so fresh so clean

I’m so excited to share photos a recently completed project in downtown Los Angeles! This was a fun one A: because the client was up for anything and B: because the space had such amazing character. Kind of can’t go wrong with that combination! I was super inspired by the juxtaposing the old and the new, and wanted to inject bold accent colors and natural materials. This project made me want to go color crazy in my own home, starting with a lavender accent wall in our master.. brb gotta sell the hubs on that! -jojo

twofivesix moodboard

Finished Office Space:

100 Feet of Awesome

Its been a bit since I’ve posted a blog update but what better reason to break the silence than to show off two finished projects for our friends at Brinker International! If you’re not familiar with the Brinker name - they are a restaurant group that own and operate all Chili’s and Maggiano’s restaurants. Last June I was brought on to help them realize two projects at their brand new HQ in Irving, Texas. The first was an over 100 foot long heritage wall that contained milestones and highlights from their company history from 1977 up until today. And the second project was creating a flagship conference room to commemorate the first Chili’s restaurant location ever, in Greenville Texas.

As you can imagine the heritage wall was quite a meaty project (pun intended) - so I called on my good friend Kellen Merrill to set the tone with some really fun copy. And luckily enough, Brinker decided to go with the always awesome Skiffmade to fabricate the heritage wall components, and as you can see from the photos, they did such a great job! The install team at Ocelot also did a great job installing everything. We also had the insanely talented Joe Swec hand paint the wall graphics. He painted the illustrations in a semigloss so as you walk down the hall they shine, which was such a cool detail. This project was a real group effort and required over two weeks to install. And as you can tell by the finished product - we had a lot of fun working on this one!

For the conference room, I wanted to play off the original Chili’s aesthetic, but modernize it and funk it up a bit. Many of the design details are riffs on the original Greenville location and the first store design Chili’s implemented back in the 70’s and 80’s but with a little twist. The patterns on the walls are inspired by the Mexican tiles that were on the original Chili’s table tops, and of course there had to be an epic gallery wall, since that was always a mainstay at every original Chili’s. We also used copper lights to call back to the iconic copper chili pot lights used in the original Chili’s, and used long wooden spoons for handles on the credenza. I can’t say I didn’t get hungry working on this one!

Our Favorite Etsy Stores

In preparation for post holiday shopping, self gifting and new year house sprucing - we thought we would round up all our favorite Etsy vendors for you to peruse. We’ve spent literally years scouring Etsy, searching for the perfect items for our clients (and for ourselves) so we thought it would only be fair to share the wealth.

Here are a few round ups of all our favorites in one place just for you - enjoy! And happy shopping!

Black Wicker Pendant | The Maison Craft // 2. Clay Pendant | Light Texture // 3. Brass and Maple Pendant | DL Design Works // 4. Manila Rope Light | Atelier 688 // 5. Yellow Sconce | Retro Light Store 6. Rattan Pendant | Viwei 7. Chrome + Wood Pendant | NinoShea Design // 8. Orion Pendant | Southern Lights TN

Brown Striped Kilim | Oriental Pillow // 2. Zac & Fox Linen Pillow | Motif Pillows // 3. African Mudcloth Tassel Pillows | Indie Bungalow // 4. Striped Cloth Pillow | Boho Pillow // 5. Ikat SIlk Velvet Pillows | Sephardicny // 6. Army Canvas Pillow | CoveCabin // 7. Striped Pillow | Homegirl Collection // 8. Long Kilim Pillow | Kauwa

Surreal Collage | Cassia Beck Collage // 2. Pear | Angela Ferrara // 3. Abstract Silhouettes | Boriana M // 4. Blue & Rust Geometric Print | Capricorn Press // 5. Geometric Wood | Blank Space Studios // 6. Midcentury Print | The Printable Studio // 7. Architecture Print | Modea Prints // 8. Paper Crystal Relief | Lightening Fold // 9. Twilight Zone Poster | Concepcion Studios

Blue Beni | Splendid Rugs // 2. White Kilim Runner | Tanit Rugs // 3. Black and White Scandinavian Rug | Herman Textiles // 4. Checkered Tulu | Splendid Rugs // 5. Arrow Rug | Texturable Decor // 6. Fire Kilim | Christian Rathbone

Spanish Spade Pull | Bushere Iron Studio // 2. Bent Wood Hook | Noir Dot Design // 3. Deco Striped Brass Pull | Pushka Home // 4. Oak Handle | Sim and Cat // 5. Midcentury Wood Pull | Forge Hardware Studio // 6. Arts & Crafts Pull | Happy Bungalow

Floating Nightstand | Kearydee // 2. East Polk Low Lounger | Petrified Design // 3. Burl Bar | The CEH // 4. Leather Sling Chair | Tasky Woodcraft // 5. Wood Bench | Third Life Designs // 6. Metal Floating Shelf | Model Line Design

