Spring Quarter Interior Design Classes

Spring quarter has just begun, which means the daily question I ask and get asked is, "What classes are you taking?". So today I thought I'd tell you a little about the design classes I'm taking right now!

1) Universal Design

In a nutshell, universal design is good design for everyone. It's "the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design".


At some point in this class, me and a partner will travel around campus in wheelchairs. Yep. No joke. I don't think of myself as the most coordinated person in the world...so we'll just see what happens when I'm cruising down my campus's steep hills at top speed in a wheelchair. I'll try to not cause a scene and tumble out of my chair onto the pavement. But I'll keep you posted ;) I'm excited for this class! These are the types of classes that I believe make an interior design degree necessary to be considered an interior designer over a decorator.

2) Building Construction

In this class we will study all of the aspects of construction. We'll learn things like the parts of a house (joists, framing, etc.) and how buildings are built. We'll also be building a to-scale model of a house with wood. With exacto-knives. Again with the coordination...risky business. 

3) Contemporary Design History

I've already learned a lot in this class! My mom, grandma and I were talking about different chair styles when my grandma mentioned a 'Thonet' chair. I had just learned about Thonet in class that day, so I was excited to actually know exactly what she was referring to :)

4) FCS Senior Capstone

FCS is the abbreviation for Family & Consumer Sciences, the department that interior design is under. I'm not a senior yet, but this is the only chance I have to take this class!

5) CAD 3: Photoshop

We have taken 2 consecutive quarters of CAD (AutoCad/Computer Aided Design), and now we get to take a quarter to learn about Photoshop! I'm sure this will come in handy for this little blog!

All photos via The Beauty of One

PS: I was thrilled to be featured on Hello Cotton last week! If you'd like to follow my posts over there, click here!

West Elm Urban Garden Event {Seattle}

So we've talked about how I'm not the best gardener. Thankfully, many of you commented and felt the same way. But let me just tell you right now, there is hope for us! How, you ask?!?!?

I was so excited to be invited by West Elm to their Urban Garden Event at their new Seattle store. They gave us a demonstration on how to make an indoor garden...in a terrarium...that you barely have to water. THAT IS WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT. Future gardener coming your way. Me.

Glass bowl + dirt + succulents + a few spritzes of water = instant garden = instant gardener. 

I'm hoping to make myself one of these this weekend. I'll be sure to show you how it turns out! Really, I don't think it's possible to mess these up. Even the worst gardener can do this.

It was my first time ever in a West Elm store, so of course after the demonstration I had to walk around and explore!

When I walked past these sweatery pillows they whispered to me, "Hey, you. Take us home". I responded, "I want to, but I shouldn't." And they were like "But we're really soft". 

It's true. They were soft. I'll come back for you someday, soft sweatery pillows.

Those houses are butter dishes!

My sister so kindly caught this paparazzi shot of me doing my usual store routine...petting every soft thing in sight.

I was so glad I got to go to this event and can't wait to make my own little indoor garden! 

Do you have a West Elm in your area? Let's just say I want to go there everyday now. Or work there. Or live there? :)

Shelf Styling 101

 Hey guys! Today, we're talking about shelf styling! The styling is the finishing touch to a room, but one of the most important parts to how the space feels in the end.

 While it can seem a little overwhelming looking at a completely empty shelf and needing to fill it, I love that challenge. Rarely do I ever just place things on a shelf and have it feel perfect right away. Usually it takes some time to move things around until the shelf looks balanced and organized. But I usually like it to still look a little random--nothing too stiff or symmetrical.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Before you get to the arrangement, you have to think about what to even put on your shelves! My favorite shelves usually have a mix of books, leaning frames, and accessories that are (or at least look) collected overtime. Oh, and flowers. But every room needs flowers, right?

Here's some examples of beautifully styled shelves that incorporate some of these ideas!

Southern Living found via A Life's Design

Lonny

Lonny- design by Lynn Nigro

Amanda Teal Design

Love the mix of stacked and upright books here!

A Country Farmhouse

2701 Broadway Street

Design by Mark Sikes, photo by Heather Clawson found via Design Darling

Amber Interior Design

I love how this one incorporates kid storage on the bottom two shelves without looking too cluttered.

