Wreckorated

Howdy, 2012!

2012-01-01T09:26:00.001-08:00

So long, 2011, it's been good to know you! Now, git along!

Stone over Brione

2011-11-16T20:43:00.001-08:00

Standing resilutely like a fortress over the city and lake of Locarno, Switzerland, this stunning home incorporates the best of both worlds: traditional stone masonry enforced with the clean contemporary lines of concrete. The house feels both comfortable and protective, evoking a sense that one could get from an old castle. It emits a sense of quality and understated elegance that is uncommon in most modern houses. The architectural firm of Wespi De Meuron has shown remarkable self constraint. Nothing in this house is overdone. Both less and more.

Markus Wespi Jérôme de Meuron Architekten BSA
Neubau House in Brione I
Neubau House in Brione II
Swiss Stone House
Neubau Haus Kü. in Brione
Modern Contemporary Stone House Design
Stone House in Switzerland

heaven above

2011-09-22T10:30:00.000-07:00

Just to let you know I'm still alive. Here's something perfectly heavenly.

Villa San Spirito Croatia

2011-07-07T08:00:00.001-07:00

This "modern farmhouse," designed by Steven Harris Architects and Rees Roberts + Partners, was named Interior Design magazine's Best of Year 2010 Residence. Rustic yet elegant, simple yet grand, the Villa San Spirito is a restoration of 15th century lime stone buildings high atop the Croatian Island Lopud off the Dalmatian Coast.

Adriatic Getaway by Steven Harris and Rees Roberts
Steven Harris Architects LLP
Rees Roberts + Partners LLC
Painter Lucien Rees Roberts
"True Life" by Steven Harris
Interior Design: Lucien Rees Roberts
Interior Design: Best of Year: Rural House

Hooper House II

2011-05-14T11:08:00.000-07:00

In 1959 Marcel Breuer created a spectacularly long, low house of Maryland fieldstone in a wooded sanctuary outside of Baltimore. Known as Hooper House II, it features the "binuclear" concept of a central courtyard that separates public areas (living, dining, kitchen) from private spaces (six bedrooms and a family room). Hooper II is stringent Bauhaus; a masterful demarcation of taut planes and open plans using local, natural materials.

Dwell: Hooper House II
Hooper House II
Classic Courtyard House
Casa Hooper
Arch In Form
Going Beyond the Bauhaus

Paleolithic Decorators

2011-05-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

Roaming across the walls of two vast underground chambers for thousands of years are over 400 beautifully hand-rendered animals, carbon dated to the Paleolithic Ice Age. They are the earliest art ever discovered, yet they cannot be called primitive. Such exquisite refinement, such economy of line. It's all there - the character, the behavior, the movement, in perfectly fresh and pristine condition after an unimaginable 30,000 to 32,000 years. These were interior decorators who knew their stuff. Experience their work through Werner Herzog's Cave of Forgotten Dreams.

The Cave of Chauvet
The Ice Age Art of Chauvet Cave
The Caves of France's Ardèche Gorge
Chauvet Cave
Archaeology: Chauvet Cave

Yunak Evleri

2011-05-10T21:01:00.001-07:00

For millions of years, mighty volcanoes erupted and spewed their contents across the land that would become the cradle of civilization. East of Istanbul, beyond Ankara, lies the moonscaped land of Cappadocia. Centuries of winds and floods eroded the sandstone and volcanic tufa into whimsical shapes which the native people carved into shelters. Many of these troglodyte dwellings are still inhabited and some have been turned into hotels. One of the most fanciful of these is Yunak Evlieri. Whittled right into a mountain, accessible only by narrow winding passageways and steps, this hotel includes a 19th century Greek mansion, six cave houses, and 30 chambers dating all the way back to the 5th and 6th centuries. Astonishing.

Yunak Evleri
Cave Hopping in Cappadocia
Cavetowns and Gorges of Cappadocia
Cappadocia, Turkey

Rock the House

2011-05-07T09:32:00.000-07:00

Except for a giant window thrust into one side, this man-made intervention, a 270-square-foot one-room dwelling, could be just another one of the mossy weathered boulders dotting Costa da Morte. Instead, the guesthouse blurs boundaries between architecture and landscape. "It's a piece of nature built with our own hands," architect and engineer García-Abril says. "A space within a stone that blends with the surroundings. A contemplative space, a little poem."

Interior Design: Rock the House

.

2011-05-06T09:06:00.000-07:00

Finca Son Gener

2011-05-05T07:28:00.001-07:00

Up until a few years ago, this XVIII century stone farmhouse lay in ruins. Then a local architect brought it back to life, converting it into one of Mallorca's most beautiful country hotels. When you first see the building, you are struck by the luminosity of the pale stone facade, framed by green lawns, olive trees and blue skies. The interior of Son Gener is also a celebration of light and form. Minimalist, nothing in excess, just carefully selected furnishings and flowers, paintings and sculptures, that seem to create a backdrop for the structure of the building. Volumunous bed chambers open onto views of the sea. It's very quiet - sometimes silent. As you lie, totally relaxed on your private terrace, occasionally you'll hear a goat's bell jingling in the fields. Or perhaps it's Pan himself. I wouldn't be surprised.

Finca Son Gener on InSpace
Son Gener

Masonic Rights

2011-05-01T16:11:00.000-07:00

If I could choose to live in any kind of house, it would certainly be one of stone. That's probably because I grew up watching my father build stone fireplaces, patios, planters, terraces, sidewalks, stoops and steps. Where are you now, Dad, now that I need a good mason? Up there in that great stone quarry in the sky, I imagine, terracing the clouds.

Maus Park House

2011-04-30T08:00:00.001-07:00

An enchanting old stone landmark, furnished with the finest antiques, transports its visitors to a faraway destination: the English countryside. In 1850 John Maus built this splendid example of Scottish Baronial architecture using stones from local Canadian quarries. Cool in summer and warm in winter, the one foot thick stone walls provide the perfect insulation.

1850 Maus Park House
Canadian Stone Mansion
Maus Park Gardens
Maus Park Ltd.
Maus Park Antiques

Paleolithic Decorators

2011-04-29T16:42:00.001-07:00

Joseph Dirand

2011-04-28T06:38:00.000-07:00

"What people remember of places is really a feeling about them."

It would be hard not to remember the amazing buildings of French architect Joseph Dirand. Even his photographs convey feelings of great strength and passion.

Joseph Dirand Architecture

My Million-Dollar Trailer Kitchen

2011-04-26T07:40:00.000-07:00

coming soon...

Meanwhile I'm trying to corral this bucking-bronco-itus (something bronchial, I forget what the doctor called it) before it goes fullblown asthmatic on me. Paint fumes just don't mix with inhalers. But I did manage to get the first coat of paint on the cabinets and I used Benjamin Moore's Iron Gate on both uppers and lowers. Looks really good. Rich. Really rich. For a trailer.

Taste Testing in the Kitchen: The Color Gray

2011-04-24T10:41:00.001-07:00

When a complete color change is in order, it helps to get lots of inspiration, visualization, encouragement and a nice pat on the back. For gray kitchens, this is it. Have a look:

My Million-Dollar Trailer Kitchen
Gray in Any Tongue
An Old Converted Pasta Factory
Sally Wheat's Kitchen
Musa Design
Martha Stewart's Kitchen
Grayed-Down Color
The Old Gray Mare She Ain't What She Used To Be
Going Completely Gray
Salt and Pepper
Flinging Open The Iron Gate (Paint Can)

Gray in Any Tongue

2011-04-23T21:44:00.001-07:00

Hundarna, katterna och hönsen är äkta. Annars är allt på denna holländska 1800-talsgård ”remejkat”. Ägarna Coby och Roelof Boermas började med att gjuta betonggolvet. Resten gav sig steg för steg, fram till soffbordsstubbarna på hjul.

And if you can read that you can read the rest of the article over at Sköna hem.

An Old Converted Pasta Factory

2011-04-22T06:34:00.000-07:00

This stunning kitchen, with it's industrialized look of brushed steel and vintage leather, was designed by a couple in Marseille, France out of a Converted Pasta Factory. Perfectly al dente.

Sally Wheat's Kitchen

2011-04-21T18:27:00.000-07:00

After appearing on Cote de Texas, Sally Wheat's house went viral, especially her kitchen. Amongst other stunning reasons, it's a really great gray. See Sally decorate. Here and here. See her paint color, Benjamin Moore's Fieldstone Gray, here.

