nailing it

upholstered furniture with exposed nails is making another comeback ~ bringing an old-world look into the contemporary furnishings movement. nailhead trim is a decorative accent used to embelish upholstered furniture that accentuates the style of the piece. usually seen on arms and rails, it is commonly used with leather-upholstered furniture, particularly leather sofas, chairs and ottomans. nailhead trim dates back to the period of 1560-1643 and the advent of french country style during the reign of louis XIII. the best-known innovation from this period is the os de mouton chair. that piece marked the introduction of nailhead trim as well as upholstered backs and seats with the popular flame stitch pattern. {info found on frenchheritage.com}

{the yusopov sofa, from the raymond waites collection, from laneventure}

{edge nailed ottoman, in the upholstery collection, from baker}

{gibson counter stool from marge carson}

{nailhead-trimmed arm chair, from the atelier collection at bolier}

{the sienna chair from brownstone furniture}

{gallina ottoman from emerson et cie}

{barcelona game chairs from fremarc}

{regis leather bed from mitchell gold & bob williams}

{linwood armchair by suzanne kasler for hickory chair}

{lisbon chair from palecek}

{the visconti storage cabinet found on bunglaow5}

living life by the drop

happy friday! i hope you find a refreshing place to spend some quality time with yourself this weekend ~ relaxing, sipping a tall glass of something juicy, and living a dream.....


{click the photo to jump to this post's soundtrack ~ sorry i haven't figured out how to do this without making you jump to another site.....i'm still on the old school blogger and all the customization you see on this humble lil' blog is via my kindegarten-level html skills}

{photo of a studio in wimbourne, london, found on shootfactory}

heat wave

the bay area is experiencing record breaking heat and i'm loving every mintue of it. i'm in my fave outfit: sundress, sandals, sunscreen {being an irish-finnish girl with freckles i'm fully commited to spf45}. and there's nothing like warm summer nights in may ~ actually, any time i love the warmth, but especially when it's an out of season surprise. it could only be better if we acutally had fireflies on the west coast and if i had a swimming pool to jump into whenever i wanted {sharon & shana ~ are you picking up on this? ;o) }
to celebrate the heat wave i'd much rather be soaking it in by a gorgeous body of water instead of working away at my office. so i've collected a few of my favorite images of places i'm day dreaming about as i watch the thermometer rise.

{infinity pool at alila hotel in ubud}

{beach brellas, taken by mysuite21}

{swimming pool at a villa in umbria, italy}

{azure evening pool at corbis, found on lallou}

{tahitian tropical paradise}

{the ocean view infinity pool of post ranch inn, in big sur california}

produce design

a brooklyn based design firm is rocking my world with their sleek and innovative design solutions ~ produce design is the result of 3 brilliant designers coming together for a common purpose: smart & functional interior architecture and custom furniture.

{one of the best pot racks i've seen ~ a reclaimed timber beam with pot hangers, a ledge for the lids and knife slots ~ i wouldn't be surprised if this became a mass-produced item someday soon, it's just that darn good}

{removable, adjustable, no-frills storage bins ~ perfect for crafters, collectors, chefs & kids}

{urban hip closet storage concept}

{this entry solution in a nyc penthouse is particularly wonderful}

{first saw it on apartment therapy}

monday wish list

some things i'm wishing for this bright sunny monday......

1. a lovely garden with a cute old wooden potting table

2. a green milk glass adjustable height pendant light

3. a porch swing on the inside of my house

4. a spa tub to soak in with an incredible view

5. to continue being myself and living my life with joy, strength, and a sense of awe, no matter what comes my way.

and to balance out the wishes, there's also gratitude to express.... to all the amazing friends, near & far, who are being so supportive and enthusiastic as i embark on a very human journey of unexpected motherhood. yesterday was my first mommy-to-be day, and it was pure joy from beginning to end. and of course i couldn't let a moment pass to appreciate my own amazing mama ~ i truly hope i can be half the inspiring woman that she is.

visualize

even inside something that at first seems so fleeting and temporary, if we pay enough attention, we can begin to see incredible possibility, exciting opportunity, breathtaking potentiality.

i hope your weekend gives you chances to stretch your vision, seek deeper, and reach higher.

