Wednesday, February 24, 2010

CHANGING SPACES: HOLLYWOOD AT HOME HAS A NEW HOME ON LA CIENEGA BLVD

Hollywood at Home has a new home! Since 2007, the shop has led the way in California traditional design. Interior designer and Brit Peter Dunham came to LA in 1998, changing the design landscape with his eclectic mix and bohemian vibe. He recently moved his shop from Almont Yard to the bustling La Cienega antique shop row. His new shop oozes charm and livable design, with textiles from Lisa Fine, Carolina Irving, designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard, Jed Johnson Home and his own line, Peter Dunham Textiles. Furniture from his Hollywood at Home line is comfortable, well-designed and provides a sense of history in an interior. The final touches comes from well-edited antiques, vintage textiles, and accessories placed throughout shop--the home you never want to leave!

A red awning and door set an upbeat tone, welcoming visitors. Dunham red has become a trademark in his work, and it can be seen in the distance at 724 N. La Cienega Blvd.

Upon entering the space, you are transported to a casual chic environs, filled with antiques, chic finds and furniture and accessories of Dunham's own design. A large scale framed print by Peter Dunham for Natural Curiosities hangs to the right of the front desk.

The scene is set. White walls are the perfect backdrop for the printed fabrics.

Fabrics are hung on hooks that extend along the wall, showcasing the spectrum available in full lengths.

By creating a homey setting, shoppers are encouraged to hang out and scheme rooms. Natural light streaming in the windows makes for accurate color matching.

Hydrangeas in an antique vase sit in the center of the table stacked with vintage books and a Martyn Lawrence-Bullard exotic scented candle.

A 19th Century Hudson Table by Hollywood at Home is available in custom sizes and finishes with leaf extensions. Everywhere you turn, there is another great fabric to look at.

Amazingly, the numerous fabric collections all work together. Their bohemian style and rich colors go together well.

The Bobbin Chair, based on a 1910 Austrian chair, is made of hand-turned walnut and hand-woven rush, adds a rustic element to a room. Panels made of Martyn Lawrence Bullard's Majorelle fabric hang in the windows and a sofa is upholstered in his Moorish- inspired print, Marrakech. The rich Italian and ethnic colors and patterns look great en suite.

A bedroom set up in the large room is dominated by a 4 poster bed with bed hangings in Carolina Irving's Patmos stripe in Lake. Walls are upholstered in her Calico print in blue. A cozy seating area sits next to shelves with pillows.

A bedroom is not complete without a cozy reading chair. The Gibbs Chair, with a deep seat and tufting, is based on a late 19th century English model. It is on brass casters so it can easily be moved. Blown glass jugs have been made into gorgeous lamps by Dunham.

An antique 20th Century Tanzou lacquered chest holds photos and books, along with a mid-century turquoise crackle lamp on white bases, creating a lived- in home ambiance. A Hollywood at Home Moorish mirror in a black crackle finish hangs above it. The rush How to Marry a Millionaire Chair is a big success for H at H for its comfort and modernist lines.


Monday, February 22, 2010

STYLEBEAT SCOOP: LIBERTY FOR TARGET!

Come March 14th, there will be a stampede to Target stores and website for the latest design collaboration with Liberty of London. Since 1875, the small scale prints have been a staple in British life. Just in time for spring, they are launching home accessories, fashion, and garden items sure to lure every Anglophile living stateside.

Don't let rainy days get you down. Scoop up the Green Floral Print Boots and Blue Floral Print Umbrella.

To market! Ride the Pink Floral Print Liberty bike in style. This is a favorite

Green thumbs unite! Garden in gear that competes with the blooms by wearing Garden Gloves and using the Pink Floral Print Tool Set

Watering cans come in a black and white or a multi colored print to create a magic garden

A quilt in the Pink Floral Print comes in Full/Queen and King sizes with Standard pillow cases

Even le bebe can sleep in prints charming with the Baby Bed Set and Quilt

Colorful Notecard sets for sweet messages

Picnic time! Melamine Dinnerware in a pink and white floral print

A stack of pillows in the multi colored floral with large blooms would look adorable in a teenager's room


A Ceramic Teapot in a multi colored floral print makes a cuppa tea a conversation piece

A spot of tea in the multi colored print is happy and bright

Ceramic Canisters in assorted florals come in large and small sizes

Let's not forget the tie that makes a suit charming. Tie one on with the Liberty classics-- the tie comes in adorable prints I wish they did more with.