Musa Design

2011-04-20T10:16:00.001-07:00

The muses were out in full force when Musa Design created this kitchen in the Millenium Tower Loft. The grays are almost imperceptible and blend softly with the shadow and shine of the white.

Martha Stewart's Kitchen

2011-04-12T18:54:00.001-07:00

However you slice it, Martha Stewart has not only honed the perfect cooking skills, she has honed the perfect kitchen. And painted it the perfect shade of gray. Read about it here and here.

Grayed-Down Color

2011-04-12T08:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a good example of how color doesn't need to shout. It can be grayed down and still have a saturating effect. This kitchen has an amazing view over the dunes to the Gulf of Mexico, so its palette was taken from the sand and the water, the sea oats and the wild grasses outside. A Fresh, Calm Florida Kitchen.

The Old Gray Mare She Ain't What She Used To Be

2011-04-11T21:06:00.001-07:00

When they say "God is in the details" I believe this kitchen must be the definitive example of that. Featured first on Swan and Shears, the owner of this turn of the century house had a local contractor gut and rebuild the entire kitchen in early 1900 fashion and every detail is exquisite. I especially like the sliding panel that conceals the microwave, with a handy pull-out shelf beneath. The paint is Sherwin-Williams' Mindful Gray.

Visit Swan and Shears for even more details.

Going Completely Gray

2011-04-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

Surely, these cabinets are not just gray, but Dorian Gray, because they never ever age. Thirty years ago I turned gray (read: kitchen cabinets) now I'm turning back. And I love them all the more.

4.27 | Funny I should bring up Dorian Gray. As it happens, Oscar Wilde's original uncensored typescript has just been published after 130 years.

Salt and Pepper

2011-04-09T08:11:00.001-07:00

Half light, half dark - what my kitchen cabinets are now, albeit primer-only on the upper half. For the lower cabinets I found a handsome gray-brown by Benjamin Moore called Iron Gate. You can see it here. Now the question is, should I keep the cabinets salt and pepper by painting the upper ones with Benjamin Moore's Simply White? These photos are a convincing case for yes.

Flinging Open The Iron Gate (Paint Can)

2011-04-08T07:48:00.000-07:00

“Do something, do something to that, and then do something to that.”
--Jasper Johns

In their Brooklyn apartment, Stephen Antonson and Kathleen Hackett live by that creed in a very artful, playful way. Dramatizing yet grounding everything is a wonderful wall color - Benjamin Moore's Iron Gate, a deep and complex gray-brown. As it happens, I just painted my kitchen cabinets the very same. For the full paintjob and the "do something to that", visit their home via The New York Times.

The article: In Brooklyn, Making It Up as They Go
The slideshow: Hardware Store Style
The book: Home From the Hardware Store

Heights of Elegance

2011-03-04T10:39:00.001-08:00

San Francisco Presidio Heights Garden
Janus et Cie furniture and accessories with an antique ram's head urn
Designer: Candace Cavanaugh Interiors
Landscape design: Katharine Webster

wreckorated.

2011-03-01T09:00:00.001-08:00

My house, my self, my blog. All being changed around like mad. I want big fat photos that load fast, so I'm herding links and animations either to the bottom of the page or off of it altogether. Nothing will be lost, however, in fact lots more will be gained. You'll find the cellar packed with stuff, so scroll down and rummage to your heart's content. Yeah, boy.

changes

2011-02-20T05:15:00.000-08:00

As my remodel changes my home, it changes me, which is what it's all about in the first place - to make me more of who I want to be, with my home reflecting that. It's about replacing the clutter with clarity in my head as much as in my house. I love wreckorating.

nuff stuff

2011-02-18T22:03:00.001-08:00

The biggest problem of my remodel - before, during and after - is STUFF. But I'm getting rid of so much stuff, we can actually move from room to room now. It's terrific! And other people are benefiting from it too because I've donated it all to charity and museums. No loss there, just win-win.

Room by Rinpa Eshidan

2011-02-14T07:15:00.001-08:00

sun's up and so am i

2011-01-22T06:00:00.001-08:00

This is day five of my work leave and I'm already beginning to feel the crunch. It's been almost a week and how far have I gotten? The first day I completely cleared my studio-to-be; that was a major accomplishment. The second and third days I bogged down going through old papers. Pooh. Yesterday I surged and got the bedroom walls primed. Today I'm primed myself and plan to concur the world. Whilst I'm off fighting my battles, I'll leave you with a repost from my Flickr group, another area I'm fighting hard to avoid. Can't waste time. Can't waste time-- -

Twin Stars? Two Suns Could Be Visible From Earth By 2012

h ♥ m e

2011-01-20T08:29:00.003-08:00

i love you just the way you are, please come h ♥ m e
where you can linger through 13,000 rooms
such as these...

I want America to be as good as she imagined it.

2011-01-12T19:14:00.000-08:00

What we can't do is use this tragedy as one more occasion to turn on each other. Barack Obama

When you teach a man to hate and fear his brother, when you teach that he is a lesser man because of his color or his beliefs or the policies he pursues, when you teach that those who differ from you threaten your freedom or your job or your family, then you also learn to confront others not as fellow citizens but as enemies, to be met not with cooperation but with conquest; to be subjugated and mastered. Robert Kennedy

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction ... The chain reaction of evil -- hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars -- must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation. Martin Luther King

happy new year

2011-01-01T09:00:00.001-08:00

No matter who, where, when or what you're about, all gods' children celebrate New Year's because we all use the same calendar. This year's begins all in 1s. How cool is that? Happy New Year every body!

And all these 1s are telling me it's time to knuckle down and make my house my #1 priority. So I'm taking time off from both job and internet. I'll see you back here in a few months but, in the meantime, I'll leave you with my favorite symbol for time - the checkerboard.

Have an excellent new year, everybody, and be your best.

x-mas with x

2010-12-28T14:44:00.001-08:00

So many years, so many live concerts, so many great bands - but I have never seen X, one of my all time favorites. In only a few hours that dream will come true as X performs live at Slim's in San Francisco. Come hell or high water (we are expecting flash floods tonight) I will be there.

Playlist for Los Angeles at MixPod.com
Thanks to RakyMaky for all the X songs on YouTube

Los Angeles
X
(Recorded 1980)

Side A
Your Phone's Off the Hook, but You're Not
Johnny Hit and Run Paulene
Soul Kitchen
Nausea
Sugarlight

Side B
Los Angeles
Sex and Dying in High Society
The Unheard Music
The World's a Mess; It's in My Kiss

Bonus tracks
I'm Coming Over
Adult Books
Delta 88
Cyrano de Berger's Back
Los Angeles

X-mas With X

X, giants of the L.A. punk-rock scene, celebrate the 30th anniversary of their legendary album Los Angeles by playing it in its entirety during a run of Christmas dates on the West Coast — including 2 special San Francisco shows featuring the record’s producer, Ray Manzarek of The Doors.

X’s original lineup — John Doe, Exene Cervenka, Billy Zoom and D.J. Bonebrake — are scheduled to play nine shows in total, beginning Dec. 15 in Hollywood, Calif., and running through Jan. 1 in Portland, Ore.; Manzarek will join the band onstage for the first time in 30 years at concerts on Dec. 28 and 29 at Slim’s in San Francisco.

In addition to a track-by-track performance of Los Angeles, each show also will feature a screening of "X: The Unheard Music,” the 1986 film about the band that mixed documentary footage with live performances filmed between 1980 and 1985.

X at their official site
X at Facebook
X at Slim's in San Francisco
X at Wikipedia

madame tutli-putli

2010-12-26T22:30:00.001-08:00

and so this is christmas

2010-12-25T21:50:00.000-08:00

Every year we get together with our surrogate family for Christmas dinner.

Two years ago I made my husband go without me. I was too miserable to face anyone. My mother (93 with Alzheimer's, who we cared for in our home, putting her needs ahead of ours for five difficult years) had just been legally kidnapped by my hate-filled sister to try to get Mom's modest savings. I was beside myself with worry and woe. I refused to see a soul.

Today the misery was in the hearts of others. The mother of a brilliant 4.1 student who had just started college on a full scholarship, came home to find her perfect son passed out on the sofa with a bong and a bottle. When I confided this to my husband he said "Well that's normal." But for our friend it was the end of her world. All evening she weeped in her wine and stared me down from six inches crying, "Tell me what to do!"

One sweet and wonderful young man, recently diagnosed as bipolar, has been learning to cope and balance heavy meds, social situations, not to mention raging hormones and, although he appeared to be doing well, you know that he too had to be going through hell.

