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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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,…

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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…

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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  

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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…

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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….

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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…

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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…

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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 >>>

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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…

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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…

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Orlando’s Obsessions: Wild for Wallpaper

Dear Wanters of Wallcoverings, Do you find yourself hating your naked walls, wish they were covered in glamorous, warm wallpaper? Do you feel like your life lacks meaning because your home isn’t interesting enough? Do you wish there was a material on your wall that took tons of labor to install? If so, you should think about adding some wallpaper to your life. I’ve gathered up some of my favorite wallpapers from Homepolish projects and shared some tips for installation on Homepolish Magazine. Check it out immediately! CONTINUE READING >>>

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LA Needs to Stop Tearing Down Its History to Build Garbage

Dear Architecture Lovers, When I moved to Los Angeles eight years ago, I lived in the area of Hollywood very close to West Hollywood. I remained in that neighborhood for the next seven years, until last year when I moved to Silver Lake to live in a condo overlooking the Silver Lake Reservoir with my boyfriend. Over the years I noticed West Hollywood started to explode with construction. That explosion has extended all over town, from the crazy expensive homes being built in Venice to the amazing (and insane) transformation of the Arts District downtown (which is literally nothing but bulldozers these days)….

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Hommemaker Guide to Nice, France

Dear Travel Diary, It’s kind of impossible to talk about my beautiful trip to Nice without talking about the mass murders on Bastille Day. Edouard and I went to Nice only a few weeks after the tragic/disgusting/outraging attack on July 14th that killed eighty-six people. We went back and forth as to whether we should go to a place that so recently suffered such an overwhelming tragedy. Was it safe? Was it appropriate? But we ended up erring on the side of not allowing murderers to determine where we go and what we see. Edouard is from Paris, and I get the sense…

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In The Studio: Goula Figuera

Dear Design Diary, I’m not exactly sure how I came across the sublime work of Goula/Figuera. Maybe it was Instagram. Maybe it was somewhere online. But I remember immediately losing my mind over it. The Barcelona-based team of Álvaro Goula and Pablo Figuera are doing something that I think is unprecendented and unparalleled in today’s world of lighting. They’re making works of art that have a functional illuminating purpose. Their pieces are playful and sophisticated at once and it’s impossible for me to look at them without thinking of one of my favorite artists, Joan Miró. Their work isn’t derivative,…

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