Sunday, July 28, 2013

SPANISH REVIVAL

Spanish Revival style is unabashedly romantic, dramatic and passionate. Full of color, warmth, texture and intricate detail, it brings us back to the early 1920's in California.

Spanish Revival homes became popular in California during the 20's following the Panama-California Exposition, which took place in San Diego from 1915-1917. At this fair, temporary buildings were built using a mix of influences: Spanish Baroque, Spanish Colonial and Moorish Revival. The new homes based on these were named Spanish Colonial Revival. They had classic Spanish features on the exterior: white stucco walls, red terracotta roof tiles, wrought iron gates and window grilles and carved entry doors.

Dramatic oversized light fixtures define this space

 The red stools are a great punch of color and warm contrast to the black and white tile flooring

Round black soaking tub and handmade cement floor tiles



Arched doorways, dark flooring and wood ceiling beams set the mood

California license plate, 1920's

Moorish influence



Hand painted tiles



Glazed black floor tiles in a traditional arabesque pattern are a gorgeous contrast to the clean lines of the contemporary steel windows

Hand painted tile stair risers

Beautiful faucet with feminine curves


 We like the nice clean lines of this exterior iron baluster

Spanish Revival mud room 

Tiled walls in an array of patterns and colors




Antique Spanish tiles laid in a herringbone pattern


Hollywood 1920's 






OUTDOOR SHOWERS

It's summer time so why shower indoors? We love the idea of an outdoor shower, whether in connection with a master suite or the family swimming pool. Here are a few of our favorites which can be enjoyed year-round here in Southern California!












Tender Rain


We love this outdoor shower that we saw at the Gessi Showroom in Milan, Italy during the Milan Furniture Fair 2013

Monday, February 18, 2013

MODERNISM

In honor of Palm Springs Modernism Week (Feb. 14th-24th) we wanted to share a few of our favorite midcentury interiors and architecture. Sleek, elegant and functional!












 Jonathan Adler
















Monday, January 14, 2013

FRANK GEHRY

The fish is a perfect form.
—Frank Gehry

We had the pleasure of attending the opening reception of the Frank Gehry Fish Lamp exhibition at Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills.
 Malgosia Migdal and Frank Gehry
FRANK GEHRY
Fish Lamp
1983
ColorCore formica




FRANK GEHRY
Untitled (Los Angeles III), 2012–13
Metal wire, ColorCore formica and silicone



"One of the most celebrated architects living today, Gehry's career spans five decades and three continents. Known for his imaginative designs and creative use of materials, he has forever altered the urban landscape with spectacular buildings that are conceived as dynamic structures rather than static vessels.
Gehry has always experimented with sculpture and furniture in addition to his architectural pursuits. The Fish Lamps evolved from a 1983 commission by the Formica Corporation to create objects from the then-new plastic laminate ColorCore.  After accidentally shattering a piece of it while working, he was inspired by the shards, which reminded him of fish scales. The first Fish Lamps, which were fabricated between 1984 and 1986, employed wire armatures molded into fish shapes, onto which shards of ColorCore are individually glued, creating clear allusions to the morphic attributes of real fish.
Since the creation of the first lamp in 1984, the fish has become a recurrent motif in Gehry's work, as much for its "good design" as its iconographical and natural attributes. Its quicksilver appeal informs the undulating, curvilinear forms of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain (1997); the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago (2004); and the Marqués de Riscal Vineyard Hotel in Elciego, Spain (2006) as well as the Fish Sculpture at Vila Olímpica in Barcelona (1989–92) andStanding Glass Fish for the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden (1986).
In 2012 Gehry decided to revisit his earlier ideas, and began working on an entirely new group of Fish Lamps. The resulting works, which will be divided between Gagosians Los Angeles and Paris, range in scale from life-size to out-size, and the use of ColorCore is bolder, incorporating larger and more jagged elements.
The softly glowing Fish Lamps are full of whimsy.  As individuals or groupings of two and three, some are fixed to poles or wall sconces, while others can be placed on any existing horizontal surface. Curling and flexing in attitudes of simulated motion, these artificial creatures emit a warm, incandescent light. This intimation of life, underscored by the almost organic textures of the nuanced surfaces, presents a spirited symbiosis of material, form, and function."
Gagosian Gallery