The woman who graciously opened her home to all of us the past few years, had just fled the country for legal reasons. Her two children were there trying to carry on Christmas without her.

A very old and dear friend of my husband's made dinner for everyone at his apartment in a valiant effort to preserve the tradition. He is about to lose his business and hasn't a penny to his name.

As we were finishing our ravioli, listening to one despairing rant after another, I quietly began to sing and so this is Christmas. Everyone burst out laughing and merriment was restored. Hail humor! It gets you through in the worst of times.

We didn't give gifts this year, but I got one anyhow. I learned that everyone has troubles that can't or shouldn't always be hidden away. If your friends are your friends, they will put up with you no matter how miserable you are. Back in the quiet little trailer we call home, my husband and I held each other and agreed we possess a fortune. Sometimes Christmas comes in strange packages.

So This Is Christmas by John Lennon
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
1843 illustrations by John Leech
1905 illustrations by George Alfred Williams
1907 illustrations by Arthur Rackham
2006 illustrations by P.J. Lynch

zat you, santa claus?

2010-12-24T21:00:00.001-08:00

It's Christmas Eve and you're five years old. You know that Santa won't arrive until after you're asleep so, before you head off to dreamland, what would your wildest dream be for right now? To call Santa. That's what these kids did. From LIFE Magazine 1947.

Slideshow: Kids On The Phone With Santa

Waiting for Santa Claus

By Larry Strauss | Veteran high school English teacher, novelist
Posted: December 24, 2010 on The Huffington Post

I'm not a big fan of token gestures that conspire to obscure our attention from all the entrenched inequities -- the over-feeding of homeless people on Thanksgiving, for example, or TV-network-funded home makeovers.

I try to train my students to see through this kind of feel-good fraud and recognize the difference between slick charity and exquisite justice. So when I was approached one December afternoon, by two aids from a daycare next to my high school and asked to be their Santa Claus, I nearly uttered the words "opiate of the masses."

But the desperation on their faces halted me. They said they had a room full of anxious children and that their scheduled St. Nick, someone's brother-in-law, was a no-show.

I'm not even sure I actually agreed to do it -- or whether I just didn't refuse quickly enough -- but I found myself, moments later in a men's room toilet stall climbing into their Santa suit wondering what in the world I was going to say to these inner-city children who needed so much -- who needed in-tact families and better nutrition and an end to the crack epidemic and the gang violence ravaging their neighborhood and the social alienation that not long before had led to three days of civil unrest. They needed economic opportunity in their community, better schools and stronger political leadership.

Outside the daycare bungalow, the aids introduced me to their director, a man in a dashiki, from whom I thought I might receive a word or two of encouragement or advice. He looked me over and said, "You're not Santa Claus. Santa Claus is black." Then he half smiled, gave an affectionate yank on my beard, and went into an office. One of the aids took me by the elbow and guided me inside the daycare center where I was greeted by the collective scream of small voices: "It's Santa Claus!" "Hi, Santa!" "I love you, Santa!"

The children were all around me pulling at my belt and grabbing the back of my suit. Their tiny faces burned with expectation and runny noses. Daycare aids encircled me and pushed the children back. Any myth-bursting aspiration I might ever have had evaporated and I realized suddenly that I would have to somehow produce a Santa Claus voice. If I could get myself to speak at all.

But I hardly had to say anything. Order was restored and I was installed in the room's only adult-sized chair. The children were lined up and one-by-one they climbed on my knee. A few of them asked for things so simple, so basic, that I had to hold back tears -- "I want a doll." "I want a toy." "My daddy coming for Christmas?" -- but mostly they just wanted to look at my face, and yank on the fake beard and hear me repeat their names back to them. They wanted to be seen. They wanted, for a moment, to know that someone really important really cared about them.

Some years ago I read that the single most universally important thing to the human ego is recognition. Maybe so.

what if?

2010-12-23T10:05:00.001-08:00

"What if there had been no special baby born in a cave under the stars?"

This is the question pondered by author and scholar Kathleen Jenks, as she wrote several solstices ago. Here is my animated version of her wise and thought-provoking words, illuminated with paintings that span many centuries. They are framed with stunning images of the here and now of deep space, transmitted to earth by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. It all comes to life with the music of Brian Keane and his transcendant song Western Sky.

As you watch, try to remember Peace. It's out there somewhere... probably hanging out with Truth.

unto us a sun is born

2010-12-22T10:30:00.001-08:00

I awoke suddenly at two and stumbled out of bed to see if any of the lunar eclipse was still visible, but I had slept through it all. The show was over. Sort of.

The moon was now full and round and bright as it slipped in and out of storm clouds. We've been pummeled with some pretty heavy rain lately, thunder and lightening, even hail. But at that moment, although the sky looked threatening, all was calm. I wondered if we would be able to make our usual trek up the mountain for the solstice and our anniversary. We were married on top of Mount Tamalpais at sunrise so we return every year, like the sun, in a celebration of life.

By six the storm was still holding, so up we went precariously in the dark, wondering what we would encounter. 2574 feet up, at the eastern ridge, we were completely engulfed in an ocean of dismal wet fog. One can usually see for miles up there but this morning we could barely see beyond our noses. But we were there.

Then, at precisely 7:21 (every year, without fail, 7:21) a tiny slip of light shot through the dark. "The sun!" I cried. "No," my husband cautioned, "That can't be it." We scrambled to the spot where we exchanged vows. "Look! Loooook!" All that was before us was a solid grey wall but the sun burned right through. Then the most phenomenal, spectacular thing happened in a matter of seconds. That massive grey shroud that surrounded us suddenly turned to a cloak of gold. Millions and millions of water molecules were reflecting the golden light of the sun! I have never seen anything like it. It took my breath full away.

No matter how dark and dismal the horizon, keep climbing that mountain. Never give up hope. The light will come.

fun in the sun

2010-12-21T04:00:00.001-08:00

Winter Solstice Celebration at New York's Cathedral of St. John the Divine, by Paul Winter

Winter solstice is the shortest day and the longest night of the year. Traditionally, it is a time of both foreboding and expectancy, as the longest night leads to the revival of the sun. And yet it is a turning point, when the sun reaches its southernmost point from the equator and seems to pause before reversing course. “Solstice” in Latin means “the sun standing still.”

In ancient times, observers watched the sun sink lower in the sky each day, and feared it would disappear completely and leave them in darkness.

People practiced special rituals intended to entice the sun’s return. Bonfires and candles, with their imitative magic, helped fortify the waning sun and ward off the spirits of darkness. These symbols live on in our modern seasonal customs: the candles of Hanukkah and Christmas are kin to the fiery rites of old, which celebrated the miracle of the earth’s renewal.

These traditions reflect our need to come together in times of extended darkness. We celebrate not only the rebirth of the sun, but the community of life on earth.

Playlist at MixPod.com

Click the bottom arrow on the frame for continuous playing (2 1/2 hours) of 46 versions of The Holly and The Ivy, another one of those ancient pagan carols absconded by the church to pack its pews. The rising of the sun and the running of the deer...

The solstice breaks at Newgrange, County Meath, Ireland

The longest night of the year is passing, the dawn of a new day is about to begin and this Neolithic monument waits in the darkness for a finger of light to enter through its passageway and illuminate its central chamber, just as it did over 5,000 years ago when the monument was constructed.

the darkest of the darkest

2010-12-20T12:20:00.001-08:00

Tonight's the night! Multiple astronomical events are lining up for an extremely rare display of synchronization as this year's Winter Solstice occurs simultaneously with a total lunar eclipse. Rare indeed, as the last time this happened was nearly 400 years ago.

But wait - there's more! The seldom seen Ursids meteor shower will also take place. This particular annual show is rarely witnessed compared to its brighter counterparts, but stargazers will have an exceptional chance to view the display this year because of the eclipse's darkened sky.

As this celestial drama unfolds, North and Central America will see the moon completely darkened by Earth's shadow as our planet passes between it and the sun. The total eclipse will take about 3.5 hours, beginning at 11:41pm PST on Monday, or 2:41am EST on Tuesday, with the best impression happening around 12:17am PST, or 3:17am EST.

