A Peek Inside Haus Proud HQ

Last week when I was staging I realized the only thing that would work in this one nook was a mirror that was back at Haus Proud headquarters. I dragged my client back to see if there was anything we wanted to pilfer from the shop. She took a good long look around and said "boy, I would love to organize all this stuff". Not exactly the image I was hoping to portray. But to be fair, I usually conduct my business online. Anyway, it spurred a cleaning jag. I've only tackled a small corner, but thought I would share some photos.

I have always wondered how other vintage sellers keep their merchandise and would love a peek into their worlds. Figured I would be brave and share mine. You can see more pics here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/57321574@N08/sets/72157627465391720/

And, yes, most of the stuff is not yet listed! If anyone wants to come and babysit the girls, I will get right on listing new items in the shop.

Funny

Once upon a time, I held down a rather corporate, 9-5 kinda job. I was really good at it but I wasn't happy. I would fantasize about getting pregnant so I could realize my dream of being a stay at home mom. I was determined to keep popping them out to secure my place at home forever.

And then it happened. The work vacay I had been dreaming of! I was pregnant! I worked until two weeks before my due date / Christmas. (Yes, I was due on Christmas. Lamest due date ever.) Boom, kid born, let's get to vacation time. And I loved it. It was everything I had hoped it would be.

I have always been a thrift store / estate sale / garage sale / vintage shopper. Adelaide would accompany me on my many trips to the local thrift stores. I would often find amazing things and would limit myself for fear of becoming a hoarder. One day there was a desk for sale. It was beautiful. Finished on both sides with little shelves for display on the back side. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It wouldn't work for my office, but I didn't care. It was coming home with me. I cleaned it up and sold it on Craigslist the next day. I made a little bit of pocket money on my find and the girl who bought it from me was ecstatic about her new desk. Haus Proud was born. My sister turned me on to Etsy and I knew it was a fit. I started listing stuff and sold a tea set in the first half hour as a shop.

Things have come a long way from that first desk. I even popped out another kid! I was thinking about how hectic my life is and wishing I had more time to devote to Haus Proud (and my poor, neglected blog), and it dawned on me. I now have a job that I love. I love it so much that I try to fit in time to work in my already overstuffed days. I photograph during nap time and try to list new items after the kids go to sleep. As always, I drag the kids on shopping excursions. It's been tough to balance it all, but so worth it. Go figure.

Oh Where, Oh Where has Haus Proud Gone?

Has the mountain of shop stuff on her front porch collapsed, trapping her underneath? Not yet.
Has she gone into preterm labor? Oh, doesn't she wish she skip the next 11 weeks!
Has she taken full time to cleaning up animal messes around the house? Well, sort of.
Has she been up to fabulous shopping trips where she finds even more amazing shop items? A little bit.
Has the enclosed porch transformation completely consumed her every waking moment? Ding, ding, ding, ding. Winner!

Yes, the enclosed porch turned Haus Proud showroom project has begun. And taken over my life. This might be one of the harder project I have ever taken on in my house because of the budget. To call it shoestring would be an understatement. I have taken to raiding my daughters piggy bank to scrape together enough money for paint and posting crazy barters on Craigslist. I mean, I still look pretty good for 7 months pregnant ;)

So why is it so hard? I am having to scrape the barrel for every penny pinching idea I can come up with to try and get this room done. And I am pretty darn pregnant, so much of the physical labor and chemical use is out. The plan today? Go pick up some low VOC paint and con the three year old into helping. I have one corner of the room cleared out and the plan is to start there and then move the rest of the stuff to that side of the room when it dries. UNLESS a painter from Craigslist replies to my barter offer!

There is a serious chance for disaster here. If it all works out as planned I will be awesomely proud of my design prowess. If not, well then I blame the budget.

Haus Proud on Mad Men!

That's right folks! The lovely and talented Amy Wells, set designer for Mad Men came into the antique mall a few months back and bought up some of Haus Proud's lovelies for the set! What did she buy? Vintage pillows like they were going out of style and this amazing set...



It is a set of two nightstands and a matching vanity. Oh so Hollywood Regency fabulous! I hear Betty will be remodeling the Draper household this coming season. I will be sure to keep my eye out for this set and all the other little goodies from Haus Proud and pass along any screen shots I find!

And Amy, if you are reading this, we weren't able to locate the Yo Yo Man videos but we will keep looking. :)

The Pantry Moth Explosion

One day I came into my kitchen to find little moths everywhere. On the ceilings, the cupboards, flying around overhead. A quick trip to google quickly labeled them as pantry moths and they were nesting in my food. EEEEEEEEW.

