Color Obsession: Décor Noir

It isn’t exactly a light-and-breezy summer color, and yet I’m seeing black everywhere right now. (Black, it seems, is the new black.)

It’s usually rendered in lustrous, high-gloss finishes and tends to take elaborate, almost baroque forms. Call it “Goth Gone Glam.”

Here, a selection of sinfully decadent, décor-noir items that will lend a dash of drama, a hint of elegance, and a note of rock ‘n’ roll attitude to your home:

Left: The Design Can’s Deathwish Mirror, $150, available at Show; right: Harry Allen’s My Brother’s Frame, $359, from Wandrlust

Left: Baroque Chandelier, 485 pounds sterling (about $970), at Graham & Green; right: Horchow’s Carnivale Pendant Light, $149

Left: Lola Floor Lamp, $1,249, from Wandrlust; center: Shine Home’s Jasper Floor Lamp; right: Feruccio Laviani’s Bourgie Lamp, $323, from Highbrow Furniture

Left: Orange22’s Botanist Flora Bench, $1,350 at DesignPublic; right: Ostrich Side Table, 240 pounds sterling (about $480), at Graham & Green

Left: Patricia Urquiola’s T Table, $239, available from Unica; right: West Elm Mirror-Top Baroque Table, $179

Left: Shine Home’s Cary Buffet, $1,990, from Cottage & Bungalow; right: Regency Wall Bracket, $149, at Wandrlust

Left: Erich Ginder’s Ghost Tree, $1,700; right: Philippe Starck’s Louis Ghost Chair, $362, from HiveModern

Far left: Ashton Vase, $299; left center: Venus Bust, $319; right center: Victoria Hagen’s Equinox Vase, $15, at Target; right center: Nostalgi Two-Piece Candle, 9.50 pounds sterling (about $19), from Graham & Green

Left: CB2’s Sleepy Hollow Rug, $299 to $499 (also the Morocco Rug, top, $299 to $599); right: Tord Boontje’s Until Dawn Curtain, $90, at CB2

Left: Thomas Paul’s Chinoiserie Pillow, $96, from Pillows and Throws; center: K Studio’s Hawaii Rectangular Pillow, $98: right: CB2’s Vis-a-Vis Pillow, $25

Left: Florence Broadhurst Ingram Tapestry Wallpaper, $448 per roll; right: Black Velvet Grille Wallpaper, $88 per roll, both from Wandrlust

Left: William Sonoma Home’s Black Cut-Crystal Glassware, $40 to $175; center: Target’s 16-piece Damask Dinnerware Set, $40; right: CB2’s Haiku Platter, $13

(Photo at top from CB2.)

Trendspotting: Faux Bois

Trendspotting: Faux Bamboo

Etsy Find of the Day: Trace the Crooked Furrow

OK, normally I don't blog handbags or fashion or anything like that, but these bags are so lovely that I couldn't resist.

They're made by my good friend (and fabric fetishist) Kitty, who's as handy at the sewing machine as she is at the keyboard. (In addition to designing great bags, Kitty is a National Magazine Award-winning journalist and a New York Times contributor -- oh yeah, and a mother to three young kids as well. She's one of those uber-smart, pretty, funny, and creative women you'd be tempted to hate a little bit if she wasn't just so utterly fantastic.)

Kitty's brand-new Etsy shop, Trace the Crooked Furrow, showcases her abiding love for fun and funky fabrics and her incredible attention to detail: Her bags, which range from $20 to $45, have great little extras like contrasting linings, key fobs, hidden magnetic closures, and small zipper pockets for your phone, glasses, or change.

Kitty's also been experimenting with some cool mod-pog fabric stencils -- you can see them on her flickr set -- so I have my fingers crossed that she'll soon ad fabric art to the shop, too.

Check out her new shop here.

(By the way -- this darling Dotty Tote? It's so mine.)

eBay Find of the Day: Zen Head Planter

This multi-faced Buddha planter is so bizarre -- but it's sort of irresistible, too. It'd certainly be a conversation piece at your next garden party or barbecue.

Current bid: $37.

Mark Your Calendar: East Bay Open Studios

Just a head's up that this Saturday and Sunday, June 9 and 10, is the final weekend for the East Bay Open Studios.

