New and Beautiful at Heath Ceramics

Heath Ceramics just released a sneak peek at their Summer '11 line [ available 4|1 ] The beautiful collection is done in warm shades of yellow mixed with white, inspired by the summer, making and gathering, collaborating, eating and enjoying the season with family and friends

 

Also, Heath debuts one-of-a-kind ceramic beads, leather and chain necklaces made in collaboration between Julie Cristello + Heath.

 

Photo credit: Jeffery Cross

currently on replay....

...in my head.





 





I need to just get it over with and buy a pair of the Swedish Hasbeens Braided Sky Highs. They're pretty much all that I can focus, the wee fashion part of my brain, on these days. They come in incredible summery colors from powder blue to lemon yellow. I'm eyeing the Silver.

The House of Haslam

 



You know how French women just have that, je ne sais quoi, at any age? And that, no matter how hard the rest of us try, we never quite get it right. I think this is the way with the English Country Style. Throughout the 80s there was an English Country trend that took hold of the nation and Laura Ashley was the patron saint of frocks {and believe me, I know. I worked there } Thankfully this trend passed, because honestly, we didn't quite get it right. We behaved it, rather than inhabited it.







All though the, full throttle American version of "English Country" really isn't my style, when you see the real version, in the real setting, it's very charming, comfortable and lovingly filled with a cacophony of pattern, oil paintings, chintz and cabbage roses everywhere, inside and out.





 

 




Designer Nicky Haslam's Jacobean-revival house was built for Tudor king Henry VII ....... { That would be the 16th century - which is a bit mind blowing to me } English Hunting Lodge isn't behaving like English Country, it is. And if it's not your over all style, it's filled with great little details and inspiration.



"I tend to look out for things with a resonance to my youth—artists or objects that seemed romantic all those years ago. I never buy anything purely for its value. I like possessions that smile back at me.”- Nicky Haslam

Of interesting note, the house was previously owned by Colfax and Fowler, co-founder, John Fowler. To see more photos,  hop on over to the Wall Street Journal  where writer and decorator, Rita Konig gives a great interview and grand tour with Haslamm.

stuff.

Braided hemp rug from Restoration. A nice alt. to the sisal or sea grass. Probably a lot softer under foot too.

singular straps se

I used to have a full wardrobe of these. We used to pick them up at Brooks Bros. ( before, it went the way of Abercrombie.  ) 

Really wish there were more, hardware stores that carried stuff like this and had signage and metal displays like these. ( I found this little shop in Palos Verdes, CA while buying Apple Green paint for a picnic bench - seemed the perfect setting, considering the mission )

fiat 126, circa 1972 from netcarshow

I think this was the first car my older sisters had. In royal blue. The car is completely adorable and covers everything, the color, the interior the diminutive size and funky vintage thing. But how about the rest of the photo. the boats? so awesome. the pant suit? more awsome. And that hexagonal concrete car park. I love that detail.

 credit:: house and home

In that perfect beach house. The one with the wrap around porch, I'd like a kids', dormer room. And each bed would be draped in some sort of yummy cotton block print from one of my favorite sources, of course, rikshaw design.

~ Oak Bluffs Cottage by Hutker Architects

lovely, tonal color scheme. I wonder if these stairs lead to a roof top, widow's walk. Dreamy in creamy blues.

 

I have yet to get over my, pink 10 speed that was stolen out in front of McDaniel's pharmacy, when I was 12. It was no Pinerello, but it was mine.

This Week on The Skirted Round Table:: Product Pitches

 Any of us who have been hanging around the blog world long enough, gets these. All day every day. Weekends are no exception. Some pitches have absolutely no relevance to the theme of your blog, others are great fodder for a new post.....or, wait a second. Did this company tell 50 of your closest blog friends about this sale too?? And now, come morning, everyone has the exact same post on the Spring Sale happening over at Super Fly's Furniture  Finds?

This one ended up being a bit controversial (read the comments) but at least, we three, are willing to  own our thoughts on the subject. Some found us arrogant and smug in our opinions. Other's agreed that we were right on.

In the end, it's just blogging and......Life's a pitch.

Come have a listen and tell us what you think.

Indochine by Red Egg

Did you watch HBO's re-make of Mildred Pierce last night? eh. on the actual movie. Mildly entertaining.  The  set design and seeing the re-creation of a, 1930s L.A. is kind of great. Although, I'm not sure if it was my T.V. - the lighting was really dark.



Of note, I'm pretty sure that one of my favorite furniture lines was used in the Living Room of Mildred's house - the Cane Arm Chair from Red Egg's Indochine collection. I have always loved this chair (and the rest of the line)

 It was interesting to see this furniture in the low light of the set in this classic Film Noir re-make. The line itself is based on a vintage, lending of French and Vietnamese during the1920's and 30's. In Red Egg's own words, it's over all feel is 'Asian Noir'

design by:: waterleaf designs

Take a look at The High Back chair in the 'Eucalpyus Antique' and 'Maganolia White' finishes. I've used this chair a few times in beachy spaces. In these colors, it becomes a whimsical, beachy Chinoiserie chair- sophisticated but also casual in it's caning.

 Here are their twin Indochine head boards. Which look decidedly coastal against all of these blues and white..



Red Egg sells to the trade only { with a show room at HighPoint } but can  be purchased through retailers, as well. Check out their site for more designs.



The second part of Mildred Pierce airs tonight. I'll probably be watching it, but more for the scenery and  wardrobe.

peace out

 

simple, simple. I love a good collection. such an easy way to make a strong statement. 

