Orange!

As a child of the 70's I grew up in a household with an orange kitchen. Orange wallpaper, orange countertops, orange bullseye glass sliding doors in the cabinets, orange seat cushions on the dinette set, and orange linoleum. You'd think I'd have issues around 0range- not so, one of my favorite colors in a home interior. We recently did a fabulous home in the Las Palmas area of Palm Springs with orange accents, and a little further back, a spectactular home interior in Rancho Mirage with orange and lime green as an accent. Orange looks great in a lot more places than the desert- think about using it as a color in cabinetry, on an accent wall, or if you're not very brave, bring it into a room in the throw pillows and accessories, such as glassware. You'll find that orange not only perks up a room, but energizes you as well.

Cantina Way, Palm Springs

Paul Kaplan invited us to have a peek at one of his new listings, Cantina Way. The house sits in the Cahuilla Hills with a spectactular hilltop view of South Palm Springs. The home was designed by R. Denzil Lee in 1963, and one of my favorite things about it is the circular colonnade around the swimming pool. Like most homes, this one was designed for entertaining and making the most of its views from all rooms in the home. I can't wait until Modernism Week starts in Palm Springs. It's a fantastic week for interior design, fans of Palm Springs Design, or just those who enjoy checking out a lot of great homes in a short amount of time!

Thanks, Paul for showing us a great house!

1980s Interior Design

We had a call over the weekend to come and look at a client's home that they were considering purchasing (in Palm Springs). The interesting thing about this project is that they want to remodel the interior in an 80's style, carefully replicating the black-laminate-and-brass built-ins with curved edges, just like those that were the rage in the early 80's. It is going to be a fun project- the owners are very much into the vibe of the period, and really want to do it right- not a campy, tired rehashing of the set of Remington Steele.

The home that we toured was completely done by Palm Springs interior designer Steve Chase- and it still looked like a fun place. Lots of grey walls, but no mauve (not a fan a mauve here, even in the 80's). So many things come to mind when I think of the 1980's- the white and chromed apartment of Alexis Morell-Carrington-Colby-Dexter-Colby; the fabulous conservative subtle butter yellow rooms of Mario Buatta, smoked gold mirrored surfaces; the Nancy Reagan White House; and Nagel Prints.

Is there anything from the 1980's that you hope never comes to haunt the interior of your home?

Two's Company Accessory Favorites

Accessories can make or break a room...some that would make a room and not break the bank at the same time from Two's Company (one of our favorite places)!

Fun bolster pillows, porcelain cacti, teak driftwood framed mirror, and a bark-framed mirror.

Contemporary Teak Buffet

One of my favorite pieces of furniture is a sideboard or buffet. To me, a dining room is where the treasures of a household are kept- the silver cutlery, the china, and all the trappings of a beautiful table setting. I think this is why the buffet is my favorite- it is like the safe deposit-box where all the family treasures are hidden away until they are called upon for a special occasion.

This Asian-inspired buffet recalls a hip mid-century modern Japanese mizuya dansuthat I bought at the Tokyodome flea market some years back...but this is on a much larger scale, and more suited towards a home with an eclectic collection of furniture or as a organic balance to a sleek contemporary home ($3500).

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!

First Hempcrete Modern Home

Wow!

I am really impressed with the overall look and layout of this house, but it's also got the whole hemp thing going on! Anthony Brenner, the builder of this home wanted to use materials that were earth-friendly, and he turned to hemp-based concrete as the main material used in the construction of this amazing house. This is the first type of construction in the US, hope to see a lot more: http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/A8Gxi5/inhabitat.com/2010/09/23/nations-first-hempcrete-house-makes-a-healthy-statement//r:t

These homes would be amazing here in the Desert, I can totally see them in Palm Springs or Palm Desert.

Styling the Look of Things

One of my favorite blogs, Dean's Garage, recently posted a great PDF of a 1955 GM brochure titled "Styling the Look of Things." It is a fascinating read, and has some great graphics and illustrations, and falls somewhere between HGTV and Mad Men. Aside from exploring the design process for cars, it goes into additional household products, as well as interior design, and graphic design. I love finding this kind of ephemera, stuff that was never designed to be around for so long. Enjoy reading it!


http://deansgarage.com/2010/styling-the-look-of-things/