A Colorful Life

Every so often Sotheby’s sends me an online auction catalog. Fine wines, rare watches, and art are just a few of the things they might have on offer at any given time and it’s kind of fun to browse through the catalogs to see what is for sale.

May 29 and 30 they are having an auction on Latin American art. For just about $10,000 up to over $2,000,000, you can call an original your own.

The $2+ million price tag, by the way, is for a piece entitled “Watermelon Eater”.

Not one of my personal favorites, but according to the catalog, iconic, a part of our collective unconscious, even.

I have less expensive tastes, mostly under $100K. Here are a few that caught my eye:

Tehuanas, by Rosa Rolanda.

Via Sotheby’s.

Sant Genís d’Agudells, Barcelona, by Joaquín Torres-García

via Sotheby’s.

En pose para el fotógrafo, by Arturo Pacheco Altamirano

via Sotheby’s.

This one is my absolute favorite. Yes, it’s the colors…I also like the shapes, the dark outlines, and the flatness of the background.

Retrato de una mujer, by Diego Rivera

via Sotheby’s.

I like the colors in this piece too, but it’s also that Rivera captured something about the woman herself that I like. I wonder who she was.

What about you? Which will you be taking home?

I had friends in town this past weekend. It was the first time visiting San Diego for one of them, so we went to the zoo.

It’s always fun to go visit the animals, but the polar bear exhibit was a particular standout on this day. It was warm and just right for a little swim:

It’s amazing how graceful they are in the water. Everyone just watched in awe as he swam right by us. He seemed to enjoy his audience, too!

I finally made a new case for my camera! You may remember my old one met its end at the seal colony in La Jolla a few months ago.

I missed it and my camera was getting scratched, so I finally made a new one last night:

I’m thinking of adding some of these to my etsy shop. What do you think?

I have been meaning to tell you about this book I received for my birthday:

I love it! It is called The Age of Feminine Drawing and is full of colorful, inspiring illustrations! I had such fun leafing through it. Here are just a few of my favorites:

It even comes with a handy directory of all the illustrators, should you wish to view more of their work.

You can find the hardcover version on Amazon and I believe that MOCA San Diego sells the paperback version.

Over the weekend I headed up to Santa Barbara to visit some friends. It was a wonderfully relaxing few days doing nothing too strenuous.

We visited one of my friend’s favorite wineries, Gainey, for some tastings:

So delicious…I’m not usually much of a white wine drinker but theirs were amazing!

Leisurely lunches, this one in Los Olivos:

And dinners too. How’s this for a setting:

It was just a few minutes from Santa Barbara and the beaches, but felt completely isolated. There were a handful of structures scattered on the property, including a few Craftsman style homes, a community garden, what appeared to be some art studios, and then this:

The Ladies First Beauty Salon! There was something new to discover around every corner:

Everywhere I looked there were more charming arrangements:

Even a pool down the end of a little stone pathway. Dreamy…

It was pretty much my idea of a dream place to live. A little bit wild, rambling, gorgeous open spaces and plants everywhere, incredible views, yet accessible to a major city. And of course with gorgeous California weather!

In all it was a fantastic weekend. My friend is coming to visit me in two weeks; I’d better get busy thinking of nice places to take her!

I’ve always loved interior design, even before I knew what it was. I had no idea that such a profession even existed, but I used to describe to my grandmother my plans for the redecoration of her house, and build homes for my Teddy Grahams to live in. I loved dollhouses, and one of my favorite games was to imagine my dream house in minute detail, room by room.

It’s really no surprise that I’ve ended up doing what I’m doing, but I got here in a pretty roundabout way. When I was living in New York a few years back, I still wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do but I was OBSESSED with interior design magazines and books. One day I discovered the wonderful renderings of Jeremiah Goodman. There was a show on–I never went, and I still regret that I missed out on a chance to see his work in person!

I was reminded of it the other day, as I flipped through a magazine. There was an article on his beautiful work.

I mentioned in my last post how much I appreciate beautifully done renderings. (I’m also a painter). I’m just in awe at how beautiful they can be. As much as I love computers, some hand work simply can’t be replaced. That’s why in my own practice I still like to use hand drawings. Sometimes I just use CAD to trace because a hand drawing has a certain charm, and personality, that computer drawings just..don’t.

Here is an elevation I did for the project I mentioned a while back–it’s almost done and pictures will be posted asap, I promise!

It’s one of my first tries at rendering and I harbor NO delusions that it compares in any way to the work shown above–in fact, I can’t even believe I’m showing you my work on the same page as his; it’s laughable, but you have to start somewhere, right? I’m definitely going to take a rendering class, soon! Perhaps a watercolor class would be in order, as well!

