OCDD design challenge: cookin' with la maison fou

maison21 has received lots of dining rooms, entry halls, living rooms and bedrooms, even a garden conservatory as submissions to our last two design blogger's challenges, but today, we have a first- leslie, from over at la maison fou, has submitted our first kitchen!

when we first read her email, m21 initially thought "she did not just call me a fou? i'll cut the beeyotch! maison21 ain't nobody's fou!", then we wondered if perhaps she was making fun of you too, as in: "i pity the fou that reads maison!", but then we visited her blog, and calmed down. we found that the title merely references "a mad house" ala francais, - that we could relate too- sometimes things get a little crazy around here, too...

leslie had so much fun with the challenge, she actually made 2 posts about it! (read here & here). her entry was so complete (right down to the brand of paper towels), maison21 could find only one omission- he thinks every kitchen should have a dog or a cat patiently waiting for the odd scrap to fall, so we inserted la maison21 fou's delightful little pooch, sir derby digmoor, into the picture (love that name):

OCDD challenge: a dining oasis!

Dining Oasis - by bjpdesigns on Polyvore.com

ok, how fabulous is it when a new blogger and budding designer teaches an old dog new tricks? bonnie of the brand spankin' new blog, love your place, wrote to m21 saying how much fun she had creating her fantasy room for the design blogger's challenge II, but she didn't know how to get all the images together in one photo collage (not necessary to enter, btw- only mandatory if you don't have a blog). maison21 shot back "photoshop honey, but we warn you, there's a learning curve". a few days later, she sent back the above collage, assembled via polyvore.com- put together all pretty with links and everything- no photoshopping involved. genius.

so bonnie, love your room, and love the tip- now get to posting! your blog officially has readers!

OCDD design blogger's challenge: extra credit

we have another great student entry in the design blogger's challenge II, this one from tony, a student at the art insitute of dallas, who has creatively taken an element from a m21 post of the recent past- the cast iron conservatory from V&M- and adapted it for this challenge. tony also deserves extra credit points in that he had to submit his entry twice- mean old professor m21 made him redo the first entry in a more blog friendly format, and good student that he is, tony obliged. maison21 hopes your real professors are giving you real extra credit for your internets homework too!
This monumental cast iron greenhouse from Vintage & Modern will be used as the structure and will be painted in Benjamin Moore white dove oc-17 like M21 did for his trim in the challenge. For the flooring, reclaimed stone flooring made up of 11” x 11” tiles from BAC Antique Materials, will be used. Lighting will be provided by 10 lanterns hung at various heights; two chandeliers will also be hung and lit by candles at night. For up lighting North American Indian torches will be used on both sides of each door. The stone birdcage will be used to house exotic songbirds. The Art Nouveau marble swan fountain will be placed in the center as a water element. During parties the water will be replaced with champagne. Large palms and fruit trees will be planted in 9 large “Versailles” enameled iron urns, filling the space with lush greenery. The turquoise ceramic tripod table will be placed in between the pair of Anglo-Indian silver low chairs which will be upholstered in sora velvet-ora bark by Kelly Wearstler for Ground Works (yellow and brown fabric). The Japanese bronze incense rooster will be placed on the Indian white marble coffee table and will be used to fill the room with perfumed smoke. The Italian Renaissance Revival daybed will hold a mattress upholstered in amiens chenille-sun by Lee Jofa (solid yellow fabric). The accent pillows will be in the remaining fabrics loyd-raspberry by Lee Jofa, faux bois-gold/noir and edo linen-teal both by Kelly Wearstler for Ground Works. The large Chinese marble bathing tub will be filled with a variety of orchids. The stone desk with Renaissance Revival Savonarola Chair in Oak, will provide a place to write. A brass bar will run the perimeter of the greenhouse, hung with the West Elm curtains from M21’s challenge. All pieces are from 1st dibs unless otherwise noted. These fabrics, furnishes, and finishes result in a pleasure pavilion, a place to spend leisure afternoons chatting with friends over tea, while enjoying the plants like our earlier student entry, pretty sophisticated work, right? if the young'uns in school are this good, m21 better step up his game before they graduate!

we have a couple more great OCDD entries on tap for later in the week, so stay tuned, and if you still think you might want to play along, go for it! read the rules here, and send your entry on in!

