New Wisteria

LOL Well I know it's been months since I posted last, and I was going to post about something else, but I was on the Wisteria site 10 minutes ago and I thought in the name of symmetry I would start with this.

This Suzani bed roll is great. I am kind of over the Suzani craze, but this one has a fresh, almost modern feel to it that I really like.

This draped table is beautiful, it has a very John Saladino feel to it. I can't wait to show you some of the work I am doing at The W Hollywood Residences, I used something similar. Its a good option if budget is a big concern.

This little chest is sweet. I am thinking ahead to a summer house at the beach, it would be perfect, perhaps even a boy's bedroom, coupled with some denim or chambray.

New from Oly Studio

One of my favorite things to do on a Sunday morning is to sit at my lap top with a cup of coffee and scan through some of my favorite web sites and see what is new and interesting. A site that I haven't visited in a while is Oly Studio. They are the more value conscious arm of Ironies, out of San Francisco. So, shopping through Oly, you get all the benefit of the great designs of Ironies that have been re-engineered for a more budget conscious shopper.

I found on their site today some great stuff, particularly a Dining Room table that is stunning and a console table that I think is the perfect thing for what I need outside in my covered patio.

Take a look and see what else is there, let me know if I missed any gems.

Spring is in the Air

It is getting to be that time of year that everyone in the northern part of the country hates everyone in the south. Last weekend in Los Angeles was sunny and in the low 80's perfect outdoor entertaining weather. So, at the risk of upsetting you northerners I am going to write about my search for the perfect outdoor chair. 

This is the year, I am finally going to get my garden into shape, my outdoor dining room complete and start using the garden again after a year or so of looking at bare earth. I saw a chair on sale at Smith and Hawken at the end of last year, but was too slow and they were all sold out, so now I am searching for a chair, well 10 chairs actually. The table I have in mind will be  a fairly rustic wood one, so I want a chair to contrast that.....here are some that I found, what do you think?

I Like this one from the Sundance Catalog and at $225, it's a great deal

This one from Mecox Gardens I really like, in person it may be a little heavy, so I would have to swing by and take a look, also, I am really hoping to bring in some strong color too, so the Grey may not be a good choice. At $795 it's also a bit expensive.

I was surprised to find these at Kmart of all places. Part of the Martha Stewart Collection, I think they might be the winner. Already I am in love with the red. I am a bit concerned that these are last years stock, so finding 10 might be a challenge.

The most modern of all is to be found at the MOMA Store. I will be in NYC in a week or so, so I am going to check it out and see what it's like in person, it could also be a great choice. But at almost $500 a chair I had better fall totally in love.

Resource Day: Wisteria

I have to admit that one of my guilty pleasures is catalogues. For me, there is nothing better than the end of the day, sitting at my desk, flipping through the latest retail delights that are available to me. Whether it is cookies, clothing or candles, I will look at them all. Thank goodness, I don't buy a whole lot of this stuff, but I do love to look. An exception to this, is one catalogue that I think stands out from the rest, and that is Wisteria. I think that this company really has it going on. With a mixture of new and vintage stuff, it presents just the right amount of unusual things to set it apart from the norm.

Because I get inundated with these things, I start to notice that certain items can show up in 3 or 4 different catalogues. I don't find that with Wisteria, the stuff is always fresh, well presented, and most importantly to me well-priced. So if you have a moment, check them out and see what they have to offer, you will be pleasantly surprised I think.

Just as a general note, Resource Day, is a day a week that I dedicate to a different resource that I like. I don't write about resources that I don't like, my experience may not be yours and I don't think this is the venue for me to vent. I also do not get paid or asked to write about these companies, I write because I genuinely want them to succeed because I think that they offer something worthwhile.

Not a Pretty Chair?

