California Cool: #BlogTourLA Revisited

#BlogTourLA design bloggers at WestEdge Design Fair:

Geraldine Tan, Gudy Herder and Ronique Gibson

In honor of #TBT (Throw Back Thursday) I am reminiscing about my October visit to sunny Los Angeles with my design blogging friends from #BlogTourLA. One of the highlights of our Modenus sponsored trip was checking out the inaugural opening of the WestEdge Design Fair in Santa Monica. We also toured a wealth of West Coast design destinations including the studio and boutique of designer Kelly Wearstler, fab shops in the La Cienga Design Quarter, plus numerous art studios and design industry showrooms. There was a lot to love!

Below are my favorite snapshots from the trip that capture a dozen design trends that are currently in fashion:

Malachite

Lighting that Shines

Vintage Glamour

Bright Colors

Nature Inspired

Reclaimed Materials

Industrial Design

Geometric Patterns

Organic Sculpture

Rock + Roll Edgy

Succulents

Brass

faucets as art: Gessi Goccia on display at

Snyder Diamond Los Angeles showroom

Will Taylor of Bright Bazaar and Ashlina Kaposta of the Decorista

visiting Gessi at WestEdge Design Fair with #BlogTourLA

Brass lav faucet from Gessi at WestEdge Design Fair

Natural Curiosities design studio

monarchs as art via Natural Curiosities

vintage screen at Dragonette Ltd.

colorful dinnerware at Heath Ceramics

design bloggers getting cozy at the WestEdge Design Fair:

Veronika Miller, Emily Anderson, Cheryl Kees-Clendendon, Andie Day, myself

honey comb sculptural lighting by Patrick Weder

vintage dining featuring custom wallpaper and brass accents

at Dragonette Ltd.

lighting by Apparatus at WestEdge Design Fair

lighting by David Trubridge at WestEdge Design Fair

furnishings from BDDW at WestEdge Design Fair

unique lighting design from Zia Priven at WestEdge Design Fair

industrial lighting at Lamps Plus

pattern and texture at Mecox Gardens

bright and bold leathers from Moore and Giles at WestEdge Design Fair

repurposed Dhurrie handbag at Will Leather Goods

succulent gardens outside Sherle Wagner on La Cienga Boulevard

sidewalk succulent garden

succulents with orchids

Geraldine Tan, Mindy Miles Greenberg, and Lynn Byrne

relaxing on set at WestEdge Design Fair

colorful mix and match lighting at Lamps Plus

vintage pattern play at Dragonette Ltd.

Kelly Wearstler designed accents: ceramic, brass and stone

brass accents and grand scale in the conference room at Kelly Wearstler studios

photo op with Krista Nye Schwartz, Kelly Wearstler, Tami Ramsay

Marble Kiss on brass etagere at Kelly Wearstler’s LA boutique

ALWAYS IN FASHION ...

friendship, champagne, sunshine

apres shopping at Kelly Wearstler boutique:

Susan Serra, Will Taylor, Cheryl Kees-Clendendon

macaroons and champagne served at Dragonette Ltd.

Lynn, Emily, Gudy, Ronique, myself, Geraldine, Mindy

Krista,Will, and Tami enjoying a West Coast sunset

Click below to discover the design trends that Modenus

and BlogTour have seen lately. Since my #BlogTourLA trip, they have gone to Vegas, New York and most recently Milan!

{updates from Modenus BlogTour}

Secrets from a Macy’s Stylist ...

A few years ago, I was asked to come in to help style what was soon to be the new Macy’s Furniture Gallery at the North Shore Mall in Peabody. Under the direction of Jason West, the District Visual Manager, a team of us spent a few days adding finishing touches to the showroom floor. We hung artwork, set up lighting, arranged bookcases, accented with pillows, and “accessorized” where needed. The room above was one of my favorites — a combination of traditional and modern with a great mix of hot and cool colors. Isn’t that artwork great?! I think this room could still work today.



Back in January of 2008 when I took these pictures, the predominant colors in the showroom were red and chocolate brown. The look was heavily traditional, and many of the accent pillows featured the look of Indian textiles with bits of mirrored sparkle and lots of embroidery. My favorite piece in this room is the black metal “tree.” The other visual merchandisers had some serious stylist-envy when they saw me snag it from the stockroom first!




