The time has come to start thinking about the little one's room.  Lots of changes are happening in these parts and one of the biggest ones is making room for baby.  I want a room that he (yes we are having a boy!) will enjoy as a wee one and that will also grow with him.  I can't handle "baby-ish" or  theme-y nurseries.  That's just not my style.  But I want it to be a happy ,fun and colorful space for him.  It's been a bit challenging to wrap my head around the design and color palette since I'm a big neutral kind of girl.  So, here's what I'm thinking.  I'm going to keep the walls a soft ivory and add color through the artwork and miniature baby things around the room.  Patterns with grass green, pops of yellow, and bits of red and aqua will liven it up for baby and look great against the warm wood furniture.  We already have the Thonet rocker and the walnut dressers we have are similar to those above (my pics of our dressers are crap).  So we have some great pieces to start with.  I love the crib but not the price so Jake is going to build one inspired by the Oeuf one shown.  I will keep you posted on the progress of that piece and what he comes up with.  So, we will see how this l'il scheme goes down over the next few months.  I'm pretty excited to get to work on it!


rocker (similar here), pillow, tall dresser, low dresser/changing table, mobile, crib, basket, art, lamp, striped rug

I know, I know.  It's been 3 months!  Things have been crazy around these parts and all good stuff I must say.  Projects have been keeping us on our toes and have been rolling in at a fast and steady pace which is amazing.  
BUT, most importantly and definitely way more exciting is that......




I'm having a wee one in May! 
Jake and I are thrilled to be expecting our first baby next Spring and it has been glorious to enjoy this time with family and friends and share our excitement and happiness with them.  And so I wanted to also share it with you.   I will probably post little tidbits about baby Salz-Smith here and there like the fact that we find out tomorrow if it is a boy or girl!!!  And perhaps other baby things that I just can't keep to myself.  


So now that I have my energy back and have found a good pace, I made a promise to myself to post more regularly and share what's going on design-wise with maybe a little baby thrown in too.


I hope everyone is doing well!  I have truly missed participating in blog land and visiting with my fiends here.  Talk soon, I promise!! P.S. how funny is this photo?  A bit ornery but I like it.  : )


image via Pinterest

Happy 4th of July!  It feels great to be back home from travel on the East side.  Miami is lovely but it ain't California.  I plan on celebrating both my return and the holiday with a beach day, BBQ, fireworks, and friends.  How about you?  Any fun plans this extended weekend?  


I'm going to soak it all up before having to return back to the other coast next week (more on the crazy project install later).  Until then, cheers to a great weekend and sunny work week!


Image from the cool Jen Beckman project 20 x 200, photo Mike Sinclair

Happy Friday from the Midwest! Thought I would swing by and say hello while on a brief break from my busy week/weekend. I have work to attend to here but as it's my hometown, I lucked out in that I get to see my fam while here. And that's a pretty big deal since Jake and I get to only see my side about once a year!

Well I hope everyone had a fantastic week with a great weekend ahead! I'll have some fun design posts coming next week that I can't wait to share with y'all.


Talk soon!

How swanky is this airplane interior?!  Travel used to be so stylish and hip!  Now its just well....kind of lame.  That could be because I have been travelling coach and doing quite a bit of it.  I would love to get my hands on a private jet and design the heck out of it.  Any takers?  On a similar note, I'm back from a project install in Cleveland and I got to tell you, it feels good to be sitting back in my office designing and not traipsing across the country.  But. I'll admit it is good to mix it up a bit.  I will be sharing some snippets of the project later on this week month.  Until then, happy Monday.  Let it be a fantastic, successful week! Say hi below and link to your blog if you would like - it's been a while since we had a meet and greet.


image source

Hello from the northeast! I know it's been a minute since I have been on here but with good reason I promise! I have been running non-stop since Sunday when I hopped on a flight(s) to NYC, drove to Greenwich, CT  where we installed project #1, and now am en route to Philadelphia where we will be installing design project #2.  It's a crazy, whirlwind week and I can't wait to share some pictures from behind the scenes along with some of the final results!

Hopefully we can knock this second install out pretty quickly so the hubs and I can enjoy a nice dinner in Philadelphia tomorrow night with some sight seeing Saturday morning before heading back to the west coast.

Oh and check out the snow fall above that welcomed us the first morning...(if the picture is loaded. My blogger app is being a little sh*+.

I hope you check back next week; I have lots of great design posts coming up that I'm pretty stoked about! See you soon...


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Go ahead.  Take a look.  Look up. Keep going.....keep going... There!  How great does the new blog banner look?!  My friend Ana created this little face lift for us and I love it.  I think It really captures the spirit of the blog and Studio Surface.  And with the new year in full swing it's nice to have a bit of a freshen up.  


In the market for a new look?  Go visit Ana, who also has a terrific blog Live and Enliven and hook it up.  


