Hey, we're having another Modern Economy sample sale this Saturday! New to the SF sales will be goods from designers like Virginia Johnson, Dermond Peterson, Fleurville, Petunia Pickle Bottom, J. Mendicino, Offi, Petit Collage, Ses Petites Mains, Xenia Taler, and Agnes and Hoss. Most everything will be marked down from 25%-75% (sometimes more) off retail. Come to get stuff to jazz up your house, get clothing and accessories for the summer, and get gorgeous goods for your baby! Here are the details:

Modern Economy Sample Sale
Saturday, April 12, 2008
10:30am to 3:00pm

Fort Mason Center
Bldg. A Conference Center
San Francisco, CA

Admission is free.
And credit card only, people!

For more info, visit: http://www.modeconomy.com

Have a voyeuristic itch to scratch? We do — peeking into homes far more luxe than ours is both a pleasure and tease. Happily, we found a new source on line for some mighty swanky kitchens. Over at epicurious.com, they’ve posted a few video tours of some famous kitchens of people we’d love to have dinner with (especially if they were cooking). Our favorite is Isaac Mizhari, who gushes about all of his kitchen accessories, including bowls from Target, a chic (Alessi?) bread box and his espresso machine. Click here to hang with Isaac and see more.

There has been much talk lately about the fate of Brooke Astor's apartment. I think many of us are on pins and needles waiting to see if the new owners (whoever they might be) will destroy the famous interiors, preserve them in all of their glory, or simply refresh them. But closer to my home there is another prominent house I'm worried about: the Goodrum House located on West Paces Ferry Road in Atlanta.

Built in 1929 by famed architect Philip Shutze, the house is considered to be a prime example of English Regency architecture. Before it housed its current tenant, the Southern Center for International Studies, the house was a private home. While growing up, I always heard it referred to as the "Peacock Mansion" because the homeowner kept peacocks on the estate. (In fact, I remember on a few occasions going to school and seeing traffic held up because a peacock had gotten loose and was wandering the streets!) There were many other wild stories associated with the house which I won't print on my blog, but needless to say they only added to the home's allure- at least to this wide-eyed gal.

And now the Southern Center is selling the home. My biggest fear is that whoever buys the Goodrum House will rip it asunder and remove anything original and unique to the home. Believe me, Atlanta is losing its beautiful old homes at an alarming rate. The whole thing upsets me, so perhaps I should put my money where my mouth is and join the Preservation Center. In the meantime, I wanted to show you a few photos of this beautiful home. They certainly don't make them like they used to. I just hope whoever buys this home realizes it.





A few shots of the entryway. Is that a banister or what! Wouldn't you be thrilled to have that in your home?




The dining room is famous for its glorious Chinoiserie mural painted by Allyn Cox.


The ceiling of this octagonal breakfast room was painted by Athos Menaboni. The effect is like being inside of a bird-cage. Menaboni also painted the niches as well. Can you imagine a better way to start your day than by having a cup of coffee in this room?



The living room. Although it's sparsely furnished today, the room has real potential. Just look at the molding and carvings.

Photo by David Duncan Livingston

For those of you that have not yet caught on to the greatness that is Ken Fulk, I'd like to introduce you. My crush started back awhile when I noticed Mr. Fulk's work and couldn't help but post about it here (Almost a year ago to the DAY!). Well, he has been very busy since then. You may have seen his work in the latest House Beautiful and he also has a project that has recently graced the cover of California Homes magazine.

California Homes Magazine, April 2008, Photo by David Duncan Livingston

With his blend of custom furniture and antiques, Ken never fails to add originality and sophistication without a bit of stuffiness to his projects. For this project, after all of the initial planning and legwork, Ken was able to install everything: paint, finishes, furniture, art....the works, in a three week time frame while the clients were away on vacation in Africa. Wouldn't that be an amazing thing to come home to?! "Yes, darling, the elephants were fabulous, but I am glad to be home....oh, my! Look at this! So much better than those zebras !"

Photo by David Duncan Livingston

The combination of elements here at first glance seems somewhat formal until you realize the coffee table top is made from reclaimed wood planks, and that the firewood is stored in a rustic antique wheel barrow. I think they make the space so livable. You wouldn't be afraid to really relax here. The unique placement of the photography, artistic in itself, creates a great composition with all of the other elements. Wing back chair from Coup d'Etat Antiques. And that paint color! Wonderful.

Photos by David Duncan Livingston

1950's Capiz Shell light fixture in the stairwell is from Past Perfect in San Francisco. Zebra print carpet by Stark on the stair. Ken created this Dining table from and antique trestle base from House of Mann. Antique hooded chair is from Sarlo Wick. Dining chairs are by Milo Baughman and covered in Great Plains linen.

California Homes Magazine, April 2008, Photo by David Duncan Livingston

I appreciate the mix of high and low in the Family Room: Pottery Barn Sofa with a slipcover of linen velvet mixed with the Belgian coffee table also form Sarlo Wick. This stylish room says "comfort" and would be attainable for most of us. I like that.

Mr. Fulk has also been profiled in the latest House Beautiful magazine for his own getaway retreat in the Napa Valley:

House Beautiful, July 2008, Photo by Victoria Pearson

The entry gives a hint at the color scheme that runs throughout the compound.

House Beautiful July 2008, Photo by Victoria Pearson

He revamped a 1940's ranch house and out buildings into a grownup's dream of "camp". He used bluestone inside and out to unite the space and make it user friendly for his dogs, and anyone else who pays a visit. BTW, those are his dogs in the painting in the photo above. Ken has used the dining table as a "library" space and has piled it with books. I love a multiple use space.

