get the look (as seen in elle decor!)

did y'all see the the over the top mansion of alexis and trevor traina in elle decor? we certainly noticed this photo:

get the look here... ;-)  (they even look to be in about the same condition!)

and speaking of elle decor, thank you for including our post on saarinen tulip tables in your "What We’re Reading: August 26" feature- we're honored to be in such great company!

Tweet

fireplace proposals (and a rant)

m21 had a meeting with clients yesterday to present some options to turn a small sitting room into a media room/library. our goals were to provide some needed storage, a spot for a large flatscreen TV, and to update the bland (and architecturally inappropriate) mantel into something a bit more dramatic- all without reconfiguring walls, or any other major remodeling, just some "cosmetic" construction. the home was built in late 1940's, and remodeled within the last few years, and as is often the case, the prior homeowners didn't hire a designer to lay out furniture plans, or think about how people would actually *live* in the home, and thus we were left with nowhere to hang a TV and provide seating opposite, so we had to resort to hanging the TV above the mantel... never m21's first choice, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do!

and people, again, before starting any construction or remodeling, PUHLEEZE hire a designer to do a furniture and lighting plan; architects and contractors first priorities are not how a room will look and function with furniture in it, and you could be left with a bedroom with no wall big enough for a bed and headboard, let alone nightstands (so common, it's not funny) or as in this case, without wall to hang a flatscreen and have room for some some decent seating opposite (the arrangement the prior homeowners had to resort to watch some TV was just too ghastly for words). oh, and the fact that the architect didn't center the fireplace on the wall (easily accomplished by moving an added wall a mere FIVE inches) simply boggles my mind, and unfortunately, it's too late to make that 5 inch move now. a layperson homeowner reading the plan would never even think to look to catch such a thing, but to someone like me, it would jump out immediately...

so again, PLEASE, i'm begging all homeowners planning new construction or a remodel, spend a little extra money to do a furniture/lighting plan before you get your blueprints approved, even if there is no immediate budget to redecorate after the remodel- it will save you a lifetime of working around ill-shaped rooms with bad lighting and nowhere to put a sofa, and i guarantee it will be the best money spent during your remodel!

now that our little rant is over, here's a picture of the mantel as it stands today followed by sketches of our ideas to update things (just to be clear, that's not my client's furniture btw- they are too tasteful for that, thank goodness. this was the last occupant's decor on the day of the final walkthrough):

just not quite right...

a proposed sketch to return to the mid-century roots of the house.  this idea was quickly nixed by all, even me. ;-)

a modern and minimal take... too modern, probably, but the homeowners have lots of contemporary art and furnishings, so it would have worked, especially given the clean lines of the home's original architecture.

a bit more transistional, with a combination of fixed and adjustable shelving, and a overscale picture frame style molding as the mantel surround.

this was the client's choice, a clean lined stepped out bollection molding fire surround, flanked by floor to ceiling adjustable shelving (you'll also note that with the addition of the shelving and everything else going on, it becomes harder to notice that the fireplace is off-center)

Tweet

it's a doozy...

you know occasionally here at maison21 we like to poke a little good-natured fun at the lifestyles of the rich and tasteless via mansions of questionable decor offered for sale here in los angeles, and boy, have we got a doozy for you today!

ladies and gentlemen, we present an architectural marvel in holmby hills, offered for a mere 28 million clams (which we assume would be the value of the land only, right?  right?) be sure to visit the website too, as every room has been decorated in a slightly different style of um... well, lets just say the only thing in the whole place we'd save from the wrecking ball would be the la cornue range in the kitchen...

 

hoping your weekend is slightly more tasteful than this! (and really, how could it NOT be?) Tweet

maybe my favorite piece of furniture ever?

for sheer versatility and always dynamite good looks, i have to say i think my favorite piece of furniture ever might just be eero saarinen's iconic 1956 tulip table- it seriously NEVER looks bad, no matter where you put it, or with what.

here's a selection of photos from my first ever pinterest board "saarinen tables" to illustrate ('cuz you know, like there aren't already enough hours in my day for what is currrently on my plate, so why not throw one more time killer, like pinterest, into the mix?)

livecreatingyourself.com

sfgirlbybay

maison21

tom scheerer

sfgirlbybay

lostindecoration.tumblr.com

sfgirlbybay

maison21

canadian house and home

tom scheerer

apartment therapy

Tweet

thank you! (a touchy-feely, kumbayah, kind of moment)

the maison21 facebook page hit a milestone this morning, with 600 people who (for whatever reason) have decided to like me, and i can't tell you how warm and fuzzy that makes me feel inside. when i started this little blog enterprise i had NO idea whatsoever that anyone outside of maybe my closest friends and family would ever bother to visit here, so i never cease to be amazed that somehow i've amassed several thousand blog subscribers, an almost equal number of twitter followers, and combining those figures with my now 600 FB 'likers", and a tumblr following that grows every day, well, let's just say that i am well and truly humbled. you guys are the BEST.

