New Feature Coming Soon

I just went out and bought my first video camera,,,so be on the look out for some video posts, as soon as this weekend. I am just brushing up on editing techniques but i hope to get something posted in the next day or so...

Inspiration - Execution

Although California, and Los Angeles, in particular has a relatively short history, there are some great shining moments. One of those was the growth spurt that happened in the 1920's and 30's. There was a real interest in design at that time here and you saw the rise of some really terrific Mediteranean inspired architecture. To help feed that need a pottery opened in Malibu that created some of the most beautiful tile designs, most of which based on Spanish and Moorish inspiration. The top picture is an image from the Kitchen at the Adamson House. It was the house built by the owners of Malibu Potteries to showcase their work. It stands today as a great place to visit and an endless source of ideas.

The second picture is a small bathroom I was asked to design in a Spanish Revival home. So I used the Adamson House as my inspiration and used a bright color scheme and lots of patterned tile. I hope you like the outcome.

This is Exciting News

One of my favourite architects in the world, Jean Nouvel is coming to Los Angeles! As reported yesterday in the Los Angeles Times, he has designed a new condominium building at the edge of Beverly Hills. From the images I have posted it looks fairly straight forward, but what is difficult to see is the hanging gardens that go down the thin side of the whole building. Think of it as a modern versions of the Gardens of Babylon. They will be hydroponic and create an amazing display that will be able to be seen for a long distance. The approval process has only just begun, so it will be years before we see it come to fruition, but simply the idea has perked up my weekend.

Rethink Venetian Plaster

One of the biggest challenges in constantly trying to create something new and fresh for each different project, is finding new ways of using common materials. This posting is about a small room that I particularly love. It's a Powder Room that I did, where I wanted to create a very detailed but subtle pattern on the wall. I knew that I wanted to use Venetian Plaster (a tinted colored plaster), the beauty of it, is it's subtle shading of color. So the new technique I developed (well in the interest of full disclosure, had the plaster guy develop), involved using a plastic stencil, like you would use for stencilling. We did a coat of plaster over the wall, then, after it dried, using spray adhesive, attached the stencil to the wall, then applied another coat of plaster. Then you peel away the stencil and it leaves behind a wonderfully subtle raised pattern.

This may sound like a fairly complicated technique, and it certainly requires a certain amount of skill. But you could easily develop a simpler technique, while still using the stencil.

• Maybe a very subtle painted technique (using the same color but one coat with a flat paint, and one with a gloss)
• Try stencilling over a textured wallpaper, I think stencilling over grass cloth is a particularly good technique.
• Using the stencils to create a panelled look in your room.

The important thing is to think creatively about your resources, you might be amazed what you can come up with.

Something Just a Little Bit Different

Today I thought I would post an image that is just a little bit different. This is a Kitchen Hood that I designed for a family in Los Angeles. I had a fairly simple room, so I wanted something that was going to be a little bit more decorative than the normal plaster or stainless steel that you normally see.

This one is made from Tin and then painted, it gives the Kitchen a more old world kind of feeling I think, without getting too cutesy.

Other ways to introduce a little more style to a Kitchen could be:

• Try to find a liner tile with some great color and pattern to it, rather than a decorative field, sometimes just a liner is enough.
• Make the island an accent color, in this Kitchen we went with a steely blue.
• Keep the rest of the Kitchen as simple as possible, too many things of interest, become very distracting to the eye.
  

Check out this great piece.....

I was quoted today in an article that appeared on POINTCLICKHOME.COM, about bathrooms. I think it's a great piece and there are a few terrific images, so you should take a look.

A Few Favorite Things

Few things can transform a room like a beautiful fireplace. I came across these images when I was cleaning out my hard drive the other day. I took them while on a shopping trip with a client in Paris. We didn't end up using any of these particular choices, but they remain some of my favorite pieces. I really love shopping in Europe, you get to see so much cool stuff. These came from a place just outside of Paris in Houdan, and it specialises antique fireplaces and architectural bits and pieces.