Life, Styled: A Design Compendium

A walk in the park, and through the shop

2012-01-26T10:26:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday I decided to take advantage of living in Los Angeles and signed up for a morning garden tour of my neighborhood. It was organized by horticulturalist and landscape designer Mike Brown, though Urban Landscape and Garden Walks of Greater Los Angeles. I'm not usually a joiner, but I'm so happy that I did this. We all met at Shaky Alibi (coffee + waffles = yum) and from there headed out through the neighborhood and Pan Pacific Park. It had rained the night before, so everything was particularly fresh and pretty. Mike focused his talk mainly on trees, but touched on broader landscaping issues, too. (Admittedly, trees aren't much on my radar since I don't have a yard, but it was interesting information to learn—the architecture of pruning, so to speak.) The hour-long walk ended at Rolling Greens, my favorite spot for houseplants and fun gifts. The shop is just starting to bud with new spring items, so I couldn't resist taking a few snaps after the tour. It's a gorgeous place, and allows even apartment dwellers like me the chance to feel like full-fledged gardeners.

A triumvirate of blooms, books, and candles. The blossoms may be faux but they could fool a bee.

Vintage furnishings sourced from... wait, it was whispered to me... maybe I'll just tell you that they make several trips a year to the state that was 28th to join the union.

That pink-and-green throw almost came home with me.

While landscaping plants are kept primarily to the outdoor area of the shop, the interior is filled with houseplants of all types. (I found the perfect bird's nest fern for my office in the back room a few months ago.) And a special note for pet-owners: the staff at Rolling Greens is terrific about looking up information on whether or not plants are toxic. I learned the hard way a few years ago with a hydrangea from a grocery store. We ended up OK, but it's a risk I'll never take again. It pays to shop where people know—and care.

Something old, something new...

2012-01-19T15:44:00.000-08:00

While doing a little historical research for my friend Jo Lauria's upcoming lecture on the jewelry designs of Tony Duquette and Hutton Wilkinson, I came across the intriguing set pictured above and had to know more.

The necklace, bracelet, and earrings belonged to Lady Enid Layard, whose husband, Henry Layard, excavated ancient Mesopotamian palaces between 1845 and 1851. To mark the couple's marriage in 1869, Henry had his collection of Assyrian and Babylonian chalcedony cylinder and stamp seals mounted into gold settings. Archaeological digs had ignited a fashion for jewelry "in the antique style" but most of the contemporary Victorian pieces were made of new (or at least more readily available) materials, like the pendant below. Lady Layard's nearly 4,000-year-old pieces were quite a thing to behold, even catching the eye of Queen Victoria, who admired them at a dinner party in July of 1873.

A modern interpretation: a gold, agate, and enamel pendant brooch designed by the London firm of Phillips Brothers, circa 1863-70.

At first glance, Lady Layard's jewelry seems quite delicate, even small perhaps, but a portrait of her wearing the set clearly shows their heft, and even implies their weight. Upon her death in 1912, the set, and its original box, were donated to the British Museum.

An 1870 portrait of Lady Layard wearing the ancient artifacts, painted by Vincente Gonzalez Y Palmaroli in Madrid, Spain, where her husband had just been appointed British ambassador.

The original case, lined with black silk and purple velvet.

For more information on the Layard pieces, click here. All images are taken from the British Museum.

A selection of jewelry designed by Tony Duquette will be coming up for action at Bonhams in Los Angeles this April. For more information on the sale, Talismans of Power, click here.

An intimate view of Lyme Park

2012-01-10T16:09:00.000-08:00

Lyme Park, in Cheshire

Lyme Park is one of England's most famous country houses, a popularity no doubt enhanced by the 1995 television production of Pride and Prejudice. That above is, after all, the very pond that co-starred with a half-naked Colin Firth. Don't pretend you don't remember.

Over the years I've read a fair amount about the history of the house (even visited the grounds long ago) but I've only just learned of Dulcibella Jane Legh, a daughter of the family who owned the house for some 400 years, until it was given to the National Trust in the 1940s. There's not much written of Dulcibella (who went by Sybil), but she was born in 1859 and died in 1960. Quite an accomplishment, yet one outdone by her sister Mabel Maud, who lived to an extraordinary 102.

