thomas pheasant- simply serene

one of the fun parts of this blogging business is getting review copies of books by interior designers whose work i sincerely admire, so i was delighted when rizzoli sent me a copy of "thomas pheasant: simply serene".  mr. pheasant's rooms are always just that, serene, and as a furniture designer for baker, he has created numerous pieces i love, including the "arcade" table which i think is a true modern classic (used in the dining room in first picture below). this is a gorgeous book, full of beautiful interiors and photography, so do order one for your own collection- you won't regret it.

see? gorgeousness. on my coffee table for easy access, as i'm a little obsessed right now.

a gallery wall of mirrors, my latest on 55 downing st! (and some lamps plus fun!)

this week's post over at 55 downing st is about creating a gallery style wall of mirrors- something i've been dying to try with a client. i've selected a great roundup of mirrors, all under $300 bucks.

source: lovelivinghomes on instagram 

also, last week, i had the pleasure of meeting 55 downing st.'s chief creative officer (and mrs. lamps plus) manja swanson, at a modenus #blourtourLA event at the lamps plus west LA store. she probably is regretting having mr. decorative but not serious associated with her brand:
(i'm pictured with new friend yvonne blacker, and my home girl, ashlina kaposta aka the decorista) i was too busy mugging for the camera to take showroom photos, but here's a pretty vignette from the showroom to show you what lamps plus has been up to these days- kinda fun, right?

ps-the lamps from teh color+plus collection are available in 300 bajillion colors. no lie.

an interior designer's top picks from westedge design fair in santa monica (note my use of keywords ;-)

tracy hiner of black crow studios was EVERYWHERE, and the "colliezone agata" mural wallpaper she designed with brenda houston was my number one pick of the show. GO TRACY!

the first westedge design fair was a hit in santa monica this weekend, and i'm already looking forward to to next year! as a world capital of design, los angeles needs more design venues to showcase both our unique local products as well as bring design from around the world to LA.

crazily enough, tracy even sold some of our "memphis" wallpaper collection at the show- though we didn't even show it!

more black crow studios/brenda houston goodness. PS_ MADE IN LA!

my second favorite thing at teh show where these pitch perfect brass and glass sconces by zia-priven. a lil bit deco, a lil bit 60's italian and enough classic "right now" to make me anxious to use them in a project soon!

all of zia-priven's new stuff was right on the mark. ps- MADE IN LA!

here are the rest of my picks, though not in any order- loved them all!

it is beyond time to banish stainless steel from teh kitchen and return color and fun to home cooking. home kitchens should feel like a home, not a restaurant or professional catering kitchen! so naturally, we loved this bertazonni oven.

the mixed metals leafed mirror from egg collective caught my eye immediately.

as did these hex tables- prettier when not blurry! ;-)

actually, i liked everything in the egg collective booth- rare that!

this shower head from gessi is a minimalist marvel! wish it came in polished brass though!

loved the sleek and finely crafted pieces from khouri guzman bunce ltd, like this standing mirror. 

check out the details- so beautiful. kgb ltd

this oven by willmotte for la cornue, rocked my world. the freestanding cooktop was amazing too, but the crowds around it didn't allow for a photo op.

detail of the sexy legs on teh willmotte la cornue collaboration

patrick weder's light sculptures and calico's amazing wallpaper are too freakin hot together. this was my favorite vignette of the show.

gold barstools from phase- yes please!

these floorlamps also by phase are too darn hot!

these wood hex tiles in teh thermador booth by jamie beckwith were SO SICK! i might not use them behind an open flame as shown, but as god is mah witness, they will be used in a maison21 project soon!

i went crazy for the knurling detail on michael berman's new line of faucets for rohl. elevating the industrial to an almost jewel-like chicness! glad to see a talented local designer taking it to a national level! go MB!

this pendant by brandon morrison's whyrhymer line is too cool- love the organic modernism feel. PS_ MADE IN LA! 

last, BDDW is always a favorite, but this happy little stool wanted to come home with me so bad. 

great show, westedge- looking forward to next year! and phew- off to the los angeles antiques show tomorrow night for more design show goodness! lovin' LA design in the fall!

touring the LCDQ with #blogtourLA, with special thanks to dragonette ltd. & mecox gardens!

will taylor of bright bazaar  and i, captured by the awesome justina blakeney, LA stylist/blogger/jungalow queen!

i was privileged to spend a good chunk of time with the kids from modenus #blogtourLA last week and even had the chance to lead them on a mini-walking tour of the la cienega design quarter (though we were only able to visit a fraction of the fabulous showrooms. apologies to everyone we couldn't visit- next time!)

me, speechifying (a brief history of the LCDQ).

we started our day with a breakfast at the beautiful walker-zanger tile and stone showroom, co-hosted by architectural digest, where these reclaimed wood hex tiles, rocked my world!

then i took the bloggers on a brief walking tour of the LCDQ, with the first stop at the beautiful mecox gardens los angeles showroom, whose fearless leader, dave benbow, put a spread of frozen margaritas and fresh made tacos! thanks dave!

photo by gudy herder, my new spanish friend who also did a post on mecox here.

mecox detail from stagetecure

i was delighted to be reunited with my dear friend, ashlina kaposta, the decorista! nothing better than drinking margies with your friends and getting to call it "work"!

some special LA friends joined in the fun as well. ginna christensen, of the amazing rug company 27ground and i are smiling here because we have a maison21-27ground rug collection in the works. still in the planning stages, but i am over the moon!

mecox vignette by bright bazaar 

after lunch at mecox, we moved on to dragonette ltd (one of my favorite vintage galleries with a section of the best of the 20th century) for dessert and bubbly!

yum!

dragonette vignette, courtesy of lynne byrne of decor arts now

27 ground's ginna christensen, blogger and fabric designer, typhanie peterson and i chatting with patrick dragonette, our host extraordinaire, picture by my coconspirator, jill seidner of material girls, who helped host the tour. 

i swear, the bathroom at dragonette is nicer than most people's living rooms!

my favorite painting at dragonette, captured by veronika miller, guru of blogtourLA and modenus.

the blortour gang moved on to kelly wearstler's after this, but i had to head home to check in on ted and richard, but i met back up with them for a fun-filled oktoberfest dinner at teh new poggenpohl showroom on beverly:

the blogtour gang with apologies to ronique & susan who got cropped out of this photo. :-(

i'm hanging with the #blogtourLA kids today! (plus cute animals)

so be sure to follow along on instagram & twitter for all teh fun.

in the meantime, here's a lil ted and richard action to make you smile.


ps-  if you'd like to help more homeless animals have wonderful lives like ted & richard, please consider sponsoring me in "the race for the rescues", benefitting the amazing molly's mutts and meows, who saved ted (and friday the pit bull).