Having You Been Craving Color?

Oh boy, have I ever?  I am forever searching.  My first prowl is always to Corine's Hidden In France.  She always finds the most amazing, colorful treats!  And she makes me laugh out loud!

I am all for color - the brighter, the better.  And right now hot pink has become a little bit of an addiction.  I have always loved color.  It started at an early age - painting my Barbie's plastic shoes with nail polish when I was young, as Mattel just didn't get them bright enough for my taste.

This is Nisi Berryman's 1,100 sq foot, 1950's bungalow.  Its situated in Miami Beach's Palm View Historical District.  She is the founder of NIBA Home showroom, which I could get lost in.

Her home is filled with refinished flea market finds.  She moved walls and added floor boards and valances, to reorganize the floor plan of the house.

The colors in the bungalow range from a very deep chartreuse in the living to this violet in the dining room.  Note: the very retro feathered chandelier.

Lisi designed the magenta Lucite coffee table.  The drapes are made from outdoor fabric.

The moorish-inspired custom headboard is fantastic.  The floor lamp is a custom design from NIBA home, the vintage bedside lamp is another flea market find.

I could be very happy living in this little slice of heaven.  She even has a hot pink front door. My kind of girl!  

And on that note: Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Source: obviously - Metropolitan Home

Hello Dolly

To celebrate Russian Vogue's 10th anniversary, some of fashion's biggest names were asked to design a dress for a matrioshka - a traditional Russian doll.  These dolls were auditioned off for charity.

The designer's sketches were "brought-to-life" so to speak by Russian craftsmen, who  hand-painted the dolls.

Versace

Yves Saint Laurent

Marc Jacobs

Blumarine

Moschino

Emilio Pucci

Burberry

Dries Van Noten

Others included Dolce and Gabbana, Celine, Giorgio Armani, Stella McCartney, Maison Martin Margiela and Marni to name a few.

Source: British Vogue

The Man Bra - It Had to Happen

CLICK HERE.......

Nothing fetish about this.  But all I can say is WHY, why?  I can't wait to unleash myself from its hold at the end of the day!  300 have been sold online, in the last two weeks.  Didn't Seinfeld call it "The Bro" or was it a "Man-sierre"?

Source: The Guardian

The Very Talented Soodie Beasley

She is one of my closest friends and after months of harassing her to start a blog, she has, and its just brilliant.  Not only is Soodie an extremely talented interior and furniture designer, web designer, arts and antiques appraiser and educator, she is also an amazing artist who sees the funny side of life.  

A very special Westie sidekick appears in her most of her artwork.  

Take a gander at her blog and website.

On a side note, I sense a cocktail theme in many of her drawings here, and in my opinion, there's nothing wrong with that.

Its Happening Everywhere

College students at a job fair in Changchun, China.

Lets Move To.....oh OK, if you insist!

I just love to read The Guardian on-line.  One of my favorite sections is "Lets Move To......". Every Saturday morning, English houses of every variety are profiled.  From Property Of The Week to Wreck Of The Week (local mice and bats are included).

I spent my most of my "tween" years at a boarding school in the middle of the English countryside. It was originally an Abbey -  cloisters and all.  Extremely isolated - in fact the only structure that signified the village was a mail (post) box and a telephone booth.  

We had "bovver boys" (think bikers) - well what they liked to call themselves anyway.  They were actually the sweet, local boys who would come onto the school grounds at night riding their loud, clacketty motorbikes and circle the fountain.  Maybe thats a whole other post - very St.Trinian's-like.

When I read Lets Move...on Saturday mornings I'm transported back into that time when my only priorities were how to wear three pairs of tights to keep warm, and what concoction was for breakfast.  The school cook was under the impression that if frozen fish fingers were placed in the warming drawers early in the morning, "they'd be cooked by dinner.  Need I say more.

Heads Up Angelenos

Stark Carpet is opening its doors to the public for a limited time in Los Angeles.  There will be over 40,000 square-feet of designer merchandise, at sale prices.  This includes area rugs, wall-to-wall carpets, remnants, fabric and wall covering. 

There will also be specially priced fabrics by Brunschwig and Fils.  I am especially excited about this as I have been looking for fabric to recover a wing back chair which has seen better days!

The sale starts November 14th - November 26th at HD Buttercup in Culver City, California.

Sorry to anyone not in Los Angeles, we will be thinking of you though.

Tatebanko Paper Dioramas with drama

I have never been a fan of the old dusty, dead animal dioramas so these were pleasant surprise.

From Japan, they are a groovy and inexpensive gift.  There are several different varies to choose from and they are sold in kit form.

Tatebanko is the forgotten art of creating 3D scenes from paper.  Was widely popular in the 17th century to the 20th century and then disappeared.  

What a great way to revive and reinterpret this amazing art form.  They are sold individually, or in a box set of 3.

Kits can be purchased from B5+10 which is one of my favorite online stores.

Liselotte Watkins

I think in another life I was probably either Swedish or Danish.  I am forever interested in artists/designers from there.  My latest "crush" is Liselotte Watkins and her extraordinary illustrations and talent.

"People sometimes find the girls in my drawings to be too good looking and inaccessible, but to me they're not.  To me these girls are like friends because I spend so much time with them".

Liselotte Watkins was born 1971 in Nykoping, Sweden.  She studied at The Art Institute in Dallas, USA and has worked as a fashion illustrator since the late 1990's.  Her art reminds me so much of the Biba world in the 60's and 70's, which I love but was too young to be a part of.
She have worked with the following: Vogue (UK, Japan, Italy), Elle (USA,UK, France) and Mac Cosmetics to name, just a few.  I saw her illustrations in the autumn edition of H&M magazine.

She published her first book in 2003.  Entitled Watkins' Heroine, which is unfortunately out of print.  Her cheery, bright illustrations are such a vacation for the senses.

Q: You are famous for doing illustrations of girls with a distinct urban, cool and glamorous look.  How did it all start?

"Urban, cool girls are what inspires me.  Lately urban, cool guys as well, actually.  It started when I was about twelve and went to see Flashdance.  It was a revolution in my life at the time, coming from a small farm.  I wanted to live in a big city, to read Vogue, to have a pit-bull and to weld.  The welding never developed into  career, but I learned how to do it".

The entire interview is here on Pipel.

Kenneth Kvarnström

You may have all realized by now, my OBSESSION with mid century/50's furniture and design.  I simply love the way Kenneth Kvarnström has decorated his apartment in Sodermalm. He's the artistic director for the House Of Dance in Stockholm.

Three entrances into this room create open and easy access.  Kenneth worked with a Swedish architect to alter the kitchen.  What a great way to hold plates and bowls.  And the enormous clock is from TickTockClocks in the UK but I found a similar one at Simply Wall clocks.

These signs were found in Paris where he sometimes works.  Each sign has a memory connected to it.  Note the parquet floors which hide a multitude of sins and are easy to maintain.  I have them in my home and they are brilliant.
Small signs, tags and notes are hung in inexpensive, black frames and are rotated often.  Ikea is always a great place to find a bargain.  The floor has been painted a high gloss white which I personally love.  It brightens up the room and the reflection itself, is an art piece.
His apartment is filled with numberplates and signs as he says they are inexpensive art.  (Sadly in the US they are very pricey and most are fakes.  But the real can sometimes still be found on Ebay).  

Photos: Martin Lof/Martin Lof

Full of hope

130 million people turned out to vote.  The most ever to vote in a presidential election. 

A monumental day.  A bright and hopeful day.  A new day.....

Photo credit: maxedaperture