See you soon!  
P.S. got a fun and unique Design Mail question to share with you this week.  You will want to swing back by to check it out!

Happy Monday y'all!  The weekend flew by and I have been quite busy creating and gathering xmas gifts and ideas.  I probably shouldn't post these pics pre-Xmas in case any of the recipients see.  But as only a handful of my family members and local friends actually read my posts, I should be pretty safe.  :)
A few weeks back, some of my fave ladies and I went to a great planter making class at our friend Korin's home to learn how to make these fantastic concrete planters.  Kassandra from Barrels and Branches generously shared her craft and recipe.  I loved them so much that I decided to make enough for an army to hand out as stocking stuffers and gifts.  They turned out great!  Between me and my m-i-l, we have quite the succulent farm so planting these babies was pretty easy actually.  Some of the succulents actually came from my wedding from over two years ago! (They spread like wildfire y'all). I added some pieces of my driftwood and shell collection and voila. Aren't they the cutest l'il sh**s?! 

Get some Xmas wood at 15% off in our shop.  I'm serious.  We're celebrating the holiday season in a big way.  Enter coupon code "xmaswood15" and spread some cheer!  We will have some more good stuff coming up the next couple of weeks to share the holiday spirit with y'all.  Cant't wait.....


Check out the wood goodness here.

Our chair started as a wee stool and we transformed it into a towering chair/lamp hybrid.  Jake fabricated everything from the steel frame which he welded, brushed and waxed, to the industrial cable and plug, to even the socket which he made and welded to the underside.  He even angled the existing wood base so that it was a more comfortable sit.  


We "took second" by having the second highest bid of the night.  There were 25 chairs total and the night was an absolute blast with food truck and apps by the amazing Deborah Scott, Sprinkles Cupcakes, Sinless margaritas, a rockin' D.J. and more. Click here to see some of the awesome chairs up for bid that night.


We are already planning our strategy for next year......  :)


{images by Studio Surface}

Remember the California exam that consumed my life for a good while?  Well I passed it!  Insert sigh of relief.  It feels good to check that off and clear up that head space for something else...
Because I know me, and I will quickly add another item on my ever growing to do list.  


So, I'm going to relax and celebrate a bit this weekend, get to work on handmade holiday gifts, and take care of grocery shopping for the big day next week.  What do y'all have planned? 


{image}

It's the little things that make me happy, my husband as a fat ballerina with a 5 o'clock shadow for example.  And any opportunity to laugh my a** off at something as ridiculous as this is truly what keeps me going.  It's absolutely fantastic.  Let me also preface this by saying that he has no idea this is being posted.  :)  Here is what transpired Sunday evening in the actual order of events:


OK so obviously my laughter and insults started to wear on Jake's nerves.  But really how do you take a pissed off fat triangle seriously?  He went from mildly annoyed to seriously rooted in about 30 seconds and it was priceless....


I know some of the pics are blurry but that is purely because of me walking while laughing while snapping.


polaroid frame

Happy Monday!  It's good to be back in the blog community.  I missed my blog friends and it appears I have a lot of catching up to do. 

Last week was a busy, hard week for me and I discovered something about myself.  Well maybe I always knew this particular thing but I hadn't given it much thought before.
The whole time I was studying (painfully I might add), in between the building codes, I mostly thought about how lovely it was going to be when it was over and I could just relax and laze and enjoy a day or two without any agendas.  But who is fooling who here?!  I don't know what to do with myself if I don't have a list to attend to.  I'm starting to realize a little begrudgingly that I thrive a bit on "busy".  I've figured out that I'm a restless, anxious mess when I don't have a slew of projects and tasks on my plate.  It's an unfortunate truth really.  BUT, like everything, it's about balance.  And just having to focus solely on work and side projects without the addition of studying is a relief.  More importantly, I have learned that if I could squeeze in 6+ hours a day to study when it was my priority then I can allot the same for my family and personal goals which is/should be my constant and most important "task". 

Last Friday I picked up an old vintage twin sheet set from an estate sale with my friend Bianca.  It has become a weekly ritual and I look forward to it every week.  Without fail, I find so many amazing things for myself and for client projects.  This sheet set for example.  3 BUCKS.  It feels a little Missoni-esque doesn't it?  Not too feminine, not too masculine, perfect for my home.  Now this is not a total blow your mind DIY.  I get it.  It's not like I created a lamp or car from this fabric.  BUT, I did have some great Euro Shams sewn from it with plenty of cloth left to spare for custom pocketbooks, sachets, matching pillows, whatever.  So..... check out my new bedding:
Thanks to my m.i.l Jennifer, I have these new shams for our master.  They look awesome with our freshly painted charcoal walls and white bedding.  Our bedroom is in the midst of a complete overhaul and I will be sure to share with you the completed space when all is said and done.  It takes time people.  What do you think?  Pretty cool pattern huh?