Carnival is celebrated from Brazil to Venice…and some may even consider Mardi Gras a carnival attraction! The main events occur this month in Brazil. I would so love to do some celebrating south of the equator!

The white mask from Venice, Italy is mysterious with it’s veil of beads.

The color here astounds me.

Now for the finale!!! I found this peacock brooch on Etsy and I came up with something similar for the girls to create at the Bat Mitzvah party.

Peacock headbands like these are selling at Barney’s for a small fortune! I recommend you check out these artists for something equally gorgeous and affordable.

I made mine with clips from Walgreens, antique buttons, guinea feathers, colored feathers, and old brooches given to me by a dear friend. You could even use the striped pheasant feathers, I love to mix the solid colors with the spots.

If you’d like something custom, please contact me!

Either way, you can get into the Carnival spirit!

Two more things: I am so honored to be nominated for a Design Lovely. Through the competition, I have discovered many friendly designers and great blogs. If you’d like to stop by Rachel’s site and leave a comment for me, I’d be delighted!

Finally, my Bathroom Redo is on the brag board over on Knock Off Wood, so check it out!

xo,

Hilary

I’ve been daydreaming of silk kimonos lately. So, I went searching for photos.

In colors both pale and vibrant with intricate batiks.

That’s when I discovered Itchiku Kubota’s Art. Kubota spent 70 years of his life searching for the tsujighana…

the lost art of dyeing, batiking, and painting the Kimonos in the late 15th century. The Smithsonian has featured his collection.

Then, I couldn’t get enough of all things Japanese.

Like these one of a kind gold plated fan earrings.

I’m elbows deep into a decorative painting project and wanted to share all the beauty it has bestowed upon me. I am in fact restoring and embellishing two woodcut fish end tables with lily pad table tops. Then, I’m off to marbleize a mantle, all for a neighbor of mine. I know it’s a lot to imagine, so I thought I’d pull these pieces to give us all some eye-candy for inspiration.

Instinctively, when I think about faux painting techniques, I tend to shy away. However, this palette of custom effects above are so sublime. I am thinking of doing her mantle using a similar technique from the bottom left.

Scott Waterman is an artist that I’ve been admiring for some time now, his silvery chinoiserie is ultra luxe.

I love the way that his airy murals defy stuffy notions of interior art. This one is soft yet powerful.

One more that I couldn’t resist reminds me of the trees back in Kentucky. This sweeping landscape perfectly accessorizes the traditional wainscot paneling of the room. Scott’s portfolio has so much more depth that I couldn’t include it all here.

In my search for ornament, I came across San Francisco artist, Lynne Rutter whose hexagonal ceiling and faux ripped chinoiserie really caught my eye. Can you believe that rip in the paper is trompe l’oeil? I totally did a double take.

Now on to the brightly powdered walls in Mexico! Color washing is a great technique for adding old world vibrance to a wall or furnishing.

These deep hues may inspire me to do a little faux designing on my own mantle once I finish up with all these projects.

I’m convinced decorative painting can be fresh and modern as these artists have shown us.

I can’t wait to show you what I came up with, once the tables and mantles are ready to go!

The J Paul Getty Museum truly is a sight to behold. The shot above of the sweeping sky gives me the feeling that I am inside of a postcard.

Last Sunday, I went to see the Rembrandt and Irving Penn exhibits. Rembrandt and his Pupils reveals the subtle differences between Rembrandt’s style as a master artist and that of his developing pupils.

Here, my friend Roxanne gets a closer look at one of his paintings.

The Irving Penn exhibit, Small Trades exceeded all expectation. Penn, known for his fashion photography and portraiture captured numerous subjects on camera in an honest and poignant way.

A bird’s eye view of the gardens was equally inspiring.

The lawn is so well manicured, I found myself lying on the ground looking up at the rolling clouds. If you go, you may want to take a picnic on the green.

The Getty is our own lush sanctuary in Los Angeles.

This Christmas has begun my obsession with hand blown glass ornaments.

These beauties are from a local glass studio Flame Run. Last summer, I had the pleasure of touring their studio on East Market Street in NuLu. I totally dug these because not only is each one unique and hand made by a local Kentucky artist, but they look amazing on the tree or in the light.

