Hey guys, It’s Emily, real quick. In case you are new to the blog and are wondering ‘who the hell is this dude Orlando, ’ here’s a recap of our relationship: Orlando was my assistant/sidekick on Secrets From a Stylist (RIP) and then became an associate designer that worked with me on design projects for close to 4 wonderful years, where we became very close (like sleep in the same bed while traveling, close). He used to write posts on the blog but then HE LEFT ME to become the West Coast Creative Director of Homepolish, a design startup that’s a huge game changer, making design more accessible, streamlined, and enjoyable to clients all over the United States. Anyway, onto his post!

Dear Emily’s GORGEOUS Readers,

You know, I’m so thankful that you’ve followed my journey with me as I’ve renovated my own home for the first time. But I have some terrible news for you. This project is never going to be done. Or at least it seems like it. Every time we think we’re done, something else comes up. Where are the door handles? Why did I smash a chair through a door while moving it? Why did we paint the walls BEFORE we moved back in? Why does it take TWO MONTHS to get stupid hooks for towels in the bathroom? These are thoughts I’m sure the great philosophers of the past spent most of their lives thinking about.

Our contractor says we’ll be done by Friday, which I’m pretty sure in contractorspeak means October 1. But I’m fine with that. And I’ll be finer with it once the decks have been retiled and there isn’t lawn furniture all over the living room and construction dudes standing on my bed every morning.

Anyway, what am I whining about? Oh yeah, getting everything finished up. Which brings me to a topic very near and dear to my heart: furniture. And accessories. But mostly furniture. This week I’m sharing what I’m most excited about in terms of new pieces we’re bringing into the condo. Naturally, there’s going to be a lot of vintage. But we’re adding in some modern and contemporary pieces to keep things fresh and youthful. Like my face…before I started this renovation.

We decided to do an all-integrated kitchen, so the only visible appliance is the range. I don’t know why, I’ve just always loved kitchens with integrated appliances. They’re so clean and simple. Also, maybe I’m ashamed of having appliances. Maybe I just want people to think I make everything by hand, with fire, by myself. When I saw this Bertazzoni range I loved it. Where a lot of the high end ranges go wrong is in the knobs. You can have a gorgeous, perfectly designed range and then all the sudden, BAM, it has huge clunky knobs. WHYYYYYYY??? Anyway, this one has, like, millions of knobs and I have no idea what any of them do but looking at them makes me happy. Edouard is a better cook than me so he understands the knobs better than I do. A fun fact about French people is that they are all better cooks than any American. It’s a racist fact about human genetics. [Black Stools are from Wayfair.com].

One of my favorite recent finds was this collection of perfect white dishes from Snowe Home. I have a big thing for all white dishes. They go with everything, they’re classic. And it’s actually not easy to find them as simple and elegant as this. Anyway, if you need me I’ll be in my white kitchen trying to fit my entire body into one of these gorgeous white bowls so I can live there forever in peace.

Edouard has had this cute little mid-century sofa since he moved to LA. But as soon as we saw the color with the floors we both started barfing all over and we knew it had to go.

We’re replacing the vintage sofa with this warm grey one from AllModern. The chairs are a little up in the air. Edouard has some that we’re considering reupholstering, but I’ve been having some BAD reupholstering luck lately and I’m kinda over it, so I’m considering these modern, minimal wood-armed chairs. Everything else in the room is vintage so it won’t be as modern and sterile as it seems like from this mood board.

Oh, and the living room chandelier is installed and it’s crazy amazing, like better than I could have even expected. Working with Park Studio was so much fun. They are very down to earth for being SUCH geniuses.

One of the first things we did when we moved back in was hang the Cleon Peterson print we found at Art Basel last year (which we’ve been waiting to take out and stare at ever since). His work is terrifying, but I love it. I love seeing his murals all over LA. His prints leave me curious and intrigued, which is exactly what art is supposed to do.

Look! Orcondo’s first vignette! My mom found that painting at a vintage shop in Japan and Edouard and I bought that teeny tiny console table at Shopclass (Maya sconces are from Wayfair).

We also have had some major movement in the dining room. We unloaded all our garbage into the shelving while my mom was here visiting last week and it’s looking a lot more like a real dining room now. We now have two of these glamorous Mary McDonald pendants and they’re pretty much my favorite thing ever.

We’re adding a new table and chairs to the mix but the table hasn’t arrived yet. The current table is a classic Danish mid-century piece and it’s amazing, but it doesn’t allow for more than four chairs. Those tables are such a beautiful, efficient design but they’re not good if you like hosting dinner parties. This new one is very simple, allows for six to eight chairs, and it expands. Yay on, like, so many levels!

The bedroom is painted (Ralph Lauren Iron Blue) and it looks great. Totally dark and intense, but I like it. Also the rest of the condo is so white and bright I felt like we needed a little drama. There’s no bed yet so the sconces are just sitting there like “Guys. Guys? Is anyone coming to hang with us? WE ARE ALL ALONE AND SO SCARED.”

We found some cute little bedside tables at a vintage shop in North Hollywood and repainted them. Well, I repainted them. Alone. While it was 105 degrees outside. Is it fall yet?

The most exciting thing about our new bedroom is the custom bed we’re getting from Empric. Empiric is a great local store run by a super talented designer named Annie and I always love going in there so I was psyched to get to work with her on something. Previous to Orcondo, I’ve always had beds without headboards, so for the condo I wanted something that actually felt like a bed. The beautiful bedding is simple, classic white with a grey stripe.

Magically, the guest bedroom is way more done than the master. The lovely platform bed arrived and it’s exactly what I wanted. The two bedrooms have lower ceilings than everywhere else at the condo so I wanted low beds to keep the space more open. The linen duvet is from Parachute Home and it’s insanely amazing and soft and my mom loved it so much when she came to visit that she’s getting one for her own bed.

Yet another masterpiece from the folks at Park Studio. Those guys have been lifesavers for this project. Without them I’d have no lighting. And I love this custom piece they designed for me. It makes the room feel even more unique. Part of me likes the guest bedroom way more than the master…

HARK! The medicine cabinet in the master is fully installed!

The biggest remaining question about furnishing Orcondo is figuring out where to put this lion stool. I thought he’d go in the master bathroom but then I found out that he’s kind of valuable (I bought him for $50 at the flea market but apparently he was made by some fancy Mexican artist) so I’m not sure I should throw him in the bathroom with all the steam. Or maybe I should. He looks great holding those towels…

So yeah, almost there with the construction bit, now I just have to figure out finishing touches on furniture, art, and accessories. KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED I’M NOT STUCK IN CONSTRUCTION PURGATORY FOREVER!

Love,
Orlando

Want more Orcondo? Check out the whole process from the start: Orcondo’s New Place | Let There Be Light | Foundational Elements | Rug Life | Modern Windows