Tag: Art

The Great Etsy Art Hunt

Let’s face it: just the mention of the word “art” can make your head spin and your blood pressure rise like a phoenix. So many artists, so little time. (Okay, let’s be honest, that little mantra sounds a whole lot better than admitting outright that what you’re really internally monologuing is the speech you’re preparing for your children/future children about how losing their education funds to a “no brainer” of an investment opportunity truly isn’t such a bad thing because real life experience is just SO much more important than college anyway.)

If this sounds like you, may I suggest you check out a little thing called Etsy? Yes, as in that website that you might traditionally identify with handmade baby bibs, lovingly crafted made-in-the-USA jewelry, or that gorgeous table made of reclaimed eco-friendly, sustainable barnwood (possibly made by an equally gorgeous, shirtless, bearded mountain man of a hunk?). That, though, is the Etsy of yesteryear, my friends (actually, come to think of it, they still have all that charming stuff…and now just so much more to boot).

Here are a few finds from a recent tour through the site in pursuit of some eye-catching abstract pieces that go easy on the wallet:

From the LeSage Gallery / artist Tommelise le Sage / Brooklyn, NY ($1,380):

From Untitled76 / artist Neil Williams / Mansfield, OH ($349):

From Ronald Hunter Paintings / artist Ronald Hunter / Rotterdam, Netherlands ($339):

From Art by Cindy Robinson / artist Cindy Robinson / Providence, RI ($400):

From studioArtificial (starting at $199):

From Lola Donoghue / Galway, Ireland ($900):

From polkadottydolls / artist Lynda Black / Calgary, AB, Canada ($45):

And from Linnea Heide Art / artist Linnea Heide / Norfolk, VA ($150):

So what do you say that you just remember me when your children thank you for not ditching that trust fund in the name of art (and in the same breath, mention that said art would just look oh so good next to the Che Guevara poster on their dorm room wall).

Got any of your own fabulous Etsy art finds to share with the rest of us? Spill your secrets here…we won’t tell!

March 12, 2014
California Dreamin’ with Billy Baldwin

I’ve been immersing myself in a lot of Billy Baldwin lately (and no, I’m not talking brother of Alec & Stephen here), hoping that some of his genius will rub off through the pages of decades-old books, Pinterest posts, and articles from various prestigious news sources. And, while the jury is still out on the effectiveness of all this, I did want to share a very important discovery with you here: Billy is undeniably a California dude at heart – fellow Californians, bust out those champagne glasses and get ready to claim him as our own!

“Huh?” you say. “You do know, don’t you, that his most famous creations were for the likes of Cole Porter, Jackie O, Diana Vreeland, Babe Paley and others who would have likely shuddered at the thought of making their domiciles anywhere other than east of the Hudson River? And that gorgeous apartment of his…parked right smack on East 61st Street.”

Well, I would reply, take a look at THIS:

And THIS:

And THESE:

You know what I see a lot of?

-Bright, airy spaces
-Wicker & rattan
-White sofas galore
-An uncluttered, yet layered aesthetic
-Colorful, bold artwork contrasted against neutral furnishings

Now, tell me if that doesn’t sing sand, surf, palm trees, and general good ol’ California living to you.

Need further proof? Okay, how about a shot of Billy himself channeling his inner (albeit preppy) surfer:

Or check out these fabulous rattan chairs he designed:

So crisp, so clean…so FUN…so…California.

Okay, so maybe I’m just a wee bit jealous that New York has really been given the bragging rights in all things Billy…so I’ll concede that…in the end…it doesn’t really matter at all anyway because he’s a GENIUS…California or not.

And he has great advice to live by in your design life whether you’re in LA, SF, Dallas, Chicago, NYC or anywhere in between.   Here are some favorite quotes (which, by the way, merely scratch the surface of this deep well):

•   If you can tell I did a house, I didn’t. The essence of the relationship between client and decorator must be we.

•   The final judge in decorating, as any wise decorator knows, is not the ‘logic of the mind, but the logic of the eye.’

•    Probably the main reasons some people persist in confusing good taste with great expense is that they long for luxury, but they misunderstand the meaning of the word. They confuse it with grandeur.

•   Nothing is interesting unless it is personal.

•   The first rule of decoration is that you can break almost all the other rules.

•   The advocates of moderation, caution, and safety-first certainly have their place in life, but in decorating they are a total bore.

•   In a house that steers clear of the happy medium, even casual visitors can sense that something good is going on. They may rave, they may applaud, they may laugh, they may be shocked. But they’ll never, ever yawn.

•   Stick to the things you really love. An honest room is always up to date.

•   If I find that something I am doing is becoming a trend, I run from it like the plague.

•   A person with a real flair is a gambler at heart.

And with all this in mind, all you have to do is take one look at his own NYC apartment (photographed here in 1973!) and you can see why today’s designers across the board continue to refer to him for inspiration and guidance.

(Psst, white slipcovers and rattan again…I’m just saying.)

Want more Billy? Check out my Pinterest collection…and head to the bookstore to grab either of his two fabulous books (Billy Baldwin Decorates and Billy Baldwin Remembers), which will keep you inspired…and chuckling away to boot.

Got anything Billy you want to share here? Love to hear it all if you do!

Photos one through five taken from my copy of Billy Baldwin Decorates. The others are from here, here, and here.

February 6, 2014
Movies + Interior Design = My Kind of Math

So I’m going through my “should see” list of movies over the holidays and come across The Candidate, which has been camped out on said list for almost as long as its been in release (1972), but dismissed because I’d never really heard anyone I know talk about it (a very scientific and highly reliable method, I assure you.)

But there it was, and Robert Reford looked so young and pretty on the poster, so what the heck, let’s do this. And lo and behold, it RULES. And I’m talking from just about every angle. Screenplay, acting, direction…and the icing on the cake…the interior design. Where has this movie been??? (Do you like how I made it the movie’s fault here and not mine? Note: it did win an Academy Award for Best Screenplay in 1972 so the scales probably tip against me in terms of culpability here.)

Take a look at the foyer of Redford’s “Bill McKay” character’s San Diego home:

The pop of that orange outlined with the gold frame against white-washed adobe walls makes me want to grab a margarita and hightail it right back to my sun-drenched days spent living in Santa Barbara.

In fact, if Production Designer Gene Callahan could just replicate for me (in the house I’m currently daydreaming about in fantasyland) the layered, eclectic, yet sophisticated look he achieved for the living area off of this foyer, I might just do that and never come back:

Marcel Breuer Wassily chairs + some modern art on the walls = a great way to add a fresh, contemporary spin on an otherwise traditional room.

Want a few more fun shots throughout the house running the same theme? Here you go:

And then there’s the office of “Bill’s” campaign strategist:

And I thought black leather sofas were sexy…but get a look at that green one! Again, a great balance of daring and traditional by tempering the color of the leather against the more conservative chesterfield design, and balancing a luxe leopard art piece with black and white family photos.

And finally, the library of “Bill’s” father, retired governor “John J. McKay” (played by the venerable Melvyn Douglas):

A little more traditional but you still get that great layered effect…and the pink sofa adds a nice wink to an otherwise manly space (“John,” you grumpy old dog, who knew you had it in you?!).

Ahhhhh, movies and interior design. Does it get any better than this?? It’s a tough job out there saving lives, but alas, someone’s gotta do it…and it might as well be me…

Please do share any of your favorite movie interiors here with us all – and I’ll blame it on you that I need to check out some more cinema for “work.” And in the meantime, you can always indulge in some more favorites from Architectural Digest, Elle Décor, Dwell, House Beautiful and Apartment Therapy, among others.

January 14, 2014