I'm going NO where this weekend. staying put, and cleaning out the closets. Spring is in the air.

have a weekend. xo  * M

:::::::::

DIY :: bistro awning

Ok, it's Thursday which means the week is almost done [phew] and you have enough time to pick up the necessary ingredients for a little DIY project this weekend.

Nick Olsen for Domino

Got nothing better to do this rainy Spring weekend?  Channel your inner Nick Olsen with this incredibly chic way of delineating a task specific area in a room or small space. [ by the way, he covered that Lantern with grass cloth himself. Another DIY idea for your bad-ass crafting self ]



Found over on MADE is this great, step-by-step tutorial for crafting a 'Bistro Awning' with a few detail tweaks of your own.

You could do, as Olsen did,  a more 'tented' feel by adding the Greek Key element and maybe a complimentary liner [ he rocked a pale blue in his ] this would be a, seemingly easy way to make a big difference in a room or studio space.

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And one more thing.......

I'll be speaking on a design blogger panel tomorrow, Friday, March 25th,

@ Cassina at 8793 Beverly Boulevard.

Design Blogging : L.A. Style - 

discussing the city's role as a hotspot for innovation and influence that inspires the global design communit.

Please join myself , Ashlina Kaposta from The Decorista, Christian May from Maison 21, Laura Pardini from My LA Lifestyle, and Gregory Han from Apartment Therapy Unplggd. Moderated by Scott Kramer from multibrain. 

Hope to see you there!

small details

 this chinoiserie inset panels and this vintage throw's turquoise and embellished corner

via house of turquoise.

neville trickett :: artist ⌘ inspiration

this is his story::



"I find images around the internet



and give myself 15 minutes for each
painting.



All this work is around 20 x 3o centimeters



or about 8 x 12
inches.



By the end of the year I hope to be a better artist."

 

 

neville trickett @ the saint verde project

get your ne on

just found over at etsy shop, Neos Lettering, these great neon letters and numbers from the early 90s. Pick a single letter, number or create a phrase.

great for a nightlight, or a glowing bit of modern art ( 12.99 for a single letter ) oh and they come in greek letters as well. In case you're one of those who's still hanging on to your Greek Affiliation.

peace out

have a lovely.

glamour shots

just a shot of glamour goes a long way......

 

 as seen in these grays, turquoises, golds and browning pinks

via:: ELLE decor

there's room for a bit o' the leopard in every space. Lately I'm thinking a gilded, fine boned chair tucked into a room would be the perfect amount.

:::::::::::::::

and found on ebay, a little Dorothy Draper Espana number ...... why must these things always be in the farthest reaches [ Florida ]

 

this gilded bar set is great. I have a few sets with different patterns. When you're not boozing it back, they make for great little vases filled with pink carnations, roses or peonies.

check this chair out. a bit of paint { hot pink? gold? }+ fresh fabric { velvet leopard/cheetah } = great side chair

and if all of that is a bit in your face, try the animal motif in this small shot:

 

giraffe book ends here

rotunda

who do you think tunds their ro better.....

Kate and Andy:

via::The Selby

Tory:

or edward and richard:

via::peak of chic

Tortoise General Store

Last week I stopped into Tortoise General Store on Abbott Kinney in Venice Beach. This little altelier is owned by Keiko Shinomoto and her, furniture designer husband, Takuhiro.  Although it's based in traditional Japanese design, it's incredibly chic and modern. I could have stayed in there for hours. Filled with beautiful, simple + functional designs; it's such a showcase of what really, good design should be.

 

Maybe it's because I have 'no kitchen' [ a galley kitchen with minimal storage ] that I'm always drawn to things that work with such effeciency while maintaining a strong industrial design integrity.

These mugs are incredible to hold. The river rock handles are smooth to grip and I love the juxtaposition against the glassy porcelein. 

                        



Lyle, Lyle Crocodile mugs. They had a few other animal mug shots but this was my favorite......

This bag was made of something plastic-ey. woven, so it was strong. Sort of like a bag you'd buy potatoes in. 

I
was too distracted and forgot to read the description as to what it was in its former life. But it's awesome
and would make for a great gift bag for a plant, a place to keep your gardening tools, or a shoe keeper for outside of your door [ if you're one of those, 'shoes off ' households causing your guests to ask, 'why' ]

This one? genius. I
have the ugly, plastic filter that sits on top of a mug for a one
cupper. But it really doesn't work 100%. This is perfect for a 2 cup
morning brew. And it's so pretty.

TGS recently opened the back house of the building [ which I would move
into. now. ] it, too, is filled with great textiles and this fantastic
table and benches. [ again, with the smooth polished against the roughhewn ]

 

Light weight, gauzy scarves would be the
perfect wrap on a Spring evening by the beach.

These bottle openers
might win the prize for best design. Aren't these beautiful? little
functional sculptures.

 

there's no lack of humorous, pretty gifts, tucked away on shelves.

I walked out with several of these, Tenugui cloths :

The cotton pieces  can be cut into napkins or left as is, and used
as dishtowels. Within about 3 washes they become as soft as flannel.  The challenge is figuring out which pattern to choose.

I left with
a Greek Key pattern [ which I'm using as napkins ] and the navy polka dot seen below.

Tortoise General Store

208 Abbot Kinney Blvd. Venice, CA 90291 (MAP)
TEL & FAX: 310-314-8448
hello@tortoisegeneralstore.com

Noon-6pm Sunday
11:30am-6:30pm Tuesday to Saturday
Closed on Monday