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How cute are these Kravet fabrics - both called Lady Day? I just ran across them and am so enamored I wanted to share.

Kravet fabrics are available to the trade.

The blogging girl started off on her journey. In the car she stapled documents, she wrote emails, she made phone calls. But she felt uneasy, somehow. There was a lurking feeling that she had forgotten something, something important.

At the airport, the person behind the Emirates Air counter told her coolly that her flight (EK 0752) was delayed, which would mean that she would miss her ongoing flight and would have to spend six hours in the middle of the night in the Dubai airport. The girl protested but the Emirates Air representative looked past her and called “Next�.

The hours passed at the Casablanca airport. The blogging girl’s Emirates Air meal voucher only entitled her to a drink though her delayed flight didn’t leave until 4 in the afternoon; Emirates Air apparently thought it best to save money at times like this.

Finally on the plane, the girl poured herself a glass of red wine, placing it on the pull down plastic tray before her. It was a few minutes later that the man sitting in front of her jerked his seat forward, spilling the entire bottle of red wine on her lap. She cried out.  The passenger looked back, saw what had happened but said nothing and turned away. The girl mopped herself up as best as she could with wet towels. Wet and cold, she ate her dinner. It was somewhere during the pasta bolognese that the tears began to stream down the girl’s face. The tall, blond air hostess walking down the aisle saw her weeping. Then she looked away and passed her by. And so began the girl’s journey to Bahrain…..

P.S. It turns out that the important thing that the blogging girl had forgotten was her camera battery. Sigh, no pictures of this journey….

P.P.S.  But perhaps you might like to see some of the latest photos of Peacock Pavilions right here at the fabulous blog of Melanie of the amazing Modello Designs. 

Miniature Chairs Set

Dimitra & Bill of Up To You in Toronto sent word of these cute - and tiny - reproductions that they are carrying. There ar four different designer sets (9 chairs in each set,). Designers represented include: Eames, Mackintosh, Mies van der Rohe, Prouve, etc. Each set of nine chairs is $95 and there are a total of 36 chairs available at $12 each.

These are great alternatives to the Vitra chair minis, which I saw at Conrans in Paris a couple of months ago. (I've been waiting for a chance to use these images!)



What is it about tiny things? So cute!

I have to say I was pleased, yet again, to see that Metropolitan Home was thinking outside the glass box when they included this home in their June issue. While there are many contemporary elements to this Neptune's Palace, such as the bare terrazzo floors, there is also an abundance of traditional and whimsical luxury.

Can you just see Ariel sitting here cooling her flippers while sipping a Blue Hawaiian at the bar?

The Master Bedroom is a bit more subtle, yet still contributes to the overall undersea effect.

The Master Bath has just that right mix of antique and contemporary, high and low, that makes it perfect in my eyes. (The lantern is only $29!)

All photos above by Colleen Duffley

Artisan Cathy Jarman was let loose in the Powder Room and created a true grotto effect.

Oh, BTW, Barry Dixon has a new book scheduled to be released this fall. For Info, click here.

Photo by William Waldron

Elle Decor featured another Palm Beach house in their June issue. Owner Jack Staub just threw this little shell mirror together. Just another little weekend DIY project. Seriously, he has to be one talented guy. When describing the house, partner Renny Reynolds says: "Have you ever seen so many Buddhas? It's not exactly Zen austere." My kind of guy.

Photo from "Tony Duquette" by Wendy Goodman and Hutton Wilkinson

So just who started all of this shell underwater cool craziness anyway? Was it Tony Duquette with his over the top fabulous creations like the chandelier above? You'd have to go back a bit farther back than that. This tradition of creating beautiful objects out of shells dates at least as far back as the Renaissance. Rich merchants and scholars across the European continent were collecting and trading shells in the 1500's. Rooms were encrusted with shells, mirrors and boxes and furniture as well. Some wonderful examples:

A La Ronde, a late 18th century English house, shells were displayed in a fireplace. House and Garden November 1992.

Festoons of Shells at Walton, c. 1748, House and Garden November 1992.

Frederick the Great's grotto hall at Sanssouci, November 1763-70. House and Garden November 1992

Bonnet House in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 1932.

A few objects of interest to feed that seaside obsession:

Early 20th century shell table from Linda Horn through 1st dibs.

Seashell sculpture, Late 18th century Italy, JRM International through 1st dibs.

OK....I just included this cuz it is so .....well...crazy bizarre fabulous. Dolce antiques, 1st dibs.

There is alot to choose from in the way of sea shell decor. Here are a few of my favorites:

Oly Studio Neptune Mirror

Oly Studio Jenny Chandelier. Designer Emma Jane Pilkington used this for a home in the latest Elle Decor.

Oly Studio Wellfleet Sconce

Sweet shell creamer and sugar available through jettmodern.

OK...enough. I am ready to go back to work now.

By far, my most popular blog posts have been my "Get that Look" series where I have profiled beautiful movie interiors and how to break them down and get the look in your own home.
While I still intend to do these posts over here on ::Surroundings::, I have created a new home ::Silver Screen Surroundings:: where I will focus exclusively on movie set decor, including the set decorators and who they are inspiring.