It seems Sybil never married, but she lived at Lyme for much of her life, and took quite an interest in the arts. She even helped organize several painting exhibitions in London. Her watercolors of Lyme's interiors date to 1898—the year her father died—and are a tender, impressionistic study of the rooms. One can't help but wonder if, at that difficult time, she somehow anticipated the changes ahead and saw a very different future for her family home.

View from the Drawing Room to the Bright Gallery North

The Grand Staircase

Window Bay in the Library

Plant Stand in the Entrance Hall

The Yellow Bedroom

Reproductions of Sybil's watercolors are available through the National Trust's site (click here) and can be ordered as prints, or even note cards. Now if we could just have more of her story, and perhaps a portrait, too. My curiosity is absolutely piqued.

Preserving the moment

2012-01-05T19:29:00.000-08:00

Travel is my greatest source of inspiration, so I particularly love looking at the travel journals and sketchbooks of designers and architects. Their drawings are a quick capture of what spoke to them in that moment, and offer an intimate glimpse into their interests. Perhaps even more importantly, it seems that sometimes a single pencil study can inspire an entirely new direction or experimentation with a particular style. While doing some research on my alma mater, the University of Glasgow, I discovered that the university's museum, The Hunterian, has digitized the sketchbooks of local hero Charles Rennie Mackintosh. I couldn't resist posting a few of the drawings I found particularly charming.

Buckland Manor, Gloucestershire, 1894

Iron gate, Abbey House, Merstow Green, Evesham, Worcestershire, 1894

Swan Hotel sign, The Green, Broadway, Worcestershire, and an unidentified doorway architrave, 1894

East end, St. James, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, 1894

Pollies Hall, Groombridge, Kent, 1909

Chiddingstone Cobham Manor House, High Street, Chiddingstone, Kent, May 1910

To see more of the university's collection, click here.

January's clarity

2012-01-04T17:44:00.000-08:00

Danish artist Sia Mai's Less carafe (€75) and nesting glasses (€30 each)

When the Christmas tree has come down and the decorations and stockings have all been put away, I find myself drawn to super simple and unadorned forms in clean, easy colors. One of my most favorite online galleries, Craft 2 Eu, offers a beautiful range of glassware by Copenhagen-based artist Sia Mai that perfectly suits my January aesthetic.

Mai, who graduated from the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1994, first works up her designs in clay or plaster and then creates molds into which the glass is blown. Her drinking vessels are deceptively delicate and strong enough to stack, a key component of her designs.

Structure glasses, €32 each

No matter the form, Mai's pieces are imbued with a sense of humor and offer a fun experience for the user. Lunchbox, which comes in two styles and a variety of sizes, was inspired by camping gear and is perhaps her most recognizable creation (it caught the eye of MoMA curators a few years ago). When released from its rubber band, the top and bottom become two bowls, ideal for sharing or serving.

Lunchboxes range from €85 to about €250.

Lunchboxes, shown with their elastics, and Mia's Picnic bottle and glass (€85 and €30, respectively), which secures in a similar fashion. It may be meant for al fresco dining, but I'd gleefully use it on my nightstand.

To visit Sia Mai's Web site, click here.

A design history lesson courtesy of Life : Imbibed

2011-12-30T09:48:00.000-08:00

Life : Imbibed: Design Digestif: The Monteith: A 1709-10 monteith by London silversmith Joseph Ward, at the Victoria & Albert Museum. At first glance you might guess this curious ob...

A look back at Dumfries

2011-12-29T15:03:00.000-08:00

Dumfries House, built between 1754 and 1759, is located in Ayershire, Scotland.

Despite having studied in Scotland and done research at Hopetoun House, Dumfries House managed to stay off my radar. I didn't learn about the house until we featured it during my tenure at Architectural Digest. The house was essentially saved by the Prince of Wales, whose foundation stepped in at the last minute to stop the auction of the house's contents. The trucks were en route to Christie's in London when the sale was cancelled, making for quite a dramatic story!

Since the house opened to the public in the summer of 2008, significant restorations have been completed, both structural and decorative. I thought it'd be fun to look at some images and read about the highlights.

