CasaSugar

Obama Buys $4,800 Recycled Chandelier For Daughters' White House Bedroom

CasaSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:00:56 -0700

In last night's episode of Man Shops Globe, Keith Johnson traveled to South Africa, where he was on the hunt for not-so-typical African crafts. After stumbling upon some unusual pottery and a handmade wooden dining chair straight out of a Van Gogh painting, he wandered into a magical art collective shop called Magpie , which sells knickknacks and décor made entirely from recycled objects. Be it a lid to a dog food can, a wine cork, or a Barbie, the eco-conscious craftsman turned the disposable into the extraordinary. Johnson was blown away by a tall, dramatic chandelier made from found objects, trinkets, and castoffs, and ordered one for Anthropologie.

As it turns out, President Obama bought the $4,800 recycled chandelier for Sasha and Malia's bedroom in the White House. We did learn back in January that the Obamas planned to decorate the girls' room with Pottery Barn and Anthropologie, and that they already have a large collection of African and Asian art, so it's quite fitting actually! While the purchase is certainly expensive for young girls, as is the family's celebrity decorator Michael Smith, Barack and Michelle did decide to pay for their White House renovations personally, and forgo the allotted $100,000 presidential decorating budget, so you can't blame them!

Designer Profile: Michael S. Smith

CasaSugar — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 09:00:53 -0800

Last week, I told you that Michael S. Smith had been chosen as the Obamas' White House designer. I can't tell you how thrilled I am by their choice. Smith blends modern comfort with a timeless elegance, and I'm excited that a Californian will be decorating the capital residence.
Smith, who divides his time between Los Angeles and New York, honed his designing chops at the Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles and The Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Although just 44 years old, Smith has already received many prestigious awards, including Architectural Digest’s The AD 100 in 2002 and 2004 and 2003 Designer of the Year from Elle Decor. Smith's work has also graced the pages of Elle Decor Magazine, Architectural Digest, House Beautiful, Town and Country, Domino, Metropolitan Home, Interior Design, and W. Smith's new book, Houses, offers advice on decorating your own home through the example of 20 projects, including Smith's own Bel Air residence.

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This Just In: Domino Magazine Announces White House Decorator

CasaSugar — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 15:36:32 -0800

My favorite interior decorating magazine, Domino, has just announced the news that Los Angeles-based decorator Michael Smith has been given the nod for designing President-elect Barack Obama and family's private White House quarters. Although a formal announcement should come later in the week, a spokesperson from President-elect Obama’s transition team confirmed the selection with Domino.

Smith, whose clients include Steven Spielberg, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Cindy Crawford, is notable for his elegant mixing of both old and new world styles to create sophisticated yet comfortable interiors. His new book, Houses, offers advice on decorating your own home through the example of 20 projects, including Smith's own Bel Air residence.

To get a peek at Smith's style, read more.

Deborah Needleman, Domino’s editor in chief, said of the Obamas’ choice of Smith, “It will be exciting to see Michael Smith’s great talent for making grand spaces intimate and livable at work in the White House. Smith’s interiors mix furniture and art from a broad range of periods and styles in a way that is harmonious and modern. Smith has the right amount of reverence for the past and faith in the future that will hopefully allow the rooms to reflect both the history of our nation and the executive mansion and the change and progress that the Obamas want to bring to America.”

Head over to Domino's site to check out in-depth slideshows about Michael and his work.

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This Just In: Redesign The White House!

CasaSugar — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 09:45:27 -0800

Think the White House needs a remodel? A newly launched project called White House Redux invites you to do just that.
From the site:

What if the White House, the ultimate architectural symbol of political power, were to be designed today? On occasion of the election of the 44th President of the United States of America, Storefront for Art and Architecture, in association with Control Group, challenge you to design a new residence for the world's most powerful individual. The best ideas, designs, descriptions, images, and videos will be selected by some of the world's most distinguished designers and critics and featured in a month-long exhibition at Storefront for Art and Architecture in July 2008 and published in Surface magazine. All three winners will be flown to New York to collect their prizes at the opening party.

To find out how to register, and what the prizes are, read more
The best competition entries from around the world will be exhibited in Storefront Gallery (New York) in July 2008, and in a special page on the gallery's website. They will also be published in Surface magazine. The authors of the three best projects, as chosen by the jury, will be flown to New York and given three day's free accommodation in The White House Hotel on the Bowery. First Prize is $5,000, Second Prize is $3,000, and Third Prize is $1,500. You can register here.

Decorating Dos and Don'ts For Obama White House

CasaSugar — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:00:41 -0800

In the New York Times article "Free the Blue Room," writer and Domino magazine editor Deborah Needleman argues for a more modern aesthetic for the White House. Unfortunately, this is no simple task. Why? Because so many previous generations of White House first ladies have shown little imagination in decorating the capital home, since the initial redecoration in 1962 by Jackie Kennedy.

In order to revive the cringe-worthy decor of the White House, reports Needleman, Jackie Kennedy cleverly framed her dramatic makeover as an historical renovation, and had Congress designate the White House as a museum. Unfortunately, since this time, following first ladies have interpreted the preservationist mandate as something not to be tampered with. Thus, the White House's style has languished under a style that, while under Jackie's eye and stylish guidance, looked lovely, but in subsequent interpretations, has gone slightly sour.

To read more about Needleman's recommendations, and to see a video of Jackie Kennedy giving a tour of the White House, read more.

