Farewell to 2013

Cheers to a successful year of decorating, learning, and growing. 
I'm so proud of what I was able to accomplish this year. Looking forward to new prospects in 2014.

J!

(Photos from 2013)

D.I.Y Desk Chair

This was a D.I.Y impulse project. For a very long time I used one of my tacky dining room chairs as the desk chair. I recently painted my desk (another D.I.Y project that I will post separately) and the one thing missing was its own chair.  I went to a local thrift store and found this awesome wood chair for only $5.98! I loved the contemporary look and style. I painted the chair in a eggshell white and found a really nice navy and gold print fabric at JoAnn's fabric; another steal as I got 40% off on the fabric.  

I sanded and painted the wood.  I re-upholstered the seating thanks to my new handy dandy staple gun ( I love that thing!) I now have a nice chair to compliment the desk and complete the look of the space.

Before! 

J!

Sophisticated Boy's Bedroom

I was so excited to work on this nice young man's bedroom. My client is 14 years old and a little on the mature side.  I had to create a space that he could grow up in.  The idea was a mature teenager's room with some elements of fun; check out the before and after photos.

Before

Mid way: 

Painted single stripe around the room

After! 

Check out my custom pieces. I made a custom upholstered cornice above the window. Totally a coincidence that the fabric matched the stripe around the room (nice how these things come together).  I also made the decorative headboard. I wanted it to look like a big domino.  I was sold on the bedding with all the colors, smiley faces, and text abbreviations.  It couldn't have been a better bed set than this for a teenager.

Functional desk space: White board, magnet board, industrial desk lamp and decorative wall light. Lots of storage space for school work and books.

I had to opportunity to try a lot of new things in this room. The headboard and cornice was a first, can't lie, I was a little scared but it all came together. I installed a shelf in the closet (not shown) and new window blinds.

Each project has been a great learning experience and I'm challenging myself to do more and express more in my designs.  Next up I have another bathroom project! Check back for that next month.

J

One Year Anniversary

November marks my one year anniversary working with client's!  "A Musician Lives Here" was my first official space. I kicked my client out of her home for the weekend and made her space organized, cozy and welcoming.  I've learned since this time last year on how to be a better decorator and a project manager. Special thank you to all of my client's who've allowed me into their homes and trusted my vision to give them a functional beautiful space.

Long time no post

These last few weeks have been really crazy that I haven't had a chance to post anything new. I have a couple new post in mind so stick around for that! I just thought I'd write a quick little blurb about what's been going on with me. Recently my teacher approached me about starting up the Interior Design club at my school. It's a small community of students and my goal is to build a strong comradery, share design ideas, community projects and getting our name added to the ASID school chapter list. We may have our first kick off meeting the beginning of November, I'm bribing everyone with goodies and beverages! I'm feeling optimistic about it and will share more as time goes on.

I can't wait to share my first (maybe second) custom piece I designed for a recent project I completed a couple weeks ago. I made a cornice!! I'm still shocked. If you don't know what a cornice is, it's a luxurious valance shaped like a box (way prettier than those flimsy valances you see in a JcPenney catalog; no offense).  A post about my custom made cornice will be up in a couple weeks!

J

Baby J *Revised*

Sometimes you have to try again to really get it right. My baby room project (not my baby, a friend's baby) was originally a nice set up but it wasn't functional. I went back to the drawing board and put it all on paper and found a functional set up for Mommy, Daddy, and baby.

Revised Bedroom

 

Before!

"I got it at Ross" Home Shopping Tip

                                             

I am a huge Ross shopper. I've found many great treasures shopping at Ross, not just in their home section, but everywhere: shoes, clothing, travel.  When I'm in a really nice area and pass by a Ross, I will make a special stop just to see what I may find.  I was in the Walnut Creek area doing a little shopping and stopped by their Ross; really nice stuff. I found this storage basket and wall art on canvas, both for really great prices. My daughter's room was lacking wall covering so I thought this picture would go perfect on a bare wall next to her window. The storage basket I'm currently using to store her bedding and thick blankets. I imagine I'll use it for various things in the future. I love the size as it holds a lot of stuff.

In comparison to Marshall's and TJMaxx. Ross is arguably the lesser expensive store out of the bunch. If you shop at a good Ross, like the one I went to in Walnut Creek, you may find that they carry the same items as Marshall's and TJMaxx for less!  This is my home shopping tip. If you're not a Ross shopper, I hope that this will inspire you to check one out soon.

J  

Sweet Sixth Birthday

I discovered how much I enjoyed table design when I did my first project with a group of interior design classmates back in 2009. Since then I've been taking a stab at table settings each thanksgiving season, decorating the table for our big family dinner (see photos here: 2011 Thanksgiving Setting ) 

This year for my daughter's sixth birthday we decided to do a small family dinner in my parent's beautiful backyard.  The color scheme was pink (my daughter's favorite color) I thought I was going use different hues of pink, but then I found this blue and orange and knew that it would be the perfect color combination.  I always like to add a pop of color (somewhere) in all of my designs.  I was extremely happy with the result. I feel so confident and I'm ready to do more.  Next season I'd like to do a small intimate wedding reception. If you or anyone you know is looking to save money hiring a decorator, contact me at jgwdecor@gmail.com.

