Our Favorite Family Photo- A Story Not Just a Picture

This creative photo was taken in West Virginia by our favorite family photographer-- Molly Humphreys Aguilar of Picadilly Posh Photography.  I love how it captures the essence of parenthood-- standing strong together as a family, supporting our children but also giving them their own space to thrive as individuals. 

An oversized black and white version of this photo hangs prominently in our family room.  We love turning family photo sessions into opportunities to create art and to tell a story.  I believe every home should tell a story so I think about that every time I place an object on a shelf or hang art on the wall.  I have a deep connection to the feeling of my home.  What story does your home tell?

Lots of Eye Candy in Mill Valley

I get tons of house inspiration shopping in beautiful downtown Mill Valley.  Maison Reve is one of my favorite destinations for vintage and always-changing treasures for the home.  

Romantic images of old writing

Beautiful worn leathers complemented by crisp striped pillows.  

Love the old industrial movie lights mounted on wood-- a perfect contrast

My closet (and my home) are full of the same colors. 

This vintage industrial cabinet has the perfect color blues and would be darling in a kid's room

Love old glass paired with rugged wood

So many different fabulous textures together in one charming place

Inspired by the shelving here at Maison Reve, I created similar shelves in my own home by having my island cabinet maker, Petaluma Salvage, cut and finish the perfect sized slabs of old barnwood to mount with the same hardware store brackets shown here.

Thank you Maison Reve for a tour of your fabulous store!  We'll be back!

Gutted: Our Remodeled Life

Gutted - Our remodeled life (short version) from Steve Pelaez on Vimeo.

Best Living Room Re-Do of 2011!

My husband Steve was thumbing through a This Old House Magazine last winter when he came across a contest for The Best Reader Remodel.  He encouraged me to enter the contest and I thought, "Why not?"  I put the magazine in the "to do list" bin and kept procrastinating.  I kept thinking about how it took us a year and a half to remodel 90% of this house and it's going to take us 10 years to finish the last 10%!  I can't win a contest with that 10% hovering over me.  So, I began tidying up...


I finished the shelving project in the kid's bath...put the towel bar that "fell" off the wall, back in place...puttied the gaping nail holes where the butterfly screws didn't quite do the trick...built the flower boxes I kept meaning to make...put the door knobs on the art studio's door...had the garage sale to get rid of all the crap in the garage to make room for all the crap in the yard...and on and on.  Finally, I realized the contest deadline was in two days and it was now or never with this old house.  So I snapped away.


I sent in my photos and a plea for my newly transformed house, and I actually got a call!  Really...who wins these things?!  My living room did!  

To see the before, click on the photo