My Trip to New Orleans

I was in New Orleans last week at a conference for some of the best Architects and Interior Designers in the country. Called the Design Summit, it gave us some great opportunities to talk about doing business in this economy etc etc. One of the most interesting panel discussions though had to do with architectural preservation and what that means in a city like New Orleans. It really struck me that in a place like the French Quarter, it is less about the architecture and more about the place that that architecture creates, so preservation of the whole area is required to save anything at all.

I also did a quick ride over to see the lower 9th ward as well, that was just devastated. Sadly it remains largely that way still, it was interesting to see some hope though. A few of the homes from Brad Pitts "Make it Right" Foundation are going up, and hopefully will be the beginning of another vibrant community.

Must See Design TV

I am thrilled to announce that we are being featured on a great new series on HGTV. It is called HGTV's Top 10, and each episode features 10 rooms of a particular sort, like Bathrooms, or Libraries, Kitchens etc.

There are lots of great people on here, the first episode, Bathrooms, does not have any of my work, but features work by Andrew Skurman, Nicole Sassaman as well as my personal favorite Vincente Wolf.

The producers were kind enough to select 7 different rooms of mine to feature in the series, so stay tune there are a lot to catch. It is a bit unclear what the regular schedule is, but if you set your TIVO, you can't miss it.

On a side note, it is great to see HGTV embrace some more high end design. These rooms mostly are very, very expensive, but they serve as great inspiration for what quality design is all about.

The Coordination Game

Everyone, no matter who, struggles at times with fabric and paint color coordination. Whether it is bad lighting, difficulty perceiving the difference between one color white and another color white or for those of you out there who are just overwhelmed with the choices, Sherwin-Williams and the Robert Allen Group have come to the rescue!

In all Robert Allen/Beacon Hill showrooms they now have handy easy to use color cards with suggested palettes of fabrics and paint colors!

I think that this is a great resource and Robert Allen has the track record of 70 years in the business to prove that their fabrics, trim & hardware!

What a great idea!

Where should they go next?

Jessica Rust Designs needs all bloggers to help! Jessica wants help choosing the next city to be featured on her "Skyline" tea mugs. Everyone who suggests a city will be entered to win a set of their very own darling "Skyline" tea mugs. Just click on the link below and send them your suggestion!

Where should we go next?

Mine was Minneapolis... I just went to visit a friend this year, and loved it there! What was yours...?

My New Favorite Book

I recently received from Amazon, that has quickly become my new favorite book on Interior Design. It is Saladino Villa. It is his new book about how he renovated his current home in Montecito, just outside of Santa Barbara, CA.

What makes this book so special, is not only the work amazing, but Mr. Saladino goes out of his way to explain his motives and the process, including lots of before and after shots, as well as a few architectural drawings.

I think this book is a Master Class in Interior Design. He really lifts the veil on the process, making it possible to see into the mind of one of our greatest living Interior Designers.

This book is a must have!!!

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.