We here at BW love, repeat LOVE, Rue Mag. If you don’t know it yet, Rue is a bimonthly online publication for all things stylish living. And by ALL THINGS we mean well-crafted design, effortless entertaining tips, and the products that will live with you for a lifetime.
For our second installment of View From Here, we sat down with Rue’s managing editor, the oh-so-charming Kelli Lamb, to talk her new-found home in Los Angeles, how she achieves the work (from home) life balance, and of course, her favorite view in the house.
Laura Ingalls Wilder once said, “Home is the nicest word there is”. We tend to agree. Describe your home in three words.
Restful. Happy. Sanctuary.
How did you come to find your place? What’s the story behind it?
My now-husband and I were a couple of months out from our wedding when we found out his company was shuttering their Bay Area location. We were fortunate that they asked him to transfer to Los Angeles, but definitely heartbroken to be leaving. We spent the next few weeks combing rental sites. I was particularly hesitant to move to LA, so making sure we found a home that would be comfortable, especially when our new city might not be, was key.
We were used to the San Francisco market, so when we saw the listing for our home, we hopped on a plane the next morning and flew down with our applications, references, and checkbook. We wanted to make sure that we beat out any other applicants! We laugh at how eager we were, but now are so grateful to call this house home.
Has moving from SF to LA changed your style/approach to how you’ve designed your space?
In regards to making the space comfortable, I wanted the design to be more restful. Our SF apartment was colorful and eclectic, and I feel like our LA home is much more toned down. It’s serene and tranquil, yet still, includes some of our favorite accessories and artwork.
How would you describe the style of your home? And how much do you draw inspiration from your work? It seems as though your own personal taste could get a bit blurry when you spend so much time immersed in other people’s spaces?
I would call our space… muted eclectic? Ha! It is definitely hard in my line of work to not get wrapped up in all of the trends. I used to get really excited about certain trends but started accumulating so much stuff to keep up. Now, I try to not bring anything in that I don’t absolutely love. I find that when you’re true to pieces you love, the design comes together more seamlessly.
Shop Kelli's Roman Shade in Off White
What room or space do you spend the most time in and why?
The home has a pretty open floor plan, so it all sort of feels like ONE room! The dining/kitchen/living area is really wonderful. But since I’ve completed the bedroom re-do, I find myself spending more time in there. I love to sit in the chair and read; it’s a bit quieter than the rest of the home and a great retreat.
Is it challenging or liberating to work from home?
Ahh - the million dollar question! There are a lot of challenges that come with it, from loneliness to feeling like I need to clean or trying to fit in laundry between conference calls, to realize I haven’t left the house in 3 days. But on the upside, it is completely liberating to have full control of my schedule. If I am more inspired in the middle of the night, I can write then. Or if my family comes to visit, I don’t need to get approved time off.
Are you able to shut it down or do you find yourself answering just one more email?
Luckily, my husband reminds me that I need to shut it down. I am completely of the personality type to never turn off, but when he gets home from work, that’s our time together. So I do my best to keep my work confined to traditional work hours. It doesn’t always happen that way, but it’s a continued effort.
What do you go or what do you do when you need to get inspired right smack in the middle of the week?
I love Wundabar Pilates, a great studio in my neighborhood. I walk there and back, and always get a juice or snack on the way home. I can’t be on my phone during that break, so it allows my brain to slow down for a bit and step away from the technology loop - key to getting inspired!
Shop Kelli's Drapery in Off-White
What’s your favorite room in your house and why?
Right now, it’s the bedroom. Each piece of art has a story - one is a drawing our best friend did while we were all in Tulum, another is a piece from my uncle and my dad built the frame, another is a painting by my father-in-law. It’s a bit more mis-matchy than the rest of the house, but it’s the first thing we see when we wake up and are so grateful. Plus, the blackout and inter-lining shades make that space dark and quiet. SO dreamy! It just is such a treat to start and end every day in that room.
We like to think there’s that one view for a person (in their home) is a truly sacred place, be it out your front door or through the kitchen window. Tell us about your favorite view from here in your home.
We’ve got a huge magnolia tree outside of our bedroom window. When we first moved to LA, I was so grateful to have nature right outside! (For context, our San Francisco view was into the apartment building across the street.) Soon after moving here, I realized that there were quite a few hummingbirds, too! I bought a few feeders and now my favorite view is from the bedroom. I open up the shades and watch the tiny birds zoom around. Even though our street is busy, and sometimes a little noisy, I can look out the window and feel like we’re in our own private world.
Tell us about your second favorite view (e.g. atop a mountain, peering down at a glass of rose at dusk, reading a book, etc.)
My husband’s aunt has a beautiful home in Sea Ranch, CA. There is a small loft that has a daybed and a great view of the Pacific Ocean. We like to head into town and pick up pizza, and then catch the sunset from the loft. Nothing beats it!
