"KEEP AUSTIN WEIRD" - Patrice Nichole Rios

 The famous Austin slogan found everywhere around the city

It’s official; fall is here, even in Texas. The temperature has fallen from a frightening 100+ degrees to a crisp 81 degrees. I know you're thinking 81 degrees in the fall is absurd, but guys a 20-degree change is crucial here. Anyway happy fall everyone!

Now, let’s get down to business. I'm Patrice (one of the two needles) and I'm a new designer to the city of Austin. You will soon be meeting the other needle, Mais. Now, for those of you not familiar with Austin, Texas, I'm here to share with you all the unique perquisites this “weird” city has to offer. After leaving West Hollywood in 2009 to venture out on my own, I found myself in one of the greatest cities I have ever lived in… and let me tell you, I have lived all around this amazing world; from Detroit to Shanghai, Mexico to Canada. I moved to Austin with zero expectations, so far I have experienced more than I could ask for. Fortunately, Austin has been placed in the ”recession proof” category, allowing my interior design business to pick up. I have had the privilege of working on projects like The W Residences of Austin, a home in the prestigious Rob Roy neighborhood and even branching out to design a studio apartment in downtown Chicago. Some say this is luck, I say that's Austin!

So please join in on this journey of discovery. Discovering how cities like New York and Austin can inspire each other, discovering your likeness for design and discovering two designers discovering the world together. And hey, maybe even discover why the famous saying “Keep Austin Weird” is so… famous. I hope you will follow and learn from this blog and that it will encourage you to take note of all the beautiful things that surround you in this phenomenal world.

I will be sharing all of my design experiences with you as my career progresses… I am barely 26, so this is only the beginning. I will share my favorite MUST SEE destination spots, so STAY TUNED. Austin just isn’t built on rising temperatures and “Friday Night Lights”, it’s surprisingly built on incredible music, art, film, architecture, food, design and simply LIFE. So let's see what there is to be discovered here. After all, I am just one needle living in this haystack of a world.

Xo, Patrice Nichole Rios