More than 400 painters, illustrators, photographers, ceramicists, sculptors, and other artists in Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, and beyond will open their homes and studios to showcase and sell their work. The event is produced by Pro Arts, a nonprofit community arts organization.

Download a directory of open studios here -- and preview the exhibiting artists (organized by location) here.

A (small) sampling of some of the participating artists' work:
Kate Van Der Riet, Oakland

Robin Kibby, Oakland (Update: Robin will actually be at Berkeley's Live Oak Park Fair this weekend -- not at Oakland's Cricket Engine, as listed on the EBOS directory.)

Heather Chou Photography, Berkeley

Shari Arai DeBoer, Alameda

Cool Stuff: Lunar Lounge Furniture

Lunar Lounge Design is a small company in Winnipeg, Canada that specializes in retro-modern inspired furniture.


Founded in 2001 by Midcentury Modern enthusiasts Jonathan Sebastian and Colin Miller, Lunar Lounge's affordable offerings have a colorful, Atomic-Age vibe that's perfect for those who prefer a bit of fun and humor in their MCM interiors. (It's telling that Lunar Lounge's logo features an illustration of Fifties cheesecake queen Bettie Page striking a pose on one of the duo's lounge chairs.)


My favorite pieces include the diamond-pattern Argyle Storage System, top, $295 (all prices are in USD); the Bokz Chair, above, $269 to $549, which comes in a choice of orange twill, colorful vinyl, leather, or rawhide upholstery; the Eliptikal and Booma-Rang Cocktail Tables, above, $109 to $169, available in white, red, aqua, orange, brown, and black; and the Ball- and Bubble Chair-esque Orbit Lounge Chair, below, $749 to $789, which is crafted from clear Vivak or colored plastic.

Check out Lunar Lounge's complete line here.

Retail Therapy: Loot

There is absolutely nothing minimalist about Loot.

No, Loot is all about abundance. Call it "maximalist," if you will. The shop is a bit cluttered by modern standards, but gorgeously so -- you never know what kind of wonderfulness you’ll find on an artfully jumbled table or shelf in this chock-a-block space.


Located near the lower end of bustling College Avenue in Oakland's Rockridge District**, Loot bills itself as an antiques store -- but its selection is more eclectic than that. (Like the abalone-encrusted Venus, right, $1,500.) And unlike a lot of antiques stores, there's nothing fusty about the place.

The shop is owned by sought-after floral designer, author, and intrepid traveler Ron Morgan, who often brings back treasures from his far-flung journeys. (There's a notable collection of Asian antiques and objets gathered from his trips to the Far East, for instance, including the stone Buddha, $410, and ceramic ginger jar, $175, below.)
Morgan also hosts occasional sellout floral design workshops at the store. The next one, dubbed “Ordinary to Exquisite,” is June 11 -- and there's actually a spot or two left in it. (Call 510-652-3996 quick to grab a reservation.)

Loot’s offerings include a preponderance of pricey mirrored, metal, and upholstered furniture, as well as tableware, lighting (like the mercury glass lamps above, $190 to $275, and gold leaf lamp at right, $125), ceramics, prints and paintings, objects d’art, decorative items such as seashells, candles and candlesticks (the divine blue opaline glass ones, below, are $45 each), and other ephemera.


Many of the accessories seem to be in a woodland vein right now -- including twig nests ($24), concrete mushrooms ($14 to $28), moss balls of varying sizes, and an assortment of statuary bunnies, birds, and other woodland creatures. And, Morgan being a floral designer, there’s always an excellent selection of glass, ceramic, and metal vases, bottles, and other vessels on display -- many of them very reasonably priced.

Don’t miss the back room or the courtyard, either. You’ll find a lovely array of succulents as well as planters and garden accessories there.

Prices at Loot range from super expensive to downright cheap. You'll find everything from vintage chairs for $1,800 to fresh-and-funky striped candles for $6 -- and all of it beautiful and unique. (As I told a friend when I was describing the place to her yesterday, I can't buy the $1,800 circa-1960s Italian faux bois chairs, but I can certainly fondle them -- and I did.)


