Ornament LLC

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🌱 When I’m getting to know someone new in my life I love an opportunity to see their home. Witnessing how someone chooses to live in their intimate space gives an insight into who they are: what they like & what they don’t like… how fastidious or lackadaisical they are when it’s just them… what colors and textures turn them on?… how do they like to arrange their things?… do they even have “things”?… layers or simplicity?… are their books organized by color, author, genre or are they stacked on the floor in no decipherable order? There are so many nods to a person’s inner self that be gleaned through walking around their home.

In so many cases we don’t get to enjoy this approved version of voyeurism when it comes to people who have made a wider cultural impact. The people whose books we have on our shelves often keep their inner lives to themselves so us everyday folks don’t get to dip our toes into their sanctuaries… but what happens when we do?

I have to admit that while I’ve always had respect for Georgi O’Keefe and known the famous works of hers, I’ve never been a diehard fan. I’ve never connected with her paintings the way some people have and I never investigated her life too deeply to understand more about her. But on a recent trip to New Mexico with some very dear and longtime friends we toured her Abiquiu home and Miss O’Keefe came to life for me.

Simple, utilitarian, sumptuous, soft, and alive, even in the absence of O’Keefe, the home inhales and exhales the lives lived in it’s walls and gives so much insight into what kind of person Georgia O’Keefe was and how she liked to spend her days, along with the people who inhabited the space with her.

Human face for the algorithm (because the alg clearly didn’t like my furniture content from the weekend 🏄‍♀️ ). Nothing too design-y or KEWT in this post but I’m EXCITED to get started on building some of these projects we’ve been designing for the last few months and wanted to get that sentiment on the grid.

There have been so many learning lessons since starting Ornament but the most surprising is how much of a mental rollercoaster it is to be in design development on so many fun things but not be building them yet! The design process can be long and (at least for me!) creativity doesn’t always just flow freely out of the creativity tap sometimes I have to dig deep to find interesting ideas.

I love construction!👷‍♀️ There is so much beauty in the process of seeing skilled folks use their craft to build these projects that the client and I have labored over, budgeted and finalized over a multitude of months. It’s the realization of the pretty ideas; it’s tactile and REAL! So it’s a huge mood boost to finally see some designs start to come into the world.

Slide two is two of Ornament’s secret weapons : Marcos & Teddy. So lucky to have them!!

🌀 I’m taking you back with this of an oldie but a goodie that still hits. This project was a design-to-sell that was going on the market at the end of the covid craziness so we could take a few more chances with the vibe because let’s be honest, the market was wild. ☄️ 

This 1929 Mediterranean has classically dignified bones but had been subjected to quite a few gallons of grey and white paint. It was lacking the lustre & oomph it deserved. Cue the color, baby! 

We all have our own personal color wheel of favorite hues and admittedly “gem tones” aren’t usually the colors that rise to the top for me, but once I learned from my clients that the home’s exterior had originally been decked out with mossy green clay tiles on the roof and hunter green trim (at some point replaced with the more commonly seen terracotta red 🫠) I became drawn to that spectrum. 

I went through multiple iterations; borscht pink, garnet red, burnt clay orange, indigo blue but the original leaded glass window panel in their front door was the ultimate inspiration (slide 5). Sports team colors be damned (a secret mission to reclaim those color combos), I dove in with saturated gold, purple, green & a hint of super dark aubergine 🌈 all woven together with a flush creamy white. 

Add a flirty splash of in both bathrooms and voilá : !

These clients really trusted in the process, while it wasn’t choices they would have made for themselves they understood the vision and (minus a tiny panic attack when the painters started spraying the goldenrod all over the entryway 😇) kept an open mind. They even made curtains for the stairwell from some Indian block print fabric we found. 

💕 Whether it’s a monster project for the home you never want to leave, a smaller refresh for a home you just bought or help smoothing out some of the rough corners to get your home ready for market : is your one stop shop!  

🌞 June 21st 🌀 Here I am. It was exactly a year ago today that I filed my LLC with the state and made Ornament more than just a dream 🫧. Here are some photos of where I was last year : at my cabin with my family celebrating my birthday (also today 😇) and this Birth Day for O__O.

The way time has passed feels very similar to the experience of having children… simultaneously I can’t believe it’s been a full year already and also it feels like it’s been eons. This was my first big leap toward acknowledging and acting on this deep desire to make something of my own that I could share with the world around me. This desire has been such a persistent little voice in me for so long that it felt truly wild to be deciding to take the step toward bringing it into the world.

