Cordelia Is Turning ONE!

Hello friends! It's been awhile...months fly by with the blink of an eye these days. Cordelia's first year is coming to a close (She's turning one already! How can that be?) and we're slowly starting to get into the swing of things...a little breathing room is nice...of course, it's just in time for her to start walking and the pace to change yet again! Although as crazy as it's been at times, it has been a most wonderful year and I can't fathom my life without that little girl. So, forgive me for blogging (and design in general) taking a back seat these days. My days have instead been filled with play dates, messy meals, and lots of laundry...and I'm loving every minute of it!

As we gear up for a little celebration we're having for Cordelia and her little friends in a couple of weeks, I thought I'd share some inspiration photos from my Pinterest board.  Be sure to follow me there for a peek into what I've been inspired by lately, as well as on Twitter and Facebook for more frequent updates. Enjoy! 

Smash cake from Sweet & Saucy Shop 

1950s party ware via It's Your Day Vintage on Etsy 

Glassine bags with doilies via Sweet Lulu

Dwell On Design

Yesterday, I finally got around to registering for Dwell On Design, which is coming up June 24 - 26th in Los Angeles. I missed out on the early bird tickets for the home tours though. Darn.  I actually had a blog post draft to remind you all about early bird tickets and then didn't even remind myself!  Welcome to motherhood.  There are never enough hours in the day to check off the many things on the to-do list.

Which brings me to my next update which has nothing to do with Dwell.  As you may have noticed, it's next to impossible for me to keep up the pace of daily blog posts. New clients plus new baby and home remodel equals zero time to blog.  I do really enjoy sharing my favorites things, events, and updates on the restoration of our Cliff May Rancho and my drafts folder is bursting at the seams!  So, I will keep posting and aim for at least once a week.  For now I am just trying to limit work distractions so that I can enjoy this precious time with my baby daughter.  She turns one year old in just four more months.  It's crazy how fast the time goes!

Back to Dwell.  Tickets are still available for the show and all the home tours and you can find a full description of the ticket packages right here. Below are photos of some of the homes included in this year's home tours.  Happy Monday and see you soon!

Images via Dwell On Design

Flea Market Fun: May Edition

Better late than never. Last month's recap of the Long Beach Antique Market  is coming to you mid-June. In all fairness, this sale was right at the end of last month! Long Beach actually hosted not one, but two, sales in May. I missed the first one since I was out of town, enjoying a much needed mini vacation with my husband to celebrate our second wedding anniversary.  So, I was excited to hit the sale on Memorial Day weekend. Below is a glimpse of some of the goodies that I spotted.  

Next month, keep an eye out for the June Edition of my flea market adventures which is set to include a recap of my trip down the 405 to the Irvine Flea Market. 

Look closely. 

Yes, that pattern is pig musicians and their friends dancing to the music!  

This 50s glassware set was so odd, but adorably so. 

Four dining chairs recovered in sherbert-colored fabrics

They reminded me of the Ruthie Sommers-designed room below -

This desk and chair were in great shape, at an equally great price (around $200 for the set, as I recall)

I wish I hadn't passed on this cute tripod lamp

A trio of bullet planters for $50 each although they needed a little TLC

Rainbow-colored lockers in fun colors for $400

Great 60s fondue pot snagged by my sidekick for a mere $20

I hope I get invited to dinner some time to see it in action!

Modern Works Presented By Pasadena Heritage

If you love modernism, don't miss this event tomorrow! Pasadena Heritage gives a nod to some of its mid-20th century architecture with a tour featuring the work of Edward Durell Stone and Smith & Williams.  Alan Hess, the preservationist/architect and author who wrote this book (one of my favorites!) will also be giving a lecture at 1pm.  Attend the lecture only, the tour by itself, or both! Get your tickets right here.

Included on the tour is the Stuart Pharmaceutical Co. Building (pictured above), now known as The Stuart at Sierra Madre Villa, that I've long admired but have never been inside. You know you want a peek inside too. I'll see you there!

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

Photo of Sten-Frenke House via Daily Icon

Mark Your Calendars

Get ready, set, go! The next couple of weeks will be filled with can't miss design events. It all starts tonight with A+D Museum's Launch Party for Architizer.  Next week, the fun continues with West Week at Pacific Design Center with a keynote by Margaret Russell to kick off the festivities on March 24th. Directly following this two-day PDC extravaganza, spend two days on the Avenues of Art and Design for the 13th Annual West Hollywood Art + Design Walk. More than 300 top-notch showroom, galleries, and restaurants open their doors and welcome you to explore.

Also, don't forget that coming in May is Elle Decor's second annual Legends of La Cienega event.

Tomorrow Night: Toshiko Mori

Tomorrow night, don't miss Toshiko Mori speak as part of the Sci-Arc Lecture Series.  This wonder woman was the architect for the recently completed Greatbatch Pavilion, part of Frank Lloyd Wright's Darwin Martin House Complex and is the former Chair of the Department of Architecture at Harvard Graduate School of Design.  Currently, she is a Robert P. Hubbard Professor in the Practice of Architecture and is working on a new exhibition, Textile Tectonic in Architecture.