I was asked to come back again this year, right before the holidays, to help implement some new design schemes from the corporate office. This time around (is it really three years later?) the colors have switched over to bright yellows mixed with neutrals like gray, black, white, cream and brown. Walls were being painted gray and large scale wallpaper patterns were scheduled to be installed. New artwork included modern images like the chandeliers above, and far less landscapes and still lifes were used than last time. Faux fur throws and pillows were added to the mix to create a look of cozy-modern. And lots of metallic finishes were seen throughout the showroom.




Greens are still popular, but in smaller quantities than a few years ago. For this room I was asked to freshen it up with some new accessories. The three glass fishing floats in the large dish on the coffee table were my contribution, along with new accent pillows, a birdcage and some rearranging of the objects in the television armoire. A lot of the accessories that I found in the stockroom looked vaguely familiar to me which made re-decorating a little challenging, but these days even big department stores will reuse and repurpose objects like the rest of us. Can you see something in this space that I used back in ’08?



Books are timeless design elements. I grouped this set with spine colors that matched the rest of the room along with the horse’s saddle. I could do a whole post on horses in design ...



For this bookcase I tried to fill it up with a unique assortment of “found objects” from the design inventory. I faced some books backward in order to see the array of pages instead of the spine. My goal was to have the objects stand out as visual texture in front of the dark wood.



A styling tip that I picked up from Jason: if you have a piece of abstract art, don’t be afraid to hang it vertically or horizontally. We turned this one on its side so that it would look better in relation to the sofa below. Why not?



Jason also had me cover a few books with paper, which is a technique that I often share with my clients. If you have a lot of photo albums on your bookshelves that all have different covers, for example, try wrapping each of them in the same solid wallpaper or kraft paper. Add a number to each and they will look less cluttered and more collected.



Some new light fixtures, like this branch lamp, were a nod to one of my favorite trends – bringing the outside in. There was another table lamp that really caught my eye that I forgot to take a photo of, but luckily I just saw it recently in Rue Magazine as a favorite design pic of Kelly Wearstler (I love her sense of style). It is the industrial looking hanging light bulb table lamp shown below. Cool, huh?

Rue Issue 2 pages 28-29 featuring
design pics from Kelly Wearstler

What every vignette had in common was a large, colorful arrangement. Of course this would not work everyday when sitting a group of people around the table to eat, but for visual display it attracts attention.



I saw this guy when I was leaving on my last day. Part of me thinks he is really cute, the other feels bad for him. How do you feel about animal skin rugs (real or stylized?) Either way, animal prints are a classic trend that are forever in style.

A designer’s before and after ...

Welcome to my “room!”

The story behind this vignette is an easy one to tell as it is my own. When asked to provide a concept for our designed space at the Wenham Museum’s North Shore Design Show, we were encouraged to create a space that reflected our personal design aesthetic. On the ride home from that first meeting, I was already planning visual ways to interpret “creative resourcefulness” as my theme.

The inspiration fabric for my space: a vintage
Waverly print, found at VintageSteph

There is a lot of buzz these days about recycling, reusing what we have, designing with sustainable materials and shopping locally in an effort to be environmentally conscious. The plan for my space was to use my personal story as a way to highlight the current trend toward green decorating, and do it in a way that looked fresh and modern while using inspirational items from my past and present. The best part for me? I did not have to go far to find inspiration. I combined many items from my personal collections (curated over the past 30 years or so) with items from craigslist, vintage stores, ebay and favorite local places to shop to design a space dedicated to creative pursuits. For each time period, I used inspiration boards to show design trends that more often than not repeat themselves.

From a student desk surrounded with cherished objects from childhood, to a sophisticated grown-up space with a touch of nostalgia, my room was filled with items and images that inspire me.

Window treatments and seat cushion: Acorn Interiors, Andover, MA Chair seat: Pentucket Furniture Restoration, Haverhill, MA
Turkish rug from the 1930’s - 1940’s: First Oriental Rugs, Danvers, MA
Let’s start with a quick visit
to the 70’s and 80’s ...

I got this doll for 10 cents at a neighbor’s yard sale. My mom made the dress out of an old curtain (see my 6th birthday photo above). The white cat on the preppy colored chair (from my wallpaper as art collection) looks a lot like my childhood kitty Tomasina.

