Monday, March 28, 2011

Neutra Anniversary Weekend

Yesterday, Daily Icon posted a wonderful glimpse inside Neutra's 1934 Sten-Frenke house in Santa Monica, CA. Ever been up close and personal with a Neutra?  Sure, the photographs are great, but there's nothing like stepping inside one for the full experience and if you're in Los Angeles, there are so many Neutra-built homes right at your fingertips. 

Right now, in fact, you can purchase tickets to the 85th Anniversary Celebration for the Neutra practice (Richard's son, Dion, has carried on the business since his father's passing). The event involves a jam-packed weekend culminating in an exclusive tour featuring nine stops:  The Neutra office, Dion Neutra House, VDL Research House II, Lovell Health House, Treehouse Apartments, Flavin House, Ohara House and Inadomi House. The dates are April 8-10th and you can read more and purchase tickets at Neutra.org


Friday, March 18, 2011

Cordelia's Nursery: Part II

And the winner is....

If you missed Part I, it's worth a look back at the five different inspiration boards I put together for my daughter's nursery and the sources for all the items in the collage above. The runner up was the orange and grey collage with the Thomas Paul rug, but this happy multi-color room won out for several reasons 1) It's a bit more feminine 2) I can add almost any accessory (called 'toys' in her world) without them sticking out like a sore thumb 3) I scored that PB Teen rug for next to nothing and it's still on sale here

The bookcases worked out just as planned. I already had the Kartell storage unit on hand to use as a side table and I snagged the Fat Boy ottoman designed by Dwell Studio at Marshall's of all places for a mere thirty beans (also available right here on clearance). 

Some things were just happy accidents like that as well as the rocking chair that I mentioned I picked up at the Rose Bowl. It was recovered in an ivory shag from Deco Home. Other things in the room had more thought behind them and were shown in the original collage. The Oeuf cribJonathan Adler Havana sconces, Kate Quinn bedding, Puka Puka mobile, and Multi-boxes were all must-haves.  The Adler initial pillow was also on the original wish list, but they were out of stock and we ended up with this one instead.  If you look closely it includes the word 'gin', but my husband jokes that Jonathan is simply referring to the card game, not the adult beverage!

Smaller items of note not mentioned above are in the source list at the bottom of the post. Of course, the most adorable thing in the room, Cordelia, is in the last photo.  Enjoy!


















Wall Art - Suzy Ultman
Piggy Bank, Turtle and Snail - Jonathan Adler
Mushroom Lamp - Vintage
Mirrored Discs - PB Teen
Toy baskets - Land Of Nod
Floor lamp - West Elm
Wall color - Sherwin-Williams Harmony paint in 'Bubble'

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Cordelia's Nursery

Every mother obsesses over a nursery leading up to their first baby, right? You have to make sure everything is perfect and you're ready to welcome the little one home. Well, that's exactly how I ended up with six different inspiration boards for my daughter's nursery! Let's just say decisiveness and pregnancy do not go well together. 

Of course, I started with a focus on function and never wavered from my original floor plan.  It consisted of a crib (obviously) strategically positioned in the one spot in the room that wasn't under a window (we do live in a glass house, after all, but don't worry we recently installed 3M safety film on all the windows), bookcases lining one wall and rounding the corner, and a chair plus ottoman. Pretty simple. 



The Classic Ouef Crib was locked in, as was the Billy bookcase storage solution from IKEA which would get a birch top (an IKEA-hack since the corner solution doesn't really work with the low bookcases). I had spotted the Britten Nummer fabric, also from IKEA, and envisioned it as the perfect backdrop for the bookcases (simply covering the back panels with the fabric adhered with a little non-toxic Modge Podge). I had also spontaneously selected a light turquoise for the walls when the painters were here to cover up the oh-so-hideous hospital green walls that the previous owner had somehow thought were a good idea.  

So, those were all the decisions that had been made up until the third trimester.  In the mean time, I was distracted with all the other projects happening, which is really just my excuse for not being able to make up my mind. Designers designing for themselves is sometimes a fatal combination. Add in the pregnancy hormones and you're doomed.  

Then, a trip to the Rose Bowl Flea Market turned up a Ralph Rapson-style rocker (which I have to imagine was the inspiration behind IKEA's Poang rocker you'll see pictured in the first collage) and the room finally began to take shape. I had all the major furniture pieces. Although that still didn't stop me from contemplating repainting the walls (as you'll notice in the 3rd collage). So without further ado, here are the many variations on the nursery's color palette, textiles, lighting and decor. Can you guess which one of these five inspiration boards was the winner? 



Clockwise from top left: Mythic Paint in Turquoise, Sunny Outlook, and Sherwin-Williams 'Bubble', Jonathan Adler Havana Sconce, Frazier + Wing Mobile, Britten Nummer fabric and Billy bookcase from IKEA, Room and Board Henley floor pillow, Hable Construction fabric, IKEA Poang rocker (similar to Ralph Rapson-style vintage rocker scored at the Rose Bowl), Jonathan Adler Initial Pillow, Kate Quinn bedding, CB2 Birdwalk rug, West Elm side table, Oeuf Crib


Clockwise from top left: Puka Puka mobile, Thomas Paul sconce, Sherwin-Williams 'bubble', IKEA Britten Nummer and Billy bookcase, Oilo crib bedding, Amenity deer pillow, West Elm stump table, Monte Luca glider, Flor carpet tiles, Ouef Crib

Clockwise from top left: Puka Puka mobile, Mythic Paint in Blush of Dawn, Kate Quinn Bedding, IKEA Britten Nummer fabric with Billy bookcase, Multi-boxes, Crate and Barrel glider, West Elm Martini table, CB2 rug, Oeuf Crib, Jonathan Adler Initial Pillow


Clockwise from top left: Jonathan Adler Havana sconce, Summer Infant organic crib sheet, Puka Puka mobile, IKEA PS table, IKEA Britten Nummer fabric and Billy bookcase, Hable Construction fabric in charcoal, Modernica 'Grasshopper' chair, CB2 ottoman, Thomas Paul 'Parasols' rug, Sherwin-Williams 'Bubble', Oeuf crib, Inhabit wall hanging


Clockwise from top left: Jonathan Adler 'Havana' sconce, Sherwin-Williams 'Bubble', Puka Puka mobile, Jonathan Adler initial pillow, IKEA Britten Nummer fabric with Billy bookcase, Kate Quinn 'Clover' bedding, Multi-boxes, IKEA Poang rocker, PB Teen rug, Oeuf crib, Kartell Componibili storage unit
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