Etsy Find of the Day: Tracey Falk Photography

I've been a fan of Vancouver photographer Tracey Falk (traceyj to you flickr fiends) for a long time: I often use her photos for my Friday signoffs here, because they make me feel restful and contemplative, and put me in the perfect frame of mind for curling up in a blanket on the couch after a rain-soaked stroll around town.

Tracey captures images of quiet beauty, as understated and mysterious as they are lovely. As she writes, "If there's one thing my camera has given me, it's ears to hear into that quiet, a reason to listen past all the noise to the sound of the little things, to the sound of silence -- which is, in the end, the sound of everything."

Until now, Tracey's photos could only be admired, not purchased. So I'm thrilled that she's finally opened an Etsy shop.

Some of my favorite prints currently on offer there: Snow Berries, above

Veiled

Sunset on 11th

Blue

Red Leaves

Bonus: The Canadian shutterbug will also take special orders for any of her flickr images that catch your fancy. (Ooh -- this one is going on my wish list.) Each 9-by-9-inch or 8-by-10-inch print is $30.

Visit her new Etsy shop right here.

Up next: Tracey gives us a virtual tour of her Vancouver home. We're in for a treat!

Good Reads: Tracey Falk in Home Magazine

Hi everyone -- just popping in quickly here before we head out to Stinson Beach for the day to offer a huge congrats to former More Ways to Waste Time House Voyeur tour guide Tracey Falk, whose lovely home-office nook is featured in the new (and perhaps last?) issue of Home magazine.

Photo from Home magazine

Check out the article right here -- and see the rest of Tracey's amazingly creative and drool-worthy Vancouver, British Columbia apartment here.

Photo by Tracey Falk

I'll be back on Monday morning with lots of new posts (including another great House Voyeur tour). Thanks so much for standing by while I took a much-needed breather this week!

House Voyeur: Small Space Living in Vancouver

As I mentioned earlier, I've been lurking on Tracey Falk's flickr page for a long time, admiring her beautiful photographs. When I noticed a set of shots of her new apartment recently, I saw that her knack for gorgeous compositions and her subtle mastery of color extended beyond arresting still lifes and evocative portraiture and into the realm of home design as well. I immediately asked Tracey if she would share her lovely home with my readers -- and happily, she agreed.

Here, the freelance web designer and photographer gives us a virtual tour of her Vancouver, British Columbia, abode:

“I recently moved out of a large apartment that I shared with two roommates and into this 450-square-foot studio space in a 1930s building. It's in a beautiful, established neighborhood in Vancouver, on a busy city corner. It's tiny -- essentially a one-room space, though I'm lucky to have not only an added eating nook and separate kitchen but also a large closet that gives me a good amount of storage.

The thing with a studio is that you need to maximize every corner without making it feel cluttered and chaotic. I sat in this apartment, largely unfurnished except for a bed and a table, for four months before I started decorating it. I went a little crazy sitting on the floor -- but in the end, waiting instead of rushing in allowed me to see space-dividing solutions that I didn't necessarily get right away.

I was inspired by the space itself. I think studio apartments are a great challenge -- they definitely make you rethink how you live and what you need or don't need in order to have a home life that’s comfortable, expressive, and balanced.

I'm constantly changing things up, both in terms of style and arrangement. My style is rather broad, shifting, evolving. It’s graphic, eclectic, a little midcentury, geometric. I love white paint, and used Benjamin Moore’s White Down here.

I’m so inspired by design blogs. I never knew they existed until I started decorating this apartment, and since then, I've devoured them. What a great collection of ideas and resources! And I love seeing what ‘real’ people do with their homes.

My favorite thing about my home is the big closet/storage space. I don't know what I'd do without it. That and the wood floors, the big windows, and the entry vestibule that I painted entirely -- ceiling included -- in latex chalkboard paint from Home Depot.

I love that I look out onto a busy intersection, as well. I canceled my cable TV when I moved here, but the action outside my window is proving to be constant entertainment.

