January 15, 2018

Leah's 2018 Design Goal

January 15, 2018/ Gray Oak Studio

January is a great time for resolution making. It's also a great time for design goal making. If it's not completely obvious, design goals are goals you have to update/renovate/transform your house. And it doesn't have to be your whole house, in fact that would be a totally unrealistic, stress-inducing, setting-yourself-up-to-fail goal. Instead, the idea is to pick something narrow and achievable. Successfully meeting any goal leads to more goal making and more goal achieving.

With the blog to keep us honest, Sonia, Michele and I are all going to reveal our 2018 design goals to you over the next couple weeks. Because we don't just design and transform other people's homes, we are constantly working on the transformation of our own homes. And we fully expect you to question us, remind us (and even berate us for procrastination) as the year plays out and (hopefully) our goals become reality.

I'm up first and I'm really excited about my goal because it really needs to be achieved. Here it is: CLOSET ORGANIZATION.

The inside of my closets are not just eyesores that lack any semblance of function. They are truly dangerous. Opening my cleaning supply closet will almost definitely result in a concussion as a mop handle swings at your dome. My linen closet is partially full of bottled water. Hmmmm...take that one in. My basement storage closets, which I'm very lucky to have, are full of things...things I can't tell you about because I don't know. These closets are so completely disorganized there's truly no telling what's in them. I won't even attempt to describe the state of my clothing closet or garage.

So, my design goal is really a design necessity. Now for the fun part - my inspiration, so far.

SOURCE (Bliss at Home) — SOURCE (Bliss at Home)

That's a magical linen closet. It's not so big. But, manages to look beautiful without skimping on use of a single inch.

I love this closet. My own closet is a small walk-in that I share with my husband. It has a window, which is awesome for the natural light, but not awesome for the wall real estate it takes away. Function will be top priority here because a heap of shoes in the middle of the closet floor isn't working out so well.

This garage is dream like. Can you imagine?! It's so good it feels unachievable. But, let's not start down that path. I have 11 months to do this. And I will. I must...

As a general inspiration, I'm turning to The Home Edit (I'm a huge fan). The Home Edit is an organization company that has designed the closets, pantries, etc. of major celebs - like Gwyneth Paltrow. Apparently Gwyneth has more than one pantry. Of course. Anyway, it's completely ironic that I'm a huge fan of The Home Edit because I have harnessed absolutely none of the organization power they bestow on their followers. Until now. Until 2018.

Get ready mop in my cleaning closet, you're about to get properly secured to the wall.

- Leah

January 08, 2018

Mayberry Project Reveal

January 08, 2018/ Gray Oak Studio

The Mayberry Project was so fun and so different from anything we've undertaken thus far. Our mission, which we clearly accepted, was to design a home office for an art loving, sports memorabilia collecting man. Our client, however, was not this intriguing man - it was his wife! The office makeover was a holiday gift. We know, HOW COOL.

It was really exciting (and nerve wracking) to design a space for someone who didn't give us direct input on the project. The entire design was based on meetings with his wife and on his incredible collections. The result is moody and masculine with a strong balance of vintage and modern.

The desk chair is the only thing that remains from "before". We brought in everything else, with the exception of some truly amazing collectors items. We also picked the wall color (yes, that's Hale Navy by Benjamin Moore) and designed the lighting, which includes 4 recessed lights and 2 sconces.

Nearly all of our designs begin with a room layout plan. Layout dictates the type of furniture needed and we don't want to get ourselves into a situation where we fall IN LOVE with a piece of furniture that won't ultimately fit within the space (aka interior design heart break).

Typically, we love a desk that faces a window - it's proper feng shui and, we believe, it truly creates a happier mood and better work productivity. But this office, like many, didn't allow for it. The ceiling of the room has a deep slant on the window side. We didn't want our client cracking his head every time he stood. That's the opposite of a happy mood and productive work environment.

Check out the ceiling slant (and the best green chair ever).

The room is also too small to float a full size desk in its center - we would have lost nearly all the real estate. So, instead, we faced the desk toward a wall where the ceiling height provided maximum head clearance. And, we used some of our client's favorite landscape art as a focal point. {Design Tip} When a desk can't face a window, use nature art or a mirror to create a similar feel.

We chose an art ledge, rather than a gallery wall because we wanted our client to be free to change pieces as he accumulates new favorites or simply because he wants a new view. An art ledge is also a bit less busy than a gallery wall and we didn't want competition with the nearby open shelf bookcases.

Where the ceiling slanted, we created a cozy reading/pondering/coffee and/or whiskey drinking nook. This fantastic green chair has a low stature, which perfect for the low ceiling.

On the opposite wall, we added open shelving for storage and to display some of the amazing memorabilia in our client husband's collection.

The overall feel of this office is modern with some industrial and rustic moments. The lines of the furniture are clean and simple. Yet, the memorabilia is wonderfully vintage, as is some of the decor we added. We love mixing old and new - juxtaposition makes us do a happy dance, which we will never publicly display, so don't ask.

{Design Tip} When your budget doesn't allow for a built-in storage unit or a large scale storage piece, use two matching bookshelves side-by-side to create a similar feel.

How amazing are the signed Wheaties boxes?

And the ceramic cacti!

Interesting mention about these bookshelves: the metal pipe frame is blue. Unexpected and awesome. The shade is similar to the Hale Navy walls.

No Gray Oak Studio design would be complete without a mirror.

Or greenery. The snake plant (below left) is always a great choice for a room that receives little natural light. The micro plant in the palm (below right) and the ZZ plant (scroll up a bit) are equally low maintenance.

We are readying ourselves for another project with this wonderful client. A new year, a new space.

We hope you enjoyed this room reveal, we certainly enjoyed designing it!

Source List

Desk - Wayfair

Letter sorter (similar) - Anthropologie

Paperclip notecard holder - Anthropologie

Art Ledge - Pottery Barn

Sconces - Wayfair

Bookshelves - Wayfair

Horse bookends - Target

White ceramic fluted planter - Target

Black metal bins - Target

Palm planter - Urban Outfitters

White letter tray (displaying mini gavel) - Target

Clock - Anthropologie

Mirror - Cost Plus World Market

Green armchair - Article

Standing lamp - Target

*This post contains affiliate links*

December 31, 2017

New Years Sale Roundup

December 31, 2017/ Gray Oak Studio

As the New Year approaches and stores are making way to clear their shelves and get ready for the 2018 goods, this is a great time to scoop up some decor to spruce up your post holidays home. Anthropologie is offering an additional 40% off sale items, AMAZING, so it's time to pull the trigger on that special something you've had waiting in your "save for later" cart for weeks now. You might not think of them as a home store, but H&M is also one of our favorite and unexpected shops for unique home goods, and they are also offering some deep discounts this weekend. Check out a few of our favorites picks below, happy shopping and Happy New Years!