Bobble Painted Wood Lamp

Made from reclaimed woods, the goal at Lombok is to treat the environment in a friendly way, as well as the craftspeople that create their products. Manufactured in Vietnam and Indonesia, the staff are earning above average wages and no children are employed. There is quite a bit of information supplied on their website regarding their ethical policies.

Camille Tea Light Holder

Lomboch has recently expanded their line to include accessories and lighting.

Decorative Carved 'Sula' Wall Panel

Tall Antique 'Song' Lamp and Carved White Screen

Chunky Teak Mirrors and the Planter's Armchair

The Keraton Four Poster Bed and the White Washed Oak Dresser.

I am very taken with the presentation of these pieces. Can't you just see them being used in just these settings?

Kambia Embroidered Cushion

Perfect for all the Indigo Blue things out this summer.

Ginger Pot in Stone Glaze

Eco-friendly Summer Bag.

Just the thing for beach or weekend trips!

This is just a peak at all of the beauty that is Lombok. Check it out.

I really went gaga over legendary magazine editor Mary Jane Pool's apartment that was featured in the March Domino. I thought it was such a beautiful mix of graceful antiques, 20th century pieces, and gorgeous fabrics and wallpaper. So, while I was reading Tiffany Taste(aka Table Settings of the Rich and Famous) the other day, I came across a chapter on Ms. Pool and her style of entertaining.

According to the book, Ms. Pool has a fondness for all things Venetian (this is confirmed by the Domino article, which notes that Pool has a decent sized collection of 18th and 19th c. painted Venetian antiques). For a summer lunch, Ms. Pool would likely start with a salad of shredded celery, mushrooms, Gruyère, white truffles, and a vinaigrette of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The main course might be a pasta gratinée of green tagliarini, béchamel, prosciutto, and tomato. For dessert? Chocolate twigs or truffles, grapes, or strawberries accompanied by mandarin orange tea. Oh, and no wine- "nothing dangerous"- with lunch, only San Pellegrino. After all, when you're an editor of a magazine, you have to stay on your toes!

What I enjoyed most were the photos of Pool's Sutton Place apartment circa 1986. Author John Loring wrote that Pool "knows as much as anyone about the domestic pleasures that make life sweet." I wholeheartedly agree.


What a sumptuous mix of yellow satin curtains, yellow walls, and red satin(?) chairs. In fact, those chairs appear to be the same ones that were featured in Pool's Olympic Tower apartment, although at that time they were covered in orange cotton pique. The mirror is 18th c. Venetian. And notice the pedestal table, which Pool still owns today (see image of Pool at top). According to Tiffany Taste, the base is in the shape of a neoclassic Italian urn.


Another Venetian piece- this time an 18th c. painted commode. The tea service is Royal Berlin, and the silver Tiffany basket is filled with chocolate twigs.


Tiffany's classic "Chrysanthemum" flatware and "Nymphalidae" dessert plates adorn the table. Strawberries are nestled in a Tiffany sterling basket.

(Image at top of Pool- photographer Annie Schlechter)

Posted by Katie

Soon the warm, breezy days of spring will give way to the hot, humid days of summer. Unless you are opting for a Mia Farrow cut, you will need something to keep your locks from going limp.

One solution? a ponytail or bun with some glamour.  I give my elastic hair bands an upgrade with a simple and inexpensive accent: buttons. The ones below were found at Lou Lou Buttons in New York City, but there are other sources such as Tender Buttons, M&J Trimming, or Great Buttons.

They're a cinch to make with the right materials. You will need elastic hair bands, available at any drugstore, jump rings in brass, silver or gold, and a pair of needle-nose pliers. Your fingers or tweezers will do in a pinch.

Simply bend open the jump ring with pliers and attach hair elastic and button (remember the jump ring will need to be big enough to fit around both).

Then, close it up and you're ready. Since there were no hair models around the office, fellow blogger Kerstin and myself opted to show you a few of my favorite creations.

Posted by Page

I studied ceramics in college and then had to put it on hold for 10 years while I was busy working crazy hours, living in different cities, etc. But the desire to return to it never left.

When I moved to L.A. and met the master ceramicist Otto Heino, I realized it was a passion I could no longer put off. Otto was gracious enough to let me work beside him. He learned from the world-famous Bernard Leach and has an incredible story of his own. (Read about Otto and his famous yellow glaze here.) I learned so much from him.