All things being equal, this is probably my favorite store in the entire East Bay. My husband knows not to drive within a mile of the place, lest I beg him to take a detour so that I can pop in for "just a second." More often than not, I climb back in the car with some new treasure. (On our last visit, it was the huge lantern at left, $45.)

Be sure to pop in yourself the next time you're in the area. Loot is located at 5358 College Avenue, and is open from 11 to 5 Tuesdays through Sundays.

** Update: As of October 2, 2007, Loot can be found at 3598 Mt. Diablo Blvd. in Lafayette.

A bit more Loot booty pictured below: Painting, $150; ceramic birds, $175 for the pair; vintage hatboxes, $20 to $65 each; tufted silk chairs, $750 for the pair; silver crab, $85.

Object of Lust: Ghost Tree

I saw this white tree sculpture on the table of contents in Domino magazine awhile back, and fell hard. There was no buying information for it, though, so I sent a pleading email to the magazine asking where one could find this thing of beauty. To my amazement, one of the junior editors actually wrote back with the 411.

The tree is by Seattle artist and product designer Erich Ginder. It stands nearly six feet tall, and is constructed from rubber-coated resin. It can be used as a coat rack, though I would simply place it against a bare wall (painted an intense color for contrast) and admire it for its gorgeousness alone. The price? A mere $1,700.

Here's the thing: I'm cheap -- and more often than not, broke as well. So as much as I totally dig this, it seems to me that you could just find a nice dead tree somewhere -- or even a large dead tree branch -- nail it into a base, and spray paint the whole thing glossy white for a similar effect. (Cost: Nada, plus spray paint.) I think that's what I'll do.

If you want the real (fake) thing, though, you can find it here.

Shameless Plug: My Article on Open-Plan Design on HGTV

If you're lucky enough to live in a loft or a home without a lot of walls carving up the public rooms, you know that pulling together these wide-open spaces presents as many design challenges as it does opportunities.

In that case, click on over to Home & Garden Television's website to read my new article on open-plan design, which is packed with expert tips on creating a cohesive and beautiful open space.

One of the most exciting things for me in working on this piece was having the opportunity to chat with Kenneth Brown, host of HGTV's reDesign. Of all the HGTV designers, he's the one I have the biggest design crush on (that's his own fabulous Santa Monica loft, above), and he was just as nice and down-to-earth in person as he is on TV.

Anyway, you can find the article here.

Cool Stuff: David Netto Goes Downmarket

What’s not to love about the myriad of mod nursery gear hitting the market these days? The price, for one.

Chic as it is, cutting-edge style for the minis rarely comes cheap, and $500 mobiles, $1,500 rocking chairs, and $4,000 cribs aren’t unheard of. Aside from the ubiquitous IKEA offerings, though, affordable modern nursery furniture has been lamentably hard to come by.


Enter designer David Netto -- who, after launching his own high-style, high-ticket NettoCollection five years ago, is now rolling out the comparatively cut-rate CUB line. Featuring simple, MDF-and-pine construction and pleasingly minimalist lines, the collection includes wall-mounted stacking shelves, a crib-cum-daybed, a changing-station-topped dresser, and a toybox-chair combo. With prices ranging from $299 to $575, these pieces are fresh -- and refreshingly attainable -- building blocks for the modern nursery.

Available at eGiggle.

eBay Find of the Day: Ebonized Side Tables

How completely swanky are these ebonized walnut side tables? (Don't tell PETA, but that's real zebra hide on the drawer fronts.)

I love the clean lines, the slim legs, and the deep, almost-black finish. These would look incredibly chic flanking a bed dressed with lots of luxurious white linens, and topped with a couple of fantastic lamps and a grouping of small silver vases tightly filled with fresh blooms.

Current bid: $9.99. (You heard me: $9.99.)

Cool Stuff: Not-Just-for-the-Nursery Mobiles

Who says mobiles are only for babies' rooms?

I can picture Helen Ige's winsome walnut-veneer Birds of a Feather mobile hung over a grouping of potted plants at the kitchen window, or gently twirling in the breeze in a serene adult bedroom, too.

Bonus: It comes in a frame that doubles as a stencil, so you can repeat the birds-and-branches motif on a wall or a textile.

The mobile is $65 here.

