La Quinta Tight Timeframe: The Final Stretch

We're in the final days before the furniture install: all the wiring/lighting is completed, all the flooring is in place, the kitchen cabinets are refinished and have new hardware that will be installed. The fireplace has its new surround, and carpeting is installed. The window coverings will be installed next week as well. Saturday, the sofas will be installed, and the remainding furnishings will be transferred from the owner's home, and the new furnishings and artwork in our warehouse will be installed early next week in anticipation of the owner's arrival on November 5. Total time for this 4,000 sq foot home remodel: 6 weeks.

It's Not Too Early To Be Thinking About the Holidays...

We are, and our warehouse is starting to fill up with all kinds of great holiday Decor. This year, we are helping create a festive atmosphere in your own home with Holiday Decor & Christmas Tree Packages from $450. Leave the decorating to designers this year!

Contact William Miller Design at 760-413-9005 to schedule your Holiday Decor appointment!

Trina Turk Residential: Palm Springs

My favorite supplier of men's pants, Trina Turk, has some new pillow designs out this Fall. If you aren't close to her store in Palm Springs, they are also available through Neiman-Marcus, which retail for $125. If you are an interior designer, I've also seen her pillows and accessories in LA's Pacific Design Center, though I can't remember which showroom I was in. She's recently done a line of fabric for Schumacher, so now you can get your patterns by the yard. While in Palm Springs checking out lounge chairs at 20 First Vintage & Modern I saw this great dining room set that had been reupholstered in a TT pattern. Love the residential application of something that I own in a dinner jacket!

Movie Sets I Would Live In: Vertigo

Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo, apart from being one of my favorite movies, also has one of the neatest artist studio apartments ever recorded on celluloid. Midge (Barbara Bel Geddes) is a fashion illustrator who lives in a cozy Russian Hill apartment that also doubles as her studio. Among her furnishings are many accessories considered de rigueur for the artist in residence: Bertoia chairs, sculptural lamps, grass window shades, sisal flooring, an assortment of geomentric pillows on a low armless Eames sofa, and the walls in a warm buttery yellow. Heck, it sounds like a spread for Metropolitan Home, but remember, this was a set from a movie filmed in 1957.

I guess times change, but when you've set up a room with classic pieces, it will never go out of style.

Thirft Shopping for Clients: Palm Springs

Everyone is economizing- that's not news. What is great for us, and a challenge is to find home furnishings for clients who want an updated look and don't have a big budget. One solution that we offer to clients is sourcing furniture in the thriving second-hand home furnishings market in Palm Springs. Our favorites for this are: Revivals, The Estate Sale, and Cargo. I am always shocked at the deals: many new, unused items- for other items, though, you have to have a fair amount of creativity: new finishes and reupholstering are generally needed to make furniture useable. The savings is in the "frame" of the furniture- $45-100 for a piece, versus $400-$1500 for a new piece. In addition to being checkbook friendly, this practice is also green- no environmental impact is made in production of these pieces. Also, in buying in a "benefit" store, you are supporting local charity, and we are employing local furniture re-finishers and upholstery shops, which is great for our community!

Blue Mid Century Modern Chair $35
Palecek Bench $125
Palecek Chair $225
Barstool Set of Two $125

Christopher Kennedy at Just Fabulous

We love the new pillows, sofas, and candles by Palm Springs Interior Designer Christopher Kennedy at Just Fabulous! Great to see local designers doing their own lines! The display looks great, Chris, and people are excited to have you in their homes!

Custom Built-In Desk, Palm Springs

We love to see drawings transformed into cabinetry! A built-in media unit, shelving, or a desk can transform a room. In this case, a blank wall in a guest bedroom became a very functional 2nd home office in Las Palmas, Palm Springs. The room, when completed, will have a warmer look. It will also "age" the room. Since this is a newer construction, wooden built ins (and wainscot) will add history to a house that is still in its infancy. The least expensive built-in that we've installed recently was around $2600. This one was a little over $17K, but depending on finishes and hardware, we have seen prices as high as $25K.

