Living Rooms

Stumbled across HouseToHome site today and ended up browsing through the living room gallery.  My top pics for various reasons.
-- First is for awesome color and a very cool chair;
-- Love the floor lamp in next - and the red, purple combo;
-- Impressive way to create a statement and display favorite album covers;
-- Crazy, amazing brick wall;
-- And finally, I want to spend a day hanging out with friends here.

Red Shoes

I'm feeling ready to tap dance through the week with these red shoes via Katya de Grunwald;

Our Alley

Crazy weather in LA today with sleet and hail and snow in unexpected places ending in a very very cold evening.  I took this shot down the alley as I left the shop this evening.  I love the contrast between the pretty pink and the telephone poles and wire.

Banksy Does LA

Banksy street art has been popping up all over LA in what is thought to be an Oscar campaign for his documentary "Exit Through the Gift Shop?"  According to ABC,  Light Group -- a Las Vegas company that manages casinos and restaurants -- was thrilled that Banksy chose to tag this billboard with a debauched Mickey Mouse lookalike. They called it "flattering" and said it was "cooler" now. The company has taken it down and is deciding what to do with it.

Methinks that they forgot to mention how much more valuable it is now:)  Charlie Brown has already been cut out of the wall by someone,  and another one of the works has been covered in plexiglass with a 24 hour guard posted.   Banksy would be positively welcome to 'decorate' the side of my store!

Images here.

Happy Friday

Art on the store wall: Mincing Mockingbird (Matt Adrian), Brooke Fischer, Bughouse and vintage paint by number.

Friday's Fabulous Woman: Enid Blyton

A BBC story this week about an unpublished Enid Blyton manuscript being unearthed, reminded me of the important role that she played in my young fantasy world.   In my dreams, I hung out with Noddy and Big Ears; and later on was an active participant in the adventures of both the Famous Five and the Secret Seven.  

Long before JK Rowling came along, there was Enid Blyton.   A prolific children's book writer who died in 1968, it is estimated that over a 40 year period, she wrote some 800 books many of them are still in publication and still very popular.  I haven't read one of her books in a while but I am a huge fan of the lovely vintage illustrations on the older books and often buy them when I see them.

These lovely lines from Enid Blyton's "The Poet," published in The Poetry Review in 1919 say it all:

"Dear heart
And soul of a child,
Sing on!"

New Chairs

Just picked up a few newly refurbed happy chairs.  

Abigail Brown's Flock

Ridiculously lovely handmade and hand stitched fabric birds by Abigail Brown.  I have a particular soft spot for the first one -- the Hoopoe -- as we used to get them in our garden when we were kids.

New Artist: Nela Solomon

I love hanging new art in the shop as it changes the look up so completely.   Nela Solomon is an abstract painter who has shown her work around Southern California and has exhibited at ArtExpo in NY.   She blends sharp colors and geometrics in a beautiful celebration of space.  Her work will be up in our store until the end of May so come by and visit if you are in the neighborhood.

Conviction and Typography

Wonderful poem and awesome use of typography.

Typography from Ronnie Bruce on Vimeo.

Black Kitchen

How to use black in a kitchen.   Okay so I know that I would end up adding other color somewhere but what a perfect slate this is.  Isn't that table incredible?  Via EmmasBlog

The Wall

With Oscar frenzy in full swing this week, I have to admit to being a supporter of The King's Speech.   I loved everything about the movie and spent an inordinate amount of time staring at the fantastic wall in the therapist's office and dreaming of doing a photo shoot against it.

image via TomatoNation

Luscious Color and Pattern

Thought I would start the week with some gorgeous color and pattern.   I definitely have big soft spot for purple at the moment.   Stunning bedroom in a house in Turkey featured in Vogue Living Australia via LeVoyageCreatif.  Checks and plaids and the stunning purple tiles with gold faucets via AnIndianSummer;
Purple roses via VintageRoseGarden;

Seen and Liked: Clever Ideas

Patio doors as shower doors via housemartin;
Wooden floor tiles applied to a fireplace by Candice Olson;

Happy Weekend

Delicious window display in a pizza place in Nottinghill, London. 

Friday's Fabulous Woman: Betsey Johnson

Fashion designer Betsey Johnson is not afraid of color.  She is not afraid of pattern.  And she is definitely not afraid of having fun with fashion.   Even her home is very very pink.  I love her kooky, over the top wonderfulness.

According to her website:  "Betsey Johnson was born in Connecticut and spent her childhood in dance classes. Her aspirations to be a dancer and her love for costumes laid the foundation for Betsey's creativity and inspiration.   In 1964, Betsey officially entered the New York fashion scene by winning Mademoiselle magazine's "Guest Editor Contest.""   Forty years later, she is still full of energy and verve with a fashion sensibility that embraces whimsy mixed in with a whole heap of sophisticated hippy chic.

House images via StyleFrizz;  Fall 2011 Collection images via Fashionologie

Henry Road Feature In Anthology

The new issue of Anthology Magazine is out and I am thrilled with the crazy huge feature on Henry Road.  It's 11 pages!! and included pictures of my home, a childhood home on Henry Road in South Africa and the Studio City shop.   I am honored to be included in a fabulous issue packed full of lovely homes.  You can buy a copy here.

Chairs For Sale

A customer is selling this great pair of chairs covered in Henry Road fabric.  They are $350 for the pair.  If you are interested, let us know and we will forward her info to you.

Paper Creation

Magical paper creations from Colombian designers Diana Gamboa and Luis F. Bohorquez during the first day of Bogota´s International Fashion Week. My guess is nobody sat down in them:)  via TheTelegraph

Kodachrome

Two years ago, photographer Steve McCurry persuaded Kodak to give him the last roll of the now discontinued Kodachrome that came off the assembly line.  Some of his wonderful pictures are here.