Happy Monday! Last week went by so quickly! The other day, I clicked over to one of my favorite online stores, Seven and Eight Home. I discovered the store is temporarily off-line, but the home used to showcase their wares is displayed. The photographer or photographers, I'm not really sure; is Graham Atkins-Hughes. The house is called Location 78. I don't have too much more info. about it...I am not completely sure that it is actually a real home or just a set. Regardless, this dramatic moody house would suite me just fine.
Currently, one of my favorite design details is the use of ornate ceiling medallions. I especially love when they are used with contemporary light fixtures. I've been considering adding a detail like this to my bedroom. I would love to see such a beautiful detail, first thing in the morning!
The total absence of personal details, makes me think this is not a real home, but the simplicity of design is what I fantasize about! I wish I could live with a minimal amount of furniture and objects. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to do that yet. I realize most people don't want to live without furniture, but I think everyone can appreciate the beauty of this home, anyway.
I was looking back at this last weeks posts, and felt they had an underlying theme. The pictures remind me of some of my favorite fairy tales. From the "Image of the Week", to the upside down showroom of Viktor-Rolf. As I looked through some of my recent Flickr favorites, I thought they shared the same theme. Here is a collection of fairy tales told through photography...maybe I'm watching too many cartoons with Liam.The first three photos remind me of my favorite story, Alice in Wonderland. I know most little girls dream about being Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty, but I always wanted to be Alice. All those absurd and bizarre adventures, are so fascinating! Anyway, the first picture is of an art display here in Houston called the Inversion House. It isn't up anymore but you can see more photos (Here). The cutie Cheshire cat is from Boopsie Daisy, and last week's "Image of the week" is the work of Rachel Johnston.
The second fairy tale is obviously Snow White. The "poisonous" apple is from Jurgen Kreileder. The prettiest Snow White I have ever seen is also from Boopsie Daisy. Finally, another of my favorites, "The Wizard of Oz". These "ruby slippers" are from "Door Sixteen's" photo-stream.
No, I didn't upload the photos the wrong way! The entire Viktor-Rolf showroom is built upside down. I think my favorite part is the parquet floor...uh, ceiling. Lana if you are reading this, I thought of you when I saw it :)
Image via: Brocade Design
A vintage trunk, enclosed in lucite. This is a fanastic coffee table from Turquoise. To make it even better, it is also on wheels!
Don't miss an interview with Maira Kalman at Inspiration Boards!
I found a fascinating site called The Slow Home. It is an international movement dedicated to fighting suburban sprawl. Basically, its goal is to encourage people not to discard existing older neighborhoods, for the flashier; built over-night subdivisions. This idea is something I am very passionate about, and that is why I love this site. When I first moved to Houston, I lived in the suburbs; in a cookie-cutter house. Honestly, I had never lived in such an upscale neighborhood. What I soon discovered was that I felt like any amount of creativity had been choked out of the entire area. Everyone had the same house, same cars, same furniture, etc. I quickly grew to be very unhappy. Since then, Mark and I gave up our big home for a much older tinier one. Obviously, older homes have their share of problems; but the proximity to town and the sense of community; makes it worth it. At some point, we hope to move to a larger home, but we can't go back to the suburbs.
(Levitt Goodman House)The Slow Home site has a huge amount of info. for anyone looking to improve their older home. It also has lots and lots of wonderful pictures. These are a few of my favorites.
I am CRAZY about the classic and retro feel of this townhouse. The wood floors and original moldings really make this home. I also love the marble surround for the tub.
I've been tagged, by Courtney! So here is some info. about me that covers everything from A to Z.
A: Attached or Single? Attached to my wonderful husband Mark :)
B: Best Friend? Sounds corny, but Mark again and Sara who has been my friend since middle school.
C: Cake or Pie? Hmmm, difficult to say, I love them both. I guess pie...cherry or chocolate anything.
D: Day of Choice? Friday, this is often my quiet day, when I hang at the coffee shop.
E; Essential Item? My camera, of course!
F: Favorite Color? Green always green.
G: Gummy Bears or Worms? Bears!!!!
H: Hometown? Amarillo, TX. Land of the Cadillac Ranch, cattle ranchers, and miles of open fields. We don't have too many more claims to fame.
I: Indulgence? The same Friday mornings at the coffee shop. Since becoming a mom, quiet time is the most luxurious thing I can have.
J: January or July? May really...but I will say July. I love sunny days.
K: Kids? One...he turned 3 this weekend! I'm starting to miss the whole baby thing.
L: Life isn't complete without? Good music.
M: Marriage date? December 1999. As we prepared to get married, we were planning for the inevitable power outages of Y2K!