And honestly, I wasn’t sure what people would think or if anyone would be into my point of view or even know I existed 🙃 that’s the risk I guess! But damn, everyone’s reception & embrace of Ornament has been more than I could have drawn up for the last 12 months. So this little soap box moment is all to say : thank you 🌸 thank you 🕊️ thank you 🌱 for finding interest in this little company and lifting it up with your likes and kind words and business and referrals. I cannot actually express in 2200 characters how much it means to me.

The only way I know how to share here is to do it in a way that somewhat mirrors my internal monologue. I don’t know how to do it in a glossy way that compartmentalizes the world around us so I haven’t been able to figure out what to share that feels right lately. Our access to the pain & suffering in the world & our responsibility to act supersedes my interest in posting cool stuff. But then the entrepreneurial anxiety seeps in and whispers about how this is the only way I can reach people who I don’t know, that this is the main way that I find new clients to work with and the only way I can introduce myself and what I do. And also, I genuinely enjoy having this space to share with you all. And then after that mental tangent I shake my head and think, “YOU HAVE SO MUCH WORK TO DO; so many proposals, estimates, designs you already need to send off, don’t worry about social media! Stop lamenting and get to work!” And then the cycle starts all over again.

In the midst of this, I’ve had some great conversations with friends outside of this industry who have offered some really excellent points of view on how I can continue to use this platform in the ways I need to, while also furthering the real world work outside of this that makes an impact and thus makes sharing here feel less vapid. Prioritizing d2c craftspeople, sourcing and using companies who’s practices I can stand behind. But there’s always more to do, and I’m working on that.

In the interest of ripping off the bandaid of posting again here is something I feel completely uncomplicated about : the outhouse at my family’s cabin, Pinewoods. The cabin is ca. 1926, the outhouse, I’m not sure about… (maybe one of my aunt’s will weigh in?) The cabin and surrounding land is something I want to save for a time when I have more brain-space to write a worthy soliloquy about it’s austere beauty. For now, enjoy our outhouse. Lacquered on the inside in an enveloping tea green; complete with tiny broom for tidiness, Agatha Christie library for entertainment, two seats for company & dueling casement windows for airflow (because who likes a stinky outhouse?).

Top 10 NYC 🍎 The perfect confluence of grime & beauty. There’s nothing quite like days and nights of aimless wandering with your gals collecting moments in time to bring back home with you. ✨

Being a mom is my favorite thing about being alive. Kids just get it. They extend love to the world around them without a second thought and it’s a beautiful thing to witness on the daily. And to be able to give and receive within that orbit is so fortunate. Simultaneously my heart aches deeply on this day. For every child who’s lost a mom, for every mom who’s lost a child or, even more heartbreakingly, children. For everyone who feels more lonely on Mother’s Day than held. Mothering is the push and pull of every earthly emotion we have and maternal love isn’t reserved for biological children. Maternal love is the glue that holds this insane world together and I’m so honored to be apart of that. I hope the world’s suffering lessens. I hope that it’s not solely up to the mothers and mother-figures to hold peace and love on their shoulders and show the world how beautiful it could be if we put the guns down. But it might be.

🌈 Some fun content for your Thursday evening! This project was all about working to discover the colors, textures, and patterns that would renew the spaces to feel both contemporary & fresh while still feeling inline with the era and original character of the home. We had a lot to work with in terms of originality!… millwork : HUBBA HUBBA! 👀

Although these images aren’t of the “complete look” because we’re still waiting on some elements (rugs and furniture), I think it shows that you can definitely pay tribute to the era of a home (any era!) through a contemporary lens. Playing with era and twisting expectations is part of the fun!

I’m so looking forward to the rest of the install next week, the rugs… THE RUGS!

The first batch of tees turned out perfectly wild! 🌀small 🌀medium 🌀large 🌀xlarge (my person fav size) are all available in a variety of hand-dyed chaos from swampy greens to supple peaches!

🙃 I’m asking $14/tshirt to cover overhead so I can print more ideas (kids shirts!) but I’m considering that sliding scale so if you just want one let me know, I got you. 💕 Shipping to wherever! Someday I’ll figure out how to set up a store on my website but for now just dm or text me your name, shipping address and size!

