blue munday: Driftwood and Seaside cottages

Happy munday. Summer dayz... remember those? If you're a slave to the grind like I am, then you'll understand my longing for ocean breezes right about now. Even though I live fairly close to the beach, I am not there at this moment in time, and would rather be, than here in front of this computer procrastinating from work, hehe. The August 2007 issue of Better Homes & Gardens has a great feature on the home of Boston based photographers, Amy and Joe Keller. Their home is a casual but modern take on the whole seaside cottage feel. I LOVE the driftwood starburst mirror they made, as well as the other driftwood acccents. That big white cabinet is gorgeous with the painted blue backing that blends in to the wall color, and I love all the white pottery inside. I'm also loving that little blue bowl/basket thing on the side table. Anyone know what that is? Funny thing is, here's another house with a globe collection- are they the next Foo dog? It looks great though, and adds depth and texture and a little bit of soul. I also love all the little bits of sea glass throughout. I've been very tempted to get one of these vases from Z gallerie that I posted about last week on AT:LA, but I'm resisting because along with pillows, I have waaaay too many. But I'm an addict. And admitting I have a problem is the first step to recovery right? Baby steps...

Blue Munday: Perfect backyard

Well, I think I've found my perfect dream backyard! This backyard is from the July/August 2007 Metropolitan Home. It's part of Michael and Kathleen Ferguson's gorgeous Los Angeles house. It's ideal for me because it's totally low maintenance, has enough of a patio to hang out on, has a great view, and just the right size lap pool. (Oh, and I love the blue patio chairs too!) Insert me where the guy is swimming, and I'd be one happy camper. (I'll even take the dog too!)

Blue Munday: Graphic Blues pillows

Happy Munday! Summer is in full effect here, and I'm yearning for poolside lounging. I love this graphic pillow that totally sets the tone with it's retro-inspired wavy stripes.

Blue tuesday: Bold bright color

Hello! Nothing like a big jolt of bright bold color to awaken your senses. Behold the July 2007 cover of House&Garden magazine. As much as I love color, (and obviously blue) I'm not sure I could have my whole house this vivid. I'm also not so sure about the photo real artwork above the couch- but otherwise, the colors do make me happy. And apparently, it also makes the homeowners happy- and that's all that really matters right? I do also enjoy the little details that designers William Diamond and Anthony Baratta used throughout the house, such as the alligator pillow and the argyle carpet. Also love the fabric selections spread that the magazine showed right after that story. What do you think?

blue munday: mood lighting

I'm still in Arizona, and will be travelling monday back home. While here, I've seen lots of great things, and am impressed at how much modern there is in this desert town. Originally, I was debating on staying at the new Mondrian, or the more retro Hotel Valley Ho. I opted for the Valley Ho, and really glad I did. The place is a lot of fun and they did such a great job of mixing old and new. One of my favorite things is the bathroom. I've posted about mood lighting before, and when I opened up the bathroom door at the Hotel Valley Ho, there was this curious label above the light switch. There was the word "MOOD". I flipped the switch and was pleasantly surprised that there was a cool blue light above the tub!They also used a really great turquoise/teal color on on the accent wall .
It was really visually refreshing and such great color inspiration for the summer...

blue munday: what's above Yves Béhar?

I hope everyone, who's in the States, had a great Memorial Day weekend. Technically, it's still monday, so I'm sneaking in a little Blue Monday post. I found this image of designer Yves Béhar, in one of the press disks from ICFF. It was in association with this new line of dog products that these students created, under the guidance of Mr. Béhar. Read more about it on my post for AT:LA. But what I found so striking about this picture is what's above Mr. Béhar's head. I love all the random blue lights that are suspended from the ceiling. I also love that they are all painted blue! It totally reminds me of a display you'd see at Barney's Co-Op- how they paint all the props that same blue color. (I'm dying to try that somewhere in my house!) I think it works really well in this particular space because it becomes the focal color (notice that everything else is white) and it's such an unexpected place for it too. Plus it stays functional because it's all lighting. I could see this as a fun idea to do if you have a studio/work place, or even for a modern outdoor patio or something. Actually, it could be a fun idea for a dining room too. If you kept the table/chairs and main pieces white- and added a pop color using multiple lights from the ceiling, all painted in the same hue.
Over the weekend, I saw another example of random lights all unified by color at South Coast Plaza. This is actually located above the stairwell, that is by the conceirge desk, by the Williams Sonoma store on the top floor. I don't know how long it's been there, but I just noticed it. Anyway, it might not work in all situations, but it's a fun idea if you have the space.

