CasaSugar

This Just In: Mena Suvari Is the Merchant of Venice

CasaSugar — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:30:35 -0700

Mena Suvari is selling her 2,442-square-foot, 3-bedroom, 2-bath in Venice, California for $1,795,000, according to Real Estalker. The beautiful craftsman property went into contract a mere 45 days after it was first listed — record time! Suvari purchased the property in June 2005, shortly after her marriage with cinematographer Robert Brinkmann went south. The listing for the property reads:

Spacious separate master suite on top floor with huge walk in closet. Elegant gourmet cook's kitchen with black granite center island and breakfast bar leading to a stylish formal dining room. French doors open to a landscaped large back yard – Great for entertaining, to a studio, guest house, surround sound through out, security system, and more.

I think it's a charmer, and great for a single girl — an American beauty, you might say. The Fauna Balsa Leopard Wall Hanging also plays well with her Amenity bedding, don't you think?

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In the News: Gaetano Pesce Wins Design Prize

CasaSugar — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:00:19 -0800

New York's Fashion Institute of Technology is honoring diverse Italian designer, urban planner, teacher, and architect Gaetano Pesce with the 2009 Lawrence Israel Prize, recognizing his amazing depth and breadth of work.

To find out more about Pesce, and to see more of his work, read more.

Born in 1939 in Spezia, Italy, Pesce studied at University of Venice Faculty of Architecture, and has been a resident of New York for nearly three decades. Pesce's work is marked by its handcrafted quality, and melds practical design ideas with high art, often using striking colors. He has worked with furniture manufacturers including Cassina, B&B Italia, Steelcase, and Vitra, and is well-known for his use of resin and urethane as materials for his furniture. As an architect, he has worked on projects including his own home in Bahia, Brazil, the Children’s House for Parc de la Villette, the Organic Building of Osaka, and the Gallery Mourmons in Belgium.

To see some examples of his commercially available work, check out the slides.

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Link Time!

CasaSugar — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:00:00 -0800

Customize your own super-cute letter lights at Perch. - Decor8
10 eco-friendly ways to impress your valentine. - Forecast Earth
A last-minute source for printable vintage Valentine's cards. - Craft
Can you believe this Morrocan retreat is in Venice, CA? - Style Files
Photog John Paul Urizar has an eye for funky modern vibes. - Desire to Inspire
If money were no object: totally inspiring chandeliers. - PointClickHome
Get away with these pics of a teeny tiny Key West cottage. - Apartment Therapy
I am sharing the love for this Anthropologie Blacksmith Blossom Chair. - Shelterrific

Before and After: Tweet Hotpants' Dining Room

CasaSugar — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 04:30:09 -0800

Su Casa member tweet hotpants recently shared images of and details about her dining room, which received a gorgeous makeover. When she first moved in, her dining room was painted a boring shade of beige and its brass chandelier wasn't quite her style. "The first thing we did was spray paint the chandelier matte black to make it look like wrought iron," she says. Then, she painted the walls a soft blue, and added a chair rail and crown molding. And, she picked up a painting of a Venice canal that matches the color of her blue walls perfectly! To see the wonderful transformation, read more.

Such an impressive change! Check out tweet hotpants' post to see and hear more!

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Ask Casa: Milk Glass Chandelier

CasaSugar — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 09:15:00 -0700

Hi Casa,
I am loving this chandelier! It's the Martha Stewart Veneto Collection Five-Light Chandelier ($699). It would be perfect for our dining room, which is currently undergoing a major renovation, but the hefty price tag totally breaks our budget. Any suggestions? Thanks!
tmws1y

To hear my thoughts and suggestions, read more.

Hi Tmws1y,
Thanks for thinking of me! I understand your heartache; that's a beautiful chandelier. And, I am loving all things milk glass these days. Unfortunately, I doubt you'll be able to find a chandelier that is entirely made of milk glass like this one (oh Martha!), unless you take a trip to Venice. Although, chandeliers with milk glass shades are very common; see eBay.

To get a similar look, what I suggest you do is find a classic chandelier with curved arms like this one, and spray paint it in glossy white. I've seen plenty in this same shape at thrift stores, and have considered painting them myself. So, scour your local thrift stores and flea markets first. If you're out of luck, here are a bunch of more affordable chandeliers with similar designs:

If milk glass is what you're after, here are a few products that you may like:

Hope that helps!
Cheers,
Casa

Casa Quickie: Decorate with Beach Towels

CasaSugar — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:45:53 -0700

If your bank account is suffering, your Summer Style needn't suffer too. One cheap way to decorate your home this month is with beach towels. A Domino reader did so in her '70s Venice, CA home, and you'd never guess that it cost her under $20 for the project. She bought two bold striped beach towels from Target for under $10, and wrapped an ugly cushion of an $8 yard sale bamboo chair with one, and staple-gunned the other to a blank 5' x 2' stretched canvas. The towels are not the same, but their orange color schemes and wide stripes tie them together. Using one vertically and the other horizontally brings an interesting visual element to the room, and the retro colors go nicely with her wood-paneled walls.
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This Just In: Richard Gere Puts an Asset on Market

