same time next year (white xmas bargain shopping)

if like maison21, you like your xmas tree to be faker than fake, and preferably white, we ran across the bargain of all bargains in a matching pre-lit wreath- on sale for $7.49 at domestications! you probably won't get it in time for christmas this year, but you'll be ahead of the game for next!
fyi- we don't know what it looks like in person, as we just ordered ours yesterday, but for that price, who cares? even with shipping, and some bogus $1.99 "service charge" (why not just price it at $10.49?), the wreath is still a bargain at around 15 bucks.

c-c-c-coo-coo for colorful!

guess we're dating ourselves with that "coo- coo for cocoa puffs" reference- but what the hell, we're old!

but we did go cuckoo when we received an email from dessin-fournir announcing the re-edition of several rose cummings fabrics, sourced from archival documents. this metallic print in particular captivated moi because of it's juicy color palette- simply fabulous. we'd love to do a room using the print in several of the different colorways. sear your eyes? maybe, but we guarantee you'll leave that room happier than when you walked in...

looks like we'll also have to drop 10 bucks on "the world of interiors", since they are featuring rose cummings' famous townhouse, and the room shown in the dessin-fournir email below , is absolutely one of our top five favorite rooms of all time. schtunning!

whole lotta lamp

maison21 was out doing a little xmas shopping (you know, doing our part to keep the economy running and all) and we wandered past the design within reach store, where we saw this desk lamp blown up into a super-jumbo floor lamp. so friggin cool, yet so not within our reach ($9500.00-ouch).

then we wondered right next door to bo concept, where we saw the same idea, but at a completely within reach price, at $729. kinda hard to tell from the picture as there is nothing to indicate scale, but it's a big floor lamp too. only half the size of the DWR version (71" tall vs. 168"), but for a tenth the price, we're totally cool with that. next time m21 has a client with a little boy, this is SO going in the kid's bedroom. if we had anywhere to put it 'round the atelier, we'd be using it in this little boy's bedroom already...

abc modern.com (and bonus "learning new things on the internets" mini-edition)

we recently purchased a beautiful vintage modern chandelier for a client from the good folks at abc modern.com, and wanted to encourage everyone to pay them a visit, as currently they have the most amazing exhibition of andirons we've ever seen assembled in one place. seriously- the ABC in abc modern.com must stand for Absolutely Beautiful Chenets*.

*learning new things on the internets mini edition: if you didn't already know, "chenet" is an uppity french word we decorators use for "andiron" or "fire dog". as an old school antique dealer friend of ours once put it: "the kind of fancy name that adds an extra zero to the price tag" ;-)

we also LOVE the philosophy behind of abcmodern.com, as it is identical to m21's own- from their website:

"For us, the thrill is in the hunt, and we are firm believers in "catch and release". This philosophy allows us to live with important pieces of design for a short time and then pass them on to others to enjoy."

here is more of their amazing selection of chenets for you to enjoy:




drool-worthy stuff, no?

first, the big three, now the big me...

the economic downturn claims another victim, as during a solemn press conference held this weekend, decorator extraordinaire, maison21, announced his agonizing decision to shutter his ebay store, and layoff his entire staff.

ok, so as usual, m21 is being a lil dramatic- there was no press conference, and the only person laid off was moi-self... but the economy did play a part, and we really did make the decision to close our ebay store with a heavy heart. after all, the name "maison21" originally came from our ebay seller name- picked many moons ago- so our identity is more than a little wrapped up with our ebay store...

a selection of maison21 "greatest hits" sold thru his ebay store - more at our flicker page.

we've sold our chic selections on ebay for almost a decade now, and though it's been great fun to have had an outlet for our vintage decorating obsession and compulsive collecting- especially in the lulls between interior design projects- it's become clear it's time to move on. we've been honored to have sold our tchotchkes to some of the best stores and most talented designers in the world, and most importantly, we've been honored to have our selections purchased by people who just want to make their lives a little more beautiful. alas, all good things must come to an end, and after contemplating our exit from ebay for quite a while now, that time has finally come.

in our opinion, ebay wants to be more of a mass discounter (without the expense of mass discounter inventory- or customer service, for that matter), rather than an outlet for individual antiques and collectibles dealers as it was originally conceived (remember, it was founded by a man looking for a way to sell his pez dispenser collection). as a small scale dealer, we haven't felt supported by ebay for a long while (not that we blame them so much- they just want to maximize their profits). these things, coupled with rising shipping costs, and this hideous, no good, very bad economy, finally forced maison21 to face the facts: he was losing money keeping his ebay store open, and more importantly, he was simply no longer enjoying himself in the process- really not enjoying himself when it came to packing and shipping! we are positively thrilled at the prospect of never having to step foot in a post office again! (we sure sold some pretty things, but god, we really sucked at getting them in the mail in a timely fashion).

more "greatest hits" from our flicker page- we're even impressing ourselves with the gorgeousness that has passed through our doors!

the only problem with our decision to shutter our ebay store, is that our inner junque whisperer™ will still be whispering as loud as ever, and we will undoubtedly continue to pick up stray credenzas in need of good homes... so since we'll still be buying, we'll probably still need an outlet for our finds, lest the health department declares our home unfit to live in because of the furniture stacked to the ceiling and the fire dept. gets involved because we have so many chandeliers blazing that the entire neighborhood is in danger of being torched.

so for now, we're gonna take a some time to figure out the direction of the vintage resale arm of the maison21 interior decoration empire, and weigh all of our options...

is it finally time to open the maison21 brick and mortar boutique to showcase our finds? maybe not just this minute, with the economy the way it is- it would really be a gamble; but then again, maybe this is the right time... we keep saying somebody has to make money in troubled economic times, right? no reason it can't be us! perhaps we'll consider selling at a local antique mall, or opening up our own e-commerce website- anyone know any cheap web designers? the possibilities are endless, and we're going to enjoy the process of planning our new resale direction for however long it takes. in the meantime, our showroom "le garage", remains stocked with our secondhand delights, and local los angeles buyers can always spot our finds on craigslist (search under "m21" in the furniture for sale category). we might even post some of our more exceptional scores on ye olde blog every now and again (don't worry, we'll try to avoid becoming a maison21 infomercial- well, at least, no more than we are already!)

le garage- the m21 showroom, as of last night.

the upside of of our store closing and lay off? more time to decorate people's homes (our true love), and yes, more time for blogging! so expect more posts, more silliness, and more glamor from m21 in the months ahead! who knows- maybe we'll even have time to finish painting the kitchen and to do something about our f*cked up hardwood floors. (yeah, you're right- probably not).

last, to everyone who ever bought anything from maison21 on ebay, or just browsed our store, and to all the wonderful people we've met, and the great friends we've made along the way, we would like to offer an extremely heartfelt "thank you"! it's been a pretty fun ride, so thanks for sharing it with me!