…truth be told, we’ve been “on the block” since January yet somehow it has always been our home. I guess now everyone else will know where our home is.

Digging our new exterior sign – the construction-grade materials are a nod to the industrial port history of the Jack London Square area in Oakland and our adaptive re-use of the 1930s brick electric building. You know how we do.

Come down and check it out! 315 Washington St., (between 3rd and 4th), Oakland, CA 94607

Side-note: You could even do some co-working with us! www.portoffices.com A great way for creative people to be able to afford a professional space and hang out with some really smart and talented people. (And if you get tired of that, we’re down the hall, too!) 😉

…that being said, many, MANY thanks to The Port’s owners and it’s awesome inhabitants. Thanks for believing in Mood and Space when we were mere babes and for your commitment to our wonderful little neighborhood. Thanks for being our little family-away-from-family. (And also, for always being ready for a martini when needed.)

And many apologies for the title reference above. You know I can’t help myself.

Today, inspiration for my work comes in the form of an idea, rather than color, form, texture… Like art, words may mean something to you, something completely different to another, both being equally important and enthralling. I came across this African proverb and I have been thinking of it ever since. I should say, I’ve been LIVING it ever since. If you can’t see the image above, it says, “When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you”. To me, it is about self-knowledge, self-respect, self-care. In my life, meditation and reflection allow me to feel that my time here means something – even if it is just a little something to a handful of people…that there is intention and on most days also progress amongst all of my foibles. In that, all the rest of the worldly anxiety and chaos can really take a back seat. I appreciate the amazing people who let me be flawed and nervous and who also let me grow and learn to be calm. To enjoy this short life and accept the less-than-enjoyable. In an epic twist of fate, the people around me just happen to be both slightly insane and infinitely brilliant so they totally get it – lucky me! My husband is the first person in my adult life who really inspired me to be proud of myself. Not what I stood for in an outward way but for my quirky, seemingly contradictory thoughts and history and personality traits – many of which I had perceived as faults. All jumbled together, in fact, they are poetry. In the process of acceptance I begun to truly find my authentic self. Someone who can’t be easily explained or underestimated. (Way more fun than trying to be something ideal.) This quote helps me remember. And with that power I can work harder and with more grace.

Take it for what it’s worth…share your thoughts if you’re so inspired.

To family, friends and Mood and Spaceys (they are also family), and especially my Uddy. You are amazeballs.

I guess we must be doing SOMETHING right…

CA Home and Design did an article about the 10 chandeliers they love right now:

http://www.californiahomedesign.com/product-finds/10-chandeliers-we-love-right-now#item-10

We used one of the chandeliers (Jonathan Adler Meurice in polished nickel – our photo above) for our mid-century inspired kitchen design last year. I guess we were ahead of our time!

To see the entire photo shoot (includes before/after photos), check out our our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150590239952032.377108.110059257031&type=3

Yet again with the shameless self-promotion…

Hey lookie who’s in CA Home + Design!

This weekend I had the chance to reconnect to a dear friend over a bottle of champagne at brunch. A simple indulgence can go a long way. I went home, blissfully lazy and content, and gently suggested that my husband NOT go to the store, NOT clean up and NOT take a walk around the lake for exercise. Sometimes the “shoulds” can take over and then whose life is it that we have so carefully prepared? I love that we are organized, proactive, healthy…but what we needed on this particular day was some time off from being on top of things. Some “gaze at the lake, read a book, slip into a nap” time. And it suited us. And the errands will still get done. But they will be done by happy, relaxed people who have also taken a moment to do precisely what they want – if only for a few hours. So in the theme of bubbly, I want to pour some out for my homies that remind me that sometimes I’ve just done enough already. Once in a while I just need to NOT.

Cheers! To nothing…and to life.

In honor of Binnie – who knew how to sit on her terrace and soak up the sun.