In the Northern Hemispere, December 21 is the Winter Solstice, the year's longest night and shortest day. From this point on, the hours of daylight begin to lengthen. But for tonight, coupled with the lunar spectacle, we're in for an especially dark eve. Throw a log on the fire and snuggle up.

a stark holiday

2010-12-19T09:00:00.001-08:00

David Stark for West Elm

David Stark Sketchbook

David Stark Decorates the State Department

InStyle partnered with the State Department to decorate its Diplomatic Reception Rooms for the holiday season and the results are stunning. “[The rooms] are one of the hidden gems of Washington, playing host to Presidents and Prime Ministers from around the world and showcasing the best of our nation’s heritage,” said Ambassador Capricia Penavic Marshall, Chief of Protocol of the United States. InStyle brought in interior designer David Stark to come up with elegant holiday decorations. “The rooms have historical significance and are highly utilized so it was important for us to enhance the beauty already there,” InStyle editor Ariel Foxman said. “David created a gorgeous, modern winter wonderland that is both stylish and functional. It’s a living, breathing project and so much more fulfilling to know it will be enjoyed by others.” Stark used everyday materials like ribbon and wrapping paper to design extraordinary decorations like the wreath and archway. The rooms are open for public tours, but in case you don’t have a chance to get to Washington D.C., click on the gallery for an exclusive sneak peek. Plus, get tips from Stark for ways to incorporate these décor ideas into your own home this season!

When decorating the rooms, Stark was extremely sensitive to the historical surroundings, so he created this freestanding present archway for the Thomas Jefferson Room by stringing gifts through a steel arch. To get a similar feel in your house, Stark suggests using the gifts you’re giving as holiday décor by stacking them together next to the tree or peppering them around the room. “Instead of using gifts, you could also wrap boxes from the recycling bin or empty electronic boxes you store in the closet,” Stark said. Create a cohesive look by choosing a few complementary wrapping papers—like the gold and silver shades Stark used in the arch—for an elegant look.

David Stark Holiday Collection from west elm on Vimeo.

peace, bro, sir

2010-12-18T11:00:00.001-08:00

Peace on earth, good will toward everybody.

President Barack Obama whistles a Christmas carol as he walks along the Colonnade of the White House following a holiday reception, December 14, 2010.

A Marine Sentry stands guard outside the West Wing entrance of the White House.

propagandecor

2010-12-17T09:00:00.001-08:00

The London house of director Roland Emmerich is a block-buster. Definitely two thumbs up.

The director Roland Emmerich, best known for his high-budget, spectacle-filled films like “10,000 BC” and “Independence Day,” told his designer to make his house "as nonfrumpy as possible."

A London Home To Shock The Neighbors

Home of Roland Emmerich
Interiors designed by John Teall/Flux Interiors
Published by The New York Times, August 6, 2008
Written by Kathryn Harris
Photographed by Gavin Jackson/Arcaid

From the outside, the director Roland Emmerich’s 1830 town house looks as buttoned-up as its neighbors in the Knightsbridge district of London, near Harrods and the Victoria and Albert Museum. But once visitors step into the living room, where a taxidermy zebra is juxtaposed with a 25-foot mural of Mao, they realize they’ve left the conservative neighborhood behind.

Mr. Emmerich, who is known for big-budget, spectacle-filled films like “10,000 BC” and “Independence Day,” bought the house in late 2004 without knowing much about the area. When friends told him that it had a reputation for being somewhat staid, he instructed his designer, John Teall, of Flux Interiors, to make the house “as nonfrumpy as possible,” he said, so that “when the neighbors peek in, they might want to call the police or something.”

Mr. Emmerich had recently returned from a trip to Shanghai with a suitcase full of Chairman Mao statues, and he asked the designer to fill the house with similar objects reflecting his predilection for art with a political edge.

After making a few basic changes to the five-story house — moving the kitchen upstairs, adding skylights and creating a 16-foot-tall glass atrium — Mr. Teall, who studied interior design at the Chelsea College of Art and Design in London, set about following those instructions.

For the large murals that run throughout the house, he hired the painter James Gemmill, who duplicated works of art from the Louvre for “The Da Vinci Code.” After talking to “high-end furniture makers who gave me outrageous estimates and didn’t grasp the humor of the pieces,” he said, he commissioned film prop makers to fabricate other objects, including a life-size wax statue of Pope John Paul II and dioramas with scenes of notorious events like the actor Hugh Grant’s encounter with a Hollywood prostitute and the torture that took place at the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. “People can spend an entire evening discussing a film,” Mr. Teall said, explaining what some might consider obsessive attention to detail. “I liked the idea that a house might inspire the same” reaction.

For his part, Mr. Emmerich noted that “the London house has a very friendly quality.” It “started as a sort of joke,” he added, but “has become interesting — John has a wicked sense of humor.”

Slideshow: Far From Conservative

Click on each of the following images to enlarge.

Mr. Emmerich bought the house, in the Knightsbridge district of London, in late 2004 without knowing much about the area. Friends told him that it had a reputation for being somewhat staid.

The director Roland Emmerich, best known for his high-budget, spectacle-filled films like “10,000 BC” and “Independence Day,” told his designer to make his house "as nonfrumpy as possible."

He instructed the designer, John Teall, of Flux Interiors, to make it so that "when the neighbors peek in, they might want to call the police or something." A taxidermy zebra faces the living room, which reflects his predilection for art with a political edge.

The large murals that run throughout the house were done by the painter James Gemmill.

The library coffee table is made of a missile from Iraq and holds an Arabs-and-Americans chess set commissioned by Mr. Teall. (On the Arab side, pieces include an oil rig, Saddam Hussein and a suicide bomber, and on the American side, an exploding World Trade Center, President Bush and Rambo.)

A diorama depicts John F. Kennedy's assassination.

The dining room chairs were designed by Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano. The door, a replica of one from the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Moscow, was made of wood and given a metal finish.

The walls and ceiling in an office are covered with chalkboard paint. The desk is made from a wing of a World War II plane; the chair once belonged to a military dentist.

A chair on the terrace was made of Shell oil cans by children in Ghana. Benches are laser-cut with the words "insurgents" and "infidels." Skylights to the living room form the floor.

Mr. Teall had originally planned to put a life-size waxwork statue of Mr. Emmerich under the stairs. After discussing news coverage of Pope John Paul II's death with Mr. Emmerich, though, he decided it would be much funnier to depict the pope reading his own obituaries.

In the terrace hallway are a birdcage in the shape of the White House and a statue of Arnold Schwarzenegger inspired by Rodin's "The Thinker."

A guest bedroom features a headboard made from the wing of an airplane.

The English bedroom has Charles and Diana dolls in the fireplace.

A mural in the master bedroom was inspired by Chinese propaganda posters. The Chairman Mao sculptures, clocks and dictator nesting dolls were purchased in a Shanghai market and on eBay.

he sees you when you're sleeping

2010-12-16T07:00:00.001-08:00

And he gives you stuff. As you are meant to see in this 1954 poster from The People's Republic of China: The Happy Life Chairman Mao Gave Us, which now hangs upon the virtual walls of the Children & Youth in History site, a world history resource that provides teachers and students with access to sources about young people from the past to the present.

haute plates

2010-12-15T12:15:00.001-08:00

Whether fabulously Fornasetti haute or affordably 222 Fifth hot, plates hung decoratively on walls look terrific. Just use paper cut-outs to get them placed right so your walls won't end up like swiss cheese.

Remodelista: Plates as Wall Decor
Remodelista: Plates with Words as Decor
Decorating with Transferware
Cote de Texas: Top Design Element
sfgirlbybay: pass me that plate, pretty please
Tema e Variazioni by Fornasetti
Slice of Life by 222 Fifth

Click on the images to visit each source.

for a long winter's nap

2010-12-14T06:30:00.001-08:00

And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains in a bedroom of black

Click on each photo to see its source.

window shopping

2010-12-13T22:42:00.001-08:00

branching out

2010-12-12T08:03:00.001-08:00

I know that decorated evergreen trees are supposed to symbolize hope, rebirth and eternal life (to one belief set or another) but winter does bare branches so splendidly it's a shame not to decorate them too.

Lise & Kristian Septimius Krogh | Bo Bedre

Lise & Kristian Septimius Krogh | Bo Bedre

Canadian House & Home

A tablescape of twinkling twigs

Jannicke Krakvik & Alessandro D’Orazio

Jannicke Krakvik & Alessandro D’Orazio

One Grand Home

Canadian House & Home

David Stark Twig Topiary | West Elm

David Stark Twig Topiary | West Elm

Elsa Mora

Moline

Dione Herself 9' Driftwood Tree

Mette Wotkjær | Femina.dk

Mette Wotkjær | Femina.dk

Mette Wotkjær | Femina.dk

A string of cowbells from Toast

West Elm twig trees

Robert McCabe

2010-12-11T21:00:00.001-08:00

Vintage Photos from Robert McCabe's Trips to Greece in the 1950s

Posted on The Huffington Post

Legendary photographer Robert A. McCabe has compiled what are, in essence, stunning photographic journals of Cuba and Antarctica, among other places.