design blogger's challenge: suzy chic

our good blogging friend, and tasteful hong kong interior designer extraordinaire, suzy annetta of studio annetta, has turned her signature 20th century chic style to our blogging challenge. you know it's gonna be good when it features one of maison21's all time favorite pieces of furniture, the traccia table by meret oppenheim. go see the rest here.


whos' next up for the OCDD challenge? we want to see more!

design blogger's challenge II: staying neutral

during our last challenge, interior designer katie denham of the katiedid blog turned out a room that blew maison21 away, turning our focal point of a big gaudy, vegas-y chandelier, into a glittery silvery winter scene straight out of dr. zhivago. her work was so brilliant, we almost hated to feature it on blog, since katie being in sacramento is a little too close to home for our comfort (in the interest of self-preservation, we like to avoid publicizing designers in a 500 mile radius who might be more talented than our own fine self). ok, so we're kidding with that- we appreciate talent wherever it may be located, though we do sleep easier at night knowing we aren't competing for the same jobs with katie, right here in los angeles. since katie has recently launched her own private practice, we can call bakersfield our mason-dixon line- she gets everything to the north, and m21 gets everything south... ;-)
with this new challenge, katie has turned out another work of brilliance, creating a chicly masculine bedroom with a 1920's yacht as her starting inspiration. she describes it as "wood, brass, a bit art deco, new industrial age feel" and we just think it's plain old cool. as usual, excellent work, katie- we are in awe. check it out here.

for those of you who would still like to enter the challenge, here's a brief recap of the few simple rules:

decorate a fantasy room by picking two different things from m21's original post or from the m21 inventory (slideshow, upper right corner of blog), and then add in your own current design obsessions. the elements culled from from original post could be the beige paint (you'll need to use our specific color if so) and something else, like the moooi random light, or blond cowhide rug, or whatever; or you can do like HOBAC or katiedid and use an item from the m21 atelier inventory, like the tusk table or gold task lights; then add in your own elements pulled from the web (whatever strikes your fancy) and incorporate it all into your own unique fantasy room.

once finished, let m21 know you have posted your room on your own blog and we'll link to your blog post here, then both our blog readerships can follow the game! no need to make a photoshop collage unless you want to, but if you don't have a blog and want to play, then a photo collage and BRIEF description are mandatory (sorry, no time to post individual photos or edit long descriptions). remember, this is all just good clean decorating fun- no winners and no losers, and no deadlines.

design blogger's challenge: little augury

maison21 is pleased to announce our 3rd participant in the design blogger's challenge II, this time from little augury, a new to us blog. she's taken a few of the elements from our original OCDD challenge post, combined them with some fabulous japanned antiques, a little wearstler and a little hicks, and set it all against black patent PVC walls (LOVE)! another awesome entry- check out her "marquess of queensbury rules" here!
who's next up to bat? so far we have katiedid, studio annetta and topsy turvy penciled in as hopeful participants- why not you too? free fun in tough times- no deadlines, few rules, and a chance to show your stuff! get on it!

design blogger's challenge: student edition

maison21 recently received an email from a design student, who though without a blog, was eager to participate in our design blogger's challenge, so we thought we'd post his entry for y'all to see.

Hi Maison! My name is Derek. I've been a long time follower and fan of your blog. You have such beautiful and inspiring work! Anyways, I just couldn't resist joining in on the fun of your obsessive compulsive decorating disorder challenge. I don't have a blog so I thought I'd email you my entry. I'm a student designer, so virtual design allows me to use my creative talent without having to break the bank! Your comments would be appreciated!

and here's his entry:

a beautifully schemed room with a hint of beige! I'm not big on neutral colors, but I managed to distract from the beige by using blue and green accents. Tell me what you think! Constructive criticism would be appreciated!

Black Granite and Steel Dining Table by Osvaldo Borsani Tecno, Italian Empire Wing Chairs by Decorative Crafts, Inc, sputnik inspired chandelier by InMod, Ikea curtain panels, walls are Dunn-Edwards' "White Sand" by (DEW-336), floating burl-veneer credenza, Marbro peacock feather lamps, extra-large blue steel mirror; stools, cerused oak floor and blond cowhide from original M21 challenge post (In the background, "Attention Cherie" by the stunning April March is blaring throughout the room... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z83BakF-YE)

well done, derek! maison21 approves! you asked us to give our our opinion via some constructive criticism, and if there is one thing maison21 is never shy about, it's voicing his opinion. so here we go...

