Turquoise 2010 series: How Divine

Candice Olson's Divine Design show features her signature style of elegant modern. Below are a few of her designs using shades of turquoise. Enjoy!

Also varying shades of Aqua:

Oh Monday: New Series

Mondays are most often ...tolerated.

Rarely exciting, desired or welcomed.

 I must post a little bit of joy, humor, inspiration or blessing (or all 4) every monday.

I've embellished some of my favorate qoutes, of course they must be pretty, too.

Have a good week! Feel free to reuse any of my monday posts.

If you'd like to contribute please email info@fioreinteriors.com

p.s. Extra points if you know the significance of this photo

New Bedding, Drapery and Rugs @ Fiore

NEW Bedding Line, from NY (with love).

 

I love the striking, graphic print and choice of color. The companion rug line (same vendor) offers  custom coloring the area rugs to match the color of the bedding or a contrasting color.

Also out of NY are gorgeous drapery panels done in primarily linens and silks. What sets these beauties apart from the rest are the hand sewn embellishments:

Love it! Enjoy the rest of my happy discovery, and email info@fioreinteriors for more information.

Oh So Tailored-

Modern Organic Beach:

Color that Pops-

Nuetral Elegance, think LA Hipster Hotel-

Turquoise 2010 Series: Let it be.

If you read my turquoise blog then you know what the fuss is about.

(Very uncharacteristically) I'd like to SHOW you how I connect to this color.

Our connection to color is inherently spiritual. You feel it and are often

subtly manipulated by it (as all good advertisers know).

For maximum effect, click on images below to enjoy all they have to offer you.

This is one of the rare, oh-so-rare, blogs without design commentary.

aaaah

Beautiful Irony

 I snapped this image on my phone two weeks ago while jogging. It was also a great excuse to stop for a few minutes (I hate jogging :). A simple beach house on the peninsula in Newport appears to have owners with originality. A partial remodel was in progress-and their new iron atop a low brick wall was adorable.

Here are some of my favorite designs in iron:

Beautiful

Is this how a bird feels?

Intricate Iron

Funky Modern Iron

Thanks to a walk in boston:

Greek Key

The mother of all Iron Work:

The Breakers Mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. A Vanderbilt Estate, you can learn more about it here. These are the originals-built of nothing but the highest quality of everything-and emulated (often poorly imitated) in Newport Beach, CA. I look forward to touring the REAL THING to see if I have done it any justice here in McMansion land. Ahhh beautiful Irony.

Organic Whimsy

Free Form...Free from boredom!

Sometimes you just stop and enjoy a piece of furniture because of fun or beauty.

Or to giggle and begin the process of justifying a purchase.

Even better when it's named something that makes you giggle, and is sustainably made so you don't feel guilt pangs for liking it.

I give to you the "Stink Tree" by Dylan Gold.

42w x 32d x 14h
The Stink Tree is shrouded in mystery. Is the name derived from its resemblance to the poisonous Chinese sumac tree? Or is it a subtle mockery of the often-too-serious modern furniture subculture and the designer's contemporaries...? And how did he manage to paint those interior crevices? We may never know

Material
Solid recycled MDF, FSC certified wood veneer, black stain, polyurethane finish.

Available with custom veneer top.

 

If I was using this in a client's home I would probably pair it with a simple modern sofa but use chairs that continue to play with line and shape, perhaps Candice Olson's Beckett chair.

Another giggle was provided by Viva Terra in the form of stools. I love stools and petite accent ottomans for seating in a pinch.

Renowned South African textile designer Ronel Jordaan takes her inspiration from nature, and uses felt to give free rein to her imagination. Socially conscious as well as gifted, Jordaan has set up a women's workshop in Gauteng- Johannesburg-where her personally trained artisans transform interlocking fibers, made from 100% merino wool, into these freeform oversized "stone" floor cushions. Though they may fool the eye, they provide immediately recognizable comfort to weary torsos in search of a relaxing seat. Soft yet buoyant, the veined, smooth textured cushions can be arranged to support seat and back. Children love them. Parents love them. Guests love them, too. Hand washable in cold water.



 

The stools remindme of a new product that beloved Anthropologie recently introduced, Fiat Luxe Felted Soap, described "as moisturizing, handmade soaps are wrapped in softly spun, naturally anti-fungal wool to create an exfoliating, fragrantly lathering, long-lasting bathtime gizmo". I just thought they looked fun and the felt covers can be reused.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Viva Terra also has a small mat of similar stoned proproportions. (c'mon it's too easy) .
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Surya debuted a brand new style at Las Vegas Market last week:

 

 

Does organic whimsy have the potential to be a mini trend?

Last but not least is the Cinderella table. Sadly it shall remain an art piece as only 20 were made and most reside in museums. A few are available for purchase should I accidently win the lottery (though I am told you have to actually play to win). Sigh.

via Book of Joe

Interesting Juxtaposition of Organic Art made possible by technology (CAD-CAM). Details found here.

What we don't like to talk about...

It's been a couple months but I still miss the class act that was Metropolitan Home.

They were axed because of dimishing ad sales. Um, ok. If you read the data below, it doesn't make sense.

Via the LA times:

"For the first nine months of 2009, Met Home's ad pages were down 32.7% compared with a year earlier. That compares with a 34.1% drop at Elle Decor, a 49% drop at Architectural Digest, a 45.8% drop at Dwell, a 29% drop at Martha Stewart Living and an 11.9% drop at Sunset, according to the PIB.
The closing of Met Home, which stated its circulation at about 560,000, follows the demise of Domino, House & Garden, Cottage Living and O at Home, among others."

The end of 2009 also was an end for Washington Spaces, Southern Accents, and Country Home. Magazines geared toward affluence in a down economy will have problems.

I still love my Elle Decor, and Global siblings for bringing us a broader view of the world and its many shades of inspiration.

I miss O at Home, or as I referred to it "I love Nate Berkus magazine" (Because I adore him). I used to own the dining table in the photo above (a discontinued Ralph Lauren by Hendredon piece). I found it the year after I saw it and it connected me to original inspirations I experienced my first year as an interior designer.


Unfortunately we probably won't be seeing any new shelter magazines in print anytime soon. I am enjoying some new GREEN magazines (printed on recycled paper of course), but that is a seperate post slated for later this month.

For better or worse the internet and the economy have changed the way advertisers spend their $$.

Design fans, designers, creatives, entrepenuers, and a few good souls will continue to produce quality content in spite of circumstances.

I'd like to recommend Lonny Mag to all fans of the beloved Domino magazine. It's an online magazine that come out of Domino's ashes.

And it's free.


And classy.


And Inspiring.


And online only.


I think that can be called green. :)


Their missions statement: “In a time when shelter publications are turning their last pages…


Our mission is to reopen the doors to accessible design. By embracing an online platform we provide inspiration at the click of a finger, directly connecting our readers to their favorite products and resources. Our freedom from page limits means that we can share more content in each issue, delivering an intimate look into the way people really live.”

I am rather anti-DIY. In fact the only DIY worth reading in my opinion is apartment therapy or design sponge. The rest looks awful. Lonny is a nice mix of affluent-classy-design driven-some budget frindly DIY mixed in. ENJOY. If you come across anything or anyone else rising up out of the ashes-please email me!