so i just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to each and every one of you who lets me into your world every time i decide to make a blog post or tweet. i've said it before and i'll say it again, the best part of this whole social media deal is the incredible people i've met and developed relationships with, and just because we've never met in person, doesn't mean that your relationship with me isn't valued, and i am forever grateful to all of you for making me feel so damn good.

i wish i could give each of you a big hug, but since i can't, here's a big smile from ted. sure, i had to trick him into the smile by promising him he'd get a treat, but that doesn't make his smile any less sincere. y'all being here *is* a treat for me,  so imagine me wagging my tail too...

* the photo of moi used in this post, is courtesy of the wonderful people at california home + design magazine, who had absolutely nothing to do with me chopping it up and repurposing it.
Tweet

you talkin' to me?

high-sterical!

enjoy this beautiful weekend! Tweet

decorative carpets sale!

decorative carpets, one of our favorite vendors, normally only sells to the design trade... except for this weekend, when they are selling off existing stock directly to the public.  word has it there are going to be some incredible bargains,  so we'll see ya there!

Tweet

hot list- eleanor lambert: still here

there are few things more rewarding than seeing the people you love achieve amazing things in life, so that's why m21 ran to the magazine stand in the farmer's market today to purchase the latest copy of harper's bazaar, where on page 297, you'll find a full page photo celebrating my dear friend, john tiffany's upcoming fall release book, eleanor lambert: still here (pointed leaf press).  it's going to be the must-buy book of the fall, sure to be on everyone's coffee table, and i couldn't be more excited about it.

the story of eleanor lambert is the story of american fashion, and if you don't know her name, or her accomplishments, you soon will, and you'll wonder how she ever escaped your notice until now.  though i haven't yet seen the finished product (ahem), i know without even cracking a page that the book is going to be ahhmazing as i've been hearing my friend john, a fashion historian, and now author, tell miss lambert's story for close to twenty years (!), and i am beyond thrilled that he's finally put pen to paper to share her story with all of you.

congrats, john on this fabulous bit of press, and even bigger congrats on the amazing achievement of the book. i can't wait to get my hands on that signed copy i keep checking my mailbox for...  ;-)
Tweet

decorating excitement

sometimes it's easy to forget how exciting (and transformative) decorating can be. when a good friend of mine was recently accepted into grad school at USC (yay, diane!), as a congratulation gift i offered to help her transform her completely unused dining room into a home office where she can comfortably study away for the next two years. today, a battered old wing chair she has owned forever was delivered after being transformed by my upholsterer and i think i was more excited than she was to see her get her first ever piece of furniture made just for her; now she has a comfortable spot near a sunny window to curl up and hit the books. we can't guarantee that a new chair will make her get straight A's (she'll do that anyway) but she's already started using her new office more over the last month than she probably has in the last five years, so in way, having an inviting space in which to study really might help her to graduate with honors! couldn't hurt, right?

a detail of my friend diane's new reading chair...

we'll share pictures of the finished space once the curtains and artwork are hung... Tweet

gehry in color

we ran across this photo of the frank gehry color collection for heller, and it made us happy to imagine these brightly colored plastic shapes scattered across a lawn or terrace.  we've long liked the collection in it's original silver color but found it too severe for many applications, so the brights are a welcome addition.  now if heller just would add in white, the collection would be just about perfect!

(via interior buzz)
Tweet

just between us (a little monkey business)

we really shouldn't post things like this because it is sure to send any potential new clients running away from us as fast as they can, but when we got back from PS last week, we promised to share our wacky palm springs purchase with y'all, and a promise is a promise, so here's what we bought.... just keep it between us, though, k?

crazy, right?

we saw a pair of these monkey statues mounted on big plaster plinths two years ago in palm springs, and we were seriously fascinated by their 80's goodness (or badness, depending on your POV), so when we found the above solo number for a bargain price (sans plinth), we knew we had to have her. of course, a bargain price means there is work to be done as she needs to be repainted,and her face needs re-gilding to get rid of the ghastly painted on eyeballs, but still, we are highly amused with our purchase, and can't wait to give her the makeover she deserves.

we saw these 2 years ago, and thought they were both horrifying and fabulous, all at the same time...

now remember, let's keep this post on the downlow- like we said, we fear potential clients might be skurred maison21 will force monkey statues on them (promise, we won't- unless you like ginormous 1980's money statues, and in that case, call me! we'll get down to a 'lil monkey business!)
Tweet