Above is the Greatbatch Pavilion at the Darwin Martin House.  I visited the complex last year, before Toshiko Mori's building opened, and the tour guide had some interesting details to share about the design.  The roof of the building is actually the inverse of the Martin House roof, merging the historic structure with Mori's 21st-century design.

I'm very much looking forward to hear Mori discuss this project, as well as her other endeavors and approach to architecture.  All Sci-Arc Lectures are free, open to the public, and broadcast live right here.  So, if you can't make it in person, be sure to tune in.

Beyond Eden Recap

It's so difficult to narrow down who and what to talk about from Beyond Eden, the art fair at Barnsdall Park in Hollywood this past weekend.  With over fifteen local galleries represented and so many talented artists, it was a truly amazing event!  For the  'Opening Night Gala' on Saturday, about a dozen different artists were set up in stations outside where they worked on their latest creations.

Yoskay Yamamoto works his magic

Scott Belcastro in action

This piece certainly speaks louder than words:

'Guillotine #2' by Cain Motter

Wood, metal, and enamel

Contact  Thinkspace Gallery for more info

Loved these fairy tale-inspired paintings, especially the Dorothy from the Wizard Of Oz print, capturing one of the prettiest scenes from the movie:

'Snowfall Over Poppies' by Krista Huot

16x20 giclee print on archival paper

signed and numbered edition of 50

'Maiden with a Bluebird' by Krista Huot

8x10 Acrylic on canvas

I apologize for the lousy camera phone image here, but if you look really hard, you'll see the archer perched on the rooftop and the figures marching through the field toward them:

'I Came To Know An Archer' by Daniel Danger

24x24 Screen print w/ hand painted elements

Signed and number gallery edition of 15

Available at Gallery 1988

This next artist was truly original.  Layer upon thin layer of resin is poured over graphite and tape to create unbelievable depth.  I especially love the small works, repurposing tins and other objects that he pours the resin into.  This is apparently the final collection from this artist using this medium, so be sure to snag one now.

'Dirty Dust Tails' by Brooks Salzwedel

13" x 19" Graphite, tape, and resin

'Hanged #1' by Brooks Salzwedel

         6"- diameter, graphite, resin, pipe-end

'Uprooted' by Brooks Salzwedel

Graphite and resin inside vintage box

Visual Acoustics

Everyone has a unique answer to that infamous question about who you would invite, dead or alive, to your dream dinner party.  I confess that I am a total design nerd (shocking, right?) and my guest list includes mostly mid-20th century architects and designers.  One of the exceptions is a photographer, Julius Shulman.  He never designed a building or interior, but he did capture wonderful photographs of those that did.  From Frank Lloyd Wright to Frank Gehry, Shulman's images introduced the world to the iconic buildings that defined the modernist movement in Southern California. 

Even if you don't recognize his name, you may recognize this image used for the movie poster for Eric Bricker's new documentary film, Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman.  It's Pierre Koenig's Stahl House and is just one of the many, many photographs Julius gifted to the world.

I've been so anxious to see this film, which chronicles Shulman's life and career and is narrated by Dustin Hoffman, and I will get my chance tonight at the OC Museum of Art.  Want to see it, but can't make it tonight?  No worries.  The theatrical opening will be in Los Angeles at the Nuart Theatre on October 16th.  For a full list of screenings in the U.S. (next up SF, NYC, and Pittsburgh) and around the globe, check out the film's website.

Johnie's Is Back!

Milkshakes, classic cars, and googie architecture?  Count me in.  Bob's Big Boy Broiler will open this weekend in the former location of Harvey's Broiler (later known as Johnie's Broiler).    

This iconic 1950's googie drive-in designed by Paul B. Clayton, was illegally demolished in 2007.  No permit was pulled and the electricity and gas weren't even disconnected.  The loss of this important example of roadside architecture devastated those not only in the city of Downey, but all across the country.  A faithful few never gave up the fight to rebuild, however, and a Bob's Big Boy franchisee stepped in to recreate the drive-in as close to the original as possible.  Now, it's ready for you to enjoy a burger and a milkshake!  And what would be without classic cars?  There's a cruise-in which will include some who have traveled from as far as Tennessee.  Other events include a signing for John Eng and Adriene Biondo's new book, Southern California Eats (2-4pm) and special musical guests.

Rendering from The Downey Patriot, via Curbed

Los Angeles has suffered some significant architectural losses over the years, especially when it comes to our recent past and roadside landmarks such as this have quickly been disappearing across the country.  So this success story is definitely cause for celebration!  Join in this free event Saturday, September 26th from 11am to sunset at 7447 Firestone Blvd, Downey, CA.

End the Summer In Style

The final days of summer are upon us and, in celebration of Labor Day, I thought I'd post some inspiration to inject a bit of style into all those soirées that will be happening this weekend. This past week's episode of Mad Men, "My Old Kentucky Home", featured a wonderful party capturing a casual, yet sophisticated atmosphere.

It was refreshing to see the combo of red and green minus the winter holiday cheer.

The green and white striped fabric reminded me of summer days spent lounging by the pool at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

The chairs are a departure from my usual style, but they totally work in this garden setting and I love the casual arrangement of roses, as if they'd been plucked from the garden earlier that day. The red pops nicely against the classic white linens.

