Home Of: Amanda Peet

Name:  Amanda Peet 

AKA:  Amanda Peet

Hailing from:  New York, New York

Date of birth:  January 11, 1972

Best known for her career as an actress

*Pictures from Vogue magazine

Creating an environment where outside is just as important as the inside

The pool

Entry way

Dining room with living-room behind it and another room with a piano in it through the doorway

Kid's room

Read the full Vogue article: Amanda Peet's Place

Rare Picks for Soap Dishes

Areaware Offer Hand Soapdish $65
Terrain Mesh Soap Dish, $7.95 (ON-SALE NOW!)
Costplus World Market Ivory Whale Soap Dish, $6.99

The square soap-dish with floral designs or whatever it is they decide to adorn it with are a dime a dozen.  I'm always looking for something different and unique, and if you've got a quite minimal look going on in your bathroom or even kitchen (where a soap dish can double as a sponge holder) then a truly cute, stand-out soap dish can really make a difference.

The top-picks for "stand-out" soap dish comes from Areaware, Terrain and Costplus World Market.  Each with their own specific attitude it's hard not to be interested, simply looking at these soap dishes make you feel something, and for such a simple over-looked item such as a soap dish to do that is quite unique.

Urban Outfitters Home dept. - Decor that can make you smile

Here & There $24

Urban Outfitters is probably best known for their clothing but have you checked out their home section?!  Unbelievably cute products are sold at Urban Outfitters home section, and most everything will make you crack a smile.  Here are some of my top-pick from their current selection.

(Pictured above) for the whimsical and in-love is Leah Flores for Society6 Here & There art print.  I may not have had the spacial difference when I met my husband but this poster still makes me think about him, it reminds me that even with all the people I could have ended up with I still found him, the perfect one for me *sigh~.  That's nice.

(Pictured below) the Wasted Rita for Society6 The Art Of... print poster puts it to you straight, "The art of smile & nod when all you wanted was to punch them in the face."  Absolutely hilarious and probably a quote that most everyone can relate to.

The Art Of... $24

365 More Facts That Will Scare The S#*t Out Of You $14.99

My favorite from the current selection at urban Outfitters is the 365 More Facts That Will Scare The S#*t Out Of You by Cary McNeal.  A 2013 Daily calendar with tear out pages, each day with facts that... yes, will scare the S#*t out of you- not for the weary, hypochondriac or paranoid.  Would make an excellent gift as well.

View all other home items @ Urban Outfitters

Switching-Up The Functions Of Your Furnishings & Decor, A Great Way To Think Outside The Box

Who would have thought that a kitchen island wasn't a kitchen island and a cupcake tier wasn't a cupcake tier.  Chopping board by day and bathroom storage by night!  Switching up the functions of your furnishings and decor can't get any better than this... then again, there are new surprises everyday!

the kitchen island in the bathroom now consists of "His" and "Hers" drawer and functions mainly as exposed shelving for bathroom supplies, towels and weave baskets full of other bathroom goods.

At a width of about 3'11" and a height of almost 3' this affordable kitchen island ($100.00) from Ikea makes a great rustic-looking bathroom counter top and storage for a bathroom space that is of medium size.  The natural birch wood can be treated with oil should you be worried of moisture damage (though I haven't treated mine and seems to be doing quite well without it) and can also be painted to the color(s) you desire to custom match it to your bathroom or any other space you wish to use it for storage.

Another kitchen item that makes for a beautiful bathroom decor or even vanity table decor is the 3-tiered cupcake holder that serves as a unique and adorable way to store your cosmetics and hair supplies, even try it as a jewelry stand!

I purchased the above 3-tier cupcake stand at Costplus World Market for $20.00 and have used it only twice for birthday cupcakes.  Costplus may not have this exact style anymore but I have seen recently a rather modern 3-tier wire cupcake stand in it's place ($20).  A great affordable buy with a variety of functions once you can look past the "cupcake stand".

I Stand Behind: The Hand-Held Sweeper Bucket

With a yard full of trees and plants I've been having a hard time keeping it clean, this is because of the copious amounts of dead leaves and twigs that fall, when I'm done sweeping one section I'll find myself staring at a pile that isn't quite large enough to warrant me jumping in (*like the child in me wishes it can do, had the pile been large enough) and yet the pile isn't small enough simply to pick up a couple of handfuls of and be done with.  

