Christmas is around the corner!

Thanksgiving is over and Christmas is just around the corner. So my Christmas tree went up on Sunday and we are getting ready for the blitz! I have to say this is the first year that my ornaments have out numbered the space on the tree, so I have been in the process of trying to trim down the group.

It seems that over the year there have been certain types of ornaments that have taken my fancy. One of those groups is furniture pieces, so i thought I would post a couple that are available now.

The Directors Chair

Adirondack Chair

Felt Club Chair

Wire Frame Chair

Sometimes its just the strangest things that get my attention

I am fascinated by the idea of man made Islands, I guess as a child I always wanted my own private Island, and I thought at the time that all the land was used up, so I would have to make one! I know, I was not the smartest kid on the block.

Well today I wanted to show two man made island projects.

The first is in the Caspian sea off the coast of Azerbaijan, and it's called Neft Dashlari. It may not be the first man made island project , but it caught my interest. It is actually a whole series of olil rigs taht are linked together by roads and platforms. It was built in the 50's by Stalin, and featured in a James Bond film.

The other is a lot more well known, and are the Palm Jumeirah Islands. At first I saw this project with horror, now I am kind of warmed up to it. It's intersting to see how Western the actual streetscape is, it kind of looks like parts of Orange County....go figure!

Post Election Map

It seems only yesterday that we were all poring over maps as the election drew near. Red states, Blue states, it was all a matter of great anxiety.

Well I came across this map that I thought was cool. I think it gives you some perspective about how big this country really is.

This map shows the individual states, but the names are replaced with the names of the countries that have equivalent GDP's.

Take a look, I hope that you find it as interesting as I do :)

My New Obsession

I got an email the other day by Authentic Provence, a great resource from Florida.

The thing that caught my eye was this great sink, made out of a boulder. I think its terribly chic, and cant wait for a contemporary project that this would work for.....What do you think?

Book Review- Charlotte Moss, A visual Life

Let me just start by saying "what a peculiar book". I do not mean this in a bad way either. When I first got this book I was a bit taken aback. I was looking forward to seeing some of the work of Charlotte Moss, someone who I have admired for a very long time. Instead I got a book that had very little text and page after page of what at first glance is visual chaos.

 

Do not let this first impression stop you! I put the book down for more than a week, and then curiosity drew me back and I spent more time with it. What I found was a gateway not to her work, but to the workings of her mind!

As it turns out Ms. Moss has been a collager for years and uses the medium as a visual record of her life and inspirations. When viewed through that lens these images become meaningful tributes to her life and clients. Now, I am not convinced this is the way I would record the world, but that is precisely why I keep coming back to this book. I love to see the world through the eyes of someone who sees it differently from me.



Published by Rizzoli, it is another book that I am pleased to have in my Library. With winter coming up, its the perfect comfy chair by the fire piece.

 

Charlotte Moss, A Visual Life

New Book- HOUSE

One of my biggest criticisms of a lot of new design books is that they are verbose, to the point of distraction. This new book, by Diane Keaton, called HOUSE, brings new meaning to the phrase, "a picture is worth thousand words".

 

 

One of the first things that strikes you in book, is the sheer lack of words, page after page is one glorious photo after another.

 

 

In the interest of full disclosure I actually toured a project of mine with Diane as she was researching this book (we were not selected) but the body of work here is really impressive. 

 

 

 

 

Work from all over the world is featured, I am pleased to see some Australians featured as I think some of the most interesting work is done there, especially in this realm.

 

The striking photo's are credited to Lisa Hardaway, Paul Hester and Paul Warchol. Each is like a work of art, and I will definitely do more research into their work, as they mange to illicit such strong imagery from simple vernacular.

 

While the theme of the book is obviously contemporary it is interesting to see the reinterpretation of traditional shapes and materials into fresh visions.

 

One of my favorites is the work done with humble shipping containers,,,,, and also the simple and elegant use of regular industrial elements.

So check out this great new addition to any library, it is available on Amazon today

Just Finished

 From humble beginnings began our project for one of my favorite clients. They decided to add a Barbecue pavillion to the side of their house. It had a big grill and a Benihana still flat griddle. I wanted to create something that was both relaxed and outdoorsy but still strong enough to stand up to the rest of the house.

 

The Pizza oven we clad in stone and then provided a patterned concrete tile from Granada Tile. It was the perfect mix of pattern, color and texture.

 

 

The finished product is simple and ready to go!

 

I deliberately chose a stainless steel hood over the island so that it created a more open space.

 

Why I am a Designer- Connie McCreight

Today i am thrilled to feature not only someone who I regard as a close personal friend and Mentor, but also an inspiring individual in her own right. While she would scoff at the title of a "Strong Woman" she in my book embodies just such a title. The Designer is Connie McCreight and I hope you enjoy what she has to say.

I found my beloved profession by a circuitous route, although there were “signs” at many points along the way. 

My first bed as an infant was a drawer pulled out of an antique chest in the Deep South.  My father was playing professional baseball, and I arrived on the scene quite early.   I slept soundly in various drawers in various states for the first few years of my life.  So you see, I had an affinity for furniture very early on.

After his baseball career, my father made a career of the Marine Corps.  He would come home from work every year or year and a half and announce that we were to be transferred a few thousand miles and we were leaving the next week.  This was invariably in the middle of a school year.  We dragged around all of our furniture and belongings (antiques and artwork picked up from all parts of the country) from place to place.  Mother’s unbreakable rule was “No one goes to bed the first night in the new place until the pictures are hung”.  I know this was her way of creating a stable, comfortable, nurturing and recognizable environment for our family no matter where we happened to be.  This also meant that I could do an amazingly fast “install” from the age of 6. 

As life continued through college and my first apartments, I was the only one of my friends who would use my extra money on new accent pillows for my hand-me-down sofa instead of a new pair of shoes.  My personal environment was always important to me.  I was challenged in helping friends spend their budget of $50 on thrift shop purchases to “personalize” a dorm room or tiny apartment.  Thankfully, over the years, those budgets increased.  I’ve always viewed each new opportunity as a jigsaw puzzle, using what is handed to me, bringing in additional parts of the existing puzzle and incorporating outside influences to create a new “whole”. 

After a BFA degree in Fine Arts, Education & Painting, a stint in a law firm, and a year teaching high school, I settled on the business of “Interior Design”, and went back to school completing UCLA’s comprehensive Interior Design program.   My passion was ignited; I had finally found a way to combine my love of art, decorative objects, interiors, teaching and business.  I thrive on the ever-changing landscape of art and design.  I am reaffirmed in my career choice daily when I view a beautiful new painting, an inventive piece of furniture or an amazing decorative object.  I delight in every meeting, when my clients have inspired me to create an environment just for them.  The artisans I work with continue to raise the bar on my ideas.  Every day is a new one, every client is different, each new locale presents excitement.  I am constantly being challenged, as well as renewed and regenerated both in work and in life.