Merry Christmas friends!

I am so grateful for you all.

I came across these the other day while searching for some one-point perspectives to study for a painting.

This one really amazed me; the color of the foliage and the rock reflected in the architectural choices.

This structure found in Brasilia, the capital city of Brazil is named after former President Juscelino Kubitschek. When I saw this picture, I was drawn into the expanse.

From all angles, a photo emerges. This last one from the Windy City, made me appreciate the thoughtful engineering in our own corner of the world.

Happy weekend friends!

by Sri Chinmoy

I have felt so lucky to be surrounded by the warmth of friends and good food this holiday weekend. Our simple dinner felt like a complete success. In a vegetarian twist, we made ratatouille and pizza. Plus, apple pie with a nut crust for dessert.

Today, I’m off to see the holiday homes from Heritage Square Museum in South Pasadena. They are old Victorians completely done up in the spirit of the season.

I can’t wait to share them with you later this week!

I know I’ve been teasing you all with the Guest Room pics that I have been working on.

In fact, in a September post I released the inspiration board for this project. Well, alot has changed since then. The design has evolved into something far more sophisticated (as things do) and now our board includes a Lucite desk, black nightstand, and inkblot art.

I am partnering with Annie May of Yolksy on this project and here is what she had to say about our design process:

“The client had a suzani she purchased a couple years ago, when we were working on phase 1 of the design of her house. We decided to make this suzani into the coverlet for the queen size bed. It turned out even better than I could’ve imagined. We purchased a high thread count white sheet set and had a seamstress add the border with the mitered edges, so it would fall nicely over the corners or fold perfectly to wrap under the mattress. The adorable blue velvet pouf accent pillow looks so great with the Suzani”

Annie found Kerry Cassil’s Fall 2009 collection of fabrics on the windows which really pulls out the blue in the suzani. It was our second choice to Blue Chevron fabric or Ditto Blue from Madeline Weinrib. We couldn’t justify the costs of the Weinrib fabric for this room, so the ikat panels from Cassil really worked! Love them!  We added sheer linen panels from West Elm underneath for layering and a little sunlight.

The fab mid-century nightstand is from TINI, one of my favorite stores to shop at this year. Last year, I found myself constantly checking their online shop and I’m so glad they now have a showroom close-by!

To find out more about the bed, artwork, and accessories visit Annie’s site for the full scoop.

I will also be sharing a boy’s room in this same residence once all is finished up!

If you could capture the phrase “love and light” in a sculpture what would that look like?

Speaking of which, I love light. These amorphous glass works by the world famous Dale Chihully are light transmitting sculptures at their best!

Once upon a time, I sold a Chihully piece for a sumptuous fee to a lucky owner in Laguna Beach who will remain nameless.

This next one is meant to set the mood for the weekend, which I hope you will all enjoy with wonder and bliss.

A warm light sculpture from the beach in Mexico.

Feliz fin de semana!

This week has been a wild ride. It started with an installation day for our client’s Guest Room and ended with a share of my vintage wallpapered nightstands on Apartment Therapy.

If you haven’t seen them already, they’re worth the trip!

Another sunny day! Makes me want to bask in the glow of this farmyard. Picnic anyone?!

I’ve been serving up the Shaker style lately and adoring the simplicity of the lines and the natural beauty of the wood.

These next pieces remind that well made furnishings are sometimes best when left with the bare bones carefully polished.

Photo courtesy of Apartment Therapy

A room in the city. A table on castors for the urban shaker.

Image Courtesy of CocoandMe

A shaker bench infused with the classic windsor rod back stands alone or pairs nicely with a few throw pillows to soften it up.

What I like most about the Shaker’s is their craftmanship. Their philosophy about quality which defies the IKEA mentality where everything is disposable and falls apart quickly (don’t get me wrong, I do still shop at IKEA). Shaker furniture is and was made to stand up to the test of time. This bench found at ShakerStyle featuring tenon to socket joinery.

Later this week, I will share a sofa obsession of mine that I spotted this past weekend at the Room and Board showroom. It fits in perfectly with the quality over quantity philosophy that I am fixated on!