ORC Media Room Design Update

It's been a little over a month since we've fully moved into our new house & jumped right into some projects, including the media room.

Having already spent time ideating made getting started right out the gate super easy, but I was still — mostly — working off of a High Point Market specified design.

Did I love everything I chose for that design? DUH! But was all of it feasible? Nope.

Between cost, customizations, and availability, I quickly (mentally) processed all the substitutions I'd have to make to make this design come to life for us for real for real.

DesignAlbie KnowsDecember 10, 2020one room challenge, the hygge ranch, design therapy, media room, sherwin williams

Fall 2020 One Room Challenge: Real Life Edition

From the very beginning, I'd said that my ORC was based on real spaces in a real home. That home is now my home — look at God! — and I am able to bring this design as close to real life as humanly (and financially) possible. That said, consider this my part 2 to the Fall ORC. As all the guests are wrapping up their reveals, I am going to take you on another 6 week journey (because why not) as we tackle our "must be nice" spaces.

DesignAlbie KnowsNovember 23, 2020one room challenge, the hygge ranch, design therapy, media room

Living Room Update: We Moved!

3 months ago, I started my living room refresh and I shared the plans with you guys. The refresh started out just fine — we patched up some holes, put furniture in storage to free up space, hung new lighting & drapery, and the project even spilled over into the dining room when I made the decision to convert it into a study. At that point all that was left was for me to receive my furniture — it was slated for around now actually. That delay ended up working out in our favor. While our home buying journey is another story for another time, I can tell you that in August — when I started the living room — it isn't something I thought would be a reality for at least another year.

L'homme propose. Dieu dispose.

Translation: man plans, God decides.

And He decided we were to be homeowners NOW!

DesignAlbie KnowsNovember 17, 2020the hygge ranch, my home, living room, apt2b

Fall 2020 One Room Challenge x High Point Market: Week 6

Has it been 6 weeks already? I guess if the calendar says it, then it must be so!

Which means we’re at the end of the first ever virtual edition of the One Room Challenge, sponsored by High Point Market.

The scope of this year’s ORC was one that came with it’s own challenges but I am so thankful for what the gift it’s given me — the chance to preview (and manifest) a real life home I’ll love!

DesignAlbie KnowsNovember 11, 2020one room challenge, high point market, my home, edesign

Fall 2020 One Room Challenge x High Point Market: Week 5

Did October even really happen?! Every time I think one month was crazy fast, the next one still manages to outpace it. Sheesh!

We're in the final stretch of the ORC and if you're following me on IG — you should be, by the way — then you caught a pretty epic announcement I made yesterday! Yep... my husband & I are officially homeowners! I talk a lil bit about it here and here.

DesignAlbie KnowsNovember 2, 2020one room challenge, high point market, my home, edesign

Fall 2020 One Room Challenge x High Point Market: Week 4

Holy smokes...2 weeks to go. Even though I have not been physically executing this design, knowing that it isn't a design that I entirely pulled from the belly of my imagination has made it just as stressful to conceptualize. Adding on the stress of just life — 2020 being all 2020 and ish — I finally made the decision to fire myself.

DesignAlbie KnowsOctober 28, 2020one room challenge, high point market, my home, edesign

Fall 2020 One Room Challenge x High Point Market: Week 3

While so many of my counterparts have been physically hanging out at High Point Market, I've been taking advantage of all the resources available to me right here on these inter webs.

Being that this is a virtual project, I decided that instead of just tackling some of the rooms in this trip level home, why not try my hand at the entire "must be nice" level. In addition to the media room, shared study, and outdoor living area, I decided why not take on the other two other rooms down there — the laundry room and powder room.

DesignAlbie KnowsOctober 21, 2020one room challenge, high point market, my home, edesign

Fall 2020 One Room Challenge x High Point Market: Week 2

I think I’m going to officially dub my One Room Challenge the “Must Be Nice” design!

If you follow me on Instagram (which you should by the way) then you know a few days ago I shared some of my design inspirations from Pinterest for manifesting my first home. My "Home 2021" board is broken up into sections, with one section being “‘Must Be Nice’ Rooms” because having those rooms/spaces in my future home would be really really nice!

I didn’t grow up with these kinds of rooms so when I think of them, it’s really a fantasy of my future. But what does this have to do with the One Room Challenge? So glad yo asked. Even though this year’s challenge is virtual, I’ve chosen to base my entire challenge on a very real space — a listed home we’ve got our eye on that has must. be. nice. rooms!

