Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts
Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts

Sunday, 7 December 2008

Winter House in Russia


What do you do for fun in St. Petersburg Russia in the middle of winter? According to the locals you build an ice house - or in this case a giant ice palace.


Complete with ice landscaping, furnishings and accessories.


An ice dressing room. Are those boots Jimmy Choo on ice?


Every ice palace needs a throne room

And to my delight there is a draped bed in the Master Ice Bedroom!!! See the rest of the luxury igloo here.

Wednesday, 3 December 2008

Carlton Varney in Vegas



First Friday with Carleton Varney of Dorothy Draper
December 5, 2008, 10:00 am
Located in Building C, 1st Floor, Suite C-184

Carleton Varney, one of America’s best known interior designers, is associated with the restoration and decoration of countless hotels and resorts all over the world, among them Dromoland and Ashford Castles in Ireland and The Waldorf Towers and Plaza Hotel in New York. His versatility in design can be seen in the wide array of products that bear his mark, ranging from furniture, lamps, dinnerware, crystal, and linen designs. His own line of fabric designs, launched under the name Carleton Varney by the yard, grace the private residences of his impressive roster of clients which include superstars from the worlds of entertainment, fashion and business.

Following his First Fridays presentation, attendees are invited to join Varney and his colleague, Brinsley Matthews of the European office of Dorothy Draper. Located in the Robert Allen | Beacon Hill Showroom (C-101), Varney will sign copies of his book Houses In My Heart, amidst the Dorothy Draper Collection of furniture by Kindel Furniture Company. Robert Allen | Beacon Hill offers a wide array of fabrics, furnishings and accessories for the home.

RSVP to events@LVDesignCenter.com

See you there!

Tuesday, 25 November 2008

Alessandra Branca Live !!!!


Just got a peak at the all new www.branca.com, the newly revamped website from the awesomely talented designer Alessandra Branca.


The site shows new images of her gorgeous interiors as well as lots of products available through her store. Get on over there and check it out you must just find something to put on your list for Santa!

Friday, 14 November 2008

James Bond and Boy Toys


It was a busy week around here that included a black tie gala dinner and cocktails with James Bond , doing homework for my daughter who is in design school in San Francisco and listening to a design legend while sipping Mimosa's served by boy toys in skin tight tee shirts emblazoned with the designer's name, Gary Hutton. Now, I now that most of you are saying to yourselves, Jackie doesn't even get dressed until 10am and she won't leave the house unless it's on fire! Yes this is true but I made a rare exception this week and actually participated in these events.

First was the Nevada Cancer Institute, Bond for the Cure 2008, to which we scored some hard to come by invites courtesy of my husbands job. Thanks R&R.

I have been to more than a few of these shindigs over the years and I'd thought I seen it all but this event was really extraordinary. We were greeted at the entrance by real life Bond villains and to my husband's delight, some nearly naked Bond girls painted gold with strategically positioned rhinestones, serving champagne. Next, it was into the lounge area which boasted comfy, living room style conversation areas with overstuffed sofas and chairs. The entire ballroom was transformed with custom light fixtures that were incredible - wish I had more pics.

Then it was off to the gourmet dinner and live auction where the highlight of the evening was a soon to be released, limited edition, Aston Martin convertible that was auctioned off for the bargain price of $360,000.00! (apparently the recession hasn't hit this crowd yet) This was followed by a pair of front row tickets for the Madonna concert the next evening that only brought in a cool $12,000.



But wait, the evening wasn't over yet! We filed into an adjacent theater to watch the US premier of the new James Bond flick. Complimentary cocktails, gourmet popcorn and candy were at your disposal. It really was a first class event.


Bond was hot - the movie was not!


The next few days of the week were spent collecting fabric samples for my daughters materials class. They had more than a few that I had never heard of which surprised me! I thought I new everything. Most of them were fashion fabrics and not home decor related so I felt better about my supposed expert status on fabrics and soft furnishings. My god, I'm glad I'm not in school anymore, homework really sucks.


Gary Hutton

Yesterday I spent the day at the Las Vegas World Market Design Center's, All That Glitters event. A day long series of seminars, new product showings, and a call for submission from the editors of Western Interiors and Design Magazine who also sponsored the fantastic seminar given by "The Dean of Western Design" Gary Hutton.


I couldn't take any photos at the seminar but we walked in to find two "boy toys" at either side of the stage posing like something out of Ambercrombie & Fitch complete with the skin tight clothes and pouty, "zoolander" smiles (remember blue steel?). Mr. Hutton introduced himself and directed an entourage of servers to distribute Mimosas through the crowd. Now this is my kind of educational event - it's 10:30 in the morning and I'm being served champagne while watching pretty boys strike a pose! If this is what all of the seminars in the new educational series are going to be like at the Design Center I will be there for every event. Seriously - it was so refreshing, humorous and unexpected, it was one of the best seminars I have ever attended. Gary Hutton's work is classic and timeless. Hearing him describe the minute details that go into his work to create monumental effects is really enlightening.



His mantra seems to be, do something you love but take the time to love it while you're doing it. You can see the passion he has for his work, it is evident in the work itself but also in the man. He is lighthearted, jovial and full of energy.



For a designer of his caliber who specializes in working with uber high-end clients who have a passion for collecting art, you might expect him to be a bit stuffy or elitist. His demeanor is exactly the opposite. He is approachable, down to earth and very entertaining. It was a pleasure to meet him. His furniture collection is extensive and is available through his website here.




I also had the opportunity to show my books to the gregarious editor in chief of Western Interiors and Design , Michael Wollaeger. Read his blog here, it's a who's who of west coast design superstars.

As for the rest of my week - who knows what I'll be up to!

Enjoy your weekend.........................