The wall decoration in the Pewter Corridor, part of Robert Weir Schultz’s late 19th century extension to Dumfries House had been almost completely painted out in the 1960s. The Conservation Studio from Edinburgh has uncovered the original vibrant polychromatic Adam revival wall decoration in a section of this corridor. Nevins of Edinburgh have replicated the wall decoration it the remaining corridor.

Chippendale Bookcase: The magnificent padouk bookcase in the drawing room is generally recognised as the greatest achievement in Chippendale’s early career. Like many pieces in the collection, this too, had seen some crude repair work and modern, somewhat inappropriate surface treatment in the past. The furniture restorer James Hardie from Edinburgh has spent weeks conserving this complex piece in a circumspect and sensitive manner. Missing parts of sculpted and gilded limewood have been recreated; 20th century surface polish gently removed and areas of greatest instability have been appropriately strengthened. In the process, a full understanding of the constructional and material details of one of the world’s most amazing works of fine furniture has been gained and contributed to our appreciation of Chippendale’s unrivalled position amongst furniture makers-designers on the world stage.

18th century Axminster carpet: This carpet, which is one of the earliest documented carpets to have been made by Thomas Whitty in Axminster, has now been restored by Heather Tetley from the Tetley Workshop in Devon. It has been wet-cleaned, partly in-filled, stabilised and put on a linen backing. The carpet’s vibrant rococo design and colour have been reawakened and skilfully complemented by a newly made protective runner (Eyemats, Chatham, Kent). An innovative method, this runner digitally simulates the historic pattern beneath in order to create a visual continuity for the whole interior. By focusing on the carpet project attention has also been drawn to a surviving letter in the archive which hints at the possibility of John Adam having been involved with the carpet design.

The Chippendale sofas and elbow chairs, all of which had seen previous 19th and 20th century refurbishments, haven now been sensitively restored by Peter Holmes of Arlington Conservation. The silk damask covers have been applied by Barry Ansell of R D Robin Upholsterers. The Blue Drawing Room, as it was historically known, once again, sings out to the visitor with its rich colours and texture. The fabric for the handmade (by curtain maker Janette Read) 18th century style silk damask curtain complete with wooden pulley wheels (made from box wood by James Hardie of Edinburgh) as all the other newly made silks in the house have been commissioned from Humphries Weaving in Suffolk. The ‘Dumfries House pattern’ has been woven on looms of 21 inches width and is based on a piece of 18th century fabric, which had survived on one of Alexander Peter’s Scottish made chairs at Dumfries House.

The Chippendale Bed: This majestic four poster bed by Thomas Chippendale, the best of all the beds at Dumfries House, has now been restored to its full 18th century splendour. The bed, which had undergone a dramatic refurbishment in the 19th century, is once again shown as Chippendale first supplied it, complete with a silk fabric covered cornice, ornate bolt covers and layered mattresses containing historically correct stuffings of horsehair, wool and feathers. This bed is the only bed design from Chippendale’s Director which is known to have been realised and to have survived.

For more information on how you can help support the house's continued preservation efforts, click here.

A Chambord of one's own

2011-12-28T17:43:00.000-08:00

I can always count on the folks at Sifex to deliver a few indulgent hours of day dreaming about moving to France. This time around it's a château in Indre that's captured my attention. Indre is at the very heart of the country, and just about 2.5 hours from Paris... not exactly close, but close enough! The house, which is surrounded by a moat, sits on nearly 50 acres of parkland (partly wooded, partly cleared), and once had formal gardens. It was built in the 16th century by the same architect who built Chambord, and retains many original features (like fireplaces, ceiling decorations, staircases, and parquetry floors) that are classified as historical monuments.The outbuildings, and the parkland itself, are classified, making this one very special restoration project. The price is available upon request, but falls in the $3.8-5.2 range. Were it to be mine, my very first call would be to designer Timothy Corrigan!

First or ground floor
Entrance hall with staircase; dining room with monumental fireplace; large larder; service staircase; 2 large kitchens, one with monumental fireplace; large salon with armorial fireplace decoration; small salon; boudoir; library; second library on upper ground floor; bedroom with fireplace; bathroom and dressing room; small bedroom.

Second floor
Large landing; gallery leading to 7 principal en suite bedrooms.

