curated home decor and design inspirations for jakarta
fell in love with some adorable hometown inspired pennent pillows on luvocracy which are crafted in my hometown of Portland, Oregon at an amazing lighting design studio called Schoolhouse Electric & Supply Co. Currently obsessing over all the items in their catalogue, (unfortunately most things are out of my budget!). We can still take inspiration from their beautiful marketing and photos though, see below:
returned recently from a spectacular trip to India… what a fascinating country: the sights! food! people! colors! traditions! I was fortunate to get my fill of Indian culture by attending a traditional Indian wedding, and I gotta say, in some ways it puts our American white dresses to shame:
The fabrics, textures, colors and embellishments were all so beautiful and over-the-top! Perhaps this jolt of culture can inspire more energy or a different flavor into your space? I certainly loved adopting a little of their culture!
Another way I’ve loved to personalize my space is memorabilia from my alma mater, Duke. They’ve got some amazing traditions on campus, so it’s fun to dig around for old-school accents that are retro cool but also close to my heart!
here’s another beautiful space using that old-school varsity feel:
[Sources: BH&G, my vanity, and more BH&G!]
After one many Sephora visits over Christmas break, I came back with my cosmetic bag bursting, which prompted a re-org of my vanity/makeup counter. Not only was it time to check how old everything was (see here) and do a wash of my makeup brushes, but I really wanted to tackle the 2 drawers that were overflowing with clutter:
I used to have a platter of all my makeup on top of my counter, but as my collecton grows, I though it was time to invest in some small containers to compartmentalize everything. Here’s a great pic from BH&G using a vintage-y feeling tin…
Also, I love the idea of mixing and matching with interesting mugs, glasses and saucers to put away makeup brushes, lipstick or jewelry. Here’s my jewelry drawer all sorted out, yay!
& 
… resulting in…
TADA!
[Sources: BH&G, beautyriot.com, anthro and my closet]
Next up, we have the kitchen! Now, even though I was bragging about my enormous closet in the previous post, I must admit the galley kitchen in my apartment in Jakarta is pretty small. I have to stay on top of keeping things organized and tightly sealed due to potential bugs issues. Arriving back from the US after Christmas I brought back a suitcase full of foods I’ve been missing (almond butter! protein bars! chia seeds, oh my!), so this prompted me to take a look at my kitchen cabinets again:
……….. 
JOKES, this is not my cabinet, (see BH&G for more pics)… But it does have 2 great ideas that I will try to implement in my cupboards: #1 lazy susan (especially great for high shelves where you can’t reach the back!) and #2 shelf dividers, also great for high shelves. Below is what my cupboard actually looks like, and the mess I made trying to clean it all up. I’m a big believer that it has to get worse before it gets better: organizing closet, cupboards, drawers, whatever, so I usually pull everything out, spread it out, sort it into categories, and then put it back. This gives you an opportunity to wipe down those spaces too.
So, my big solution? MASON JARS! If you’re ever looked at Pinterest than I’m sure you’ve been bombarded with crafty transformations, including lights, tumblers, and even art deco accessories. But here’s a crazy idea… why don’t you try putting FOOD in them?! (I know, genius.) Canning aside, these jars actually make great storage containers: they’re air-tight, cheap, transparent, washable and sustainable. Also, you can take advantage of buying in bulk: I brought back loads of almonds, walnuts and pecans, put half the bag into the jars and the rest in the freezer to preserve them longer. Jakarta tip: I found mason jars at Ace Hardware for 10-20,000Rp each depending on size.
Isn’t that so easy/gorgeous? Thanks to The Rigney’s blog for the photo, I’d highly recommend reading the whole article on a “mason jar pantry” here.
You can still allow your crafty side to have some fun with custom/printable labeling like this or this!
I’m lucky enough to have an enormous closet here in Jakarta (relatively the same size as my entire apartment back in the USA… I have a funny story about sleeping in it my first night in Indonesia actually) but that does NOT mean I don’t still have a strict system for staying organized and clutter-free. Here are my 3 biggest closet tips with some bonus ideas:
1) be VISUAL! Color-code. Yes, I know it sounds OCD but TRY IT! Not only does it make it so much easier to find things and put them away, it’s a really beautiful way to enjoy your clothes too! Bonus: it’s a good excuse for buying new things (“well, my green section is not nearly as big as my blue section, time to get something green!”) Next, don’t waste your money on those clear Storables containers or fancy boxes. If you’re tight on space, it’s a waste to use shoe real-estate on boxes rather than, well… shoes. Besides, which is more fun??