🌀Venus of Willendorf Great Pyramid of Giza Etruscan architecture Classical Antiquity Islamic Architecture Olmec colossal heads Chichen Itza Tenochtitlan Shahpura Haveli Medieval Gothic Byzantine decoration Romanesque High Gothic Renaissance Sistine Chapel Michelangelo Rococo Versailles Neoclassicism Industrial Revolution Romanticism Eclecticism Applied arts Belle Époque Art Nouveau John Ruskin Henry van de Velde Gesamtkunstwerk Modernism Antoni Gaudí William Morris Arts and Crafts Red House Gustav Stickley Prairie School Frank Lloyd Wright Adolf Loos Rationalists Greene and Green Gamble House Vienna Secession Unity Temple Taliesin Modernism Josef Hoffman Felice Rix-Ueno Eliel & Loja Saarinen Le Corbusier Bauhaus Weimer De Stijl Wassily Kandinsky Dessau Josef & Anni Albers Gunta Stölzl Mies van der Rohe Art Deco Black Mountain College Surrealism Monkton House Josef Frank Villa Carlsten Svenskt Tenn Estrid Ericson Rudolf Schindler Schindler House Richard Neutra VDL Charles & Ray Eames Terence Conran Calder Maximalism Postmodern Ettore Sottsass Memphis Group Metamodernism…..🌀

Everything is inspired by everything! Era, trend, what’s in and what’s out 🌀 it’s all cyclical, evolving and devolving into what we want it to be.

Ornament is about embracing what feels good to you, what makes you happy and running with it. Ornament is truly about love & respect in all interactions.

All will soon be hand-dyed by moi! 🌈 Points go to the first person who gets one and can find the typo I missed! (it’s not featured in the photos so you’ll have to have one irl) Big thanks to for doing such a stellar job! 🍄

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Spring is such a beautiful time of progress and evolution in our little part of the world. 🌱 There’s so much happening under the ground, out of view. Growing, transforming, emerging, tuning back into life. And then, voilà!… Waxy green leaves, blooming flowers, birds singing, rain dropping, all leading to the culmination of summer where the symphony really converges and there’s gorgeous beauty all around us. 🌀

Coincidentally, this is how I feel with all of Ornament’s projects right now, too. There’s much goodness happening right under the surface with so many different clients… heaps of creativity, ideas emerging and evolving, transmitting and transforming but, alas, not a lot to show for any of it yet, definitely not a symphony… definitely nothing the algorithm likes! 🙃 But here we are, in the most vital and arguably the most fundamental phase of any project, where the actual ideas are born and nurtured and collaborated on by so many different players (clients, craftspeople, artists, me). Most of which will be built and then each one of those forms and finishes and pretty moments we labored over together will come to life and then, at last, be folded into *real* lives. They’ll get scratched and nicked up and dented and be, complete. ◡̈

A few photos of a home I was fortunate to walk through this week with some potential clients who I was lucky to be introduced to thanks to along with some of those first colors we’re all lucky to see and enjoy. It’s a privilege to get to focus on nurturing what’s real and beautiful in your life and I feel freakishly lucky to get to do that on the daily with the people I know & love and the projects I get to work on.

Spring is such a beautiful time of progress and evolution in our little part of the world. 🌱 There’s so much happening under the ground, out of view. Growing, transforming, emerging, tuning back into life. And then, voilà!… Waxy green leaves, blooming flowers, birds singing, rain dropping all leading to the culmination of summer where the symphony really converges and there’s literal gorgeous beauty all around us. 🌀

Coincidentally, this is how I feel with all of Ornament’s projects right now, too. There’s much goodness happening right under the surface with so many different clients… heaps of creativity, ideas emerging and evolving, transmitting and transforming but, alas, not a lot to show for any of it yet, definitely not a symphony… definitely nothing the algorithm likes! 🙃 But here we are, in the most vital and arguably the most fundamental phase of any project. Where the actual ideas are born and nurtured, most of which will eventually be built and each one of those forms and finishes and pretty moments we labored over together and which were made by any number of skilled craftsperson will come to life and then be folded into people’s real lives… they’ll get scratched and nicked up and dented and be complete. ◡̈

A few photos of a home I was lucky to walk through this week with some potential clients I was lucky to be introduced to thanks to along with some of those first colors we’re all lucky to see and enjoy. It’s a privilege to get to focus on nurturing what’s real and beautiful in your life and I feel freakishly lucky to get to do that on the daily with the people I know & love and the projects I get to work on.

The 2nd Ed. of Ornament’s : the ever-fascinating, fanciful, imaginative and multi-dimensional Felice “Lizzie” Rix-Ueno 🌱🌈. Born in Vienna, Austria in 1893, she studied under Josef Hoffman and began her illustrious career creating beautiful and wholly unique designs in so many various forms; first for the Wiener Werkstätte then for her own studio based in Kyoto, the Ueno Architectural Studio.