Tight Timeline Update: 2 Weeks to Go

With our deadline of November 1 approaching, most everthing is falling into place. In case you didn't check out the last two stories, we took on a project for a client that we had done a home with before. We were given about 6 weeks to complete this 4000 sq ft home in La Quinta. We haven't really run into anything that would prevent the owners from taking occupancy for Thanksgiving.

The tile that has been installed throughout the house, all the wiring has been completed for the new lighting plan, the media center in the living room has been framed out, and the new hearth is nearly complete. The furnishings are arriving at our warehouse, and we're looking forward to installing it all soon. Before that happens, though, the painters will have to finish their work!

DeBrabant House, 1920's Palm Springs Villa

I hesitate to use the word 'charming' in a sentence, since it beings up all kinds of potential real estate adjectives that get banded about when describing houses inappropriately. However, in the case of this 1920's Spanish Colonial, no other adjective will do- it is indeed one of the most charming homes I've been to in Palm Springs.

This home is a superb example of the Spanish Colonial architecture that was so popular in California in the 1920's. This one was built in the Haciendas Estate tract in what is now the "Movie Colony" area of Palm Springs. Current owners Jan and Mark Hilbert, along with Marty Newman have completely captured the era with a dazzling collection of period Mexican furnishings, Tourist Pottery from the early half of the last century, and wonderful Plein Art paintings throughout the house.

The home features five bedrooms (one is in a wonderful turret room with commanding views of the surrounding mountains), and five bathrooms. In addition to the living room with a beautiful wooden ceiling, a 'casino' was added in the 1950's (apparently this was an illegal gambling house at one point). This room is complete with Navajo blankets on the knotty-pine walls, and a full-height fireplace.

Yesterday, this house was celebrated as a Class 1 Historical Site by the Palm Springs City Council. The Palm Springs Preservation Foundation celebrated this with an open house. There are six more events through the season. They are a must-do if you love homes, history, or just socializing!

Movie Sets I Would Live In- Elephant Walk

I've always said that if I could build an important home it would be something like the one that Elizabeth Taylor is the mistress of in "Elephant Walk." This massive plantation home was constructed by set designer/decorators Sam Comer and Grace Gregory. I fell in love immediately with the color scheme: muted grey walls and stone carvings and dramatic black polished wooden floors and dark finished furnishings make a fantastic combination in the tropical setting of Sri Lanka. The general feeling runs a bit "British Colonial" but I can see some stylized elephant themes running through the house in carvings. One of the best parts of the movies is an indoor bicycle polo match and Elizabeth Taylor gets to decend from the massive staircase to chase out her unwanted guests. Be sure to check this movie out on TCM or netflix!

Oscar de la Renta Collection for Lee Jofa

1st Dibs sent me this great info about the Oscar de la Renta Collection for Lee Jofa:


For decades, the Oscar de la Renta name has been synonymous with timeless elegance. In 2002, the Oscar de la Renta Home collection was developed around the concept of lifestyle and Oscar's deep appreciation and affection for the spaces in which he lives.

The fabric collection includes 25 designs in silk, linen, velvet and cotton, ranging from delicate floral embroidery and ethnic-inspired prints on linen to solid silks and velvets in bright, saturated hues. The fabrics exhibit the fine tailoring and incredible detail that is the Oscar de la Renta signature.

Oscar de la Renta said, "Fabrics have always played an extraordinarily important part in my collections. I am very excitedabout this latest extension of Oscar de la Renta Home with Lee Jofa, a company that shares my commitment to craftsmanship and quality."

"We wanted to create a collection that reflected the sensibility of Oscar's clothes," said Miles Redd, Creative Director of Oscar de la Renta Home. "All of the things one loves about Oscar de la Renta: the color, the embroideries, the textures' each signature is translated with practicality for the home."

"Working with Oscar and Miles on this collection has been a delightful experience for the Lee Jofa Design Studio," said Stephen Elrod, Creative Director for Lee Jofa. "Lee Jofa has a history of craftsmanship that goes back decades, and the Oscar de la Renta brand truly upholds the level of quality and design that we adhere to through our fabrics."

The fabrics are available in all Lee Jofa showrooms nationwide.

