Just in at Paris Hotel Boutique!

Lately I've been crazy about orange. Perhaps it's the arrival of summer that makes me want to add touches of color to my decor. Orange is such a great color. It's warm, cheerful and vibrant. I was excited to acquire some orange pieces this past month!

I flipped when I found this pair of mid century Asian figural lamps. The pale tangerine shades were the icing on the cake. What a great addition for a Hollywood Regency room. Just that extra pop of color adds the perfect touch to these lamps!

I fell in love with this vintage ballroom dancer oil painting. So cheerful with the brightly-colored gowns.

The orange cover of this vintage classic, Breakfast at Tiffany's, could add just a pop of color on a shelf or coffee table. Just like Hermes boxes. I have a few of them in my bedroom, and that little burst of orange lightens up a drab space.

I am crazy for masculine type of pieces. Lighting, mirrors and old desk accessories, I'm getting more and more into unusual pieces. This early standing shaving mirror would look perfect in a bathroom or corner of a bedroom. I have never seen one like it before and was thrilled to find it!

If you've been to my website, I am a big fan of globes. I had never seen a globe like this before. Globes coated with slating material were produced in the 19th and early 20th centuries as educational aids for the study of geography. Students practiced drawing maps in chalk on the surface. So unusual.

And this globe thrills me. It's a French glass globe. Never seen a glass globe before. It's going to hard to part with it!

Another fun find was this lyre-shaped gilt wood mirror. The glass is convex with an old, cloudy patina. Just the way I like them!

This old English office sign would look great on my desk, if only I had the space. That's the problem with selling antiques. You don't want to part with anything!

Come check out our new arrivals here at Paris Hotel Boutique.

And congrats to all of your Dads and Grads, and have a Happy Summer!

How Clever!

Do you enjoy drinking Absinthe? Think again. Today I was reading the talented Lisa Golightly's blog, and she posted a photo that made my jaw drop! Lisa took her old Absinthe glass fountain and turned it into a "mouthwash fountain!" How?

She applied a French label, then mixed both clear and turquoise mouthwash to get the perfect shade of aqua. Now, that is beautiful. I love this idea. No ugly plastic Listerine bottles. Makes a bathroom fancy, doesn't it?

photo from vivalafranceonline.com

You can purchase some reasonably priced reproduction fountains here and here.

Thanks for the great idea Lisa!

Houzz Inspiration

I was thrilled to get an e-mail from Robyn, introducing her new website, Houzz. If you haven't heard of Houzz, it is really amazing. A "Flickr type" of site for home decorating!

On Houzz, you can browse photos, get ideas from hundreds of designers from around the world, and save it all in your virtual idea book. You'll find everything from professional designers and architects, to non-professionals, sharing photos and source information. Searching for a specific paint color? You'll find it there.

The great thing is that you can browse by style, room, space and cities. A little overwhelming, but very inspirational!

I found myself perusing many of the photos in the "eclectic" section. Right up my alley. This office (above) was featured in Domino magazine awhile back. I think this would be my dream office, if only I didn't have my huge piles of paperwork!

Rather than ripping out magazine pages, you can organize everything online. Although, I still like tearing those pages out!

Upload photos of your own space and create your idea book...

So be sure and head over to Houzz and start your idea book! I promise you'll be there for awhile!

photos from houzz.com

The Talented Mindy Weiss

One of the perks of my job is meeting interesting people in the most interesting fields. Our common thread is having a passion for vintage items.

Mindy Weiss

Some time ago I had blogged about vintage oil portrait collections, and included a photo from event planner, Mindy Weiss's collection, featured in O at Home magazine. Somehow via the internet, Mindy discovered my website, purchased a portrait, and we began to chat. This was Mindy Weiss…one of the most sought after event planners in the United States!

photo from mindyweiss.com

bejeweled wedding cake
photo from mindyweiss.com

exquisite outdoor seating
photo from mindyweiss.com

Mindy is delightful. Energetic, enthusiastic, talented and bubbly. No wonder why Mindy has planned weddings and parties for high profile clients such as Ellen DeGeneres & Portia de Rossi, Heidi Klum & Seal…and the list goes on!

