Keep Calm Gallery

While searching for a letterpress print of my favorite quote by Samuel Beckett, I stumbled upon Keep Calm Gallery. They are an online gallery based out of the UK and they have the most fantastic prints, cards, and other odds and ends. If you are a lover of witty quotes as I am, this is the place for you! Below is the print I purchased, and a few of the others I intend to add to my collection...

Right now I am loving...

...White Books!!

I noticed my bookcase looked a little cluttered the other day... but I can'y possibly get rid of any of my beloved books! So I thought I might try something new and cover them all in white for a while.

This should freshen up the bookcase and give my accessories the attention they just don't seem to get with all of the multi-colored books.

Check out some of this imagery I found to fuel my inspiration...

Just a quick Post

I am planning on doing a longer post about this, but have you checked out some of the pavilions at the new World Expo in China. I love the idea of architecture as fantasy and some of these are amazing. I will post more when I get a chance.

Earthday Everyday

While earthday is only celebrated once a year, sustainable materials are available everyday. One of my favorite renewable finds in the market is the leather belt flooring by TING. Vintage leather belts scored from Paris, London, and Los Angeles are given the look of modern, lacquered floor boards and turned into iconic flooring solutions. This is proof that greener is cooler.

Furniture I Love at Restoration Hardware

Check out what Resoration Hardware has to offer. They have updated versions of timeless pieces like the Copenhagen chair or super cool, versatile pieces like the Secretary Steamer Trunk Desk.

Where do You Find Your Inspiration

You can find inspiration in all sorts of places. Looking through a book on old Chinese trellis designs gave me the idea for this music room that we did on the beach in Orange county. The bright green came from a La Duree box of course (some people think that that is the perfect green).

The Music Room was a small space so I deliberately left the floor bare and used the bold pattern on the ceiling. The Chinoiserie print I decided to tea stain to soften the color. It's a subtle way to finish off fabric, but it can make a really big difference.

Well it went great!

Well the problem with before pictures is that, well they are before you do anything. But i thought I would post a few shots of my latest project in NYC. It is down in Soho and is a 3 bedroom that we are converting into a 2 bedroom (we are taking down some walls and making the Living Room bigger).

There are lots of things that o love about this place, the proportions of the rooms are great, not too grand but a very nice human scale. Also it is on the seventh floor which is high enough to get great light, but close enough to the ground that you still feel connected. Lastly it is the end unit in the building so has windows on three sides so it feels a lot like a house.

The Living Room as it is now,,,, I only realized what a bad shot I am, after i got back. It feels tiny here, but it's actually quite expansive.

This the view from the Bathroom window...I know!

In the next few days I will post some images of things I have selected, we are going with a very modern look, quite a departure for me, so i can't wait to show it.

New York Here I Come....

Tomorrow I leave for New York for a presentation on a new project, and I can hardly wait. There are a few things that make this project special, the first is that this is for one of my oldest clients and closest friend. I did a place for her more than 10 years ago, and several homes later, this will be the more detailed residence yet. Secondly we are doing this home, located at the Soho Mews in a much more contemporary way.

Contemporary is a bit of a departure for me, but I think that coming from a more traditional mindset really gives us the chance to create something quite new.

I will post some of the details after I do the presentation...no sneak peeks!

The Before.....

I love my garden, it has been a work in progress now for a year or two, and each spring, just as surely as the bulbs bloom, we start on a new project to add to it. Last year we did the big projects, and now we are just trying to finish some of the in fill pieces.

I met yesterday with one of the owners of SynLawn, a faux grass company. hey have a new product that had caught my eye, no longer was it just a wash of green, this new product of theirs actually has a brown edging at the roots, it give an amazingly realistic look to the finished product.

I have this large section to the garden which I did in gravel last year, which has been very versatile, but now that Ruby is a little older, having some big grass play area would be great. The area is a little shady, so real grass is probably not the best solution.

I can't wait to show you what it looks like when its done.....

Next Project: Outdoor Dining Room

To check out this weekend...

Last week I was introduced to Lonny Magazine. Lonny is an online shelter mag that looks and feels (almost) exactly like a real magazine. You can turn the pages, bookmark things, and best of all when you click on an item in a photo, it takes you right to the product's site! WARNING: This may induce random acts of shopping!!!

Is the the future of shelter mags? Instead of flipping through my Elle Decor by the pool, will I now be reading Lonny on my ipad instead? Something to ponder...

Have a great weekend!

Inspiration

Design inspiration can come from the smallest details in everyday objects. Here are a few images that currently inspire me.

Small Space Big Ideas

As a college student and current apartment dweller, I can relate to issues with small spaces. This space from ApartmentTherapy.com is a great example of designing for maximum functionality. I like the way they incorporated so much without sacrificing their style.

EVO

Yesterday was an exciting day, I gave two presentations at EVO-South, the condominium building in downtown Los Angeles where we did a model unit.

My presentation was about how to build collections that will last a lifetime. Many times as designers we are brought on when people are on their second or third homes, and we inherit pieces that are either poor quality or inappropriate stylistically. My model at EVO was designed with flexibility and economy in mind.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind a you start building your own collection:

1. Buy the best quality upholstery you can afford, in the most basic configuration. Good upholstery pieces can really last a lifetime, buy pieces that have a solid frame (kiln dried wood, glued and nailed and eight way hand tied). As you move from home to home re upholstery is always an option and will always give you a bright new look.
2. Buy smaller tables etc they will allow more flexibility later on. At the EVO you can see we did a cluster of tables instead of a large single coffee table, in the next home, these could become side tables or even bedside tables, these are a good investment.
3. For things that are very site specific, especially when you are starting out, do not spend a lot of money. For instance these shelves in the Office area, we not expensive pieces so if they are not perfect for the next place there is no great pressure to use them we can give them away. If we spent a lot of money on them, the situation would be much different.

Lets Try This Again!

Well it's Spring and there sure is a lot going on. New projects, talks, as well as an exciting shop window to premiere at the beginning of next month. So we sat down at the office and decided that we should have another attempt at our blog. Lately things have been so busy we simply haven't had time to write about it.

Well just as sure as the Dogwoods are blooming we are going to try and make it all the way through the spring.