beachbungalow8

Robert Bingaman

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 14:00:00 +0000

Newport Day

2014, 57 x 78 in. acrylic on linen

Happy Labor Day and here's some incredible art to just think about, freak out over or just gaze upon.

Newport Night

2014, 57 x 78 in. acrylic on linen

Pool 4

2014, 65 x 115 in. acrylic and oil on canvas

I mean. I LOVE this stuff. - ( ego confession: I'm kinda mad that I didn't think to do this. )

Pool 6

2014, 42 x 58 in. acrylic and oil on canvas

Damn. just total brilliance.

Pool 5

2014, 65 x 115 in. acrylic and oil on canvas

By the way, and even better, these Night Pool pieces are HUGE.

Trachycarpus Takil - Kumaon Palm

2014, 16 x 16 in. acrylic on birch panel

Cycas Revoluta - Sago Palm

2014, 16 x 16 in. acrylic on birch panel

Robert Bingaman is an American Artist living in Kansas City, Missouri.

You want to check them out in person or even buy one?

They're at Haw Contemporary Gallery in Kansas City, MO.

I see the light

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Fri, 29 Aug 2014 19:33:00 +0000

When we first moved into the new house, the kitchen had one of those, Ingo Maurer, "Zettel's 5" fixtures hanging above the kitchen island.

And while it was romantic, interesting, thoughtful and had a nice way of diffusing light, the two of us, we weren't meant to be.

That, and I've been eyeing the, oh-so trending, industry standard parts fixtures - DIY or BIY (depending on your wallet, resourcefulness and general level of patience to sanity matrix). Because complicated puzzles are my Ritalin, and $150.00 seemed a little easier to spend on a trend than 4k, I chose DIY.

Lindsey Adelman who, from what I can tell, really brought this trend into the spotlight, makes some really cool versions. Which you can purchase, pre-made. For a lot. BUT she has also, put together this awesome kit that only requires your patience and a handy electrician.

Sure it's not for the squeamish. But, it's completely doable, and like I said, oddly calming to create.

Here's what you get in the box:

I should note, they don't give you the wire strippers, hammer, measuring tape nor scissors. Also, that fabric covered, black cord is one I had ordered, thinking that I might need more wire. They do send you that nicely coiled gold wire.

Then you down load this pdf and prepare to have your eyes start to spin a little. But, hold on, it's cool. Because it comes together pretty easily.

Explode Your Brain, View.

Thank god for Juan.

Lights on,

Isn't it so great??! I'm totally stoked.

A few other joints around Cali that sell pre made Industry Parts Fixtures (there must be a better name for these things)

+ Omega Lighting and Design - Berkeley

+ Big Daddy Antiques - SF and LA

And I hear that you can find some great ones at the Rose Bowl Flea.

peace out

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 11:00:00 +0000

Art | Link | Letter

The Green Tablecloth
1973
oil on canvas
23 7/8 x 27 1/2 inches

Where in I give you a bit of art, some links and some good reading from my week's finds.

+ A nice collection from the art of American landscape and watercolor artist, Nell Blaine. Kool Aid color for dayz.

+ Ellen Langer on Mindful thinking. I can never get enough of this kind of stuff.

+ Like Knows Like - A co-founded initiative by filmakers who create short documentary films about cool, creative people. My favorite is this one on Lisa Congdon. I love her energy and her work. She inspires me.

+ Made this for dinner, and it was delish.

surf side

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Thu, 14 Aug 2014 18:04:00 +0000

New house = New teen bedrooms. First up, the 13 year old surfer chick. ~~Not~~ to get all, West Coast/LA on you - this kid is my Pisces. My little fish. It's all about the water....that and the salt in the air/sand in the hair/don't care attitude. I wanted to give her a space that was as down to earth, playful and reflective of the Cali-girl that she is.