J

"Baby J"

Created a bedroom for two. I took this one bedroom apartment and created a functional bedroom space for Mommy and baby.

Before: Bold red accent walls with black and white accent colors.

  

After: Took down the red walls and replaced them with a light heather grey (you can't see it very well in the photos). New accent colors: turquoise, yellow and grey. 

The window coverings are a light turquoise color, the base of the lamp was a good contrast. Still in the same color family but bolder. 

My client found the cutest baby bedding ever!! 

Baby's wardrobe closet.

New piece not photographed:

Changing Table

J. 

My first bathroom project

My step-mom asked me to re-do her upstairs bathroom. She wanted a updated look and something a little outside of her comfort. I decided to strip the wall of its original peach color and settled on a off-white tone.  We had the ceiling painted in a darker color to bounce off the new painted cabinetry (painted by yours truly).  Most of the budget went towards the traditional style rug and the Restoration Hardware glass knobs (fancy!!!).  I love glass jars filled with stuff! I had the idea of lavender soap bars and sponges. This is now a traditional chic bathroom made for a Mr & a Mrs. See photos below.      

  

  

Here are the before and in between photos

J

Men's Bedroom

I was so excited to partner up with a good friend of mine to revamp his bedroom. I proposed the idea of decorating his bedroom during a time he was ready to update his living place.  I figured it was worth a shot to test out my decor capabilities on someone that wanted a new look.  This project was a great challenge for me, I never worked with a male client before or a "man room" for that matter.

For his space, I had this idea of deep hues, dark walls, and subtle pops of color.  I wanted the space to look masculine, sophisticated, and mature; see photos below.

Orange storage boxes go POP!

 Chevron print pillows in royal blue and white, these really stood out against the navy bedding.

I bet you're curious to see what the room looked like before! It was all white everything! Totally boring... here it is.

Total Re-Vamp! My client was extremely happy!! He's since asked me to work on his second bedroom! Stay tuned.

JGW.

Styling

I'm a less is more kind of girl and looking at my past work, I noticed that less can be a little boring and dull. In interior design more can be a good thing, just as long as it's organized, cohesive, and thoughtfully laid out.  Over the weekend I decided to practice in one area of my place.  One of my favorite areas is by a window in my dining space.  Two black and white paintings on canvas against a blue accent wall pops! After doing a little reading on styling I took accent pieces from around the house: decor magazines, books, vase, plant, picture, candle holders. Things that I've had for years I brought back to life in this new set up.

Before (Simple)

New Look! 

   
Confession. For a long time I would not put fake flowers in my place. I thought I would lose creditably as a decorator for having fake flowers.  I had to be honest with myself, fresh flowers are expensive and not realistic in my home.  However, If I'm having friends over or hosting a dinner, I will switch out the fake stuff for a fresh beautiful bouquet of whatever is in season.  Although, the Jade plant is real and easy to maintain.

These candle holders were one of the first few items I purchased when I got my first apartment 8 years ago!

Inexpensive finds at the Dollar Tree; glass plate and leopard print coaster.  

Here's something unique! Beer caps of my lovee's initials; I had to put these on display. Such a personal touch, near and dear to my heart. 

Well, there you have it! I had a lot of fun with this home project. I stepped out of my comfort zone of being boring and dull and upped my styling game. 

J.

JGW Interior Decorating

I feel so inspired by female entrepreneurs, I was watching old episodes of the Rachel Zoe Project one afternoon and I was totally in aw with how committed and dedicated Rachel is to her business.  She's an amazing stylist and she's built her career quite nicely.  I love the bond she has with the people on her team and the trust she has to let them take charge while she's away handling business at Bloomingdales!  I thought to myself "I want to be the Rachel Zoe of Interior Design." with a twist of Candice Olsen.  Remember her show Devine Design? That show was EVERYTHING!! I give thanks to Candice for showing me the light to what I wanted to do with my life. I've always been a visual person, I just couldn't put my finger on it until a few years ago.  I am slowly building my business. It's only been a year of my really pushing to put myself out there.  I hope with this blog I can share design tips, some fashion tips too as I like to get dressed up every now and then.  I've dipped into the "DIY life" and have a couple of do it yourself projects that I hope to share before summer begins.  I'm so new to doing this blog thing, I hope all of you out there will read up and leave comments! 

Good Night! & Good Morning! 

J 

Beautiful City Lights of the Bay Bridge

Getting started

Feeling like I'm ready to do this blog thing! I had a conversation with my best friend from back home about starting a real blog, a place where I could discuss what's on my mind revolving around Interior Design.  My blog will mainly be about decorating and home projects, but also a little bit of fashion, as I also love clothes and getting dressed up! Bare with me as I'm just getting started! Thanks for following.

Justina

First I need followers!

My First Official Blog Post Coming Soon!