My Dream Home, This Week: Seven and Eight Home.

Happy Monday! Last week went by so quickly! The other day, I clicked over to one of my favorite online stores, Seven and Eight Home. I discovered the store is temporarily off-line, but the home used to showcase their wares is displayed. The photographer or photographers, I'm not really sure; is Graham Atkins-Hughes. The house is called Location 78. I don't have too much more info. about it...I am not completely sure that it is actually a real home or just a set. Regardless, this dramatic moody house would suite me just fine.

Currently, one of my favorite design details is the use of ornate ceiling medallions. I especially love when they are used with contemporary light fixtures. I've been considering adding a detail like this to my bedroom. I would love to see such a beautiful detail, first thing in the morning!

The total absence of personal details, makes me think this is not a real home, but the simplicity of design is what I fantasize about! I wish I could live with a minimal amount of furniture and objects. Unfortunately, I haven't figured out how to do that yet. I realize most people don't want to live without furniture, but I think everyone can appreciate the beauty of this home, anyway.

Fairy Tales

I was looking back at this last weeks posts, and felt they had an underlying theme. The pictures remind me of some of my favorite fairy tales. From the "Image of the Week", to the upside down showroom of Viktor-Rolf. As I looked through some of my recent Flickr favorites, I thought they shared the same theme. Here is a collection of fairy tales told through photography...maybe I'm watching too many cartoons with Liam.The first three photos remind me of my favorite story, Alice in Wonderland. I know most little girls dream about being Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty, but I always wanted to be Alice. All those absurd and bizarre adventures, are so fascinating! Anyway, the first picture is of an art display here in Houston called the Inversion House. It isn't up anymore but you can see more photos (Here). The cutie Cheshire cat is from Boopsie Daisy, and last week's "Image of the week" is the work of Rachel Johnston.




































The second fairy tale is obviously Snow White. The "poisonous" apple is from Jurgen Kreileder. The prettiest Snow White I have ever seen is also from Boopsie Daisy. Finally, another of my favorites, "The Wizard of Oz". These "ruby slippers" are from "Door Sixteen's" photo-stream.

Dream Land

I feel these photos were taken in a dream. This is the work of Sarah Jones.

This is Not an Optical Illusion.

No, I didn't upload the photos the wrong way! The entire Viktor-Rolf showroom is built upside down. I think my favorite part is the parquet floor...uh, ceiling. Lana if you are reading this, I thought of you when I saw it :)
Image via: Brocade Design

I Need This...

A vintage trunk, enclosed in lucite. This is a fanastic coffee table from Turquoise. To make it even better, it is also on wheels!

Maira Kalman

Don't miss an interview with Maira Kalman at Inspiration Boards!

If you are not familiar with Maira, you do not know what you are missing. She is an illustrator and artist among other things. I featured her book The Principles of Uncertainty (here). Besides her work, Maira is known as a personality. Her quirky and hilarious observations of every day life are truly unique. Her sense of humor is what I relate to the most. I absolutely love her outlook!

The Slow Home Movement.

I found a fascinating site called The Slow Home. It is an international movement dedicated to fighting suburban sprawl. Basically, its goal is to encourage people not to discard existing older neighborhoods, for the flashier; built over-night subdivisions. This idea is something I am very passionate about, and that is why I love this site. When I first moved to Houston, I lived in the suburbs; in a cookie-cutter house. Honestly, I had never lived in such an upscale neighborhood. What I soon discovered was that I felt like any amount of creativity had been choked out of the entire area. Everyone had the same house, same cars, same furniture, etc. I quickly grew to be very unhappy. Since then, Mark and I gave up our big home for a much older tinier one. Obviously, older homes have their share of problems; but the proximity to town and the sense of community; makes it worth it. At some point, we hope to move to a larger home, but we can't go back to the suburbs.

(Levitt Goodman House)

The Slow Home site has a huge amount of info. for anyone looking to improve their older home. It also has lots and lots of wonderful pictures. These are a few of my favorites.

I am CRAZY about the classic and retro feel of this townhouse. The wood floors and original moldings really make this home. I also love the marble surround for the tub.

(West Village Townhouse)

(Barsky/Haase addition)

Been Tagged...Here's an A to Z Guide.

I've been tagged, by Courtney! So here is some info. about me that covers everything from A to Z.

A: Attached or Single? Attached to my wonderful husband Mark :)
B: Best Friend? Sounds corny, but Mark again and Sara who has been my friend since middle school.
C: Cake or Pie? Hmmm, difficult to say, I love them both. I guess pie...cherry or chocolate anything.
D: Day of Choice? Friday, this is often my quiet day, when I hang at the coffee shop.
E; Essential Item? My camera, of course!
F: Favorite Color? Green always green.
G: Gummy Bears or Worms? Bears!!!!
H: Hometown? Amarillo, TX. Land of the Cadillac Ranch, cattle ranchers, and miles of open fields. We don't have too many more claims to fame.
I: Indulgence? The same Friday mornings at the coffee shop. Since becoming a mom, quiet time is the most luxurious thing I can have.
J: January or July? May really...but I will say July. I love sunny days.
K: Kids? One...he turned 3 this weekend! I'm starting to miss the whole baby thing.
L: Life isn't complete without? Good music.
M: Marriage date? December 1999. As we prepared to get married, we were planning for the inevitable power outages of Y2K!
N: Number of brothers and sisters? 1 of each, and I am the baby.
O: Oranges or apples? Oranges.
P: Phobias and fears? Ah, talking about my fears.
Q: Quote? I wish I had something profound to say, but I don't. I do live by a lot of traditional Spanish "dichos". "Preguntando se llega a Roma", "No hagas cosas buenas que parecen malas".
"By asking, you can reach Rome", "Don't do good things that appear like bad ones". I learned them from my mother and grandmother.
R: Reason to smile? My family, sunny days, and putting the two together.
S: Season of choice? Spring, there are so many flowers and not too much heat.
T: Tag three people? Brown Turtleneck Sweater, My Notting Hill, Design for Mankind.
U: Unknown fact about me? I have no idea! If anyone wants to know something, ask me...I've gone blank.
V: Vegetable? Asparagus.
W: Worst habit? Procrastinating.
X: X-ray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound, I'll never forget the first time I saw my little guy.
Y: Your favorite food? Fajitas!
Z: Zodiac sign? Libra.