Emily Henderson

My Spring Break {according to Instagram}

Well, spring break has come and gone. Can't say I'm quite ready to jump back in to classes yet, so as a little transition, here's a few snapshots of my spring break! The parts captured in my Instagram, that is. {courtneylane1}

It started out with a delicious end-of-finals breakfast with my amazing housemates at Portage Bay. There are few things I love more than going out to breakfast! I got the 'Rancher's breakfast' and let me tell you, it could have fed 3 of me. What you don't see in this photo is a massive plate of potatoes, eggs, and bacon. So. Much. FOOD. Thank goodness for to-go boxes.

Cherry blossoms arrived outside of my Seattle home.

Starbucks and a blueberry muffin by the ferry. Was I mad that they didn't have any pumpkin scones? Maybe. Does anyone know if those are seasonal!?!? If so, that would explain why no Starbucks I go to EVER has them anymore. But really though, I'm not mad. Just hurt.

Housesitting, babysitting, and dog-sitting for a few days. After multiple times of prying a pencil out of my pup's mouth, I took matters into my own hands and bought a spray bottle to DOUSE him with the next time he pulled any stunts. It worked like a charm (for about 5 minutes until he decided it was a toy). Blast.

Begging for my strawberries.

Family breakfast: waffles, strawberries, whip cream, 

and coffee of course.

I was a bit of a painting feind in the last few days of break. Can't wait to show you guys the projects we worked on at my mom's house! 

While taking my sister home to Seattle, my mom, sister and I decided to treat ourselves to our first Sonic meal.

And how could we not stop in Ikea when we were so close?!?! This poor little clown was left behind in the cart parking section. Abandoned...and alone. I left Ikea with a new duvet cover and a divine smelling candle. Thanks Ikea!

Spring break, you treated me well.

How was your week? 

Spring Inspiration Board

Since I'm home for spring break, my mom asked me to help with her blog by making a collage of spring garden inspiration. We loved what we came up with in the end! 

After making this, I was inspired. So I decided to go ahead and purchase all of these items and use them in my lush garden that I'm creating this spring. Oh wait no, that's in my dreams. And oh wait no, I'm kind of a horrible gardener.

But MAYBE if all of these dreamy garden items were in my possession, I'd step up my game a bit and not kill everything I plant? Hmm. But all jokes aside, my goal for the spring/summer is to plant some daisies and strawberries. And maybe (just maybe) keep them alive. Wish me luck.

{Sources for the collage can be found here.}

Inspired By: Kilim

Dear kilim slash indian print slash tribal print,

I like you. That's all.

Love, Courtney

Desire To Inspire

Marie Olsson's Home - Knstrct

BHG

Rug tip: I loved what Better Homes and Gardens did with their kilim rug. If you love the look of a kilim rug but can't afford a large enough one (or any patterned rug for that matter), buy a smaller one and layer it over a large neutral rug!


Want more kilim goodness? I was definitely pinning up a STORM of other kilim inspired things over on my Pinterest. :)


Collage Sources:

1: 1st Dibs - Pagoda Home 2: North Face- found via Freshness Mag 3. Anthropologie 4. So Green Store 5. North Face- found via Freshness Mag

Blissful Organization & A Peaceful Life

Let it be known, I am a lover of peace. I love finding solutions to everyday problems that will make my life more peaceful. And that's pretty much the root of interior design...problem solving! 

 Obviously not every issue in life has a quick and easy solution. And I'm not a neat freak. Sometimes life gets in the way of my dream of ultimate organization. But in a home, there are often quick solutions that make life a little more about living and a little less about stressing. 

And of course it helps if the solution is pretty, right? 

So in honor of blissful organization, enjoy these dreamy photos with me!

Erica George Dines - My Home Ideas

BHG

BHG found via Apartment Therapy
Excuse me while I catch my BREATH for a minute...I'm sorry, silhouette basket labels!?!? Those floors?!? Dying. And furthermore, you know my love for mudrooms.

The Social Home found via I Heart Organizing 

{There's even free printables of those amazing labels!}

Martha Stewart - Ditte Isager

Martha Stewart

Leave it to Martha Stewart to have the prettiest, most organized drawers and cupboards known to mankind. 


I can totally picture myself slamming that drawer shut and having everything fly out of those precious little bowls. But I bet Martha has a solution to make sure that doesn't happen, right? :)

Happy Tuesday!