N: Number of brothers and sisters? 1 of each, and I am the baby.
O: Oranges or apples? Oranges.
P: Phobias and fears? Ah, talking about my fears.
Q: Quote? I wish I had something profound to say, but I don't. I do live by a lot of traditional Spanish "dichos". "Preguntando se llega a Roma", "No hagas cosas buenas que parecen malas".
"By asking, you can reach Rome", "Don't do good things that appear like bad ones". I learned them from my mother and grandmother.
R: Reason to smile? My family, sunny days, and putting the two together.
S: Season of choice? Spring, there are so many flowers and not too much heat.
T: Tag three people? Brown Turtleneck Sweater, My Notting Hill, Design for Mankind.
U: Unknown fact about me? I have no idea! If anyone wants to know something, ask me...I've gone blank.
V: Vegetable? Asparagus.
W: Worst habit? Procrastinating.
X: X-ray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound, I'll never forget the first time I saw my little guy.
Y: Your favorite food? Fajitas!
Z: Zodiac sign? Libra.
(Me, Circa 1981)P.S. I was tagged by the lovely Courtney yesterday. I've been a little busy so I can't get to that until next week. I do enjoy being tagged, for whatever reason; so I promise to participate after this busy weekend.
I hope everyone enjoys this holiday weekend and let me know if you get all dressed up :)
Thank you for all the fun comments, I will be back on Tuesday!
I realize last week I didn't post my Blogs I Love article, but I'm back on track this week. A pretty recent find is Bodie and Fou. Two French sisters living in the UK, own an online boutique, also called Bodie and Fou. The blog features their enviable homes and lifestyles. Also, they often write about fascinating product designers and architects.
This blog has a distinctive French feel. Very laid-back and yet so fabulous. Every picture has such effortless style, they make wish I could be transported to Provence. Personally, what I love to see and strive to achieve, is this type of beauty that feels welcoming and relaxing. I don't see the point of a home where you can not touch anything w/out messing it up. A home should be a place where one goes to relax and find comfort....I'll get off my soapbox now!
I'm so mad at myself for not having thought of this! Jenifer of Nectar and Light (formerly Athena Says), began a photo blog for her four year old daughter. Adie Loves Polly, chronicles the toddler's point of view, via her mother's Polaroid camera. I don't know if it's the mommy in me, but I think this so adorable!! I already know I am going to copy this idea. I don't have a Polaroid, but a disposable camera could work too. I guess with supervision, I could let Liam use my small digital camera. He already has a toy camera that he uses to mimic me taking pictures from all angles...its hilarious. This is such a great idea for baby books, or gifts. I can imagine grandparents would love to see pictures from a little one's perspective. Hmmm, Mother's Day is coming soon.
I'm very excited about the Houston Guide on Design Sponge...written by yours truly. Finally, I could put all my shopping knowledge to good use :) I would also like to say thanks to Courtney for helping with the Heights' restaurants. That is her turf, so I knew she would be a good person to ask. Anyway, you can see the guide (Here).
I am so excited about this post, I could barely wait for Monday to arrive! Every week I write about dream homes; but this house would be the ultimate dream for me. This is the home of my design hero, Vicente Wolf. I have long admired this renovated loft that has been featured in an endless amount of books and magazines. The reason I am including Vicente's home now is because while reading Joni's blog, I discovered that it is now for sale! What?!! In some ways, the idea of it being for sale makes me sad, because I hate to think of someone changing it. Although, I have been dreaming about being able to buy it all weekend. (Yeah, right!)
I love Vicente's style so much, because it is the ultimate in "Eclectic". His ability to combine so many materials and and styles, is amazing. For example, in the bedroom the nightstands are two small tables of two very different periods. This is a classic Wolf technique. The look is so dynamic and yet, never outlandish or in your face. Joni pointed out another Wolf detail, which is the over-sized mirror. He uses large mirrors very regularly, because they give rooms a lot of breathing room.Oh, I am so excited to post this house, because it really is such an inspiration to me. And, it can be all mine for a mere $5,400,000.00...woohoo!
Here is a little gem I found while searching through Flickr. Its fascinating to see such personal spaces through the eyes of their owners. This set of photos is from Paper Pony. Such a darling house. I love the vintage chair and fan. I have always wanted a vintage fan because I love the whirring sound they make. When I was a kid, I knew someone who had several fans like this, and I always found the sound so soothing. Although, these fans are not very easy to find.
I would love to curl up with a good book and an iced latte, in this house. The pastel colors are so inviting. I found this photographer has a blog also called Paper Pony.