STYLEBEAT IS MENTIONED IN THE NEWEST LONNY ISSUE!

Sara Gilbane, the super talented New York based interior designer I covered a few months back on Stylebeat is featured in the 3rd issue of Lonny.
Thank you Sara for saying Stylebeat is one of your favorite blogs!

I am thrilled to be on her must - read blog list and will show more of her work here soon!

Friday, February 19, 2010

THE FINAL BOOK SISTER PARISH GOES TO WINNER # 1 KELSEY HUBBARD AND CHRISTOPHER ROLLINSON

Sister Parish On Decorating goes to New York apartment dwellers Kelsey Hubbard and Christophher Rollinson. Rollinson, a decorative painter and designer used his paint line, Rollinson Hues to create a bright oasis in the city. The couple embraced a bright, mood-altering hue for big impact. Their furniture and accessories choices make their home young and fresh.

The inspiration: A room by LA designer and expert colorist Mary McDonald is full of life with bright pink, zebra and blue and white plates and vases.The vignette provided insight to placement, scale and working with color.

The creation:
The couple searched high and low for things they loved. "The mirror and chandelier we rescued from the Plaza Hotel sale before it turned into a condo. The stools we found from the Somerset Hills Visiting Nurses Assosiation rummage sale at Visiting Nurse Association. They were painted black with a blue velvet covered board, so I stripped and reupholstered them. The botanicals are from a street vendor in Paris and the carpet is from Source Perrier. The walls were the fun part. They are a metallic strie I mixed with a Rollinson Hues, my paint line, as a custom pigment formulation. Kelsey loved this picture (shown above) and while she was away one weekend, I hand mixed the color that Mary Mcdonald had used and put it on the wall. It was INTENSE! Like "Pepto" intense, so I figured I would try an experiment. With paint there is no such thing as a mistake, just another layer on the way to a beautiful finish! I grabbed some silver metallic paint and added pigments to make a raspberry glaze which I stried over the intense pink. The result made the walls look like pink ribbon candy. While quite a bit darker, the reflectiveness of the metallic along with the colorful Rollinson Hues pigmentation of both layers resulted in a colorful but mellow pink. It works really well with the adjacent high gloss chocolate brown walls in the living room." Their dog Matisse is actively involved in all major design decisions.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

COVET IT: THE VAN DAY TRUEX CHAIR

A recent visit to Hinson stopped me in my tracks. The reason is this chair!



Van Day Truex, the legendary designer, president of the Parsons School of Design and Tiffany's Design Director, lived with such great style. He designed my favorite flatware pattern, Bamboo, which won the 1966 A.I.D. International Design Award for Silver. His home was a true reflection of his trained eye, where is sense of scale and proportion was evident. Truex was given a pair of circa 1870 Louis Napoleon chairs as a gift. They graced his New York apartment, and were coveted by many for their charming scale and simple silhouette. He redesigned the darling pull- up chairs in 1978, together with Harry Hinson, who made the model to his specifications. The sketch of the piece appeared in the the book Van Day Truex: The Man who Defined Twentieth Century Taste and Style, by Adam Lewis. His friend Albert Hadley wrote the forward.
The chairs are now available! The re- editions have just been introduced in limited numbers at Mrs MacDougall in Hinson. Choose from a black satin lacquer or polished mahogany stain on English hard maple. On March 1st Hinson moves into Brunschwig and Fils in the D and D and PDC in LA.


