THOUGHT PATTERNS

The Snail House

I'm not sure I would want to live in this house, but it sure is amazing. Hurray for such creative approach and imagination. There should be more unusual architecture out there. It belongs to the famous cricket player Sachin Tendulkar. It's located in Mexico City.

 

I wish you all a wonderful and creative day!

 

xoxoxo

 

(via izismile}

Color Extraordinaire

I love Hunt Slonem's paintings, especially his Pink Butterflies...

 

oil/canvas, 93x133"

... and Play of Consiousness...

 

 

 

oil/canvas, 68x96"

 

And I am so completely charmed and amused with his 89 (!) room studio, which is overflowing with glorious color and completely filled with his paintings. Beware, what you are about to see is a lot of very striking, technicolor (think Wizard of Oz) photos (I couldn't decide which ones to post so I posted many!), you might end up color shocked!

 

Here we go...

 

 

 

  

 

 

Asked if all this color is to banish sadness, Slonem responded: "It helps, yeah. And these colors were used in the 18th century, they were used in the 19th century. We grew up in the 50s and everything was white or pale blue. I was so thrilled when I went to Bermuda and saw purple houses."

 

 

 

 

 

Slonem paints in the company of his many (around 70) parrots and parakeets, all housed within the room where he works - the only white room in the place. He's almost a slave to his birds - he spends first two hours of the day caring for them, the rest of the day painting them.

 

 

 

 

Wonderful color galore...

 

But I think the plant room with the striped chair is where I would hang around the most!

 

xoxoxo

 

{photos via Hunt Slonem, New York Social Diary}

A Toledo Crush

I have such a huge crush on Isabel and Ruben Toledo. Isabel is a great fashion designer (she designed Michelle Obama's lemongrass yellow inauguration dress and coat) and Ruben is a fantastic artist who, amongst other things, painted those magnificent murals taht worked as a backdrop for the models in Nordstrom ads.

They are so unique and quirky, bohemian and chic, I just love them, but also because...

"... theirs is a remarkable love affair, they have been together for over two decades (both are now 45) and their creative collaboration spans fashion design, painting, illustration, and even mannequin making... they are mutual muses..."

 

"...their apartment is a creator's paradise, where the smallest bit of inspiration (a bicycle wheel, a sketch, a portrait of Isabel) is hoisted up into Calderesque mobiles, while walls double as canvases..."

"... Isabel, with her high forehead, classic face, and cinched waist, looks as if she just stepped out of an Ingres portrait and Ruben, channels a matinee screen idol with his pencil-thin mustache, manicured hair waves, and flood-length pants..."

"... Isabel's preferred form of exercise is the untrendy hula hoop... describes her aesthetic as "Victorian in a weird way, very proper and very covered up," Ruben’s wardrobe consists of suits that are custom-made by his wife and his beloved carpenter pants that are purchased at the local hardware store..."

"... she uses her husband's discarded sketches as her personal stationery... says "We experience art. We're makers."

"... Ruben first made his übersleek mannequins for Barneys in 1989 and used his wife's slim body as the cast model."

 

"...They see no distinction between their work and their life. "We're not trying to finish something to start something we love. We love it the whole time."

Aren't they just wonderful?!

Here are some of the Nordstrom ads, with Ruben's murals...

 

And first family in Isabel Toledo...

 

xoxoxo

{most of the descriptive text snatched from the article in Harper's Bazaar, photos via Harper's Bazaar, Verbosecoma, Fashion Lawyer, The Preppy Princess, The Fashion Informer, Papermag, Tammy Manet, Rose Apodaca, LA Times}

The Selby Couples

I'm just nuts about and absolutely besotted by The Selby site (for the uninitiated few left over - the Selby is the site that features photographs, paintings and videos by Todd Selby of interesting people and their creative spaces). Here are some of my favorite featured couples...

 

Bill Gentle & Fanny Bostrom (the loveliest couple ever (after my husband and I, that is!)) - Brooklyn:

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

Grace & Kenyan (the coolest & the quirkiest) - New York Upstate:

 

   

Philip Smiley & Abigail Smiley Smith (the best conversationalists) - London:

 

I think I'm going to return to The Selby and browse some more!

xoxoxo

{photo credits The Selby}

Bohemian Vagabond Chic

I was looking through old Architectural Digest issues, searching for some inspriration, and amidst all the glitzy and over-the-top mansions, I came upon this oasis: lovely, bohemian, unique and quirky Lower Manhattan loft of the fashion designer Miguel Adrover.

 

 

This Spaniard is well known for his refusal to play by the rules and his Anti-trend attitude. He expresses individuality, identity and personal history through the fashion he creates and the way he lives. 

 

 

Miguel, who is interested in castoffs, patina and longevity, has decorated his apartment quite eclectically with a lot of vagabond chic: a street-find sofa upholstered in the same supple wool-and-silk weave he uses for his men's coats, a gilt mirror with baroque pretensions, an Egyptian coverlet with lotus appliques, a brass candelabrum from a Spanish convent, a flea market supersize wing chair.

 

 

Beautiful Saharan nomad necklaces hanging over a hand sculpture.

 

 

 

The mural on the rear wall, created by Miguel and his friend Pere Bernasar is inspired by early cave paintings.

 

 

 

And the dresser, my favorite, is painted by the artist Jennefer Hoffman.

 

I am so uttery in love with this place.

 

(photos & info from Architectural Digest)

So charming, so eclectic, so glamorous...

I love the home of the fashion designer Nanette Lepore. Old Hollywood glamour, vibrant colors, daring pieces, gypsy spirit and a lot of unexpected.

 

 

Living room - portrait of Eva Peron and the chandelier are my absolute favorites

 

 

Dining room - love the colorful portrait paintings above the table

 

 

Her dressing room is so spectacular: cozy, feminine and glamorous. And the poodle, the poodle just breaks my heart:).

 

(photos via Elle Decor)

 

xoxoxo

Flower Pot sneaked onto Sneak Peek

The home of lovely Barb Blair of Knack Studios was in Sneak Peek on Design Sponge several days ago. Barb rescues and restores vintage and found furniture and she does it magnificently. If I wasn't papercuting and painting I think I would want to be a furniture hunter, rescuer and restorer. I love what she does so much. Barb sells her pieces in her design studio, and she blogs too.

 

Barb owns one of my papercut pieces, Flower Pot, and she was very sweet to share the photos of the piece displayed in her den. I love how colorful, vibrant and warm this room is. I especially like the carpet and the sofa. You can see the Flower pot in the back, in a white frame.

 

So, here are several more photos of Barb's apartment (more can be seen on Design*Sponge):

 

I adore the big "b" over the bed - a found piece taken off a subway shop.

 

Hallway wallpapered in wonderful Waverly print.

 

Simply love this chair. And take a look, in the back, there's the Flower Pot again!

(photos via Design*Sponge)

 

And here are some of the furniture pieces Barb wonderfully restored:

 

   

 

         

(photos Knack Studios)

 

xoxoxo