CasaSugar

Morocco on My Mind

CasaSugar — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 08:30:00 -0700

Just as we're gearing up for Summer, Life & Style is packing their bags for a trip to Morocco.
I love some of their picks, especially the gorgeous silverware and colorful tea glasses. You may have noticed that I've been peddling Moroccan items for months now, but I figure I might as well chime in once again with some more Moroccan items that I'm loving these days. If you're feeling the theme, be sure to check out My Marrakesh, the tales of an American family's quest to build a guest house in Marrakesh.

notNeutral Seasonal Metal Lantern - Medium - $90.00	Tangiers Rug - $599.00
Tile Pillow Cover - $29.00	Medallion Curtain Panel - $119.00
Marrakech Curtain - $128.00	Lamp Tube Moroccan - $295.00
Casablanca Carved Mirror - $49.99	Thomas O'Brien "Sasha Indigo" Rug - $1,649.00
Emma Jeffs White Moroccan Tile Adhesive Film - $76.00	Morocco Headboard + Wood Bed Frame - $199.00
Marrakesh Square End Table - $349.00	Marrakesh Round Cocktail Table - $499.00
Morocco Embroidered Duvet Cover + Shams - $19.00	Morocco Pillowcases - $34.00
Vintage Wedding Tray - $258.00	Moorish Wine Tray or Beverage Bucket - $24.99
Moorish Party Serving Tray or Coaster Set of 6 - $12.99	Moroccan Tea Glasses Sets of 6 - $29.94
Moorish 8-Bottle Wine Rack - $29.99	Modern Morocco Hanging Lantern Tea Light Holder - $19.99
Maroc Rug - $39.95	Morocco rug - $499.00

Casa Verde: Maria Menounos' Eco Outdoor Makeover

CasaSugar — Mon, 05 May 2008 08:30:49 -0700

In collaboration with JCPenney, Danny Seo recently gave Maria Menounos' backyard an eco makeover for "Access Green" on Access Hollywood and Life & Style. This beautiful image is a peek at the made-over farmhouse table, which was updated with some wildflowers in a galvanized bucket, vintage silverware, some simple white dishes and glass water bottles, colorful tumblers filled with organic lemonade, a bowl of gorgeous green limes, and an understated yet chic capiz lantern. There's nothing fancy or unattainable about this table setting, but it's still completely and utterly glamorous.
I thought I'd round up a few similar eco outdoor accessories to help you achieve the look of this eco table setting without being a drain on the environment. Of course, you may already own many of these items, so by all means, use them instead! Or, hunt down similar accessories in thrift and antique stores.

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Lessons in Advanced Geometry

CasaSugar — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 08:15:10 -0700

Nearly six months after I told you how trendy circles are, Life & Style is chiming in with some modern geometric furnishings with a similar trend appeal.

I love some of their picks, especially the Frank Lloyd Wright frame, DwellStudio pillow, and duh, the circles placemat. To see my play on this feature, check out the widget below.

Tile Organic Sheet Set - $79.00	Lucky Jade Cashmere Classic Blankets - $210.00
Armani Anima Coverlet & Sham - $320.00	Mosaic Mini Comforter Set by Jonathan Adler, 100% Cotton - $24.99
X-Based Stool - $895.00	Circles Side Table - $589.00
Moroso pause bookcase - $5,863.00	Overlapping-Squares Chair + Cushions - $189.00
Vera Wang "Plisse" 5-Piece Place Setting - $65.00	Circles Sconce - $1,150.00
Hexagon Shelf (Set of 3) - $14.99	Twenty2 - Maxwell Linen Pillow - $115.00
Wallter Bar pillows - $140.00	Cloissonné Tea Jars - $525.00
"Peyton" Mirror - $225.00	Overlapping Squares Rug - $89.00
Greek Key Border Rug in Select Colors - $600.00	Geometric Pattern Box - $69.00
Rhumba 18 Square Pillow in Chocolate - $119.00	Hybrid-Home Square One Pillows - $70.00
Wallter Circles wall applications - $42.00	Half Circle Placemat by Jonathan Adler Happy Home - $0.99
Liora Manne "Amalfi" 1958/04 Circles Ocean Area Rug, 5' x 8' - $589.00

This Trend is For the Birds

CasaSugar — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 04:30:28 -0700

Just after I finished my kitchen bird roundup a little birdie told me that the latest issue of Life&Style had a similar winged-creature feature.