Monday, February 15, 2010

JAN SHOWERS GLAMOROUS ROOMS GOES TO WINNER #5 ANN DAVIS

Jan Showers Glamorous Rooms goes to Ann Davis of Atlanta. She owns the showroom Travis and Company, one of the great resources there. I have not visited, but it is on my list of places to hit when I go to Atlanta. The influence of great design ideas and techniques found in books cannot be underestimated. Using design elements, Davis found her inspiration and brought it to fruition.



The inspiration: To Your Taste: Celerie Kemble for her painted floors, artwork arrangements and vibrant print applications.
The wall in Kemble's project is arranged with modern art of mercury glass spheres. Davis liked the way the light played off the surface and used a hanging technique similar to the one seen here.


The creation
"I have a fabric showroom in Atlanta, Travis and Company, and your blog updates me with all the New York happenings. I love it! I was inspired by Celerie Kemble while creating the fire place area in my living room. We ended up using the picture for my showroom's website Travis and Company. I was inspired by photo in Celerie Kemble's book, To Your Taste. I just love her philosophy of "creating modern rooms with a traditional twist." The way Celerie worked with the space around a traditional fireplace, to make a modern room, inspired me. She added a great blue zebra print to spice up the room and shake up the traditional look.
My living room has a similar traditional fire place. I also used a zebra print to achieve a modern feel and create something fresh. I wanted a fabric that was bigger and bolder though. I used the Peter Fasano zebra print we carry in our showroom. I also kept a few traditional accents like the oriental rug."

Sunday, February 14, 2010

BOOK CONTEST ENTRIES FROM DESIGNERS AND SAAVY READERS ARE OUTSTANDING!

Wow, you guys really stepped it up. This was a homework project that people took as seriously as a thesis! I must say, I have been thrilled at how amazing the entries have been for the book giveaway. The thought, energy, passion for design and insight you all put into their submissions was truly inspired. Entries came in from the Netherlands, Texas, Massachusetts, Virginia, New York-- all over. There were even multiple entries. Two titles stood out for inspiration's sake: Celerie Kemble's To Your Taste and So Chic by Elle Decor. It is good to know what books are influential and spark imaginative creativity. Thank you for taking the time to show your beautiful work and sharing what you love about design. The problem now is choosing the winners! But it is a good problem to have, so I look forward to making the selections.

Friday, February 12, 2010

STEP INTO KATE SPADE'S BOUTIQUE INTERIORS

Fun! Fashion! The Fifties!
When Kate Spade began expanding into fashion, she created a boutique-within-a store at Bloomingdales. The design of the space is exactly like her retail environments-- highly edited and curated spaces blending the lifestyle brand with a whimsical vision. At Bloomingdale's in NYC, the retail experience is like stepping into her shop, with wallpapered dressing rooms, vintage furniture, great art and a 1950's mixed with vintage modern vibe. By cross merchandising leather goods, fashion and home, the look is complete.

Red, apple green and pale blue come together with mirrored stripes in the display racks. A vintage lamp, Mid Century modern table and carnations in a Lenox glass flower vase from her collection make the space uniquely KS.

The blown up rose paper adds watercolor blooms that look randomly strewn across a landscape. The pop of red in the roses plays nicely off the dresses.

The entrance to the dressing room has a feature wall filled with gallery style hung artwork, featuring small mirrors, photos of the brand's signature Peony flower, graphic fonts and animals.

The Rose design paper was made up for the retail stores.

A bold black and white stripe plays off the red bench in the dressing room.

Scalamandre's signature leaping zebra's have been a Spade favorite for years, even influencing her stationery designs.