DesignAlbie KnowsOctober 14, 2020one room challenge, high point market, my home, edesign

Fall 2020 One Room Challenge x High Point Market: Week 1

Alongside 19 other amazing creators and designers, ya girl is an ORC featured designer!

In true 2020 fashion, this event will be virtual so we’ll be bringing you along as we work with and source vendors as we would in any design project — from the ideating and planning all the way through the final virtual reveal…which you know is my jam!

DesignAlbie KnowsOctober 7, 2020one room challenge, high point market, my home, edesign

Mood Board Inspiration: June + July 2020

The only thing that inspired me recently is Black people.

Black culture.

Mood Board Inspiration: May 2020

How is it already May?!

And yet here we are…

About halfway through the second quarter of the year and nearly 3 months into a global pandemic that has all but crippled our “normal” way of life. Now for me, I am thankful that COVID-19 and the stay-at-home order hasn’t too much impacted my day to day — changes have happened but nothing drastic — but I also couldn’t think about all the changes happening in nature that we can’t see… and possibly all the changes happening because we aren’t out in the world messing with things.

I remember reading about reports that indicated a decrease in air pollution across the world because factories were closed, cars weren’t on the road, and just overall how our being home was giving Mother Nature a much-needed reset of her home. Imagine that!

I thought about how clear skies and vibrant colors, and my may mood board inspiration came into bloom…

Mood Board Inspiration: April 2020

Living in the Pacific Northwest gave me a newfound appreciation for nature’s beauty, but specifically the colors in nature — I didn’t exactly always get the benefit of seeing a crayola assortment of trees and clear blue skies while living in Hell’s. Kitchen. While I’m sure this is problem the first spring for all of us, where we’re spending most of it in our homes, there is still so much beauty out there in the world to appreciate — and with any luck, that we’ll be able to enjoy before the season changes.

That was my inspiration for this month’s mood board — bringing home the simple beauty around us.

Achieving Simple Feng Shui For Happy Living

The words "Feng" and "Shui" have very simple meanings -- "wind" and "water" -- that represent the presence of balance & harmony. The overarching principle behind the art of Feng Shui is about creating harmony in your everyday life through the flow of energy. This is why so often, although sometimes misused, we'll hear people talk about Feng Shui when referring to their furniture layout -- how is the energy moving throughout this space? That flow of energy is your "chi" and at the center of really establishing good Feng Shui and ultimately setting the tone for your space.

DesignAlbie KnowsApril 5, 2020bathroom, living room, dining room, feng shui, design therapy, kitchen, bedroom, small spaces, covid19

Mood Board Inspiration: March 2020

Design, ShoppingAlbie KnowsMarch 17, 2020mood board, color, hygge, cost plus world market, target, horchow, serena & lily, the container store, shopping

Mood Board Inspiration: February 2020

Design, ShoppingAlbie KnowsFebruary 13, 2020mood board, pottery barn, west elm, color, hygge, h&m home, shopping

Why I'm Not Doing Anymore Home Projects

I’ve lived — as an official rent-paying “adult” — in three different apartments…four if you count a short period of time when I thought I was grown and moved in with a roommate. This condo was truly the first I really dug in to tackle renter-friendly projects that went beyond getting organized and putting up new paint.

But here’s the thing — this is still only a 2 bedroom apartment, meaning the whole place has a total of six “rooms” (eight if you count the laundry closet and balcony) to play with. I knew that this meant I was not going to have a limitless amount of projects to tackle; I knew that at some point I would be project’d out…and that point is now.

Lifestyle, DesignAlbie KnowsFebruary 11, 2020my home, design therapy, reversible design

Mood Board Inspiration: January 2020

Inspiration can be found in all places, in all things, including driving through a “snow storm” after picking up the kiddo from school. Cognizant of how design inspiration can be found in the most unlikely places, I decided to start pulling the palettes from the scene — literally just with a color dropper — just to see what colors were really resonating and it was really illuminating.

From one spontaneous moment in time, I was able to capture what really was (is) an amazing color palette. And now here we are… the first of 12 mood board inspirations for 2020.

Design, ShoppingAlbie KnowsJanuary 8, 2020cost plus world market, lulu & georgia, mood board, h&m home, shopping

Fall 2019 One Room Challenge Update: Renovation Realities

DesignAlbie KnowsDecember 30, 2019renovation, nyc living, one room challenge, kitchen, design therapy