Well THIS is Exciting: The First Ever Elle Decor Showhouse

Just in case you did not flip through every page of the latest Elle Decor ( I know most of you must have, just like I do! But just in case....), I wanted to draw your attention to the newest Showhouse on the scene. Elle Decor is partnering with the Junior League of San Francisco this Fall to create their first Showhouse in the historic St. Francis neighborhood. The Showhouse will be open to the public starting November 6.

The line up of designers is studded with stars! I am expecting a stellar event. Our blog friend, Grant Gibson has a peek at his design on his blog HERE.

I have already marked my calendar. I hope you are doing the same!

More info HERE and HERE.

You can bet I will keep you posted along the way.

San Francisco Decorator Showcase 2010, Part III

On the first floor of the San Francisco Decorator Showcase, there is a jewel of a room created by the super talent Darin Giese of , what I call, San Francisco's answer to design heaven, Coup d'Etat. If you have never been there, it should be first thing to visit on your next trip to the City by the Bay.

As soon as you enter this "Hall of Wisdom and Enlightenment" you can just feel the wheels turning in the mind of Darin....a creative juggernaut. Just so you know....everything in the space is from Coup d'Etat....just in case something strikes your fancy.....from the fabulous terracotta finials, to the very chic dove grey leather sofa with the bullion fringe, to the custom light fixtures

made from vintage Amish cart wheel rims and grain cages.

Darin designed this brilliant canopied wing back chairs especially for the Showcase. Can inanimate objects send you into a swoon like they do me? I get the feeling we will be seeing more of this design in the next few years. What a perfect spot to curl up next to the fire and read the Arabian Knights.

The metal cage light fixture here used to be Great Plains grain cages according to Darin. It seems there is nothing that Darin and his Coup d'Etat cohorts cannot conjure into something unique and perfectly amazing.

And what would a Hall of Wisdom be without lots of leather bound books looked after by a flock of crows...very Edgar Allen I'd say. The light fixture was made from 20th century buggie wheel rims.

The painting is entitled Taiho Rock and is by artist Topher Delaney. It hangs above a custom English Baroque style bench upholstered in jet black hide....(can be custom ordered as well).

Here is the genius in his natural habitat, Darin Geise....hugely down to Earth and so very nice. Thanks for taking the time to talk with us Darin!

We could have stayed much longer.....but it was back out to the Foyer where we met Shirley Robinson owner of Robinson Finishes. She is standing in front of her hand-painted silk panels, which are a part of her beautiful new line of custom hand-painted wall coverings collection, now available at Michael Taylor Designs showrooms.

Here are just a couple of my favorites designs from Shirley's collection. Coral reimagined....

And the gracefully original and unexpected jelly fish...

So much fun to see this new collection!

Next up.....the Bedrooms!!!! And they are fantastic!

As I was Passing through Healdsburg on the way to Mendocino......

Myra Hoefer Design Storefront

.....Tim and I had to stop at the Myra Hoefer Design Showroom for a little look-see. Myra Hoefer is a doyen of the Sonoma County design community and, in my humble opinion, a master at combining the casual "California" style with chic French and hip modern. She brings her style to the international community as well, having designed a series of apartments in Paris. She even has an Atelier which is available for any of you traveling to Paris needing a place to stay. Can you imagine staying in a Myra Hoefer designed apartment in Paris?!? Heaven! More on that HERE.)

Front Window Display

Her showroom embodies her aesthetic, with objects and furniture from locals such as Paris, to Bay Area based Oly Studio, to modern classics by John Dickinson (wonderful article about Mr. Dickinson over at the Style Saloniste blog HERE).

You may remember Myra's beautiful contribution to the San Francisco Decorator Showcase I posted HERE.

Beautiful French Chairs and a Wade Hoefer Painting

Hop on over the the House Beautiful interview with Myra on their website HERE. There are more pictures of her showroom too.

THIS article in the San Francisco Chronicle is also worth a look.

The Showroom Main Floor

For those of you traveling to Northern California and the Wine Country, Healdsburg , a beautiful town in the heart of the Wine Country, is full of wonderful shops and restaurants. Stay for the day, or overnight at one of the many B&B's or Hotels. And don't forget to stop in and say "hi" to Myra!

SHOWTIME HOUSE!!!!!