In addition to my "Get That Look" posts, I'll include lots of still images for fun and links to many other online articles and images.

::Silver Screen Surroundings:: is still a work in progress - I'm still copying my existing posts over there and updating some of the links - a bloggers work is never done! But I invite you to hop on over and let me know what you think!

Now, all we need is the popcorn!

I confess I buy toys made for adults — and no, not what you’re thinking! A collection of Kidrobot Gorillaz and Smorkin’ Labbits have a place in our china cabinet. So I asked Kristen Rask of Schmancy to talk to us about the explosion in collectible toys for adults. Here’s what she had to say. –Mary T.

“I would say since opening Schmancy that the ‘gateway’ toy is Dunny by Kidrobot,” says Rask. “Those who know nothing of the urban vinyl toy movement still are attracted to them. Those are always, without fail, a big seller.” Can’t get enough toys? There’s more.

“Other toys that I really like and have been popular in the last few months here at Schmancy are the Treeson toys, Heidi Kenney Yummy Breakfast key chains, and Toki Doki toys such as the Cactus pups and Moofia. I also specialize in plush toys mainly handmade by various artists around the globe. The popularity of those vary a lot depending on what is in the store.

“Some folks collect things because they are color coordinating a collection, some folks don’t need to get whole series, and some folks spend massive amounts of money to complete a set,” Rask says. “Some get really into certain artists such as Frank Kozik or Joe Ledbetter. Others buy toys simply for the collectible aspect of it all. There really is no rhythm or reason to selling toys.”

See and shop more of what’s new at Schmancy. (A note that Rask is in the process of moving the store to a new site. Get updates on that at her blog.)

The All-New and Improved Design Hole has moved to Designholeonline.com Please stop by an take a look, and if you have a bookmark or link, please update it. Many thanks.

Loving these rustic images from Toast - wouldn't it be fabulous to have a long hot bath in that old tin bath out in the middle of nowhere!!

Design Hole is blogging furiously from the International Salone de Mobile in Milan - but we've moved to a new location: Here's where to read up on all that's happening: www.designholeonline.com

Thanks for visiting, and please bookmark Design Hole's new location.

These resin-and-paper trophy deer heads from Etsy seller Ruby's Lounge take the current craze for taxidermy and deer iconography to a surreal level. I love their colorfulness and humor -- and, of course, the fact that no actual deer was harmed in their creation.

Wilderness Project 4

Wilderness Project 11

Wilderness Project 6

Wilderness Project 9

Wilderness Project 5

Wilderness Project 2

Each made-to-order piece is generously sized at about 18 by 18 by 14 inches, and comes with a keyhole hanger on the back for easy mounting. They're $225 apiece in the Ruby's Lounge Etsy shop.

I'm just loving these bright new pillows from Henry Road. If you're not already in a summer state of mind, the latest hand-drawn and -printed designs from Henry Road founder Paula Smail will definitely put your there.

Take a look:

Blossom Pillow in Crimson (also available in Sage and Teal), $75

Patch Pillow in Aqua, Tangerine, and Black, $85

Fleur Pillow in Sage (also in Teal and Passion), $75

Leaves Pillow in Teal (also in Sage), $95

In other news, Henry Road has a great new collection of bags as well, and will soon be opening its very own store in Los Angeles.

See all of the offerings in Henry Road's online store.

(Thanks for the tip, Vanessa!)

Hey Kstylers,
My mother is undergoing a very serious health crisis and so I will be taking a leave from Kstyle until she is stable and back on her feet. I am happy to report that she got through major surgery today and wanted her ipod and of course had to stay awake to watch the latest episode of American Idol. Now given that she is 81 I can only hope that I have half her meddle down the road. Anyway I will be leaving soon to visit her and help in her recovery so I will only be in sporadic touch until this has settled down. So think good thoughts for my mom. Talk soon
k

These pieces of furniture which aren’t practical shelving space, are called Dust Furniture and are designed by craft artist Vincent Thomas Leman. Vincent’s work has been described as ‘abstract traditional furniture.’ Each piece is essentially a traditional piece of furniture that is stretched, curved, stacked and stepped to fit his design intentions. While wood is the material employed to make his furniture, Vincent considers his actual medium to be ‘traditional furniture.’ The classical root of each piece helps maintain its identity as furniture and keeps the work familiar and approachable despite the unusual shapes. Environmental integrity is also very important to Dust Furniture.

They take care to use biodegradable packing peanuts during the packaging process, to avoid adding to the landfills. They also use waterborne urethane to coat the furniture, which is a gentle, high quality alternative to some very strong chemicals. One of their mottos is “We like to think that we’re changing the world… one piece of fun, American handcrafted furniture at a time.” Finnaly I don’t think that to many people would buy a piece of furniture like this, but at least you saw an interesting piece of furniture today. If you would like to buy a piece of furniture like this you can visit Dustfurniture or Vincent Etsy Shop - Via

Post from: Interior Design, Home & House Design, Furniture

The private view on Wednesday evening was better than I could have hoped - lots of happy people and they seemed to have planned to spread out their attendance over the evening so that it was a steady flow from start to end. Amazing! I had such a lovely time ...