CasaSugar — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 05:30:43 -0700

According to Real Estalker, Richard Gere has put his four-bedroom, four-bath property in the Palazzo Chupi building in New York's West Village on the market for nearly $18 million. You may remember the building, which was designed by Julian Schnabel of directorial fame, from my recent Coveted Crib. Schnabel is said to have "created the apartment to feel like Venice in Manhattan." The listing reads:

Room proportions are grand, ceilings are 12'6"+/- high, light streams in from all directions and there are huge French doors in every room leading to terraces with Hudson River views. A large wood-burning fireplace exists in the living room and there is a covered 66'+/- colonnade running along the entire north side of the apartment. Drama abounds. Amenities include parking, elevator, air conditioning, pool, and 24-hour doorman.

Well, it turns out that Gere isn't much for old Venezia; he purchased the property in September 2007 for only $12 million, and never moved in. He's made few improvements aside from aesthetic changes like changing the color of the kitchen cabinets, so the $6-million markup seems a little absurd. But, it may actually be a steal — Schnabel himself is selling the two other units in the building (there are only five) for $32 million each.

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This Just In: Pinewood Studios to Become Gated Community

CasaSugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 11:15:28 -0800

Britain's iconic Pinewood Studios, set on rural land surrounding London, is planning a 105-acre expansion, transforming the film studio into a gated community that will accommodate 2,000 to 2,250 residences. Since their creation in 1937, the studios have been used for nearly 1,500 movies, including Great Expectations, Dr. Strangelove, and Sweeney Todd. Their make-believe, fake-walled structures include "a Roman Coliseum, a medieval, moated castle, and several urban streetscapes that range from New York's Lower East Side, to Venice's canals, to suburban LA, to a quaint European village." For other details, just read more .

The buildings on the outer rows of houses will be left for interior shoots, and filming will continue in the streets. So, CEO Ivan Dunleavy says, "It would be no different than if you were living on a New York street and you had a filmmaker filming outside your door." Space in the buildings will also accommodate shops, restaurants, gym, a performing arts venue (the Coliseum), a training center, and possibly even a school. The community will likely appeal to film-industry employees because of its live/work duality, but also regular citizens struggling with England's housing shortage. The expansion will also create more than 1,000 permanent jobs, and give Pinewood a competitive edge over studios in Hollywood and low-cost Eastern European countries. To see a video about the expansion, click here.
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Architect Stories: Aldo Rossi

CasaSugar — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 09:00:58 -0800

Architect Aldo Rossi's buildings are distinguished by his successful melding of modern design with architectural and vernacular traditions. Whether building an apartment complex or an art museum, his style is unmistakable. Born in Milan, Italy, into a family of bicycle makers in 1931, Rossi grew up during World War II, and later studied at the School of the Somaschi Fathers in Lake Como and the Collegio Alessandro Votas in Lecco. After the end of the war, Rossi entered the Milan Polytechnic, where he received his architecture degree in 1959.

Although Rossi's first career choice was film, his interests translated to the field of architecture, though, according to Rossi, "In all of my architecture, I have always been fascinated by the theatre." In fact, for the Venice Biennale in 1979, he designed the Teatro del Mondo, a floating theatre, which seated 250 guests around a central stage. He also built the Toronto Lighthouse Theatre, on the banks of Lake Ontario.

To read about some of Rossi's other projects and to see a gallery of his buildings, just read more.

Rossi also built a number of residential projects. His first housing complex, Gallaratese, was built on the outskirts of Milan, and is one of his most important buildings. The design is comprised of two buildings separated by a narrow gap. Commenting on Gallaratese, Rossi said, "I believe it to be significant, above all, because of the simplicity of its construction, which allows it to be repeated." Other residential housing he's built, which include apartment buildings, hotels, and individual homes, include the Pocono Pines Houses in Pocono, Pennsylvania, an apartment building in the Berlin-Tiergarten district of West Germany, and another called Sudliche Friedrichstadt. He also drafted numerous residence designs in Italy

The seemingly inexhaustible Rossi, was also a writer, theorist, artist, and teacher. His architectural accomplishments also include such varied projects as office buildings for Giorgio Armani, an art gallery in Japan, a restoration and addition to a monastery in Seville, Spain, and a sports arena and many other projects in Italy. In 1990, he became the first Italian to win the distinguished Pritzker Prize.

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Designer Profile: Kelly LaPlante and Organic Interior Design

CasaSugar — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 07:58:07 -0800

Los Angeles eco-designer Kelly LaPlante and her firm, Organic Interior Design, try to impress upon clients that good style and organic and sustainable furnishings can be synonymous. LaPlante has designed her own line of elegant, eco-friendly furnishings, including soy candles and organic sofas, which are available through her showroom in Venice Beach.

Kelly's work has recently been seen at the Sundance Style Lounge, the Global Green Oscar Party and the Ultimate Emmy Green Room. Her book, Eco-Luxe: Sustainable Spaces of Extraordinary Individuals is forthcoming.

To see a gallery of Kelly's design work, just read more

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