yes, there will be large art over the mantle, don’t have it yet.

Yes, the busts will be on stands so they are proportioned properly, don’t have em yet.

That is all.

I’m glad everyone enjoyed my Behind the Scenes recap of Episode 1!  As promised, I am giving you the scoop on how I created those wacky patters.

About a week before I was set to fly out to HGTV Star land, one of the challenge producers called with instructions on our very first challenge.  Very exciting, but a lot little hectic as I was also getting my promo outfits approved by the network (more on that later) which entailed being in full time fashion stylist mode , filling out endless legal paperwork, wrapping clients my clients up (meaning lots of instal fires to diffuse), packing for 5 weeks (including a different work outfit for everyday of filming, 8 evaluation outfits, and toiletries to last the entire time), and attempting to mentally prepare for the biggest adventure of my life.

So what is this challenge you speak of? Bring it baby!

We each must design 2 sets of custom wallpaper and fabric patterns, a first choice and second choice option, and submit to the challenge department in less than a week. The wallpaper and fabric may or may not be used together.  The first or second options may or may not be used, and they may or may not be switched up. We could use any means to design, digitally or by hand.  The images would be scanned in and produced for us.  We would have several options on paper material for the wallpaper sent to us for reference, but only one fabric option.

The challenge producer started to explain how to factor in the repeat of a patten and the different types of repeats available. I was like, “Honey, I got this.  I know all about some wallpaper.”  Just days before I had this install….

But for those of you who don’t know about the repeat, its really kind of confusing.  Let’s say this is your pattern..

This is a basic repeat…

A half drop repeat

A half back repeat,

And the ever popular, mirror repeat…

I immediately knew that my first choice for wallpaper would be an abstract, organic pattern, resembling my beloved malachite.  I wanted it to reflect that my design game stays current (Color of the year, duh)

And also my equal passions for traditional and 70s glam design. Sort of a hybrid of these two…

This was my first sketch, when I was playing around with the pattern idea.

I needed a PERFECT basic repeat, which is not easy when hand drawing/painting.  The top has to line up with the bottom, and the sides have to line up or you will end up with a pattern that looks accidental and amateur. Not the look I’m going for.

But an art degree is not required to make your own Kelly Wearstler worthy pattern.  Here is what you will need:

Sketch your pattern on a piece of paper, without the pattern touching the edges of the paper.

2. Slice your piece of paper vertically, centered exactly down the middle.

3. Flip Flop the two vertical sheets, lay side by side and, carefully tape them together from behind.  I drew small arrows on the bottom just for reference while cutting.  They will be erased when completed.

4. Slice your piece of paper horizontally, exactly centered  down the middle.

5. Flip Flop the two horizontal sheets, lay side by side and, carefully tape them together from behind.  I drew small arrows on the bottom just for reference while cutting.  They will be erased when completed.

6. Erase arrows. Continue drawing your the pattern in the negative space of the new center, without allowing the pattern to touch the paper’s edge.

The pattern is complete. I would suggest photocopying this pattern on a fresh sheet.

Now is the time to add color, if you so choose.

I used acrylic paint, in a variety of complimentary green shades and black.

And a variety of small paint brushes.

I started filling in the spaces with the medium green color.

Then did a layer of dark green.

Then the light green.

And I lastly did black, purposely leaving some sections unpainted so the paper would show through.

Here I am in my parent’s kitchen at 2 am when it was finally done!

We each received a big packet of paper samples from the vendor Astek.  This was really fun and I hope I get to work with them again.

Of course I wanted gold, but I was on the fence about shiny, brushed, beaded….so many choices! I was concerned about the reflection of the shiny, second from left, looking strange on camera but I couldn’t resist.  It’s just “me.”

I made my controversial leopard print pattern the same way, but we had no choice for the fabric it was printed on.