On Thursday, April 3 from noon to 4 p.m., BD Jeffries, Atlanta, will host a book signing for Private Gardens of Georgia. Millie has already given us the scoop on the beautiful book; click here for a refresher.

This morning I read about an exhibition at Medelhavsmuseet, showing photographs of architecture from the Eastern Black Sea region. It was the picture of the houses that caught my eye, but then I read more on their website. It says in the press text that "whether the houses are built 150 ...

What a nice way to begin the day. Open The Oregonian and see a picture of Beverly Landfair gracing the pages of HGNW.

Photos by Marv Bondarowicz THE OREGONIAN
Moving to the Pearl Design Center allowed Bev Landfair to more than double the space for her store, Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery.

It's an article by Bridget A. Otto on the Pearl Design Center.

In early 2007, the question was asked, "Why doesn't Portland have a Design Center like San Francisco and Seattle?"

Debbie Madden, whose husband, Mark, is a principal in the development company Stark Group LLC, had spent an entire day crisscrossing the greater metropolitan area to look at fabrics and furnishings. After cruising nearly every county -- and enduring a car accident to boot -- she lamented Portland's lack of a design district where a person could see all these things at once -- hopefully without incident.

So, in classic Portland fashion, Stark Group bought a city block under the trusses of the Fremont Bridge and transformed buildings that once housed Quimby Welding into the Pearl Design Center.

Photos by Marv Bondarowicz THE OREGONIAN
Studios and storefronts now occupy the Pearl Design Center. The space used to be Quimby Welding.

Set between Northwest 14th and 15th avenues and Northwest Raleigh and Savier streets, the approximately 34,000-square-foot showroom and studio space opened last spring and is about 60 percent full, says Tami Wood of Stark Group.

Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery, a showroom of furniture, fabrics and accessories, is its largest tenant. A handful of other businesses -- Architectural Elegance, Quince Flowers & Events, Studio Olivine, Northwest Framing Commercial, Progress Construction, Intrinsic Design and WDC Properties (which manages Stark Group) -- are scattered about the complex.

Bev is excited about the opportunities to be part of a Portland Design Center and is enthusiastic about the coming housing planned for the Pearl.

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

Kareem Rizk's beautiful, open-edition giclee bird prints have been so popular that Matt over at BlueFlip Art just added two more: Bird No. 3, left, and Bird No. 6, right.

The 9-by-11-inch archival prints are $25 each, or you can get the whole set of six for $125 (a $25 savings) when you enter coupon code "KAREEMSIX" at checkout.

As always, BlueFlip will donate 10 percent of all sales to a charity of the artist's choosing -- in this case, Australia's Starlight Children's Foundation.

Check out the new prints right here.

What do you do when you have combined living spaces that flow together? Do you paint them all the same color? How do you visually separate the spaces? Or do you want to make them more cohesive? We've got a great example of this quandary, submitted by reader Mary Beth.
Okay, here's my take on the matter. First question-why do the areas need to be the same? Who says they have to be the same colors? I say, each space has it's own purpose, and deserves its own color. Of course, there are architectural restrictions to work around. For instance, you shouldn't try to break a wall into multiple areas of color without natural breaks in the wall, such as columns, cabinets, or other elements. So, the structure and layout of the space does determine where colors are placed...to a certain extent.

So, where do we go from there?

First, you need to figure out what kind of lighting the space gets. Is it bright and sunny, or shady and cool? What design goals are you hoping to achieve with the spaces? Is the living room supposed to be relaxing, or energizing? Should it be spacious and airy, or cozy and intimate? These are all issues to consider before launching into color selection. That being said, since we don't have all those answers for this dilemma, let's play around with color:
Here's a soft sage green living room, paired with a neutral warm mocha color (you'd need to check how it worked with the detail work in the tiles, as I can't quite tell what color they are)
Alternatively, here's a cool gray blue, paired with the same mocha kitchen color.
Just to get daring here, pushing towards cleaner, brighter colors could further liven up the space. Here, I simply bumped up the saturation level of the green and added a cheerful blue wall for the kitchen.

You may wonder where I pulled the bright blue suggestion. When you are really stuck trying to figure out a good color for a space, try inverting the colors to find the compliments. If you have a photo editing program, you can do it digitally. Otherwise, grab a handy-dandy color wheel, and travel across the wheel for the color opposite your color in question. (Ie with a red couch, we'd be looking at blues and greens) Here, for example, are the inverse colors of Mary Beth's rug. Voila- a lovely complimentary blue shade.
As a last suggestion, to tie the couch into the decor, a rich burgundy wall would work really nicely-pulling in the living room colors with the reddish undertones in the tile work.

I'd like to hear from readers to weigh in with your suggestions. What colors do you think would work best for Mary Beth's kitchen/living room combo? How would you solve her color dilemma?

Nice logo and nice clothes by Dagmar. And they're Swedish...of course.

KleinBottle.com - for those of you who want a more detailed explanation of the ’science’ behind the Klein Bottle House posted recently…. and then there’s Wikipedia.