It's All Black & White

I just love black & white decor!

Some recent acquisitions...my dear friend was doing antiquing and came across this amazing taxidermy zebra that was used as a prop in a shop window in France. It's a pretty great size. Made of cow hide over a wooden form with stripes painted on it. What a great piece! Check out her cat who had fun climbing on... It will be available on my web site very soon.

I've been working on an update for my bedroom and just purchased some rugs from Thomas Paul. They are a wonderful black and cream damask. I have listed two of them on eBay
since I actually need a larger size.

I am so excited about a recent "loan" from a friend of mine. It's a wonderful vintage bus roll sign from San Francisco. Fabulously large, it's a great piece of art! Since I am a native San Franciscan, it's even that much more special. Thanks Karen!

If you love black & white, you should check out the blog of Jhayne at black. white. bliss. She has every posting imaginable having to do with black and white, including these wonderful tiny, vintage ephemera envelopes created from an Encyclopaedia Britannica about the inventions of man available from Sushipot on Etsy.

Exquisite Adornments from France...

Today a friend took me to the San Francisco Legion of Honor for their fabulous exhibit, "Masterpieces of French Jewelry" which will be on exhibit until June 10, 2007. If you live in the Bay Area or taking a trip here in the near future, it's definitely worth viewing! There are over 150 examples of beautiful 20th Century French jewelry from Art Deco to Art Nouveau and includes contemporary pieces as well. I just wish they were for sale... yeah right! Featured in the show are works by the most famous Parisian jewelers. They begin with the sensuous Art Nouveau forms of René Lalique and Georges Fouquet, followed by the daring and exotic creations of Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels in the Art Deco era, and finishing with the ingenious and beautifully made designs of JAR in the late 20th century.

You will definitely be dazzled by it. On Sundays they offer "Jewels & Jazz" brunch at the Legion with live jazz and exhibition tours. If you can't make it to the exhibit, you can purchase the exhibition catalog called Masterpieces of French Jewelry by Judith Price at Amazon.com or the San Francisco Legion of Honor.

What is Hollywood Regency?

Photos of the Viceroy Hotel, Palm Springs
designed by Kelly Wearstler

Photos of Bergdorf Goodman Restaurant
designed by Kelly Wearstler
Gorgeous!

Trina Turk, Los Angeles
Designed by Kelly Wearstler

Many people ask, "What is Hollywood Regency decor?" I'm not sure I can answer that simply. My feeling is that it's a bit of Hollywood glamour with a "hotel" feel. Who started it? Dorothy Draper? Billy Haines? I am totally enthralled by the refreshing look of combining elements of the 40's through 60's with traditional decor. You will find lamps and furniture on my web site that are the "Hollywood Regency" look. Read on...I've tried my best to get some good definitions from sources on the internet. AND, if the look interests you, pick up a copy of the books listed below.

To quote designare.com they say, "Dorothy Draper may not have been the first high society interior decorator, but she was the first successful female commercial interior decorator. In an era where most female interior decorators gravitated to their rich friends' homes for design jobs and architects were chosen to work on commercial projects, Draper broke the mold and pursued public commissions as well as residential jobs.

Born into a wealthy family in exclusive Tuxedo Park, New York, Dorothy Tuckerman did not have to lift a finger to make a living. She married well-connected Dr. George Draper and eventually bore him three children.

Most women of this Edwardian era would consider their life complete, but Dorothy Draper was no ordinary person. Dissatisfied with just being a housewife and society matron, Draper started designing her own home. Overwhelmed by compliments they soon received, the Drapers quickly sold their home and bought another one to design. Soon she was doing her family friends' homes and from there she took the plunge into commercial projects.

Helping her take the plunge was one of her close friends, real estate developer Douglas Elliman. Elliman provided Draper with contacts to land projects including large apartment houses and high-end public lobbies. Her first major project was the Carlyle Hotel in New York City in 1930. She designed the space in the current Art Deco style. Elegant friezes of stylized Greek maidens and athletes against dark walls looked down from the ceilings.

Her next major project was the apartment house complex, Hampshire House, located at Central Park South. Draper envisioned a mixture of English and Italian baroque throughout the space. Oversized black and white doors line the marble tiled corridors. Plaster reliefs carved in the ornate style of Grinling Gibbons decorated the walls. Her signature style of large floral prints in bright colors against striped walls brightened up the rooms.

The lobby of the Hampshire House, completed in 1937.

In 1939, Draper left for San Bernardino, California to design Arrowhead Springs Hotel and Spa. The space included public lobbies, restaurants, lounges, a theater and guest rooms."

Through this project, Draper popularized the "Hollywood Regency" style of design. Glamorous sets of luxurious materials, oversized furniture, and sparkling chandeliers became de rigueur in taste.

The trend has come back with designer Kelly Wearstler giving it a modern twist.

