Welcome to Surfside

We moved into a home this past April and it's been as exciting as you would think it would be. It's a privilege in ones life to buy a home and I feel honored and Blessed to experience it. The process has been enjoyable, except for the time my handyman told me I can't replace the load bearing pillars with gold. Those moments haven't been so fun for me.

I wanted to share this experience and transformation with you all because what kind of designer would I be if not?
The happy trio making their into the new place.

This picture was taken a few minutes after I received the keys to our new house, I waited until the realtor and agent left before I took this selfie. For those who spend a lot of time with me, now you know I can make this face.

The first two weeks in the house looked like this;

I know, I told myself to breathe in before, during and after I took this picture. On the one hand I wanted to take my time with unpacking to make sure I was putting everything in the right place but on the other hand my mindfulness with unpacking quickly turned into me idly standing around like Leonardo DiCaprio at the Oscars. Did I just say that? Every decision started to make my head hurt. I needed someone to physically come over, take things out of boxes and saying "Chana, I think milk belongs in the fridge." And this someone knows who she is- thank you!

My mornings were not easy for me because this is what the route to my coffee looked like. I don't do well before my coffee when I'm vacationing so this was a challenge for me.

Now lets go through the process of finding the color scheme/vibe for the house. I wanted it to feel comfortable and inviting, at the same time I wanted to enhance the mid century bones the house already had. I consider myself so lucky to have found a space that really speaks my language. I love the warmth of mid century design, I've always been drawn to that era's shapes and style. As a designer, I use this process for my clients and never really thought I would use it for myself. As it turns out, designer or not, we all need a guide.

My process of inspiration;

I love muted colors, organic shapes and lots and lots of textures. As I started to capture what inspired me it became much easier to start putting it all together. 

Then came the inspiration board;

And so started the paint process, you know the fun part of painting when you spend tons of money and time on itty bitty samples of paint. But there's a goal and it's to find your perfect color, which I did.

How can I not include this picture, it's so attractive. I know this part of the paint process might scare people because it's so hard to look at, but you need to do it. Paint looks completely different on the wall than it does on the chip. It also looks different on the wall during the day and during the night. Furniture, lighting and art are all things to take into account when finding the perfect color. Getting paint samples is a must!!

One of the big questions when we moved in was to "paint the brick or not paint the brick." I was on the "paint the brick" train from the start but I waited until we were moved in for 2 weeks to pull the trigger. I don't think in every case brick should be painted, in my case I felt very strongly about connecting the house through colors so for me, painting the brick felt right.

Now it's time to welcome you all in as I will  show you the before's and after's of the house. 

(Disclaimer, there's still a lot of changes I would like to make to the house so please take that into considerationwhen looking at these pictures. If I waited for it to be perfect, I would never post.)

Here's the entrance untouched, this is one of the better shots because my hunk of a son in the shot.

First came the paint

Then came the metallics and greenery

This is the first living area in the house, it's full of character and space.

The after

Some not so flattering features of the house- we all have our flaws and this one's made of green textured glass 'Ew' -said like Jimmy Fallon.

Temporary solution for the all the green-ness was bookshelves in front. And there's no space of mine without a cowhide. It adds so much texture and it works ANYWHERE.

In order to create two spaces in one area, I divided the room. The office area on one side and the TV area on the other; by creating separate zones, the space feels bigger and functions more efficiently. 

The wood wall that had me at hello, I talk to walls when they're made of wood.

Turned it into backdrop for a gallery wall.

A space needs to evoke all senses in order for you to truly experience a room; I like to make my candles feel very cozy.

Another view of the same room

I added sheer curtains to give it some depth without taking away the light.

The dining room is more of a big area off the kitchen that can also double over as another living space. The lighting in this room is perfect during the day because of all the windows and then at night we have this pineapple shaped chandelier that keeps us smiling.

The other side 

The after, I know the after looks a lot like the before because we've only added drapes and a table, but we'll get there.

I wanted this area to feel light open as well as inviting. I did that by sticking to strong neutrals and lots of layering to get that lived in feel.

With most good things, it's usually coupled with a little sadness. We said good bye to the apartment that gave us so many good moments and memories. It will always hold a special place in our hearts, Eliana and Noam both took their first steps here, they both also had their first tantrums here. Thank you for the beautiful times, we will never forget you, although I'm not promising anything.

On to the next chapter,