In addition to Mindy’s event planning, she has her own product line for Two’s Company, which features everything from wedding organizer books & ring pillows, to bridal pajamas and scented candles. All in white and that beautiful aqua color that we love! Simply beautiful!

aqua Bar Mitzvah cards and yalmulkes

photo from mindyweiss.com

Mindy's e-store carries her Two’s Company line, and in addition, a section called “Gifts and Goodies I Love,” sharing her favorite things, including her custom invitations and stationary.

Mindy also wrote a book called "The Wedding Book; The Big Book for Your Big Day," available here.

This blog post cannot cover all of the amazing work that Mindy has done and continues to do!

In addition to Mindy’s event career, she is obsessed with antiques. She has several collections, and no matter what time she comes home from an event on a Saturday night, you can bet that she’ll be at a flea market early Sunday morning.

Mindy's collection of Campus Cuties

photo from the Mindy Weiss collection

photo from the Mindy Weiss collection

I had never heard about Campus Cuties until Mindy sent me these photos of her collection. These cute little plastic figurines were made in the mid-1960's by the Marx Company. With names like "Shopping Anyone?" and "On the Town," these girls just want to have fun!

Mindy's floral oils
photo from the Mindy Weiss collection

Along with my Mindy's treasured lady portraits, Mindy collects vintage floral oil paintings. Her is kitchen is covered with them...

Mindy isn't the only collector in the family. Her husband collects vintage clocks...
photo from the Mindy Weiss collection

Her extensive bellboy collection
photo from the Mindy Weiss collection

Mindy hopes to be selling vintage wedding and entertainment items on her e-store and I can’t wait! But, how much more can Mindy do? A lot more...read on...

Owen's Market photos from junebugweddings.com

One day I was talking to Mindy on her cell phone. She was running around Beverly Hills doing a million things at once. She told me she had recently purchased Owen’s Market, an old neighborhood market in West Los Angeles. Mindy had a soft spot for salvaging this treasured little market, so she renovated it and got some event friends to sell their wares in the shop.

Owen's Market photos from junebugweddings.com

This wonderful market has a vast selection of specialty foods, organic produce, vintage cookbooks, gifts, candy and more. Totally adorable. Just look at those green & white checkered floors and green walls! Yet another creation from the talented Mindy Weiss.

I'm so thrilled to have met Mindy and shared some of her collections with you. Visit her website here, for her event planning services, portfolio and e-store. She also has a wonderful blog that you can check out here.

THANKS MINDY!!

Hope You're Having a Fun Weekend!

photo from velvet strawberries

Take me Back to 1939!

The Depression was still underway, Germany had just invaded Poland, but there were some amazing things happening in the US in 1939. Something I wish I could have experienced.

The New York's World Fair ran from 1939-40, and was the largest world fairs of all time. It allowed all visitors to take a look at "the world of tomorrow."

A special version of the Kodak Baby Brownie, made with a special faceplate in 1939 and 1940 for the New York World's Fair. They were sold at the fair and through dealers.

Then there was the San Francisco World's Fair, (The Golden Gate International Exposition) that ran between 1939-40. My grandmother is 99 years old and still reminisces about how magical the fair was. Imagine... she was 30 at the time.

The fair celebrated the opening of two bridges, the Golden Gate and the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. I wish I was one of the people in this photo! Doesn't it look fun?

map of the Golden Gate Expo

Treasure Island, a completely flat, artificial island attached to Yerba Buena Island, was built specifically for the Exposition near where the Oakland span and the San Francisco span of the Bay Bridge join.

Tower of the Sun, Golden Gate Exposition, Treasure Island 1939
photo from Lynn Goldfinger collection

These are some "never seen" color photos of the fair that my grandfather had from his days of photography. Pretty amazing as I haven't been able to locate any colored photos of the fair online.

photo from Lynn Goldfinger collection

Throughout the run of the Fair, multi-colored searchlights shot up for one mile in the nighttime sky, and were visible for 100 miles around. The official program described the lighting effects as “chromotherapy.”

photo from Lynn Goldfinger collection

The Golden Gate Exposition captured Art Deco with its spectacular exhibits and pavillions.

The pavillions of 26 nations welcomed visitors from around the world.

Court of Reflections, Golden Gate Exposition
postcard courtesy of postcard.org

I was so fascinated by the design of the Art Deco period that I was determined to purchase a Deco house in San Francisco. Yes, this is our 1939 Deco house below. Now I can at least feel a part of that time!

my house built in 1939