Even on the scale of projects that I am used to working on, budget is always an issue. One way to make your budget go further is reusing some of the clients old pieces of furniture. This sometimes takes some creativity on the part of the designer. You can see above a perfect example of this. The top picture shows the clients existing Dining Room chair (the blue/green rinse over the wood really adds something don't you think?). Well, in the new Dining Room, that really wasn't going to work, so I re imagined the chair in a deep wood stain with this vibrant cut velvet seat, and all of a sudden it looks pretty cool. One other thing I did.... We needed more chairs that we had existing, so I simply created some very simple dark brown leather chairs, in the same silhouette as the existing ones.....they mix really well.

Here are some tips for reusing your old pieces in a new way:

• Be creative with the color, often all it takes is a coat of paint or stain and you will have a whole new piece.
• If it is a cased piece, such as a set of drawers etc, change out the hardware too, that can give a whole new direction.
• Another idea is to upholster the panels on your drawers etc, this can give a very custom loo9k, and is something you can do easily at home.
• The less important the piece the more vivid a color it can take, make it look a little frivolous and fun.

Working with a Large Room

There can be a lot of challenges associated with working with a small room, but there are also a lot of issues dealing with a large space. If it is not dealt with properly, your seating group can feel adrift, and the space will feel overwhelming and uncomfortable. So here are some tips about dealing with a big room.

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  When starting on a big room, it is crucial that you create zones, the goal is to make it feel almost like a series of rooms put together.


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  Try to find creative ways to break up the space. For instance, in the room shown above, I created wrought iron screens to help break the room up. This is a particularly good method because you can use the screen as a place to put furniture in the middle of the space.


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  Try to space the focal points around the room. For instance the TV may be on one side, the fireplace on another. Other things that you can use for focal points, could be a view, a fish tank, a billiard table or even a fabulous standing lamp.


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  Using area rugs is another great way to break up a space, when doing this use color to tie them all together. In the room above, I mixed modern and traditional rugs, but in the same palette so that it doesn't feel too disjointed.


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  Don't be afraid of space either, it's important that you resist the temptation to over furnish, it will just become oppressive.

I hope that this helps.....

Answer Day: Wicker

Today's question was posed by a woman, who is a big fan of wicker furniture, but also has young kids. Her concern is whether or not she can incorporate wicker into her home, without fear of the kids ruining it. The short answer to that question is yes, and no. It really depends on the pieces you have in mind.

Like all types of furniture, wicker comes in a variety of qualities and styles, and this will determine it's suitability for your home. The classic designs that we are all used to seeing on the Southern Porch is large with lots of loose weaving, is probably not the best choice, as it has a lot of fairly unsupported pieces that give it it's decoration. On the other hand, there is now a whole group of wicker furniture that is a little simpler in design and works well in almost any situation. The image of the sofa above is a good example of this.

There are several manufacturers that build this furniture too, and like most things, the less expensive the items are (Pier 1 and World Market), the less likely the piece will hold up to lots of stress. I have always had success with Walters Wicker (www.walterswicker.com), they have a great selection of product, that are reasonable in price, but with a quality that I feel good about.

Now, the other option that you have, especially if it is the more decorative kind of wicker that you had in mind, is to choose pieces, other than seating. A decorative plant stand, or occasional table will probably be safe from the onslaught of most kids, but will still give you the look that you are after.

I hope that this has helped, let me know what you decide on.

Thursday is Resource Day

In an effort to give the Blog some structure, I thought it was a good idea to dedicate certain days to certain topics, Mondays to answer questions on design etc (if you have any questions, please do post them, there is only one the at the moment and i don't want to have to make them up LOL!). So, I thought on Thursdays I could share some valuable resources with you, and today that resource is Aesthetic Decor out of Los Angeles. http://www.aestheticdecor.com/

The Designer responsible for these pieces is Richard Johnson, he takes his inspiration from classical architecture, and he transforms them into decorative items for the home that transcend periods and styles, I think that they work equally as well in modern settings as they do in traditional. His work can be seen at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas, as well as showrooms throughout the U.S.. I think he is definitely someone to check out because of his unique point of view. Enjoy!

By the way the pieces are not meant to be Blue! I am new at this and these images just came up that way, when I work out how to get them back to their real color, I will change it.