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.

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Bedroom of the Week - Windsor Smith

This gorgeous bedroom designed by Windsor Smith is on display at Greystone, the historic mansion in BeverlyHills, Ca. It is one of many rooms decorated by some of the nations leading designers thanks to Veranda Magazine. The house is open for viewing through November 16.





Master Bathroom - Windsor Smith





Garden Room - Suzanne Rheinstien





Michelle Nussbamer





Jack FhillipsFireplace detail - Jack Fhillips





Dining Room Hallberg - Wiseley





Oh, how I wish I could get down to LA, there is so much going on! If you're lucky enough to be in Beverly Hills and you have some spare time, drop by, admissions only $30!

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::VOTE::

via sense & nonsense

Some patriotic inspiration on election day from folks who take this kind of thing very seriously.
via rachel lake


napa valley


via monolo home



via rachel lake


via home sweet home decor


via complete painting


via cherry hill cottage

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Blog News

I've recently come across the blog Velvet & Linen and I've become an instant fan. Brooke and Steve Giannetti, a talented husband and wife, designer /architect team extroidinaire, show real projects with amazing before and after results like the ones shown above. They are getting ready to open their new home furnishings store in Brentwood, CA. If you live in Cali check it out and let us know how great it is!






Thanks to my talented friend Carmen over at The Decorating Diva for posting a great article about my books. She shows how the window covering designs in The Design Directory of Window Treatments will coordinate with the bedding designs in The Design Directory of Bedding. Carmen writes about new trends and products in design and always has something new and unique to show. Check out her blog here.





Another blogging buddy the fabulous Linda Merrill of Surroundings and Blogging Top Design is hosting a spirited competition to create an inspiration board or room design inspired by the Swarovski chandeliers featured in a recent episode of Top Design. The deadline is November 7th so you'll have to act quickly to enter. Check out the requirements here.

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Happy Halloween

via, Gemma Comas photography

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Put A Cork On It

I've always been a fan of the cork / ribbon board. I love to look at what people put up as inspiration and their personal mementos. Here are some great examples of using them as a focal point.

This is an awesome application in formal panels above the breakfast table. What a great way to communicate with your family. Every member could have their own section.

Allesandra Branca - a fan of the ribbon board

Another Branca board

Love these alternatives to cork - clipboards and chicken wire and clothes pins , Who knew!

The top board is made from actual corks! You'd certainly have fun drinking all the bottles of wine you'd need to make this one.

How many of us grew up sticking pictures and notes to our vanity mirror? Here's a grown up version. I love it.

Wall pockets are a new trend. Very tailored and great for the neat freak who cannot tolerate the chaos of a conventional board.

No matter how you pull it off, inspiration, message or memento boards are a great personal touch to any interior.

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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...

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