The Most Beautiful Studio...

In case you haven't already seen it (any many in the design blogosphere already have...and salivated accordingly)...this is the delightfully talented Heather Bailey's gorgeous sewing/crafting studio.

I wanted it when I first laid eyes on it...and time has not dulled that desire at all. Every detail is perfection; the entire space is inspiring. LOVE it.

Are you inspired?

House Tour: Kristy G in NYC

I've known my dear friend Kristy Glass for close to nine years now. We met back in 2002 when we were both living in Astoria, Queens. I was pregnant with my first; her oldest was just a little baby. She is one of my closest friends. Today I thought it would be fun to take a little snapshot tour of her home in the city.

One of the many things I admire about Kristy is her zest for color; her home is a reflection of this. She lives in Long Island City (Queens) in a 2 bedroom, 2 bath condo that she and her husband and 2 daughters (ages 5 and 8) have lovingly called home now four years and running.

Three words Kristy uses to describe her home are "cozy, cheer and love". 

When I asked Kristy what she loves most about her home, she said that the number one thing is the layout. She explains that, "we passed on a view of Manhattan for this layout and I've never regretted it. I love the use of vertical space. We try to go up as high as possible. I love my industrial restaurant lamps too. And my cerulean bookshelves. And of course my washing machine, dryer and dishwasher!" You have to understand that these are like GOLD in any New York City home.

And of course I had to ask what wasn't her favorite about her home. She answered that it was space constraints. "I would love to have one more huge closet and one more room. In my perfect world, we would purchase the unit next door and tear down the wall. I also wish for heartier floors; the ones we have scratch easily".

I asked Kristy if she had any ongoing or upcoming projects in mind for her lovely home. She answered that "the floors could use resurfacing and there is some deep cleaning needing to be done. That's the boring stuff. As for the fun stuff: I would love to knit/crochet a TV cozy to cover the TV and would love to change the green paint to maybe a bright grey or soft aqua... But it's so much work! I'm also insanely researching Murphy beds for my kids room!"

Thanks Kristy for letting us visit your home on Dwelling by Designs' very first House Tour!

Handmade for Home: Magnetic Art Board

I originally posted this project on my personal blog, when I made it with my dad over a year ago. This magnetic art board is something that gets used by my two oldest kids everyday; I felt it was worth posting over here at D by D since it really is a simply DIY project.

When my dad came to visit, he asked me if I had any projects brewing that I'd like his help on. I had decided awhile ago that I wanted to create a large magnetic board for my kids to hang their artwork on...and his visit coincided perfectly with figuring out how to execute my idea! For this project we used one sheet of 4'x 3' industrial sheet metal, 2 long 1x2's cut to size, foam weatherstripping to seal all of the rough edges, paint, some fabric and glue to decoupage.

Here's my dad in my garage, the master builder ready to go with our creation. It was such fun working on this project with him.

Me getting ready to saw boards for the frame

Now, we're getting somewhere! The completed "built" frame...just in need of some color


After my dad flew back home to Virginia, I moved the project upstairs to my studio, painted the inside of the frame light blue and then started decoupaging a patchwork of my favorite fabrics to the frame. I did this over the course of two evenings - it was a perfect, quiet evening project.

And finally...TA DA! All finished! This board now lives in the playroom and gets used nearly every day. The kids love it and I love how it turned out. Finally a pretty place for all of their treasures to get displayed. I also love that it is a project that me and my dad worked on together.

Scratch Map- See Where You've Been!

I think that this is genius; no surprise that it's from the folks at Uncommon Goods. It's a map of the world where you scratch off where you have been to "reveal adventurous pops of color and local facts that turn traveling into a 'domestic' treasure hunt of on-the-fly geography lessons". Brilliant!

According to the website, the map is back ordered right now, but I'm ordering one for our family room. Between me and my husband we have done a bit of globetrotting and plan to continue. I think our map should make a colorful addition to our home. Consider picking one up for your house!

Numbered Dresser by Anthropologie

(Found at Anthropologie, one of the stores I would live in if I could).

I have fallen for this dresser. It would be the perfect addition for either a childs room, clearly marking the order they should pick out their clothes in the morning...or an anywhere-else-in-the-house room :)

I love it.

Meet Me in Marakesh, Morroco

I decided awhile ago that when I turn 40 I'll be celebrating my birthday in Marakesh, Morroco. I can't think of a more amazing place to go. And looking at these pictures take my breath away. Morrocan decor speaks to my soul in a way no other decor does. I cannot wait to go. It makes turning 40 slightly more palatable.

(Images courtesy ShootFactory)

Lucky for me, I have a wanderlust husband who is excited to go to Morroco as well :)

Handmade for Home: Scrap Fabric Garland

This was something I made for the banister in my home. I created this garland from many many colorful pieces of 8-10" scraps from my overflowing bin, tying them around a single long piece of twine.

It makes a colorful addition to our banister after the holidays.

Welcome...

Welcome to Dwelling by Design. I've been mulling this over for some time now. I love beautiful, inspiring spaces. I love talented people who aren't afraid to roll up their sleeves, use their creativity and artistic know-how and make something lovely for their home. And I love learning more about how people create their dwellings, making them warm and unique, brimming with their own personalities.

I hope that Dwelling by Design will bring something different to the table in a blogosphere filled with a lot of other design choices. Thanks for joining me. I promise it will be a worthwhile ride!