Third floor
Three large rooms with tommette, or terracotta, tiled floors; 6 additional bedrooms.

Outbuildings
Two Mansart-designed pavilions (each 3,000 square feet), one a guest house and one stables, with horse stalls and boxes, as well as garages and workshops.
A 2 bedroom/1 bath caretaker's house with a full kitchen and sitting room.
An orangery and a 900-square-foot garden house.

Needs...
Bathrooms need to be redone, as do the heating and wiring systems.
Projected costs for repairs to roof and fireplaces (to bring up to standard): about $2.1

A pristine example of 18th-century Arte Provera at Mallett

2011-12-19T10:33:00.000-08:00

AN EARLY 18TH CENTURY ARTE POVERA BUREAU BOOKCASE, Italy, circa 1740 | London | Mallett Antiques

Looking upward for inspiration

2011-12-16T11:24:00.000-08:00

Designer Angela Adams at home in Portland, Maine.

As the daughter of a retired Naval meteorologist I'm somewhat predisposed to watching the sky. So when I read about designer Angela Adams's new weather-inspired rugs, Cumulus and Borealis, I just had to post them. They're made of hand-tufted wool from New Zealand, and come in a variety of colorways and sizes. What's even nicer is that a portion of each sale goes right back to the country of manufacture (in the case of these two, India), making the purchase as warm and fuzzy for your conscience as it is for your toes.

Cumulus (in Puff): "Cumulus clouds are full of personality and energy," says Adams. "They are like big bold animated shapes in the sky. At times they are puffy and playful, almost cartoon-like - while at other times they can be fiercely dominant and almost evoke a warning of the power they behold. They remind us that Mother Nature is always boss."


Borealis (in Glow): "Mother Nature puts on the most magical color displays late in the fall when the sky is clear and the air is cool. The flashes of greens dance in the sky so quickly that you see them out of the corner of your eye. The Borealis design has a flash of bright colors that pour down through the center and give off a soft, glowing burst of color."

Each design is available in two colorways, and seven standard sizes: 2.5'x8', 3’x5’, 5’x8’, 8’x10’, 8’ round, 9’x12’ and 11'x14'. Prices range from $370 to $3,500.

Nordic influence

2011-12-14T14:31:00.000-08:00

A group of vases by Danish ceramist Claire Marie Lehmann. Each one-off piece is about 5 1/2 inches high, and is dipped by hand into colored glazes for a layered effect. $60

Kitchen designer Susan Serra has just launched a new online shop called Scandinavian Made, focusing on ceramics, and new and vintage rugs. Together with her daughter Kelly Serra Donovan, the two have sourced some of today's most innovative craftspeople, many of whom are little known outside their homelands. All of the items available through the digital storefront are one-of-a-kind. And at very reasonable prices, it's an easy way to introduce a little Scandinavian style into your home.

Orebro is a 60" x 29" rug woven by Eva Valente, who lives on a farm in Ladja, Smaland. Valente was inspired by the Valborg tradition, where Swedes celebrate the coming of spring on the Eve of April 30th with bonfires and singing. $275

Danish ceramist Hanne Bertelson's Rille vase, available in 4 sizes and a variety of colorful glazes, ranges from $45 to $175.

How to honor the first day of December?

2011-12-01T16:04:00.000-08:00

With a very silly portrait of Tony Duquette.

Ice skating across Britain

2011-11-30T21:00:00.000-08:00

The Santa Ana winds are blowing through Los Angeles tonight, and although it's not cold it at least sounds wintery. We've had a stretch of really warm days and it's making it kind of hard to think about decorating for Christmas. But thanks to the editors at Country Life and their round up of the UK's best places to skate, I can induldge (albeit vicariously) in a bit of icey holiday frolicing.

Winchester Cathedral's ice rink, Hampshire

Small town charms

2011-11-30T10:49:00.003-08:00

Fillmore's train depot and city hall.

So I thought I'd sit down and write about our dream of a home in France, but instead, I'm going to write about Fillmore. Yes, Fillmore, California. It's orange groves, orange groves and more orange groves. And, much to my surprise, I kind of fell in love with it. Fillmore is gorgeous! It's craggy brush-covered mountains on one side and a wide open valley on the other. It was just a quick trip up to visit an old friend newly ensconced on a ranch (one formerly owned by Sunkist's president --see, oranges, oranges, oranges) but we spent Sunday morning meandering around the tiny historic downtown area.