McCabe also traveled as a Princeton undergraduate to Greece in June 1954, witnessing firsthand soaring unemployment (at the time of his visit, unemployment was hovering around 30%) and poor wages (those who did work were making a little less than a dollar a day). McCabe recalls in his introduction to his book, Greece: Images of an Enchanted Land, 1954-1965, how unspoiled the landscape of Greece felt before all the tourists and development starting happening, which has forever changed the landscape in Athens.

He traveled extensively through the Aegean after that, from 1954-1965, to document fully the experiences, people and places there (he was, in particular, interested in Greece's iconic architecture).

steel island

2010-12-10T08:54:00.000-08:00

I love the look of this old metal work island. As Country Living suggests, why not make one? Hunt down a salvaged steel cabinet in an antique or salvage shop, and add butcher block to the top and wheels to the bottom. Since I already have an existing work island, I'm thinking I might clad mine in sheet metal - galvanized would be cool. If that's not feasible there's always stainless steel paint (the real deal) or artist's metallic pewter, which I've used before with great results. Hit or miss? I guess I won't know until I steel myself and do it.

Country Living

treasures in the attic

2010-12-09T06:00:00.001-08:00

Since it's so cold out I thought we'd just grab a cup of something steamy and climb upstairs to prowl around the AtticMag. There's taste, insight and inspiration up to the rafters there. Look at this intriquing comparison between kitchens of today and those of a hundred years ago - not for their differences, but for their similarities. I hauled down a few photos to show you but there's way more, so let's fill our cups and go. Or vice versa.

Kitchen Contrasts 1920-2010

From Jane F: "Many times I’ve mentioned the Victorian era kitchen style popular between 1900-1930 and how we keep reinventing it nearly a century later. Still, there’s nothing quite like actual photos of vintage kitchens — like The Kitchen Practical, 1929, above — side-by-side with recently renovated kitchens to put the point across specifically. When I came across an album of 1920s kitchens, it became clear to me how much things had changed – and also how little."

All photos from AtticMag

cartoon fest

2010-12-08T00:58:00.001-08:00

In celebration of the one I love - born on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, with a comic strip head and a cartoon heart - here's a festival of Christmas cartoons as fine a vintage as my sweetie. After the first one finishes, click twice for the whole show. Happy Birthday, Superman!

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

dry stone walls

2010-12-07T05:55:00.001-08:00

Rolling stones gather no moss.
Stone houses that stand around for centuries do.

Dry Stone Walls

Arlington Row by ::eva

Parks House by rustumlongpig

Peel House 12thC by gadgetgirl2007

The Ruins Of Crackpot Hall by SteveMG

Duddon Iron Works, Cumbria by Adam D Swift

Arlington Row in Bibury Cotswolds by Paul Macmillan

Dry stone building near Glencolmkille Co Donegal by frankhound05

Dry stone building near Carrick Co Donegal by frankhound05

Wharfedale Field Barn by SteveMG

Cottage from the West by rustumlongpig

Muckross Kilcar Co Donegal by frankhound05

Old Field Barn by grahamramsden52

how lovely are thy branches

2010-12-06T10:00:00.000-08:00

Shops are selling the most festive and fashionable holiday decorations right now, but none are as beautiful as the decorations growing right outside your door - evergreen trees, boughs, branches, pinecones, nuts, seedpods, dried and fresh flowers - what could possibly be more lovely? With talent, imagination, wit and stunning simplicity, herz-allerliebst gathers nature and transforms her home into a winter wonderland.

herz-allerliebst on flickr
herz-allerliebst on her blog

All photos by herz-allerliebst

um... santa...

2010-12-05T23:00:00.001-08:00

i've been real good, santa. and i have a little list. not a lot. it's even on sale right now at design within reach. right. now.

A Country Farmhouse

2010-12-04T22:30:00.001-08:00

I think today we'll head up the hill to pay a visit to A Country Farmhouse. Trina and her husband have been "fixing it up" ever since they bought it and she lovingly documents its renovation, along with musings on country life, antiques, old houses and healthy living. Old World meets New World inspiration. The air is thinner up on the mountain, but the only thing that will take your breath away is their heavenly home.

All photos from A Country Farmhouse

Rubber Soul

2010-12-03T21:00:00.001-08:00

It was twenty years ago today - no, wait, it was 45 years ago today that The Beatles released Rubber Soul. In an interesting commentary about it on The Huffington Post, William Bradley suggests that while this one album turned the music world on fast forward, today it's all on rewind. It started in the 70's, when the music moguls took control of the recording industry and began manufacturing pop clones and formula tunes for big corporate profits. She saaaid: I know what it's like to be dead.

Rubber Soul. As one of the original Beatlemaniacs who still has every first issue album she ever bought (all of em) this has always been my favorite.

Rubber Soul: 45th Anniversary of One of the Most Influential Albums

Ellen O'Neill

2010-12-02T09:24:00.001-08:00

"I like a sense of humanity in a home. I've tried not to like stuff, but face it... I just like stuff." Ellen O’Neill. One of interior design's Leading Style Makers, leading lady at New York's St. Regis Hotel, and the woman behind Ralph Lauren.

Designing Women: Interiors by Leading Style Makers
St. Regis, one of the most historic and patrician hotels in the country
The Interior Lives of Designers

A Surprisingly Large New York Studio

Designer Ellen O'Neill makes living in a studio look easy by purging her possessions, limiting her color palette, and arranging furniture into mini-rooms.

Designed by Ellen O'Neill
Written by Carol Prisant
Photographed by Thomas Loof
Published by House Beautiful, July 2010

A pair of ebonized Parisian club chairs, a flea-market find, are perfectly scaled for a small room. The boldly striped Ikea pillows pick up on the geometry of the windows. The wire café parasol frame above the fireplace is from Bloom.

A high ceiling and wall of windows gives O'Neill's small space a light, airy feel. The one-room apartment is in a 1920s landmark building by architect Emery Roth. Ingo Maurer's Zettel'z 5 chandelier is O'Neill's "bulletin board," displaying notes, lists, directions, sketches, even a hat. Her cat, Miss, stretches out on the mantel next to angel vine topiaries. The faux-giraffe rug is from ABC Carpet & Home. Walls and ceiling are Benjamin Moore's Linen White.

The straight-up view into the center of the chandelier.

Ellen O'Neill clustered black-and-white photos and sketches on one wall: "It makes the hallway feel like a 'place' and not just a thoroughfare."

An easel holds photos of friends, gallery invitations, vintage portfolios.

A daguerrotype setter's station serves as a bar.

A huge mirror leaning against the wall opposite the windows reflects light and adds the illusion of more space to the room. O'Neill's farm table–desk does double duty as a dining table when she entertains. Mirror and table from Laurin Copen Antiques.

A mini-library in the foyer has reference books, DVDs, CDs, "baskets of unidentifiable cables, and chargers for electronic necessities."

At one end of O'Neill's daybed, a slipcovered reading chair, a table draped in a vintage linen sheet, and a caned folding chair create a tiny curl-up space looking onto the terrace and city.

Tote bags hang handily from a French iron coatrack that was once a chandelier.

The daybed and screen were made by Martin Albert Interiors to fit the space across from the fireplace. Cowtan & Tout's chinoiserie toile, Siam, defines the area, and its sepia tone lends softness to the black-and-white palette. O'Neill's guests enjoy trying to figure out the toile's narrative. Her eight-year-old mixed-breed dog, Maude, only tries to figure out the most comfortable spot. The reading light is from a French hospital.

On the daybed, a morning's tumble of creamy blankets and milk-white sheets.

There was no kitchen in the apartment — originally servants' quarters — so O'Neill created a petite but efficient one in a skylit niche. The desk chair is one of her "eclectic assortment" of vintage chairs and stools.

A snow globe of ivory napkin rings.

The kitchen's miniature stainless-steel sink is set in a gray-and-white marble countertop.

Carol Prisant: You can't be serious. You keep the ad for your little penthouse studio apartment, five years after you bought it!

Ellen O'Neill: I do. It's just two lines: "One room with balcony overlooking Gramercy Park, fireplace, outstanding views, key to park."

So you grabbed it. Who wouldn't?

