This makeup artist was inspired by some of YouTube's biggest gurus, Tati Westbrook & Desi Perkins, to convert her "bonus room" into a beauty room & home office.

After watching my first beauty room e-design, she reached out & I was so excited to collaborate with her to create her beauty dreamscape.

This design was everything I love about online design -- collaborating with someone fun & creative, designing remotely with someone I'd otherwise NEVER meet, and most importantly, LITERALLY transforming a room & a life.

Home Gym Haven 3D Design Tour

This full time tech engineer is the definition of a "techpreneur", balancing a traditional job outside of the home, in addition to his full time "hustle". Recently adding real estate to his resume, it is no wonder he hasn't had time to tend to his own home.

We worked together to transform a spare bedroom into a functional yet relaxing home gym retreat area, using metal accents & dark tones in combination with pragmatic, yet tasteful furnishings.

Watchlist, Look BookAlbie KnowsDecember 11, 2017gym, creative entrepreneurs, favorites, youtube, edesign, renderings, my home, shopping

Beverage Bar Basics: Holiday Edition

Tis' the season for cozy nights & warm beverages -- tis' the Hygge way! And nothing is more Hygge for the holiday season than a warm beverage -- whether you're a hot cocoa drinker, coffee lover, or tea enthusiast.

As I finally pulled together my very first holiday-inspired "coffee corner" I decided to share with you some of my tried & true tips for creating your very own at home cafe.

Easy Custom Plate DIY

I am no DIYer by any stretch of the imagination, but when I saw this come across my Pinterest feed, I couldn't help but check it out. If nothing else, I wanted to at least find out where I could buy it. Turns out it was a DIY. So I read it over and realized, "I could totally do this!"

And "do this" I did.

WatchlistAlbie KnowsDecember 3, 2017diy, dining room, tablescaping, design therapy, youtube

Putting Together Our Dining Room: Part 1

Even before we officially decided to move, I would fantasize about designing wherever we would end up -- floor planning, coordinating color schemes, wish listing -- doing all the things I would do for a client.

Fast forward, to when we started doing apartment tours and then to when ultimately chose a place, I was super excited about having a space to really flex my design muscle (not for lack of trying in our NYC studio).

Holiday Tablescaping Haul: Cost Plus World Market

Tis the season for shopping so follow along with me as a shop my little heart out, getting my home holiday ready. As I continue on my holiday prep journey, we'll be shopping, we'll be decorating, we'll be organizing... all the things that go into making the holidays merry!

WatchlistAlbie KnowsNovember 21, 2017youtube, cost plus world market, haul, holiday season, shopping

Easy Dining Room Measurements

Wherever you are in your design journey, there are some key basics that you need to know to get your dining situation situated, especially when it comes to measurements so that you get the appropriate pieces that fit the space as much as they fit your lifestyle.

2017 Holiday Shopping Guide For The Home

We are just about halfway through November & I thought it high time I stop denying that the holidays are here. Ready or not, they're coming!

For the next 2 weeks-ish, I'll be walking you through all kinds of holiday prep from #pinterestgoals tablescaping to creating a cozy, comfy guest ready abode. You'd be surprised how much decor styling & interior design goes into the holidays -- and most of us don't even realize it!! So to help you out, I'm kicking the fun off with my curated Holiday Shopping Guide -- for the home, of course -- featuring some of my fav finds for the holiday season.

Albie KnowsNovember 13, 2017christmas, thanksgiving, favorites, decor styling, holiday season, my home, h&m home, shopping

How to Redesign & Decorate on a Budget

It's the time of year for lots of hosting & entertaining, so naturally you want your place to look the best it possibly could. I know lots of people who take this opportunity to finally work oh home upgrades, not only for guests, but also to start the year off with a fresh look!

But what do you do if you don't have the budget (or desire) for a complete design overhaul because you're buying gifts & things for the holiday season?

Review: DaVinci Alpha Mini Rocking Crib

So if you read my space saving post on cribs, then you already know I’m a proponent of the mini crib. Saves space and money, and as a first-time mom, that’s all we ever really need more of (well that and sleep, lots and lots of sleep).

Even though we know we wanted a mini crib, we had no clue which to choose. We decided on the DaVinci Alpha for one main reason — it rocks (literally and figuratively).

Vibe CheckAlbie KnowsNovember 9, 2017review, mompreneur, small spaces, mini cribComment

Small Space Must Have: The Mini Crib

Enter the mini crib!

It was amazing to me how not a single one of my family members, friends, acquaintances, or even co workers had ever heard of it. Admittedly, I can’t even remember how I stumbled upon this wonderfulness (you google enough, I guess you’ll find anything) but I’m glad I did.

So… what is the mini crib?

It’s exactly what its name says — a small crib, measuring about a foot (give or take) shorter than a standard size crib, making a great long term alternative to a bassinet and space saving alternative to a standard size crib.

