You should see what Heffe did to the living room Sarah. Holy crap. You hate it. Look at all the TVs.

He built that mantle extension shelving unit specifically so we could have people over and watch football on 18 screens. We did it on Sunday and really it was an awesome day – but I snapped this pic after the day was over. This is not a joke, he’s dead serious. I love it when he uses his tools.

In other updates, it appears that the dude has turned the corner on the supposed “turquoise” couch (which is actually as baby blue as a blue can be.) I’ve even heard him mutter that he “likes” it. Which is an incredible development – since as you might remember, I very much questioned our compatibility when he stated over dinner one night that he’d NEVER live with a turquoise couch. (He’s never even SEEN the Tiffany blue blue leather number I have in storage in Hickory, NC.)

My initial thoughts for the Heffe House living room were more along the aesthetics of tailored/masculine wools and linens in black/grey and cream. Super neutral and all buttoned up. But in reality – though one (read that as I, Betsy) might think that a finance guy would be uptight, he’s deeply as California casual as can be. Just ask his gym shorts. So what we’ve ended up with are bamboo shades, a lot of green leafy plants, a huge Marimekko print that he still thinks should hang sideways, and a blue couch, sitting on a grass rug!

A beautiful styled shelter mag shot would be ideal, but instead, I have a pic I snapped with my iPhone.

Here’s a list of what has gotten done since we last had an update. I know – a picture speaks a thousand words, but whatev. If I wait for that, there will be no update for my friend Sari.

• Bedroom has duvet cover, flat grey headboard, bamboo shades, and dressers, needs bedside table and new light fixture
• Living room has new grass rug,  PIANO, artwork is hung, mantle extension and shelves built, bamboo shades hung, needs new DIY cube coffee tables and some baskets to hide clutter
• Den has new flokati rug, fiddly fig, and some lamps, needs huge artwork and end table and dense white linen curtains
• Kid’s room has rainbow rug and curtains. Needs play table and two more curtain panels if ya ask me
• Dining room has a stack of boxes from the organic vegetables that we have delivered weekly. Count em, 5. That’s 5 weeks worth of not taking them out. #reallife
Needs curtains, shelving, bar cabinetry, artwork, rug, and desperately needs a new light fixture

So there is a lot left to do . Maybe in 8 months I’ll be back to blog about it and perhaps NOT share a picture cause all I have for visual pretty is an artsy Instagram hand, and no time to style and shoot my home, er Heffe’s I mean.

Follow the Heffe House on Pinterest, for an update of wants in real time.

There’s a lot more to share. Design blogging when you are NOT a designer, is hard on your confidence and schedule – but we’ve been at this since 2008 and can’t quit now.

Because, I want to put it here in the Heffe Dining Room.

In other news…. I’m dangerously close to having the king headboard project completed and ready for installation. Ended up with a dark and very warm grey flat paint, after first a wicked glossy black, and then a coooool blue grey that was reading way too cool and blue. I like it. Dude says he likes it…. so all is well there.

Keep your eye out for a nice dude-ly king size duvet cover in the colorway of grey…. oh, and we are gonna have a serious conversation about window treatments in there soon. I’m seeking Sarah’s aide at the moment. I’m in over my head with the lack of easy options.

In regards to images I’m willing to share. I don’t have much for you, except an opportunity to ponder the fact that Heffe LEGITIMATELY wants to hang the Marimekko that I fashioned (out of a shower curtain btw, the project cost no more than $100 and it’s large)…… SIDEWAYS. He wants to hang it sideways. It’s been leaning up against the wall like this for 3 weeks now. I can’t do it.

Tell me how you would feel about it. Here’s a pic:
and don’t forget about the Heffe House Board on Pinterest, cause recently I have.
Oh, and one more thing…… did I tell you that I was invited to speak as a panelist on using Pinterest to tell your brand’s story at an event for the OCPRSA? Dang!

Oh, and you guys and your design blogs. Geez, you folks really went nuts for the Fiddle Leaf Fig huh? I had never even heard of the plant until I pinned this image to the Heffe House Board.

So, off I went with the google image searching and subsequently Craigslist searching. If you’re already familiar with the home decor niche’s love for this plant, you’ve likely seen the same pictures that I found. Lots of Peter Dunham designs….  Get yourself some more Fiddle Leaf Fig eye candy on this Pinterest board here.