The town square.

Now, I'm not going to paint a nicer picture than it is. Fillmore's got issues: no money, not much industry, few jobs and one of the worst school systems in the state. But what it does have, aside from oranges (and a few lemons now, but that's another story) is an incredible history and some wonderful architecture. The old citrus packing houses and train depot are frequently used as film sets (Fillmore's only about an hour north of LA), and the surrounding streets are dotted with Craftsman bungalows. And, just down the highway is the historic Rancho Camulos.

The Ygnacio del Valle adobe, built c. 1853-80, and rose garden at Rancho Camulos.

The winery, which was built about 1867, at Rancho Camulos.

What Fillmore needs is a major influx of DINKs looking for a fixer-up of a weekend country house. For $600k you can snaffle up a ranch house (some historic, some 70s) and find yourself living amid groves that can bring in a hefty annual sum. And let's face it, who couldn't use a supplemental income? Or you can snap up a little bungalow for far less. It's such a pretty area - close to Santa Barbara, close to LA - and has such incredible potential. And, it's got Ay! Chihuahua, right off the 126 highway, where I had the best carne asada tacos ever. Ever. And the pickled onions are to die for.

It's also got some pretty fun shops, like Lost and Found Depot Antiques!

Lost and Found is directly across from the train depot and city hall. It's filled with some crazy things, but a lot of really cool stuff, too. Good old bottles, cast iron cobblers tools, brass headboards, fireside fenders...

And some fabulous garden furniture. Just imagine this fixed up and set glamorously on the pool terrace of a Paul Williams house in Beverly Hills. It's only $40. There were four!

Another great one. Actually liked this one even better.

The railway bridge heading west out of Fillmore, most recently used in Like Water for Elephants with Reese Witherspoon and the Twilight guy.

Putting it all together

2011-08-11T12:45:00.004-07:00

A drawing by Ray Eames, from the Library of Congress

Charles Eames was right, eventually everything really does connect.

The story: I was bored at work, started an anonymous design blog, got tons of followers, had lots of fun, work changed and got very busy, and, well, there was no more time to blog. My last post was in October of 2008. But, life changes. So with that, I'm back at it.

A chocolate a day keeps the wolves at bay...

2008-10-03T13:35:00.014-07:00

Having recently opened a new banking account after worries over the wobbling American economy, these little six inch-high banks caught my attention. Were that banking was as simple - and enjoyable! - as it used to be for children: drop in your coin, open the drawer, and presto magico - a "délicieuse friandise" is waiting for you. And forget all that stuff about sugar and cavities, according to **these** banks chocolate is "un aliment sain et fortifiant"... a healthy food, a tonic!

Coin operated chocolate bank, "La tirelire des enfants sages" (or, The Moneybox of Wise Children)
Germany, for the French market, circa 1910
€ 950

From www.hollandtoys.com

Heavy Mettle

2008-09-10T09:19:00.006-07:00

Finally, a feline my boyfriend might appreciate: an early 13th-century brass aquamanile in the form of a courageous lion with a finely engraved main and decorative details. The handle of the vessel takes the form of a dragon (to ward off evil) and though its got a few later pieces added and some old repairs, its still expected to fetch 80,000—120,000 euros (about $112,000 to $168,000) at Sotheby's Amsterdam sale later this month. The aquamanile is North German, probably from Brunswick, and comes from the collection of Cologne-based banker and art collector Dr. Richard von Schnitzler

Aquamaniles were designed to hold water for hand-washing and were originally used in the church, though by the late 12the-century they were often found in houses of the nobility. Water is poured into a hinged opening at the lions back and then issues from the lion's mouth.

They can be found in museum collections around the world, but none can top the example purchased by Varya and Hans Cohn and given to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in 1992. Its the absolute finest example.

Northern Germany, Lower Saxony, Hildeshiem (?)
Aquamanile (Ewer), circa 1250
Metalwork, Brass (copper alloy)
10 1/2 x 11 7/8 x 3 7/8 in. (26.67 x 30.16 x 9.84 cm)
Gift of Varya and Hans Cohn (AC1992.152.100)

Small Companions

2008-08-01T08:46:00.005-07:00

Janice Jordan's tiny, little needle-felted desktop doggies.

