Collections

I think one of the hardest things as an interior designer is putting the finishing touches on a client's home (at least in my experience). I really admire the interior stylists I have worked with who are able to effortlessly use accessories, and the ubiquitous collections that it seems most clients have laying around, to add to the interiors they are presented with. Here are some clever ideas and useful ways to display objects that I have seen from some of today's top designers.



Blue and white china set displayed in a home designed by Mariette Himes Gomez. I love how the blue hydrangeas compliment the dishes...



I like the way this designer has laid out a collection of artwork using different frames but sticking to the theme of black or blonde wood (I cannot remember where I saw this but I wanted to include it regardless)...



These are two shots of homes designed by my new favorite interiors guru, Jay Jeffers. I love the way he uses colors and mixes different scales of the same type of object. I can't get enough...




I had to search around for photos of the Cabana at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica. Another of my favorite designers, Kelly Wearstler, cleverly displays a collection of plates against a rich blue backdrop. I love how you first notice the pattern rather than the individual objects.



Here is a fun collection of paintings and art objects at Diane Keaton's Bel Air home designed by Stephen Shadley.



I love this collection of colorful butterflies and other "bugs" in the entry of home designed by Tom Stringer.



Beautiful collection of white ironware pitchers displayed in a painted black cabinet with a natural finished interior. Design by Thad Hayes.

Floored

Check out Hechizoo, an amazing Colombian company specializing in handwoven rugs made from metallic fibers woven with leather, abaca, fique and nylon. Their work is incredible! Although there isn't much to their website, take a look at the video of one of their rugs being woven on a giant loom!

Here are a few of the designs I received from Christina Grajales, Inc. in New York:

Train Posters

We're currently working on a restauarant in the suburbs (hoping to open in March...we'll see). The restaurant is called "Soul" and is going to have a sort of Art Deco meets industrial theme to the decor. I've been looking for artwork for the bar area (the rest of the place is going to have custom murals painted by an incredible local artist-I'll do a post about them soon). I thought I would share some of the cool, vintage posters I have been finding on-line...I don't even know where I found most of these, I've just been googling away over here! Oh, I'll definitely post more about the restaurant closer to the opening date so stay tuned...

More JLC Studio Jewelry...

Here are some more pieces from my collection for your viewing pleasure! Please don't forget to visit my Etsy Shop if you are interested in purchasing anything you see here!


My Desert Rose Necklace features a beautiful oval rose colored stone with black, sand and grey veining. The pink glass beads are one of my favorite elements to use (I used them in a necklace I gave my sister for Christmas too).


These Giallo Sun Earrings feature flat, circular sea glass beads in a golden amber color with faceted rondelle beads to match. The iridescent quality of the rondelles sets off the matte sea glass really well. I used gunmetal earwires because I like the earthy quality this metal adds to my jewelry.

Snowflakes!!

Well they're forecasting snow for the midwest over the next few days and that got me thinking about snowflakes which got me thinking about all the great products I've come across lately that remind me of snowflakes. So instead of complaining about more snow (hey, at least it's not supposed to be 20 below zero, right?) I feel inspired to share some of the things I've been finding. Some of the items look just like a snowflake while others are similar enough to evoke their delicate and beautiful forms. Man, I really hope we don't get buried!!



Snowflake pillow by Thomas Paul.



Palmette table lamp from Folkform.



Queen Anne's Lace earrings by Ted Meuhling.



Helsinki Blue print by Polaroid and Pinholes



Snowflake Gloves through Monsoon.



Mandala Tibetan rug from Madeline Weinrib Atelier.



Node Bowl made by Cake which I saw on the Supermarket website (thanks to The Style Files for introducing me to this great resource for design)



Let it Snow magnets from Aerie Fairy.



White Coral dinnerware and accessories designed by Ted Meuhling for Nymphenburg Porcelain.




Jill Alberts Medallion Earrings in 18K White Gold featuring diamond accents.



Meri side table from Oly Studio in pierced white resin.

Flickr Find

good evening, originally uploaded by original_ann.

Love the colors in this photo...

Light Up Your Life!

I've come across some amazing light fixtures over the years and can't get over how many different companies and great designers there are out there. I thought I'd post a few notables that I've found lately (including some good old standbys). I've narrowed it down to a theme to keep this post from being fourteen pages long...that theme is: fixtures that arc overhead, seeming to hover over you to light up your space without invading it. Hope you enjoy!




Now this is the quintessential arc floor lamp that everyone (and their mother) has seen everywhere. This iconic piece was designed by the great Achille Castiglioni and has been gracing homes since the '60's. You can purchase the Arco Floor Lamp at many places including Design Within Reach.




This is another widely recognized fixture designed by Jean Prouve in the 50's. We used this in a loft project a few years ago and it really lends itself to that type of interior brilliantly with it's simple form and industrial quality. It's called the Potence Lamp and you can find it at Vitra Home.




I just stumbled across this incredible fixture the other day and I'm desperately trying to incorporate it into one of our current projects. I love that it implies a perfect circle where as most of the arc lamps you see do not. I definitely think it's one of the coolest arc lamps available today. I don't even know where to purchase it yet (but I will, I will). You can see the Troja Floor Lamp along with other cool fixtures at HansandFranz.





The Twiggy floor lamp came out a few months ago from one of my favorite lighting companies, Foscarini Lighting. It comes in great, primary colors as well as black and white. I love the delicate quality and the metal shade. You can purchase this through Lightology in Chicago.




For a more affordable alternative to the Twiggy lamp, CB2 just introduced their version, The Bauhaus Arc Floor Lamp (which I don't think is as successful of a design but still pretty great). It comes in white as well as olivine which I've been considering for my own place. Hmmm...




The Balance Floor Lamp from Vibia Lighting is another fixture we've used before. This fixture has a counter-balanced arm (hence the name) and a fabric shade and I think it's a nice alternative to the harder finishes and lines of the fixtures above. You can purchase this through YLighting.




Yet another option is the Steel Arc Family of light fixtures from &Costa Lighting. This is one cool line of fixtures with many different options including a wall hung version and standard arc floor lamp. There are different shade options made from wire mesh as well as an interesting "lozenge" shaped version featuring thin filaments woven over a wire frame. Tres cool! You can pick these and other fixtures up at Spark Lighting.




Last but not least, I thought I would include a collection of great vintage fixtures from one of my favorite sites on the net for antiques, 1st Dibs. I can spend hours on this site which is resource for antiques around the globe. There is no way I can include all the designers of the lamps above or even where to purchase them, but if you search for "floor lamps" under "lighting" you will be able to find these and more!! Happy shopping!!