I was sold at "hello." It breathes and has such character. I'm perched on top of a wonderful urban tree house, on the last gated private square in Manhattan.

Gramercy Park is known for being a quiet, conservative neighborhood. Isn't it a bit tame for someone with your background and experience? You've traveled the world as a design consultant with clients in interior design, home-product design, retail, hospitality.

I did look in the West Village first. And even though I would have liked to be hip and cool, I didn't want to be the oldest person there, with my nurse's aide someday parading me around the nabe. And I didn't want to break a hip on the cobblestones!

You'd been living in a six-and-a-half-room apartment. Why were you even looking for just one room?

Maybe because I'd been designing luxury rooms for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. The idea of one perfectly proportioned room really appealed to me. I'd bought a little house in the country, so I didn't need a big apartment, filled with towers of items. I just wanted a modern cubicle, where I could recline on a daybed and touch everything.

Still, a studio must have felt tiny after being in such a spacious place.

With this 10-foot ceiling and the big, windowed doors and the terrace, it didn't feel small at all. And anyway, you tend to hang out with your friends in just one room, don't you? There's so much space that I can have a cat and a dog living with me, and relatives staying over. I've even had five people, sleeping on air beds. When you live in a studio apartment, your friends and relatives don't expect you to be too hospitable.

Did you paint the floor white to make the room feel bigger?

I've always had painted floors — I use automotive paint. Brown floors depress me to death. And I knew from the start that I wanted a black-and-white palette. But just black and white can be too hard and cold, too optical. You need some creams and grays and sepias to ease you into a softer, gentler world and add a little romance.

What did you do with those towers of items?

It took months to sort out. I was practically an Egyptologist — rooting in dark old closets, digging out and refinding my life. Then, I had to set up a whole filing process. There was even a pocket for Old Boyfriends and a pocket for Bridesmaid Dresses. And after I decided who got what, I had a huge sale. It was a healthy purge.

So what did you keep?

I kept my books, my black and white clothing, and a few sentimental bits.

Hmm. Severe. How did that work out?

It lasted about four days. I felt so naked, it was almost like I didn't have clothes on. I really needed my papers and things.

So your stuff crept back in?

Well, it began, I guess, because my vision for a white box didn't include a toile. But I wanted one, and the toile you see here on the daybed and on the screen is a capital-T Toile — really large-scale.

Where did you find a daybed that's the perfect size for the room?

I had it made. I wanted it to have a certain scale and not look like a bed made into a daybed. The efficiencies I learned when I was designing luxury hotel rooms helped when it came to furnishing my studio. I have pieces that multitask: the daybed serves as both seating and a bed, my antique farm table as a desk and a dining table. The club chairs are small-scale — very narrow, very "lady." The various randomly placed chairs create "lobby moment" conversation. There were no bookshelves, so I put some in the foyer, which makes that space seem more like a library than a hall. I know it's what the hotel business refers to as a "confusing arrival experience," but I couldn't do without my books!

Or without your wire: I can't say I've ever seen so much in one small room. Is there a theme here?

Beyond the fact that I like it — it lightens things up — I was inspired by that chicken-wire mesh embedded in the safety glass on the terrace doors. That's why I use vintage wire baskets to hold my firewood, garden supplies, and stationery, and why I have wire-framed topiaries on the mantel. Just in case you were wondering, that's an old wire parasol frame hanging behind them.

And let's not overlook the wire chandelier.

It's by Ingo Maurer. It came with love notes in foreign languages that no one could understand. And also blank notes. Little by little, I'm switching the printed cards out for more personal things — people are more entertained by substitutions.

You're so lucky to have that terrace.

And the view: At night it's like St. Petersburg with all the domes lit up. Across the street there's a fabulous billboard that's lit at night. It's changed once a month, and I consider it my personal art exhibition.

Okay, now tell me the truth: Isn't it really hard to live in one room?

I love being here, and never yearn for "things," and…oh, all right. I'm not sure I could do this without my country house. And I do fantasize every so often about having a bedroom.

1 december

2010-12-01T17:30:00.001-08:00

Penelope Schenk is no longer making these charming advent calendars, but happily, all her old ones are still available online. They are truly delightful, from her drawings to her animations to her stories. Start one today and follow the story through to December 25th.

100%

2010-11-30T22:36:00.001-08:00

There's a blog I've been meaning to tell you about that is aptly named Belgian Pearls. Certainly no exception is its latest post on the Love for Belgian Linen. I guess that's why my iron has a setting just for it.

the hall is decked

2010-11-29T08:25:00.000-08:00

How many ways can you Deck the Hall? Try sixty. Sixty recorded versions of the 16th century Welsh dancing aire Deck the Hall that I gathered for you from YouTube. Simply click twice after the opening song finishes for continuous listening. I double decked dare you.

Music Playlist at MixPod.com

playing

2010-11-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

throwing in some decoration even though the room's not ready but i can't stand it any longer so i am, and now i've really got to go to work, bye-- -

thankful

2010-11-26T19:30:00.001-08:00

What a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday we had. For four full days our dining room was a hive of activity. No, actually, we sat down to turkey dinner (fabulous) at our surrogate family's (thanks Risé), while our own dining room experienced a transformation. We worked our butts off and finally overcame a major decorating block. Bookcases. I couldn't get anything to work because the room is so small and dark, with traffic patterns along two sides. In January I got rid of the useless china cabinet and moved the short bookcases in from the living room, but they didn't quite cut it. For months I hunted down industrial etageres - there are plenty of beauties out there - but couldn't find a single one that was appropriate for the location. Then, two weeks ago I changed direction altogether and decided on white wood. I was afraid 7-footers would be obtrusive and overpowering, so I really had to hold my breath and leap. Buying a big costly piece can be death-defying but I lived to tell the tale. The white blends into the walls and the cases actually recede. The glass not only pulls more light into the room, it expands it by reflecting the outside view. It all works and I couldn't be happier. Or more thankful.

too cluttered, not enough storage

ikea and saint michael to the rescue

work progresses and things are looking up

a fourth bookcase might work over here too

non-obtrusive, despite a heavy traffic pattern

end results: exactly what i wanted.
now for that chandelier

gobble

2010-11-25T05:01:00.001-08:00

good guy or bad guy?

2010-11-24T09:01:00.000-08:00

Consumer Reports offers their readers' list of naughty and nice retailers just in the st nick of time for holiday shopping. (My very own villain? Target.) Kick it up a notch and you can take the pledge to Buy Handmade. Or kick the consumerism habit altogether and make your own.

have a seat

2010-11-23T06:26:00.001-08:00

As family and friends gather for the holidays, one can never have too many chairs. As we head into Winter, one can never have too many memories of Summer. So pull up a plant and set a spell.

Growing Upholstery

drip drip drip

2010-11-22T09:52:00.000-08:00

This was the primary consideration in remodeling the porch. Condensation. But I decided to make the best of it by using outdoor furnishings that will hold their own against water, mildew and fading. The sofas still sport their shipping plastic, until the outdoor covers arrive (hurry up West Elm!) but the wooden rugs are doing a fine job. Quite beautifully, I must say.

roux the day

2010-11-22T07:30:00.001-08:00

The invisible cat. Her name is Roux.

ya think?

2010-11-21T10:15:00.001-08:00

What would full height white bookcases with a big black lantern look like in my dining room? Well, let's see...

lodge

2010-11-20T08:32:00.000-08:00

Yes I would lodge myself here and never leave this Time Worn Style.

word for word

2010-11-19T07:01:00.001-08:00

Sayings, mottoes, graffiti. Words become decorative. Just don't forget what they stand for. For more inspiration, try Thinking About Art.

post haste

2010-11-18T16:18:00.000-08:00

Profuse apologies for hastily reposting from another blog, but, you know,
well, sometimes one has no choice. None whatsoever. Especially when one is reposting from Emma's Blog, who is reposting from Love Nordic Design, who is reposting from Manolo Yllera, and the repost is this. You see.

Or Lotta Agaton reposting from Ffffound! reposting from Vogue. You see?

skewered

2010-11-18T07:42:00.001-08:00

Artist Sharon Pazner opens a new show in Tel Aviv and really nails it.

nailed

I play with rusty nails, use them to print, I cut and fold paper, build letters, words, ideograms and then take them apart.