To make the headboard, I found a beautiful piece of wood at Home Depot, bolted it to the wall and pasted on a, found, surf photo from the 70s. If you do this, make sure to get the anchors and large bolts. ( Otherwise, Flat Stanley ) If I had it my way? I'd have made the image a bit funkier. Something like a Jeff Devine shot. But it turns out that this little fish, has all of the 'p.i.t.a. client' personality traits that sometimes come with this biz. My hands were tied.
( Her room recently had a camp trunk explosion so I can't take a photo of the finished product just yet )

resources>>>>>

1. "yay" poster by Cindy Gonzalez Studios

2. Boone Light fixture by Park Collective (another fave lighting source is Omega)

3. Kilim Pillows

4. Ikat quilt

5. Gold bean bag by Nneka Okorie (the one in picture is only avl in Canada)

6. Kalixx shelving Ikea

7. "Every Little Thing's Gonna To Be Alright" poster

reflecting

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Wed, 13 Aug 2014 06:26:00 +0000

Last week I carried the last box from the garage, lugged it into the back of the car and tugged down the, once, electric garage door. At last, after 3 consecutive days of 14 hours of moving, I bade farewell to 13 years of living in the little Beach Bungalow by the sea.


The resident teenagers when I first began this blog.

When I began this blog, it was simply a means of sharing with whomever was out there in the vast unknown - soon to be known as "The Blogosphere". I'd read my little ones a book, put them to bed, shut their doors and pad out to my gar-office to peck away at my keyboard. I had no idea if anyone was reading. Or really cared. You were my adults to relax with after a day of single parenting.

A last shot before the movers come Check out how the floors patina-ed. I love it.

I created posts about anything that inspired me creatively. I had no agenda, just this need to put it out there. Probably much of it was odd and obscure to most. But week after week, you all checked in, joined me, commented and became part of my life in the little bungalow.

Freshly painted and papered. The bus sign has found a new home at a bachelor friend's apartment. He loves it.

Through the years, I've shared a new marriage, the painted floors heard round the world, the beach bungalow bedroom, the Imperial Trellis accent wall that just wouldn't quit (trust me, I was sick of it too. ) I blogged about kid friendly spaces, being inspired to design a space based on things like a dollar bill. I shared music, fashion, beautiful, awe inspiring interiors and fine art. And I guess I'm not done yet. I just needed a bit of a break, or a something to shake things up.

It's a "beach bedroom". Google will tell you so. I loved how a few 1 x 4s completely changed the look of this, dry walled addition that was new to the house (and looked it) when I first bought it.

whoa. TBT . Reminding me that it's always good to change things up.

See what I did there? I went and changed that damn wallpaper. A perfect blogging moment lost. ( Fred'll be watching for cats)

Beginning the deconstruction.

gross. I swear my house was not this dirty before I had movers stomping through dragging ladders with clumps of dirt and leaves. Also, yes, I get the urge to paint things in my house at 10pm, do it myself through the night, too tired and without help, to move anything. So, I just paint around it.

This recent move, not far from The Bungalow, has inspired me to jump back into the old blog; clear away some cobwebs, weed the garden and spruce things up. My hiatus was probably a good thing. Sometimes we need to, purge a bit, step back to gain perspective and then start a new.


View from the new beach bedroom.

If you're still out there, thanks for checking in. I'm planning to share some peeks into the new pad. I'm hella busy these days with design clients, but I'm really going to try and get a few posts in a week.

In the mean time, thank you, our little beach bungalow by the sea. We wrung you dry of every last ounce of spirit you had left. We loved you hard and I'm pretty sure you loved us right back. You were one of the lone survivors in a sea of McMansions and will forever be in our memories. xoxo

p e a c e o u t .

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Crazy good, isn't it? go check out more of it here: Katrin Korfmann

happy friday!

happy october

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 12:30:00 +0000

Dimitri Tsykalov gives you a little Halloween decorating inspiration that might make Martha clutch her pearls.

Be happy that I didn't post this work of Tsykalov. 'Meat Weapons' (which, if I hadn't requested a moratorium on the term, would totally be the name of my band.)

From the mixed up files

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 12:00:00 +0000

And who hasn't sat on one of those benches in the middle of a gallery room, wondering who the color genius was that chose those wall colors and how could you incorporate those into a living space. Completely love this idea.

