Orblogdo – Page 4 – Orlando Soria

Feb / 27 / 2017Feb / 27 / 2017

Meet My New Place: Chateaulando!

Dear Future Houseguests, I moved almost two months ago and whenever anyone asks me how my new place is, I immediately respond, “TERRIBLE.” I’ve basically turned into a cartoon of a cranky old man and/or an old witch who lives in a tower and screams terrifying things when children pass by. It’s not that I’m not thankful that I found a cute apartment to live in, it’s that I bit off a bit more than I can chew by basically deciding to renovate it myself, alone, in agony. It makes literally zero sense that I’m spending so much time and…

Feb / 23 / 2017Feb / 23 / 2017

Inspired by Austra

Dear Music Diary, I’ve been obsessed with Austra, the Canadian band headed by Katie Stelmanis, since I heard their song “Lost It” in 2011. I had no idea they weren’t mainstream superstars until last month when I bought four tickets to their LA show and kept inviting friends only to have them be like “WHAT’S AUSTRA???” I found this completely baffling because Austra’s music is so amazing that I figured I’d been late to the game when I first encountered them six years ago. But no, literally none of my idiot friends knew who they were. I ended up finding some people…

Feb / 22 / 2017

The Colorful World of Hey Sosi

Dear Andy Warhol’s Diary, I know you’re not accepting submissions anymore, especially not ones written on the internet by strangers and not submitted over the phone, but I have to tell you about the lovely work of Sofia Schizas, who works under the nom de paintbrush Hey Sosi. I came across her work on the site/app/cool-kidz-club Tictail and was immediately in love. Her prints are playful, illustrative, and filled with color. They somehow manage to be both completely silly and sophisticated at the same time. Originally from Cyprus, Schizas lives and works in Barcelona. Which brings me to the fact…

Feb / 21 / 2017Feb / 21 / 2017

Dating Sucks: Which App is Applicable?

Editor’s Note: To those of you who read my post last week about my breakup, the change in tone here might feel a little jarring. I actually wrote that post over a month ago, and I’m doing a lot better than I expected. There are a lot of tumultuous things going on in my life (some I can’t mention here yet) so I’ve been in a state of rediscovering my goals, both professional and personal. One of those goals is and always has been to communicate with people (THIS MEANS YOU) so the tone of this blog, while staying in…

Feb / 16 / 2017

My Friends Have a Hilarious Webseries You Have to Watch!

Dear Diary, Sometimes I hate living in Los Angeles. It’s annoying, there’s too many people, they’re always in your way, it’s hard to park, AND SO ON. I dream about moving to Ojai and living in a giant ranch house with a pool, a luscious garden filled with olive trees, and a pottery studio where I’d finally get the chance to realize that I’ve been a gifted ceramist my whole life but I just never knew it because no one bought me a pottery studio. I’d invite my closest friends over for dinner and we’d eat exquisite French cheeses off…

Feb / 15 / 2017Feb / 15 / 2017

The Gorgesous Works of Ben & Aja Blanc

Dear Design Diary, In the world of art, furniture, and objects that I often find myself exploring, it’s very rare to see something and go “GADZOOKS! Never seen one of them before!” But I exclaimed this very thing the first time I saw the beautiful work of Ben & Aja Blanc, who are known for their fancy-fringe mirrors but also create furniture and other home objects. Their work is whimsical and unique without being kooky and annoying, which is a difficult balance to strike. The couple, who met as grad students at RISD, have a clear talent for creating practical…

Feb / 14 / 2017Feb / 15 / 2017

What I Left Behind

Home life and “nesting” have always been hugely important to me. From a young age, I always decorated my space. Starting with my bedroom at age seven, which I painted myself and chose the window coverings and bedspreads (both had a Mickey Mouse pattern, my mother sewed the curtains herself). My childhood bedroom underwent more makeovers in my high school years than I did, and my college dorm, in an old brick “castle” in Upstate New York, was likely the most sophisticated, grown-up space on campus. Making my space beautiful has always been one of my closest-held hobbies, so it…

Jan / 17 / 2017Feb / 15 / 2017

Hommemade with Homepolish!

