the path of least resistance
(photo of Ruthie Sommers)
as usual i only have a sec but just wanted to pass along some things that crossed my path this afternoon…i just went where the superhighway took me and had a great ride. this is why i love being here!
in my last post i said that if you wanted to exchange links let me know that’s how i met Anne at annechovie who’s rekindled an almost lost art painting marvelous watercolors and interiors. i got lost in her world! (more pics AND an interview here at the inspired room)
her etsy shop led me to Style Court (who styled the chair in the first painting and uses it in her banner)
ANYWAY, she posted this: ‘A reader located about 20 miles North of New York City seeks a decorator with that Ruthie Sommers aesthetic. She says she has money put aside for a serious project but celebrity prices are beyond her means. If you know of a decorator who might be a good fit, please leave a comment’.
all this led me to Ruthie Sommers, (whose website is everything i want mine to be)! these pics were some of my faves of her designs. Ok so long story short, all of these pieces are sitting in palm beach right now!
and couple new friends:
May December Home
who led me to
itisjustyoueverythingsnotshit
ok gotta go help my man pack. he’s leaving for italy tomorrow to go truffle hunting!
it was worth it
the last few days have been full of grunt work, organizing and paring down. so of course blogging is taking it’s back of the bus status. seems like whenever i get here someone knocks, calls or (worst) looks over my shoulder! i’m alone now and furiously writing for this brief shining moment when i can be here!
anyway in the midst of my grunting, i found a missing envelope with these antique perfume labels i got in paris a few years ago (and thought they were gone forever). finding them changed my day. the work!
on another note, my friend carol,
(have you seen this)?
turned me on to her friend Gay, at i dreamed i saw, a beautiful site filled with lovelies from other sites. great resource! god the internet is filled with beauty. go get lost if you have some time…
one final note: made by girl just stopped by and is printing eco friendly cards. so sweet too!
we’re exchanging links. if you’d like to do the same let me know! if we’re friends and i don’t have your link up please tell me!
xoc
ps
i was just surfing ebay (i confess i have developed an obsession for something, tell ya later). but anyway, for those of you who sell on it, check out collectibles and home decor
it’s a list of what’ hot, the top searches in the world. cheat sheet to the world’s yard sale!
bonsoir mes amis
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well i guess i took a good and long weekend. it was heaven and now i’m back in full swing, getting back to my fighting weight! just wanted to share a thanksgiving yin and yang moment with you…these you may know are twin my nieces…the bed was my mom’s then mine, then my goddaughter, Juliette’s who’s 12. now it’s been passed once again to these two supernannys…but new polly pockets’ townhouse proved much more interesting!
Happy & Thankful
happy thanksgiving to all of you, blogging buds who mean so much to me. you’ve helped me through a tough year with your love, comments, guidance and own blogs. of course i’m so very thankful for my family and friends, especially the ones who read my blog ;p
just an update: i did sublet my store (this image above is compliments of my neighbor’s store, Screaming Mimi’s, below is my empty nest), so i’ll be traveling, writing and and shopping from god knows where! enjoy your holiday and see you on the other side!
love,
claudia
virtually reality
hard to believe in 3 hours it will feel like i’m on another planet. i’m heading back to ny for thanksgiving and tying up loose ends that have been dangling for way too long. i’m excited about my new base and can’t wait to dig in. there’s something new around every corner. in fact i’m dying to get to this exhibit of 1920′s French Moderne pochoir paintings on exhibit at one of the fab local Deco musems: wolfsonian.org
on another note, i’m gonna try to keep miami with me back north, especially yoga which for some reason takes the rumble seat most of the time in ny. but the stars are aligning and it’s easy to do here. a blogging friend hooked up with me in paris and introduced me to Kim from Hip Tranquil Chick. now we’re going to do a podcast together next month! i’ll keep you posted: hiptranquilchick.com
i have a little time to play so thought i’d throw up a couple non sequitors:
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these pretty shots of my chairs, (i mean designer couture dresses, shot by Rick Day), are coming out this winter in a serious mag. i probably shouldn’t post the pics before they do but i loved them!
ok one more thing: i first saw this site on ullabenulla and fell in love. now i just came across it again and just had to share: ashesandsnow and flyingelephants
new website discovery: the waywewore. you’d look so cute in these for the holidays. vintage=recycling!
back atcha from nyc god willing!
vintage palm beach
what can i say? these gals were women after my own heart. i say were cause most of these doyennes are gone now, but their spirits still shine in their furniture left behind, maybe not useful to a daughter, or in law who wants something ‘clean or new’. but, their loss is our gain… for the past 3 days from south beach to palm and everywhere in between, i hit my old faves: every consignment, goodwill, antique store, collective, resale and auction i could find. truth is, i didn’t even scratch the surface. (best part…the prices)! much as i love my trips to paris, for furniture shopping this is unbelievable.
chair $150
this mirrored lingerie chest is making me like mirrored furniture again. OLD mirrored furniture! this had original glass and knobs. what a knockout! ($1500)!
