these girls are rad.

for obvious reasons, i find these girls to be pretty rad.


the brick house

at home at home

abigail stone

design. love. fest.

jen gotch

katie evans

and of course, emily henderson.

there are so many awesomely creative and stylish people out there that inspire me but these girls are at the top of my list. hopefully one day i'll run into them and we can be friends (& do crafts, refinish furniture and vintage shop until we pass out/run out of money - which would probably happen first). 

just sayin' - i think it would be a good time!

check these ladies out!

- xo -

erica

happy friday.

coveting jenna lyons office at jcrew.

i'll finally be organizing the office to freshen up for the new year this weekend & i'll be using this as inspiration.

(it also doesn't hurt to work while lookin' fab

in a sparkle mini dress - right?)

happy friday.

- xo -

erica

chair addiction.

it might be a little known fact that i have a chair addiction.

i personally have quite a few great vintage chairs that i love - including the ubiquitous faux bamboo chippendale chair, a 
mid-century bentwood rocker, a mid-century lounge chair & more.

but these chairs are totally making me want more -

which i don't need.

seriously, look at that shape! so sexy.

you had me at grey linen. please come home with me.

and i just can't pass on a pop of orange.

plus all of these chairs are reasonably priced! 

so if you love one of these as much as i do,

contact me for the info to purchase.

does anyone else share my addiction vintage chairs? 

or do i just need to find a support group?

- xo -

erica

iphone project update.

sneak peek at an updated family room in palos verdes estates.

finishing touches going in soon and then we'll

update with photos not from my iphone.

this amazing family with 4 young boys - ya, i said 4 - will use and abuse this casually refined yet totally durable room. so we've used materials that will only get better with time and that will hold up to the potential football being launched at it.

oh, boys.

ps - the lighting in this room is going to be out of control.

(in the good way.)

- xo -

erica

christopher farr cloth.

samples for finishing touches at a project just

arrived from christopher farr cloth & i love.

i really don't care how much the carnival pattern has been

used, it's still fresh.

the adras and the breakwater patterns are also pretty ridiculous.

we'll update once everything's installed!

- xo -

erica

vintage hoarder.

ya, i'm not afraid to admit it.

i'm a hoarder.

but i hoard pretty things.

(ef', i just realized that all hoarders probably think this...)

oh well. i really might have a problem since my vintage finds

are now taking over my house & causing problems -

such as *two* of these brass beauties.

vintage brass hoof foot coffee table with

original ogee edge glass.

seriously gorgeous. and yes, i said i have two.

why? because who would buy just one of these babies 

when there were two?

even if there's not a spot in the house for either one of them?

me. that's who.

too bad i need to find a new home for them since the dining room isn't really a functional space for them.

you want one? let me know & i'll forward the info to you.

that's a lot of style for $500.

ps - i'll let you all know when i get the shop up & running

but for now i'll feature my vintage goods here on Mondays.

check it out.

- xo -

erica

happy friday.

testing out rugs for a client.

first up, a vintage chaput rug from 

woven accents in los angeles that has an array of

colorful stripes that are perfectly imperfect &

have just the right amount of that worn feel.

gorgeous.

next up is a pretty rug from a small shop in torrance

that i haven't worked with before but they had a nice

assortment of options - this is what we found.

(please excuse the iphone images - it really is how i roll.)

both are very pretty but very different.

one a little more unexpected fun & the other is a

little more of what you would expect to see.

thoughts? opinions?

we're leaning towards the first option but i'd love

to know what you think?! let me know!

ps - isn't her fluffy white pup the cutest?

he's a lover.

happy friday.

- xo -

erica

check me out on facebook.

we've been working on updating everything &

finally have a facebook for erica lawton interiors.

yay!

please like the page here &

hopefully we'll start updating more than once every

few months. for real.

check out some iphone photos i took of a

powder room we completed in manhattan beach.

- xo -

erica

iphone project update.

project update via iphone.

because that's how i roll.

new custom built-in wardrobe & entertainment center for my gorgeous client in palos verdes estates.

(yes, she's as sassy as these cabinets. if you're wondering.)

we just sent the upper cabinets in to get the 

frosted white glass installed. it's going to be lovely.

since you can't tell what light fixture that is (because apparently my iphone doesn't have many settings), it's the bling chandelier from robert abbey.

via

it's more beautiful in person than i even thought it would be

and creates such an elegant yet modern vibe.

find it here at lumens. they're the best with customer service.

- xo -

erica

new baby closet.

isn't this a fabulous idea?!
it's like a quick additional baby closet.
love it.

again, love this but have no idea where i pulled it from.

if you know, please help! : )

i've been looking for a fabulous vintage armoire for my master bedroom for the past year & haven't had much luck. probably due to being picky & cheap - not a great combo - but i usually find some pretty bitchin' deals. not so lucky on this piece. yet.

i'll be figuring out a way to make something like this happen as a temporary solution for storage until we're through with construction. i'll let you know how it turns out.

- xo -

erica

tree house kitchen countertops.

so after a ton of research and decision making, i think we've finally decided on the overall

finish design for the tree house's kitchen remodel.

1. ikea applad kitchen cabinets with wood countertops, like this.

pulled this a while ago while searching ikea kitchens. sorry.

and this (but still the wood countertops).

also pulled this a while ago while searching ikea kitchens. sorry.