We have a hutch in our kitchen that I used to keep our snacks on and it looks like that was where they started. I quickly decided not to have our food out in the open anymore. A serious cleaning of the kitchen from top to bottom was therapeutic as well productive. I also chucked any open food and pored over the sealed bags as well. Yes, the can get inside a sealed bag! Again, eeeeeeeew.

Turns out the hutch that I used to keep my Baked Cheese Crunchies on makes for a pretty nice display shelf. I ditched the food and replaced it with some of my favorite kitchen items (and a few I snagged from the shop! See if you can spot them...). I am still on the hunt for a vintage hutch that is the right size to fit there, but for now the one from Costs Plus has served us pretty well. I can't tell you how much of a difference it made in the kitchen. I never realized how junkie the shelves looked packed with food until it was gone and replaced with sparkling glass and mid century baking dishes. My food will stay hidden behind the pantry door from here on out.

Fruit - Nature's Art

Besides being tasty and good for you, fruit can also serve as a beautiful display in your kitchen. Cheaper than a dozen roses, a dozen lemons in a clear glass container make a bold display. Artichokes in a wooden bowl make for a graphic one. For something a little more romantic, drape grapes over the edge of a bowl. Here is my current vignette on top of my microwave. It changes based on what looks good when we hit the produce aisle.



I suggest using bowls of varying height to create visual interest in your display. I am head over heels for chunky, vintage wooden bowls. Look for pedestal bowls as well shorter ones. Don't be afraid to incorporate different shapes. Milk glass, clear glass and enamel bowls all work well.

The easy part? Buy some delicious fruit! Pineapples, citrus fruits, apples and bananas all pack visual punch, especially when used en mass. Just remember to remove all those little stickers before displaying.

Here are a few bowls that would make great display vessels!

mymilkglassshop

jenny penny vintage

ethanollie

austinmodern

The Upstairs Bathroom

The only word I could use to describe the upstairs bathroom in our house when we first moved in? Frightening. The bathroom alone would have sent most prospective buyers packing. The claw foot tub had been ripped out, leaving a hole in the floor. In that hole? An animal skeleton. Possum or Cat. Still not sure since the skull was missing. Besides that, there was a rusted sink that wouldn't stop running, and at the far end, a toilet that didn't work. The upper part of the walls were covered in creepy black wallpaper and paint, while the lower half sported lavender and black chipped tile. It may have been the bathroom that got our place nicknamed "the Money Pit" by friends and family.



Today? It might be my favorite room in the house. It is now a light and airy, vintage inspired bathroom.













What did this amazing transformation take? Less money than you might think. We did much of the labor ourselves and saved money whenever and wherever possible. We used the money saved to splurge on the items we really wanted.

Here's the full scoop...

We found a replacement for the clawfoot tub through a friend. It needed work though. We had the inside professionally sprayed, painted the outside ourselves and (first of the splurge items) had the feet re-chromed. Another bathroom splurge came in the form of the pipes and shower surround for the tub.

The sink and toilet are from the Kohler Memoirs series. The faucet is from Home Depot, though I plan to replace it when I have money for the Restoration Hardware one I want. Swoon.

The light fixtures, mirror, towel hooks, robe hooks, toilet paper holder and toothbrush holder were all from Restoration Hardware. I really can't say enough about their bathroom fixtures and accessories. In fact, one of the interior designers I worked for installed their fixtures in every bathroom he did!

The paint was Behr from Home Depot and the blinds were custom ordered through my awesome shades guy, to the trade only. The floors? Another great deal. This one from Lumber Liquidators. They have a once a year clearance sale for odd lots and overstocks. Since we only needed 80 square feet, there were small lots left. We ended up with Brazilian Cherry floors for $.99 sq ft! Side note - the sale is popular and we were in line for a good two hours with a list of what was available. By the time we got the front of the line, half of the options were gone. Certainly worth it, but get their early for the best selection.

The rest? Some serious man hours. Especially since it was one of our earlier projects and were still honing our skills. I laboriously stripped all the black paint off of the built-in, window trim and chair rail, while hubby patched walls and installed the bead board panels.

The full breakdown -

Toilet $309.00
Sink $320.00
Tub $200.00
Light Fixtures $400.00
Paint $70.00
Floor $75.00
Floor install $200.00
Mirror $259.00
Hooks $45.00
Towel Ring $39.00
Base Molding $90.00
Beadboard $175.00
Tub Glazing $250.00
Foot Chroming $211.00
Plumbers $1,500.00
Tub pipes $1,300.00
Blinds $80.00
Electrician $200.00
Hardware for Built-In $64.00
Sink Faucet $99.00

$5,886.00

FYI - The national average is $10,000 for a bathroom remodel. Considering we have three (!) bathrooms to replace, that $4,000 savings will certainly come in handy.

