Category: Design

in stitches: sarahjane goods

Sarah Jane Goodman loves to learn. So much so, in fact, she taught herself to chain stitch on a 90-year-old sewing machine. Her passion for this lost art began way back when… at the Happiest Place On Earth. Sarah remembers going to Disneyland’s The Mad Hatter hat shop as a kid, watching them embroider her name on a pair of customized, Mickey Mouse ears. She thought it was just about the best thing she’d ever seen…

Read More

Just Shy Of A Century: Von Hemert Interiors

One of Costa Mesa’s classiest corners is calling it quits after — *gasp* — 99 years in business. Von Hemert Interiors has been a mainstay at 1595 Newport Blvd., on the southern edge of Westside en route to Newport Beach, since the late 1970s. However, the business itself dates to 1920 and founder Anna Martin von Hemert, an immigrant who came to America from Europe…

Read More

Outside Is In: Molly Wood Garden Design

Molly Wood wants you to step outside. “The fresh air, the breeze — this moment is all we have!” she says, with a twinkle in her eye that reflects a true love for the greenery surrounding her. I’ve poked my head into Molly Wood Garden Design before. It’s hard to resist the cute, little, garden shop, just off Orange Avenue, that’s home to its namesake landscape designer and shopkeeper. Everywhere I look there’s something beautiful or interesting…

Read More

Day 105: Light Bulbs, Etc.

Ain’t that just the way of it? You decide to invest a little money and time – fixing up some things around the house – and the moment you do? Everything else breaks! Grrrrrr. Such was the case, recently, with my daughter’s bedroom ceiling fan. Like Murphy’s Law – or the movie, Up – no sooner had we filled our money jar for upgrades, then we’re cracking into it for repairs…

Read More

Michael Towey: California Workshop

This week, we interview mechanical engineer, furniture designer, kite surfer and modernism practitioner – Michael Towey – owner of The California Workshop! Towey and his team design and build lighting and furniture out of his studio in Westside Costa Mesa. He’s one deep and interesting guy with a very philosophical “form follows function” take on the world…

Read More

Amanda Malson: Common Standard

If you’ve noticed the fresh, beautiful modernization of local establishments like Eastside Mini Mart, Jan’s Health Bar or Memphis Cafe – or marveled at Pacific City’s Lot 579 food court, or the swanky, remodeled Lido Marina Village – you’ve unwittingly been touched by the design prowess of local Architectural and Interior Designer, Amanda Malson, of Common Standard Design…

Read More

Natural Beauty: Eclectic Ox Designs

In theory, I love all my neighbors. Don’t you? But that doesn’t mean I know them very well. I always wave and smile, but we don’t have in-depth conversations or spend a lot of time together. But there’s one exception in my neighborhood. And I met her about 100 miles away from here, even though she lives just down the street. That’s Molly Croteau: maker, designer, naturalist, wife and mom, and… my neighbor.

Read More

Metal Fab & Etch A Sketch

Despite our city’s size (112,000 residents or so) – a fair number of the neighbors we interview cite ‘that small-town feel’ as one of their favorite things about Costa Mesa. So what gives our town such a homey vibe? And why – no matter how robust the population becomes – does it still feel so much like ‘Costa Mayberry?’ Well, one of our theories is that it’s because so many people who grow up in Costa Mesa, stay in Costa Mesa. The city has a vigorous representation of multi-generation families, all living, working and supporting each other within these 16-square miles.

Read More

Pin Drop: Tiny Riot Designs

One day, not long ago, we began noticing a steady stream of small, wooden disks – etched with love, life and laughter – marching their way through our Instagram feed. Upon further investigation, the disks proved to be little, delicate, laser-cut pins emblazoned with big, cheeky, audacious messages. ‘What wonderfulness is this?’ we asked ourselves, and were pleased to uncover…

Read More

The (Mexi)Cool Kids: Vient Studios

The summertime Costa Mesa Concerts In The Park series at Fairview Park, in Westside Costa Mesa, is one of the best annual events in our city. Live music from great bands, yummy food trucks, free activities for the kiddos (like face-painting and balloon animals), adult beverages for the 21-and-over crowd, dancing, singing, socializing – and a general coming together with thousands of Costa Mesans of every age and persuasion. It’s excellent in every way!

Read More

Soirée Mainstay: Baker Party Rentals

Here at I Heart Costa Mesa, we think every day spent in our beautiful city is reason to celebrate – and we’re in good company! Today’s featured Costa Mesans are truly the life of the party… as in, you’d be hard-pressed to throw one without them. They are so interwoven into the festivity fabric of our city, chances are you’ve already attended at least one party (and likely many, many more) outfitted by Baker Party Rentals…

Read More

Contain Yourself

Every once in a while we stumble upon a “costamazing” little find with a “je ne said quoi” that really bates our breath. And this week’s feature brings the magic in the all the best, most-antiquey and frenchiest ways possible. We’re talking about the lovely, little-corner, quonset hut….

Read More

The Nickel Tour

While people like Costa Mesa for her weather, her beach-close affordability, her big-city-with-a-small-town feel – they fall in love with her details. If anyone can embody an appreciation for the little details of life – like the whimsy of a welcome mat, the dazzle of a druzy or the chuckle from a really cheeky tee – it’s today’s featured Costa Mesan…

Read More

The Frame Game

Naive. Unrealistic. Gullible. When people discover I Heart Costa Mesa is an online magazine dedicated to celebrating our city and only focusing on the good – they think we are blinded to all the difficulties and injustices in the world. But the truth is, we are painfully aware of it all – the brutal as well as the beautiful. It’s just that our team has made a very deliberate, conscious decision to feed the stories that highlight the everyday good, the positive, the productive. Because we want this project to embody what so many of you already know… that the secret to leading a happy life is all in how you frame it. And when it comes to productivity, positivity and frames, nobody walks that talk better than the hardworking couple-preneurs – Medi and Kristen Bendanna – over at Best Framing.

Read More

On The Fli

Happiness on the Mesa comes in many forms. Sometimes, it’s a beautifully-prepared meal. Other times, getting a good sweat going. Maybe your happy place is a community-led collaboration – or just the feeling of coming home to your favorite neighborhood. Yes, finding your bliss in the everyday is the secret to joie de vivre – where delight can come from something as simple as a charmingly-wrapped box. And if “brown paper packages tied up with string” are no longer one of your favorite things, consider stepping up your wrapping and shipping game with today’s featured business, Boxfli.

Read More

As The Garden Grows

Getting out to lavish love on our city, each week, has unearthed many unexpected delights. New people, new places, new perspectives – Costa Mesa truly sows seeds of wonder around every turn. And today’s feature is a perfect example of one such accidental, yet serendipitous surprise. A few months ago, we were driving through adorable Eastside when we saw a sight that stirred us to a screeching halt. There, before us, was a rustic-yet-retro, charming-yet-contemporary, coordinated-yet-casual residential landscape being installed at the feet of a cute, little cottage. Besmitten with all-things-Costa-Mesa as we are, we just had to meet the genius behind this gawk-worthy garden.

Read More
Loading