I suppose the continuous bending and picking up of yard debri is a good work out for my back (it'll creek for a day or two afterwards simply to remind me I had a good workout) but it is questionable whether the good outweighs the bad, the bad results in a messy yard (and that just won't do).  So I've come to the conclusion that my yard would be 75% cleaner had I a good way to pick up the debri, which is why I decided on a large sweeper-bucket from Home Depot (about $20).

The sweeper bucket is hardly sold for yard clean-up purposes but I found that it works great.  It's not nearly large enough to get my yard trimmings in one scoop but it does the job more efficiently and without me having to bend over repeatedly or get my hands dirty.  The handle is also on a hinge that allows the bucket to be seen as (pictured above) for easy sweeping or for the bucket to simply hang down with the opening facing up, this way it is easy to carry your debri without spilling it all about or you doing a funny thing with your arm to adjust the sweeper bucket in a position that keeps all the debri inside.

Urban Lofts

My brother and his new wife are soon to be moving into a beautiful urban loft located in the mid of downtown LA, how much more jealous could I be?!  Then again it would be hard to trade in my organic vegetable and fruit garden for a loft that has no planting space at all.

They were able to secure for themselves an absolutely beautiful and eccentric urban space; concrete flooring, open piping, partial brick walls and all, an all-encompassing fun space to design and decorate as your home.  With this new home of theirs constantly on my mind I looked up a few decorated urban loft spaces that I felt were inspiring.

As much as I like the idea of minimalism and modern themed homes I love too much the feeling of being cocooned and comfortable at home, for me this means rugs, rustic, color, fun, cute, wood, chandeliers... all that makes a space feel homey to me are these things, thus the loft pictured above is more my style.  I love the red on the spiral staircase and the use of rugs throughout, not to mention the teal colored tufted armchairs.

The use of wood is important in the loft pictured above. In terms of the decorating approach the loft is absolutely gorgeous, the use of wood gives the feeling of being grounded and lends an atmosphere of comfort while at the same time there are big proportions of modernism (*ahem, the kitchen area).  And while the loft is largely decorated in the minimal style it positively lacks the coldness of the usual minimal home.

Rugs?  A very important tool for any decorator but more-so with lofts as the rugs have a tendency to look even more exaggerated in this type of space.  The use of a contemporary rug in a loft can amplify the feeling of the modern in the urban loft while opting for a more classic tufted arabian rug can give an immediate feeling of warmth.  Pictured in the loft above is an area rug for a space that is decorated in the minimal contemporary style, not only does the area rug organize the space but also give off the feeling of a lived-in space, all as a result of the color and style of the rug; the perfect way to add a bit of character.

Cement walls and cement floors is almost always the case when moving into an urban loft, this can be seen as quite a hurdle to those who wish for a more comfy style home.  Pictured above is a loft that was transformed into a comfy space.  The large french-style windows, plush sofa and built in wall divider all enhance the general mood to a more contemporary chic space.  The use of lamps and the large amount of seating choices all point to the idea that this is a space you can sit and be comfortable in, that you can spend time in and talk in.  A very good example of allowing your furniture to do the talking for you.

The cement-floored and walled loft pictured below is much more modern and holds tight to the theme of the urban loft, the use of metals and the exposure of the cement floors and walls reiterates this theme beautifully.  Cement, metal, glass, leather are all textures that are modern and it is made sure, in this loft, that these elements are exposed, hence the absence of floor coverings such as rugs and the absence of wall-coverings such as tapestries and pictures.  By using the natural elements already part of the structure the modern and raw-looking loft feels quite natural, simply enhancing the natural (but urban) beauty of the space.

Leaving my favorite to last, the cement floored and brick walled loft.

DIY: Paint it "Trash" bucket

Found an old-school metal bucket in the backyard and decided to convert it into a trash can (there is a lack of trash cans in the house and a few rooms can definitely use one, especially the office).  While I probably could have used the metal bucket as-is I decided it was a great opportunity to have some fun with it.