Kitchen Makeovers - To Ikea or Not to Ikea

I was talking to a friend and client last night about her kitchen. They decided that this will be the year that they remodel their small (but sweet) vintage kitchen. While I do often try to save good vintage kitchens, and remodel money whenever possible, I think I am with them on this on. How can you argue when someone's kitchen just doesn't work for how they live? They cook a lot, don't have a dishwasher, could only fit a mini fridge in to the tiny opening, have limited counter space, limited cabinet space and are isolated from the rest of the house when they are in there. They need to be able to maximize the space the do have, open the space up to the rest of the house and finally fit a dishwasher into the plan.

My mind immediately went to Ikea. For the type of house the have, a clean lined Ikea kitchen would fit the bill, and budget, perfectly. The trick to Ikea cabinets, like all Ikea furnishings, is to use it sparingly. You want people to be surprised that it's Ikea, not feel like they just stepped into the showroom.

Why did my mind go to Ikea? I have worked in the interior design industry for five years now and been surrounded by designers for many years more than that. While they design high end, custom cabinets for their clients, they install Ikea into their own homes. Need proof? Here are a few of my favorites...

Susie Bauer and Will Zemba used the Ikea Numerar countertops, Akurum cabinet bases (though had MDF fronts made, using the original doors as a template) and the Attest handles. My favorite touch though? The brilliant and economic use of linoleum as a floor and backsplash, made modern by cutting the tiles into a subway shape! Photo from the late, great Domino Magazine.


In this kitchen, interior designer Tori Golub used the Ikea Akurum base cabinets with Abstrakt fronts. The glossy white, lacquer like finish is high style. The two inch slab of corian used on the countertops adds a touch of elegance. The wallpaper on the back wall infuses the space with personality and warmth.

Happy New Year!

If you know me, you know that organization is not my strong suit. Not even something I have a moderate grasp on. I try. I really, really try. But the moment I have to work and live it all goes out the window.

But once a year, I feel like I get a fresh start. A mulligan if you will. A time to announce to the world (or at least my friends and family on facebook) that this year will be different. I will be a better me. Organized, tidy, never forgetting to brush my hair and teeth before leaving the house. This will be the year! I think that has been my New Years Resolution every year for the past 5 years. I throw in a few others for good measure (eat healthier, watch less TV, locate and use my cell phone so people can actually get a hold of me) but the overriding theme is that if I could get my life organized, I would be a better me. No more realizing as I am standing at airport security that my license expired OVER two months ago.

So here it is, 2010, and I am once again filled with excitement to start being the better me that I know is in there somewhere... I hope.

But I am heading into this year with a bit of ammo.

1. The shed. Oh, the shed. I love you shed. Let me explain. My beautiful, Craftsman house, was built without a garage. No place to put tools, of which we have collected many for the numerous projects this old house has required, or the leftover materials from them all. No place for paint cans. Chemicals. Suitcases. Ladders. The list goes on (and on, and on). For Christmas my dad, step mom, husband and mother in law went in on a shed for me. BPE! That means Best Present EVER. Thank you all so much. At the moment it sticks out like a sore thumb in the side yard, but I am hoping some paint and well placed landscaping will help in time. But it is a home for all the transient building supplies, materials and tools that clogged my closets for far too long! Seriously, who builds a house without a garage?





2. I am a clipboard junkie. I have random clipboards around the house with half done to-do lists in almost every room. This year I found beautiful clipboards from Target and bought myself three. One for business, one for personal and one for, well, not sure yet, but in design you like things in groups of threes.

3. Pretty file folders. From the Dollar Tree! I like pretty things. And I want to be organized. These just might be the ticket. If it doesn't work out, I'm only out $2.

4. The Apartment Therapy Eight Week Cure (and I managed to con a friend into doing it with me). Great book from a great design blog. At least the first half of the book was good the first time I tried to follow the plan before I totally went off the rails...


5. A resolute resolution that this year will be THE year!

Now I head off into 2010. You might not even recognize me next time you see me because I will be so much, well, better. And my hair and teeth might be brushed.

My Sister Said My Blog was a BUST

And she is right. But I am bound to rectify this situation! This will henceforth be a blog of awesomeness!

On a fun note, I went to an estate sale today and bought half the estate. They kept thanking me. All I could say was, no, thank you. They provided me with some seriously fun plastic housewares, some great glass bottles and a bunch of clocks (6 to be exact).

My drying rack is a smorgasbord of really cool stuff!

They said that everything will be deeply discounted if it is still there tomorrow at noon. Guess I know what I am doing tomorrow afternoon...

In other news, the second spot in the Sherman Oaks Antique Mall is 90% there. Half of it is my moms clothes, shoes and purses and my furnishings and decor occupy the other half.