Photography by Zeke Ruelas Dear Hollywood Diary, I love my job at Homepolish but every once in a while I get the opportunity to do an exceptionally fun project. Our recent collaboration with method home is one such example. Here’s how this went down: I had been wanting to do a Homepolish web series forever, so I came up with the concept of crafting with friends. Each week, I’d invite a friend over to Orcondo (RIP) and we’d make something together. This combines my two favorite things: making stuff and making friends. I had a great idea for a web…

Dec / 23 / 2016Dec / 23 / 2016

An Epic & Easy Party Appetizer

Photography by Jess Diab and Orlando Soria Dear Party Diary, I had the honor of being invited to a party hosted by Anna Camp, Skylar Astin (of “Pitch Perfect” fame), and American Express last week. It was in a fancy mid-century home in Beverly Hills. The party was filled with tips and tricks from Anna and Skylar about how to host a fun holiday. There were crafts, there were drinks, but most importantly, there were celebrities wandering around giving tips on how to have the most epic holiday season ever. This is the view from the pool: Ugly, right? There…

Dec / 16 / 2016

Achieving Perfect Holiday Shelf Styling

Shelf styling is something clients ask me about all the time. Mainly because it can be intimidating and confusing to people who don’t spend their lives doing it professionally. But the thing is, quality styling is much more a result of experimenting and exploring options than knowing exactly what you’re doing. Whenever I put together shelves, I basically just keep playing around, moving objects and experimenting with new compositions, until I am happy and satisfied with the look of the shelfie. (Of course, if you’re still intimidated, you can always hire a Homepolish designer to play around FOR you. WINK!). Shelves tend to…

Dec / 14 / 2016

Seven Tips for Simplifying Holiday Decorating

Photography by Tessa Neustadt Courtesy Homepolish I’m the type of person that enjoys decorating for the holidays, but not all people are like me. Every time I invite a friend over to decorate with me, they get bored within minutes and start playing with their phones while I maniacally keep crafting, adorning, and festooning the house from top to bottom. Clearly, there are some people who would prefer to get their decorating done as quickly as possible. So today I’m going to share some tricks for how to simplify the holiday decorating process while still making your house as cozy…

Dec / 12 / 2016Jan / 13 / 2017

Five Fundamentals of Christmas Tree Design

There’s a first time for everything. And the first time you decorate a Christmas tree on your own is definitely a learning experience. The thing that surprises most people is the number of ornaments you need to make the tree look full and balanced. (Hint: whatever you think you’ll need, triple it.) But there are a lot of other lessons to learn about tree trimming. Today, I’ll be sharing my tips for creating a festive tree that looks balanced, considered, personal, and (most importantly of all) beautiful. This year, I opted for a giant, white tree from Wayfair. And don’t judge me for…

Dec / 6 / 2016Dec / 6 / 2016

Small Shop Highlight: Amber Interiors Shoppe

Photography by Jess Diab and Amber Interiors Dear Design Diary, If you’re a designer or a design enthusiast with an Instagram account, a computer, a phone, eyeballs, and any combination of the aforementioned, it’s literally impossible to avoid the beautiful, beachy work of Amber Lewis, founder of the Amber Interiors blog, principle of her own design firm, and businesswoman extraordinaire. When I found out she had a shop, I knew immediately it would be one of those painful stores where you go in and just want everything. And so when I sent Hommemaker Editor Jess Diab on assignment to check…

Dec / 5 / 2016

Creating a Festive Holiday Tablescape

Winter is the perfect season to invite friends over for conversation and coziness (to combat the chilly weather and moody skies). As you may know by now, I’m a big fan of holiday decorating, hosting, and fun times with friends, so go figure this is my favorite time of year. Today, we’re talking about how to create a festive tablescape to spice up your holiday home, for both everyday use and for dinner parties. One of the most frequent questions I get from clients about dining tables is how to style them for daily use. It’s not like you’re going…

Dec / 2 / 2016

Design Inspiration: A Tour of Villa Kérylos

Dear Travel Diary, My trip to Europe in August was one of the most gorgeous journeys I’ve taken in all my life, where every place we went was more incredible than the last. Of all the places we visited, Villa Kérylos was the most fruitful for interior design inspiration. The home, built in 1902 by French gajillionaire Theodore Reinach. Not sure how he got all that cash, but maybe it had something to do with how many jobs he had. He was an Archaeologist-mathematician-lawyer-papyrologist-philologist-epigrapher-historian-numismatist-musicologist-professor-politician. GOT THAT? His masterpiece home, designed by architect Emmanuel Pontremoli, is located in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, which is about fifteen minutes away from Nice,…

Nov / 22 / 2016Dec / 24 / 2016

Epic Everyday: A Simple and Sensational Friendsgiving

Dear Thankful People Who Love to Chow Down, I’ve always thought it would be fun to do a Friendsgiving dinner. But my pesky family keeps getting in the way. We do Thanksgiving together every year, making the concept of a friends-only version off the table. But this year, I said “screw it!” I WILL HAVE MY FRIENDSGIVING. So I did what any dinner-party-loving crazy person would do. I had fake Thanksgiving a month before actual Thanksgiving. Luckily, I had a little motivation, as this coincides with my collaboration with American Express to take normal everyday activities (like, say, dinner) and make…

