Beep beep beep beep yeah!

This morning as we walked down the street to get some coffee and pastries, we walked into annual Freewheelers Benefit Car Show featuring some remarkable vintage automobiles. The proceeds went to our local elementary school, Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy.

Looking at the amazing color combinations, I couldn't help but think of how they could be applied to interiors. There were some amazing colors there: coral, turquoise, cool snow white, pale greens, rich evergreen emeralds (which is supposed to be the next hot color)...it was amazing and inspiring. You know I really loved the contrasting upholstery/interiors in a lot of these cars. The exterior designs were amazing as well, featuring rich curves, polished metal trim, and even some wood accents.

Here are some photos. Hope they inspire you with some new room or furniture colors!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And we'll never be royals...

A couple of weeks ago it hit me--I'm not a fancy person. Even though I deal with luxury and custom style at Ye Olde Dayjobbe I came the realization (again) that those types of interiors don't necessarily speak to me. They often seem to speak more of status, wealth, and bragging rights rather than home, family, friends, and casual entertaining. It comes down to this: Do you feel comfortable coming in and sitting down?

I guess that's why I've been reading Apartamento so much recently--it's an international/Spanish quarterly (printed in English) that profiles everyday life around the world. The interiors featured in this magazine remind me of the unpretentious, "unfinished", dynamic studio-like spaces of my friends in the Mission and Bernal Heights. I'd take one of these homes over anything I see in Wallpaper, Elle Decor, or Architectural Digest (which I also have to read...for Ye Olde Dayjobbe.)

Here's a little peek:

 

When I go to my friends' homes, I'm so much more inspired than if I went to the Decorator Showcase House. Why? It's because I can see myself living and thriving in my friends' spaces (truly living, without a cleaning lady, housekeeper, personal assistant, or cook) instead of some "designed" home where I'm afraid to set down my drink.

This is a rant, but it's because I'm trying to reconcile these sides of my life. At Ye Olde Dayjobbe, I'm getting really good at being the practical one in the office ("Can this be cleaned with soap and water?" "Is this allergy free?" "Will it withstand their teenage kids??") And with Retrograde, I'm encouraging folks to step it up a bit ("You can't keep living with disposable furniture forever.")

So that's that.

I guess one thing we can all agree on is unique vintage treasure. One of my colleagues turned me onto Schatzi in San Francisco. It's small, but they have some affordable pieces that are in great condition. Check it out:

 

Until next time...

And the walls come crumbling tumbling down...

I'm about to lose control and I think I like it. Oh yeah. It was bound to happen--with light veneers and laminates being used everywhere from monolithic porcelain walls to continuous flooring, West Elm has brought the idea to residential consumers:

 

This is kind of amazing--I could imagine using it to create a herringbone/chevron pattern on a wall. Or creating headboard panel walls. Want a simple, graphic chair rail or wainscoting? Peel and stick.

 

I'm fascinated and want to experiment with it!

Brass monkey, that funky monkey...

At Ye Olde Dayjobbe I've been drawn to a lot of brass lately. It's not necessarily that bright, highly polished "fake gold" that dominated the suburban plumbing fixtures of the '90s and my teenage years, but it's a little more refined these days:

 

 

Regardless of the finish (brushed, polished, satin) it's a metal that can add color and warmth to a setting. Remember, I even made polished brass a feature in my library/dining room a few months ago.

 

I like it. Sometimes chrome, nickel or steel feel too cold. And bronze can often feel severe, like a black line. Of course it depends on the room, but brass really brightens things up. It's like a little bit of bling for your home. Check out some examples:

 

  

 

 

They paved paradise and put up a parking lot...

But in this case, the parking lot made a lot more sense.

We just got back from a 4th of July getaway in Carmel and Big Sur. It was fun to show my partner some of the places I got to see when I was shooting an independent film there a couple of years ago. We stayed at this quiet hotel called the Tradewinds and discovered they had a hotel cat who greeted guests and visitors! Once we saw Sweetie, we knew we were in the right place.

 

 

Tradewinds has a tropical theme which is kind of funny for foggy Carmel, but we actually had a couple of hot days which made it feel nice. Our first morning at breakfast, we saw these framed pieces of the hotel's history that made us love and appreciate the tropical décor even more:

 

 

 

Apparently there was a central swimming pool when the hotel first opened. Now it's one of their parking lots. Usually, you'd think it a travesty to pave over a swimming pool. But with the cooler, foggy weather of the central coast (and Carmel's expansion and development since the hotel first opened in 1959) it makes more sense to have the parking there for guests, especially since street parking seemed tight in the downtown area.

Plus, they did some amazing landscaping when they remodeled and removed the pool:

 

We were just thrilled to see Sweetie walking around each day. Carmel really is a city of animal lovers. (We were also thrilled to have a fireplace in our room on the last two chilly, foggy nights!)