2. a carrara marble backsplash installed on an offset to the ceiling.

3. we'll have floors like this.

4. a sink & faucet like this.

5. some amazing appliances that the boyfriend bought a while back.

6. the final thing i need to find is hardware. brass hardware. ugh. more difficult than i thought it would be.

killing me. i really want something like this.

but will probably do something like this.

it's going to be so ridiculous when it's done that i might need to make a sign that says

'yes, you live here.'

to remind me that i actually get to use this beauty of kitchen.

can't. wait.

- xo -

erica

happy friday.

damn, you jcrew.

via

i want this.

however, i'm buying this.

via

sometimes a girl's gotta stay in budget.

love me some leopard.

have an amazing weekend.

happy friday.

- xo -

erica

new project.

recently one of my existing clients asked me to help pull together a design for her office off of sunset in west hollywood.

ya, i would say it's pretty nice location...

and that she's pretty much a chic badass hardworking woman.

here is the inspiration for her new office.

again me being bad about saving where i get images. oops.

please help if you know where this came from - comment below!

So refined & pulled together but still fun with a fresh, simple color palette - just what i like to see in an office.

yep, again no idea where i got this image. i will get better - i promise!

makes you want to sit down & work, right? totally! agreed.

we will be pulling this together in the next few months - yes, it's only taking that long because she's in pilot season (hollywood slang for 'some busy 'ish'). i'll update with pic's when we're done.

-  xo -

erica

personal shopping.

it's not often that i shop for myself. i know, that sounds crazy, but i basically shop for a living. all day, every day. i research, plan, order, follow up & install. 
then do it all over again.

but on a massive scale. (& i love it! who wouldn't?!)

but when it comes time to shop for my house, my clothes, 

my makeup, or pretty much anything for me. i fail.

not because i don't want to (trust me. check out my pinterest - i'd like to buy all of that) but because i get burnt out.

then i stumbled across this etsy shop - RetroMenagerie - while shopping, yep for a client, and it reminds me that there's always more out there.

i'm sure most of my clients would love these but this 'ish is mine (&, i guess, yours if you want it too).

enjoy some fresh-ies.

via

1 / 2 / 3 / 4

so perfect. can i have them all?

and these...

(the mountains remind me of my homeland... aw, Colorado.)

via

5 / 6

plus this 2012 calendar.

via

7

they would be perfect in my tree house. just email me & i'll let you know where to send them. ha! : )

- xo -

erica

who is eli.

e. l. i.

erica lawton interiors

eli is just short for erica lawton interiors. done & done. simple, casual, refined. and me. literally.

(plus erica lawton interiors doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, or does it?!... nope.)

to keep the story short, i had the standard designer childhood of locking myself in my bedroom and managing to somehow paint and rearrange my entire room for a final reveal to my mother.

i seriously wish i would have somehow documented my re-designs because i'm sure they were spectacular and by spectacular 

i mean probably very ... eclectic.

the day after my 18th birthday, i not so standard-ly (that's not a word, is it?) packed up my car, moved to los angeles and began design school at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. while in school i quickly dove straight into the design field and began working with an amazing architect.  after a little word of mouth spread, i had a few design jobs for friends &

 friends of friends.

it just really hasn't stopped from there and for the past 5 years i've been working professionally in los angeles on several residential projects ranging from new construction 

to simple re-designs.

i've had tons of amazing clients, have been lucky to be able to do what i love and look forward to many years of design to come.

eventually i'll have more photo's of my projects up on the blog (turns out i'm not so great at documenting my projects) 

but i plan to get better this year & really focus.

so check back soon & hopefully i'll have more pic's up.

that's all for now - i'm sure i'll divulge more as the blog goes.

- xo -

erica

tree house kitchen.

via

there once was a little tree house in the hills of topanga california that seriously needed a kitchen remodel...

then there was ikea.

great story, right? well it is when the ikea kitchen turns out like the one above from Samantha Pynn, who seems like a pretty rad gal who i'd love to meet one day. her style is so similar to mine that we might get confused with who is who?! maybe...? not. anyways, her designs are beautiful - just see for youself. plus this is pretty much how i envision my kitchen remodel turning out - with a few changes.

i have no idea where the photo above came from (any info on this would be great) but i'll also be doing the white subway tile backsplash to the ceiling. there won't really be an option for open shelving, as a small kitchen = the need for upper cabinets.

also have no idea where this photo came from - i seriously need to start finding the origin of these photos i save cause i'd love to give credit (& be able to them i love them) - but isn't this kitchen so airy and clean feeling. love. can't. get. enough.

unless...

via

yep, my dream kitchen. pack it up & send it over. i'll take it.

this kitchen is sasha seymour's and this is a kitchen i could cook in. (i don't 'cook' - i attempt cooking.)

it is such a well put together space and though i can't recreate the fireplace (though you know i've tried to figure out a way) in my kitchen, i do love the layers of textures. the brass hardware on the white flat cabinets & the subway tile with oyster grey grout will make it into the tree house kitchen. only the countertops are left to finalize - marble or wood??

the countertop decision will be left to another day cause this girl's got some work to do.

see you soon pdc.

- xo-

erica