3 weeks 'til blogtour london, but first...

3 weeks from tonight, jill from material girls, myself, and a dream team of awesome bloggerpeeps will be sitting in the lobby of teh below hotel, laughing over cocktails and recapping our first full day of london design week as part of modenus' blogtourLDN 2012.  (be sure to bookmark the modenus' blogtour page for recaps from all of our blogs as we share our london discoveries!)

citizen m, our stylish home in london for blogtour 2012. i'm completely excited as it's walking distance from the tate modern, one of my london must sees! for a tour of citizen m, visit jill's blog.

but before i can even start dreaming of london however, my new assistant and i have to prepare for a presentation so we can get the ball rolling on turning our fabulous new (and totally patient)  clients' house into the the home of their dreams...

pattern inspiration from quadrille, clarence house and jim thompson no.9. this is the first time i've done a project with social media savvy clients and pinterest has played an important role- kinda cool. this crazy social media life i live is really paying off! and you people thought i was just wasting time on the internets... ;-)

and last, we've got to get our  california home + design "small space big style" showhouse bath finished-  2 weeks until we open to the public, but only ONE week until photography commences! YIKES! but we are feeling a whole lot calmer about the whole thing, as the custom wallpaper we designed with black crow studios went up today and, boy, is it ka-ray-zee kool. we are totes in love!  whether you'll love it or not, remains to be seen, but we guarantee that no matter what, everyone will have an opinion!

wallpaper set up by wayne, the wallpaper hanger and the hero of my day today.

last, i want to share with you one of the weird oprah/the secret moments that i don't really believe in, but when they actually happen, i have to question my skepticism. on july 30th, i got the surprise email inviting me to london on blog tour but just three days earlier, i randomly changed the ringtone on my phone to this:

strange coinky-dink, right? oh and later skaters- i'll be absent for a few as i wrap things up, but back after the labor day holiday! (and trust, i will be laboring on the holiday- it feels like no rest until i sleep on the transatlantic flight!)

"small space big style" showhouse inspiration (and some small space tricks)

CA home + design recently interviewed me for their site about the design inspiration behind my showhouse bath, so please click over to read: "Meet the Designer: LA's Christian May on the Small Space Big Style Showhouse".
 
and before you click to their site and see my elevation of the room (and some small space tips), here's some images that inspired me...

andree putnam's iconic bath for morgans hotel. sourced here.

michele de lucchi's 1981 "kristall" table, sourced here.

collection of ettore sottass vases for bistossi, sourced here.

 and, yes, i admit to humming this cheese fest of a song during the bath's conception...

srsly...

... i think i should pimp out richard as a professional cat model. he is one good looking dude.

m21 is a total sellout...

or at least he wants to be!  can you help?

we are just 3 items away from selling out all our contributions to the one kings lane design blogger tastemaker tag sale and we would really like to sell out of EVERYTHING, so the nice folks at one kings lane invite us back for a tastemaker tag sale of our very own in the not so distant future.

someone must need a fabulous vintage HUGE piece of mid-century wall art? or a cool colorful painting in a striking black frame? or just a chic danish modern ice bucket for their bar?  there are just 40 hours left, so come on and help a brother sell out!

ready, set, SHOP! (m21 on OKL)

just a matter of hours until our tastemaker tag sale drops, so please join moiself, Marianne from Haven & Home, Kelly from Kelly Market, Caitlin from Sacramento Street, Marisa from Style Beat and Camilla from Effortless Style, as we rock your style world.  getcher credits cards out and ready, because  it's gonna sell out fast...

here's a few sneaks of what i'm offering:

since we have almost 7 whole hours 'til 6pm PST/9pm EST when the sale starts, you can warm up for it a bit by visiting one kings lane's live.love.home blog to find out a few fun facts about the personalities behind the tchotchkes!

behind the glamor: a CA home + design "small space big style" showhouse update

the california home + design magazine "small space big style" showhouse opens to the public in 3 weeks, and this is the state of the bathroom i'm designing:

now if i hadn't done construction before, i'd probably be sobbing hysterically right now, and calling it "small space, big bummer", but honestly, whenever construction is involved, you've got make it ugly before you can make it pretty, so in reality, things are humming along just fine. my shiny new tile from walkon tile and specceramic is on site, the custom wallpaper i designed with black crow studios is being printed, plumbing fixtures from snyder diamond are en route and the warner brothers studio facilities cabinet and furniture shop is making me some special goodies, so we should be good to go on september 14th. oh, don't get me wrong- it'll be a nailbiter right to the finish, but hey, that's how construction projects roll, and somehow, through the dust and the chaos, beauty always emerges...

i must admit, i got a tad worried onsite today today after seeing how far my second floor design-mate, Molly Luetkemeyer, has come with her rocking mezzanine office/lounge, but molly patiently talked me down. ok, she really didn't talk me down, but she did make me feel less stressed by making me laugh and laugh and laugh. it's a good thing her mezzanine office/lounge and my mezzanine bathroom aren't middle school projects or our teacher totally would have seperated us for talking too much with our neighbor... love that molly loot!

molly loot getting inspired. remember when pinning meant this, not something you did on the internets?

so remember, the showhouse opens to the public on september 14th- be sure to join the cool kids up on the second floor, where it's gonna get loud!

please share this post...

