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Home Library: French General: Home Sewn

CasaSugar — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 07:00:47 -0800

On Project Runway, co-host Tim Gunn's most dismissive comment on a garment was that it looked home sewn. Given this unfavorable recent pop culture reference, it's refreshing to see a beautiful book proudly bearing a title of the same name.

Kaari Meng, owner of the adorable Hollywood crafts and notion store French General, has extended her expertise to the book world with French General: Home Sewn ($24.95). The book takes readers through through 30 projects for the home, from scalloped tablecloths to luxurious toile shower curtains, and makes adding traditional French style to your home pattern-book easy.

To find out about Kaari Meng's book and Hollywood store, as well as to see more photos, read more.

With photography from Jon Zabala that will give you major home lust, the book includes six pattern pages, embroidery transfers, and color photographs, as well as illustrations. Helpful guides outline the difficulty level for each project, and the directions are simple and straightforward. Though this isn't a book the first-time sewer would want to tackle, anyone with basic curtain-making skills could easily excel at most of these projects.

If you're in the Los Angeles area, stop by French General for special events, workshops, or simply some fantastic browsing. And of course, even if you're halfway across the world, you can enjoy some of French General's goodness by browsing products online.

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French General

CasaSugar — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:06:39 -0800

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Love It or Hate It? Bold Stair Runner

CasaSugar — Wed, 06 May 2009 11:00:37 -0700

I just watched the 1966 Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole film How to Steal a Million, which is chock-full of talking points when it comes to interior design. But the one thing that truly blew me away (aside from the armoire that leads to a secret staircase) was the purple staircase and banister in Hepburn's character's foyer. In contrast to the rest of the reserved, gilded, French furnishings in the Parisian mansion, the purple stair runner is a very bold choice. Several important scenes take place on the staircase, so it was smart of production designer Alexandre Trauner to make it a focal point. Clearly, the décor in this home is dated and a little glitzy for most of our tastes, and this shade of purple isn't very popular these days. But what do you think of this effect in general? Do you like how they've used a stair runner to create visual impact? Would you want to replicate a similar look in your home with a powerful color, pattern, or stripes?
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Weekend DIY Projects

CasaSugar — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:00:53 -0800

Many of you have an extended weekend, so what better way to enjoy your day off than to tackle some fun DIY projects? I'd start with this fun curtain project from Craftster member Petchy. I love the retro barkcloth print she used for her kitchen curtains. If you need instructions, pick up a copy of French General: Home Sewn for instructions on curtains and many other home projects.

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This Just In: Brad Pitt's Eco Designs For Dubai

CasaSugar — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 11:06:54 -0700

It seems as if the Jolie-Pitt family must thrive on activity. Between settling into a French mansion, preparing for the birth of his twins, and various public appearances, charity work, and acting roles, Brad Pitt is, according to People, designing a green hotel in Dubai.

Green building and Brad Pitt are certainly no strangers. He helped build green housing in NOLA and also narrated a PBS series on green design, among many other green-related projects.

"Selecting this development as my first major construction project has been a simple decision," said Pitt. "It will underpin not only my values for environmentally-friendly architecture, but also embrace my career in entertainment."

Apparently, plans for the resort will be revealed over the next few months. While I'm pleased that Dubai has adopted a green building code, the fact remains that Dubai itself is essentially an unsustainable place to build. However, green building is the best type of construction to pursue in an area, such as Dubai, which is lacking natural resources. Regardless of the building controversy surrounding Dubai in general, I'd be thrilled to stay in a Pitt-designed hotel. Would you?

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