So many things to learn…so many things to create!

Tell me, how do you all find the time to do all the creative things you want to do? Or are you like me, and the list is never-ending, and in fact keeps growing?

I have to give credit to Holly at decor8 because that is where I read about this, but I felt compelled to repost about it because after all it is in San Diego, my hometown!

The W Hotel San Diego is getting a little design refreshment from none other than Thom Felicia of “Queer Eye” fame…you can see his portfolio on his website; I love his style!

I visited this hotel to check out the interiors while I was still in design school and admired it then, but I can’t wait to see the new look!

Here is a picture of the main entry as it appeared on my visit a few years ago:

A very watery, geometric feel with lots of rhythm and repetition:

The lobby as it was then, looking towards the bar:

(This photo from the W website)

Again, rhythm and repetition in full effect, with the bar as a focal point.

And the proposed new look, towards the reception desk and main entry:

(Image via decor8)

Looking towards the bar:

(Image via decor8)

This is a great example of how you can change the look of a space without actually remodeling the building. I really like the new grouped seating arrangements rather than the one long line of chairs, and the new brighter colors.

Here is the veranda as it currently appears:

(This photo from the W website)

I believe this is the new version of that area:

(Image via decor8)

These colors look much more up-to-date and the overall effect is much more glamorous with the chandeliers and reflective surfaces.

And the new pool area–what a great place to spend an afternoon! I’m getting the urge to stay there, just for fun!

(Image via decor8)

I love renderings like this; I keep telling myself I need to take a class but I missed it this semester–next time for sure!

Holly has promised to post pictures of the redesign and maybe even an interview with Thom when it is finished. I will be sure to post a link here when that happens, and also some of my own photos because of course I will be going there to check it out! It is supposed to be finished in June–and I can’t wait to see it!

I mentioned in my last post that Anna and I spent the day in L.A. visiting some design hot spots, so I wanted to share some of the fun finds we made!

First, we went to HD Buttercup, a “manu-tailer” (as they call themselves). It’s basically a large furniture and accessories store. To be honest, I expected something a bit different– it had somewhat of a warehouse feel to me, but it’s definitely worth a look if you need some furniture or lighting. They had many pieces to choose from, including some nice “green” options, some vintage things, along with some bedding and accessories.

Anna was looking for some pieces for a client’s daughter’s bedroom and found these:

Other possiblities:

Meanwhile, I was falling in love with these cups, so delicate!

We both liked a line of furniture called Environment Furniture, a company that uses “reclaimed, recycled, and sustainably harvested wood” in their collections.  They make some beautiful things.  Here is just one:

I love furniture that mixes different types and colors of wood. I’m especially into a white frame with darker or natural colored wood in the middle…we saw some things like that too.

Across the street from the main store is HD Buttercup’s discount building, which contained some great finds! There was a really comfy velveteen sofa that we liked and we were both crazy about these white metal chairs:

Don’t they remind you of those bamboo ones you see at weddings? We could just see them with adorable seat cushions in all kinds of settings…like our future shop!

We also liked these:

After scouring the 50,000+ square feet of those two buildings, we moved on to the Pacific Design Center. We had only two hours and the building is not the easiest of places to navigate, but we still managed to find plenty of things we loved!

Poggenpohl has fantastic kitchens that appeal to both men and women alike:

This one is available in their display sale.

One of our favorite places of the day was Raoul Textiles. Their fabrics are simply breathtaking. And their fabrics on tiny little George Smith chairs? Too much for words!

Putting these on my “to-use” list…

Upstairs, our favorite showroom had to be Thomas Lavin. So many beautiful things! Like this console by Eric Brand:

And they had some fabulous lighting, like this line by fuse.

These come in many shapes and sizes and are customizable with different finishes, shades, and stones. So beautiful…

Thomas Lavin also stocks many fabric lines that we like. Here is just one standout, by Opuzen:

The picture really does not do the fabric justice. The colors are so vivid and look like watercolor.

After staying in Thomas Lavin till closing, we headed over to Mel & Rose on Melrose to pick up some food for the LA Biz Ladies’ event.

There was no shortage of fun things to look at there either! So while we waited for our salad, I snapped these pictures:

Scented drawer liners in beautifully patterned containers…

And adorable soaps (but they are missing my favorite breed)!

And then we headed off for a fun evening with the LA Biz Ladies!

Yesterday I drove to LA with my friend (and future business partner!) Anna to attend the LA Biz Ladies’ Meetup. I heard about this event on Design Sponge, a very popular design blog authored by Grace Bonney. Grace runs these Biz Ladies events, and I have to give her muchisimos kudos for doing this, because it’s such a fantastic and free resource!