GREAT NEWS! PUPPIES WERE ADOPTED TOGETHER TO A LOVING HOME!

neighbors of mine found these adorable puppies wondering in the middle of the street this past sunday. both were wearing brand new collars, but no tags or chips, so we suspect they were dumped. they are two little boys, sweet as can be, and estimated to be maybe 8 weeks old. they are some sort of smallish dog mix (chihuahua/corgi/lab?), so we don't think they will be more than small-medium dogs when grown, and are already learning basic commands like "sit".  they are adorable little sausages, and can be adopted as a pair or singly.  please share this post far and wide so we can find them loving homes!  contact me if you can help them out!

ps- again, this is not a adoptable pet blog, so please don't send in pet photos, but you know i have a weakness for our four legged friends and my neighbors can't keep these little tykes, so i promised to help out as much as possible. thanks for understanding.

the dog days of summer

it's getting hot in hurr

so let's shave off all our furrs

two great tastes that go great together! (one kings lane & maison21)

save your shekels!  m21 will be selling some fineries from the atelier on one kings lane on august 23rd, in a group sale along with some other amazing design bloggers: stylebeat, effortless style, kellymarket, sacramento street, amber interiors and haven and home; so many diverse blogs and divergent design points of view, so we promise something for everybody, and at every price point too!

mark your calendars for august 23rd and we'll see you on OKL!

california home + design's "small space big style" showhouse

m21 would like to give you a lap dance.  for twenty bucks.

"what the heck are you talking about m21?" you are probably thinking,  "are you really stooping so low as to sell yourself to the highest bidder?"

and to that we answer- why yes, yes we are, but it's not quite as dirty (and possibly illegal) as we make it sound...

our reasoning is this: if you are here, reading these words, you are probably a design junkie, and for us design junkies, we all know that design magazines are our porn, where we salivate and lust over the printed image.  and if design magazines are our porn, then it follows that a design showhouse is equivalent of a strip club, where we gather together to ogle over pretty things up close and personal, and get all hot and bothered live and in 3d.  so yes, m21 would like to invite you to come join him at the latest design porn strip club, i mean, showhouse,  organized by california home + design magazine, opening september 14th!

the CH+D "small space big style" showhouse is where "a handful of California’s most talented designers... will transform a stunning 3-bedroom, 1,400-square-foot penthouse in the heart of Hollywood into a breathtaking space that will embody the California Home+Design vision". sounds good, right?  but where does the lapdance come in?  well, maison21 is honored to be one of that "handful of designers" selected to design a room for the showhouse, so if you buy a ticket to tour the house (sept 14th - nov 18th, 2012), you can spend some quality private time alone in an m21 designed space, and get as up close and personal as you like- ie the design equivalent of a lap dance!  get it? so come on over to the hollywood condos- m21 will do a little bump 'n grind, just for you! ;-)

ok, now that we've mined the lap dance analogy for all it's worth, let's get real here for a minute:

we are incredibly honored to be part of california home + design's first ever showhouse.  it's our first ever showhouse too, so we couldn't have been more excited to be asked  by CH+D editor, erin feher to participate in such a stellar line-up of talent, including Molly Luetkemeyer, Azadeh Shladovsky, Brian Patrick Flynn, Christopher Kennedy, Erinn Valencich, and Mary Gray & Annette Goliti Gutierrez of Potted.  

the cherry on the cake is that we are is designing the tiny mezzanine powder room, right off our friend, molly luetkemeyer's mezzanine bedroom, and that seems like a match made in heaven  to us. if m21 weren't a designer ourownfineself, we'd totes hire molly to do our home, and i think our complimentary styles are going to clash beautifully up in the mezzanine! (hint: it's gonna get loud on the 2nd floor, i promise!)

so see you at the showhouse! remember to bring dollar bills for tipping! now we have to get back to working the pole, or our room is NEVER going to be ready in time! ;-)

LA is my lady (a few tourist tips from m21)

it's vacation time again- though as you can probably tell from my lack of posts of late that maison21 is too busy to take one himself this year (not that we really need one right now since LONDON is on the agenda for september, courtesy of modenus' blog tour 2012!)

but since others are traveling now, and we just got a request from a friend of the blog for restaurant/tourist tips, we thought we'd do a quick recap of an email we sent a few people during last year's blog conference here in LA.

maison21's decidly non-all-encompassing tips for touring LA:

dinner in the west hollywood/hollywood area:

the jar:   all american chop house fare, get the pot roast- it is second best only to teh pot roast my mom used to make. jar also might be my favorite LA restaurant, so i can't recommend it enough.

fig and olive  be sure to order the fig tartlet appetizer.

