The creator of ART homestyle

I hope my background + lessons from this past year inspire you to take more risks, to give more grace, and to turn challenges into opportunities.

Eight years ago, I decided to go to business school. Prior to applying, I considered law school, but quickly pivoted once I realized I love working with numbers more than I do reading.

It was important to me to finish school before starting a family, so I applied to my alma mater, USC, got accepted and began my journey as a fully employed student; I turned my three-year program into an accelerated two-year track.  It was shortly after graduation, that my husband and I got married and had our first baby, Zoey.

My job out of business school was working in the corporate real estate department of The Walt Disney Company.  I interviewed while 6 months pregnant with Zoey – I know you’re probably saying, “what was she thinking”?!  I felt determined to execute my plan of building a career. 

Having my baby amidst all of this changed my world and view of a professional working woman —it wasn’t so straight forward as I had imagined. 

Becoming a mother opened my eyes to know that life is much more than just a career. I had given most of my life to education and work prior to having Zoey, and I shifted more into a family-based life overnight. It was a big adjustment since the culture of the real estate investment industry isn’t always conducive to a work-from-home or part-time schedule for working moms or parents. Still, I felt up for the challenge but I was in for a rude awakening.

I realized it was way more involved emotionally, mentally, and physically. 

During maternity leave, I dove into being a full-time mom. If I’m being honest, I felt guilty for going back to work after just 4 months, as I thought several times, “I can’t go back” and “I can’t do this”.  I returned to work, and two years later we had our second baby, Carter. With my son, I felt less guilty returning to work as I missed the adult social and mental interaction.

Over the years now, I’ve really become a person who loves doing both — being a mother and having a career. I am so grateful for my family (namely, my parents + grandparents) -- I use the values and lessons they’ve engrained in me as my life compass.

It’s been a rollercoaster of ups and downs, as I’m sure many of you can relate.  One minute, I’m feeling guilty about not being home with the kids while the next minute, I’m ready to work.

You see, according to The Mom Project, “Women should be able to choose both a successful family life and career aspirations without sacrificing one for the other”, and I couldn’t agree more.  We as women have choices! 

This leads me to my points of – exercise your options and don’t feel bad if you have a change of heart.  The year of 2020 has proven the importance of being flexible in all aspects – with work, life and family. My keyword this year has been GRACE! 

Here are three key lessons that I’ve learned during these challenging and uncertain times-

1. Set a schedule to allow for a family/work life balance.

2. Unapologetically carve out “me-time”; and

3. Be OK with saying, “Mommy needs a minute”.

Please keep me posted on how you’re doing.  What a year to embrace change.

Balance

My favorite place is the kitchen, which usually entails holding one kid on my hip, while the other one hangs out on the counter.

Hands Full

The love that keeps me going.

Always helping mommy

Either at the desk or in the kitchen.

Enjoy my recipes.

They are derived from traditional family recipes, trial and error, and my own cravings.

Designing + Styling My Home

When we bought our home three years ago, I envisioned it having clean lines, wood/natural textures, and neutral colors throughout. Although the house was move-in ready, we still had a strong urge to add our own personal touch. The house had been recently updated, but it did not fit the bill of modern farmhouse, which I loved.

For me, our first home together was more than just an investment. I viewed it as a space where I intended on making it our own: a place to raise our children, to host our baby showers and birthday parties, to host our family + friends, and much more.

Given our desire to open the existing living/dining room space to create an entirely new design, we hired the amazing Los Angeles based designer, Bre Hance, principal of InHance Interiors. Bre and I collaborated on my farmhouse vision, and she provided us with solidified, inspirational ideas, formalized plans, specs/finishes, leading the design process from start to finish.

Within 3 months, we made the following home improvements -

• Removed one demising wall, separating the kitchen and living/dining room space;

• Installed a new kitchen: new countertops, knobs, light fixtures, counter backsplash, cabinets, and appliances;

• Installed new flooring throughout the house;

• Created an additional guest bathroom; and

• Created an additional bedroom

Overall, I was more than pleased with the end product. For anyone looking to purchase a home, I recommend keeping the following in mind - your design taste will always outlast the taste of someone else.

After 12 years of experience in commercial real estate, it’s proven that I gravitate towards not only the investment portion but also the emotional side. I am truly passionate about home + style, and I expect you to see more of my home design inspirations along the way.

Here are some before + after pictures of our home project.

Living + Kitchen Area

We removed the main, load-bearing wall to create more of an open, shared space. Then, we added a large island to serve as the communal serving and seating area. Easily, this became our main spot for family chatting and hosting.