Call me crazy, but I absolutely LOVE spending time cleaning and organizing… instant gratification! When everything is away in its place, it can make a HUGE difference— not just on the surface with how your space looks, but how you FEEL too. Personally, I know starting my day picking out an outfit in a systematized closet, pulling makeup from organized rather than a messy drawer, and selecting snacks and a lunch from a clean & arranged kitchen can make a huge difference how I feel running out the door to work. Here are a couple ideas to get started, and I’ll dive a bit deeper this weekend once I’ve found some more creative solutions to share!
-Divide & Conquer:
Source: bhg.com via Leslie on Pinterest
as I previously posted, I just purchased a gorgeous new duvet from westelm while I was home over Christmas. I started searching for the picture from Domino I mentioned (of a masculine style bedroom) and found it, along with some other fabulous pictures from a new blog! Check out arianna belle for some gorgeous interiors, and here’s the one I first fell in love with from Domino:
so I know this doesn’t help us much in Jakarta, but I was so pleased to learn that Jonathan Adler has opened a store in my hometown of Portland, Oregon! I’m a big fan of his… unfortunately I currently can only afford small accessories and his decorating books, but even just a little of Jonathan Adler goes a long way. I have both of his decorating books and they’re full of wonderful ideas:
and above are picts from the Portland store! His funky/kitschy designs and use of color always inspire me to push the envelope just a little.
hello readers, did you miss me? Just got back to Jakarta from a wonderful 3-week vacation back home to the USA. Most of my time was spent with family and friends, but I did manage to get a little shopping in too ;) One of my all-time favorite home decorating shops is westelm… check out their store displays: 
I managed to escape without breaking the bank, buying some accessories for a friend and a new striped duvet/sham set for me…
This reminds me of one of my favorite (rather masculine) bedrooms from the decorating book Domino.
thanksgiving may have come and gone, but I still love the idea of taking advantage of the fall foliage & colors before the winter feelings totally set in! Check out these gorgeous and creative table centerpieces from BH&G using flowers and vegetables!
Better Homes & Gardens’ website is one of my favorite resources for tips and tricks for color. It’s really difficult for the untrained eye to put together palettes of color, so here are a couple ideas from their “Designer Color Palettes” page found here.
Designer Patrice Cowan Bevans “Rich Elegance,” with a perfect holiday color pop of red! The colors shown are for walls, ceiling, upholstery and trims/accents, but I think they can be used as a jumping-off point for how to mix colors well for any areas of decorating.
Designer Tom Gunkleman’s classic palette with accents of steel blue and soft yellow. The paint colors are all from Benjamin Moore, but I imagine you could take this picture to an upholstery shop and use this as a great fabric palette for a comfy couch and pillows!
so delighted to come across another great DIY from Honestly WTF to liven up your plain champagne flutes… this time with a little midas touch:
oh-so festive! I think they would look picture perfect on a New Years Eve place-setting, don’t you? thanks again to Honestly WTF for another creative project (and beautiful photos)
If anyone needs a shot of color and inspiration, I would highly recommend the quick trip across the water in Singapore! This weekend I stayed in the Wanderlust Hotel, an old schoolhouse converted into a quirky boutique hotel with TONS of style:
No two rooms are the same— they’re even broken out into categories like Pantone, Mono, and Whimsical. Mine was a purple one, complete with a neon “Purple Haze” sign above my bed, and thousands of purple tile mosaics covering the surfaces.
Their hotel restaurant Cocotte serves “unpretentious, rustic French cuisine,” and YES there’s free breakfast (an absolute must for any hotel I stay in)… homemade pancakes with fresh maple syrup, veggie frittatas, even a “DIY” museli bar with tons of healthy choices of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit. I love their use of charming touches like mismatched metal chairs, wooden floors, even vintage dentists chairs to lounge in the lobby area.
Check out the hotel’s website here. Rooms are about $150 USD (pretty darn cheap for Singa, especially for such a unique experience!) Nestled in the heart of Little India, it’s a short walk from lots of activity too. Will definitely come back!
you probably already know I’m all about stencils (see here and here) but check out this new idea featured on Remodelista using stencils to spruce up some tired wooden floors!
before:
during:
after:
Although this isn’t feasible for my apartment, it’s still a great idea to tuck away for future wooden floors. Images are from Chairloom’s showroom in Philadelphia, you can check out their colorful website here, enjoy!
