UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN

Photos - blackstone Edge Studios

Love this sunny guestroom we just designed in the Tuscan farmhouse. The walls are painted with Sydney Harbour's "lime wash" paint in a beautiful blue called Lucca. The fabric is a classic toile pattern in a mustard yellow mixed along with vintage linens and cotton slipcovers. The bedside table is antique country pine with a lamp made from a vintage painted baluster. For the closet we "found" space under a stairway adjoining the room and used this wonderful pair of antique doors to access the closet.

Tuscan farmhouse

photo: Blackstone Edge Studios

(click on photo to enlarge)

Well we did it! Our design for the Tuscan farmhouse at Brasada Ranch is done. The tour was fantastic, thank you to everyone who came out to see us. In this photo the great room is anchored by a massive limestone mantel from the talented Stone cutters Inc. This is the first of several mantels I will design for their signature line.

We were also very happy with the lime wash paint from Sydney Harbour paints, definitely a favorite detail on the tour. Pictured in this photo is one of a pair of custom light fixtures from Bruce Eicher / Woodland lighting, vintage slipcoverd furniture from Michael Taylor and a fantastic antique pine Dutch desk, along with other antiques from my collection. I will share more photos soon.

CALIFORNIA SHOWCASE - NEWPORT BEACH

On a recent trip to Southern California we had the pleasure of touring this fantastic villa in Newport Beach. Our firm along with some thirty other designers from the west coast were invited to participate in the showcase sponsored by California Homes magazine to benefit the philharmonic. While this project is located next door to one we are just completing, (convenient) I feel our hearts and focus right now are in Central Oregon. Not to mention our entry in the Tour of homes in Brasada Ranch opens in a week and a half!

The California Showcase is spectacular!!! You enter the 12 1/2 acre property through the "gate house" driving over a stone bridge spanning a half acre lake along a sweeping drive lined with ancient olive trees overlooking the hillside vineyard. Yes your own private vineyard, along with stables and tennis pavilion, then you approach the main house. The villa at just over 18,000 square feet is on the market for $75,000,000 (imagine that) I look forward to the finished house tour in October.

REUSE . . . REPURPOSE . . . RECOVER !!!

Before

After

On a recent visit to a friends house, I just had to explore her basement and found this sad but fabulous sofa. She said it came with the house when they purchased in 1949! (The sofa came with the house, do you love it!) The frame has such a wonderful shape I choose a simple linen blend from Calvin fabrics to recover. Cant wait to see it in it's new home . . .

CALIFORNIA SUITE

This was a favorite bedroom suite I designed in a 1910 Craftsman home in San Marino California. I played up the wonderful quality of light by using a neutral palette of butter, cream and soft whites. The bedroom has corner windows and french doors opening to a balcony on the second floor, I covered the windows with roman shades made from light gauze fabric woven from bamboo fiber.

In the bathroom we restored the original claw foot tub and pedestal sink, the walls are painted in a large argyle pattern with two tones of butter cream. The ceiling fixture is a wonderful gilded wood sunburst.

The most fantastic built in closets / dressing rooms were typical in this vintage of house

The sleigh bed is stainless steel with crisp white linens, sisal area rug on the original bleach wood floors and a cream linen rug is serving as table skirt for the bedside table.

Relaxed, sophisticated, Inviting . . .

ORGANIC SCULPTURE

The latest work by artist Paul Schick, 6' x 8' manzanita organic sculpture.

This is an earlier work by Paul in my collection at home, I love the juxtaposition between the organic sculpture and antique pottery figure. To see more of Paul's work go here.

BUGS !!!

For those of you who did not get up to watch Sunday morning on CBS, I thought I would share my favorite artist of the month. Christopher Marley from Salem Oregon is one talented man behind the very successful Pheromone gallery. Its all about bugs, and other treasures from the natural world. As a designer I appreciate the fantastic color and amazing design Christopher presents with his work, each piece is an inspired work of art. Check out the latest work at the Pheromone gallery here.

DESIGN ELEMENT / KUBA CLOTH

A design element I like is incorporating antique and vintage textiles into your interior, the Kuba cloth works perfectly as an accent. This ancient African tradition is woven from raffia with complex geometric patterns, no two textiles are alike.

As the woven panels are limited in width the obvious use is on pillows, these are a few from my collection. I also like to use fragments as panel details in custom bedding as pictured above. If you have an antique chair and want to give it a new look consider upholstering in Kuba cloth, an instant classic!

I apologize for the gap in my blog postings, I have been busy working on new projects and getting ready for the home tour this July. Oh and we also did a photo shoot with Luxe magazine of our home in Bend. We hope to hear soon when it will be published!

SPRING GARDEN

(click on photo to enlarge)

Spring is here and my favorite garden is looking fabulous! This year its all about color, to compliment this exquisite garden designed by Maureen Klecker we recovered all the Sutherland teak furniture in wonderful saturated color! There is something magical that happens when a collaboration between client landscape designer and interior designer put there minds together.

La Cienega Design Quarter + Legends of Hollywood

Its that time of year again, to celebrate the best of design and decoration. One of my favorite shopping destinations is the area known as the La Cienega design quarter in Los Angeles. Five blocks between Melrose and Santa Monica Blvd and of course the infamous Melrose Place is chock full of antique galleries mid century furnishings and art dealers and just some of the best "stuff" around. Once a year designers from around the country converge on the quarter to celebrate the Legends of La Cienega. Best of all is spending "Q" time with your design peers and Friends. On my return I will share some highlights!