Lizzie designed in a staggering constellation of different applications : enamel, wallpaper, tile, upholstery textiles, fabric for clothing, furnishings, glassware, jewelry! Each in her timeless yet impossible to pin down style that spanned Vienna Secession, Arts and Crafts, Japonism and a dash of something all her own.

Though I’m in love with it all, my favorite mode of Lizzie’s artistry was when she was tasked with designing hand painted murals. Often just part of her whole she always went all in with the wall & ceiling decorations in her emblematic style that I can only describe as... “flouncy florals & fancy feathered birds dancing on a soft cloud”…. 🙃. She approached interiors from a very holistic pov, like a play, using her murals as the all encompassing backdrop for her multi-layered and always charming interior storyline. I feel an intrinsic connection to her work and her approach, I wish I could talk to her.

Unlike so many women creators of her time, Lizzie’s work has been relatively well documented and preserved to time. Some attribute that to her emigration with her husband, Isaburo, back to his home country of Japan before WWII. Japan understood her. Some attribute it to that fact that her husband was keenly aware of her talents and continued to bolster her career throughout their marriage and until her passing in 1967. It’s was wonderful to stumble upon and explore the breadth of her work but I can’t help but wonder what other women were lost to time from the turn of the century?

All 📷 from the publication “STARS, FEATHERS, TASSELS : The Wiener Werkstätte Artist”

🫧 One final of the main floor of Ms. 1926 for your Saturday 🌞 feed and then I’ll zip it! The difference between the first walkthrough and the last is so stark I couldn’t help but show it all. What was once a dark and dingy brown sponged 90s cavern became a light filled and joyous space for soirées and sleepovers alike.

I remember walking through the home at the end of the project by myself and quietly taking in how much of the beauty of the home had been brought back to life and how damn good it felt to have been a part of making that happen. It always brings a little misty to my eyes 🥹.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again, you don’t need to do major surgery to improve your space. This project was an excellent example of that approach. The budget wasn’t there to do any large scale structural projects so we had to make as much of a vibe shift as possible with primarily surface improvements. This wasn’t a “cheap” project by any means because of the size of the home and the amount surface area we had to touch but the budget could have ballooned significantly if we had tried to take on some of the ideas we batted around at the first few walkthroughs. And we didn’t need to! The goal was to re-infuse each space with a sense of what might have been the original vision of Ella, perhaps with a slight contemporary lean, and we accomplished that.

I love to be a resource if you’re trying to decide what makes the most sense to improve in your space. Whether it’s a new home that you haven’t moved into yet or a home you’ve been in for years, there are always aspects we’d like to tweak and change and I have a lot of ideas for how to do that with a budget friendly and fun frame of mind. I’d love to chat!

🌈 Everyone loves some content going into the weekend! Starting with my top 5 upstairs transformation moments (and starting with an after not a before because instagram doesn’t favor the realness). You can clearly see how this beauty had been left to ferment in the choices of whatever 90s contractor got his hands all over her. The home’s original trailblazing *woman* builder, Ella Pendergast, had made so many smart decisions when designing and building her that it was a way on honoring that history to being each space back to life and possibly closer to the original vision.

Pt. 2 of the of the buxom 1926 Tangletown Mediterranean! The upper level was the same story as the main floor… there were a lot of head scratcher decisions that had been made over the years in both construction and aesthetics. None of which made sense or felt grounded in any grand plan.

With the ghost of Josef Frank still whispering on my shoulder, I wanted the upstairs to be a crispy white-on-white with doors closed, with the original birch linen (soon to have it’s doors and drawers stripped) being the amber North Star of the hallway. But, when the bedrooms doors opened, ZING, there would be bursts of zestful color parading from door to door.

There was a charming but somewhat downtrodden primary en suite that needed attention, once again (is my obsession too much?!) employing the joyful genius of Josef Frank we added one of his papers along with a vintage pendant from .

The tricky aspect to the upper level was the 90s addition off the north side of the home. It was poorly planned and executed and consisted of an awkwardly placed bathroom & bedroom/office (who doesn’t love a white board in the bedroom?…). We had to embrace the odd choices! In the bathroom we inherited a vanity, concrete faux-Med flooring and shower tiles… I hope William Morris isn’t turning over in his grave from me employing his handiwork in there. In the primary bedroom we added 4’ hardwood paneling, smaller windows to frame the new/old radiators, oak hardwoods & wrapped the faux ceiling beams to give some thought to what was a builder special add on.