I love some of their picks, especially the DwellStudio textiles. To see my riff on this feature, check out the widget below.

Robert Verdi's Top Five Fall Trends

CasaSugar — Sun, 02 Sep 2007 09:36:18 -0700

This week's Life & Style magazine checks in with celebrity home-style guru Robert Verdi to get his top five home trends for Fall. With the exception of animal prints - will they ever stop making a comeback? - I'm really excited about all of these looks, especially the yellow accessories.

The Life & Style spreads also features some other must haves; I'm really loving the cheerful citrine Anthroplogie Backyard Wine Glass. Here are Verdi's five Fall trends to watch.

Animal-print pillows and area rugs add a sexy but tasteful touch.
Organic wood baskets are great for stylish storage!
Yellow accessories, like lamp shades and candles, brighten up any room.
Lacquer is chic in small doses and very trendy for fall. Think breakfast trays, vases, vanities, and end tables.
It's all about upholstered headboards, which look softer than four-poster beds.

Coveted Crib: Pink Simplicity in Tribeca

CasaSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:00:54 -0800

In this 700-square-foot Tribeca loft designed by Ghislaine Viñas, precision and simplicity rule the roost, along with one particular: pink. The owner, a life-long pink enthusiast, wanted to give her family home some personality with her beloved bright pink and magenta hues. So the focus of the living room is this bright '70s-style corner sectional, and white and light oak give the space lightness and a neutral background to tame the vibrancy of the furnishings. The kitchen boasts a fuschia backsplash and counter stools, which make the industrial concrete countertops and steel elements seem more playful. When you move into the bedrooms, bathrooms, and children's playroom, the color palette changes, with neutral background tones still dominating but blues and greens introduced as focal points. Take the full tour when you read more.

View 6 Photos ›

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Home Library: Majestic Metropolitan Living

CasaSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:00:10 -0800

Just a week after the fold of Metropolitan Home, I've got my hands on another city-centric design volume: Sue Hostetler's new book Majestic Metropolitan Living: Visionary Homes in the Heart of Cities. The shelter and design editor for magazines like Gotham, Hamptons, and LA Confidential, and the host of Plum Homes With Sue Hostetler on Plum TV (which "targets the most active, influential, and educated audience in the world"), Hostetler has tapped her cronies for tours of their unique and luxe urban dwellings.

The American dream of retiring to the pool and tennis courts in your countryside home is squashed by this book, which showcases a range of sprawling, real-life city homes. Each has an original sense of style, a warmth that defies traditional conceptions of "cold urban modernism," spectacular views, and in several cases, an outdoor space complete with a pool or lush garden. Many of the homes were created, not surprisingly, by converting former warehouses or other nonresidential buildings, or combining apartments.

Continue reading . . .

Casa Verde: eBay Gets Green With DIYs

CasaSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:00:13 -0800

eBay, purveyor of thousands of used goods, is pretty green to begin with. But now the online auction house is asking you all to be earth-friendly, too. The eBay Green Team and sustainable style blog Ecofabulous have aligned forces, asking you to turn everyday items into fab must haves for a chance to win a $1,000 "shopping experience" on eBay and a personal consultation from Ecofabulous.

To inspire you, Ecofabulous founder and DIY superstar Zem Joaquin has given new life to a few vintage, used, and discarded furnishings with a little elbow grease and a few eco-friendly supplies. This stripped and refinished cabinet was one of her projects, in addition to a transformed telephone bench and a reupholstered couch. To enter, you need to send in pictures or a video of your eco-DIY project. Considering all of the wonderful before and after projects many of you have submitted to Su Casa, I'm sure you're up to the task!

Casa Interview: The Good Wife's Stephen Hendrickson and Beth Kushnick

CasaSugar — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:00:28 -0800

As I've mentioned in the past, I'm a huge fan of the new CBS series The Good Wife. In particular, I adore Alicia Florrick's (Julianna Margulies) apartment. With classic styling and great use of color, it's definitely a look I'm currently coveting. Luckily, I recently had the opportunity to chat with the two people responsible for the look of that very apartment. The Good Wife's production designer, Stephen Hendrickson, and set decorator, Beth Kushnick, answered my questions about the look of Alicia's home.