Happy Weekend

This Concrete Pod by Architect Kazuya Morita is a piece of Sculptural beauty. Just think of all the different applications for this amazing piece.........

"Concrete-pod" is micro-space furniture for private and public use made of extremely thin concrete. In the dome, because of its minimal scale, it makes us more sensitive and relax perhaps like when we are in a traditional tea-house CHA-SITSU. It was exhibited in "Concrete Art Museum 2005" in Nagoya, Japan.

"Concrete-pod" is made from fiber reinforced concrete, which is the mixture of white cement and light-weight aggregate and glass fiber. By application of Japanese traditional plasterer's skill SAKAN, it was plastered on the dome-shaped mould by a trowel. After hardening, the mould of Styrofoam was dismantled and removed.

The diameter and the height of "Concrete-pod" is 1700mm each, thickness of shell is 15mm only. A minor axis of a hen's egg is about 40mm and thickness is 400 micron, so it means this concrete-shell is just like an expansion of a hen's eggshell. Though it's "hen's egg thin", "Concrete-pod" has the enough strength that a grown-up man can climb up. Even when you are in the "Concrete-pod" which is tenderly covered by the concrete-shell, you can feel the outside environment through the number of the holes, so it makes us feel indoor and outdoor at the same time, and takes us to the sensitive feeling and deep relaxation in the nature.

Patricia Gray writes about Interior Design inspirations, emerging trends, and the world of Design.
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Easter Dresses.

(Me, Circa 1981)

I'm curious to know how many of you still go out and buy new Easter dresses. When I was growing up, that was one of the highlights of the year! The frilly dress with matching shoes, stockings, and hair bows. And don't forget the Easter basket. Somewhere along the way, this stopped being as important for me. I still keep Easter as an important holiday and time of observance, but I forgot about the new dress. I guess life got so busy, I just forgot. Funny enough, this weekend is also Liam's birthday. I went to buy some new clothes for him, when I realized how many girls were busy shopping for their own dresses. I can honestly say it was the first time in a couple of years that I wanted to buy an Easter dress for myself. Of course, the store had been almost bought out of everything! Needless to say, I still didn't get the dress...but next year I will be more ready.

P.S. I was tagged by the lovely Courtney yesterday. I've been a little busy so I can't get to that until next week. I do enjoy being tagged, for whatever reason; so I promise to participate after this busy weekend.
I hope everyone enjoys this holiday weekend and let me know if you get all dressed up :)

Thank you for all the fun comments, I will be back on Tuesday!

Blogs I Love: Bodie and Fou

I realize last week I didn't post my Blogs I Love article, but I'm back on track this week. A pretty recent find is Bodie and Fou. Two French sisters living in the UK, own an online boutique, also called Bodie and Fou. The blog features their enviable homes and lifestyles. Also, they often write about fascinating product designers and architects.
This blog has a distinctive French feel. Very laid-back and yet so fabulous. Every picture has such effortless style, they make wish I could be transported to Provence. Personally, what I love to see and strive to achieve, is this type of beauty that feels welcoming and relaxing. I don't see the point of a home where you can not touch anything w/out messing it up. A home should be a place where one goes to relax and find comfort....I'll get off my soapbox now!

Why Didn't I Think of This?

I'm so mad at myself for not having thought of this! Jenifer of Nectar and Light (formerly Athena Says), began a photo blog for her four year old daughter. Adie Loves Polly, chronicles the toddler's point of view, via her mother's Polaroid camera. I don't know if it's the mommy in me, but I think this so adorable!! I already know I am going to copy this idea. I don't have a Polaroid, but a disposable camera could work too. I guess with supervision, I could let Liam use my small digital camera. He already has a toy camera that he uses to mimic me taking pictures from all angles...its hilarious. This is such a great idea for baby books, or gifts. I can imagine grandparents would love to see pictures from a little one's perspective. Hmmm, Mother's Day is coming soon.

Nursery Wallpaper

How cute is this wallpaper?  It is some of the nicest wallpaper I have seen for children's rooms.  It is from a British company called Fromental. Established in 2005,  Fromental produces a beautiful line of hand painted wallpapers.  The Company is headed by Tim Butcher, former seven years Creative Director of world-renowned hand-painted Chinoiserie house de Gournay.  Their latest line is called "Brainchild" (I love that name), and is a mini collection of 3 fun layouts for children's rooms.  The pictures show the colorways available in each series.  The schematic shows how the panels go together to create a mural on the wall.