homedesign

I'm off to Toronto this weekend to join some friends in speaking at the Canadian Design Blogger Meetup and I can't wait to meet some of these gals! Even luckier, my entire dad's side of the family lives in Toronto, so I'll be meeting up with all my Italian relatives, which means I should come home about 10 lbs heavier. Next week, I'll be sharing more of my time at Alt as so many of you have requested. Until then... Au Revoir!! *imaga via fash 'n chips

Four years ago I started this blog on a whim. I had no idea what I was doing. And I did pretty much everything wrong from the get-go. I never set out to have a successful blog–I just wanted a place to talk about the houses that interested me. I didn’t know the “rules” about blogging. Heck, I had never even read a “house blog” before, let alone written one!

But sometimes ignorance is bliss. Because I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, I dove right in and never looked back.

For the first year or so I had a pitiful-looking blog header because I couldn’t figure out how to create a better one. I didn’t know to label photos for search engines, resize them, or lighten dark screencaps from movies. I didn’t grab my domain name early on and someone else snatched it out from under me (otherwise you’d be reading this at hookedonhouses.com).

I didn’t have a blog button for the first two years, something readers were always asking for but I didn’t know how to make (and my early attempts were pretty amateurish). After switching to a self-hosted version of WordPress, I went for six months with a basic black and white template until I finally hired a designer.

Boy, did I have a lot to learn. To say I was clueless in the beginning would be an understatement. Problogger could have used me as an example of how not to do things. But I kept going. And I’m still here, against the odds.

In blogging, 4 years feels like a lifetime. I’ve seen so many things change. So many other blogs come and go.To put things in perspective, when I started out, linky parties were a new concept. Giveaways on blogs were rare and exciting things. None of the blogs I read had ads on them, and no one talked about “monetizing” (now that’s the number-one question I get from new bloggers).

Twitter may have been around, but no one I knew was on it yet. And people were always passing out “blog awards” (Does anyone still do that? Maybe I just don’t get them any more!).

Early on, when I was excited just to get 100 visitors a day, I visited a blog that had been around for 5 years. Her stats counter showed 1 million, and I was in awe. I set a goal for myself to reach a million with my blog someday, too.

I never would have guessed that by my 3rd year, I’d be getting more hits than that every month. As of today, it’s gotten over 27 million of them since I started in 2008. Wow.

So take it from me–you don’t have to do everything perfectly. Just do your best. Learn as you go. Accept that you’ll probably make some stupid mistakes along the way. The important thing is to take steps in the direction of your dream anyway. Start working on it even when you don’t have all the answers.

I get lots of emails from new and would-be bloggers asking me to tell them my secret for making money at this. I was never strategic about any of it. I just started writing and got very lucky that people showed up to read my posts. After the first year, I put some ads in the sidebar to pay for what had become a full-time blogging habit. Thanks to them, I was able to quit my day job in 2010.

Best. Job. Ever. Big thanks to all of my readers for making it possible, and for sticking with me as I fumble along, trying to figure this all out. I still have so much to learn. One thing I know for sure–without you, I wouldn’t still be here 4 years and 2,000 posts later! -Julia

P.S. To read more of my blogging story: “How House Lust Got Me Here.”

Because the sun is shining and I'm tricking myself into thinking that spring must be just around the corner... I'm totally feeling this room: I remember falling for Veronica Beard's feminine Hamptons home (featured in Elle Decor) because of the incredible use of pattern and color in every room (something I'd be brave enough only to try in a second, seasonal house), but I had forgotten how fresh the dining area was. I love the huge driftwood table paired with slightly formal seating, punctuated with assorted cushions. But the peachy walls that drift from the living room through the dining area and all the way into the kitchen are definitely the most bold element here and what makes this space really stand out. It's certainly not overly complicated, just light and playful... exactly the mood I'm today!

And your apothecary chic is also dead. It's been decided. Saturation point HERE.

Gotta say I was kind of disappointed to see the new house Jennifer Aniston just bought in Bel Air, California. It’s a little “chilly” for me, and if I had $21 million to spend, this is probably not what I’d spend it on.

However, if you like contemporary design as much as she apparently does, you might love this 8,500 square-foot house, which was designed in 1965 by A. Quincy Jones. Take a look!

The house originally went on the market for $29 million in 2008.

There are lots of great floor-to-ceiling windows:

A long covered balcony off the second floor:

According to Yahoo! Real Estate, the house comes with “more than three acres of land, views of the city and ocean, a pool, a guesthouse, a wine cellar, and—last but certainly not least—a vineyard. Let’s not forget to look inside: those distinctly midcentury-feeling interiors boasts gleaming wood floors, full-wall expanses of glass, and some pretty stunning fireplace detail.”

Jen seems to love real estate. Last May it was reported that she bought 2 apartments in NYC.

TMZ has all the photos if you want to see more. A gossip blog suggested that Jennifer bought this house so she and her boyfriend Justin Theroux could start a family here. It doesn’t really scream “family home” to me, though.

I preferred the more modest house she was renting in the Hollywood Hills:

It looked so much cozier to me. (You can see the rest of that house here.) But maybe she has plans to revamp this new place the way she did her former Beverly Hills home known as Ohana:

Here’s hoping she lets a magazine like Architectural Digest show us around after she gets settled in. I’d love to see what she does with the place, wouldn’t you? (Thanks to Kim for help with this one!)

