happy weekend!

ted sleeps with his little pink tongue hanging out, so this is the little sleepyhead face i wake up to every morning. it's nice to start my day with a smile.

happy weekend, kids!
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patina style (thank you, brooke!)

coming home from vacation is always a bittersweet thing- i'm always glad to be sleeping in my own bed again, and to be with my best pals, ted and richard; but knowing that the next morning i have to hit the ground running, and it's no more cocktails, pool time, and naps all day, is like a slap in the face!  but you know what helps that transition a bit?  coming home to find a beautifully wrapped parcel with my name on it, sitting on my doorstep! 

such was the case this week, when a lovely "brown paper package, tied up with string" awaited to greet me as i arrived home- the talented brooke gianetti, of velvet & linen, sent me a copy of her new book, patina style, co-authored with her equally talented architect husband, steve,  complete with a thoughtful personal inscription, no less.  a lovely gesture from a truly lovely woman, and also a nice distraction from the sobering return to everyday life, as i lost myself in the pages over my monday morning coffee...

brooke and steve's relaxed, weathered, and layered style is on full display in the gorgeous photography of the book, and they also clearly lay out the elements and philosophy behind their signature style, so it's not just a pretty picture book, but practical as well.

thank you so much for the gift of your amazing book, brooke- it has a place of honor on my coffee table, not only as a fantastic addition to my design book collection, but also as a treasured gift from a generous and talented woman i am happy to call my friend.

ps- for those of you who aren't lucky enough to have a talented interior designer and author like brooke as a friend, y'all better skidaddle on over to amazon and buy yourself a copy today! ;-) you can't also get a *signed* copy (like mine!) at giannetti home...



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hot or not?

we saw this pair of chairs w/matching ottomans at the estate sale in palm springs, and couldn't decide if once recovered, they would be hot, or not. on one hand, they are sleek and minimal, on the other hand, almost minimal to the point of perhaps being a little too utilitarian. they were only $250 for the pair- practically free- but we were unsure if they would be chic enough after the expense of recovering to justify the purchase. we are normally pretty decisive when it comes to purchasing- it's our job, after all, but just couldn't decide on these, and figured if we were that on the fence about them, it was a sign to leave them behind...

whaddya think? should we have bought them? hot or not?

ps- oy vey... wait 'til you see what we did buy- a project to be sure, but we passed up similar once before and regretted it, so this time we purchased. we'll snap a pic of our purchase one day this week, so you can all have a giggle.
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some like it hot

please forgive our lack of posting of late- we are enjoying a few days of rest and relaxation in deliciously hot palm springs.  shopping, drinking, eating, and swimming- summer just doesn't get any better!

hope you are enjoying your summer as well!
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more indoor/outdoor obsessing (liora manné rugs)

our current obsessive search for all things indoor/outdoor included floor coverings, of course, and while we found lots of great outdoor rug options out there, very few of them were available in custom sizes, and we only found one company who will make custom patterns and colors.

a selection of the variety of colors and patterns available

that company is liora manné, a new york company who manufactures out of china, and who will do just about and color or pattern combo you can dream of. the rugs are composed of felted fbers attached to a latex coated base, resulting in something that is sort of a cross between a textile rug and a roll-out linoleum (some flor tiles are similar, but the advantage of liora manné is no seams, and of course, the infinite color and pattern capabilities). we won't lie, you'd never mistake these for a hand-knotted silk carpet, as they definitely have a bit of a contract-style vibe, but with the stock and custom colors and patterns available, in addition to the fact that the rugs are suitable for both indoor and out, and in high-traffic commercial applications, all make these a tremendous appealing option; and since maison21 often designs for clients with pets and small children, we can't wait to use these in a playroom, or family room.

example of the texture (click to make bigger)

and of the thickness (click to make bigger)

we also have to comment that the customer service was pretty stellar too- we called to inquire about their rugs one morning, and received samples the every next day-  just in time for our client meeting! (our client went gaga for the ikat pattern btw, and it could very well make an appearance in a chic nursery in the near future).

we admit, we encouraged ted to sit on the samples for the lead-in photo of this post, but richard heard us, and decided he needed to get in on the action too.

did we also mention that the rugs are really affordable too? you can get stock options from the liora manné website, and completely by random coincidence, right after we took the photos for this post, we received an email from gilt group announcing a flash sale on the rugs (swear- we aren't being paid by either gilt or liora manné- just one of those funny coinky-dinks!)

after these photos, we'll probably never, ever again get a carpet manufacturer to lend us samples! we swear, we don't regularly encourage this kind of thing (we would never let the twin fur bombs near an expensive silk or wool sample), but these are hard wearing options, suitable for indoors or out, so what better testament, right? plus, t & r are just so darn cute!

so whaddya think? are you as excited about the possibilities as we are?

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it's true...

money really doesn't buy you taste...

what is this? a subterranean dining room? a wine cellar without wine? whatever it is, it makes me want to poke my eyes out.

the 35,000 square foot versailles de LA, the suzanne saperstein mansion, aka the super klassily named "fleur de lys", is back on the market, according to curbed. first listed in 2007 for 125 million, apparently the downturn in the real estate market hasn't affected the price one bit- it's listed again for 125 million (read the original post at the real estalker, and make sure you read the comments too, including the one about the $427 BJ. internet gold.)

now, m21 ain't going to pontificate about the grossness of a 35,000 sq foot house because we'd be a total hypocrite- we welcome any and all clients with 35 thousand square foot homes, okay?  but we do think the need to recreate a 17th century french chateau in los angeles of the 21st century is just weird (fleur de holmby hills was completed in 2002). it doesn't say rich or tasteful or cool, it just says you have enough money to build your own theme park. how very michael jackson of you.