Girly-girl favorites: butterflies and friendship pins.
Butterfly cup by Beth Hylan



Do you remember pet rocks and Pappagallos?
One year on pointe shoes was enough for this dancer.

Some of my favorite books, that I read over and over again, made it to the show. I think I will reread “Mandy” one more time. Written by The Sound of Music’s Julie Andrews under the pen name Julie Edwards, it is a charming story about an orphan girl who longs for a place to call home.

A journal cover of mine, quite obviously from the eighties, and the inspiration for the disco ball hanging above my space ; )

Dear Blog Visitor,

You may not know this about me, but I have always written in a journal of some sort. My first diary was red with gold trim and it had a key. I think my brothers still managed to open it from time to time, but I cherished having a secure spot for my private thoughts (like who I had a crush on that day!) The diary I used for the show was hot pink velvet and is available through Amazon.com.
I used to read Seventeen Magazine religiously during junior high and high school. The December 1982 edition used for my show with “Think Pink!” on the cover was a must have. I paid $20 for it on ebay which was money well spent to travel back in time!

I have had a pen-pal (her name is Sandy) since 1976. The card on the desk is one of her many letters that I have saved over the last few decades. We are now friends on Facebook, and she actually came to visit me and my family for the first time a couple of years ago. She still lives on a real working farm in Indiana and has a family of her own.

Thank you for letting me re-live my childhood memories. Did you see any favorite objects that you recognized from your own childhood?

xo
yvonne
PS Did you know smiley faces are making a comeback? : )

Back to 2010 ...

As an adult, I now use my blog to pen my thoughts about design and creating an inspired life. I still like to surround myself with cherished objects ... cherished for their ability to remind me of a person, place, time or thought that is important to me.

This glass paperweight was used in last year’s design show. The Y mug was a gift from a sister-in-law (who introduced me to my husband). Bunny Williams’ book “An Affair with a House” reminds me that my home and barn have great potential.

I used to sketch this wooden model over and over again back in high school. I love how wallpapers and patterns breathe life into a room (or in this case a bookshelf). My initial has always defined me (and not many others have it!)

When I see a key, I add it to my collection. To me, they represent the ability we each have to unlock the door that opens to the world that we wish for ourselves. This vintage piece was created by my friend, Beth Hylan who has a shop called Studio B in Concord.

I am always inspired by the creative talents
and wisdom of others ...

I love decorative items that play on scale and add a touch of whimsy. Bubble balls and turf balls from CB2. Silver dish from design friend and blogger, Linda Merrill. (read about it here). A lot of design bloggers are trend-spotting dramatic black walls and this wallpaper from the 70’s ...

My grandmother used to wear the white owl above on a necklace when she took us to yard sales
(I have inherited her love for a bargain!)

I used another pendant that was Nana’s
to adorn my purse for the Preview Party.

This light was in my grandparents home, I just added a little bling to it with new crystals and a frosted white glass shade. The sewing table was a trash-to-treasure piece inspired by the lovely desk shown below, seen at the Grange showroom at the Boston Design Center ...

Flowers *always* move me. Especially when a $20 orchid from Home Depot looks so fabulous.

Bouquet flowers from Stop & Shop, used to fill this small vase, lasted the entire week of the design show, even under bright lights. Vintage squirrel from Nesting on Main. Acrylic tray on table is from CB2.

The table itself cost just $5.00 at a yard sale (I added a glass top over a square of remnant fabric). My “blogger’s desk” was $80.00 off of Craigslist. The ladder back chair was free ... I found it on the side of the road. Manchester Tan Aura paint from Benjamin Moore ties all of my pieces together.

Look closely at my large inspiration board (another DIY project) and you will see lots of photos of my family. They are quite often the reason I do what I do.

{Butterfly by Ben}

My guys enjoying the large train gallery
downstairs at the Wenham Museum.

The little details in life,
woven together, tell our story.

Thanks for visiting me – at the museum or online. While this has been my personal story, my goal is always to set the stage for someone to tell their own story in their surroundings. Every home should celebrate the people who live there, showing what is important to them, where they have been and where they are going, while providing a view of that which inspires them.

www.yvonneblacker.com