xoxo

{a kiss is just a kiss ~ william powell and myrna loy in the thin man ~ found on the art deco blog}

cutting edge

a brand new book is coming out this spring that appears to be a must-have for designers and pattern fans. cutting edge patterns & textures by estel vilaseca features 250 patterns by 83 different designers. the fabulous patterns cover the entire page, so only brief text gives the designers name and website. some of those featured include atelier lzc, alice stevenson, lara cameron, jill bliss, and ivana helsinki. it will be released in april but is available now for pre-order from the print & pattern amazon store
i've got it on my wishlist already ~ feast your eyes on all this pattern-candy.....

bonus! it comes with a cd jam-packed with patterns you can use for anything you put your mind to.

{thanks very much to print & pattern for the info!}

seattle report

the pictures really tell it all {click on the collage to see a larger view}. we explored intently, we dined exquisitely, we danced incredibly . . . . . it was a fabulous weekend. i got to spend quality time with dear old friends and met some lovely new ones {working artist blogger elizabeth & her wonderful husband alan, most notably}. tangobaby was a fabulous travel companion and i'm so glad we got to share these adventures together.

less is more

my sister has a small cottage, and she loves it that way. the problem is, it's very old and could use some updating. she & her husband are thinking about ways to rennovate it and make it even more functional. and they are also thinking about potentially building a new small house someday soon. so of course she asked her big sis for some ideas and some help on the subject. in my gathering of reserouces for her i realized my blogging friends might really enjoy this information all in one place too. this is by no means a complete list, so please leave comments with additions.

would you like to explore small space living ideas online? here are several useful blogs and websites:

for homes that are 500 sq.ft. or smaller this is the blog for you: littlediggs

a fun & informative blog all about making living in small spaces more functional: small space living

who knew tiny could be so wonderful? the folks at tiny houses have it all figured out!

it's very well known by now, but still quite useful: the not so big house

extremely dedicated & jam-packed with helpful info: small house society

would you like to buy or build a small dwelling? check out these fantastic options:

tumbleweed tiny house company

tightlines, small house design

little green buildings

or are you just wanting to add to your home library? there are a plethora of great reads on the subject:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
i'll be out of town friday-monday so i'll wish y'all a great weekend now! happy trails ~ even if it's just in your backyard.

lead with your heart

for my dear tangobaby {and all other interested parties} i'd like to share the summary of lessons learned last night. jennifer bratt is in town so she added her beauty & charm to ney's class, always a nice bonus.

ney has been teaching us fancy milonga rhythm steps for the last couple weeks and last night was the most advanced & intense so far. we learned not only 3-beat but also 5- and 7- beat versions of some fast & fun footwork. however, far and away the most valuable lesson from the night came when ney & jennifer were talking to us about the proper embrace. this is a frequent topic in ney's class, but last night's discussion took it further than usual. he spoke about placements of hands, heads, torsos ~ the wheres and whys. did you know the lady is like a fishbowl between the man's palms? he must keep it steady & balanced, lead clearly with all of his hand, lift & lower as needed but never tip it over. and did you know the lady must lead too? but in a different way altogether. we must lead with our hearts! as ney was describing how the man should present his rib cage & lead with his chest more {he even showed examples of leading the complicated milonga steps without using his hands at all} jennifer chimed in to say, actually for the ladies we should be leading with our hearts ~ present our hearts to the lead and keep them out there no matter what comes. if we always return to this our dance will be elevated.

how beautiful is that?

speaking of beauty, all these gorgeous tango photos are from alex.tango.fuego.

he has a website, a blog, and a flickr account. he's talented, he's cute and he's charming. and head's up ladies ~ he's single.

also ~ as long as i'm blogging about tango, i must say i am just entirely too giddy about going to seattle this weekend for tango workshops with ney & jennifer, to meet the seattle tango community at milongas, and to see old friends {and meet new baby james!}. i'll also get to be tour guide to tangobaby since she's never been ~ i can't wait to swoon her with all the lovelies seattle has to offer.

long live leading with our hearts!

regreen

at last ~ green resources for the long-neglected residential designers!
in the green world, residential interior designers, remodeling contractors and consumers have felt as neglected as wallflowers at the senior prom. no more.
REGREEN is the new resource for sustainable residential improvement projects. jointly developed by the american society of interior dsigners' foundation and the u.s. green building council, the REGREEN program provides best practice and environmentally responsible guidelines for design professionals, service providers, product suppliers and homeowners.
though it complements the LEED for homes rating system, it is not LEED. there are no points to earn or certification levels to achieve. what REGREEN offers instead are strategies, advice and examples for common residential remodeling project types ~ kitchen, bath and other interior and exterior living area renovations, finishing a basement, weatherizing, constructing a major addition or undertaking a gut rehab, and energy retrofits.
REGREEN is organized for use by the smallest projects all the way thru to really large ones. want to remodel the entire interior of a house? turn to the gut rehab chapter to find a discussion of the integrated pre-design issues, a definition of the project scope, strategies listed by building system, and a case study with real life examples. or perhaps all you'd like to do is replace the bathroom wallcovering. the strategy library offers suggestions on the greenest alternatives.
the final version of REGREEN will be released at ASID's interiors 2008 conference march 13-16 in new orleans {btw, is anyone here attending?}. caveat alert! the word "final" is to be used cautiously. just like the LEED rating systems, REGREEN will always be a work in progress to be improved and upgraded as users like us contribute to its content.
thank goodness the wallflowers have finally begun to dance!



