If you haven’t heard of her yet…you will.
There I was the other week just happily pinning away on Pinterest as I am wont to do these days…and bam! There was this kitchen that popped up and someone (was that me?) literally uttered, “holy s***!”
Not only does this “Alhambra Kitchen” have that Gwyneth (Paltrow) factor to it – grounded, pristine, elegance with a little twist thrown in here and there (my deep apologies to all you Gwyneth haters, but it’s kind of true), but it also manages to be a total original at the same time. If there ever was a gateway drug to a designer, this was it, and I didn’t wait to pass go as I beelined it to my online BFF, Google.
I mean, really:
As I stalked my way through the internet gobbling up whatever bits I could about Portland based JHID (Jessica Helgerson Interior Design), I realized I really do want to be her when I grow up (you’re never to old to say this, right?). I don’t think I could have summed up her style (as demonstrated in the above two pictures, the history of which you can read more about on her website) any better than she has herself:
“Our perspective is informed by a respect for historical architecture coupled with an appreciation of the playfulness and freshness of modern design.”
Beautiful, gorgeous music to my ears.
And wait, there’s more:
While her favorite color is admittedly white (me too, yay, we’re like sisters!), you almost forget this when you look at her rooms, which seem to burst with color and texture despite generally being grounded with walls painted with that “color that is not technically a color.”
Another thing I dig immensely…her use of creative tiling throughout her designs to liven up a space and give them their own stamp. (A little hint…her favorite is encaustic concrete.)
And if you’re wondering where she gets some of the amazing pieces she comes up with, you’re gonna have to get creative as they are often conjured by her and her team and brought to life by local Portland artisans. For example check out these stunning glass fixtures designed by Andy Paiko in an office remodel she did:
(You can also read up here, here, and here re her chronicle of the table she built for the Alhambra Kitchen, a coffee table creation, and a discarded bathtub she salvaged and gave some new feet.)
Sigh, well, at least I can comfort myself with the knowledge that someone this talented and brilliant is probably mean and spoiled or something. Wait, what?! She lives in a house less than 1,000 square feet and grows her own food and loves animals? And she happily celebrates the arrival of her employees’ babies…and credits them on all her projects to boot?! Okay, now I reeeeeally want to be her (maybe with just a few extra square feet…or does that make me sound bad?)…restraining order, here you come…
Who would you be willing sacrifice a restraining order for? Share it here, we won’t tell.