Pepper Design Blog

Friday Guest Blog Interview: Jan of Chicago Spaces

Happy Friday! Can you believe this week? Such a fast week. Yesterday felt like Tuesday and tomorrow should not be Saturday – but alas it is Friday and I’m more than a little happy about that.

Every once in a while I invite a blogger, artist or writer to stop by the blog and share their thoughts about design with readers. I’ve come to call this my ‘Friday Guest Blog Interview’ and while I don’t host every Friday, I took a little count yesterday and this is the 52nd interview to date. I’m no interior designer so I might look forward to these interviews most, but if you’re interested in some serious tips and tricks from some of the best out there, check out the archive here. A few of my favorites? Centsational Girl, Young House Love, Viva Full House, Isabella & Max Rooms, Hostess with the Mostess, Bower Power, Decor8, Made by Girl, Ruffles and Stuff, Style Me Pretty, M Loves M — too many to name. I really have enjoyed each one of those 52. I keep the same four questions each time and I love to hear the variations and commonalities in the answers!

Today I have the honor of introducing Jan Parr, long time editor of Chicago Home + Garden and recent author of Chicago Spaces: Inspiring Interiors. If you’re a collector of awesome coffee table books, I must admit that this is a great addition to the collection. I have sprinkled my favorite photos from the book throughout the interview!

Everything about both of the above images is awesome. More after the jump. Read more »

Friday Guest Blog Interview: Jennifer of Seakettle

I’m very excited to introduce you to today’s guest blogger. I first discovered Jennifer’s incredible crafty talent when a good friend of mine suggested I check out her sister-in-law’s blog, Seakettle. I was enthralled. Jennifer has a knack for repurposing, designing, baking and of course everything crafting – and she’s a fantastic photographer to boot.

Just for fun, here’s a sneak peek at her home this Christmas – it’s full of great handmade ideas:

Jennifer is a graphic designer living in Los Angeles — making, baking and creating!

Those are handmade chocolate leaves. Mmmm. And Jennifer makes molding them look so easy on her blog. More peeks at her projects and home after the jump. Plus her answers to Pepper’s four usual interview questions regarding inspiration, trends and top tips! Read more »

Friday Guest Blog Interview: Katie of Bower Power

Today’s guest blog interview is special to me because this is a house tour that I’ve long adored. While Katie Bower and her family recently moved out of their old digs, it’s their previous home that I first fell in love with and their new home that I love to blog crash on a regular basis these days. Need a photo tour after all of that hype? Check it out right here, or wait for sneak peeks in the rest of this interview.

Katie, her ‘boyfriend’ (an affectionate name she has for her husband, Jeremy), and their son Will live in the South, and being a California girl we think anything Southern is pretty darn sweet. Bower Power Blog is a photo journal of Katie’s family, her design loves and her work as a professional photographer. She blogs about life, and it’s pretty fun to follow along.

So here with me today is Katie to share some of her inspiration, three favorite tips (definitely agree with these!) and why her decorating style is a bit more timeless than it is trendy (but do check out that photo tour of her home, because it’s right on the money when it comes to what looks just right these days). More after the jump. Read more »