This home was built with grand ideals and good bones, but any home from any era can absorb these simple considerate ways of thinking about how to accentuate what sings and mute what’s peculiar. If you’re wanting to chat, I could go on all day about the power of paint and more!

🌈 Pt. 1 of the look at this 1926 Tangletown Mediterranean project. She had seen some unfortunate 90’s attention with layers of sponge paint, ugly finishes, questionable construction decisions and not a lot of action with the broom and mop. She needed a full overhaul and since budget wasn’t limitless and you could spend many hundreds of thousands shining up such a stately home, we had to hone in on the surface work.

She was so dower and sad on the first walkthrough, I wanted to brighten her up so white became the main color in my crayon box. The original architecture was so elegant it couldn’t be covered up with unnecessary additions as it had been for so many years. So in that spirit, I employed some of the lessons I’ve soaked up from my defacto design mentor, Josef Frank, (mentor of my own election, not his…). I loved the idea of a mostly white washed space with splashes of fun & intentional colors throughout. Certain rooms felt separate in a way that could hold additional color so those were appointed appropriately (see dining room in a peachy blush pink wall with yellow trim accents and the study with a moody inky green with jade trim accent, the room was already so dark why not accentuate it?).

The kitchen was a beast all in its own. There wasn’t budget to replace the cabinets so we had to keep them. On the surface they were tough and I have to be honest that it took me a minute to embrace them… BUT I DID, eventually. Saturating them in Yves Klein blue helped. Adding the nutty hardwood backsplash with integrated floating shelves and matching wooden pulls made the eras mix *so much* that the weirdness became enjoyable and voila, !

All in all the main floor was about adding some tasteful drama and definition back into what had become a very drab and dare I say it, personalityless home. Proof that a little paint and some sparkly Italian Murano lights can go along way!

1st Ed. of… Ornament’s : the most deserving enchanting textile maven & business baddie, Loja Saarinen.

Born in Finland in 1879, this Pisces beauty was an artist from birth studying multiple forms of art (both fine and “functional”) through various art academies during her first 20 years. In 1904 she met and married fellow Finn, Eliel Saarinen, through her brother, and they quickly formed an intimate partnership in both life and business.

They left Finland for America in 1923 and after two years in Illinois Eliel was asked to design the campus of Cranbrook Educational Community in Michigan. Once settled in Michigan they collaborated on the Saarinen House which has, until recently, been completely credited to Eliel. However, it’s certainly Loja’s direction for the interiors and specifically her textiles (rugs, fabrics, tapestries) that complete the house and create a stunning and distinctly Finnish-American vibe that wouldn’t have been possible with the architecture alone.

She would go on to found and operate Studio Loja Saarinen, widely considered one of the most successful textile companies to come out of this time period.

Much of her ingenuity and distinct eye had been ignored until recently when Cranbrook made a distinct effort to bring into the limelight all that Loja contributed to the functional art and interiors world as well as their institution in particular.

I find her textile designs and interiors clear and decisive, beautiful, colorful, deco creations. But more than anything I find Loja to be an example of another badass woman entrepreneur, who balanced creativity with business acumen who has been overshadowed by the work and reputation of her husband.

Here’s to uncovering more of these lives who have influenced us quietly from behind the curtain.

All photos from “Kitchen Sink” archives.

🌀 I’ve been thinking a lot about rest recently… how lucky and privileged the majority of people seeing this are to be afforded opportunities of rest, whether or not they take them. And what role our spaces have in affording those fleeting moments of rest. To come home, have a spot to set your things down, and have the room (literally and metaphorically) to take a deep breath and let the day go; how does our built environment help or hinder that opportunity?

This cozy, beautiful North Shore cabin my husband and I snuck off to a couple of weeks ago was a great surprise lesson in how to do well appointed with restraint. How to anticipate the ways in which you can offer rest to many different kinds of people without it being ostentatious or obvious. Again, a complete privilege to take a couple of days (without our children) to unwind and actually rest.

I’ve seen so many homes recently that are clearly filled with so much soul and love yet there are functional and/or structural issues that inhibit the rest, and ease of everyday tasks, that everyone deserves. I feel so lucky to be in position to help folks figure these problems out in a way that makes sense for them. Maybe it’s a full scale remodel, but maybe it’s not. I believe there’s multiple approaches to most of the issues people have with their homes and I’ve tried to come up with a model that makes design + construction accessible to as many people as I can. If you’re curious about options, I encourage you to reach out, I’m always down for a chat and even an in-person meeting to discuss. Maybe it turns into a project and maybe it doesn’t but I love it all the same. ◡̈