When mixing patterns you usually want one pattern to be a larger scale than the other, but I requested my malachite pattern to be printed at 200% scale, so thats why they are designed at the same scale.  In “real life” my leopard print would be on a way smaller scale, but I wanted to make sure it read on TV, so I left it as is.

Here is the finished wallpaper…

And the wallpaper and fabric…

Coo coo crazy chic.

Just like me?

Oh!  And one day if I’m ever drunk blogging I will post pics of my second choice options.  The first set was so time consuming I literally threw it together in a few hours.  It was so God awful that challenge made me come up with a third option.  By then there wasn’t even enough time to send anything in so I had to submit it via Spoonflower.  It looked like this.

Not terrible, but not great. The second fabric was a simple black and white graphic print print.  Anyway I forgot to mention that the whole time my wallpaper was lost, I didn’t even positive if it had been printed in the 1st choice or the 2nd choice.  Crazy, huh? I’m just SO GRATEFUL it was printed and installed in my 1st choice.  Thank you challenge producers!

I will post a full behind-the-scenes recap ASAP, but it is gonna take forever to write, so in the meantime here are some pics!

The Season Premier of HGTV Star is THIS Sunday.  And I’m in it.

I still don’t even really believe it. But it’s true.

And I couldn’t have done it without the help of A LOT of people.  Mostly my guy, Al.  I could never have done this without him.  I love you so much and can’t wait to see you soon. XO

But ya know what?  This has been a loooong journey in my life and a lot of people have helped me along the way.  Right now I feel very thankful and very, very blessed.  My Mom Dad, who have given me so much my whole life, let me move back in with them at 30 years of age when I’m sure they didn’t want me there, just as much as I didn’t want to be either.  They let me eat out of their fridge, and took care of my dogs like they were their own.  And God love my Mom, she is always there to take pictures and do art projects when I need them, even though I complain the whole time I am very appreciative of it.

At a young age my Aunt and Uncle introduced me to the beautiful world of historic renovation.  Growing up I would stay with them every summer in their Downtown Detroit Pre-War apartment and visit museums, restaurants, and theaters.  It led to me deep appreciation for urban culture, and now (thanks to my guy) I have my very own Pre-War apartment in the city.  I love my family very much.

I have always wished that I had siblings, but thanks to my very, very best friends Bonnie & Gretchen, I have two sisters.  I love these girls so much and am so proud of them both.  I’m so lucky to have such strong women on my side.

But there were a lot of people who helped me. Some more as of late, but there were lots of supporters in the beginning as well.

In the very, very beginning my friend Emily was my rock. I would be in a gutter right now if it wasn’t for her.  My old neighbors Cindy and Doug, helped me pet sit in the middle of winter while I was out of town on auditions. My friend Brad helped me with my flights.  My homegirls D, TK, and Marie were enthusiastic enough to help me film audition tapes, which was totally embarrassing, but a lot of fun.  (Remember that guy with the tray of shots at Herbies?)  My longtime friend  Sarah, who is wise beyond her years, always knows how to get me to start thinking positive. Thank you to all of you.

One of my biggest supporters has been my incredibly special friend Venus, who is down to do anything, including filming me on Washington Avenue in the pouring rain. So has my very, beautiful, funny, and caring friend Sara, who just so happen to also be my hair stylist.  (And trust me, that is a job that deserves an award in it’s self.  Have you seen the mop on my head?)

I’m grateful for my friend and lash lady, Amy.  As well as my bomb nail stylists, Mike and Julie.  They all take so much time to make me feel glam while simultaneously giving me endless free (and unsolicited) advice on dating an Asian man.

I’m so grateful for my awesome clients who bear with my chaotic schedule and trust my creative vision (especially Tina who has picked me up on a Saturday night when my car broke down).

Design has lead me to true friends who have my back, and make great collaborators, Chris & Amy, I love you guys.  Jeff, Ted, Matt, Paige, and Rande, THANK YOU for being awesome.

And to my web/IT savvy friend Julian, I appreciate you.  And I appreciate this new site.

