until next time...

living in london has been one of the best experiences i've ever had. i have learned a lot about myself, and the bigger picture of life in general. i will cherish it forever. it all went by so quickly, but it couldn't have been more full. i was happily overwhelmed with work, play, family, and friends, and falling in love with a whole new world. now i'm back in san francisco, attempting to settle back in. things will never be the same, and i know that's a good thing...thank you all for making it so wonderful.

here's a selection of photos i taken before i left...

Love,

Cat xx

i think i found it...

I may have finally found the wallpaper design for my tattoo. The idea of getting a wallpaper design for a tattoo was three-fold.
1. to cover up the terrible mistake of a flower tattoo I made when I was 18.
2. to speak to the analogy that wallpaper is to a structure as is a tattoo to the body (appropriate for my career choice in interior design.)
3. to speak to a bit of my heritage, as most good tattoos do (I find it so fitting that I found the right image while here in England.)

After searching through a sea of sources, for over 3 years, this is the first wallpaper design that has really, truly spoken to me. It's a sketch by William Morris, from a series he designed in 1883, inspired by the River Thames. I love that it's unfinished, and shows the layering and levels of complexity it takes to get to the final product. More on this later...I'm going to bed a very happy lady tonight!

last week, i still had time to do things like this...

With our deadline fast approaching, I might not be blogging much until I get home. Last week, after a rough day, my coworkers and I decided to take a much needed break, and checked out the Clerkenwell Design Week Festival...conveniently located right around the corner from our office. There were tons of showrooms open, live music, free booze, amazing exhibitions, and some all around neat things to see. It was nice to get our minds of of things for an evening, while at the same time surrounding ourselves with what we love the most...good design. 

http://www.clerkenwelldesignweek.com/

the threshold into the event had a cool video screen installation, showing naked people with water moving around them. who knows what it really meant, but it was cool to watch (picture doesn't do it justice)

hello cdw!

sean and dean, testing out some of the furniture...

awesome textile designer, ella doran's booth.

this building was almost more fun to look at the what was being displayed inside of it

fun storage

sleek.

this reminded me that i should put my seascout knot tieing abilities to good use  for home decor projects

they say bespoke out here, instead of custom. i still can't get used to it.

designers caught in the moment

the farmiloe building. super cool. super, super cool.

they obviously didn't want anyone to sit on the furniture without signing a release form first!

Can I take you home please?

I really did pick the right time to be in London. The weather has been great, and there have been multitudes of events at my fingertips. So thankful. See you all in a couple of weeks. I'll be refreshed and ready to bring this positive energy to SF with me! xx