Dream House

The good news is that I have found the house of my dreams. The bad news is that somebody lives there. That I like. A lot.




Is that a Ferrari in your kitchen or are you just happy to see me?



I guess I'll have to call off the assassin...

PVE

Look what showed up in my inbox yesterday! Patricia van Essche of pve design whipped up this illustration of my patio. What a treat!!! Thank you!



The only thing missing is me and Patricia sharing a cocktail out there...

Check out her blog here... She gets the award for best profile picture. Easily.

Silkwood

My client told her husband that she just wanted to change the carpet...and he believed her.

Pierce Allen

Pierce Allen effortlessly blurs the line between traditional and contemporary design. They inject a strong dose of glamour while rejecting the predictable elements seen everywhere today. I am so inspired by their clean design. These rooms are just timeless. This is my inspiration for my next project...modern Dallas townhouse. I cannot wait to get started on this one...

Simple Dimple Job

Some jobs are big. Some jobs are little. They are all satisfying. This little condo needed just a few pick-me-ups. The owner is rarely there...she is a jet-setter. Russian Hill and Beijing are her stomping grounds. She just wanted some pillows, bedding and lighting for her Eugene pied a terre. Simple job!

Lucky for my client her daughter is the talented artist Libby Wadsworth. Great art? Check.


Noguchi floor lamp. Check.


Donghia suzani silk pillows. Check.


Custom Castel linen button tufted cushions. Check.


Romo headboards and coverlets. Check.


Simple dimple job? Check.

Go Green

We added this whole side yard after we moved in. This is right off the living room...through a pair of skinny french doors. We planted ivy to soften the brick. I love it.


Minor obsession with boxwood and standard iceberg roses.



Vintage shell pots... Need to get to the garden store to fill these up with something yummy.

Cowhide Rug

I just ordered a second one of these floral patchwork cowhide rugs from The Rug Company.



I am a real one trick pony. Or cow.

Beautiful Girl

I have a very glamorous and busy morning ahead of me:

1. Stuff 6 very expensive chairs and 2 cute kids in my disgusting car.



2. Drop off chairs and Raoul Textiles laminated fabric at my upholsterer's shop.


3. Go to gym. Run 5 miles with skinny hungry friends.


If that doesn't make you laugh, this Flight of the Conchords song will.

Happy Father's Day

To theirs...


and mine...

Hwang Bishop

I saw some really pretty lamps at Shears and Window at the design center in San Francisco. They were made by Hwang Bishop. When I got home I looked them up. Wow. They have some gorgeous styles online. I am the first to admit that Christopher Spitzmiller rules the hand thrown ceramic lamp world. These can compete, though. Loved some of them.

I just got a new job in Dallas. Modern townhouse. I want these Incense Lamps in there...with ivory leather studded dining chairs and a custom tufted banquette in platinum silk velvet...and pillows made out of something pale green from Pollack or Donghia.
Who doesn't love a little Chinese fretwork action? In a Prussian blue lacquered dining room? With some pretty Prussians?

The Mandarine Hobnail? Earthy Aspen cabin? Bear rug and lucite waterfall table? Strip poker and fondue?
The Lachlan Dots? Summer house in the Hamptons? White Brazilian cowhide rug? Limed oak dining table and chairs? Swedish pool boy?

San Francisco

I flew to San Francisco for a 48 hour trip. I dropped off our oldest child at my dad's house. She is going on a road trip with my family. They were going to pick her up in Oregon. I told them, "No. I'd be happy to fly her down to San Francisco. NO PROBLEM AT ALL. REALLY!"

Of course, any trip to SF includes a trip to the design center to restock my library. I lived out my fantasy decorator life for a few short moments. I set out as my alter ego. Jen West. Designer at Large. Kidless and Calm. I drove there in this...my stepmother's car...the alter ego of my Suburban...


So...driving from Half Moon Bay to SF. Equipped with solid written directions, an iphone GPS and a Lexus GPS...

this girl still managed to get lost. In the hood. Bonfire of the Vanities...but I didn't hit anybody. Lotta bars on the window. None on my phone. Good one, Jen.


Navigation has never been my strong suit. Ask my husband.

So...I escape the hood. (My father later informs me this wasn't the hood. The bars? A city thing. Everybody's doing it these days. You can take the decorator out of the country but...).

Call husband to check in. It is barely 10 am and he is very tired. Sitter just arrived. He says, "How can anybody do this? Get breakfast ready! Take a shower!" Uh huh. I hear ya. Loud and clear. Try doing all of that and faxing in orders and TRYING to sound professional. That is when I am thankful we have lots of closets. To hide in. When making business calls.

Finally. Find design center. Parking lot full of these. Decorator cliche.


NOT that there is anything wrong with that.

Hit my favorite showrooms. Sooo excited. Sorry...this place just does it for me.

Gorgeous Peter Fasano at Sloan Miyasato...



Killer and edgy Timorous Beasties Iguana wallpaper at Desousa Hughes. Love love love.


Nice little modern pillow detail. Simple flat flange.


Loved these Lesley Anton lamps. Earthy but hip.


Pretty Hwang Bishop lamps at Shears and Window.


Jasper furniture by Michael Smith. Gorgeous. Fortune.


Died over this coffee table. Paramedics came.


Donghia showroom... Elitis wallpaper that looks like a sheer curtain over...something. Super cool and modern. You would never ever ever know how cool this was from a wallpaper sample. Ever.


Kneedler Fauchere. I know. Ikat graveyard. We're over it. Well, I'm not. It is a classic. Like leopard print. Or Klismos chairs. Or whatever. Just get a good version. Not a knockoff version.



Ironies lantern. Mirrored. Pretty.


I always like a simple black and white stripe. Don't know why. I've never done anything in my house in it. Love it, though. Graphic, I guess.


Loved the detail on the back of this Chinese red leather chair.


...and this. The piece de resistance. Wallpaper by...can't remember. Still have baby brain. Cool, though. Yes? Expensive? Very.