$44
4" high

www.freehand.com

With joy, Felix Doolittle

2008-07-29T11:07:00.005-07:00

Felix Fu, a Hong Kong-born artist now living in Newton, Massachusetts, creates what might be some of the dearest stationary I've ever seen. Each design is a beautifully rendered watercolor, sometimes of a particular ornament, animal or detail, but what speak to me most, and most naturally, are ones that include elements of home.

A collection of bookplate designs include a tabletop with a whisky glass and cigar, a peacock on the terrace of a country house, a comfy chair and nearby cat. Their usefulness, never mind their wide array of images suited to every personality I know, makes them likely candidates for this year's stocking stuffers.

5 lables, 2 3/4 x 4 inches, $10.00
www.felixdoolittle.com

Winds of Change

2008-07-25T12:05:00.005-07:00

Slowly its been coming over me... an ever increasing need for ocean, fresh air and trees. Maybe its the middle of a long summer in a gray city. Maybe its the way my office neighbor repeatedly slams her desk drawers shut, rattling our shared wall... and my nerves. Maybe its aging and feeling the need for a quiet, contemplative spot in which to review decisions made over the last ten years; a soft place to sit and make new plans, new lists.

www.paolalenti.it

Mannerism of a Different Sort

2008-06-16T08:59:00.005-07:00

Boucher and Chardin: Masters of Modern Manners is a new exhibition developed by the Hunterian in conjunction with The Wallace Collection, London.

Opening at the Hunterian Art Gallery in September 2008, this ground-breaking show focuses on two of the greatest French paintings of the eighteenth century: the iconic ‘Lady Taking Tea’ by Jean-Siméon Chardin (above) and François Boucher’s ‘Woman on a Daybed’.

Chardin’s ‘Lady Taking Tea’ comes from the Hunterian collection and was recently voted one of Scotland’s most popular paintings by readers of The Herald newspaper. On display in Britain for the first time in 70 years, Boucher’s ‘Woman on a Daybed’ is on loan from the renowned Frick collection in New York (below).

Through approximately 30 exhibits which include paintings, drawings, prints and decorative art objects, the background to the two works will be examined from a number of perspectives beyond traditional art history. Both paintings prominently allude to the new interest in eighteenth-century for scenes from everyday life ultimately inspired by the growing taste for Dutch and Flemish cabinet pictures, and to fashions comparatively new to Europe; the drinking of tea and the taste for chinoiserie.

These themes recur in several of Boucher and Chardin’s depictions of women in their private worlds and become the dominant thread weaving through the second part of the exhibition. The inclusion of works by British artists and decorative art objects, some from the Hunterian’s own collection, will provide an opportunity to address underlying social history themes, such as the artists’ attitudes towards the consumption of tea and the contemporary fashion for the Far East in both France and Britain.

Boucher and Chardin: Masters of Modern Manners
12 June until 7 September
The Wallace Collection, London
www.wallacecollection.org

Boucher and Chardin: Masters of Modern Manners
24 September - 13 December 2008
Hunterian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow
82 Hillhead Street
Glasgow G12 8QQ
www.hunterian.gla.ac.uk
Open Monday - Saturday, 9.30am - 5.00pm, admission free

Knot Your Average Door Stop

2008-06-13T09:16:00.003-07:00

Right in line with my new fascination for all things beachy, a rope doorstop from Plumo, made of knotted fishing rope.

Size H26cm
£29.00

www.plumo.com

Pass the Gerber, Please

2008-05-20T14:14:00.006-07:00

A tiny turtle with articulated limbs climbs up and down the twig-like stem of a sterling silver-baby spoon by Tamar Kern, $155

My mother recently gave me my sweet little set of American Colonial-style baby silver.

Her wildly blatant hint aside, I'm absolutely thrilled to have the pieces in my cupboard. But having stumbled upon metalsmith Tamar Kern's designs, I'm inclined to round out the set with a new addition. (Should there be an addition of another sort.)

