L.A. Finds

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!

Corners of My Home, Part II

The tour of the corners of my home continues today in my office. In a recent post I mentioned I was refreshing it a little, so here are some of the results:

This is the wall above my computer. I just put these little pinboards up recently so they are not full yet. The cards are from various etsy sellers including acajou, kupkup and ashley g. The calendar, from ilee papergoods, was my favorite from etsy this year. I am obsessed with that red Schumacher fabric, and keep thinking of how I might use it somewhere…it would be nice in my living room. Or as wallpaper in my hallway–it also conveniently comes as a wallcovering. Here is a picture with more of the repeat:

Below is one of the corners where I try to always keep flowers:

These sweet peas are from the farmers’ market yesterday. The owl is from etsy seller tangerinechic, and while i love that lamp, which is from IKEA, it is too small in scale and I am still on the hunt for the right one. I have seen a couple of possibilities but if you have any suggestions please feel free to share!

Nearby is my little forest corner:

For a while I had a thing for old advertising thermometers found on ebay. These are two that I like for the colors and subject matter. I also have a thing for tiny deer–if you are ever in Lemon Grove, San Diego, your visit is not complete without a trip to Salmagundi, an art and crafts shop which sells tiny deer, and countless other strangely useful items. The little pinecones came from a nearby park.

This little spot is my nod to the sea:

Living in San Diego, I have to at least acknowledge it! The print is by ashley g. Henri found that amazing sand dollar for me.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this next look at my little home, and the final pictures will be posted later this week!