And I am SO appreciative of the support from my blogging buddies.  There were many times when the internet was my only connection to the outside world and without it, I would never met so many woman I admire like Irene, Tamra, Jessica, Sam, Erika, Lindsey, Albertina, Roxy and so So SO many more.

A GINORMOUS THANK YOU to everyone who has been faithfully voting for me for Fan Favorite.  I’m so honored.

And lastly, I am so grateful for my fellow finalists on Season 8.  I admire you all very much, learned more from you than anyone else in my whole life and really love a lot of you.  Can’t say who yet, we have to keep a some secrets ya know.

But not everyone supports me.  I have piles and piles of haters.  And ya know what?  I am thankful for them also.  They make me stronger and more ambitious.  There have been hateful things done to me that I didn’t deserve, but I forgive those people who tried to break me.  We have all been nasty at different points in our lives, and I know that when I’m criticizing others it’s only because I am unhappy with myself.  I am unique and genuine, and if everyone liked me then that would mean I was BORING, which would be the worst.  I’m not afraid to ruffle a little feathers with what I say or what I design.  If you are not a fan of mine, I’m okay with it because I’m not for everybody.  I’ve been criticized my whole life, its just part of God’s plan.  I don’t feel comfortable if things are too perfect, it makes me nervous.  A little friction can be good, know what I mean?  Like, no one wants to date the “too nice guy”, right?  The ones that kiss your ass 24/7 are so damn boring that you end up feeling like your wittiest conversations are having banter with the cashier at your local 7-11.  My guy is perfect for me because he unconditionally supports me, yet…………ahem, challenges me. (Sorry baby, I’m just keeping it 100).

So, back on task.  This has been a crazy time of my life and I’m so thankful for all of you, the Super Fans and the Super Haters.  I’m just happy to entertain you either way.

The foyer is one of the most important (and funnest!) areas of a home to decorate.  It is the first impression your home makes to your guests, and since it’s not a main space it gives you a great platform to go bold and experiment.  I mean, ya gotta make a Grand Entrance, am I right?

Our new apartment has a decent sized foyer with original 1930 crown moldings and an archway that frames the living room.

And as you can see, it is currently painted the standard renter’s color of Bandaid Beige (puke), but I am ready to take it to the next level.

Black and white will obviously be the colors involved (I’m so original).  And I was kinda sorta thinking about hand painting a pattern.

This has been a long time favorite Pin of mine and somewhere, somehow it will be recreated in my home.

I’m also very inspired by the fresh to def graffiti wall Nicole did.

Owlawd.  I just love it.

Or I could get really cray, like this…

But I don’t know what the hell I would want to say.  And it would have to be executed really, really well or it would look stupid. And thats just too much pressure for me.

So I could take a walk on the wild side and add a little animalistic pattern???

But what I’m really leaning towards is just completely blacking the walls out. Black is by far my favorite accent color.  I will for sure leave the ornate crown mouldings bright white.  The simplicity of the graphic color palate will be dramatic and fly as hell.

I have black and white abstract artwork going up in the dining room (that you can see through the foyer) which is painted white.  I will love looking at it peeking out in the background every time I walk in the front door.

But I have one more design option to ponder…

What to do with the trim moldings?

Leave em all black?

Or pop em out in white?

I’m not gonna lie, I freakin DIE over this look.  I always have. But I’m concerned it’s a bit too Hollywood Regency.  I want it to look hip and fresh and after its styled, a bit edgy.  Is white trim too prissy?

Thoughts? Comments? Feedback?

And please don’t suggest to paint it red or some other whack ass color, cause that just aint gon happen.

Moved the leopard in

Precious cargo

Modern Art Stamps

Party Time

Ram

Pointy toes

We are makin movies on project #rusticeuroluxe.  Lots of exciting things have been ordered and installed.

I’m wrapping up the foyer design, from where inspiration was pulled from this vignette.