Everybody loves a good Showhouse, right? We are used to seeing them in the Spring and maybe there are a few during the holiday season. But our craving is usually put on hold in the Fall.

Well, we are in luck, because this Fall, starting the weekend of September 12, Metropolitan Home's second annual Showtime House is slated to open to the public. Met Home and Showtime are partnering for a second season bringing their cutting edge cable TV hits to life with the design talents of some of the country's most notable designers.

The event takes place in New York at the Tribeca Summit: "a collection of elegant loft residences created from an historic former warehouse." To learn more about the building (pictured above), click here.

Let's cut to the chase here. So, what shows are providing the inspiration and who are the designers? That's what was formost in my list of questions.

Each designer has been assigned a room and a Showtime Series:

Can you just imagine?

And the designer lineup:

1) Marie Aiello, Dexter Foyer, Living and Dining Room, Kitchen, and Terrace

2) Matthew Berman and Andrew Kotchen, Nurse Jackie Waiting Room Lounge and Triage Garden

3) James Biber, Weeds Dining Room

4)) Christopher Coleman and Angelo Sanchez, Nurse Jackie Master Bedroom

5) Markus Dochantschi, Californication Master Bedroom

6) Susannah C. Drake, Californication Outdoor Living Room

7) Francine Gardner, United States of Tara Duplex Apartment

8) Joannah Kornak for Holly Hunt, Californication Master Bedroom and Balcony

9) Paul Latham, Weeds Lounge
10) Piero Lissoni with Nicoletta Canesi, Lissoni Associati, Tudors Dining Room and Exterior

11) James Lord, Roderick Wyllie, and Geoff di Girolamo, United States of Tara and Weeds Outdoor Rooms

12) Kara Mann, United States of Tara Multiple Personality Room

13) Richard Mishaan, The Tudors Small Study and Sitting Room

14) Glenn Wallace and the Savannah College of Art and Design, Foyer

For more info on the fab fourteen above click here.

If you are like me and just can't wait til September, here's a bit of a sneak peak.

And for those of you who can't keep away, you can find out more info on tickets and such here.

And just for a bit of fun......

Kirsten Brant's Cafe/Lounge from Metropolitan Home's Showtime House 2008

Click here for the sizzling slideshow of last year's event!

Modern by Design Showhouse 2009: Last Stop

Last Stop: Top Floor!

The Top Floor of the Modern by Design Showhouse was a show stopper! At the top of the stairs was the large Family Room designed by that purveyor of “Sophisticated Fun”, Jay Jeffers. Jay has been noted in House Beautiful’s Top 100 and has graced the pages of Metropolitan Home and Elle Decor numerous times.

His room for this Showhouse shows off his talents yet again. A sunshine-y color palette makes you feel immediately upbeat, and there was an abundance of great ideas.

The main seating area was grounded by a fantastic geometric cowhide area rug designed by Jay and put together by Kyle Bunting. The sofa is another custom JDG design. Note the subtle crenelation across the back. The high back club chairs are from Modern One, and the coffee table is by Paul Evans. The light fixtures were another custom design and made by McEwen Lighting Studio.

Remember that sofa back? Well, it is echoed again in the design of the fireplace surround. And I loved the side table between the chairs: a vintage scale from Coup d’etat.

This one-of-a-kind beauty was a custom design by Paul Benson. Yellow lacquer console with yellow brass and aluminum with a bamboo interior (bamboo interior! All things were considered here.) The art above is Untitled, but described as a “Yankee Septic Emergency” (Hahahaha!) by Gregory Crewdson available through Berggruen Gallery.

I loved the game table and it’s industrial chic look (Coup d’etat). The base was made from an iron buffing machine circa 1900. Jay Jeffers designed the rug to look like a tree stump (Mark Nelson Designs), and also the game table chairs (C. Mariani) ….amazing designs!

I was taken with the design of the Loft steps and how they were also used for library shelving. So clever! And the leather covered panels are barn doors for bedrooms on either side. The chairs are Austrian secessionist elm wood burl circa 1880 from Epoca.

Jay put in a couple of seating areas in this loft space. Kind of a fun little hideaway! Fun faux wood grain fabric on the chaise is from Dogwood Fabrics. And the Ikat fabric on the drape is from Belfour. Interesting lighting idea: lining up a series of spyglass sconces from Circa Lighting. I have never seen this done before.