There was a great turnout:

I knew that there would be speakers on different topics like finances, running a retail & art business, and marketing your work, but had no idea it was going to be so personally inspiring!

So again, a big thank you to Grace and the other ladies who participated. DWR on Beverly hosted the event and in my opinion you could not have asked for a nicer setting in which to hang out, relax, eat, drink, meet other creative ladies and listen to some fantastic advice!

Lindsay Horstman, a financial advisor with Smith Barney, talked about savings and investing, a topic that many of us like to tell ourselves we’ll think about “later”, but is actually really important to start thinking about NOW. Especially when you consider, as Lindsay informed us, that almost all of us will at one time or another be the sole person in charge of our household finances. Reality check!

She recommended a book called “On My Own Two Feet” by Manisha Thakor and Sharon Kedar, available at Amazon:

I’m definitely going to be checking that out. I admit, finances are not my favorite subject but I know they’re important and I’m determined to be responsible that way!

Next, I listened to the insanely talented Tanya Aguiniga talk about her business as a furniture designer, accessories designer, artist and a multitude of side projects like teaching herself graphic design, taking part in fellowships and volunteering. After hearing her speak, you wonder if there is nothing this girl is not good at!

And she’s really nice, and had the best accessories I saw all evening (this amazing red felt necklace and the cutest bag with deep blue-green silhouettes of trees and bright red straps that echoed the color in her necklace!).

But she makes no secret of the fact that part of her success is down to hard work–long days, 7 days a week, and doing the right thing–being nice and giving back to the community. I don’t know how she has time for it all (she makes time for it, I guess!) but it’s obviously working for her because she is successful. So it was very inspiring to hear her tell her story. Her work is pretty incredible, too!

She makes furniture, textiles and accessories, which you can see on her website.

If I had to choose just two as my favorites, they would be these:

The clever “Shadow Trio” above, and below, “Zinacantan”:

She makes everything herself, too! I would love to use some of her pieces in an interiors project one day…

Next, I heard Billie and Tootie from ReForm School talk about owning their own retail business. This was especially interesting since this is what I’d like to do one day. To hear them speak about the realities of how they got started (small), how they manage the day-to-day business and what it’s like working as partners and with artists and designers they admire was so informative!

They cleared up some unanswered questions I had and are definitely the two responsible for making me think that what I want to do is not only possible but is also going to be a whole lot of fun!

Unfortunately, I did not have time to visit Silverlake on this trip, where their store is located, because I would love to see it in person. But I was admiring their website the other day– it’s one of the best-designed websites that I’ve seen!

And they say it’s been great for their business too. You really need to take a visit there to see all the fun and unique things they have to offer. Their “Student of The Month” feature, where they feature exclusive goods by a new artist each month, is great and I love that sustainability is important to them too…

Thanks guys for sharing what you do! It was so helpful!

Finally, I sat down to hear what Grace from Design Sponge had to say about PR and marketing. She broke it down into a simple, doable system for those looking to get their work out there. She really made it seem easy…and with her background, she knows what she’s talking about! You can download the notes from her talk right here.

If this event comes to your area and you are interested in having a creative business (or have one already), I highly recommend that you go! It was such a helpful, positive event!

Despite having been on the go all day, from San Diego to various spots around LA before attending this meeting, Anna and I were fired up with ideas all the way home. I can’t wait to share with you what develops…

Next time, I will share some of our finds from the places we visited during the day, because there is some fun stuff out there! I have a feeling I’ll be making the drive up more often!

The final installment is here, the last of my favorite corners in my home!

My bedroom contains this little area for religious artifacts. I am not Catholic nor religious but I like the way they look and always have!

The painting is of Frida Khalo, one of my favorite artists and colorists. Frida is very popular around here, I suppose because we’re so close to Mexico–the painting was actually purchased there. The figurines are from a store in New York and the angel is from Spain.

Moving on into the living room, this is my corner of Cooper Sanchez paintings:

These were purchased from Donna Van Gogh’s in Atlanta. A really fun place to visit if you are in the area!

Cooper Sanchez is an amazing artist, and affordable too. I’m loving this piece which is currently on his website:

His work is so fun and needless to say I love his use of color, especially here.

The next little corner in the living room also contains a bird:

Stiffy was my first “pet” when I lived in a tiny apartment in New York and was not allowed to have any living animals. He came from Deyrolle in Paris which is another fascinating shop if you ever find yourself in that area. They have all kinds of stuffed animals from bears to cats and pretty much anything else you can think of. It’s a strange place to go wandering–you feel yourself in a real-life cabinet of curiosities.

After a few years, I finally I got the pet I really wanted, a dog named Henri Hopper.

And here he is, making the best spot in the house!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little tour!