Kern's beautifully crafted, 5 1/2-inch long spoons come in several styles: the turtle, a butterfly and a snail. Each possess a clever mechanism that allows the little critter to slide up and down the spoon, making each bite of mushed veggies a terrific delight.

Kern's spoons can be ordered through her website, tamarkern.com, or through risdworks.com, her Alma Mater's online store for it's graduates' designs.

Fire, mushrooms and an uncommon raccoon

2008-04-15T13:13:00.004-07:00

Fired Up campfire tealight from Fred, $12 (matches and tealight included, 2.5" x 4")

Hosting the book club reading of Thoreau in your cramped city apartment? Desperate to cast your gaze on something other than the red-brick outside your window? Reset the tone of your urban dwelling with a few funny items from the Curiosity Shoppe, a San Francisco store front full of all sorts of amusing finds. The crackle of the candle won't down out the sirens, but a focused push to complete Claus the raccoon, your new woodland companion, just might.

Camping plates by Caroline Wolfe, $60
Set of four 80inch diameter glass dessert plates, dishwasher safe (top rack only)

Porcelain log vase, $40 (2.5" x 7.75") and a couple of Parasol and Panther Cap mushrooms (2.75” x 4.75” and 3” x 2.5” respectively)

Claus the raccoon, a Let's Stitch kit from egg press, $26
Screen printed on canvas, includes sewing instructions and name tag (approx. 11" x 8")

www.curiosityshoppe.com

Groove is in the Art

2008-04-01T09:14:00.016-07:00

Frank Stella's 1970 Flin Flon
Synthetic polymer and fluorescent paint on canvas
NGA (Australia) 2002.294

Fantasizing about Modern art for your walls, but can't quite make the stretch to a Stella or a Noland? Consider a focus wall with one of the many fabulous finds at Interior 1900, a Swedish online retailer of wonderful papers (circa 1890s-1980s) with a primarily Scandinavian - and Modernist - bent.

Wallpaper no: 476
Production period: Early 1970's
Width, cm: 53
Length, meter: 9.6
Design repeat, cm: 26
Picture above show 20x30 cm of the wallpaper.
Both rolls sells together, price is for one roll.
Available items: 2
Price: 700 SEK
Price: 118 USD, 80 EUR, 60 GBP

Wallpaper no: 1193
Production period: Early 1970's
Width, cm: 53
Length, meter: 9.6
Design repeat, cm: 58
Picture above show 20x30 cm of the wallpaper. Both rolls sells together. Both rolls sells together.
Available items: 2
Price: 750 SEK
Price: 126 USD, 85 EUR, 64 GBP

Wallpaper no: 1091
Production period: Late 60's or early 1970's
Width, cm: 53
Length, meter: 9.6
Design repeat, cm: 63
Picture above show 20x30 cm of the wallpaper.
Available items: 5
Price: 650 SEK
Price: 109 USD, 74 EUR, 56 GBP

Wallpaper no: 1409
Production period: Late 60's or early 1970's
Width, cm: 53
Length, meter: 9.6
Design repeat, cm: 59.5
Picture above show 20x30 cm of the wallpaper.
Available items: 11
Price: 700 SEK
Price: 118 USD, 80 EUR, 60 GBP

Wallpaper no: 1403
Production period: Late 60's or early 1970's
Width, cm: 53
Length, meter: 9.6
Design repeat, cm: 26.5
Picture above show 20x30 cm of the wallpaper.
Available items: 5
Price: 600 SEK
Price: 101 USD, 68 EUR, 52 GBP

Wallpaper no: 1575
Production period: Late 60's
Width, cm: 53
Length, meter: 9.6
Design repeat, cm: 13.5
Picture above show 20x30 cm of the wallpaper.
Available items: 3
Price: 650 SEK
Price: 109 USD, 74 EUR, 56 GBP

Wallpaper no: 1578
Production period: Late 60's
Width, cm: 53
Length, meter: 9.6
Design repeat, cm: 23
Picture above show 20x30 cm of the wallpaper.
Available items: 8
Price: 600 SEK
Price: 101 USD, 68 EUR, 52 GBP

interior1900
Magnus Karlsson
Skogsv. 8
532 32 Götene
Sweden
tel +46511-341100
interior1900.com