Palm Leaves from British wallpaper trendsetters Cole and Sons add a tropical tempo.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

MY Q AND A WITH BRAD FORD: BLOG TALKING


Here I am with Brad Ford at the Holly Hunt reception

Not jive talk, blog talk! This past Tuesday, I was thrilled to do a Q and A with Brad Ford at the D and D at Astra in partnership with Quest Magazine. As the editor of godesigngo.com, the Cohen Design Center's blog, I had an engaging talk with Brad, also known as The Accidental Blogger. He calls himself this since the blog came out of his design practice-- he designs by day, blogs by night. Like so many! He started his blog, Design Therapy, to support his website, start a dialog in the design community, to share the behind- the- scenes in his projects and what he loves as a designer. We spoke to a room filled with fellow bloggers, interior designers, fabrics and furniture companies, all eager to learn the ins and outs of why a blog is important to get your views and interests across, how to generate readers and ways to maximize your exposure at large. I got to meet newer bloggers like Lisa of Hampton Toes Blog and Barbara of Hampton Hostess Blog. It was great to catch up with Celerie Kemble, who recently launched a fun new website for Kemble Interiors with a strong social media component. All in all, it was great fun to get be part of the design dialog at the D and D, discuss where blogging is going, and what is next. On that note, we ended the discussion with this: will the ipad be the game changer with all these forms of media converging? What do you think is next?

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

SAY IT WITH...

Flowers, gifts and chocolates! Really, what is so wrong with the classics?


Hello gorgeous! Exquisite flower arrangements from the supremely talented New York Event planner and floral star David Beahm are now available to order online. His Signature Collection with Flora 2000 can be shipped anywhere, yes I mean anywhere in the US. The company is the best at what they do, and Beahm's romantic, imaginative and unique arrangements are often filled with rare flowers not usually available in online delivery service. The Brenda arrangement is one of my favorites, for the range of blooms and the unique, twisted vine container that can be reused for your own arranging talents.



Share the love with Matouk's embroidered pillows, a new addition from their highly successful Lulu DK collaboration. Large letter script makes your sentiment known.

Leontine Linens gives you yet another reason to adore their monogram lettering styles--their Be Mine pillow is done in a signature font I have always liked. Lovely linens and a boudoir pillow centered on the bed add a dash of sweetness.


Yum! Pink Marc de Champagne Chocolate Truffles from Charbonnel et Walker are so decadent. They carry them at Saks, 611 Fifth Avenue or order online.

IF YOU LOVE ACCESSORIES AND YOU LOVE A DEAL HIT THE GRAPHIC IMAGE SALE!

I wrote about the Graphic Image annual sale last January, and it is sale time again! Many chic leather goods are half off, and some calendars and desk diaries up to 75% off! It is never too late to start organizing your life and using a calendar. Write it down and you will do it. Treat yourself and keep track of your life with notes and a real schedule! As a Stylebeat reader, you get free ground shipping in the U.S. through February, just enter the code STYLEBEAT at checkout.

Check out a smattering of bright essentials I uncovered on their website:


I have one of these envelopes and it always serves a purpose in my bag. I use it for dry cleaning tabs, receipts and photos. The Light Pink Medium Envelope in Crocodile Embossed Leather is kicky.

The fresh lime color is another stunner-- it will not get lossed in the bag abyss.


FOR HOME:

As I like to say, you can never have too many trays, or storage boxes. This color is divine.


The Small Box in Grape Crocodile Embossed Leather works for jewelery, storing the business cards you just collected from potential clients, desk clutter or lipsticks.


FOR WORK:
Don't pull a ratty old stained business card out of the depths of your bag to hand to a potential client. Get a proper case, like this one. The Card Case with ID Holder in Orange Embossed Lizard Leather has room for other stuff too.


I love pulling something bright and pretty out of my bag, so the Lime Card Case with ID Holder in Embossed Python Leather is my pick.

The Hard Business Card Case comes in Grape Crocodile Embossed Leather.
Now that is more like it.

TRAVEL TRINKETS:
If you are forever on the go, then check out the travel stuff.


Avoid carousel mix ups with the turquoise Luggage Tag in Crocodile Embossed Leather.


The Lavender Luggage Tag in Crocodile Embossed Leather makes you luggage, whether it be a black roly bag or a set of Vuitton, look better, and you won't grab the wrong bag.


Time is money. Don't oversleep and miss that meeting. Think about getting the orange travel Clock in Crocodile Embossed Leather.

Photos Courtesy of Graphic Image
Or maybe you are feeling more like the blue, since turquoise is the color of the year.