Vibe CheckAlbie KnowsNovember 9, 2017review, nyc living, mompreneur, small spaces, mini crib

Sophisticated Yet Casual Living Room

Look BookAlbie KnowsNovember 8, 2017client photos, moving, youtube, color, nyc living, edesign, renderings, my home, reversible designComment

How To Fit 3 People In a New York City Studio

New York City living is practically synonymous with small space living, so whenever I tell people that we used to live in a NYC studio apartment, in the heart of Manhattan no less, the expressions on their faces tend to alternate between amazement, confusion, and pity. But for 16 months, my husband, daughter, and I all comfortable fit in our c. 500 sq. ft. studio.

Vibe Check, Look BookAlbie KnowsNovember 7, 2017west coast transplant, moving, nyc living, mompreneur, small spacesComment

October Favorites: 31 Things That Made Me Happy

🍁 Welcome to November! 🍂

I feel like I JUST did my September favorites and yet here I am already doing October. It's as though God sat on the remote, and is speed channel surfing. Not that I'm complaining, but I don't know that I've ever seen a year fly by the way 2017 has.

No matter how fast it goes by though, I still found some time to stop and think about the things -- great or small -- that made me happy.

Watchlist, Vibe CheckAlbie KnowsNovember 5, 2017favorites, west coast transplant, design intensive, summertime, youtube, coming soon, mompreneur, shoppingComment

H&M Food & Friends Kitchenware Collection

So last month, one of the things that made me happy & made my favorites list was H&M's new fall kitchenware collection, Food & Friends. Even the dangone name sounds awesome, so in hidnsight, I shouldn't have expected anything less than epic happiness delivered to my door when I ordered some of the collection items.

When I first saw the launch email, the first thing that excited me about the collection was the palette -- woon tones, rich navy blues, and lots of gold ✨ it was like someone from H&M snuck into my home & decided to create a collection curated around my actual palette...

Mood Board Monday: Quirky Coastal Half Bath

This half bath was a renovation of a closet -- yes, closet! This really excited me because this closet was flanked by her daughters' bedrooms, and so the new bathroom would be for them to use.

Talk about making use of the space you have to create the space you need!

Watchlist, StudioAlbie KnowsOctober 30, 2017national kitchen & bath month, bathroom, renovation, nyc living, edesign, small spaces

Rose Gold vs Copper vs Gold

Although I'm not against mixing metals, as they've grown in popularity, I've noticed people using them haphazardly without any regard for how they'll play off of one another. This has been especially the case when it comes to rose gold, copper, and gold. Albeit similar, these are all very distinct metals, and when used in decor, these distinctions can make or break a design. Use correctly, they can absolutely elevate a design to something elegant and timeless; however, done incorrectly, and it'll be a piping hot mess!

The EditAlbie KnowsOctober 19, 2017national kitchen & bath month, metals, design therapy, color

3 Sexy Pieces to Turn Up Your... Kitchen

For a lot of people, the school of thought is that designing your kitchen means doing a full remodel and renovation and all the hoopla you see on HGTV.

Not.

True.

Not only are renovations costly, not everyone has that luxury -- for example, in a rental. I doubt your landlord would take to kindly to you deciding to knock down a wall. But whether you own or rent, there are a number of things you can do to turn up your kitchen. Some can be small purchases that you make and others can be larger cosmetic upgrades. Check out 3 of my favorite easy peasy kitchen upgrades.

Albie KnowsOctober 16, 2017national kitchen & bath month, kitchen, design therapy, favorites, target, amazon, shoppingComment

Charming Modern Kitchen

I love working on projects where the client knows early on what they want for the simple fact that it feels more like a collaboration than a job; and this remodel was, from start to finish, an awesome collaboration! She had a great vision in mind for updated their kitchen. We weren't making any changes to the actual foot print -- this was all cosmetic, and all fun.

The initial mood board was inspired by their style, as well as the style of the house, since th the kitchen is part of an open concept floor plan.

Look BookAlbie KnowsOctober 10, 2017kitchen, renovation, youtube, west coast transplant, nyc living, edesign, renderings, mompreneur, shoppingComment

I Kinda Have This Thing For Target's New Project 62 Collection

This fall, Target decided to take a new approach to their home assortment -- being more intentional & curated -- and so when I saw the announcement of this new collection, my curiouslty was peaked. I like to shop Target for my own home & also for design projects because of the affordability & accessability, and over time I did start to notice a shift in the way they were showing up in the interior design space -- more designer collaborations, wider style assortments, and just a slew of new offerings constantly being churned out.

Albie KnowsOctober 5, 2017target, favorites, my home, sponsored post, shopping

Welcome to The Journal

A cozy collection of stories, reflections, and inspiration for creating a life (and space) you love — one quiet moment at a time. Brew a cup, get comfortable, and stay awhile.

After watching my first beauty room e-design, she reached out & I was so excited to collaborate with her to create her beauty dreamscape.

And "do this" I did.

But what do you do if you don't have the budget (or desire) for a complete design overhaul because you're buying gifts & things for the holiday season?

Enter the mini crib!

So… what is the mini crib?

🍁 Welcome to November! 🍂

Talk about making use of the space you have to create the space you need!