nudies, but not! klassy.

so back to the first line of this post: "money doesn't buy you taste" isn't entirely true. money can buy you taste... in the form of m21!   that means russian oligarchs, saudi princes, and american robber barons, take note- if you'd like to live in the 21st century with the rest of us, and have something unique and beautiful, call m21- somehow, we'll fit you into our schedule; but if you just feel the need to blow 125 mil on a historical theme park (avec not so historical 9 car garage and 50 seat screening room), call suzanne- she has one she'd like to unload, and i'm sure you can get it furnished too- underground dining room and super klassy nearly-nudies included.
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rowr! (plus some indoor/outdoor combos)

so the blonde on blonde tiger pattern indoor/outdoor woven chenille ("swifty") from clarence house might be my new favorite fabric du jour. the other two colorways are alright, but nothing spectacular, but the blonde on blonde? i'm dreaming of all the upholstery possibilities! only bummer is it's kinda pricy, but for such killer style, we'll gladly pay...

rowr!

another new favorite is this woven raffia look-alike from beacon hill ("taormina")- softer than real raffia and so pet-friendly i can't stand it, with the texture and striation sure to hide a multitude of pet sins. we'd use it for the body of a sofa (inside or out!) with colorful patterned pillows (shumacher & dedar) for a sunny, fresh vibe...

speaking of colorful, what do y'all think of this green, orange and fuschia combo ("linen" in "leaf", being the ground fabric, and the orange velvet and schmacher fuschia ikat the accents). the clarence house linen is a pretty nice fake, i think- so is the perennials velvet!

last, indoor/outdoor fabrics can be masculine too- we think this grey herringbone woven is pretty damn chic, especially paired with a pop of zebra from duralee!

again, we are loving so many great options in totally fake fabrics! ted can't wait to road test all of them!

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a common thread

 what do all these kajillion different fabrics have in common?

from sumptuous velvets by perennials and holly hunt, to supple canvas by pierre frey and clarence house, to chic wovens by janus et cie and robert allen, to fabulous colorful prints by schumacher and duralee?

we always thought of robert allen as, well, sorta staid fabrics for the traditional set, but these are kinda hip right? and we would have never known if the nice folks at the shade store hadn't sent us to robert allen for additional fabric selection for their shades...

the common thread amongst all these fabulous fabrics is plastique. that's right, plastic- as in virtually indestructible, stain-resistant, fade-free, plastic. we had a ball this week, selecting bunch of outdoor fabrics suitable to be used on the inside as well for a couple of new projects we're working on. outdoor fabrics have come a long way in the last few years, and we are thrilled to able to offer such chic and stylish options to our clients with pets and small children. 

we wish you could touch these- you'd never know they were made for the great outdoors...

whaddyathink? y'all ready to bring the outside, in?
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secrets from a stylist

there is only one design show on TV we watch, and that is emily henderson's secrets from a stylist, because it's real, it's informative, and we like her style (and we also share the same kick-ass upholsterer). 

oh we may watch an episode or two of million dollar decorators, but that show ain't about design, it's about personalities and the drama of it all, so totes different thing.

emily ain't about getting drunk, or pulling fake stunts like ripping up a floor without asking a client's permission, she's just about making pretty rooms for happy homeowners, and sharing her design skillz with you, the viewer- letting y'all know how you can achieve similar results in your own home... on a thousandaire budget, even!

the second season of her show premieres tonight on HGTV, 8:30 pacific/5:30 eastern, so we recommend y'all tune in.  if you haven't seen it, you'll be surprised by emily's talent and charm, and if you have seen it, you already know what i mean, and already have your DVR set.

watch peoples!
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hogwarts, beverly hills

well, really it's the new restoration hardware in west hollywood, but as we entered into the double height entry with enormous bird cage chandeliers overhead, we couldn't help but think "hogwarts".  all that was needed was a few mail owls winging about...

the dark and masculine interior vignettes kept the illusion going too- couldn't this almost be one of the common rooms of the castle?

outside though, the mediterranean- inspired garden is a little too sun-drenched to be hogwartsian, but it is still movie-set dramatic nonetheless, with mature olive trees and crushed limestone underfoot (this spectacular outdoor space was particularly magical when lit by candles during the opening night party).

well, i guess this water feature is still a little castle-like...

and goodness knows this seating area looks like it could seat hagrid the giant comfortably


hogwarts, beverly hills, i mean the new flagship of the restoration hardware chain, "the gallery",  is open now, and worth a visit, if only to marvel at the theatricality of it all.  they spent some serious bucks on the store and it shows (did we mention the in-house florist, and the tea shop?)

Restoration Hardware

8772 Beverly Blvd.

West Hollywood, CA90048

310-652-0323

Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 12pm-5pm

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scribbles, elevated and celebrated (thank you, cy twombly)

the world lost one of the great painters of the 20th century today, but as the old saying goes, his legacy lives on...   cy twombly's body of work, celebrated the beauty and chaos of the scribble, and (not so) random gesture.  no other artist has inspired more people to say "my three year old could do that", and they couldn't be more wrong-  cy twombly's scribbles were ephemera made permanent, and always, at least to me, things of beauty. in my fantasy world, where i'm a billionaire art collector, the first three artists i would buy would be twombly, koons, and stuart davis.  in that order, too.

thank you for the beauty you've left in the world, mr. twombly. i may never be able to own one of your works, but fortunately, they will always be here to inspire and move me.

 

 

 

 

 

***sorry, i've collected the images for a while, so i'm not sure of the sources. the last photo is from today's obituary in the new york times.

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