Blue Thursday: Fishys!

Since I missed monday's Blue Munday this week, I'm adding it in for thursday. Look at these cool fishys! They're ceramic fish wall hangings as featured in the latest HOME magazine. They remind me of those vintage enameled metal dishes that were popular awhile back. Unfortunately the mag lists these as made by Global Views, which looks to be the manufacturer, but not the end retailer. Has anyone seen these online or in a store?

Blue Munday: indigo sea prints

Happy munday. This is a crazy week for me. I'm under a huge deadline for work, and I'm leaving out of town this friday for a super quick trip. Here's a little calming visual eye candy. These "Indigo Sea prints" from West Elm. Looks like they used that "sun print" paper to create these. I love that sunprint paper. So much fun. I actually used them for a promotional piece a few years ago, going with the theme of "exposure". Get your own sunprint paper here, or get these framed beauties here (and they're on sale!).

more blue munday: Slurpie

It's a hot one out there today in OC. It's... 90 degrees!!! I think I need something nice and cooling, like say, a big ol' cola Slurpie...

Blue Munday: Elsewares goodies

Happy Munday...Here's some pretty blue goodies currently at Elsewares.
Love this "Blossom Pillow" and "Plant forms repeat" pillow from Three Sheets
also love these "geranium napkins"
and there's something really interesting about these dragonfly coasters too...

Blue Munday: Maré collection

Happy munday. Love this "Maré" collection from Crate&Barrel. All the pieces have that rustic hearty feel, and they're made in Italy. I think they'd add a nice warm and home-y touch to any kitchen. My favorite piece is the utensil holder. (Doesn't that seafood look yummy?!)

Blue Munday: rain, more kylie, and jason brooks

I always love it when it rains at night. What is it about the calming nature of the sound of rain? I filmed a few seconds of it from last night's april shower we had here in Southern Cali...


Anyway, as much as I like the rain, I've been seeing so much summer driven product lately, that I've actually been itching for a little fun in the sun... poolside... A few Blue Mundays ago, I posted an image from the H&M campaign for the new Kylie Minogue swim line, and now they have a full blown commercial for it.



(sigh) Doesn't lounging by the pool sound nice right about now?

anyway- which brings us to a way to have both rain and sun, via the always sexy stylings of illustrator Jason Brooks. Jason Brooks offers prints on his website, allowing you to always have a little fabulousness to gaze upon, no matter what the weather is outside. Here are a few of my faves that go with my current state of mind. Have a great munday!

blue munday: paper vacuum in Real Simple

Happy Munday. I continue to be impressed with Real Simple's paper sculpture art they've been using for their division pages. April 2007's issue had a cleaning supply theme, which always holds a special affection with me. The fact that it was all in blue tones too didn't hurt either. The sculptures were created by Matthew Sporzynski (click on his name to more of his amazing pieces) and photographed by Monica Buck. My favorite is the vacuum cleaner. The April issue had some great ideas for organizing as well as some interesting facts I did not know about. I am planning on trying some of the tips for organizing my laundry area, which I'll update later (after I actually do it) and here is a link to their fascinating article about "how safe is your kitchen?"