"Shipudim" ("Skewers") - opens November 20th at 20:00
Gross Gallery - 86 Bugrashov St., Tel Aviv
Open Mon- Fri 11:00-14:00 until December 13th.

cubism - folded (self portrait)

petit fours

neighbors

house - paper

wall house - paper

house wall house - paper

friendly fire

home - paper - nails

house - nails, screw eyes, wood

leaf - nail house

The Erte Chair

2010-11-17T10:32:00.000-08:00

An exquisite piece from Moe's Ache in collaboration with Fiber Art Studio.

"My first collaboration with Fiber Art Studio! The Erte chair combines Susie Seligman's hand painted applique' and Moe's Ache Studio's mosaic inlay on the back and legs. Vintage buttons and jewelry supply the right finishing touches for this chair, now residing in a private collection in Indianapolis, Indiana."

bang bang shoot shoot

2010-11-16T08:44:00.000-08:00

It's my weekend again. Let's start it off with a bang with the Beatles, since iTunes finally got 'em locked and loaded.

happiness is...

2010-11-12T08:18:00.001-08:00

After a long hot summer of hurdles and hard work, rebuilding and painting the porch, having a little something to show for it is happiness, yes it is. We're nowhere near finished, but there is this. Drum roll please...

it always helps to see how far we've come

it would

2010-11-10T10:24:00.001-08:00

haven't a clue what where when who or how but i love it, so there.
think it would look good in my trailer?

so would this

2010-11-09T21:35:00.000-08:00

just read the instructions

2010-11-08T09:26:00.000-08:00

From CollegeHumor.com: If Ikea Made Instructions for Everything

v o t e

2010-11-02T13:44:00.001-07:00

I know you're pissed at the officials you elected for not doing much. But wait. They did a lot. Watch Rachel Maddow for a recap of all of it. Then go out and vote. Please. I'll wait for you here. When you get back we can follow the election returns on HuffPost. Now hurry.

Whew. The turnout for this election was pathetic. Thank goodness I live in California where we know how to not "take the country back" but take the country forward. In fact, that's why I live here.

digitally decked

2010-11-01T10:20:00.001-07:00

This, then, is what I do early in the morning when I'm coming back to life. I make digital mosaics - see a few dozen of them in a slideshow.

12:00

2010-11-01T00:00:00.001-07:00

11:59

2010-10-31T23:59:00.001-07:00

boo

2010-10-31T22:33:00.001-07:00

House Boo-tiful

Hallowstide

Dia de los Muertes

sanity restored!

2010-10-30T10:12:00.001-07:00

Rally To Restore Sanity And/Or Fear

Join Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and ~~150,000~~ 250,000 (500,000?) in Washington DC (and millions the world over in spirit) for the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear. Who cares if it has anything to do with decorating? Decorate this, baby! You can rally along right now with live streaming. Enjoy!

Watch film clips from the rally

In closing, Jon Stewart had this to say: "We know instinctively as a people, that if we are to get through the darkness and back into the light we have to work together. And the truth is there will always be darkness. And sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel isn't the Promised Land, sometimes it's just New Jersey, but we do it anyway, together. You wanna know why I'm here? And what I want from you? I can only assure you this. You have already given it to me. Your presence is what I wanted. Sanity will always be and has always been in the eye of the beholder, and to see you here today and the kind of people that you are has restored mine. Thank you."

Rally sparks spontaneous spin-offs in 84 countries

painting the windows

2010-10-27T07:00:00.001-07:00

The year's first frost is upon us this morning. It's certainly upon me, in my last-gasp effort to finish painting the porch. If the weatherman is right and the temperature does reach the sixties, I might get the job done. Cross fingers. Or rub together vigorously, as needed.

If Jack Frost isn't available, here are a few other ways to frost a window:
DIY from Design Sponge
Ideas from Apartment Therapy
Emma Jeffs' Modern Window Film
Brume's Window Film Collection
Window Film World

provincial

2010-10-20T08:21:00.000-07:00

because i really really like it

yosemite

2010-10-13T23:02:00.000-07:00

Just got back from a few days in Yosemite. Still unpacking the memories.

imagine

2010-10-09T08:06:00.000-07:00

After years of training as a classical pianist, at the age of 14 I heard I Want To Hold Your Hand played twice in a row over the radio. It was January of 1964 and the radio station was playing it for the first time. I was hooked. I was one of the first Beatlemaniacs. I screamed at their movie. I screamed at their concert. They affected me profoundly for the rest of my life. Today would have been John Lennon's 70th birthday. Imagine.

they say it's your birthday
John Lennon 'unseen'
celebrating in Central Park
Inside the Dakota
Yoko Ono Official on Flickr

sleeping beauty

2010-10-06T17:11:00.001-07:00

The art world is beside itself over the recent discovery of an unknown Boldini. Yes, exciting. Very much so. But is anyone else excited over the discovery of a beautiful Paris flat locked up in a time capsule since the Belle Époque? Just raise a gloved hand.

Parisian flat and €2.1 million painting lay untouched for 70 years

For 70 years the Parisian apartment had been left uninhabited, under lock and key, the rent faithfully paid but no hint of what was inside.

By Henry Samuel in Paris
The Telegraph U.K. Published October 4, 2010

Behind the door, under a thick layer of dusk lay a treasure trove of turn-of-the-century objects including a painting by the 19th century Italian artist Giovanni Boldini.

The woman who owned the flat had left for the south of France before the Second World War and never returned.

But when she died recently aged 91, experts were tasked with drawing up an inventory of her possessions and homed in on the flat near the Trinité church in Paris between the Pigalle red light district and Opera.

Entering the untouched, cobweb-filled flat in Paris' 9th arrondissement, one expert said it was like stumbling into the castle of Sleeping Beauty, where time had stood still since 1900.

"There was a smell of old dust," said Olivier Choppin-Janvry, who made the discovery. Walking under high wooden ceilings, past an old wood stove and stone sink in the kitchen, he spotted a stuffed ostrich and a Mickey Mouse toy dating from before the war, as well as an exquisite dressing table.

But he said his heart missed a beat when he caught sight of a stunning tableau of a woman in a pink muslin evening dress.

The painting was by Boldini and the subject a beautiful Frenchwoman who turned out to be the artist's former muse and whose granddaughter it was who had left the flat uninhabited for more than half a century.

The muse was Marthe de Florian, an actress with a long list of ardent admirers, whose fervent love letters she kept wrapped neatly in ribbon and were still on the premises. Among the admirers was the 72nd prime minister of France, George Clemenceau, but also Boldini.

The expert had a hunch the painting was by Boldini, but could find no record of the painting. "No reference book dedicated to Boldini mentioned the tableau, which was never exhibited," said Marc Ottavi, the art specialist he consulted about the work.

When Mr Choppin-Janvry found a visiting card with a scribbled love note from Boldini, he knew he had struck gold. "We had the link and I was sure at that moment that it was indeed a very fine Boldini".

He finally found a reference to the work in a book by the artist's widow, which said it was painted in 1898 when Miss de Florian was 24.

The starting price for the painting was €300,000 but it rocketed as ten bidders vyed for the historic work. Finally it went under the hammer for €2.1 million, a world record for the artist.

"It was a magic moment. One could see that the buyer loved the painting; he paid the price of passion," said Mr Ottavi.

The ~~Complete~~ InComplete Works of Giovanni Boldini

We might not be able to afford €2.1 million for a rare Boldini, but how about a reproduction of a bistro table in one of his paintings?

happy trails

2010-10-04T22:05:00.001-07:00

Now way back, when Michael was a little boy, his parents took him to visit a friend of the family who had a thirty foot trailer at a lake. That's when it started. He must have had a pretty good time there because for ever after he wanted one. Well, he got his wish because, here we are, living in our doublewide. And that's okay. But since we got this place he's been talking about retiring to his real dream home - the kind you travel around in. Million Dollar Travel Trailer, oh look out.

1970s travel trailer ad

you quack me up

2010-10-02T10:02:00.001-07:00

Right Wing Radio Duck

Don't Bank On It

me too, shep

2010-09-28T11:30:00.002-07:00

Shepard Fairey photographed in his studio by Jonathan Alcorn

On Obama and "Hope"

Written by Shepard Fairey
September 27, 2010 for The Huffington Post

As the artist who created the image and poster of then-candidate for president, Barack Obama, with first the word "Progress," and then later, and more appropriately, "Hope," I am frequently asked for my opinion on his presidency so far.

I generally avoid commenting about Obama's performance because I have found that the mainstream media tends to reduce my views to a simplistic position of being either "for" the President or "disappointed" or "against" him. So when I was interviewed last week by an established publication, I spent almost an hour talking to the reporter and trying to articulate my views on Obama and his Presidency to date. It is important to me that my words not be distorted or taken out of context to avoid Rush Limbaugh and the rest of the right-wing media attack machine creating a false storyline.