Use these key components to host your own Mad Men-style event: Queen Anne Chair from Pottery Barn, Green-striped fabric from Lee Jofa; Photos of tent and table setting courtesy of The Knot, Linens from Crate and Barrel, Red rose wreath from Smith & Hawken

See the full recap of Mad Men Season 3 Episode 3 here.

CA Boom Review + Coolhaus

Our visit to CA Boom was relatively short and sweet (something about the U.S. playing in a soccer match that Cezanne just HAD to see), but I did find some noteworthy products to share.

Moduture had three products to unveil that will be going into production this fall. The most interesting was this coffee table called 'the puzzle' table. The two halves slide apart to reveal the puzzle in construction, so you no longer have to feel like you have to finish that 1000+ piece masterwork in one evening. If puzzles aren't your thing, there are plenty of other objects you could store below and they're also working on a similar dining table, which means plates, placemats, even flatware, can be stored right below the eating surface - smart for small space dwellings.

Although it's not even close to the holidays, I couldn't help but fall in love with these mod ornaments from 9 Mile Schoolhouse. The Montana-based company integrates traditions and cultural influences from all over the world into their holiday collections and they have recently expanded to gifts and home decor, such as pillows and mobiles.

Harbour Outdoor, which made it's debut in the U.S. at ICFF this year, had its West Coast premiere at CA Boom.

Ronan + Erwan are certainly having a stellar year, with 'Kvadrat Clouds' for Ligne Roset showcased at Dwell On Design and the Vegetal chair (top) and this amazing sofa, the 'Alcove' for Vitra, on display at CA Boom. The Vitra booth (in conjunction with Magedman Modern) even had a child sleeping on the sofa just as in the photo above! Completely unintentional, but oh so cute! I didn't take a photo, as I didn't want to wake him.

Last, but not least, we finished the day off with an ice cream sandwich from Coolhaus. These cool treats are built to look like modern homes, and wrapped in edible rice paper to hold the miniature work of art together. And check out the names - 'Orange Julius Shulman', 'Frank Behry', 'Mies Vanilla Rohe' and many other creative flavors not only taste great, but also make you smile.

Also coming up this week, more on Dwell on Design including Unison Bedding and Charley Harper, photos from my discovery of a mid-century enclave in Gardena, and products from the Rug Company and Blu Dot. Check back daily!

Dwell On Design Review + Wurstküche

I'm downing a cup of coffee trying to recover from a long weekend of design cons. Two major events hit L.A., the annual Dwell on Design show sponsored by Dwell magazine and the West coast design show, CA Boom. Both had a wide variety of vendors and products and here is just a sampling of what caught my eye.

'Clouds' (above) by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec for Ligne Roset was originally introduced at January's Maison de Objet in Paris, but this was the largest installation that they have displayed yet. It was certainly dramatic, although it costs tens of thousands of dollars. Don't be discouraged though. What I love about this system is that you choose how many tiles and how to configure them - cover a whole wall, create a panel to use as a room divider or link together a small group of tiles to create a 3-D focal point.

Another fun felt product were these stools by Tema Home. They're available through Hold It, a modern store in San Diego that's a one-stop shop for other products like Blu Dot, Blomus, and Nuevo.

This chair, from H. Studio, is not necessary my style, but yet I can't help but be drawn to it. I guess I just have a thing for glamourous chairs!

Modular shelving units are a great storage solution, because they adapt to your space. Easily arrange them in a new way for a fresh look, or when you move to a different home, stack them to fit your new space. The hexagon-shaped shelves in the top two photos are from Boom Design and the other is from a new collection at Target by Dror. Snag this nesting shelving system for a fraction of the cost of designs that Dror Benshetrit has done for luxury furniture powerhouses like Cappellini.

Okay, this was one of my favorite stops at Dwell. Lindsey Adelman Studio produces these drop dead gorgeous modern light fixtures. They can be custom ordered with as many handblown glass globes or 'branches' as you like. I was mesmerized by these pieces and it was seriously hard to tear myself away from their booth.

Design Boom showcased the latest in industrial design, from fruit bowls to 'green' concepts that will help save the earth. Here are a few of my favorites:

'Stem Herb Planter' by Peter J. Pless

'Nova' Fruit Bowl (right) by Mauricio Valdes and the 'Canasta' Fruit Bowl (left) by Emiliano Godoy for Nouvel Studio

'Log Bowls' designed by Doha Chebib for Loyal Loot Collective

I couldn't finish up this post without mentioning how we ended the day. It made my husband a very happy man. We trekked across downtown to Wurstküche, a hip new beer garden and sausage house. They have an amazing selection of German and Belgian beers and a variety of sausages from exotic, like Rattlesnake and Rabbit, to classics like bratwurst and kielbasa. The Belgian fries were also excellent and served with a selection of sauces ranging from curry ketchup to bleu cheese and bacon. It was all mouth-watering and if you're downtown near the arts district, it's a must! Heck, it's even worth a special trip. Enjoy!

Stay tuned for my review on CA Boom later this afternoon...