Friday, 7 November 2008

Wood is the New Black


Living in the desert you have to incorporate organic materials in your decor in unusual ways. I have a black thumb that compounded with the uncooperative atmosphere here in Las Vegas has killed quite a few living plants. As a result, over the many years of my career I have used many a dried, preserved, and - dare I say - artificial plant. Gasp!!

My absolute favorite is the dead Manzanita tree. This fine example above has seen 10 long years of abuse in my family room and desperately needs to be replaced. His branches have gone bald and he's too fragile to clean so the remaining leaves are coated with dust and other yuck! Alas, I have a sentimental attachment to old Woody and I hate to see him go. But just as I was considering replacing him with something less combustible I see that dead wood is everywhere; drift wood, preserved wood, sandblasted wood, even faux wood!

dried wood candelabra via Wisteria


Stick chandelier via Terramia

Fabulous branches canopy bed


Branches spray painted to look like coral in a window display at Tiffany & Co
via style court


Dead tree as decor


Fab sandblasted branches lamp via pottery barn



Trunk lamp via neiman marcus


Spooky iron branches candelabra via eco home furniture


Another dead tree as decor via brown design





Woody bottles via crate & barrel

So, in closing, if you live by the beach, a lake, or a forest get out there and collect some interesting wood. You'll save a mint on new home accessories.

P.S. If anyone has a line on some great looking, dried, leafy manzanita let me know. We seem to be fresh out here in Vegas and it's now illegal to cut your own in Utah.

Tuesday, 28 October 2008

More Things I'm Grateful For - Cheese



Recently, I posted a list of things I was grateful for now that our country is broke. I’ve received so many emails and messages regarding this post that I thought I would share some of my thoughts about it.

I was surprised to see that, like me, although people are very nervous about their financial certainty, there is a pervading sense of deep relief among those who sent me messages. Many people are finding that they have been living a life that has been dictated by their peers. They shop, primp, eat and socialize not for themselves but to keep from being trampled under the stiletto clad, manicured feet of the millions of other wannabe’s they are racing against. In a society where the brand of your purse and sunglasses has become more important than your intellect or personality, the pressure of keeping up with the Jones’s has left us ready to blow! Now, impending financial doom has made it ok and even stylish to throw aside some of our materials trappings and focus on - dare I say it – living within our means!!!!!



Margie Boulé a columnist for The Oregonia, the daily paper in Portland, Oregon wrote me to say she read my post and was inspired to write this column in which she fondly remembers leaner times in her life.

She writes, “When my Volkswagen bug broke down, it sat parked in front of my tiny apartment for months, because I couldn't afford to have it repaired. I once ate cheese for two days because it was the only thing left in my refrigerator. It was one of the happiest times of my life. My friends and I spent a lot of time together. We had spontaneous, outlandishly creative parties. We shared food. We laughed all the time.”

I think we Americans have been falling down drunk on excess and materialism and we are just now beginning to sober up and see what fools we made of ourselves dancing on the table at the office party.

We are joining together in a collective sigh of relief that the constant pressure to have more, buy more, get more, is finally easing up. Now we can look forward to getting back to life as it should be, guided by a bit of sober reality that will keep us in check and hopefully prevent us from reverting back to our old ways when things pick up.



Thanks Margie...

Friday, 10 October 2008

Since we're broke I'm thankful that:


As our country and the entire world are headed for a serious "financial slump" ( more like a spiraling nose dive) I am thankful for the following:

  • I have been poor before and I am confident I could do it again in style.
  • I am an expert seamstress and could make fashionable clothing and home decor out of a potato sack (do they still have those? - I might have to use hefty bags)
  • I'm not a highfalutin gourmet - I can get by on tuna and crackers with the occasional pasta dish or peanut butter & jelly sandwich thrown in.
  • I never got on the Starbucks train so I won't miss my expensive daily coffee fix.
  • I don't drink alcohol at home so my happy hour won't be affected.
  • I have already lost my girlish figure so shopping is not really a priority for me, I won't miss the mall.
  • I work at home so gas is not an issue - I only need to make it a few blocks away to the local grocery store.
  • I have enough crap in my garage for a thousand yard sales that could generate some serious cash if I ever got off my butt to sort it all out. That day may be coming!


Things I can't live without:
  • Diet coke with crushed ice
  • Work
  • Scented candles
  • Never ending home improvement projects
  • The internet
  • TV
  • Electricity
  • Air conditioning & heat
  • Toilet Paper

Have a great weekend - Spend sometime being thankful instead of worrying.

Sunday, 23 September 2007

Sunday, 15 July 2007

Beautiful Bounty



I'm on my way to Laguna Beach, California on Tuesday for some R&R with my sister and my daughter. I plan on taking a trip up the coast to one of my favorite stores in all the world Bountiful.




No doubt you've heard about it or seen photos, but nothing less than a thorough inspection in person does it justice. It is a ramshackle collection of rooms and outdoor spaces that look as if they could fall down at any moment. Tiny, rickety stairways lead upstairs past eye candy galore into small rooms filled with treasure. The whole place is just chock full of shabby chic morsels of delight.




My favorite thing about the store are the dogs. Last time I was there I was greeted by two lovely rescue greyhounds. They follow you throughout your journey - around the store - up the stairs - outside to the beautiful gardens. I wanted to buy them and take them home.



The owner, Sue Balmsforth, whom I was lucky enough to meet a couple of years ago, has a keen eye for unique finds. Almost everything has a crackled, well aged coat of white paint or a gilded finish. She stocks a fantastic line of beeswax candles that come in a huge array of shapes and sizes. The cabinet that houses them is almost as impressive as the candles themselves. I have never seen them anywhere else. I can't remember the brand name but I will post it after I get back hopefully with some new pictures of the shop and of course the dogs.