Everyone has those friends who make you want to just follow them around all day to see how, exactly, it is that they do life so damn well. For me, that’s Stephen and Dave. You’ve been hearing about them for years now, ever since I started blogging – they’re Kendrick’s best friends from college, so we’ve known them forever, but we also lived in the same building for a few years and had some epic rooftop adventures. And then they moved to the West Coast and we thought, cool, let’s do that too. (Kidding, but only sort of.)
Every time I go to their apartment – an industrial-style loft in San Francisco – I need to photograph it; it’s just that well-done. The most interesting thing about it, though, is that every time I visit, I notice that it looks even better than the last time, but not because they’ve added stuff…it’s usually, rather, that they’ve taken stuff away. Pared it all down.
Oh.
(I should probably take notes.)
And! This time I needed to show you (with their permission, obviously) their holiday decor, because it strikes such an awesome balance between retro and modern, kitsch and chic: it’s sort of a tiki twist on a traditional garland table runner, and it’s easy to do yourself (have succulents? have a pineapple? have an old tiki cup that you got on spring break? you’re good), and so much more fun than a traditional red/ green/white/gold/sparklesparklesparkle look. (I think so, anyway.)
And and! Just for fun, I thought I’d do a little mini interview with two of my most fashionable friends.
{ Talk To Me, Guys }
Dave, a doctor doing biomedical research at Stanford, and husband Stephen, VP of marketing at Diamond Foundry.
How would you describe your decorating style?
Our style is personal. Everything in our apartment has a story, whether it’s an amazing old rug we found in Lima or a perfect coffee table that you never would have guessed came from CB2.
Where are your favorite places to shop for furniture and home accessories?
Vintage shops.
What’s your dream buy for your place?
Long-term, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Short-term, a more comfortable couch.
What are you bringing as a host/hostess gift when you visit friends and family this holiday season?
Bourbon from Stephen’s brother’s distillery, Kings County Distillery in Brooklyn.
(Note: I have had the bourbon. It’s good. Cosign on this recommendation.)
More interior shots and how to get the look yourself, below.
