ta-dah!
now let's pull back a bit:
now, let's see
everything, and give credit where credit is due:
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| "verochio" gilt chandeliers, gray morell; vintage chrome chandelier, gray morell; custom screen manufacturer, grace home furnishings; custom wall covering applied to screen, black crow studios; custom chairs, gina berschneider furniture; pillows on chairs, raoul textiles for george smith; "marbella" gilt table (between chairs), gray morell, (on table- sculpted arm, gray morell, silver plate bowl, dragonette ltd); "milan" side table (right), dragonette ltd; beeline home by bunny williams "pug benches", harbinger LA; antique tree root table, quatrain; "pashimina" carpet, the rug company; and if it ain't listed, it came out of the maison21 atelier! i want to give a huge a HUGE heartfelt thanks to those who contributed to my vignette- couldn't have done it without all of their cooperation ("it takes a village to dress a window"); i can't believe how fortunate i was to have the support of black crow studios, gina berschneider furniture, and grace home furnishings who all made me things specifically for use in my window. i'll be talking more about these generous sponsors in future posts, but today? it's all about me! |
are my colors bright enough to stop the cars whizzing by on la cienega? i hope so!
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| my window at the gorgeous gray morell showroom as seen from la cienega. |
now let's talk a little about my inspiration: this year, the theme for the "
legends of la cienega" was "windows to the world", and window designers were asked to pick a favorite destination as inspiration. i picked "palm springs" as it's not only one of my favorite places, but also because i think most people think of mid-century modern when comes to palm springs, but to me, palm springs is more of an "anything goes" kind of place with regard to decor styles. i've been to numerous estate sales in the area where you pull up to a fabulous mid-century modern home, but once inside there are french antiques, or chinoiserie, or art deco, and all sorts of styles that may or may not be congruous to the external architecture, so i wanted to reflect that brilliant eclectic mish-mosh; plus just as a matter of personal style, i think it's just more
modern to mix things up- period recreations, whether they are recreating 1760 or 1960, just seem dated to me, and i love to combine antiques, vintage and 21st century, all in one room. this seemed a natural fit since my host showroom, gray morell, deals in antiques and reproductions, and my display sits in the middle of the store, not in a partitioned off window platform, so my vignette and their merchandise needed to talk to one another! kismet, really.
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| there's that damn monkey again! |
the color scheme of the window was also inspired by the bright colors of the desert, but was mostly driven by the vintage 80's fabric on the gina berschneider chairs. i purchased the fabric years ago, intending it for my sofa, but could never pull the trigger as i knew richard & ted would trash the delicate glazed cotton in two seconds flat, so i've been saving it for a special occasion- like legends! also, as y'all know, i LOVE color and could never live without the cheer it provides, so when it came to a palette for the window i wanted to use a selection of brights to show that saturated colors needn't just be relegated to sesame street themed kid's rooms but can be sophisticated, chic, and
adult. i hope i succeeded. oh, there was also that whole stopping traffic thing- heck, i want my window to be seen by passing jets if possible!
last, i wanted the window to be a reflection of not only my personal decorating style, but a celebration of the fabulous resources available in the
la cienega design quarter. while i couldn't source everything from the
LCDQ (just most of it), virtually all my sources in the window came from right in my own backyard of southern california (again, another reason for the PS theme). i truly believe in the goal of the LCDQ of promoting local business, and wanted my window to reflect that- nothing was ordered from new york or flown in from paris, and there certainly isn't
anything made in china- it's all from right here in LA. i want our local design business community to thrive and grow, and in uncertain economic times, i think it's more important than ever to buy and support local. i'm proud to have been able to support the LCDQ, and i'm truly honored to have been asked to be included! thank you
lee stanton antiques- this was totally fun!
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| thanks again to gray morell designs for making this fabulous banner to hang outside their showroom! |
alright, thanks for bearing with me during this wordy and duplicate picture laden post! if you are in LA. please join the events of the "
legends of la cienega" this thursday and friday, may 10th and 11th- there are all sorts of cool panels, book signings, open houses and cocktail parties, all with complimentary shuttle and valet, and please come back here to see pictures of the other fabulous windows (amazingly, there were
other designers involved too! ;-) so i'll be posting those next. some of the windows will blow your minds!
ps- if any media outlets want a copy of my photos without watermarks, i have hi rezzies waiting and available- don't be shy about askin' :-)