Meanwhile – let me start fresh with my own picture of the Heffe House living room. Meet the Fiddly.

He lived outside in Fullerton, CA for most of his life, until I spotted him for sale for $85 on Craigslist. He is twelve years old and stood around 10+ feet tall until I trimmed his top. He also had a wicked lean. He is now standing tall with two trunks that I wrapped together to give him more of a single stalk topiaried appearance. You’re seeing a side of him now that Heffe and I won’t see much of for a little while. I’m turning his weak side toward the light source, in hopes that his leaves will even out a bit and his trunk will strengthen up on that side. He’ll get some regular top trimming to encourage that. He really needs to get healthy.

It does occur to me that it will take a LONG time to notice any strengthening, This plant lived under a pergola for a LONG time. Some of his edges are singed from the direct sunlight and he doesn’t have that deep green shiny leaf that he should.

It has also occurred to me though, that I might let him loose and that leany branch could stretch and stretch toward the windows until he looks like this. How is that not tipping over?

So here’s a little fartsy look at the room from each angle, and then a wicked awesome photoshop job with his required artwork to scale……. and some BIG matchy blue lamps. But Heffe got me thinking about symmetry, and how I don’t really care for its obvious execution — so the question…………..

Two Lamp or not Two Lamp?

By the way, Heffe made that glass front console with his BARE HANDS. It is beautiful. You can bet I got salivatious when we went to his storage unit last weekend and I saw how many amazing wood tools he has. I love that. He’s cooking up a plan to turn his garage into a wood shop! <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

One thing that seems certain about the Heffe Den though — is that Maggie’s rug is part of the decor. I found this navajo rug at a thrift store and snatched it up, unsure if I personally liked it, but totally aware of its appeal. Now we all love it almost as much as Maggie does. Now I’m pinning Navajo pillow covers from Southwestern ecomms on the Heffe House Board. <3 you Pinterest!

I leave her here each morning after her breakfast.

BTW:

We were on Instagram well before Mark Zuckerberg ever dropped billions on the company! (That was just last week y’all.) At any rate, come hang out with me (@BetsyMoyer) and Sarah (@TheEstateOfThings). We could have conversation in the comments about Heffe’s new couch, or thrifting in LA and NC, or the musicians that pass through KCRW, or whatever we’re documenting……… for example this *style shot where I’m brushing my snags in Heffe’s hilarious bathroom is too cool for school with my Laura Dern Wild at Heart hair. If that doesn’t sell you, I don’t know what will! BE MY FRIEND!

Little life update from Betsy here.

Kate and I are parting ways. We very luckily BOTH stumbled into the arms of some fine loving young men around this time last year, and just as fate tends to do, it’s forced our hand. I’ve always love the “shit, or get off the pot” idiom. And as it goes, a girl’s got move in with her dude at a certain point in time. That time is now for Kate. Wish them well. Maybe we’ll get some fun stories in home decor along the way. I’m betting yes.

For me however, it is not yet that time. I’m going look for a new place with Joel and Patterson, so you can expect updates if we can pull any design together in our shared abode. I’m a little nervous though. We are all going to try to save ourselves some money and look for a low rent option in Santa Monica, so that likely means the place won’t be packing much in the way of character. Also – we have to live with Joel’s microfiber red couch. This ups the ante big time in the way of Home Decor challenge.

Due to this update in my living arrangements, it looks like it will be at least 12 months before I can pull lady of the house rank on that shitty fixture that’s hanging in the dining room that Heffe pleads is “so bad it’s good.” I told him yesterday, “No, it’s just bad.” But, it’s not my house. There will be more in the way of the Heffe House Push & Pull though. My blue Karlstad is likely going to see a re-upholstery project so that it can live there. And his new couch is set to arrive in about two weeks. (I’m so anxious for its arrival.)

It’s so sad that I have to move – and end to an era.  I’ve created a social campaign for the loss of my apartment. Check out #RIPtreehouse on Instagram for all my nostalgic uploads of the moments in The Treehouse decor that I’ll miss. Of course, I’m also pinning them. http://pinterest.com/betsymoyer/riptreehouse/

If you are like Heffe…….. and hesitant to commit to color, here are a few examples of rooms that look colorful and lively, but aren’t packing a ton of investment. Accessories aren’t long-term, so its much easier to pack big pops of hue without a) breaking the bank….. or b) giving the faint of heart an anxiety attack when you ask them to drop $2500 on a deep teal velvet couch.