To celebrate the launch of his home fabric collection with Lee Jofa, Oscar de la Renta created custom ball skirts using fabrics from his collection. The skirts, which were used in advertisements for Lee Jofa announcing the launch of the collection, will be auctioned off for charity. The fabric on the skirts is backed in organza and lined in silk, giving the skirts the weight and tactile quality of a timeless Oscar de la Renta piece.

All skirts are a women's designer size four. There are nine skirts and one caftan, size small, made from various patterns from the collection, including exclusive designs on linen and silk, delicate beading and embroidery, and a luxurious velvet and linen stripe. Each item is exquisite and a one of a kind collector���s item. The Lee Jofa website has images and detailed information for each piece, as does the site where the auction is hosted, Bidding for Good. Bidding will be hosted online through November 30, 2010. Proceeds of the auction will go to Casa del Niño, which is regarded as the most complete project of child assistance in the Dominican Republic.

Interior designer Miles Redd is the creative director for Oscar de la Renta Home. Redd himself is known for his fearless use of bright bold colors, and his styling is evident within the collection.

Kneedler Fauchere in the 1950's

Sometimes, I come across a photo that has so many cool things going on that I don't notice an important detail until later. I initally came across this photo while doing a Google search for "station wagon." This 1958 Dodge Sierra came up, and I loved the color combination. I wish auto makers would go back to two-toning and big chrome bumpers. This car looks expensive, but remember, it was a mid-range car. The next thing that I noticed was how the people were dressed- ladies without hats(!) wearing skirts and men in suits. No tennis shoes, ridiculously large handbags, big earrings, and no flip flops in sight. Then, I came to the setting: the Kneedler-Fauchere building in San Francisco. Kneedler-Fauchere, if you don't know was the world's first luxury market multi-line showroom founded in San Francisco, California in 1948, proferring premier collections of furniture, fabrics, wallcoverings, accessories, art and lighting. The have an amazing collection of Tony Duquette fabrics through Jim Thompson from their carefully archived collection.

Great Lamp Choices from Arteriors

Great lamps are hard to find- they're like picking out ties- you either love them or hate them. Whenever we're stumped about choices for tabletop or nightstand lighting, we go to the Arteriors website- they always have a lot of great choices, a great range in pricing, and something for everyone's tastes!

The Chedi Hotel, Muscat

Another amazing hotel that we had the opportunity to stay at was The Chedi in Muscat, Oman. The hotel had the full-on exotic ambiance that you would expect from a beautiful seaside resort in the Middle East. We LOVED Oman, and had such a wonderful time there. The people were so excited to have visitors from the US, and we saw so many wonderful things...But back to the hotel. This tented lobby just is a small taste of the beautiful setting that we were treated to!

Colin Fisher Studios, Cathedral City

I've been trying to mention some of the out-of-the way places that you HAVE TO visit when you're in Palm Springs. Sure, there are plenty of great places to shop for midcentury art and accessories in Palm Springs, but the up-and-coming Cathedral City "Design Row" galleries are worth the trip (slightly past the line of demarcation after Cat City Target). Colin Fisher Studios is one of the most fabulous places to find things ( I purchased a great Lisa Larson figurine there for a great price) that are reasonably priced and extremely high quality. If you can't visit in person, check our his 1st Dibs store!

Kentfield Wall Sconce

The Kentfield Collection sent me some additional items for their catalogue in our library. I absolutely LOVE this one. It's called "On the Rocks" by designer Sherry Williamson. It would be really fantastic in a dark, moody powder room!

West Elm Side Table

Occasionally , I find something that I really like in West Elm. You have to be kind of careful if you order from the same catalog too often or your house will get a "model home" feel to it. This side table with its organic branchy/twiggy legs are fun and poslished enough to not look like a craft project, and the finish is such that it would look great in many different styles of decor. It retails for $179.00

White House to Get Solar Panels

The White House, hope of the US President is starting to go green! I was very excited to read this morning in USA Today (not my favorite new source, but...) that the President's home will have solar panels installed by Spring (that's LOOOONG lead time) that will supply some of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue's hot water and electricity.