BACK TO BLOGGING

I know it has been weeks and weeks since my last post, but I am finally back.  It has been a busy few weeks, and honestly, I have just not been in the blogging mood.  However, I attended 2 great lectures over the last 2 days, and both reinvigorated my love of design and innovation in design.  So this morning I was finally motivated to get back to some writing. 

The first lecture was a CEU put on by HansGrohe, which reviewed some of their celebrity designers that have done plumbing lines for them.  Amongst the group were by old favorite Philippe Starck, who of course I already know and love, however I did in fact learn something new...that he was the first celebrity interior designer to create a full line of bathroom fixtures for a major company back in the late 80s.  There was also Patricia Urquiola, Jean-Marie Massaud and Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, all who have participated in HansGrohe's 'WaterDream' Bathroom Visions design.  They all created a conceptual vision of their own perfect bathroom space, and then turned it into some form of reality.  Pretty cool project.  Can I do one too?

Ronan & Erwan were of course ever practical and small space minded with their interchangeable fixtures where you can select where you want your lav faucet, handles, etc:

Massaud created a very cool space inspired by the beach:

And while I was confused by Patricia's conceptual space, I LOVE her real space:

Check out more at HansGrohe.

Stay tuned for details on the other inspiring lecture next week!

ONE COOL LADY

Iris Apfel is more known for her fashion sense these days than her exhuberant 'Duquette-esque' interiors.  I absolutely agree her fashion sense (and the fact she still looks this good at 90) warrants a show at the Met, however, I am glad to see that good old Architectural Digest is keeping her interior design flame alive.  I would love to see more.

Below is her own apartment, featured in AD in June 2011.

"Taste you can learn, but style is like charisma.  You know it when you see it." - Iris Apfel

A LABOUR OF LOVE

It is always so fulfilling when a design project for someone other than myself embodies all of my design ideals and desires.  This humble house turn glam between the University and Sugarhouse in Salt Lake City was an absolute joy to work on.  And it goes without saying that an amazing client is always the kernel of a great project, and a client who shares my design vision is a wonderful bonus.  I doubt I have to draw the connections with my own home...a warm neural base palette with splashes of boldness in the red/pink spectrum, reupholstered and reinvented antique pieces, and an overall feeling of melding old with new.  Please enjoy.

ANOTHER AUCTION I WOULD LOVE TO ATTEND

The last of the 'Robber Baron' heiresses, Hugette Clark, died about a year ago.  Her jewels are to be auctioned off at Cristie's on April 17th.  Hugette spent most of her life as a recluse, from 1930 onwards.  However, she did enjoy her wonderfully over-the-top jewels prior to (and I suspect after) her self-imposed confinement.  Here is a wonderful photo of her wearing two of the bracelets that will be auctioned:

 And here is one bracelet:

And then there are the two massive diamonds, both of which were worn as rings by Hugette, estimated to sell for $6-8 million and $2-3 million respectively:

REUPHOLSTERY IS FUN

I recently purchsed two chairs that I just cannot wait to reupholster and refinish. I know they will be stunners with the right fabric, their lines are just fab.  Look for the finished reincarnations coming soon!