JDG also designed the Powder Bath which I thought was really handsome. The vanity is another custom design by JDG produced by Metropolis Metal Works (who also did the fireplace surround). The mosaic tile is made from cork!!! (Habitus Inc. ) The other thing that caught my eye was the wallpaper: a trellis print on grasscloth by Studio Printworks. Fresh and fun.

There was so much here to see, I could not capture it all! You will just have to come in person!

Jay Jeffers, Jeffers Design Group

Jay was so gracious and quite dapper in this picture, I think. His tie fits in perfectly with the scheme. He was so fun to talk to and had so many fantastic ideas in this room!

There were two “his and hers” bedrooms off of the Family Room designed by the architectural partnership of Min Day. E.B. Min and Jeffrey L. Day created duel spaces that are young and fresh. They designed a pierced panel closet door in a sort of wave pattern that hides a Murphy bed. Nicely set off by the blue green desk area. Fun carpet tile by FLOR. Wood stool designed by Min Day.

In the “girl’s” room, the dot idea was carried out with paint stenciled in a cloud pattern. Really a great idea for a child’s room! More “dots” on the floor (FLOR carpet tile)

The bathroom was an “ode to green” with it’s apple green paint and glass tile (Walker Zanger) Happy and striking in it’s monochromatic palette.

It was a refreshing way to end the tour of the interiors here!

But there is more outside!!! Surfacedesign is the genius behind the outside spaces. This first space is the rooftop terrace which was decked in an angled pattern and furnished with soft “sculpture”.

The downstairs patio was a study in black and white. There was modern wood paneling installed as sculpture and stained black Throwing Rock Studio created the concrete pads and bench. The white strips in the concrete are LED lights that glow with a blue light at night. Quite stunning.

The space had a very liveable quality but at the same time was a sort of interactive art piece in and of itself. Quite beautiful.

The birdbath was formed out of the end of the bench. It reminded me of Indian grinding rocks filled with rain water.

And one of the talents behind Surfacedesign is principal Roderick Wyllie who was on hand to chat about the landscape design and his company. Do check out the Surfacedesign website to see more genius at work.Roderick Wyllie, Surfacedesign

I hope you have a chance to get over to the Modern by Design Showhouse this weekend….the last weekend BTW! There is so much I was not able to show you (my little camera can only do so much!) And so much more you really should see!

I wanted to thank all of the designers I was able to meet for being such great hosts in the very hectic hours before the opening Gala. It was truly a pleasure meeting them all. As varied as their styles are, there were clearly traits common to them all. They are all passionate about what they do every day, and the enthusiasm for the clients with whom they work is palpable. It was inspiring to see their designs….but perhaps even more inspiring to see the kind of people they are: really interested in the world and the people in it.

(And a special thanks to Cheminne Taylor-Smith of Metropolitan Home!)

Modern by Design Showhouse III: Level Two

There always seems to be great design in the Bedrooms of a Showhouse, and the Modern by Design Showhouse was no different. From the top of the stairs, I caught some bold stripes in one of the rooms. Naturally a curious person, I had to check it out first thing. It turned out to be the “Boy’s Room” designed byMartha Angus. Fun and very cool. The huge photograph of the Rollerblader in the desert by Richard Misrach created almost another “window” on the world. Great textures, color pops and just alot of very cool stuff, like the Brillo accent table from Warhol Denied and vintage orange floor lamp from Coup D’Etat. The rug is from Pottery Barn….so put that on your list of “do-able” interior design!

I love this French industrial iron cabinet from Epoca. The way everything works together here: the dark green wall paper stripe (Kneedler Faucher), the texture of the rug, The orange light fixtures, the graphic wall art, and one-of-a-kind finds like this cabinet takes an artistic eye, and a bold confidence. Martha Angus has these attributes in spades.

The bathroom design is by Philip Parton who worked with Martha to create a space that works perfectly with the bedroom. Note the inexpensive black chicken wire floor tile is grouted with red grout. Nice and inexpensive way to jazz it up! I love how he painted the whole space red, ceiling included, and how the mirror works so well with the bedroom art.

Martha Angus studied at the Ecole Des Beaux Arts and Carnegie Mellon, going on to do projects for Ralph Lauren, Giorgio Armani and the Lauder family. She brings a fine arts approach to her work mixing modern and antique with finesse and style.