the bazaar at the SLS hotel. the phillippe starck room is a lil much, but the food is amazing

comme ca: chic french brasserie. i LOVE their crispy skate grenobloise. they also make a damn fine burger.

lucques; pretty, early career barbara barry designed space, consistently good food.
 
cecconi's: italian, lovely patio- i prefer it for relaxed lunch/early dinner as it can get a little RHOC at night, especially on the weekend.

animal: be warned: all meat- no vegan options

aoc: great wines & small plates.

campanile: delish in a historical setting (building originally housed charlie chaplin's offices). i like thursday grilled cheese nights with a table by the fountain. mmmm, grilled cheese and an ice cold martini- food of the gods.

the hungry cat:  amazing seafood and cocktails.

mozza pizzeria:   hip & casual with deelicious pizzas; reservations are a must unless you enjoy an hour and a half wait. ps besides the pizza, start with nancy's chopped salad (for the table, it's huge) and end with the butterscotch budino.

picca: peruvian cuisine & cocktails- new, different and fun. try a pisco sour.

chateau marmont: officially, teh chateau doesn't have a restaurant, though the entire lobby and patio is nothing but restaurant! it can be tough to book on evenings/weekends, but going for lunch is usually no problem, unless it's during oscar week or sumpthin'. so quintessentially los angeles it hurts- you will feel like movie star eating here (and you'll see a movie star as well, most likely). just don't gawk at them- it's against the rules. :-)

breakfast/brunch:

the griddle: hipsters & young hollywood eating giant pancakes, avoid on weekends- the line is too long.
      
hugo's: hipsters/gays and the occasional tv star. get the artery clogging pasta papa.  

the polo lounge @ the beverly hills hotel. fabulous for brunch or drinks/late dinner (for brunch, be sure to book the patio).

bld:  casual, yet nice for breakfast, lunch or dinner (hence the name!)

joan's on third for lunch is *very* LA, with great people watching. (also recommend the restaurant at fred segal for people watching too, but i don't know it's name, if it even has one).

the farmer's market is always a favorite - loteria for mexican, short order for burgers, monsieur marcel for french comfort food, gumbo pot for cajun. you might see me here as since i don't cook, this is my go to spot for take out. i'm at "teh corner of 3rd and fairfax" A LOT.

eats/drinks downtown:

bottega louie:    brunch, lunch or dinner. BL is the prettiest restaurant in LA, imho, so GO & be sure to try teh portobello fries.

the lazy ox:   snout to tail artisianal, hipster cuisine.

church and state:   french bistro fare. the food can be hit or miss, but it's great space & vibe, so i've never not enjoyed it.

r 23:  arty sushi 

drive thru:

 in n out burger:    you'll either love it, or wonder what the fuss is about. personally, i love it. ps- there is a whole mythos built around ordering off the 'secret menu' but the only thing special i request is fries well done.

to do, see, and shop:

the design shops on la cienega (between melrose place and santa monica) are pretty fabulous (as are the nearby ones on beverly and la brea).

the getty museum in brentwood is *spectacular* architecturally, though the art collection is so-so, but  it's a must visit for the grounds/bldgs/view; while in brentwood, hit up grace home, gianetti home, & the brentwood country mart.

the getty villa in malibu is awesome too, especially if you are into greek and roman antiquities. advance reservations are required. eat lunch at the cafe- it's very civilized.

LACMA is a favorite spot (it's in my 'hood), and the new broad collection bldg is pretty fab if you like modern art. stop by the stark bar for an al fresco drink while visiting.

the schindler house in west hollywood and the gamble house in pasadena are musts for architecture buffs; and the huntington library & gardens in pasadena is always a lovely way to spend a day.

jf chen and blackman cruz on highland are must visits for design junkies.

skip hollywood blvd- it's kinda gross.

also skip rodeo drive- you've seen the stores in every city in the world, so really, what's unique? instead, take a drive through the residential streets of beverly hills and take in the good, the bad, and the ugly homes of the rich and probably not at all famous.

i'm also not a fan of the boardwalk in venice beach- it's kinda skanky with too many people selling incense and cheap, ugly jewelry, but nearby abbot-kinney blvd is the complete opposite and totally adorbs, full of great shops, galleries and restaurants.

the beach at santa monica is really pretty, and the amusement park on the pier is kitschy but fun, if you are into that kind of thing. again, skip the 3rd st. promenade unless you don't have a mall in your own city.

runyon canyon offers an easy hike, and great city views, but warning, since it's a heavily used dog park, it can be a bit pungent on a hot summer's day...

the griffith observatory in griffith park is a pretty cool blend of retro, science and views. it's crowded so be prepared for a long walk from car to observatory!

the rosebowl, PCC and long beach flea markets are great shopping if you here on the right sunday. really, there's some good pickin's in these parts!

these are a just a few places that come to mind for me, but everyone has their own favorites,  so puhleeeeeze make this an interactive post by leaving your suggestions in the comments!