maison21 thinks the room is excellent student work, polished and professional- of course you had an excellent foundation to build upon from m21's original post (just kidding, btw- we're conceited, but not that conceited). the gaudy but cool empire chairs and floating milo baughman-esque credenza are true genius, especially paired with the table and stools; industrial and hi-tech modern, without being cold or stark- not always an easy task to pull off. we also liked the way the steel of the mirror frame is picked up again in the legs of the table, and while not a fan of black granite in general, we think the choice of it as a table top works beautifully to add to drama in this application, so maison21 is liking it here.

now here's what m21 didn't like: while we enjoyed the vintage touch provided by the marbro lamps, we wish you had echoed the vintage lighting approach with your choice of a chandelier- a 70's venini or mazzega crystal number would have upped the glam factor of the room considerably (similer to below, but maybe a bit bigger), or conversely, a vintage industrial or deco influenced modernist brushed steel fixture would have a been great choice too. while we understand you were trying to do the "cheap n' chic" thing (and we always like that), the $299.00 inmod chandy just isn't quite grand enough to hold it's own with the other fab elements of your room. so we recommend going a bit more upscale with your chandelier choice.

our only other criticism is relatively minor as well: while m21 used some inexpensive west elm curtains in our room, we can't say we love your ikea versions. both choices are off the rack pole pocket panels but the west elm panels are a bit more tailored up top, and hang without added fullness, whereas the ikea version in your photo collage, has that weird extra flange of fabric over the pole, and the gathering used for fullness makes them all bunched up and ruffle-y. that particular style of mass market curtain panel always reminds maison21 of a cheap home-sewn elastic waist granny skirt, so we avoid it like the plague, and recommend more tailored styles- like grommet tops or hidden tabs (like the ikea curtains below). the tailored tops are just a bit more polished, so don't look quite as store bought.
overall though, derek, we were highly impressed with your entry, and can't wait to see more of your work in the future! and we're also sure that your design future is going to be quite bright. good luck, and thanks for playing!

a note to anyone thinking about posting an entry in our design blogger's challenge- don't worry, dr. maison21, PoD (professor of decorating) will NOT critique your entry. we only did it in derek's case because he is a design student and specifically asked us to. the rest of the entries will be just for fun, k?

"handbags at dawn" - the chic first entry in our "design blogger's challenge II"!

ladies and gentlemen, we have the first entry in our "design blogger's challenge II", submitted by the erudite and talented designer and blogger HOBAC, or the house of beauty and culture, to use his full nom de blog.

he's taken elements as specified from our challenge post, as well as a fabulous tusk dining table from the maison21 inventory, and paired them with genius elements like raffia billy baldwin slipper dining chairs, and an organic chandelier that looks a bit like a suspended boulder. too chic! the tusk table with the bb chairs looks so freakin' good, m21 might be taking the table out of inventory and putting it in his dining room. of course, first we need to come up with 6 of the chic billy baldwin chairs, so then again, maybe not...go check out hobac's post "handbags at dawn" here. love that post title, btw- hobac certainly does have a flair with words. later, in the body of his post, he writes "i positively loathe glass table tops". if m21 said he positively loathed anything, he'd sound like a idiot, but when hobac says it, well, it makes me positively loathe them too- and m21 actually likes a glass table top!

so who dares to follow hobac's chic entry? remember, there are no winners or losers, just good clean decorating fun! in fact, we think everyone on our blog roll should play along, as m21 positively loathes wallflowers and party poopers...

obsessive compulsive decorating disorder (and a design challenge too!)

maison21 has spent a good part of the last two weeks pulling together concepts for a new loft redecoration project. his client wants the mix of vintage, antique and modern that maison21 considers his forté, but would also like to add in lots of industrial chic and ethic flavors as well, and maison21 couldn't be more excited about that! we love when our clients want to mix it up a little! even better when they want to mix it up a lot!

the downside of coming up with fabulous new concepts for a client, especially a little outside of our normal decorating style, is that we then become obsessed with the concepts, and our own home begins to have that not-so-fresh feeling (at least in our eyes). sadly, m21 is then faced with redecorating both the atelier and his client's home, all at the same time! oh, the struggles we decorators face!