Kitchen:

We demo’d the old kitchen and installed brand new flooring, an island (with some storage), cabinetry + glass, knobs, back-splash tile, countertop, appliances, and light fixtures (throughout open area ceiling and above island + kitchen nook). Conversing between the shared space of the kitchen and living area easily became the new norm.

New Guest Bathroom:

My favorite room of the house as it incorporates all of the essential materials to fit the modern farmhouse vibe: Aztec tile flooring, a custom wooden shelf vanity, black sconces, simplistic wood-framed mirror and shiplap on each wall. Also, this room will always feel special to me as most of the construction was a joint effort by my father and husband.

Breakfast Nook:

This nook became a perfect area for dining, lounging, and storage (underneath the built-in bench). The kids and adults always find their way here; it’s just so convenient and comfy.

Enjoy my recipes.

They are derived from family tradition, tweaked recipes, trial and error, and my very own cravings.

The Rules to the ART Recipe Game

I want to change your perspective of cooking – instead of it being deemed as a taxing, chaotic time in the kitchen, I want it to be viewed as a dedicated time for you to relax and a time for you to create your own ART experience in the kitchen.   Particularly as we navigate the world’s new norm, I want to encourage a more positive experience in the kitchen through a new (ART Homestyle) lens.

In my blog, I will offer you some helpful tips in the kitchen. Particularly as we navigate our crazy, new schedules together, whether you are a stay-at-home mom/dad or working mom/dad, college student, or single-working professional/artist.

With a busy schedule, it’s been proven that it’s hard to find a good chunk of time. But I really feel that by using quick + easy recipes, it will change your perspective and it will allow you to quickly whip up something good even after a long day at work. 
Prep may be need to incorporated and of course enjoying a glass of wine (my staple) while doing so will make the experience that much better! 

So let’s cut to the chase, in terms of making this an ART, and not a science — I’ve noticed that new cooks aren’t always sure of the cooking “Rule of Thumb”. Whether there are questions about:  cook time, how much seasoning do I use, or do I cover/ uncover this dish.

Main Food Groups

Based on my experience, I’ve determined that there are three (3) major food groups, each with a set of valuable, ART Rule of Thumb that will carry you through the ART experience.  In other words, if you could group foods based on their similarities, then you could certainly find similarities in the way that they should be cooked.

Here are the Main Food Groups -

• Comfort, Slow-Cooked Meals - roasts, whole baked chickens, short ribs and more.

• Quick Meals – breakfast (eggs, sausage, bacon), grilled fish, and more.

• Soups & Sauces – tomato sauces, chicken soups, chili, and more. 

Comfort, Slow Cooked Meals:

Always sear meats (like roasts) first in order to lock in the flavor and to create an outer crust; then slow cook, covered, at a steady 350 temperature in the oven in an effort to make it tender.
For a soft + moist whole baked chicken, cook covered the entire time.
For a crisp + moist whole baked chicken, first cook uncovered then covered towards the end.

Quick Meals:

Typically, you’re cooking/browning food on medium to high heat in a coated oil or butter skillet for quick meals; ie. pancakes or grilled fish.
To ensure the food is fully cooked through, turn down the heat (from high) towards the end.
For thin meats, like bacon, the center cooks fast. For thicker meats, like salmon, the center cooks slow. One helpful tip for ensuring the center of grilled salmon is cooked, is to set a pan directly on top of it towards the end, which compresses the heat to the center. Make sure to not overcook.

Soups & Sauces:

For soups, always sauté your veggies on medium to high heat in olive oil first. You can even add chopped raw meat after sautéing the veggies, rather than adding raw meat midway through while the liquid is boiling; adding the meat earlier rather than later locks in the flavor. Once the ingredients are all in the pot, cook on low, covered for approximately 1.5+ hours.
If you’re making a meat sauce, always sauté veggies with raw meat first. Then add sauce (ie, tomato sauce).
Also, all tomato pasta sauces benefit from a good ole’ cup of pasta water added to it; reserve 1 cup of pasta water always.

Seasoning Tips

Always season to taste, even if that means at the start, and mid-way through cooking. Generally, you only season at the start.
Some recipes call for just the simple fresh ground sea salt and pepper (ie. simple, grilled veggies like broccolini and high quality, premium steaks), while other recipes call for more of a multitude of seasoning blends (ie. roasts, curry, short ribs, soups).  I encourage you to explore beyond just salt and pepper for all recipes.

Ultimately, you want to maneuver as though cooking is an ART and not a science, this way you can 1) enjoy the experience, 2) learn as you go, and 3) get super creative in the kitchen.  Nothing about cooking is a science (except for baking).
Utilizing these ART tips in your kitchen not only will offer maximum results, but they will also give you more confidence in the kitchen.

Enjoy my recipes to come.

They are derived from family tradition, tweaked recipes, trial and error, and my very own cravings.