Shopping for Clients: Limn, Sacramento

New Furniture Options at Limn, Sacramento

Many of you may have heard about a shop called Limn in San Francisco. Opened in 1981, Limn quickly became an iconic source for contemporary furniture, lighting and accessories. Limn was at the forefront of bringing cutting edge European design to the United States.

What you may not know is that owner Dan Friedlander is originally from Sacramento. Dan had an affinity for his roots and opened Limn, Sacramento ....a 20,000 sq. ft. showroom with all of the chic modernity you would expect. Limn has been here for quite a number of years and is well known in the region.

Lately, Limn has been going through some changes. The economy has affected many in the design industry. Limn in San Francisco is moving to a more compact space to better serve clients there. There has been a change in Sacramento as well. A happy change, in my opinion! Limn is partnering with an import company and has some very interesting new furniture in the showroom. Unexpected styles and very unexpected price points!

Fun coffee tables can be grouped together in pairs

In times where people want a great looking mix of styles in their homes and at prices that are more affordable than in the glory days, I think this is a very smart move. It provides an opportunity for a whole new group to become acquainted with great modern design. Here is a peek....


Embossed metal nightstands and dressers of all shapes and sizes

For those of you that are unfamiliar with Limn, let me introduce you! The showroom is full of decidedly modern pieces, and the showroom is as beautiful as the furniture. Check out the website HERE for a better look.

And here are a couple of things that caught my eye.....

Wood bench with layers of different colors of wood. Great wood stool.

Lots of loungey sofas and brilliant area rugs

Calvet mirror by Antonio Gaudi above the Ligne Roset Togo sofa

Vignette with Classic Eames molded plywood screen

Colorful art and colorful furniture in a loft like setting

Amazingly versatile bookcase with expanding ends

I hope you have a chance to discover Limn yourself!

Upstairs Downstairs at the San Francisco Decorator Showcase

Last Thursday I drove to San Francisco to see the 2009 Decorator Showcase. The day was just perfect....blue skies and a bit of an ocean breeze. It promised to be a perfect day. We arrived right around noon, so we had the whole afternoon to take our time and enjoy everything. The house, built in 1910, is located in what is referred to as "the most fashionable" part of Pacific Heights. It was built as a twin in the Georgian style by architect Nathaniel Blaisdell. The Showcase occupied the twin on the left.

I have to stay what struck me as we climbed the steps to the front door were the steps themselves. They were finished in white marble and were in perfect conditon....well...as perfect as they could be at almost 100 years old.

We entered the front door and were greeted by this whimsical floral arrangement that extended from the entry level all the way up to the ceiling of the next floor. It was quite a statement and drew our attention to the beautiful balustrade. We discovered it was created by artist Yedda Morrison

The Entry, Staircase and Upper Hallway were designed by Nicole Hollis. She used an abundance of Natural Curiosities in her design which she set off with a rich grey paint color on the ceiling and on the cabinet housing the items.

I love the striking contrast between the white trim and grey paint colors as the backdrop for the natural colors of the objects in the case and the soft grey of the hide upholstered chairs.

I am glad the hall was so interesting, or I would have passed it right by to get to the Living Room which was designed by one of my favorite designers: Myra Hoefer. She has an incredible talent for creating rooms that are both relaxed and elegant.

I was just lucky to catch this image showing a dreamy quality with the sun's rays coming through the window. Myra had created shutters that were upholstered with what looked like white leather with nail head trim. There were beautiful ivory linen covered sofas with generously scaled silk covered pillows in soft grey and a citron-y gold.

When I saw this John Dickinson table, I swooned a little. (I heard it is for sale by the way.....for so much more than I could afford, I am afraid I have forgotten the amount!)

The color palette was just so beautiful....again the soft grey silk taffeta for the drapery panels and ivory linen slipper chairs.

The sconces above the fireplace caught my eye: handmade white plaster made in France. They flank and large antique gold framed mirror. Myra is a master at scale I think.

There were two paintings and a few original sculptures by Wade Hoefer. There was so much more in this room that my poor little camera could not adequately capture....you will just have to see for yourself!

The Dining Room was adjacent to the Living Room, and was designed by another design great, Orlando Diaz-Azcuy. Of course, the first thing that caught our eye was the very dramatic "Big Bang' chandelier from Limn. An amazing focal point to be sure. The designer used this piece as a very "today" solution " showing confidence, rather than the aspiration shown by using a copy of a traditional chandelier, as is commonly done." I think it was quite successfully used. (I also overheard it is for sale as well!....any takers?)

