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Trend Alert: Rose Motifs
What's not to love about roses? Their beautiful, curling blossom structure has made them one of the most popular flowers in the world; their scent has been transferred to perfumes and linen sprays, and their diversity enables them to flourish in home gardens across the world. Of course, roses are also popping up in the world of interior design.
How-To: Nine Tips For Transforming a Small Space
In the recent LA Times TImes article "A Laguna Beach Shopkeeper Applies Decorating Strategies Borrowed From His Boutique," shopowner Trey Russell offers smart tips for keeping a small home organized, stylish, and beautiful. I already shared one tip, and now I'll share many of Russell's other ideas. Make sure to read all of his ideas here, or visit his store online.
Casa Quickie: Ditch the Book Jackets
Do you spend too much time ensuring that all of your coffee-table books maintain perfect jackets? In a recent LA Times article, Trey Russell, owner of Laguna Beach gift boutique Aris tells you to ditch that thinking — and those jackets. Russell maintains that "Book jackets just get torn, anyway, you might as well get rid of them .
Would You Turn Your Basement Into a Tiki Bar?
Homeowners Alan Smart and Michael Uhlenkott recently shared their home with LA Times readers. This tiki bar, which is located in their basement, took four months to complete. Would you put one in your home?
On the Market: The Polaroid Beach House
The celeb-ridden Polaroid Beach House, an infamous party spot frequented by scenesters like Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan in Malibu, has just been put on the market for the whopping price of $32 million. The house was basically one big product placement, used by the owners, the Polaroid company, to throw parties for young Hollywood that'd be snapped by paparazzi, discreetly landing their products all over the tabloids. But apparently, that promotional scheme was nixed by "local (rich) neighbors who objected to the around-the-clock revelry in the summer of 2007."
In the News: HGTV's Angelo Surmelis's Before & After Kitchen
Design show hosts have gotten used to entering into contestants' homes, but for once the tables are turned. HGTV's Rate My Space host Angelo Surmelis recently played host to the LA Times, who interviewed him about the renovation of his 1920s Los Angeles bungalow. Well aware that "no matter how splendidly you've decorated the rest of your house, guests always end up in the kitchen," Surmelis took three weeks and $20,000 to transform his eyesore of a kitchen ("a jumble of scruffy cupboards, wood paneling, a broken stove and grimy old linoleum," shown here gutted) into a modern-meets-vintage splendor.
Coveted Crib: The Speed Racer Set
Add equal parts midcentury-modern furniture, futuristic detailing, and pop-art colors, and you've got the recipe for the eyecatching set design of the Speed Racer movie. For a peek at the house, take a look at the slideshow, which was recently featured in the LA Times. If you want all of the details, definitely check out the full slide show and article on the LA Times site.
In the News: An Inspiring Outdoor Space
Since Summer is soon on its way, it's natural to think about creating functional, beautiful outdoor spaces where you can entertain and relax. In a recent LA Times article by Debra Prinzing, a family does just this, using repurposed, recycled, and found objects. Greta and Mike Jarvis, along with their daughter Annika, were tired of the awkward, unused backyard at their Manhattan Beach home, so Greta, an adept flea marketer, decided to transform their 30-x-40-foot backyard into something more family friendly.
A Trip Down Celeb-Filled Memory Lane
In "A Wonderful Ride on the Hot Property Beat", LA Times staff writer Ruth Ryon said her goodbyes after 24 years of writing the pub's "Hot Property," column, a must-read about celebrity homes, by rounding up some real estate exchanges that she scooped during her time there. The four-bedroom Malibu beachfront property shown here was bought by Dodgers owners Frank and Jamie McCourt from Courteney Cox and David Arquette. Check out this slideshow to see a few more of her fabulous finds.
In the News: Modern Design Meets Farmhouse
Los Angeles Times' "Not a Scrap of Gingham" shares the story of Vanessa Choy and Andrew Wong, a couple from Hong Kong who closed their architecture practice and moved to LA. They bought a lot in Studio City, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley in LA that earned its name in the 1920s when a number of picture studios popped up there. Then, they drew up plans for an unmistakably modern farmhouse.
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