{photo by comeondimon}

come dance with me

ok fine folks, i told you it was coming ~ and now it's officially here. studio tango vida, the newest and easily most gorgeous tango studio in san francisco has opened its doors for your dancing pleasure. ney melo and jennifer bratt are the proud owners and they are offering classes every day {except sunday} for beginners thru advanced tangueros and even some special lady's technique classes.

they are also selling comme il faut's for the ladies and a custom-made men's tango shoe from italy that they became rep's for after their last trip to italia. the photo just above is ney showing off his amazon-green alligator shoes {that just so happen to match the wall paint color} from the men's line along with his new rug from argentina {he's *very* proud of both!}.

i took two classes last night & will be taking another two tonight. so now i can give you the official report that the fresh, hip space is a delight to be in! the brand new bamboo floors are fabulous for dancing ~ i don't think my pivots & ochos ever felt better. the accoustics are great ~ it's not a huge studio but just roomy enough, and di sarli sounds perfectly enchanting within. it was a warm night, so they kept the front door open to let in the breeze and many passersby stopped to take a look. i'm sure the sights & sounds were just too much to keep from stopping to take some of it in.

after the last dance everyone agreed it was a blessing to be there. also, ney & jennifer shared champagne left after their opening party on sunday, so that certainly helped with the blissful vibes. but, believe me, you won't need bubbly to come alive on this dance floor.

so if you're in the bay area please make a point to stop in for a class soon {ney & jennifer are here for the month of may but they're off to tour in europe for the month of june}

and if you're not in the bay area, now you have an even greater reason to come visit {hint hint, wink wink, mr.you-know-who}

hey honey, lend me some sugar

i am completely smitten with a sacarine infused blog i've just discovered {altho it's been around for ages now}: sweet paul.
the photography is superb, the ideas are fantastic, and his words are a joy to read. go take a peek, you won't be disappointed.

fiesta time

happy cinco de mayo!

may you sip fine tequilas with a huge sombrero on your head while watching salsa dancers and listening to mariachi bands until you're delightfully dizzy. thank goodness san francisco offers about a million places to do just that, all day & all night. please tell us your tequila tales ~ i know you've got one hiding in there. ;o)

{many photos from around flickr & beyond, the one of me toasting a margarita to you was taken by jendita}

weightless incredibleness

swedish designer & artist extraordinaire, erika janunger has become an instant idol of mine. she has created a short film showing her myriad of talents ~ she choreographed it, created all the lighting & interior design elements for it, and she wrote & sings the song that is the soundtrack for it. talk about multi-talented!
a combo of dance and interior design, this short film was janunger’s masters project and is her exploration of the intersection of architecture, choreography, and music. this film goes beyond the bounds of any tilting set eye-trickery you've seen before ~ this weightlessness is part of these girls’ reality. counter to any of the usual fantasies of the freedom of flight, the dancers seem paradoxically weighted down by their weightlessness. when brilliant dancers, malin stattin and tuva lundkvist, gaze into your eyes it becomes clear this isn’t a state of being they’ve chosen for themselves.



but, wait! there's more ~ in fact the more you explore erika's work, the more it seems there’s nothing she can’t do. holding a masters in interior architecture and furniture design from the college of art, craft, and design in stockholm, janunger clearly is a very multi-talented lady. her drive to explore the art of how people interact with her creations really sets her apart ~ as her statement on her website makes quite obvious:
“creating architecture and design, is like making music. By using three dimensions - three notes, you make a chord. by using many chords, shapes and spaces - you can create an entire world… i want to understand how all that works, i want to create surroundings and objects based upon peoples lives and feelings. i want to create worlds, i want to play god.”

{“workshop in the woods” where erika lit up a forest near gothtenburg, sweden}

ranunculus reverence

as romantic as roses or peonies, but not nearly as commonplace, ranunculus are among my most favorite flowers. they are the many-petaled glorious beauties of spring ~ so this is certainly the time of year to give them some full attention.
brilliantly colored flowers on strong stems are ranunculus' chief attraction, and they are indeed special. they most often come in multiple layers of delicate, crepe paper thin petals ~ looking like an origami masterwork.

ranunculus (r. asiaticus) excel in southern and western gardens, and make terrific container plants everywhere. i have planted several in pots on my deck and although the wind is giving them a beating, they are still standing strong. they also make long-lasting cut flowers {up to 7 days once cut} and open a whole array of creative options for arrangements. bulbs are widely available in fall at retail nurseries in mild-winter climates, or in fall and early spring from mail-order catalogs. you can purchase seeds of certain varieties or even some that have already started at a nursery.

i was intrigued to find out the roots of the name, being as how ranunculus is kind of an odd word, so i dug out of stearn's dictionary of plant names that in latin "rana" means frog and ranunculus is a small frog. but the flower doesn't resemble a frog at all. so how could the two have been connected? i haven't found a reasonable explanation {yet} but here's one interesting connection that i like from the story of the asian prince:

'in fairy tales frogs are apt to change into princes and it was an asian prince in just such a story who gave his name to this flower, which grows naturally in swampy ground. the prince was so good-looking that he was loved by everyone. he also had a beautiful voice but this was his undoing. he loved the open country and sang delightful songs in the presence of nymphs. he did not have the courage to declare his love to them and this haunted him so much that he died. after his death he was changed into the flower with delicate tissuey petals which bears his name.'

according to the victorian language of flowers, a bouquet of ranunculus means "i am dazzled by your charms"

well, dear ranunculus, i am dazzled by your charms, most profoundly. and to you dear blogging friends: what are some of your favorite flowers?