STUNNING!

Recently I was absolutely taken aback by this amazing art installation at the showroom of Thomas Lavin. The artist is LA born and studied at Santa Monica College. He now has his own studio downtown and is producing amazing art along with a number of artist he is apprenticing. The pictures do not do the work justice, if you are in LA you must go into the showroom to have a look. I am awaiting more information on the artist and will update you with it as soon as I do get it but in the meantime here are some wonderful images to satiate your design taste buds!

It's funny how some things can set your mind buzzing. I was out shopping yesterday with a client, and we stopped by one of my favorite Antique stores in Los Angeles, Eccola and there on the floor was something that I had never seen before, an actual Giraffe skin rug. It was beautiful. I have to say that I have always been afan of natural skins on the floor, as well as the Giraffe pattern, so you could imagine how excited I was to see it. It is still available here is the link http://eccolaimports.com/itemdetails.php?id=248904

http://www.kylebunting.com/ideas-floors-cowhide-leather-rugs.shtml

Patchwork leather rugs are pretty easy to come by, but the ones by Kyle Bunting are fresh and beautiful. With a broad selection of colors and patterns, each one is a custom piece that is totally unique. These rugs are not cheap, but I love the fact that Kyle posts a collection of rugs that are on sale on his site. I have bought a couple of these and the quality is great, so it's a good place to look if you are on a bit of a budget.

http://www.kottlersafrica.com/products2/images2/zebraskins2/90%20(2).JPG

Cow hide rugs are one thing, but can you really beat the beauty of a good Zebra rug. Luckily zebra's are being farm raised now, so it's sort of politically correct, well at least acceptable to have them now. I have bought rugs from Kottlers before and have been very happy with the range, as well as the service. My favorite Zebra is a chocolate brown and ivory, rather than the stronger colors of the black and white.

http://www.edelmanleather.com/magiccarpets.htm#

As many of you may know, we are currently working on a room at the Pasadena Showhouse of Design, the oldest running showhouse in the country. The room my team is doing is a garden room, which should be beautiful, but when it came to the ceiling panels, I wanted something a little unique, that had some sheen and sound deadening qualities, I thought that cow hide might be perfect. I went to Edelman Leathers as the quality of their tanning and coloring is beautiful. I can't wait to post images of our "furry" ceiling.

http://www.bearskin-rugs.com/polar-bear-rugs-c-62.html

Now this is probably going to be a polarizing choice, no pun intended! But I love the beauty of the polar bear rug. If you could imagine a modern white interior, with contemporary furniture, then draped on the floor, this stunning rug. I think it would be quite chic, although I might be alone in thinking that.

Wall-Covering-Mania!

I was skimming through my Elle Decor the other day, and came across this great faux-tile wallpaper from Graham & Brown. I thought I would share it with you "commitmentphobe" & "serial renovators" out there. It is water and fade resistant, and they even claim it is easier to clean than most other wallpapers. It is not recommended instead of a shower surround, but would be great in a powder room or on an accent wall!
Below I have a few other great papers now available (not tile, just regular wallpaper)... The price is right and their collection is so diverse! Check out their US site here.

Madeline Weinrib Rugs

I have to admit that I cannot take credit for this post. My friend Casey Roy, a very talented designer from San Antonio mentioned Madeline on her Facebook page a couple of days ago, so I had to go and check it out, and sure enough, another treasure!

Madeline Weinrib, does a lot of textiles, fashion etc, and some beautiful rugs, but the ones that totally caught my attention were the denim ones. It makes me want to go out and buy a beach house real bad! While there are no prizes for the imagination of the names, the rugs are really quite pretty, sort of like Levi Strauss in Gees Bend!

Bedroom Style

Ok, so I have to admit I have a total girl crush on Elizabeth Mayhew! She is coming out with a new book soon, and I can't wait to read it! In the meantime, she often writes articles in House Beautiful and other publications. One of my favorites talks about different ways to make your bed, and what your way might say about you!

Check it out below...

The "Modernist" likes their pillows flat, neat and in a row.

This arrangement is more of a "Tailored" look, I am assuming,
for someone who keeps all of their ducks in a row at all times.This is for the "Romantic".
The array of shams with decorative flange, and neckrolls speak for themselves.

And, lastly, my own style... the "Bohemian".
A mixed but coordinated look, that often reflects an easygoing attitude.

Show House Update

So work continues on the Pasadena Showcase House of Design. You may remember that I talked about that a few weeks ago. Well you can see the new stone floor is in, and the framing for the walls is starting to go up. Some of the lattice is in already. The Show house opens in about a month, so stay tune for more images.

Pretty in Pink

Ideas can come from many different places. Take a look at one of my favorite things...gingham!

The simplicity of the design is easy to translate into a tile pattern. This was perfect for a little girls bathroom that I was designing. Hope you like the results.

Chiasso

I love it when I come across old catalog companies that I haven't seen in a while. Last weekend I was in Palm Springs and I brought out a load of catalogs and magazines that I had been wanting to catch up on. One of those was Chiasso. Now, I have to admit its been a while since I looked at that one, but I am working with a friend who is just moving into a new loft downtown and I thought there might be a thing or two in there. Boy! they had some great stuff!!

Take a look at some of the cool things, then get onto their website, I think you will be as surprised as I was.

Shine On

Lamps are one of my favorite things in the world, and we came across today a place I had not heard of before, Shine Home. They have some great pieces, these are four of the ones that caught my eye, but you should go online and check them out. They have accessories and furniture too. It's nice to find new sources like this!

Intense Color

For many years the trend has been neutral neutral neutral. The apparent mantra being "color makes a room feel smaller"----I am so glad that people are throwing out that old and boring adage and diving head first into bold, warm, deep, cooling or bright colors! I recently was perusing the House Beautiful "Ultimate Color Issue" and was oohing and ahhing at every page. Here are a few of the fantastic inspirational and aspirational images for you to mull over....
I love the warmth and coziness which this room exudes, the chocolate color almost melts in your mouth. I particularly love Farrow & Ball "Wainscot" #55

This light and lovely yellow lifts up a long hallway which may have felt closed in and dark if it were not for this perfect use of color. I particularly like Benjamin Moore's Aura Series "Soleil" AF-330. It may not be as deep as this one so you may like Farrow & Ball's "Citron" #74 as well

Not everybody would recommend black but you will notice that they have not painted the whole wall black, creating punches of non color, making the room a spot to highlight unique pieces of furniture and art.
The brilliant use of layered colors, Cool Blue on the walls (try Benjamin Moore Aura Series "Schooner" AF-520) the white washed floors (try Farrow & Ball "White Tie" #2002, tell your painter to use it as a glaze) the Vibrant Orange painted medallions on the floor (try Benjamin Moore " Brilliant Amber" #161) and the Faux Painted Burlwood door frame set off the upholstery, drapery and artwork with a sense of whimsy. I feel such a draw to this room and beyond.