Our Plan to Support the Black Community

We have developed a clear, action based plan for being better allies and showing tangible support for the black community in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. And we are spelling it out today. As Gray Oak Studio grows each year, we will look back on this plan, we will hold ourselves accountable and we will make bigger and better plans. We want our family/friends/followers/clients/colleagues/vendors (EVERYONE) to know that we aren’t just passionate about design, we’re passionate about creating a business that we can be proud of on all levels.

1. We will continue to amplify black voices.

We know that putting a black square on our Instagram feed and staying silent for a week to make way for black content creators to be seen and heard is great. We also know that this must be a day-to-day practice and not a one time effort. We have always featured noteworthy creatives on our Instagram stories, paying close attention to those accounts with less than 10k followers. We will now also pay close attention to those accounts with black content creators. Our shoutouts will be thoughtfully and purposefully diverse.

2. We will specify vendors who have shown tangible support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

Like you, we have been paying attention to those who have shown loud and clear messages of anti-racism. We have been happy and hopeful to see so many. Here are a few examples:

• Interior Define has put together a concrete plan to diversify the makeup of their workforce and will close their offices on Election Day to make it easy for their employees to vote for change.

• Framebridge has created three working groups to support black artists, partner with change-driven organizations and create internships for persons of color.

• Brooklinen has donated money to Black Lives Matter, Campaign Zero and Act Blue Bail Funds as well as matched donations by their employees. They also created a publicly accessible list of anti-racism resources.

We will purposefully specify these vendors for our projects. We want to partner with and support companies that have social justice policies in line with our own. Please share any company who has impressed you with a powerful anti-racism message and plan in the comments below. We want to add them to our list.

3. We will feature a furnishing/item of decor/etc. from a black owned business in every project.

We are also compiling a list of black owned companies, black artists and black artisans. Every Gray Oak Studio project will feature at least one black owned business. Whether it’s the paint on the walls (Clare.com), the upholstery fabric (Bole Road Textiles) or the soap…in a beautiful dish by the sink (Simply Good Soap), we will take time to shout out the product and tell you about the artist/shop/creator.

Stay healthy, stay informed, and stay tuned…we have A LOT of amazing projects to share over the next few weeks.

- Leah + Sonia

April Stay Home - Free Designer for a Day (Vol. 9)

It’s our last volume of our Free Designer for a Day (from April) advice. Squeezed it in just before June. Whew. If for some reason we missed your submission, feel free to email us! Hello@grayoakstudio.com

Question - I would love to see a few mood boards for a toddler playroom that is both pretty and functional, especially after all this time inside :)

We pulled together a gender neutral, high-low mix of playroom fun. A “high-low” room is one that includes both expensive and budget-friendly furnishings. We believe that when it comes to interior design there’s time to go high and a time to go low. Unlike when it comes to responding to bad behavior where, as Michelle Obama says, you should always go high.

How do we decide when to go high and when to go low? Anything that will make a big statement in a room (example: an amazing chandelier) warrants a higher budget. Anything that will be useful and beautiful for the long haul and, thus, needs to be great quality in order to last (example: sofa) warrants a higher budget. But trendy decor and “temporary” furniture shouldn’t break the bank. Somethings are just at good at Target as they are at Pottery Barn (and beyond). There are always exceptions to the rule, but these are good guidelines.

Full prices are listed below, so be sure to click through and see ongoing sale prices (there are a bunch!).

House-shaped Wardrobe - $119

Cube Storage Organizer - $70

Animal Storage Cubes - $17 each

Large Woven Basket - $27

Floor Pillow - $200

Triangle Rug - Cost varies by size

White Table - $220

Blue chair - $95 (for set of 2 - they come in many different colors!)

Rainbow Art - $10 (lots of coordinating art available)

Light Wood Frame (for art) - Cost varies by size

Schoolhouse Clock - $189

Wall Color Idea - Kensington Blue by Benjamin Moore

We think one of the pillars of a functional playroom is ample storage. Places to hide all the stuff, quickly and easily. So, we layered it on.

There’s that beautiful, minimal house-shaped wardrobe for all the costumes. The cube storage unit with the adorable cubes is key. The cubes can be filled with categories of toys (blocks, dolls, cars, etc.) and the empty spaces can be filled with books. The big basket is a catch-all when you’re doing a “quick clean up, guests are arriving in 5 minutes”. And the table has storage inside! Each side lifts to store all the crayons and coloring books. We used this exact table in our Prospect Project.

We also found these gorgeous wood hooks. They could be another place to hang costumes or crowns, capes, the classic Melissa & Doug toy dust pan and broom.

VIA Wooden Athens

And that is that! While we’re no longer accepting submissions for Free Designer for a Day advice, we are always seeking inspiration for new blog posts. We love hearing from followers and readers who have real and general design questions.

- Leah

*this post contains affiliate links*

April Stay Home - Free Designer for a Day (Vol. 8)

You are not wrong, it is MAY. And, frankly, we’re more than halfway through. But, we had so many amazing submissions to our “Free Designer for a Day in April” that we’re continuing to answer the questions and provide some transformation advice. And today we’re chatting through an exterior design question! Which is perfect for this time of year as everyone is getting excited for more outdoor time and there are sales upon sales in the world of outdoor furniture.

Question - I have an "outdoor" design question for you: A few summers ago, I purchased a patio dining table at a tent sale. It was a great deal so I stored it away thinking I'd get the matching chairs later on. A few years have gone by and I've just pulled the table out of storage, wondering if I could pair a different type of chair with it (rather than something that's part of the set, and hopefully at a more reasonable price-point). My patio is uncovered so the chair would need to be resistant to weather (we'd store everything away in the winter though!). Is it possible to mix materials when it comes to outdoor dining? 

And here is a photo of her awesome table. It looks like it’s in perfect condition.

So the short answer is YES! You can absolutely mix metals with outdoor furniture. Here’s the trick when mixing any metal (whether indoor or outdoor): make it obvious. Don’t make it a question of “Are they a match? They look really close…but not quite…hmmm…” or “Are the chairs just dirty?” or “Maybe they were a match, but the table wore worse than the chairs?”.

Keep it obvious and eclectic. This is especially true when you’re working with brass, bronze, pewter or iron because there is no “standard” for those tones. Aged Brass at Pottery Barn may be very different than Aged Brass at Ballard Designs. Nickel and Chrome, however, are standard. So you should (hypothetically) be able to buy those finishes from different retailers and match everything perfectly.

Now, let’s talk about the existing table. It’s great for some non-matching dining chairs because its style is neutral. It’s not uniquely ornate nor does it nod to one particular genre (mid-century, rustic, etc.). It also looks like a matte black finish, which works with all sorts of colors and finishes. Black is also, hypothetically, a standard finish. So, this homeowner could actually buy other black chairs to “match”, but we’re going to pose some ideas for a curated look.

Everything comes in multiple colors (so click through to see more options) and everything is on SALE. Prices below reflect the sale.

1. “Cactus” color metal chair - $693 for a set of 2

2. White frame with neutral woven back - $59.95

3. All-Weather wicker stackable chair in charcoal - $249

4. Gray nautical rope chair - $279.98 for set of 2

5. Eucalyptus wood chair - $76.99

6. Slope chair in natural with black frame - $224.25

7. White metal bistro chair - $134.25

8. Light weight gray stacking chair - $143 for set of 2

One last tip - there is a difference between true outdoor furniture and “patio” or “covered porch” furniture...so know what you’re buying!

That’s all for now. I’m keeping it short so I can head outside and enjoy this weather!!!

- Leah

*this post contains affiliate links*