The Right Stuff

Decorator Joe Nye’s Beverly Hills apartment is featured in this month’s House Beautiful.  The answer to the question posed on this month’s cover, “What Makes A Room Look Great?” in Joe Nye’s case is stuff–but not just stuff–glorious stuff–colorful stuff–the right stuff.

Meanwhile back in Rockridge I’m trying to get rid of all my stuff.  But Joe’s apartment inspired an epiphany–I’m not only getting rid of stuff–I’m making room for the right stuff.

Click here to see the full spread (if you like flowers the apartment/photos are filled with them).

Monday Morning Links

• Vena Cava has amassed a comprehensive to-do list for LA.  I’m homesick. (Viva Vena Cava)
• P.S.: Vena Cava’s Fall 2009 collection just hit stores, see the collection (Style.com) and shop (Barneys)
• UPDATE: how did I miss this?  Am I the last to know about this or what?  Please advise.  (Amazon)
  
• Dylan Fareed makes a video of Santa Monica beach, I’m still homesick. (Dylan Fareed)
• On a separate note: Thankfully, I’m not the only one who is tortured by the issue of pruning lavender. (Gardenweb)
• It’s peach season, and this looks really good.  (The Kitchen Sink)
• But it just makes crave a real old-fashioned cobbler, and there’s no one I can think of I trust more on the subject of peach cobbler than Lee Bailey (NPR)

Image from thekitchensinkrecipes.com

I think I’ll just have to make both.

On My Calendar

I thought I was done traveling for the summer, but it looks like I’m going to be making a trip to Mill Valley for a celebration of Japanese culture with clothing, ephemera, and food all from Japan.  The event is being held at August‘s Mill Valley location and features August’s new shipments from Tokyo, Mato Creative’s handiwork, and Peko-Peko’s delicious cuisine.

Should be a good time.  Hope to see you there!

Lace Windows

In many windows, both in France and Spain, you’ll see the insides lined with lace curtains.  Many are floral patterns, or highly repetitive designs, but some have complete scenes with people and places.  Here are two of my favorites from my walks around little towns.

A window in Apt

Hot air ballons over town

A window in Bonnieux

Angel

Mossy Garden Fence

My good friend KRB came to visit this week and marveled at the simple design and beautiful moss on my garden fence.  I’d never thought twice about it, but having a fresh pair of eyes around brought my attention to the worthiness of my everyday.

I. and I realized we love the fence so much, we want to replace the other two sides of the garden (that have a different, less mossy, less charmingly simple design of fence) with it.  Many thanks to our fresh set of eyes.

Flower of the Day: Peony

Peonies are sort of always my flower of the day.  They are just amazing.  I wonder if there are those out there who don’t like peonies?

I was perusing this month’s House Beautiful, which features their favorites of everything.  To give those favorites a personal touch, HB included profiles of fifteen or so notable designers, many of whom name peonies as their favorite flower.  While many like pink Sarah Bernhardt, I like the ones that open so that you can see all the yellow stamens, which always make a nice contrast to the color of the petals.

While trying to find out more about one of my favorite peonies, Coral Charm, I came across a chart that explains the different types of peonies, ranging from “single” blooms to “Japanese” and “bomb,” all of which describe the flower’s style of opening.  The chart can be found at the bottom of this page here. These beautiful Coral Charm peonies are “semi-double.”  Semi-double style peonies “contain filaments which have widened irregularly, making petaloids of varying widths throughout which stamens are mixed. The guard petals may or may not be clearly differentiated.” Exciting stuff right?

For more luscious pictures of Coral Charm

My Dad’s iPhone Pictures of Holland’s Delftware Tiles

Well, we chose much needed rest over Clars this morning, but there’s always Sunday’s auction tomorrow.  My parents just returned from a trip to Holland, and I received approximately twenty-five emails upon waking up this morning of their trip, the majority of which are of Delftware tiles.  My father loves his iPhone so much he prefers to use its camera function than use a “real” camera, so the pictures aren’t high resolution to say the least, but they capture truly beautiful work that I find worthy enough to share here.

If you love tiles, there are more after the jump…

Results of an Afternoon Shopping Trip in Rockridge

I went out on the hunt for coasters (I happen to love coasters and constantly be on a search for good ones), but in this case I was gift shopping.  Who doesn’t need coasters?  I found some I like on the Gumps website (on sale too) but I am absolutely hell bent on spending my money where it matters–in Rockridge.  I decided to see what was new at Atomic Garden, and found the perfect coasters for my recipient.  Clean design with natural flare.  Could go in either an ironic or earnest direction, depending on the surrounding decor:

Coasters from Atomic Garden ($6 ea.), crystal tumbler by William Yeoward

Then I took a little detour to hit August-they are having a huge sale.  Super premium denim from Habitual, Loomstate, and everyone’s favorite, Acne, is marked down-down-down!  The Acne dark rinses they have at around $100 are especially enticing—get over there!  They have tons of sizes too.  Very exciting if you’re like me and you’re loath to pay full price, but would love something a little more special than the 3rd-hand Levi’s you usually wear every once in a while. 

My last stop was Pretty Penny, one of my absolute, number one favorite spots on College.  Just look at what I found:

Can you tell I have a white loafer obsession or what?  Guess how much?  Just guess.  $26.  !!!  I love Ferragamo and I love Pretty Penny.

The final thing I found on my shopping trip doesn’t make me happy:

Another empty retail storefront.

Dear Rockridge residents and any Oaklanders who enjoy the Rockridge life,

Rockridge is in danger.

Small businesses, especially retail establishments, are closing one after another.  Unlike some places (perhaps New York City) small retail business closings do not beget new, hipper small retail business openings.  Instead, we get Jamba Juice and Pasta Pomodoro.  Residents of Rockridge have the income to afford small boutique shopping.  If you’re smart about it, it doesn’t cost any more than a trip to Nordstrom and a tank of gas to Walnut Creek, Emeryville, or San Francisco.  If we lose these small businesses, our neighborhood loses charm and functionality, and ultimately, the value of the beautiful homes and neighborhood we work so hard to maintain.

Please join me in supporting our local retail vendors.   More on this on ARL to follow.  

Great Textiles–but they garden too!

The women behind Home and Oats aren’t prissy.  They are the frontier women of Brooklyn–coaxing a little green out of a lot of brown and gray.  It’s not an easy job!  And while I love watching their seedlings grow, I’ve been even more excited by the beauty they’ve brought inside:

This makes me want wallpaper so badly.  Framed or unframed.  I’ll take it!  click here for original post

And this is just perfection:

This last one is designed by Josef Frank.  Who doesn’t love them some good Scandi design??  click here for original post

Makes me want to start a whole blog devoted to textiles.  I’m slightly less covetous since it doesn’t actually exist in the homes of Home and Oats, but exists in the realm of their dreams.  Keep us dreaming H&O!

New from Peko-Peko: Green Pea and Black Cod Bento

Yummmmmmm!

As you all know I’m huge fans of Peko-Peko.  I’ve enjoyed both of their earlier bento creations and can’t wait to try their most recent concoction–especially since it includes fava beans, a new favorite since my recent trip to Ad Hoc.  I’m thinking of serving these for family dinner this Friday night.

PS: I also love the design of the flyers and wrapping (see pics of “Early Spring Bento” here) who is behind this genius?