When I wasn't working with Otto, I would race to a local studio and work as many hours as I could each day. I tend to primarily make bowls; I have always been obsessed with their shape. I think that every culture has a beautiful bowl in its history.

I love making the foot of the bowl as much as the body itself (see below).

The large bowl above is by Joan Platt and the smaller one is Japanese.

My husband is quite amused by my collection of antique bowls, bowls by other ceramicists, and bowls I have picked up in my travels. Though the collection has come in handy as a prop stylist. You can always use a great bowl to complete an inspiring picture, whether it's a still-life, an interiors shot, or a picture of food.

I have been influenced by so many different things when it comes to my own ceramics. It may be the colors and shapes I see in nature, wonderful ceramicists that have been at it a long time, old ironstone wash bowls, Japanese ceramics, Scandinavian forms -- the list goes on.

In addition to the artists above, check out more personal heroes:

Taizo Kuroda

Edmund De Waal

Rupert Spira

Gwyn Pigott Hansen

Joan Platt

Matin Gallery sells some of the best ceramics from around the world

Or should I make that Hutton Wilkinson style? In the June/July issue of C magazine, there is a neat little article about the way Hutton Wilkinson and his wife Ruth entertain at their home "Dawnridge" (you know, Tony Duquette's former home). On the table above, set for a luncheon, Wilkinson chose an emerald green tablecloth for the table, which is adorned with Chinese figures and pagodas from Duquette's collection. I just love the ballroom chairs with their malachite-patterned chair pads. And continuing with the malachite theme are the plates by D.L. & Co.

And what will the guests eat and drink at this elegant luncheon in a rather exotic setting? Hibiscus lemonade, Fattoush salad, and fromage blanc with berries and honey for dessert. I don't know if the guests will get the chance to have a piece of the "coral" cake, seen below- it's too pretty to cut!

Finally, the satiated guests will get to take home a very stylish party favor- a D.L. & Co. Duquette candle. My luncheons and dinners tend not to end with favors, but I just might change my mind!


A cake too pretty to eat! Cake by Cake Divas in Los Angeles


I'm smitten with these malachite plates D.L. & Co.


The Duquette candle by D.L. & Co.

(Image at top and of cake from C Magazine; Peter Wintersteller photographer)

After the cold and darker days of Winter....after the last blazing fire of the year....after the embers have cooled and the ashes have been cleaned out during Spring Cleaning, it's time to figure out what to do with that empty space where the firewood used to be. So....do you just put some new wood in and call it a day? Or do you get more creative? It seems that many are "scaping" their fireplaces these days.

House Beautiful, July 2004, Photo by Charles Maraia, Home of Chris Madden

It used to be that a fern in the fireplace was the expected solution during the warmer seasons. But you would be hard pressed to see a fern in a fireplace these days. The options are only limited by one's imagination. I have collected a few photos that caught my attention.

Domino, December/January 2008, Photo by Annie Schlechter

The style team at Domino got creative using wallpaper to line a non-working fireplace, then added some fuchsia painted logs. The wallpaper is "Summer Palace" by Osborne & Little. Andirons by Lyle and Umbach, who are kinda known for cool andirons btw.

House Beautiful, June 2008, Photo by Eric Piasecki

Christopher Maya used art to enhance this fireplace. The vibrant colors of the Picasso above the mantle are balanced beautifully by the metal shield sculptures in the fireplace.

Elle Decor, May 2008, Photo by William Abranowicz

Art collector Beth Rudin DeWoody collaborated with her designer friends Randall Beale and Carl Lana of Beale-Lana Interior Design to create this fantastically artful display with the tortoise shell front and center.

Elle Decor, March 2007, Photo by Simon Upton

I love this stark white castle against the black interior of this fireplace. Simple and very striking. It is small wonder I discovered that this house was also put together by Beth Rudin DeWoody (socialite, philanthropist, and real estate executive). A woman after my own heart. A collector of art and and anything else that suits her fancy. This house is her Southampton retreat, and this single photo is far from doing the whole article justice. So please do check out both stories (this in the Elle Decor March 2007 issue) to get a picture of this very interesting woman.

House & Garden, May 2007, Photo by Pascal Chevallier

Perhaps a set of extremely cool andirons is all you really need. Children's wear designer Cordelia De Castellane put this pair to great use in the fireplace of her Paris apartment. Sorry, no source information on these, but do check out Lyle and Umbach.

