ancient decorator's secret

tip #1- if you are an absentminded decorator like m21, and you find you've left your measuring tape in the last showroom you visited, or at home, or on the roof of your car- where it later skids off and smashes into pieces in the street (leaving a nice scratch in the process), a dollar bill can be a good substitute. it's a smidge over 6 inches long, so the longer you measure, the less accurate it becomes (add an inch for 8 bills), but it can be helpful in a pinch.

tip #2- if you want to feel like a real fancy-schmancy absentminded decorator, use a benjamin!

is it just me?

or is there a resemblance goin' on here?
(i know, i know- again, with the damn dog, but he's here and so is my camera, so it just kinda happens...)

have a happy weekend, kids!

lavender blue open house (the south of france in the 'hood)

just wanted to post a last minute notice that m21's neighbor, catherine giraud, is having a open house/sale of her lavender blue collection tablecloths and accessories. catherine and her husband alain giraud, are our 'hood's resident french connection(s)- he is the world renown chef behind anisette brasserie in santa monica (you gots ta go if you haven't already been), while she imports a colorful collection of tablecloths, aprons, towels and pillows from provence, all designed to bring a little southern france sunshine to your home. m21 particularly likes the plaid aprons- perfect for when the hostess 'mans' the grill!

try to stop by if you are in the neighborhood- m21 and teddy will also be dropping in to say hello (and maybe pick up a gift or two!)

LAVENDER BLUE SUMMER OPEN HOUSE 2010
FRIDAY, JULY 9th and SATURDAY, JULY 10th, 11:00AM to 4:00PM
CATHERINE GIRAUD'S GARDEN
1258 SOUTH OGDEN DRIVE
LOS ANGELES - CA 90019
Enter by the side of the house on Packard Street
map & directions

"lazy hazy" exhibition at jf chen

readers of this blog know maison21 loves hisself some jf chen, the most amazing antique store in los angeles, so he was excited to attend the opening party of "lazy hazy" an exhibition of classic and vintage outdoor furniture with some seriously fabulous tropical plantings (provided by the tropics), all curated by jf chen impresario, joel chen. the exhibition runs through august 13th, and m21 plans to return in the daylight to get a better look at all the fabulousity, and he suggests if you are in the area, you check it out too!

the party was pretty awesome- we spotted trina turk and madeline stuart in the crowd of LA's design glitterati, and we were delighted to meet adorable ashlina from the decorista in person (small world, she used to work at jf chen!).

giant aloe in a giant clamshell? m21 LOVED the gorgeous plants and arrangements by the tropics- completely stunning!

one of joel chen's fabulous vignettes....

how fabulous is this terra cotta screen? it forms a lounge space within the cavernous warehouse. when m21 returns in the daylight, he'll find out the story on it's origins- it is serious cool, and of course, we always love chunky burl furniture.

love the pairing of these rustic concrete toadstools and a classic mid-century concrete willy guhl chair.

"lazy hazy" through august 13th

JF CHEN
941 North Highland Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90038
Phone: 323-466-9700

addendum- in what is either a complete co-inky-dink, or an instance of of one of the largest newspapers in the world *totally* copying m21 (we vote the latter ;-), the "L.A. times at home" blog of the los angeles times published a piece this morning on the same exhibit; though we hate to publicize such an obvious instance of plagiarism from a once well-respected journalistic institution, we do recommend you go here to read the article- though we warn you, it's chock full of annoying facts and research 'n stuff (like the name of who designed the fabulous screen), which m21 kindly omitted for your mindless browsing pleasure...

how was your holiday? (w/guest blogger, ted)

my fourth of july weekend was real fun! we went for lots of walks, and just kinda hung out with my new dad and brother, stuff like that. the weather was real nice, even chilly sometimes!

it's been a month since i arrived, so i'm finally figuring out the routine around here. i'm getting to know the neighborhood too, and the other dogs and stuff. everyone seems real nice!

my new brother and i get a long real good ('cept when he tried to clean my ears- that freaked me out a little), but mostly we do just fine. he keeps trying to get me to play with him, but i'm a bit confused by that- i think i like him best when he's asleep!

the loud noises didn't even scare me!

and how was your holiday? what did YOU do?

love, teddy