In the article, Needleman recounts,

As [Jackie Kennedy] understood, the White House, in order to truly be “the people’s house,” should reflect its living character as much as its history. Mrs. Obama’s appointment of Michael Smith, a Los Angeles-based decorator, is a promising start. He is well versed in the art of Gilbert Stuart and the craftsmanship of Duncan Phyfe, but is unlikely to shy from adding, say, modern paintings by Mark Rothko or furniture by Samuel Marx.

Needleman concludes that, "The White House ought to reflect the truth that people live surrounded by many historic periods at once - in our art, music, and literature as well as in the decor of the rooms we inhabit. To revive the spirit of Camelot, the Obamas need to show reverence for the past without living in it."

How would you like to see the White House decorated under the Obama administration? Are you a modernist who hopes decorator Michael Smith injects a sense of 21st-century life into the surroundings? Or do you think it's best to leave well enough alone?

Source

The White House: A Model of Energy Efficiency?

CasaSugar — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:00:54 -0800

2009 will certainly be the dawning of a new age for the United States, and now that Barack Obama has been named president-elect, he should be prepared to follow through on his aforementioned goals. He needs to walk the walk. In the green building department, he proposed investing in infrastructure, advancing energy efficiency and sustainable buildings, and developing a 21st century transportation system. Sounds great. But, as we all know, no man is an island, and he'll need some help (lots) along the way. The American Institute of Architects, which led the “Greening of the White House” initiative in the '90s, has offered to help Obama with these goals. To hear about AIA's green building proposals for the White House, read more.

To start, the group has recommended that a high-level advisor on green buildings be put in place in the White House to coordinate executive branch activities and promote green building issues to the public. AIA has also offered to help develop a White House Office of Urban Policy to address national energy and infrastructure issues. One of AIA's most notable proposals (to me, at least) is to work with the Obama administration to make the White House a model of energy efficiency, and make federal buildings in general less reliant on fossil fuels. As much as I love to see high-profile Hollywood types like Leonardo DiCaprio living in eco-friendly condos, you can't get more visibility on an international level than the White House. So I hope Mr. President-elect will accept this generous offer, and I'm eager to hear more specific details of how they'd like to create the Green House. And, if the White House edible garden petition is a success, 1600 Pennsylvania will be a prime example of eco-consciousness!
Source

How-To: Steal Holiday Decorating Ideas From the White House

CasaSugar — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:00:53 -0800

When US First Lady Laura Bush let the press preview the White House's holiday decorating look yesterday, she gave reporters a lot of holiday eye candy to absorb. This year's theme, "A Red, White and Blue Christmas" may be too patriotically themed and colored for your home decorating scheme, but that doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of ideas to steal from the White House's look. For some suggestions for adding White House style to your casa, check out the slideshow. Source

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This Just In: Eat the View Petitions For White House Edible Garden

CasaSugar — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 04:30:28 -0700

Edible estates are a growing trend at homes around the country as food costs rise, along with food-safety concerns and environmental awareness, but there are some who think we shouldn't be confined to our own lawns. Eat the View is a nonprofit campaign to plant healthy, edible landscapes in high-impact, high-visibility places, and is petitioning for a vegetable garden on the lawn of most visible home in the country, the White House. I myself recently volunteered at one of these high-visibility gardens, San Francisco's Slow Food Nation Victory Garden, which sits in front of City Hall. The premise behind Eat the View's campaign is that as "America's House," the White House should set a positive example for the country and the world. The fresh, healthy, and environmentally-friendly produce grown in the garden would go to the White House kitchen as well as local food pantries. There is currently already a staff of 13 gardeners and groundskeepers, who maintain everything from the Rose Garden to the presidential putting green. And, it would not be the first time the White House had a green thumb: in the 1940s, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt grew a victory garden of her own. To see a video about the subject, read more.

Do you have your own vegetable, fruit, or herb garden? What do you think about this petition?

Source

House Tour: Black White Yellow's Cheerful New Orleans Apartment

CasaSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:00:43 -0700

While reading the design blog Black White Yellow, I was really impressed by the author's cheerful and stylish home, so I asked if she'd be willing to give us a photographic tour of her home. She lives in New Orleans, where she works as an architect, so it's no surprise that she has a keen eye for design. But what's truly inspiring about her happy, chic home is that she's created it on small budget. "My goal was to create a space on a shoestring budget that screams happy," she says. "It is a work in progress, of course, but I am happy with how much I have gotten done so far." Not surprisingly, the base of her coveted crib is black and white, with a lot of playful yellow accents and patterned textiles. Ready for the tour?

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Roundup: White Dining Room Chairs

CasaSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:00:57 -0800

The Blind Side, which opens today, promises to be a tearjerker. The movie, which is based on the true story captured in Michael Lewis's book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, stars Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Touhy, the Christian, Southern mom who takes in Michael Oher, played by Quinton Aaron. Touhy's house is pretty standard for an upper-middle-class Southern family, but one element that caught my eye were these white dining chairs.

I love the idea of using white chairs in the dining room. The color can really lighten up the space, even if the chairs are geometric and wooden, like these. See some of my favorite white wooden chairs below.

Vintner Side Chair/Cushion - $39.95	Farmhouse Ladderback Armchair - $425.00
Circle-Cutout Chairs + Cushions - $189.00	Victoria White Ribbon Back Arm Chair - $359.00
Macau Armchair - $279.00	Ingolf Chair - $59.99
Olle Chair - $34.99	Le Mans Dining Chairs Set of 2 - $249.00
Cindy Crawford Home California Cottage White Farm Side Chair - $109.99