House and Garden April 2007, Photo by Jeff Riedel

This one I love because it so perfectly captures the personality of it's owner, Douglas Little. Mr. Little has a fascinating past, and his present is no less so. In 2003 he launched D.L. & Co.: Modern Alchemists and Purveyors of Curious Goods. To find out more about this eccentric and his candles scented with poisonous plants, check out his website here. But back to this fireplace: the red coral hints at flames licking the backs of these black owl andirons. Wicked fabulous!

AD, April 2008, Photo by Tim Street-Porter

Jewelry designer John Hardy simply places a huge piece of rock crystal in front of a beautiful metal fireplace screen. It also is reminiscent of flames as it catches the flickering light. Very effective in it's simplicity.

Domino, June/July, 2008, Photo by Paul Costello

And, yes, there has been much buzz about Katie Lee Joel's apartment in the June/July issue of Domino. But what hasn't really been discussed much is that Nate Berkus is behind the design here. From the article, I am not sure how much is Nate and how much is Katie, but for the sake of argument, let's assume this fireplace "scape" is Nate's brainchild. It does have his look about it with the tailored crisp black and concrete color palette. Again, I love the simplicity here. Each element is the stronger for it. The concrete garden urns, though perhaps not inspired on their own, are certainly beautiful in combination with the glass domes and olive branches creating a very pleasing whole.

So, you might be wondering where the photo at the beginning of this post came from? Well....maybe not, but in case you were, it is my own living room where I got really creative with a can of white spray paint and some fake concrete logs that I got for free at a garage sale. Although perhaps not as wildly creative as some of the photos above, I like 'em. They are sort of my own DIY version of the KleinReid Porcelain firewood, which you can read more about here on Apartment Therapy.

So....WHAT'S IN YOUR FIREPLACE?

1. invest in the best
Instead of filling a room quickly with things you can afford, enjoy the process and slowly add pieces you absolutely love.
2. borrow your own clothes
If you love the hue of a blouse (or anything smooth-textured), bring it to a paint store to be scanned and reproduced.
3. lighten up
Reflective, sparkly fabrics and wallpapers draw light into any space.
4. work with what you've got
Play up a room's assets. If it has high ceilings, put up really tall curtains. If it's a dark box, don't try to alter it—painting it bright white will only make it seem dingy; instead, go for cozy.
5. lights!
Even in small rooms, aim for at least three light sources—ideally a floor lamp and matching table lamps—to banish gloomy corners.
6. go antique-chic
Invest in one fabulous antique per room, to set the tone for the entire space.
7. think outside the welcome mat
Don't neglect your entryway! Think of it as an appetizer for what comes next. It should reflect your home's overall style but also contain something special, so guests want to see more.
8. collect more
Collect something that speaks to you. No matter what it is, there's impact in numbers.
9. skirt the issue
Skirted tables in offices or entryways can hide all manner of ills: shoes, kids' backpacks, mail—even filing cabinets.
10. beyond wallpaper
Upholstering, rather than papering, walls yields a layer of softness and luxury for about the same price.

So it was my birthday yesterday.

I got together with my high school girlfriends (Jeannie, Jeanne, and Robie) and my old college roommate, Gertrude, on Sunday for brunch at Universal Cafe. They gave me this beautiful terrarium--and Jeannie was the mastermind behind the design! Really nice work guys.

At Universal Cafe, Gertrude and I also ran into Cindy, our dorm floor friend...years ago. Which reminds me: when we first moved into our dorm room they so kindly put our names on the door: Gertrude and Margaret (that's my real name). Um, we sounded more like ladies pushing 80 in an assisted living facility than college freshman! Oh yeah, folks were knocking on our door JUST wanting to hang out with us.

And yesterday, I had dinner with my family. And I was surprised to see these paper plates that Marvin bought from the grocery store. I have to say this is pretty cool for Dixie (or whoever makes this), way better than cheesy florals and grapes. Wouldn't this be a nice pattern on fabric?

And this. Well, these snazzy placemats (yes, those are dogs wearing bunny ears) were a gift from my mom. Needless to say, I was speechless.

True Green: Lessons from 1960s?-70s? Counterculture Architecture by Alasdair Gordon at Architectural Record takes a look back at the roots of green architecture (and lifestyle) by revisiting Drop City, Paolo Soleri’s Arcosanti, Bucky Fuller’s geodesic domes and more. A good read.