I work from home most of the time, and I also wanted the space to be company-friendly. So it was a challenge to make separate ‘zones of activity.’ The fact that I had access to a three-quarter-size bed that fit perfectly into the eating nook proved to be a major blessing. It almost turned the studio into a one-bedroom, leaving the main living area open for work and entertaining. Granted, it's a little odd to have the bed situated right off the kitchen, but I think it beats the alternative.

My oh-so-handy father and I built a picture-rail divider that we slotted into an open doorway to cordon off the sleeping area. I love it -- it looks like it's been there forever. The photography on these shelves and around the rest of the apartment is my own.

I painted the bedroom space a deep brown that I had custom mixed.

Beyond that, I made and added buttons to my fairly standard 'economy' sofa, which was from Urban Barn, to help customize and retro-ize it a bit.

I also put up wall-mounted bookshelves and a floating work surface, and painted the entire apartment. The artwork on the mantel is by Vancouver artist Jeremy Crowle.

I had a budget of only $1,000 to tackle the entire space, including buying all of the accessories, textiles, supplies, and furniture. In addition to the sofa, I already had the Saarinen dining set and my bed, but everything else is 'new to me.' Most of it's hand-me-downs or thrift-store finds.

The lantern over the dining table is from Pier 1, and the floor lamp is from Home Depot.

The unbleached linen Aina curtain panels and the white Britt sheers are from IKEA, as is the black-and-white Alvine Triangel rug.

All of the accessories come from HomeSense or thrift stores. I left the majority of my purchasing until after Christmas, and then stumbled onto some amazing post-holiday sales. Even thrift stores were offering 50 percent off on Boxing Day.

What I've learned from working on this project is that you need to have a well-thought-out marriage between form and function. This was the first home I've been in that I really analyzed how I needed to use the space and what sort of feeling I wanted it to evoke before I began doing anything. Knowing that ahead of time was definitely helpful, particularly because I was on a super-tight budget and couldn't waste money on mistakes.

I've also learned that if you're on a tight budget and know you'll be antsy for changes down the road, it's important to keep your big pieces neutral so you can redecorate around them. With new throw cushions, rugs, and curtains, I could have a completely different feel in this space. The neutral pallet allows me to easily feed my need for new looks.”

Click here to see more shots of Tracey's enviable nest, and check out the rest of her amazing photography here.

Thank you so much for the intimate look at your beautiful space, Tracey!

(P.S. Want to see more? Click here for a peek inside other readers' homes.)

Object of Lust: Light Cage Chandelier

Photo by Eric Luse for the San Francisco Chronicle

My heart literally skipped a beat when I saw this fixture today -- yes, I am that much of a sucker for beautiful and unusual lighting.

It was created by San Francisco designer Tracey Kessler, who was inspired by vintage construction lights that she saw at a building re-use center. Kessler's resulting industrial-chic chandelier, comprised of 14 to 16 separately wired bulbs encased in fine metal cages, is available at San Francisco's Jak Home for ... wait for it, now: $4,000.

In other words, not gonna happen. But still, I love it.

Photo by Eric Luse

It makes me wonder how hard it would be to put together something similar with a bundle of pendant light cords, a box of Edison bulbs, and a bunch of vintage industrial light cages gathered on eBay or at my local salvage yard.

Seriously, does anyone know where I could take an electrical wiring class? Because I think there might be some money in it.

Etsy Find of the Day: Vintage Landscapes

I'm coveting a vintage landscape painting just like Tracey Falk's.

Etsy seller the Orphanage has a couple of nice ones. Above: Mountain Landscape, $34; below: Mountain Stream at Dawn, $22.

See all of the rescued goodies in the Orphanage's Etsy shop right here.

Over and Out

Since today is officially Tracey Falk Day on More Ways to Waste Time, it's only fitting to sign off with another photo from her.

Have a lovely weekend!