Letterboard | Letterfolk // 2. Cube Wall Mirror | Fluxglass // 3. Hand Forged Candleholder | Balinish Decor // 4. Metal Plant Hanger | Epekho // 5. Brass Apple | Circa Somethings // 6. Blocks Kitchen Towel | theriseandfall // 7. Pink Marble Cork Planter | Melanie Abrantes // 8. 1960’s West Germany Ceramic | Antwiek

Graphite Lava Stoneware Spine Vase | Little Bear Pots // 2. Ceramic Swatch Urn | Lovebugkiko // 3. Brown and White Triangle Planter | Little Bear Pots // 4. Tall Cylinder Vase Satin Blue | Kim Westad // 5. Creamy White Bowl | Kabinshop // 6. Salt and Pepper Set | Roseline Pottery

holiday vibes

We’re starting to get in the holiday spirit over here! With the time change bringing us indoors earlier and the cold air making us cozy up inside, our creative juices start flowing as we ready our homes for family, friends and holiday festivities. We’ve undertaken a few little house sprucing projects in preparation, so now its time to get to the real fun stuff - decorating! I always tend to take inspiration from natural materials, colors and textures as opposed to flashy, bright, artificial materials seen in typical holiday decorations. I usually opt for a simple, hand made take on decor that blends better with the existing decor in our home. And since winter in LA basically just looks like fall, I like to play with neutrals that relate back to the views outside. So without further ado - here is my mood board for this holiday season:

twilight time:

I was inspired by colors typically seen at dusk - blues, purples and blush, along with colors seen in foliage around this time of year - specifically in the dry southern California and desert landscape. Aesthetically I am always drawn to simple, raw, utilitarian materials and love pairing them with wild, natural textures.

In case you’re digging this holiday vibe as much as I am, I put together some little boards to help you create the look in your home!

table

Create a neutral base with natural linen tablecloth, placemats or runner, layer with wooden candle holders, mix and match with darker wood tones or cork for serving ware. Pops of green and blue in dried thistle evoke twilight hues.

mantle

play with neutral colors, texture and light for a warm cozy feel. white felted stockings and wood and tassel garlands tie back to the table decor. drape oversized lights from the mantle - and if you don’t have a functioning fireplace, put them in there over the top of dried branches. add a dried thistle or pussy willow wreath above the mantle to top it off.

tree

do yourself a favor and get a noble fir - the silvery blue green color is lovely and plays well with neutrals. and his nice negative space for ornaments. keep lights white and plentiful - add strands of wooden bead garland, wool pom poms or felted ball garlands would be nice as well. add in some diy hand painted wooden ornaments in blue, periwinkle, gold, black and white in simple patterns to add some whimsy.

I hope this helped you get inspired to decorate your home for the holidays! Below are some links to some of the items referenced in the boards - let me know if there is anything I missed, I am always happy to share links. We wish you all a happy and safe holiday! Cheers! (you deserve it)

xo, jojo

Table:

The placement is out of stock but here is a fringed napkin that could work - you can’t go wrong with anything form Spartan Shop. Also these quilted placements are fun alternative. The black walnut spoon is from Food 52. Cork bowls are from a great Etsy vendor Melanie Abrantes, based in Oakland CA. Urban Outfitters doesn’t sell the wood bead candle holder anymore, but they make this candleholder thats nice - and you can always get the OG version by Ferm living. Dried thistle can be found here.

Mantle:

Oversized lights from Ikea, or you can do these really delicate copper wire lights that are pretty magical around a wreath. This all white felt stocking is only $12 at West Elm right now - go buy them! They are such a nice neutral base to layer some felt details to, or tassels/pom poms. Wooden bead + tassel garlands can be found here - or you can DIY them. Dried cholla wood branches can be found here.

Tree:

Wood bead + felt ball garland can be found here. If you want all felt garland it here. And pom pom garlands can be found here. And here is a DIY guide on how to make the hand painted wooden ornaments.

TOMS Williamsburg Retail Store

Hi guys!

I’m so excited to share photos of the recently completed TOMS retail store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It was a privilege to be asked to reimagine the TOMS retail experience after having had the privilege of designing their first five retail stores when I was an in house designer at TOMS two and a half years ago. This was a great opportunity to breathe new life into the TOMS retail aesthetic to stay in step with the evolution of the brand.

The goal was to brighten things up, simplify and keep the focus on product and brand messaging. On the interior, we used a signature TOMS material - reclaimed wood, but used it in small doses, pairing it with lots of bright white and neutrals to balance it out. Product fixtures were also re imagined to be lighter and much more flexible for merchandising stories. We developed a peg wall system that can accommodate shelving, eyewear panels, mirrors and graphics. The nesting waterfall tables add a modern feel and are modular, allowing for neat and tidy product merchandising. In the cafe I played with tile in neutral tones to maintain that airy feeling. The store has a pretty small footprint but also has the luxury of having one of the largest outdoor patios in Brooklyn. Score! The in house team at TOMS did a great job of signing on Ricardo Gonzalez to create a striking mural on the exterior of the building which creates the ideal backdrop for leisurely hangs outs.

Overall really happy with how this turned out and so grateful to have had the opportunity to partner with TOMS again. Now let’s do another one! xo! jojo