{summarized from article by penny bonda at interior design magazine}

yes we can

....in the unlikely story that is america, there has never been anything false about hope....

{thanks to paris parfait for the head's-up}

fairmont perspective

in honor of bygone eras, i'd like to share with you a then-and-now perspective on one of san francisco's most famous hotels. the fairmont hotel, atop nob hill, was designed by julia morgan (who also designed hearst castle for william randolph hearst, one of many important commissions for this innovative architect in her career). it opened prior to the 1906 san francisco earthquake, but was completely refurbished soon thereafter. after world war II, high style decorator, dorothy draper, redesigned the lobby and interior spaces in her formidable style, in venetian glamour. the hotel was restored in 1999 and 2000, returning the public spaces to the original julia morgan design. here we have photos of the dorothy draper interiors in 1950 on the left, with the 2008 {julai morgan-esque} interiors on the right.

and tonight i'll be getting happy hour with friends here before heading to arkansas for the services with my family. i wish we could get drinks in the cirque room, but unfortunately it no longer exists. still, we can imagine what it must have been like, can't we?{the cirque room, which was the first bar to open in san francisco following prohibition. it was decorated by architect tim pflueger in a beautiful art deco style with an incredible bar, and murals by the celebrated bruton sisters. before the venetian room was opened, the cirque was the place to go for entertainment in the city}



all photos & info from srk1941, alameda info, and the fairmont hotel website

the greatest lady i've ever known

my southern charm filled, deeply loving, incredibly generous, always fun and unconditionally supportive grandmother passed away yesterday. she was classy and vivacious. she had a clear and natural comfort with herself and everyone else. she loved and lived and gived to its fullest. i admire everything about her. the earth was honored to have her old soul in it and won't ever be the same now that she is gone.

the noticing project

these days i've been focusing on balance ~ listenting to when i need to slow down {meditating more, soaking my feet from 4 hours of tango dancing, writing more, etc} vs. encouraging the process of leaping forward into new challenges and pushing myself to see what my ambitions are made of.

on the one hand, it's a quick realization that once you give yourself permission to slow down, you see clearly how things can become too complex and too fast-paced and too overly-stimulating. but on the other hand, it's invigorating and enticing to be as active as possible and say yes to everything you can ~ life's short, carpe diem.

and so the balancing act.

what sort of balancing act do you find yourself in these days? what paradoxical activities are you involved in? what makes you feel peaceful & enthralled at the same time?

i've recently come across one photography partnership that seems to show balance ever so well: the noticing project.

two ladies taking photos each day & posting a pair {one contribution from each} in a thoughtful evocative way. so now, thanks to the efforts of heather and alicia, each day you too can make a ritual of being reminded of the simple, profound blessing of a life in natural balance.

katharine the great

let's add some humor to the monday...... here is the lovely katharine hepburn caught on film telling dick cavett how to rearrange the furniture on his set before the rare interview opportunity she granted him ~ click on the photo to see the clip.

and then during the actual interview she has a lovely description on why to buy the best furniture ~ click on the photo to see the clip.

{via crib candy}

"feng shui" to the hilt

last year the design firm i work for completed a project for an apartment atop a prominent san francisco hotel. any associates who wanted a tour before the clients moved in were given permission. so we decided to make it a group thing and all went over together, just as some of the finishing touches were being completed by the contractors. the principle designer on the project and the project lead came along to give us the tour. it is the type of place you wouldn't want to see without a tour guide. and it's the kind of place only few people ever get to experience. now there is no doubt of the over-the-topness here, but i still think it's interesting to see what detailed design acumen & excellent craftmanship can come up with when the client is demanding a plush, psychadelic, disneyland, feng-shui dream house. for the sake of brevity i'm only posting a few photos here, so please feel free to jump to my flickr album for the full tour.

{the kitchen in lime green painted wood paneling with many reflective surfaces. custom island with clear glass top and custom range with built in wok, grill & steamer}

{the love-vibe purple entertainment room with a custom heart-shaped chaise for two, custom carpet to match, and a 5-screen built-in entertainment center with a small stage just in front for those wild karaoke party nights}

{the master bathroom is all emerald and sparkle ~ the mosaic silver floor tiles were installed in a custom pattern designed to match the facade of the building in the view; a chakra shower bar, tons of body jets, and a body blow dryer in the massive shower room; and the biggest custom tub i've ever seen with my own eyes includes an infinity edge that overlooks the city}

{four celestial ceilings ~ in the double high living room, in the sunny laundry room, in the ultra-futuristic breakfast nook, and in the powder room made to look like a back porch }