Pink Makes me Happy

It's raining in Los Angeles today, something that rarely happens at this time of year. 

Pink Makes me happy :)

Tuesday Book Review: Home Sweet Home by Oberto Gili

The experience of a lot of really great interior design for a lot of people is through books and magazines. By necessity then, their experience is seen through the filter of a photographer, and what better lens to look through than Oberto Gili.

Gili has been documenting interiors since the 1970's and his eye for the dramatic and unexpected creates not just a wonderful photograph but a tangible experience of what that space would be like.

Another great feature of this book....no text! Now I don't even have to pretend to have read it all. In fact, too much verbiage would get in the way, when you look at the projects you can almost tell the story just from the pictures.

There are many favorite projects here but two really stand out. One is the apartment of Richard Meir the other, the painter Ellsworth Kelly. Both of these chapters manage to tell the story of two huge personalities through small vignettes and insights to the way the relate to their built environment.

So if you are like me and enjoy a voyeuristic tour of homes of the likes of Renzo Mongiardino, and Isabella Rossellini you will definitely enjoy this new offering by Rizzoli. It comes out this month so look for it, it will make a great addition to your collection.

Interiors Magazine

It seemed that for a long time you knew just what to expect from Magazines, each issue was essentially a version of the one that came before it. Then the huge shuffle occurred and it was hard to keep up with who was where, and who was staying in business and who folded. Well out of all of this came Interiors Magazine. It seems that this was a magazine that never really got a lot of traction, but in the last few months it has pretty much reached the top of my monthly must reads.

This issue is no exception. Michael Wollaeger  who was featured on this blog when he was Editor of Western Interiors has transformed this magazine into the bright shining upstart we have all been asking for. With a collection of amazing projects Vicente Wolf and several others and Photography by Tim Street Porter and John Ellis (two personal friends and design favorites).

Well congratulations to everyone at the magazine for an amazing job, it gets better with each issue. Now run out and buy a copy, this is one to support.

I should also mention here too,,,, one of my pet peeves is most magazines do not show the outside of the houses, so there is no context. Not the case here it is about the WHOLE home.

Lamps Plus Interview

Today my Interview with the Lamps Plus Blog was posted.

I am a big fan of Lamps Plus, they offer a huge variety of manufacturers and they have great customer service as well!

The Interview talks a bit about my philosophy of ""The Luxury of Simplicity" and a variety of different inspirations and obsessions. I hope you enjoy!

1st Dibs Finds

I Love 1st Dibs, and one of my favorite aspects is the sheer number of categories of things that are available to see. Today the section I want to show you is the Architectural Models section. I think that models are really great things to use in an interior. Whether its a stair model used as a lamp (like the one shown above) or a great antique from the Grand Tour, they all tell a great story and add depth of history to an interior.

This is a Model for a Cupola

At 16" tall I think this (which is a souveneir of the Grand Tour) would look amazing  on a table in a contemporary Interior.

New Must Have Book

My favorite type of design books (and I have a million of them) are the ones that make me look at the subject in a whole new way. If you are like me, then you are going to LOVE the new book "Louis Vuitton Architecture and Interiors".

I have been a fan of the way LV has always been able to present a consistent design message with a few key iconic symbols they are able to deftly weave consumer products, architecture and interiors creating a message that not only reinforces the brand but also sends it in exciting and unusual directions.

This book is broken down by location, then at the end dedicated chapters to Skins, Facades and Signage.

The book has some great photography, but some equally interesting interviews with the architects for each of their signature stores. One of the more interesting aspects were the photos of the exteriors taken in a way to show the context of the store with the surrounding city (the image of the Moscow Store with St Basel in the background is a notable example).

Keeping it Small

A lot of times you will hear people say that if you are working on a small space, you should paint everything white, or at least light. That it will make the room feel bigger, well I don't think making a space feel bigger should always be the goal. This is a room I did that used to be the closet under the stairs and is now a cool, fully functional home office. It is only about 6'-0 x 8'-0" but with the right attention to detail, and distilling out all the superfluous stuff, it actuall feels about right.

The chair is a personal favorite it is on a track and can actually recline waaaay back. The desk by Antoine Proulx is cool too, as it is very open and the white wood makes quite a chic statement.