Nov / 7 / 2016

Thanksgiving Dining Table Tips from Me and Other Super Famous Design People

Photography by Tessa Neustadt Courtesy Homepolish Dear Thanksgiving Hosts, A you FREAKING OUT about how to style your Thanksgiving table? Would you like advice from experts like Jonathan Adler, Emily Henderson, and ME? If so, you’re in luck! MyDomaine has put together a comprehensive guide to creating the perfect setting for Thanksgiving, with input from me and other design experts. Continue reading to get the inside scoop on how to decorate for everyone’s favorite harvest hootenanny. CONTINUE READING >>> Love, Orlando

Nov / 4 / 2016

Fun at Orcondo: One Bedroom Three Ways

Photographs by Amy Bartlam Courtesy Homepolish x Etsy Dear Decor Diary, When I’m not holding pillows like a psychopath, I love rearranging furniture and swapping out accessories to transform Orcondo. Accessories can totally refresh a space. And even if something is perfectly styled, after a while I find it starts to look a little stale and/or disheveled. Maybe Boyfriend put a book somewhere it wasn’t supposed to go. Or maybe Guest rearranged your shelves without asking. Regardless of what caused your styling to go awry, it’s always a good idea to refresh it every once in a while. So when…

Oct / 31 / 2016

12 Very Important House Rules That Must Never Ever Be Broken

Photography by Daniel Collopy, Tessa Neustadt, and Zeke Ruelas Dear Housekeeping Diary, It’s not a secret that I’m obsessed with life at home. I spend my days designing interiors, prepping “lifestyle” photoshoots (whatever that means), fantasizing about throwing dinner parties, and then actually throwing one every once in a while. As you can imagine, someone as obsessed with the (often failed) pursuit of home perfection as I am has concocted a lot of rules for proper living over the years. Many of these were passed down from my parents, but I’ve concocted some pretty insane ones all on my own….

Oct / 28 / 2016Oct / 28 / 2016

Shop Small: Compartés for National Chocolate Day!

Dear Cathy the Cartoon and Other Chocolate Enthusiasts, It seems like every day is designated as some sort of holiday honoring a food, group of people, cause, or fictional character. For example, did you know that February 22 is National Margarita Day? Or that June 2 is National Doughnut Day? Or that August 20 is World Mosquito Day? I can’t believe that doughnuts and margaritas only get the U.S., but mosquitos are honored worldwide. So rude. I’m personally not a huge fan of mosquitos, but I am a fan of chocolate. So when American Express invited me to choose my favorite local chocolatier…

Oct / 19 / 2016Oct / 19 / 2016

The Spine-Tingling Ghost Necessary for Every Halloween Home

Dear People Who Are Huge Nerds About Halloween Like I Am, Last year, my mother made me a little handmade ghost and sent it to me in the mail. I have no idea what inspired her to make this, but I was immediately obsessed with it and stole the idea this year and made my own. I’ve tried to elevate my Halloween decor this year but there’s always room for a bit of frivolity so I love how this stupid ghost makes me feel every time I see him. It’s like, “Hi, I want my house to look nice but also…

Oct / 10 / 2016

Orlando’s Obsessions: Pedestal Side Tables

My mother always used to tell me, “Don’t put other people on a pedestal. You’re just as great as anyone else.” But she never said anything about putting drinks or stacks of books on a pedestal, which is why I’m obsessed with pedestal side tables! Today we’re talking about these sculptural, lovely pieces of furniture that can add va-voom to any room. Continue reading >>>

Oct / 7 / 2016Oct / 10 / 2016

A Light Makeover with Legrand

Dear Detail-Obsessed People, If you asked me the most pressing issues I faced while designing Orcondo, light switches and outlets would likely not be among them. However, after moving in, I started thinking it might be a good idea to add light switches and outlets that jive more with the condo’s modern vibe. So when I came across Legrand, a company that produces beautiful, modern switches and outlets, I was like “GET IN MY HOUSE.” What I’ve noticed over the years designing is that it’s sometimes the smallest details that people notice. Most commonly, it’s things they touch. Like faucets in…

Oct / 3 / 2016

Spooky & Sophisticated Halloween Decorating

Dear Guys and Ghouls, I grew up in an area where Halloween was a pretty big deal. In the small community of Yosemite Village where I was raised, trick-or-treating was acceptable until you were well into your teenage years, locals built terrifying haunted houses and covered their yards in spooky corpses, witches, and spider webs. Every year, months before Halloween started, my sister and I would start figuring out what we wanted our costumes to be and start pestering my mother about making them (my older brother was less high-maintenance and always did some variation on the “scary-mask-with-regular-clothes” costume). We weren’t…