The Dining Chairs are also a Diaz-Azcuy design for McGuire Furniture.

We seemed to recognize many of the items in the beautiful collection of white running down the table. We asked the docent, and yes....many are from the personal collection of Mr. Diaz-Azcuy.

This table was one of my favorite things in the Showcase. The flatware is a Diaz-Azcuy design, and the violet stemware is beautifully mismatched and are set off against the white vases. They are also part of the designer's own collection. I love how the dinner plates, with their traditional black and white pattern, contrast with the caviar dishes...a simple rectangle of glass with it's own glass spoon.

The Family Room and Breakfast Room were designed by the very talented Matthew Leverone. There were so many things I loved about this room: the amazing coffee table....

The cozy ottomans...

The beautiful and graphic console in front of the windows....just to name a few. I great combination of really interesting furniture pieces grounded with a calm and serene color palette.

The Breakfast Room by the same designer had a very appealing sculptural quality...again very serene in it's simplicity. I was quite taken with these two rooms!

By this time, I was"catching" the uniting element from room to room. There was a recurrence of soft foggy greys mixed with a warm golden glow. The Kitchen presented this palette through the use of zinc for the counter tops and custom hood, and the beautiful light fixture floating like a sun kissed cloud. (The Liana S. Pendant by Aqua Creations)

I do have a "thing" for the Heath Ceramics tile above the range I must admit.

I thought this was such a clever way to create some drama in an otherwise ordinary small hallway. It look like there is a window right across from this door, right? Well you would be wrong. It was a custom light filter (gobo) shining a window mullion and tree leaf pattern on this foggy grey door.

This house has four levels....so we decided to head down to the lower level. Not sure what to expect, we ended up finding a perfect small jewel of a space designed by Darin Geise of the fabulous shop, Coup D'Etat. It measured all of 8 feet wide, but was packed with atmosphere.

It was fully paneled in what appeared to be reclaimed barn wood....a wonderful backdrop to the Renaissance Portraits and tufted upholstery. My photo of the pendant light did not do it justice I am afraid.

The perfect little hideout for reading...perhaps Jane Austin....ok....War and Peace?

Another little space with it's fair share of personality was the Vintner's Vault designed by Michelle Wempe of Zumaooh.

We were tempted....we really were.

With Four Floors of packed with design inspiration, this first installment has covered the "Downstairs" levels. There are quite a few rooms that my camera could not adequately capture. So, if you are in the Bay Area, I hope you have a chance to visit the Showcase! It is truly well worth your attention. This Memorial Day Weekend is the last weekend! Tickets are available at the door. For more inforamtion, please click here.

On Monday, I will take you "Upstairs" for more glamourous interiors!

It really was a fantastic day by the Bay!

Happy Birthday!

We have been celebrating my better half's birthday all weekend, so I have been lucky enough to have combined the partying with a little blog post research:

We started off having dinner with friends Saturday night at one of my favorite restaurants, L Wine Lounge and Urban Kitchen. The owners, Marcus and Kolea Marquez have put together a place that is stylish and serves fabulous food. Top that with superb service and I am one happy camper. Their wine list is nothing short of fantastic as well. Above is a photo of the front lounge area where we started off with wine and cocktails. Sofas are by Cassina designed by Jean Marie Massaud and available through Limn.

Here is the owner Marcus with L.A. based architect, and childhood friend, Kristi Lamay Daggett.

The interiors were finished with the help of furniture designer William Earle. This was his first foray into Interior Design. Utilizing his furniture design expertise, he created custom furniture pieces for the space as well as architectural features such as the back bar and wine vault. William has worked in the past with clients such as Courtney Cox, Macy Gray, Kevin Spacey, Bergdorf Goodman and SF MOMA.

We had a fabulous meal out on the patio. Small plates shared by all consisted of Onion Tartine with local greens, Pommes Anna, Gnudi with fresh English peas....I could go on...there were many and all delicious!

For more information and photos of the restaurant please visit their website!

Sunday, we had a Birthday Dinner at our house with the kids and my Mom. We are under construction in the backyard, but the weather was calling us to sit outside, so we set up a table on our front porch:

The better half requested Grilled Fish Tacos for dinner (MahiMahi and Ono). We went with that and had Strawberry Pina Coladas (the kids had a blast whipping these up)....and salad with Jicama, oranges, avocado and pepitas, and guacamole and chips. MMmmm.

Cheers to the better half! Happy Happy Birthday!