Yet that is exactly what happened. Sadly, my position was again reduced to "Obama 'Hope' poster artist, losing hope," which is not my opinion. As with millions of other Americans, young and old, my position is far more complex.

Let me state as simply as I can my views on President Obama. I support President Obama. I believe he is an intelligent, compassionate person, with many good policy ideas. If Obama runs for reelection in 2012, I will support him.

And while I wish he was more bold in action on issues of most concern to me -- health care, global warming, the war in Afghanistan, Wall Street reform, education, immigration reform -- I realize he is trying to do the best that he can given the obstructionist, "just say no to anything," opposition he faces from the Republicans in Congress.

And for the record, I have not lost "Hope," in President Obama, even if the change he ran upon is not coming as quickly as many of us thought or hoped it might.

I realize Obama was handed the worst economy and political climate facing a president in modern history and that it will take time for our country to recover and begin to move in the right direction. I also realize the Republican party and its leaders have no intention of being constructive partners in trying to solve the difficult problems facing our nation. Unfortunately, the tough economy has created wide spread frustration among Americans resulting in many people looking for a scapegoat. Ironically, Obama has often been the scapegoat when the policies of those who oppose Obama are responsible for many of the hardships the nation is currently facing.

What is also frustrating to me is that the media wants to give readers a narrative of high drama instead engaging them in a broader and richer debate about the issues at stake. The quality of a discussion is determined by the depth and quality of information available to people. As Americans and as readers we have to hold our media as accountable as we hold our elected leaders.

The National Portrait Gallery Hangs Shepard Fairey’s Portrait of Barack Obama
photographed by cliff1066™

it's 'take back' day

2010-09-25T08:00:00.001-07:00

No, not the shoes you didn't need. Not the nasty comment you made. Although neither one of those is a bad thing to take back. Actually, today is National DRUG Take-Back Day. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency says we've got an epidemic and it's happening in our own medicine cabinets. Fact is, the fastest growing drug problem in the United States is from all the legal stuff found right in our own homes.

So today Saturday, September 25 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m The DEA and EPA are coordinating drug take-back events at thousands of sites around the country. Expired, unwanted, or unused solid over-the-counter and prescription medicines may be dropped off at any of these locations to be disposed of safely. Save your kids, your pets and your planet. Okay?

Find a collection site near you

Read more about the prescription drug epidemic

Take Back every day of the year

Door Sixteen: Medicine Cabinet

Remodelista: Cappellini Cross Cabinet

Apartment Therapy: Aurélie Mathigot's bathroom

Graham and Green: Bathroom Medicine Cabinet

Restoration Hardware: Pharmacy Bath Cabinet With Drawers

rest hard

2010-09-23T09:23:00.001-07:00

or labor soft, as my case may be

Restoration Hardware's Klismos Table

What can I say about Restoration Hardware and it's owner-of-the-hour, Gary Friedman, that hasn't been said already, except - Gary, how many kids do you want? The fact that I am beyond child bearing age is entirely beside the point. I will do anything to furnish my million dollar doublewide with your merchandise, darling. I'm sure the father of my trailer will understand. Michael would only ask that I shout his name. I'm so in love with Restoration Hardware I have even considered getting a part time job there for the employee discount. Never mind that I got out of retail eons ago because of a back injury that won't let me stand for more than 20 minutes a stretch, but we must keep our pri-or-i-ties, you know.

Restoration Hardware's Baluster Chandelier

Seriously, I've been wanting to say something about Restoration Hardware (years ago I'd write "Rest Hard" on my shopping list) without sounding frivolous. Oh what the hell. If Cote de Texas and The Style Saloniste can wax rhapsodic, so then, can I.

Restoration Hardware's Aviator Chair

But today is especially appropriate because Restoration Hardware is opening its exqusite doors to something even more exquisite - as if revamping the entire store a year ago wasn't enough. It's a new show room in San Francisco's design district. What a shame I can't attend. I know my invitation was lost in the mail - it's not your fault, Gary, I understand. Anyway, I have to work today but you go ahead and have a fabulous time without me, okay?

I stopped by your store in Corte Madera a few weeks ago, to drool, perchance to dream and possibly take a few photographs for the blog. I managed to take one good one before that silly sales girl told me you don't allow photographs. I guess you haven't told her about us. Well that's okay, you were just being discreet. I guess my Canon Digital Rebel wasn't. Oh dear.

I also got a nice shot of the entrance. Actually I was shooting the horsetail
in the landscaping. (The plant is prehistoric and I've loved it ever since I was a kid. No I am not prehistoric. I loved popping its sections apart and putting them back together like pop beads. Remember pop beads? Maybe I am prehistoric. Look how it's used as a low hedge here. Brilliant.) I must say, The Village really is a beautiful outdoor mall. Restoration Hardware is in fine company there with shops like Anthropologie and Pottery Barn.

Hmmm... the store is hiring for Christmas...

million dollar trailer

2010-09-22T13:09:00.001-07:00

Will wonders never cease. Apparently there is an interest in my million dollar mess of a remodeling project, so to make it easier to follow along and watch my progress (progress? really?) I'm adding a photo button over on the right. Clicking on it will lead you to this post which will have links to every other post about my house. I'll update it as I go along, but here are three to get you going. Thanks for taking an interest. It's appreciated!

posts about the doublewide
posts about the porch
flickr photo album

see for free

2010-09-17T00:00:00.001-07:00

An iconic 1930s Jean-Michel Frank sofa beneath Line Vautrin mirrors.

Years ago, I think 1980, when San Francisco's Academy of Art opened their very first class on interior design (the prototype that led to over half the school's curriculum on interior design) I enrolled in the class. I was already at the Academy on a full grant I had won for being sort of talented and sort of cute. As far as I could tell, the grant was unlimited as long as I appealed to them, but I lost my hots for them first and stopped showing up. I was sort of stupid too.

Anyway. In their first ever decorating class the instructor told us to disregard magazines like Architectural Digest because they only publish the homes of very wealthy people and no normal person could possibly live like that. I disagreed and still do. True, you and I can never afford an Alexander Calder mobile in our living room, but why can't we make one? Isn't creativity what it's all about? We just need to know the basics of design to make that creativity effective. Everything I know about design I've learned by studying pictures over and over until I see, really see, every element of a room - the colors, the light, the patterns, the textures, the shapes, the lines, the form, the function, the mood and the interaction of it all. The big league designers aren't big for nothing. They're in hotshot magazines because they're smart. If we're smart, we can learn from them. Why learn from mediocre designers when we can learn from the best? Whoever we choose to study, whether in magazines, books, or now on the Internet, it all costs the same. Nothing.

Here's an outrageous example. Vogue's online article about Reed and Delphine Krakoff's 18,000 sq ft Upper East Side Manhattan brownstone. Big place. Filled with museum quality pieces. What could we possibly learn from that? Well, try this on the sliding scale of our own pocketbooks or should I say coin purses:

Throughout the house, the juxtapositions of furnishings, art, and objects of all periods are giddying and exciting. "I think that's why our collection's interesting, because you see so many layers," says Delphine.

The research process is what fuels Reed's collecting. "What's interesting," he adds, "is learning about different periods and what happened in terms of design. It's a never-ending experience, and it really is a historical map for any period."

"That tension is what makes a collection personal as opposed to encyclopedic and disciplined," says Reed. "We collect with our hearts."

Cracking advice for cracking design. Now let's have a look at the pictures and see which elements we can transfer to our own homes. Theirs might be worth a fortune, but the basic principles of its design could apply to a uh.. trailer.

Vogue : Reed and Delphine Krakoff : Design For Living

Delphine Krakoff, wearing Reed Krakoff, with her daughter Lily. Al Held's Black and White VII painting and Marc Newson's 1986 Lockheed chaise longue.

Alexander Liberman's dot painting hangs above Garouste & Bonetti's console and chairs and a flock of Lalanne sheep in the entrance hall.

In the living room, Joris Laarman's 2006 translucent chaise sits on a c. 1940 Cogolin rug designed by Henri Gonse.

In the master bathroom, a pair of Louis XVI marquises made by Georges Jacob flank a 1930s Jean-Michel Frank vellum waterfall table. Serge Roche's 1955 mirror.

Reed Krakoff in the living room, in front of Alexander Calder's 1971 wall mobile Two Black Discs and Six Others.