"'Tomorrow' will transform these galleries into an apartment belonging to a fictional, elderly and disillusioned architect.
The domestic setting will appear like a set for an unrealised play. A script, written by the artists, will be available for visitors as a printed book. Visitors will be able to explore the apartment, sit on the sofa and read the inhabitant’s books and magazines."

The V&A has commissioned leading contemporary artists Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset create an installation within the V&A museum.

If you're in London in the next few months, will you go check this out and report back to me?

k. thanks.

////SAMMA////

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Wed, 02 Oct 2013 03:19:00 +0000

elemental lines and simplified shapes cast in non-precious materials — brass, bronze, copper — combine and repeat

wanting: the beautiful, modern jewelry of Hanna Sandin, 'Samma'

slippery soap

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 18:00:00 +0000

Encouraging personal hygiene one bust at a time, London-based Korean artist Meekyoung Shin, decided to bring art to the loos of 16 museums and galleries across the UK with her installations from the "Toilet Project".

Personally I'm such a freak, I don't trust public bars of soap-or busts of soap for that matter. (sticking with Purell and still using a paper towel to open the door as I exit)

Still. They're cool and that's some serious sculpting. I mean, when I think 'soap sculptures' - I think Boo Radley. So, ups to Meekyoung.

If you so desire to see and cleanse, these sculptures can be found until October at galleries including Birmingham’s IKON Gallery, The Scottish National Museum of Modern Art and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

why not....

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 04:21:00 +0000

Paper your laundry room in ridiculously unconventional wallcovering

(add light fixtures, painted ceilings etc )

Add French doors with cool shaped windows.

Paint your interior doors something kicky (I'm partial to pink these days)

This one probably makes no sense to those of you who don't live near the beach. But I still say, why not.

Lamps Plus

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Wed, 07 Aug 2013 02:04:00 +0000

Not so long ago, Lamps Plus asked if I'd like to participate in a fun little project using their new line, Color + Plus. It's really a genius garanimal way to pick a, no-fail, lamp and shade set.

Each of us (myself and 18 other bloggers/designers) were asked to pick a shade and base and tell why we love it. I think the outcome was really interesting, I had so much fun flipping the pages to see if the lamps matched the blogger personality. Check it out, see what you think...

studio deseo

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Thu, 01 Aug 2013 19:39:00 +0000

Beautiful web site, with beautiful imagery and necklaces over at Berkley based, Studio Deseo.

Pen & Ink

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Thu, 01 Aug 2013 00:02:00 +0000

Whenever I bring up the idea of a simple line, being drawn around my wrist, only curving up and then back like a wave, around the knobby bone on my wrist, Nick asks, 'Why do you need to keep drawing on yourself?' I don't really have a good reply. I've been drawing on myself most of my life.

I do have one tatt. and likely, that will be it. Because, it's true. What they say. Your skin really does start to age after awhile. And that tatt you got at 30, doesn't quite look the same on skin that is becoming increasingly aged. I've never seen an octogenarian that I thought needed a tattoo.

That said, I have a pinterest board with all kinds of beautiful tatts that I think about. And that said, I love checking out other's ink, always wondering what the story is behind each piece. 'Pen & Ink, Tattoos and the stories behind them" is a fantastic collection of beautiful pen and ink illustrations, spotted with watercolor, of real tatts and, the stories behind them. I love it.

And I may still get a very thin line around my wrist, the meaning will be for me alone.

artist::kate walchuk

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 13:55:00 +0000

Halifax, artist Kate Walchuk attempts to capture those stories that we all tend to tell for awhile until one day we wake up to realize that we no longer relay them. In her current collection of work ,'Good Shape' Kate creates little pieces of art reflecting the funny moments of travel. None of the pieces are done on traditional canvas but are done on the inside of shells, souvenier plates and even matchbooks. I'm a sucker for miniature detailed anything, especially when done by hand.

Making Waves

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Fri, 19 Jul 2013 00:58:00 +0000

Wouldn't this be an instant mood changer? Craptastic day? Pull this little hand made thingy out of your pocket, and make the bad day sail away. Cute little hand made things are the best. From BeBraveMakeWaves

oh, hello...