I just love this look and here are some photos of Kelly Wearstler's commercial projects which can also be found on her web site, KWID.

Designer Jonathan Adler defines Hollywood Regency...

"I define Hollywood Regency as Neo-classical lines mixed with Hollywood glamour and a top note of mod moxie. Hollywood Regency was a style of architecture and decoration popular in the 60s in LA that was a revival of classical regency style through a modern lens. Hollywood Regency added a layer of pattern and decoration and opulence and glamour to the minimalism of mid-century modernism.

I think that the current rage for Hollywood Regency is a reaction to the Christian Liaigre-ish minimalism that has been pervasive for the last several years. Design was starting to look a bit dour and grey and joyless and I think people had simply had enough. So, Hollywood Regency has become a catch-all name to describe design that thumbs its nose at minimalism in favor of classical references and lots of decoration. As for the mirrors and bamboo and Asiana and chrome, those are all design elements that figured into Hollywood Regency style the first time around and I think they're back because they're decorative and glamorous.

I have always been a maximalist and an eclecticist. My pad has always featured a mix of my own stuff with modern classics and Louis XVI chairs and a dollop of rococo, so I fully support design that has a dash of opulence and a soupçon of decoration."

"Modern Glamour: The Art of Unexpected Style"
Kelly Wearstler
a must have...

"In The Pink: Dorothy Draper"
by Carleton Varney
great book!

Antique Repros & 10 Good Reasons to Choose Vintage

Upon attending the San Francisco Gift Show this weekend, I was quite surprised at many of the vintage items that are being reproduced. Mercury glass vases, French crowns, Santos statues, French chandeliers, French tole...the list goes on and on. A discerning collector of vintage can spot the repros right away, but it's scary to see what's being mass produced. There is nothing like the look and feel of vintage. The patina, workmanship and history. We can all help save the environment by buying vintage. Not to say that I don't occasionally buy new vintage-inspired items, but they can never replace vintage.

Anne of Lulu's Vintage has coined the Ten Top Reasons to Give Vintage Gifts

10. It is the ultimate eco-gift! No landfill packaging. No new use of resources or labor.

9. Craftsmanship. Vintage items were made out of high quality materials and feature unique design details.

8. History. You are buying an item that has proved to be fashionable throughout history.

7. History (part 2). It is fun to own something vintage and think of how a person from a whole other generation appreciated it as well.

6. Uniqueness. No chance of hitting the streets with a new scarf only to see three other people with the same one!

5. Supporting a small business. Instead of lining the pockets of big box stores, you can support an independent business owner.

4. Authenticity. Why buy rip-offs of old designs, when you can get the original.

3. Authenticity (part 2). Why buy something that has been "distressed" to look old when you can get something that has genuine patina.

2. Save some cash. Vintage items are often times much less expensive than new.

1. Don't participate in the mad rush to the mall. Vintage is easy to find off the beaten path.

Tips on Collecting Hotel Silver

• Mix and match – All of my silver is assorted. I buy pieces that I like, so most of the teapots, creamers and pitchers in my collection are strictly decorative, not for serving purposes. If you have a piece in your collection that you want to use for serving, but it is corroded on the inside, take it to a silversmith and have the interior re-plated. For the true collector, it’s all about the provenance and design.

• All about design – This is especially true with teapots. Often the pieces with the most charm, even from unknown hotels, sell fairly quickly. People also love side marks, crests and logos. I personally have many pieces from the top hotels, but also unusual pieces from unknown establishments. It’s just a matter of what you think is pretty.

• So personal – Some collectors strictly want hotels that have personal meaning, others go for design alone, and some just want to use pieces for serving and want the hotel quality and grade. My friend has a store in Oregon and a lot of the hotel silver she sells doesn’t bear a hotel name. These customers simply want large hotel grade bowls and platters for serving. So, it really depends on what you like. My advice would be to collect whatever appeals to you. There are no rules!

• Age doesn’t matter – Age should not be a factor in collecting hotel silver. If the piece is well made and by and old manufacturer such as Gorham or Reed & Barton, it’s highly collectible. Avoid limiting a collection to certain time periods or geographic location of the hotel. If you were ever to sell the collection, it would be a lot more interesting to another collector to have pieces from a variety of hotels, including San Francisco and New York. The detail and workmanship is great and they don’t make things like this anymore.

• You like? – Go for what you like and what strikes a cord. Raised crests, cute shapes, monograms and more are always good.

I have a really plain teapot with no side marks or crests from a famous club in San Francisco called Bimbo’s. It’s from a great establishment and is a wonderful piece for my collection. So, I buy what I like and disregard age, condition, etc. This makes for a diversified collection.

Vintage Hotel Silver

This is part of my collection of vintage hotel silver. I have over 300 pieces. An incredible amount of time to polish it all!

Vintage Hotel Keys

My fascination with old hotels includes a collection of vintage hotel keys.