in addition to whatever we are doing for a client, we have our other everyday decorating obsessions to contend with- things we've either seen in person, or online, or in the magazines, or just ideas from our wild impulse for change. thank goodness for our blog though, or we'd be constantly broke as well as worn out from the non-stop redecoration of our own home! but now we have a virtual outlet to mix our new concepts and old loves, without actually resorting to buying a thing. or not buying much anyway- we've never completed a project yet without a new present or two for ourselves in the process. we just can't help ourselves- we have obsessive-compulsive decorating disorder (OCDD- look it up in the DSM).

in addition to our hunt for cool industrial chic for our new client, maison21's obsessive love for the work of michael taylor has been reignited since the publication of the new book by stephen m. salny. we need to california chic up the atelier something fierce! we're even thinking of going beige- and up until recently, as frequent readers might know, maison21 has considered beige a dirty word... our other current obsession is the work of francois and claude lalanne, most specifically their iconic sheep sculptures. obsession is not nearly a strong enough of a word for our need for some lambies- we might actually perish if we don't get a flock of our very own. thank goodness christie's didn't offer any of the sheep during their recent auction of the YSL estate, or we'd probably be in jail right now for passing a bad check in our attempt to secure 4 or 5. you see, we want need them so we can use them around our dining table instead of chairs. how chic would that be? and yes, we're willing to do time to make it happen...

photo stolen from an aesthete's lament

so for our fantasy redecoration project, we've tried to pull in elements of our current obsessions, together with some concepts we're using for our current client, and apply them to the dining room here at the maison21 atelier:

first we're going to beach and ceruse our floors (remember this is a fantasy, we all know that m21 will never actually do anything about his tragically messed up floors).

then we paint- gulp- beige on beige, in this case, benjamin moore white dove oc-17 for the trim and bm malton #1073 on the walls. we might even wash a glaze of the white dove over the malton for a venetian plaster effect. we are soooooo scaring ourselves here- did we really just say wash a glaze? yikes.
on our new cerused oak floors, we're going to toss a blond cowhide:
next, 'cause we've got waaaay too much beige goin' on now, we'll to punch it up with some black (sorry, maison21 could never live by beige and beige alone), so we're going to hang the 30" version of moooi's random light as our chandelier. our dining room is postage stamp tiny, but we loves a big-ass chandelier in it anyway. sometimes the best thing to do with small rooms is go big
for our table, we again nod to mr. taylor's style, and want to use a form from classical antiquity- like this chic bronze dolphin tripod table base from 1stdibs (we have long had our eyes on a similar one here locally, which has an excellent oxidized patina. we'll have to treat the finish on the one from 1stdibs to bring the shine down a notch):
since we used an animal form for our dining table base, we're afraid our beloved lalanne sheep are a no go for seating (probably too big for our small room anyway- we wouldn't want our tiny dining room to look like the holding pen before the sheep become lamb chops). we'd still like to indulge our woolly obsession though, and mix it up with an industrial vibe, so we'll take a set of industrial stools (again, 1stdibs) and customize them by covering in tibetan lamb (uh oh- more beige). using stools instead of chairs feels modern (and a bit quirky) to m21 right now, so it will work to tie in our ultra-modern lighting choice; their dark iron patina helps too.

against the only wall of our dining room without windows or doors, we'll use a teak root console, like mr. taylor liked to do in his latter days. we will NOT be using the sculptures shown in the photo, though. no no no.

above the console, we'll hang a black and white cy twombly (remember, this is a fantasy, k?) with lots more black than white, again to kill the beiginess of it all.
we'll probably have to frame our twombly in a big ol' gaudy gilt frame to keep the modern-antique tension going- like the frame of this mirror from michael taylor's line:

last, because even in his fantasies, maison21 can't waste money where he doesn't need to, we'll finish our room with mesh curtain panels from west elm. they are cheap and chic, and fit with our beige-y modern-eclectic vibe just perfectly, so why not?

last, to close this rather lengthy virtual room post, remember our design blogger's challenge from last summer? with the big-ass gaudy chandelier? we'd like to do it again with this post as a starting point- just pick two disparate elements from this post- from boring beige to bold black random to chic bronze dolphins (or alternatively, take your picks from the eclectic pieces in the m21 inventory slideshow at the top right corner of our blog), and combine your choices with your own latest decorating obsessions (whatever they may be), then post the results on your blog, and m21 will link to everybody that plays along! (a great way to get exposure for your blog if you're a new blogger, btw). we hope you'll play, as last time it was so much fun to see how different designers interpret the same elements is such unique and clever ways- so come on, indulge your OCDD! it's fun and FREE- what more could we ask for right now?