The first room comes from Sarah’s suggestion to check out the Ruffalo home that was featured in Domino in 2009. She has an exceptional memory. But even I remember that she found some of the real estate photos from when this Hollywood Hills home was on the market. See that “Real Estate Envy” post here. That’s the stuff that dreams are made of.

Anyway. Check the pic. These guys aren’t skimping on quality artwork, so that makes a HUGE difference. but largely the base is all warm woods, white wall, and browns. The artwork, lamp and pillows become big players in green, yellow and red. That little console by the door, with its red legs, is an easy and important addition. Overall though – the big ticket items aren’t crazy. They are safe quality choices.

Here is another example that is pretty heavy on the popcorn ceiling. This image came to my attention from Amber ’s shout out to Trina Turk’s spread in MatchbookMag. I grabbed it b/c those built-ins are strikingly similar to the ones in the Heffe House, so I thought it was a great image to hang onto. The pops of color in the books and the accessories on top of all that wood tone make this feel like a rich vignette. The major pieces here are again, are all neutrals.

Sarah asked if Heffe likes the moroccan rug. YES! Yay, the answer is yes. This is one large neutral possibility that I can totally get down with – without missing the flowery anthropologie option if it where my own indulgent choice.

In conclusion. Heffe is on his way. He totally pulled the trigger on a beautiful large piece last Saturday after a long ride down the bike path along the ocean.

I took him toLiveStyle in Venice, a store that I’ve blogged about before. Can’t say enough nice stuff about Francesca. She has a sweet high end bohemian flavor that I really appreciate.

We had a blast picking out the fabric and finishes for Heffe’s new monster comfortable couch. This pic provides a sneak peek. Expect a full colorshow once his arrives.

Follow the Heffe House Board on Pinterest.

A brief introduction to our love.
Heffe and I met about year ago. Regarding HOW WE MET, well I guess I’m also going to pretend my mama doesn’t read this blog. I don’t knock the “We met online” story that many couples have these days… I don’t. Clearly I LOVE the internet. My mom would love it if we met on eharmony or jesuslovessingles.com……. But it’s not me – and I’m really happy to report that Heffe and I met the old fashioned way – as single people in their 30s should….. In a BAR, on a MONDAY NIGHT….  (In my defense, I was out ‘home decor’ shopping w/ my roommate Kate…. and deciding to pull the trigger on that ruched duvet cover really took it out of us – so we deserved a drink.)

About Heffe’s House
He just recently pulled the trigger himself – on a home for rent in Santa Monica. I tried to document some of the House Hunting process on the TEOT Facebook page. We saw some incredible places. I still like to close my eyes and pretend he lives here…. but instead he got what Sarah said “SOUNDS LIKE A DOG.”

It’s not really, it just sounds like one. See, the house has yellow kitchen walls, ceiling, backsplash and flooring, and it has a pink, grey and blue bathroom.

Importantly however – the house has a yard, and just like you can’t rip a girl from her fantasy daydreams about love and decoration, apparently you also cannot sever a man’s dream to have his dude friends over and watch football and grill meats. So… we have the Heffe House. It’s a really comfortable home and has a lot of potential plus a GREAT backyard which I’m sure you’ll see soon. It’s the perfect place for Heffe, his MaggieGirlDog, his 2 kiddos, and some football parties.

This picture that I’ve included shows some mild progress in getting the boxes out of the living room and getting the furniture layout kind of carved out, so that we can begin thinking about textures for the new furniture, rugs and window treatments. I’m collecting my ideas and findings on a Heffe House Board on Pinterest.

So, in conclusion….. this is what we’re doing here.
Heffe is [kinda uptight] and not into color. Early on in our relationship he told me that he’d never allow a turquoise couch in his home, and I legitimately questioned our compatibility. See my style below next to what Sarah pointed out might be a good look for shoot for…. It’s not MY HOUSE, so I’ll keep that in mind….. but maybe with a little push and pull, we can all bring the Heffe House into some place between Adrian Grenier’s Ecochic and Miles Redd’s turquoise color blast to the face!