House Beautiful July 2008, Photo by Victoria Pearson

Can you see the pipe ladder next to the fireplace? It leads to a sleeping loft. Fun! Dog andirons from LL Bean and another dog portrait. Dog heaven.

Photo by Victoria Pearson

This bedroom is in a tented cabin for guests who visit the property. It really is like camp...only so much better!

Photo by Victoria Pearson

I love the bed here modeled after an old Woody Station wagon. The stacking of the vintage Louis Vuitton suitcases on two wood blocks is just another example of Ken Fulk's ability to think in ways that make him wonderfully unique. Of course, this is the main reason he is one of my design crushes.

Photo by Victoria Pearson

Afternoon picnic in the barn. If this is camp, sign me up!

Photo by Victoria Pearson

I had to add this picture because the red chairs are from Chelsea Antiques in Petaluma where my Mom used to be a dealer. She has very kind memories of Mr. Ken Fulk, who, she said, came in quite often. Just one more reason to throw a little love Ken's way.

It's as simple as soap and water. It's all you need for most outdoor furniture. You may want to ...pick up a power washer.

• Acrylic Cushions
• Resin Furniture - Resin furniture is easy to clean. Spray off dirt and grime and let dry. If there are scuff marks, use a gentle abrasive to remove. To remove mildew, follow the instructions above.
• Wicker -You can use a hose or pressure washer.
• Wrought Iron, Steel Frames & Aluminum -Use mild soap and water to clean.
• Fabric
• Umbrellas
• Wooden Furniture

The only maintenance we recommend for your teak furniture is occasional cleaning. This should be done with a mild soap (such as gentle hand cleaning soap) and warm water to preserve its natural elements.

Chat tables are new this year, says Jan Booth of Patioworld in Fresno. These tabletops are higher than coffee tables but lower than dining tables. "It's high enough that you can put a cup there, but it's not like sitting at a dining table," she says.

Mesh on metal or wood pieces: Patio pieces that have mesh-type material over metal or wood frames also are popular.

"You can lay a towel on it or go without a towel, and you can lie on it. You don't stick to (the mesh), and it's very comfortable. You don't lie there and get sweat on your back and tush."

Have you ever noticed how Chinese ancestral portraits seem to grace many stylish interiors? Once I spotted them in one interior, it seemed that I started to see them everywhere. Of course, the paintings found in the interiors below were used strictly for decorative purposes, and I can certainly see why. There is something very dignified and regal about these portraits, and they also seem to add a little touch of Eastern exoticism to their surroundings. But what we shouldn't forget is that the purpose of these paintings was anything but decorative.

Ancestral portraits were long an important part of a Chinese culture which revered and worshipped family ancestry. From what I've read, it seems that these paintings were commissioned by family members not just out of respect for their forebears, but also out of fear. A disgruntled ancestor might be tempted to become a ghost and make life difficult for the living. In order to prevent this from happening, and to elicit good will and fortune, the portraits were worshipped by family members either in their homes or at family temples. Ceremonies, which at times included offerings to the ancestors as well as kowtowing, were often performed before these portraits.

So with this in mind, here are a few of the interiors that I have found which display these ancestral portraits. In a way, it seems that even today these portraits still command respect and awe, much as they did centuries ago.

(If any of you are experts on Asian art and wish to add to this, please do so by commenting- I would love to learn more about these portraits.)



Frances Elkins used them in a few of her projects, including one of her most famous: the library of Mr. and Mrs. Kersey Coates Reed. I think the portrait looks smashing against the Hermes goatskin paneled wall.


Jean-Michel Frank tried his hand at stage design in this set from "Les Fleurs des pois". The Chinese portrait rather dominates the set.


Yves Saint Laurent was obviously a fan.


Here are a pair of Chinese ancestral portraits in a contemporary setting- the living room of Liz and Steve Weinstein, decorated by Miles Redd (photo from Elle Decor; photographer Simon Upton)

Image at top: A pair of ancestor portraits, c. 1700-1800. From the collection of the Victoria and Albert

Alan Campbell

Domino, August 2008

Alan Campbell fabrics in the Parish Hadley famous 1970's peacock blue room.

Domino, August 2008

http://www.andreyi.net

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Successful designers have systems
What do you do when a call comes in? When you measure a room? When you hire a contractor? Do you have specific steps to follow for every part of your business? Or do you wing it? I used to! But I learned that "winging it" leads to chaos and confusion, and you certainly can't grow from there. Successful designers handle each part of their business the same way every time. They follow a system for everything. Systems lead to consistency, organization, and effectiveness.

Successful designers study marketing
Unfortunately, being a terrific designer doesn't necessarily make you successful. In order to succeed in business, we need to be super marketers. Successful designers are either great at marketing, or they hire people who are. The most lucrative design firms actually spend more time and energy on marketing than they do on studying design.

Successful designers are detail- oriented
This may seem obvious, but are you doing it? Successful designers take care with every detail of the business - from all aspects of office work to each element of design projects. This doesn't mean they do it all themselves (in fact, profitable design companies delegate a lot of the details.), but they always make sure that every part of their business - down to the smallest details - supports their exceptional image.

{top two photos by me in sonoma; last photo from the far niente website of the oldest known bottle of wine in california}

Posted by Bluelines

Happy Independence Day. Have a festive, fun holiday wherever you are...

Eat, drink, and sing as loud as you want.