 However I want to elevate the walls, making for a more dramatic entrance.  We are for sure add moldings, and I want a much darker and moodier wall color. Basically, they will be black.  Similar to these looks.

The client wants to incorporate a beautiful cowhide rug she has left over from these custom chairs.

And this is what I came up with…

I have wanted to use this star pendant ever since I saw in Emily Hendersons office.

It’s just the best, right?

Ahhhh so lovely.

Except its been discontinued.

$&!*#%@

So these are the new options I’m contemplating

As you can still I’m still holding strong with brass, and I think I’m leaning towards the bottom two…

Which would you choose? (If any…)

Bon Weekend

Hey Hey!!!! I hope that everyone is fully recovered from Behind the Candelabra.  Was that not an incredible movie?  I could do 10 posts just about the hair and makeup, let alone the fantastic sets. But for now I am giving you a little moving update.  And speaking of moving THANK YOU SO MUCH for the very supportive messages I received on that post.  It really warms my heart to know here are people out there who care about me, even if I only know them through blogging.

I am writing this from my beautiful new apartment on top of my insane dining table. Yup, I already have a dining room table.  No sofa, but a dining room table.  I am most excited and motivated to finish our dining room.  Not the most practical of rooms to invest in first, as it will get the least amount of use, but I have never had a formal dining room and I’m pretty darn psyched to throw glam glam, fancy person dinner parties.  I just need to learn how to cook something other than cereal and we will be all set.

Here is what I started with…

Previous tenants decor, not my style so much, but I fell for the beautiful arched french doors leading out to the balcony, original 1930 plaster moldings, and parquet floors.

This is what I’m visualizing for the completed space…

First things first, the existing ceiling fan had gots to go and it had to be replaced by a Sputnik. It had to. It was non negotiable.  A while back I bought this guy on floor sample.

Nice and big, but way too industrial for my taste. So whats a gal to do?  Bust out the tarp and get her gold spray pant on.

Ya’ll know how I do.  I blinged that bitch out.

I live for the tension between mid-century modern furnishings and the old-world ornate detail like I live for the tension on a Real Housewives reunion.  I had to exaggerate it even more by adding a ceiling medallion to pick up on the moldings.  I am very blessed to have the nicest property engineers ever who took their time installing this for me, it wasn’t easy. Not like I would know since I just sat there watching, but I can only imagine it was quite a challenge.

I felt like an ass hovering over them, so I hid out in the kitchen, but I was secretly spying the whole time through the peep hole in the swing door.

Yes, the kitchen has a swing door. More on that later.  Let’s stay on point with a very, very important topic…

HOW FRIGGIN AMAZING THE CHANDELIER LOOKS!!!!!! I’m pretty darn pleased.  As you can see, I got rid of the filament lightbulbs and opted for traditional round, opaque bulbs to keep it tres mid-century.  It’s also on a dimmer and looks incredible at night, I’ll get a good night time pic to share.

You might have also noticed that the paint color is already changed.

I wanted a high gloss white, my  favorite color. I think the color is actually called Decorator White.

I like it a lot.

But do you know what I love a lot?

My dining room table.

Welcome to my vision of heaven.

Yes, you are correct.  That is a vintage 1980, mint condition, brass and glass Mastercraft dining room table.  If you want one, you can go to 1st dibs and get it for $5,800.  Where did I get mine you ask?  Craigslist.  Duh.  And I didn’t pay no damn $5,800, but I won’t reveal how much because then you would all hate me and I wouldn’t have any friends to invite over to eat at my fancy dinner parties.

Right now I have both leafs in which make it a grand 10 feet long.  It’s perfectly scaled for the large room, but I might take them out until I can afford that many dining room chairs.  I have ordered a set of these in black.

I can’t find a picture of them with black upholstery, but ours will be black on black  If they work out, I’m hoping to buy a more before the sale is over. Fingers crossed.

Next up, black and white abstract art piece and topiaries!!!!!  Can you believe how expensive topiaries are? Sheesh!