Retail Therapy: Rethinking IKEA

There was a time not so long ago (and probably after our third move in as many years, when getting rid of crappy furniture that wasn't worth being schlepped to a new house was starting to feel uncomfortably familiar) when Nick and I vowed, No More IKEA.

We were tired of the post-collegiate, I-finally-have-my-own-place-but-can't-afford-anything-decent aesthetic, the uniformly uncomfortable couches and chairs, the buyer's regret that came after something that looked great at the store was revealed to be the cheaply made hunk of garbage that it was once we got it home, and the miles of laminate and particleboard that seemed destined to choke a landfill in a few short years. And we were pleased, and a bit smug, about that decision.

But lately, I've been feeling the draw of the Swedish superstore again, and find myself inventing excuses to visit every few weeks. (For his part, Nick isn't quite there yet.) Has IKEA changed, or have I?

Maybe I'm getting tired of the

Trendspotting: Peacocks on Parade

Grrrrrr ... Deadlines

Work and other commitments have caught up with me, and it's going to be a nose-to-the-grindstone, no-blogging-fun-allowed kind of weekend (and beyond). I hope to meet my deadlines, get some rest, and be back with fresh posts on Tuesday.

Until then, hope you have a great weekend and a mellow Monday!

(Image: "God is a Typewriter," from Flickr member Jack of Nothing.)

eBay Find of the Day: Wheat Sheaf Table

In the category of Seventies Rococo decor you probably thought you'd never see again, these gilded wheat sheaf tables seem to be popping up everywhere lately.

(I wish I could put my fingers on the most recent example I spotted -- a spread on some fabulous designer's mindblowing Manhattan pad, no doubt. Was it in Elle Decor? House & Garden? Now I'm going to have to spend all weekend rooting around for it ... )

Anyway -- now you, too, can add a bit of gold-hued glitz to your digs with this wheat sheaf table base from eBay (you supply the glass top). Current bid: $50.

Objects of Lust: Found It!

I feel a bit like Monika in Domino magazine ...

Soon after I blogged about the seemingly unattainable lotus ball chandeliers and lamps from London's Graham & Green, I got an email from Jim B. alerting me to a virtually identical chandelier from our very own shopping-mall staple, Z Gallerie.

Z's 16-inch version, which costs $279, is currently out of stock -- but it sounds like more will be arriving soon. (Somehow, knowing that one of these can be had at my local home decor chain makes it a little less swoon-worthy. But it's still a gorgeous light fixture at a reasonable price. Wish they had the black, though!)

Check it out here.

(Thanks for the tip, Jim!)

Cool Stuff: Sticker Clocks

More finds from the UK's Graham & Green: Say what you will about the whole wall-decal fad -- there's no denying that these sticker clocks are totally cute, fun, and functional.


I love the sly humor and visual trickery of the red cuckoo, and adore the fresh green color and sweet motif of the bird graphic. I think I must have one for our kitchen.

The clocks are available for 18 pounds sterling (about $36) each here.

Objects of Lust: Lotus Flower Lights

When my family and I visited London a few months ago, we rented a flat in Notting Hill, a half-block from the legendary Portobello Road Market and right around the corner from a wonderful shop called Graham & Green.

Every day, either on our way out to explore the city or as we made our weary way home, I'd peer in the window and admire the absolute loveliness of these lights. Crafted from hundreds of fragile, iridescent capiz shells, the lights take the form of delicate lotus flowers and are truly breathtaking when lit. (They're even more dramatic in lustrous black.)


I wanted so badly to cart one back to California with me, but the trip alone basically cleared out our bank account. Plus, the whole two-dollars-to-the-pound thing pretty much put the kibosh on any major shopping sprees.

And these beauties do not come cheap: The lamps run 111 to 375 pounds sterling (about $222 to $750), and the chandeliers are 275 to 395 pounds (about $550 to $790), depending on size.


Still, I dream about these lights. If anyone knows of a more affordable stateside source, please let me know!

(Update: I just received an email from Graham & Greene noting that the capiz shell lights are deeply discounted -- but only until Sunday, June 3. The lamps start at 92.50 pounds -- $185 -- and the chandeliers are on sale for 192.50 to 276.50 pounds -- or $385 to $553.)