Moving onward and upward: my new blog

I've finally gone and done it. I finished design school and started my own business and new blog!

Please come visit me at Indigo House Interiors as I take the first steps of an exciting new journey.

Many thanks!

Coming soon...

So I've been MIA for quite some time. It turns out that balancing my coursework and home life left me with very little creative energy and time for this little blog. In January I completed the Diploma Program at the Metropolitan Institute of Interior Design here on Long Island. Now I've begun chipping away at their advanced electives starting with a pretty thorough business class. In the past 18 months I've had a lot of time to hone my skills and think about what's next for me.

Starting this blog was the first step in getting my creative juices flowing. Really, it was the first step in putting myself out there and taking a big leap of faith into the next phase of my professional life. I just want to thank all of you, a collection of family and friends from so many different corners of my life, for following along, commenting and encouraging me. I'd also like to thank all of the bloggers out there who graciously commented, advised and inspired me in so many ways. It truly is a community of kindred spirits.

I will be back in the next month or so with a link to my soon-to-be new blog. Stay tuned and be well!

Erin

Hibernation and a Happy Birthday...

I've been hibernating. School is great, but it's a lot. The workload is immense this semester and in all honesty, it's kicking my rear. I'm learning a ton and enjoying it but it's safe to say that there are days that it feels like my house is falling apart and my family is lucky to have a hot meal and clean underwear (and sometimes, they don't). For better or worse, blogging has had to take a big back seat.

Today though, I've emerged, kind of like that groundhog but for good reason: to wish my husband a happy birthday. If anyone deserves it, it's him. In the midst of his own busy job and the stress that comes along with it, he is able to see past the mess and piles of laundry to support me and let me pursue my goal.

He is my perspective when I can't see beyond my own nose,

and solid ground where the sidewalk is dodgy.

He makes me laugh when I don't want to, which is always when I need it most.

He loves me despite the mayhem and possible meltdowns along the way.

He is a true partner on this crazy ride.

Happy Birthday to you, Todd. 

Here's to making 41 the best yet, with all my love,

Erin

Lucky number thirteen...

On our first anniversary, 

we celebrated our brother and sister-in-law's beautiful wedding in Disney World,
our second in Cape Cod  and our third in Edinburgh, Scotland.

We've been fortunate enough to slip away here and there for many of the anniversaries that followed.

Today though, on our auspicious thirteenth, Todd headed off to work, I bought new tires and had an impromptu brunch date with the little man on our cold walk home from the mechanic.

It's not how either one of us really pictured spending the day. As much as we had a common vision for our life when we started out together, we never really could have imagined the day-to-day of right now.

Honestly, some days are uneventful, messy, expensive and frustrating. Many are fun, exciting and really productive.

All of them though are filled with love, family, friendship and usually laughter.

So tonight, we'll toast to tires that are safe, a steady paycheck, happy, healthy kids and a lifetime of more days like today.

We are blessed and I am lucky.

Thanks for asking, TA, with all my love.

Erin

Design School Diary: Lost in Scandinavia

No. I didn't have the good fortune of visiting any part of Scandinavia over the holidays. I spent the weeks of Christmas and New Year's trying to avoid my family's stomach virus. Thankfully I did and while they were sleeping, I was lost in my most recent project for school, a fictional restaurant inspired by Scandinavian Modern design.

I chose this style and period because I thought it seemed completely off my radar. Through my research, I came to appreciate so much about it. Its unfussy nature  and simple, clean lines really show off the wood and I imagine, anything else you'd really want to highlight in a space. I thought I would recreate my actual presentation board on Polyvore to show you what I came up with.

My clients:

• Wealthy restaurateurs and brothers who bought a former barn-turned-restaurant on Block Island.
• Their goal was to maximize the dramatic views of their perch overlooking the Atlantic.
• The aesthetic had to be clean and natural, chic and current. Nothing could detract from the view. 
• The menu highlights local vendors from beer and wine to oysters. 
• Oh and since this is pretend, they had a ridiculously large budget. Vintage Danish modern furniture is found throughout the space.

Scandinavian Modern inspired restaurant by eecandrews on Polyvore

History board: Bar area by eecandrews on Polyvore

All in all, a fun project that forced me outside my comfort zone. I could even see some of these pieces in my home, particularly the gorgeous credenza I chose for the bar.

Do you ever find yourself drawn to a style you thought wasn't you?

A big thank you to my husband for not complaining once about the major slack he had to pick up so I could finish this project!

Have a great weekend!

Erin

A First Grader's Heart...

First grade is a big deal.

It's innocence, earnestness and candor,
curious eyes and open minds.

It's the first step towards the land of big kids: exciting for children,
bittersweet for parents who wonder how their babies got so big, so fast.

We worry, wonder and encourage at the start of each new milestone.
We beg Time to slow down as we savor these waning little kid days.

First grade puts the world of books and language in their very own hands and opens
the door for new friends and experiences. Their perspectives stop us in our tracks
and remind us of how happiness is not tied up in things.

I met my own lifelong best friend in first grade.
Thirty years later, we are the mothers of daughters born one month to the day apart.
They are first graders.

I see their faces each time I think of those beautiful children.
My heart hurts at the thought of their parents' awful reality.
I want to wrap them up in my arms and cry with them.
My head can't help but go to a place that is brutally sad, where innocence is lost.

I want to make sense of this senseless horror, but
there's none to be had.

Perhaps if we all lived our lives with the heart of a first grader, our
world would be a kinder, safer place.

Perhaps the best thing I can do to honor their memories is to encourage
the peace in my own children's hearts and go forward each day with
more gratitude and pray that it's enough.




May they find the peace they so deserve.
May their parents feel our collective hearts in their time of unthinkable grief.

Erin

Design School Diary: Creative Juices

Since I've begun design school, it's fair to say I've been sporadic at best at blogging.

I've been channeling so much creative energy into my projects

and what I'm learning, that it's been a challenge lately to have any left for the blog. Wrangling and refining my thoughts to share seems exhausting to me in the dark early morning and late night hours.

Like going to the gym, the further away from it I get, the harder it is to return and refocus.

So today, this is my attempt to do just that.

Here's a little view into what I've been

working on these days: my color harmony project.

Our task was to design a space around a postcard we randomly selected and create the back story for a fictitious client. The objective was to choose textiles and finishes that blend harmoniously with the palette the card inspired.

Who were my clients? 

A young family returning to their hometown of New Bern, North Carolina, 

which just so happens to be the birthplace of Pepsi-Cola (and where my parents live).

My vision?

A family room that drew upon the colors of the card  and offered

an updated take on a traditional home near the downtown and riverfront areas.

What did I learn?

• Following my instincts is what it's all about, but also really daunting.
• My classmates are super-talented, supportive and creative women.
• Getting my feet wet in this new world is incredibly exciting. 

Next up?

• Hopefully finding a way to balance my creative juices and get back to blogging more frequently.
• Designing a fictitious restaurant based upon the design of an historical period. I've chosen Scandinavian Modernism. It's rather unknown to me and definitely out of my comfort zone, so wish me luck!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Erin