MORE blue munday: Chloe+work in Progress

I have a love/hate thing with actress Chloe Sevigny. But love her or hate her, you gotta love these limited edition posters. They were designed by Work in Progress, and are part of Self Service magazine's issue that pays tribute to her. They are available at Colette's eshop. My favorite is are the two shots with the blue type. So graphic and bold!

blue munday: turquoise fireplace

Happy munday. How was your weekend? It was another fantastic So Cal weather weekend here. I checked out the CA Boom 4 show, which I'll be posting highlights from on AT:LA. CA Boom featured tons of resources and vendors, and was the perfect place to outfit your home if you were planning a renovation. If I could build my own home, I'd definitely want to find a place for a cool turquoise fireplace, like this one from Sunset Magazine. I love how they juxtaposed it with the grey-ish tiles. The rest of the cottage this fireplace is from is pretty amazing too. Check it out here.

blue munday: Bonjour Tristese

It's supposed to rain tonight... This is one of my favorite movie opening sequences by the genuis that is Saul Bass.

Blue Munday: Method Aroma Pill

Happy munday. I've mentioned before that my master bathroom is blue. I have this sorta medical/lab-ish theme going in there... Well, walking down the cleaner aisle at Target, I came across the new "aroma pill" from Method, and knew exactly where it needed to go! It's a plug-in, and was available in the same eucalyptus mint scent as their other bathroom cleaner (which I like- and its um... yeah, blue?). We'll see how good it works... anyone have this?

Blue Munday: What's up FOO?

Happy munday. I've been noticing another trend lately in all the decor mags, particularily in the accessories. Porcelain Foo Dogs. More specifically, turquoise porcelain Foo Dog bookends. Here is a pair from the March 07 Elle Decoration (UK) and one from the Feb 07 Elle Decoration (UK)and one from the March 07 House Beautiful (right) and a small tiny pair from the March 07 House&Garden (that I featured recently)
What's up with the Foo Dogs? Don't get me wrong, I actually love Foo Dogs. I have a pair in yellow in my downstairs guest bedroom. I found them at a thrift store during a trip to Palm Springs a few years ago, and snatched them up, (they were only $10 each!) It's interesting that they've been popping up in all these mags at about the same time.Looking online, I've found a few on ebay, but also found a source where you can get plaster ones, and then paint them any color you wish. Do you have foo dogs in your home? Does anyone know of any other sources for them?

Blue Munday: Kylie

Those of you lucky enough to live here in SoCal were reminded of why we live here: the fantastic weather! It was the perfect weekend to be outside... go to the beach, the pool, or just walk around in the sunshine. Speaking of which, it looks like this photo could have been shot on a beautiful weekend like we had. I give you the little (in size) but amazing, popstar Kylie Minogue. She is going to be the new spokesmodel for H&M's summer swimwear line and this is one of the promo shots. I love how it perfectly conjures up all sorts of ocean-y, water-y, clear blue-sky inspirations... and here's a few more things I've found that continue the aqua blues I mentioned recently.Top image, clockwise from left: turquoise vases from Jayson home, Loolo Ocean pillow,sky servers at Crate&Barrel
Bottom image, clockwise from left: coral vase from Anthropologie, glass Jellyfish paperweight at Zgallerie, striped umbrella by Brellabar via Blueprint #3, Dodu bed by BluDot

And finally, here's a classic Kylie number to get your Munday movin'...

Blue monday: bed side vingette

It's a blue munday. yay. yipee. To cheery up and get the week started, here's a lovely blue bedside vingette. This could be a great DIY project if you happen to have an old wood side table that needs some lovin'. Painting only the outsides in a high gloss turquoise, and adding a little collection of turquoise bits on top looks so fresh. I love how they paired it with the vintage-y seafoam background wallpaper (with the chinois medallions) This was taken from Los Angeles home of Robert Willson and David Serrano, from the March 2007 House and Garden... which I notice has changed their masthead logo (again)... There's also a great colorstory trends feature inside so pick up the issue if you happen by a newstand...