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My New Office, Puffy Purses & Weekend Meanderings

February 18, 2022 By kimwheeler 31 Comments

Hello and happy weekend. It’s our weekend round-up time with Juliet and Elizabeth and I’m sharing a few things that popped on my radar this week..

My little office space is finally done and thought I’d share. After a wait, my desk chair arrived and the whole thing came together pretty easily once I made the decision to make this small space my own. I had originally wanted this space, which was our former kitchen, to be a small conversation or game spot for my kids, but that really didn’t happen. Since it’s been sitting here kind of unused, except for when I popped in here and read, it really became the perfect spot for a small study. My friend April suggested it, and once it was in my brain, it took off from there.

It kind of began with the rattan bookshelf from Serena & Lily which fit in a small niche here, and then this rug, ordered last year, seemed perfect and whimsical. After Christmas, I finally went for it and bought a desk and a chair. All my personal favorite furniture pieces are in here -a cool piece of art, a couple of swivel chairs, a white lamp I love, and a rattan chair with a cozy throw so my co-worker, Ms Cat, can snuggle nearby. I have a little succulent plant in a white pot, a vase that holds my pencils and pens, and a tray for odds and ends. My shelf has some of my Domino magazine collection, rope baskets to hold cords, etc, and some of my favorite design books. I also have a pouf to rest my feet up on if I want!

My glass desk I chose to keep the area light and as it’s in front of my French doors. I wanted this one from Williams Sonoma, but after seeing the reviews and photos of this one from Living Spaces, I chose it for the slightly smaller size and quite a price difference. They also have a nearly identical one on Wayfair in two sizes. I was very happy with the heavy glass and sturdy frame. My desk chair was also pretty affordable and on sale now and I liked the sherpa look in here with my mix. It’s adjustable height and for me is perfect for support and sitting working many hours.

These are some of the pieces that I used in my office and I tried to add similar choices in other price points..

Clockwise from top left: Love this white lamp , white rope baskets (on sale), Serena & Lily denim rug (similar to mine), and this denim rug, another flatweave denim option, my Balboa bookshelf, this cane bookshelf, and this Pacific Bookcase, Studio McGee boucle pillow, and swivel chair (similar), Anthro vase/pencil cup.

It seems like this week flew by… and our kayak trip to Sausalito last weekend turned out to be a lot of fun. We just kind of meandered along the harbor and went down the house boat ‘streets’ which was great house gawking. Only a sea lion came near and most boats were out in the boat lane. Afterwards we had lunch at a darling spot called Le Garage right at the harbor and it was French bistro food with very a fun vibe, views of the boats, great music and people watching.

After lunch, we drove through Sausalito and it was bustling on a sunny February day. We vowed to go back soon and check out all the little spots with views of the city. If you haven’t been to Sausalito in a while, this is a lovely time of year to go. You can combine it with a kayak or a stroll across the Golden Gate and make a day of it. More photos are on my Instagram.

A story of a local Eichler remodel made its way into Elle Decor this week and this home is a beauty. Built in 1971 for a Stanford professor who was a friend of Eichler, it’s been updated by a new family with four young girls using the spaces in new ways, fresh colors and a mix of patterns and textures. It is so uplifting!

I think this sort of happy, eclectic interior is something we will be seeing a lot more of. People are in their homes much more now and we want light, bright and joyful, don’t you think? I’m sure the kids growing up here are loving it. The mom also sounds very cool and someone who just got a more unisex shoe- the ballet flat, added to the Emoji spectrum, so it’s not just a stiletto for women. I applaud that. The whole story and photos here. The interior was done by the talented Jessica Davis. You can follow her also on Instagram here.

As for fashion, I’ve been obsessing now on puffy bags-quilted ones particularly. I found this quilted tote at Bloomingdales and loved the shape and lightness. I didn’t know it was a dupe of a very expensive Khaite bag! Here I am wearing it -(used my son’s room.)

It also comes in a cream and a smaller cross-body version and other colors. I don’t know how to describe why it’s so appealing, but it has something of a generic chicness to it that I dig and I am tempted to get another.

This is the Khaite bag, nearly identical except it’s leather and this is vegan ‘leather.’

It’s also $2,300 vs $98.

I also noticed Frances Valentine has a version of a quilted ‘puffer’ bag too, and it’s quite cute.

I think these lightweight and easy bags will get even more popular as they feel like nothing to carry and a kind of label-less which I think people want more and more as the designer bag market is so over saturated.

Do you watch Vogue’s Beauty Videos? I love them and was excited to see Brooke Shields, who is also 56, on this week. She’s very real and it’s nice seeing people without their makeup. I can feel better about all my spots and blotches and I like her tips ..

I worked for 6 years in cosmetics at Nordstrom back when I was going to school and I still am a bit obsessed with skincare and makeup. I’m wondering if you all would be interested in some of my favorite skincare and makeup things if I do a post? I eventually left that job to do an advertising position, but continued to freelance and do makeup for weddings and a few events for a while. It was a fun time in my 20’s and I met so many cool people and learned loads about skincare and makeup… Perhaps more stories for another day!

Now please go see what great ideas my friends Elizabeth and Juliet have for you this week..

PINECONES AND ACORNS

MAKE MINE A SPRITZER

Have a beautiful weekend!

x Kim

You might also like : Signature Style: Leopard in the Wardrobe, our Signature Style post for the month was last Tuesday and a lot of fun.

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Filed Under: weekend meanderings Tagged With: #californiahomestyle, #californialiving, #eichler, #elledecor, #homeoffice, #midcenturymodern, #officedecor, #puffybags, #sausalito, #serenaandlily, #voguebeauty, #weekendmeanderings

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On the Weekend blog.. a @rails Summer capsule! I b On the Weekend blog.. a @rails Summer capsule! I brought some of these beautiful pieces with me on our weekend away in Carmel and loved how well they all work together!
More deets on the blog plus where we stayed and some pretty snaps of Carmel in bloom.

Don’t forget to visit my pals Elizabeth and Juliet too.

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Have a beautiful weekend .
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Don’t forget to visit my friends, Juliet and Elizabeth if you miss their weekend posts too..
 Our links as always, in our bios or stories:
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Our links as always, in our bios or stories:
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@makemineaspritzer 
@pineconesandacorns

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