I decided to paint the word "TRASH" on the metal bucket so that everyone would know that this old metal bucket sitting on the floor wasn't just any old metal bucket but an old metal trash bucket!  I know pretty useless right?  But hey, it looks super cute now, plus it goes really well with my orange office!

Things you will need:

1.  An old metal bucket (or any metal bucket)
2.  Alphabet stencils (I went to Blick, a store that I rightfully call "a little piece of heaven" and purchased plastic alphabet stencils for a mere $3.00, they're reusable too which just makes my day!)
3.  Pencil (not a mechanical pencil, the lead will just break once you try to trace the letters on metal)
4.  Acrylic paint (any color of your choice, I chose orange to match the orange office)
5.  Paint brush(s) (the smaller brushes seemed to work the best for me)

What you need to do:

First step:  Trace the letters of the stencils across your metal bucket to make the word or words you wish to make, suggestions?  "Basura", "Toss it here", "Don't be a litterbug", "Rubbish", "Garbage" etc. etc.  Get creative, think outside of the square and in the circle, your letters don't have to go straight across you see?  How about staggering or going diagonally.

Second step:  Paint the letters in with your color choice.  Take your time, take a break if you need to, don't feel like you need to rush through it, it is only a trash can after all.  I found it easier to trace the edges first since that was the most difficult to do and then filled it in with slow, long strokes.

Third step:  Create a textured coat over the first coat which will not only make it look even cooler but the color even brighter.  As you can see from the picture below, the "S" only has the first coat of paint, once I put the textured second coat of paint it will look brighter and more funky like the "A" next to it.  Create the texture by using the same color paint, dab the tip of your brush into the paint and dab away, add as much or as little texture that pleases you.  Keep in mind that you don't have to wait for the paint to dry to do this texturing step, you can wait for the paint to dry if you'd like though but allowing the first coat of paint to dry doesn't really change the final look.

And you're done!  Now you've got an awesome trash bucket for your equally awesome but now more awesome room.

A Taste of My House Revisited (O.G. A.K.A. Micasarevisita)

Thanks to another great blogger, Lori of Automatism, who posts absolutely wonderful pictures of most everything, and yes, even the inside of beautiful homes, I was introduced to Mi Casa Revisita, a site concentrated on everything interior (also where the images of today's posts are from).  Mi Casa Revisita is in Spanish but I'm sure you will be able to find your way around the site, with just a little bit of Spanish such as "bano", "casa", "terrazas" and such words it is simple enough to navigate through the site, however reading the actual articles may be another ball-game.

"House of the Free Spirited" as this house is so aptly named is breath-taking but not in the romantic sense of the word, breath-taking in a sense that the mixture of contemporary, minimal and spanish style of the house is so well integrated together that one can't possibly imagine topping it.  I absolutely love being taken in surprise (assuming that the surprises are good of course) and The House of the Free Spirited did exactly that with it's mix of rustic, modern, vintage, and contemporary pieces all against the backdrop of a minimal and modern home.

I think that very often when trying to decide what kind of look you want your home to be many get caught up in sticking to one look whether it's minimal, modern or rustic, etc.  I suppose it is safest to do so, but in this case I feel like going with how one feels, what one likes in a single piece and incorporating that into the home regardless of it's interior genre has worked greatly to the benefit of the big picture.

(Above image) - I love that the tiled flooring is continuous and the same from the inside of the house to the outside, it gives a free flowing vibe that not only makes this small house seem even larger than it is but also a feeling of balance and connection between the inside and outside of the house, hence I suppose the name of the house, "House of the Free Spirited".

(Above image) - the use of rustic colors that are dabbled about the entire interior (the basket in the corner, the teal on the shelves, the colors of the picture above the sofa, the red of the wooden chairs) brings life to what other-wise could have been a rather drab interior.  Sometimes when given an empty space, in this case it would have been tiled floors and white walls, it can be hard to imagine the space at it's best- I think a wonderful job was done here with the inclusion of different colors probably not normally used especially given the spanish-colored tiles (such as the bright red wooden chairs) which actually gives it the right amount of pop needed for the look of the room as whole.

(Above image) - here is an image that epitomizes the whole reason why I love this house so much, the use of different interior genres that just seem to go curiously well, the rustic table and vintage chairs with a backdrop of a very modern and minimal kitchen.