CasaSugar: How did the production designer and set decorator define Alicia (as a starting-over mom, lawyer, etc.), and how did this play into their concept of her new apartment?

Hendrickson and Kushnick: We defined Alicia as a working mom who wanted to make a comforting life for her kids as they had to downsize from a large house in the suburbs to a much smaller apartment which she purchased and had renovated. We kept some furniture from the old house like the kids' beds and the dining room furniture. In addition the show creators wanted to keep Alicia's king size bed as a visual - that it was too big for her new bedroom and show that one side of it was now empty. We also created a maid's room in the back of the apartment for all of her husband's belongings.

CasaSugar: How did Alicia’s style as a North Shore mom change when she moved into Chicago proper?

Hendrickson and Kushnick: Her new apartment had a sophisticated color palette . . . Alicia's apartment also has more contemporary living room furnishings and an upgraded kitchen.

Read the rest of the interview, and check out photos of the set.

Home Library: Downtown Chic

CasaSugar — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 09:00:47 -0700

No academic course will teach you how to give a derelict house a gut renovation and turn it into a fantastically unique, high-style home. That skill comes with experience and serious design savvy, something which Robert and Cortney Novogratz accidentally learned they had.

After renovating their first home in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood 10 years ago, which then was a neglected, not-so-fashionable area, they realized they had a knack for building and decorating, together. Since then, they've renovated and designed numerous buildings in and around NYC, including an entire block in SoHo and a house in the country, and founded their own design powerhouse, Sixx Design. As a memoir of sorts chronicling seven of the couple's projects, the Novogratz clan - did I mention they have seven children? - published Downtown Chic: Designing Your Dream Home, From Wreck to Ravishing. Hear my thoughts on the volume when you read more.

The first seven chapters of the book each cover a house the Novogratz couple have renovated, including lots of before and after shots. The duo offer advice learned from each experience, such as how to handle contractors, tips for buying a wreck, how to make your house renter-friendly, and how to mix high- and low-cost furnishings.

While the book jacket says each project proves "time and again you can bring charm to any four walls - and do so affordably," it actually just left me with a sense of envy, and with the reminder that the word "affordable" is all relative. The pair do have a knack for flea marketing and using vintage artifacts and architectural treasures in a unique way, but having the time to do so is a luxury in itself.

The book is full of tips like taming bold colors with neutral furnishings and mixing modern pieces with regional furnishings that in theory are helpful and affordable. But in reality it's the Cappellini coffee table, the luxuriously upholstered bed frame, and the couple's extensive collection of artwork that make me want to "get the Downtown Chic look."

This book is definitely a treat to read. It offers a sneak peek into one family's wonderful life as well as lots of inspiration, but in all likelihood, it won't solve the everyman's design woes. But then again, I guess you can hire Sixx to do that for you.

Galvanized Serving Caddy - $29.00	Permaglass Pitcher - $20.00
Bo Bowl Green - Glossy SM - $16.00	Set of 8 Bamboo Dinner Plates - $14.95
Antique Silverware by the Pound - $19.00	Teak Time Coasters - $28.00
Nantucket Dinnerware Set of 4 - $23.96	Capiz Shell Votive Candle Sets of 2 - $15.98
Galvanized Garden Vessels - $19.00	Double Teak Dining Table - $1,800.00
Rustica Barware, Set of 6 - $45.00	Zombie Tumblers - $3.95

Jonathan Adler Giant Bird Bowl - $385.00	Prairie Grass Throw - $118.00
Bird Reference Curtain - $68.00	Peacock Collage Art - $108.00
Iron Bird Hose Guides, Set of 3 - $75.00	Thomaspaul - Goldfinch Red Pendant Lamp - $415.00
Bird Life Hook Rack - $24.00	Black Grouse Decoy Print - $220.00
Love Bird Rug - $529.00	Thomaspaul - Blue Silk Pillow - $70.00
Thomaspaul - Kelly II Floor Lamp - $570.00	zid zid kids One of a Kind Bird Cushions -set of six - $130.00
Needle And Thread Shade, Bird - $88.00	Painted Bird Lamp - $529.00
Toile Peacock Hook - $18.00	Dransfield & Ross Dransfield & Ross Windsong Bed Linens - $150.00
Birds & Nests Postcards - $12.00	DwellStudio Chinoiserie Pearl bedding - $90.00
Peacock Garden Doormat - $38.00