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a great thing about traveling is you look at things with a new perspective. today it was 60′s oil paint in green!
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can’t wait to recover something with these…unused fabric from Good i mean Greatwill!!
and oh weird little chair i love the dorothy draper in you…
strokes of luck and genius
Last night’s surfing led me to one of the great designers of the century, James Mont. I fell inlove, hope you enjoy him too!
Todd Merrill acquired the entire contents of the Miami Beach penthouse designed in 1963 for King Kole by James Mont. It was wat theatrical, maybe not exactly subdued but I guess he was a total drama king…anyway the site is a wealth of information on a designer who was loved and feared. maybe cause he yelled at clients and threw furniture down the stairs?
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i’m a sucker for great renderings
the catalog at Todd Merrill has all the pieces from the apartment. i’m starting to see the pieces that were inspired by him now that i’m shopping south fla. there must have been a real mystique floating around mont et al in ’63 with his chinese moderne and sassy ways…
and these hinges!
well back to my travels. these were from yesterday but today i have another perspective. not quite as grecian and columnar but that hint of sparkle that works no matter where your penthouse is!
this just in from my blogging bud, bonnie…a james mont piece on ebay right now!
this mirror was huge…i love that they painted it navy blue
i found an orange one!
hmmm, what would james say? off i go again!
Blending in Boca
shopping with my client yesterday was all the fun i knew federal highway could be! from delray to palm beach there are unbelievable pieces and prices! we were u-turning all day and didn’t even hit 1/2 the stores…the ladies down here sure set decor trends way back in the day. i bet the estate sales here are crazy…
for her bedroom we’re searching for all the fun stuff, nightstands, sofas, slipper chairs, everything!
this is the family room and her inspiration pic:
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there were 3 tiny local auctions on the strip, with one last night, each had jewels, i fell in love with this pair of green sconces but the auction is on sunday night and i’m leaving :(
i LOVE turquoise, especially in chandeliers
this desk for the bedroom, and this table just screamed 40′s palm beach to me
ok, off i go to look for natural stone for MY place! i have to find really inexpensive stuff so he’ll have no choice but to go with the best…he wanted to put down some gray ceramic stuff. i better hurry!!!
miami is a vice
what a great idea! these gorgeous metal dresses along with many others were featured at ‘Windows at Walgreens’, an art exhibit co-op between the Art Center of South Florida and the wally’s here in miami. the artist is Andriana Carvahlo. really intricate details and bits of humor.
ahem. i wanted to show you something pretty first. now adjust your screens cause this ain’t as pretty as paris. but it’s gonna be home. and hey, even paris isn’t warm right now!
the owner is leaving the 40′s grey formica faux birch cabinetry in the kitchen! yikes. that’s a lot to work around. well at least i get to pick my light fixtures, faucets, floor, etc . i’m shooting for the moon of course and going for natural stone so i’ll bargain hunt tomorrow. he mentioned giving the whole place a facelift so who knows what’s in store. he’s really open minded…don’t look too close, none of this is my stuff, this one is upstairs and furnished…well, so called ‘furnished’, he’s open to changing the ‘decor’ to be very zen, so i’ll keep an eye out…
this is the upstairs view which i can’t have cause daisy can’t take the steps, but i was was like woah!
looking for a little inspiration for that kitchen, i found some great vintage florida glamour stuff on this site: www.allposters.com.
i love thinking about how people wintered in florida…they still loved to strut their minks. ok off to bed. lot’s to explore on our bright and early shopping mission tomorrow!
sunday, sunday
i’m still on the hunt for the perfect spot to hang daisy’s leash. this is my favorite so far, not the hi rise, not the little house. this little pad is as close as i can get to heaven without pitching a tent on the beach. of course random beauty always appears and makes you question everything …whizzing by this place revealed the sweetest courtyard in an adorable apartment with miami glamour and full of the old Bal Harbor ladies who’ve loved it for so long.
the legendary fleamarket in southbeach happens every other weekend. the great mirrored chest below made it home to liz’s and looks amazing!!
tomorrow i’m working on the auctions and warehouses from here to palm beach, where they really let it all hang out, which is always fun!
and whenever i’m here i fall in love with the hyper design everywhere! check out this link for these below and other great classic patterns. more en route!
http://www.stencil-library.com
oh and for a little bit of paris, check these out. i saw them on apartment therapy i think…anyway decals are EvErYwHeRe!!