The Library was designed by Nicole Hollis. (You may remember Nicole from the last San Francisco Showhouse I posted. She had done the First and Second Floor Hallways.) How she found the time to do two spectacular Showhouse designs back to back I cannot imagine! She has boundless energy and imagination to spare.

The Library is modern and chic, just like Nicole, and is full of “groovy” accents like the yellow 8-track tape player, and Jonathan Adler’s Luciana vase.

Nicole sourced the “Como” goatskin area rug from The Rug Company and customized the ceiling fixture from Jason Miller Studio. The custom white shutters are a brilliant answer to treat these windows above the fireplace mantle.

This room has a sort of “James Bond” allure and a “Groovy Baby” chic factor that had me smiling . It was quite the hang out at the Showhouse Gala. People didn’t want to leave…so the party just kept getting bigger in here until it was wall to wall people.

Nice work Nicole. Very nice!

Nicole Hollis

The Guest Room was designed by Dowling Kimm Studios. Julie Dowling and Lorissa Kimm joined forces in 2001 after both having had stints at Princeton earning degrees in Architecture and both having worked in the offices of Michael Graves.

They have put together a soothing retreat here focusing on comfort and the arts. A serene palette and organically modern furniture set the tone for rest and relaxation.

Nice combination here: Leather chair, root table, Rosemary Hallgarten fur pillow, Merida Meridian wool and sisal area rug.

Love.

Art: “ The Raiders” by Conrad Marca-Relli and Sculpture": Untitled by Wilfred Zogbaum through Addison Fine Arts. Bench by Chista. Pillows by Rosemary Hallgarten.

We made it to the Master Bedroom after much “oohhing and aahhing”, and met up with designer Gary Hutton for even more. Gary was amazing. He had such interesting stories behind each and every design choice that we were glued to the room. We were literally asked to move along to the next room so the next press group could come through. I won’t be able to recount all of the stories, but here are a few of them.

We entered the space along a narrow hallway that most people would just hang art on and call it a day. But Gary has a mind that reaches beyond us mere mortals. See all the “dots” on the wall? (Well, actually Swarovski “pearls”) Kind of an interesting random placement. Very artistic and all. But then Gary told us they represent all of the seismic activity throughout North America. You can see Mexico there by his right hand.

Gary Hutton, Designer

Gary was such a great host in his space. He created much of the furniture and sounded like he was having the best time doing everything. This chair is one of his designs. I like the contrast between the slick metal and the textured flower petal fabric.. The fabric used for the drapery panels is made from 100% recycled soda bottles and was VERY affordable! It looks just like felted wool.

The Master Bedroom was sleek and modern, but very comfortable as well. The “wow” factor came in with the Artemide light fixture that slowly changed colors. I caught it on it’s pink cycle. When turned off, it looks like silver mylar.

Notice the nightstands: See the very well-known Frank Geary cardboard nesting tables on the right? Originally Gary had intended to use matching night tables. But another set could not be found in time.

Here is where chutzpah in a a designer really pays off. Gary decided to make his own cardboard table. And the story doesn’t stop there. He told us that he came in the room when the workmen were still touching up paint, and one of them was standing on his creation paint brush in hand(the glass top had not been added yet). The workman had understandably thought it was a pile of trash. (We were laughing so hard at Gary’s telling of the story, I think we scared off a couple of people.)

Gary designed the desk in the study, and you can just make out the size twelve Lucite stiletto's under it. Another story there.

The art photograph is called “High Fashion Crime Scene”, one of a series by Melanie Pullen. If only she hadn’t been wearing those Prada pumps, she might have made it to the phone in time.

Mr. Hutton also designed the Master Bath using Walker Zanger floor tile (gorgeous, no?), Kohler glass vessel sinks and WoodMode Cabinets. Sleek and sophisticated.

Gary created a custom screen to divide the bath from the toilet area. Quite handsome I think. Go on….look a little closer….

HAHAhaha! SOoo CLEAN and modern ….and it smells good too! Now do you understand why we had a hard time leaving?

Gary Hutton and Ivory Soap

Next up: Top Level with the Jay Jeffers and his “Sophisticated Fun”, a Min Day Bathroom, and gardens by Surfacedesign and styled by Throwing Rock Studio.