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Mon, 15 Jul 2013 12:00:00 +0000

I love the way Jane Freilicher pairs gauzy city scapes behind clutches of delicate flowers.

'Light Blue Above,' 2010. Color lithograph. Courtesy of Tibor de Nagy Gallery, New York

'Study in Blue and Gray,' 2010. Oil on linen. Courtesy of Tibor de Nagy Gallery, New York

'Still Life With Painting ' 1966

'Harmonic Convergence' 2008

And of course, her use of color is always something that I want to drink in.

'Painter in the Studio, 1987'

'Afternoon in October 1976'

photogrpaher :: michael wolf

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Thu, 11 Jul 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Wolf's, Architecture of Density series, makes Hong Kong's buildings look like exquisite woven textiles

they also make me feel like I can't breathe.

The Monkey's Paw

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Wed, 10 Jul 2013 12:00:00 +0000

...Is a tiny bookstore, situated next to a coin operated laundry mat in Toronto specializing in books that are, B.A.M.A. — beautiful, arcane, macabre, absurd and home. It's also home to the Biblio-mat.

"a vending machine the size of an industrial refrigerator, created for Fowler by the designer Craig Small. A customer drops a Canadian $2 coin into a slot; the Biblio-Mat makes a buzzing noise, a bell rings, and out pops a book. Fowler calls it the “the iPod shuffle of books.” But behind the stunt, there is a theory: the idea that the most marginal books can offer the pleasure, the value, we associate with canonical literature." - New York Times

Charles de Lisle

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 13:00:00 +0000

The work of Charles de Lisle > > > > Dreamy creative.

best of the best

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Mon, 08 Jul 2013 12:00:00 +0000

Happy Monday! Shall we procrastinate a bit ?

Culled from New York Design Week '13 - a few of my favorites.....................

Bunad Blankets

this is just another piece from the collection. I couldn't leave it out....too good.

Gypsy and Patinated brass cabinet designed by Douglas Mackie

available at bespoke global

Helix Coffee Table

available at DWR

Samovar

Crown Vase

Day Dreams Mirror (Icelandic tryptic) >> go check out the rest of his work, too. It's all pretty trippy.

Blow - repurposed staves from a french wine barrel

Handmade Blankets

Hard material made to be soft upholstery

stupid fashion

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Sun, 07 Jul 2013 21:46:00 +0000

The Celine, pony skin espadrille. Approx. $750.00. I want them.

Stu - pid Fash - ion

/ˈst(y)o͞opid/ /ˈfaSHən/

Noun:

A popular trend, esp. in styles of dress, ornament, or behavior, lacking intelligence or common sense.

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Thu, 27 Jun 2013 12:00:00 +0000

My earliest, reading, memories are of getting the "New New Yorker" (which is what I thought it was actually called when I was a little kid, probably because we always had stacks of them around the house and someone was always looking for the latest) and reading every cartoon, cover to cover. Bob Mankoff is right when he says, "The New Yorker is not the bedrock it's the Everest". I for one want to see this indie film get funded. You can help out by going over to kickstarter. where they've reached their goal and are now going for their stretch goal.

Forms in Nature

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 04:06:00 +0000

I don't know if this would be like a creepy walk through the woods or the coolest thing ever - or both. Probably wouldn't want it in my bedroom but would be super cool in a dining room. Imagine the dinner parties. You might want to serve S'mores for dessert. The Hilden & Diaz, Forms of Nature light.

"Forms in Nature is artwork with a light source surrounded by a dense and
unruly tree and root system created in minature sculpture.

The shadows engulfs the room and transforms the walls into unruly shadows of
branches, bushes and gnarled trees. Mirrorings are thrown out upon the walls
and ceilings and provide weak Rorschach-like hints of faces, life and flow of
consciousness. Diming the lights transforms the installation and one senses a
weak fire burning deep in the center of the forest."

found here

Joe Nye

noreply@blogger.com (72 and sunny) — Sun, 23 Jun 2013 22:25:00 +0000

The design world has lost one of its great talents and he will be greatly missed not only in LA but throughout the world. I only knew of Joe Nye socially and through his work, but I always have adored him from afar.