Click here to see the Top 10 Celebrity Houses on my blog right now!

Can you handle this much pink? And how would you rock it?

I'm the kinda girl who puts studs in my earlobes and forgets about them for weeks. So I like them to be a little bit interesting. I mean, diamonds are great and all, but these are pretty awesome... Plus, hello? They're green! Adding to the wishlist... now. *earrings by elizabeth and james available at nordstrom. pssst... there's also a killer ring

I'll have some of my art in the 11th Enormous Tiny Art show at the Nahcotta Gallery, Feb. 1-29. The Opening is February 3rd from 5-8pm. I will be there with bells and whistles, hope to see you there! Check out the Facebook event I created for it.

Here you can see all of the elements of home in play. A mixture of beachy rattan, simple (not sloppy!) white upholstery, blue and white ceramics, and fresh greenery. I love that the dark armoire provides a visual balance and keeps the room from being too airy. In the entry we can see that the tall dark shape is repeated by painting the door black. Here the furniture is traditional and elegant. And there are those blue and white ceramics again! Even the weathered columns have the look of worn rope - a perfect transitional detail.  Such a fresh, white kitchen! While the background is neutral, here we see those pops of blue and white, a dark but casual piece in the director's chair (love that for relaxed dining!), and the addition of a soft striped rug.

I was perusing Architectural Digest.com as many of you do I'm sure when I came across the picture above. 'That looks like Andy Skurman's work,' I thought. I read the credits and sure enough, I was right! I love his round and curved rooms. He worked with decorator Suzanne Tucker to accomplish the lovely work you'll see in the full article. I interviewed Andy a while back. He's very clear about his work, his niche, and I must say he does it well. I love his round dining rooms the most. Round dining tables I find to be so intimate and primed for conversation. That's why I also enjoy radial balance in rooms. Of course, that could just be the group therapist in me coming out!

On the heels of today's post, I feel a need to surround myself with things that are going to jumpstart my motivation. But I don't think my inspiration board is big enough... I need a whole dang wall! Such a dream! Right now I divide my teeny board into overall inspiration and client projects, with a little space along the bottom for personal stuff (like photos and invitations to events). This is like... quadruple that space. I've got to figure out a way to replicate it (even if it is on a smaller scale) in my home! *image by william waldron for elle decor

Ever dreamed of living in a castle? Well, here’s your chance! Dromborg Castle is only a few years old but looks like it’s been around much longer. The listing boasts that “it was built to reign 10,000 years.”

It sits on 100 acres overlooking the Ozark Mountains in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and it’s on the market for $14.3 million. Take a look!

“Magnificent iron gates open through beautifully crafted stone walls to the private driveway which gracefully winds up the mountain to the estate,” per the listing.

The dining room has seating for 14.

The details they put into this house are pretty incredible. The agent says, “Each room is detailed to perfection including exquisite hand-carved and hand-rubbed moldings, deeply fluted columns, coffered ceilings, antique lighting, and high ceilings.”

The house also comes with a Chapel, Men’s Lounge, Map Room, Wine Cellar, 4th floor Observation Deck, and a 6-car heated garage.

Oh, and there’s a 3,800 square-foot guest house, too. Lucky guests!

Want it? For more photos and information about Dromborg Castle, check the listing by Kristen Boozman of Portfolio Luxury Real Estate. (Thanks to Kim for telling me about it!)

Hooked on Castles?

• Downton Abbey’s Highclere Castle
• Gertrude Zachary’s Castle on Skid Row
• Phil Spector’s Creepy Castle

I'm not gonna lie kids - I'm still quite tuckered out from last week's antics at Alt Summit. It was inspiring, exhausting, a bit overwhelming, and quite worth it... but maybe not for the reasons you'd expect. As someone who has been blogging for nearly five (eeek!) years, it's hard for many ideas you hear at conferences like these to feel new. Especially if you're the type who makes an effort to reach out and have continuous conversations with others about blogging, business, strategy, technology, social media, marketing and branding. (Which will be my first tip to those of you who didn't attend - if you're not having these conversations - do it.) But if there was one thing I needed to hear, it went something like this:  As my life has been more and more consumed with to-do lists and travels and always feeling like I've got to be ahead of the game, the less I actually feel like I'm getting anything done. I put off big ideas because so many small ones need to happen first. I stop myself from moving forward on things because I feel like they have to be perfect. So as I sat there listening to Jordan, Kelly, Nicole and Maggie  - a group of women I have great respect for - speak about their own blogs and experiences on their panel, the one thing that stuck with me was this: Don't put off good ideas. Don't be afraid to try new things and fail. Don't wait until they're perfect. JUST. DO. IT. Whaaaaat? That it? Yes. That's it. I mean, hiring an intern or two might be extremely helpful, but seriously, I need to just DO things. To avoid measuring myself against others, to remember that my own voice is what got me here, and to stop letting my never-ending inbox overwhelm my brain. Moral of the story: Nobody else is going to do it all for you, but the nice thing is we all have hundreds (maybe even thousands?) of people that are going to be there to support and push us to get there. While the design blog community has definitely changed and grown in the past five years, one thing I realized this past weekend is that it's still a community of people who wants to see each other succeed. Of course, there were lots of other little tidbits I got out of the conference, and I'll be sharing some resources and ideas from my own panel later this week, but for now, I'm motivated! Which means... I'm outta here. I've got some things to get done today! *images via art department, and then she saved, musings in femininity, and pinterest