I once paid him a visit at his office, on a summer morning. He met me at my car, looking dashing in his velvet smoking slippers, silver hair brushed back away from his rosy face, signature round horn rimmed glasses perched on his nose and that great grin spread wide across his face. He opened the door and held out a hand to help me out of my car. Such an elegant gentleman.

"Integrity, personality, and idiosyncrasy will always be stylish."

Once inside, he gave a tour of his pristine offices all the while chatting, charming and lovely with a wry sense of humor. In my eyes, the quality that made his work so exquiste, was his ability to layer and mix so many elements yet have it all come out perfectly placed and necessary.

"I love stuff. I want to come home to more. Being around a lot feels good to me."

This is true talent. As it is with stark, modern spaces, being able to achieve a beautiful balance is not as easy as it looks, there is method and an inherent 'eye' behind the discipline. Many can edit until a space is sparse, but it's rare one can edit while filling a space with a profusion of color, texture and movement, maintaining a completely balanced outcome.

"My mantra is mixing humble with grand. If everything in a house is at the same level of taste and importance, it comes off looking like an upper-middle-class tract house."

" I recently contemplated doing my bedroom ceiling with raffia wallpaper, but my friends all told me to "Stop decorating!"

................................................................

The West Hollywood Home of Courtney Haas, by Joe Nye:

an antique mahogany daybed is flanked by a pair of floor lamps from Downtown. Throw pillows covered in Pali from Manuel Canovas. Painting over daybed by Robert Frame.

"She owned a piece of porcelain that was bright turquoise and she said, 'I really love this color, can it be the catalyst?' One thing led to another and we came up with turquoise and raspberry pink, a combination we both love."

"The wallpaper in the powder room was an idea I stole from the decorator Steven Gambrel — he had done that same thing with a book called Albertus Seba's Cabinet of Natural Curiosities, where he took the book apart and used the plates to paper a wall. Because my client is such a fashion girl and we had a sad second bathroom to make pretty, I bought that Taschen book called The Complete Costume History and I had my brilliant master wallpaperer cut it up. We figured out the arrangement of the plates on the floor first. I think it looks as good as an $1,800 roll of de Gournay."

"This is an old decorator's rule, but it's important to remember:

For every piece of furniture with a solid base, including a skirt, you need to balance it with something leggy, more delicate."

walls are painted Benjamin Moore's November Skies. The bed is from West Elm and the bed linens are from Williams-Sonoma Home. The French settee came from Chapman Radcliff. Double-gourd pink bedside lamp was handmade by Christopher Spitzmiller, through Hollyhock. The lavishly patterned window shade fabric is Manuel Canovas's Bragance in taupe.

"In her very feminine bedroom, I used a beautiful 1920s copy of a Louis XVI settee and we put a pretty serious Scalamandré raspberry silk damask on there. I wanted to make the room girly without being silly."

"This job was really done on a budget. Her mother and father had given her some fine antiques, like a French Directoire daybed and a painted chinoiserie cabinet. But there's also stuff from flea markets and Crate and Barrel. There's pedigree going on with no pedigree. We did spend a lot on beautiful fabrics."

English handmade charger plates from Deborah Sears. Salad plates from Bardith, New York. Dinner plates are Antique Davenport from Hollyhock. Turquoise bowl from Evans & Gerst.

"[What makes a room great is]

the last 10 percent.

People get the big stuff done

and they ignore the accessories."

That day that I came to his office, he was finalizing the details on a book he had been working on about entertaining and floral arrangements (Flair) . He said to me, that he wanted people to understand that one can make the best arrangements by simply using the flowers from the grocery store. One need not spend gobs of money when if you use a little ingenuity, it's all there in front of you. When I asked, he told me his favorite grocery store flower was the Carnation. Because of that conversation, I always think of Joe Nye when I see Carnations. And because of Joe Nye, I use Carnations often; cut short and bunched in a beautiful highball glass.

Such a loss to our design world and to the world in general. He will forever remain one of my great sources of inspiration. Rest in Peace, Joe Nye.

All photo credits: House Beautiful