Interior Design Sense

Prandina showed off four of their new blown glass pendant lamps at the Light & Building 2012 fair. We had to share them with you because these pendants are something to see. The new lamps are called Tiara, Gong, Bloom and Chorus and they all share a smooth, curved appeal. Tiara is pure elegance, and our favorite. The bottom part of the diffuser has a slightly truncated cone shape upon which a perfectly circular shape sits. Only a line of light separates the seamlessness between these shapes and gives this lamp such charm. Gong is like a cocoon; strong yet delicate encasing something beautiful. In this case, it’s light. Bloom is the mysterious one; providing up and down lighting, this lamp gives off a nice diffused light to enhance the ambiance. Chorus is the one that plays with subtle angles on a cylindrical shape; depending where you view if from, its shape can slightly change on you. Go to Prandina for more details.

Ypsilon turns a solid piece of marble into an unusual and contemporary free standing washbasin called Gem. Staying true to their philosophy of blending tradition and modernity, this washbasin is made of an age old, classic material but with such a unique shape, it becomes current and fresh. The design of the interior of the basin is very intriguing, revealing the creativity and expert Italian craftsmanship behind Gem. Designed by Meneghello Paolelli Associati, it stands 80cm tall, while the diameter of the basin is 60cm. Visit Ypsilon for more information.
Images via Archiproducts.

We are smitten with the minimalist yet traditional Mina Kitchen, a true timeless classic by Minacciolo. The black metal is super serious yet in an elegant, mature way. Mina gives you the impression that it’s durable beyond anything you know and it’s here to stay – a loyal companion, one might say. The design of this plate fitted kitchen has a modular nature, meaning you are free to adapt it to your specific space. The Mina kitchen is for those who enjoy flexibility, superb quality and timeless design. Those red knobs really made our day. Learn more at Minacciolo..

We love unique designs such as this Cabrits freestanding bathtub by Victoria + Albert. Inspired by and named after the Cabrits peninsula, the shape of the tub is meant to mirror the distinctive shape of the peninsula. You can’t deny the shape is quite unusual for a tub. But that was the idea behind Cabits, it was meant to stir things up a bit in the freestanding bathtub world. Its shape is not only interesting, organic and beautiful to look at, but has ergonomic qualities that promise comfort and support. It’s a great tub for those who value bath time and smart design that stands separate from the rest. Visit Victoria + Albert to find out more.

The Bjhon washbasin by Agape Design embodies elegance and functionalism alike. It’s no wonder then that the man behind the design is Angelo Mangiarotti, who has been called “a freer and more creative Prouve”. Bjhon is simple and clean yet equally expressive and sculptural. Bjhon is made of Cristalplant Biobased, a unique ecologically sustainable material made from resinous raw materials and natural minerals. From a materials and aesthetic perspective, Bjhon is a truly special piece for any contemporary bathroom space. Visit Agape Design for more information.

The Valspar Color Project

Valspar has launched the first of three celebrity videos with Molly Sims which is part of their Valspar Color Project.  The project is to help raise money for Habitat for Humanity which is a non profit organization building low income housing for families in need.  Every time you view and/or share this video, Valspar will donate $1 to Habitat for Humanity to help each celebrity reach their goal of $100,000.  It’s that simple.  You get to see the behind the scenes footage of Molly Sims as she decorates her nursery for her first baby and donate to a great cause while doing so.  View, donate and share!  Who knew it could be that easy?

Abstract art seems to be the “it” thing these days and it’s hard to stay focused on just one artist when there are so many amazing talents out there like Reagan Geschardt.   Reagan and her husband Danny (who is also an artist) recently moved back to the NYC area from Naples, FL where they ran a very successful decorative arts business.  Reagan was trained in trompl l’oiel  murals and fine art  but has now started to focus on creating and selling her abstract works which are interpretations of her daily experiences.  Some of her current paintings study the interplay of color and light using water and landscapes and things that surround her.  The colors are magnificent and might be just what your room is missing.  For more information visit Reagan’s website here and find out about upcoming events so you can see her work in person!  Art is beautiful no matter how you look at it, but let’s be honest, it’s best in living color!

Water Lilies

Abstract Barn

Barn

Danny Geschardt (Reagan’s husband) also sells his abstract paintings and these two seem to work well as a team!  See Danny’s work below:

Between the two of them I’d say there’s something here for everyone.  The colors are enough to make me forget about all the rain we’ve been getting lately.  So don’t let your home get too gloomy it’s time to add some abstract color!

It’s been such an incredible week here in Los Angeles, celebrating “Legends of La Cienega” these past few days with fellow designers and bloggers. It was a week full of events and parties, and the highlighted “Windows to the World” event, featuring highly selected designers from all over the world, to create window displays in the showrooms that line La Cienega Boulevard.

The two day event started with a kick off party at the Rose Tarlow Melrose House showoom.

Designers Ron Woodson of Woodson & Rummerfield and Christian May of Maison21 at the Rose Tarlow kick off party.

Fellow blogger Typhanie of Shoebox Decor with her sister Khadine at the Rose Tarlow party.

The packed showroom at the Rose Tarlow Melrose House party.

Friends & bloggers: Typhanie from Shoebox Decor, Morgan of ML Designs, Khadine, and Richard of BluePRint Brands.

Yummy champagne, by Veuve Clicquot, a sponsor of the evening’s party.

Leaving the Rose Tarlow party, the elegant courtyard at night.

The next day, before heading to events, I walked La Cienega Boulevard to check out the window displays and eagerly made a beeline to see my blogger BBF and design partner in crime, Christian May of Maison21′s window at the Morrell Showroom.

Seeing the window in person was so stunning! The colors, the custom made screen from Grace Home Furnishings, the custom wallcovering applied to the screen from Black Crow Studios, the gilt coffee table from Gray Morrell, the chic yellow chairs from Gina Berschneider, and more (see here for a full list of credits!). Christian did such a remarkable job! So proud! For more pics of his window display for Legends of La Cienega, click here.

After checking out the windows, I headed over to the Compas Showroom for a luncheon hosted by Elle Decor magazine.

Inside the Compas Showroom on La Cienega Boulevard.

Enjoying the Elle Decor luncheon: Christian of Maison21, me of Material Girls, Jami of Imagine Design Blog, and Sara from Decorative Carpets.

The elegant courtyard at Compas Architectural Stone on La Cienega, the setting for the Elle Decor luncheon.

Later that evening, I attended the very packed and happening Traditional Home magazine party at Lee Stanton Antiques.

At the Traditional Home / Lee Stanton party: Kevin of Fuse Lighting, Shane of Gray Morrell, and Christian of Maison21.

Christian and I at the Traditional Home / Lee Stanton party.

{All photos by Jill Seidner Interior Design}

This week, I was so honored to be included in iVillage’s article, “What My Mom Taught me: Celebrity Home Designers” in celebration of Mother’s Day.

It got me thinking about how much my mom has influenced my career path and how much she means to me.

My mom has been interested in interior design as long as I can remember. Growing up, things were always changing around our house.  Whether she was re-painting a room or a piece of furniture, putting up wallpaper, or making drapes, she was the woman who did it all (and all by hand).  Most of my friends assumed she was a decorator and did that for a living.  My husband loves to tell the story of how when he first met my parents and came to their house, he sat down on the couch and realized he was sitting on mounds of fabric swatches.  Little did he know, the same thing would continuing happening a few years later at our own house

 {My childhood home, in which my parents still live in today}

I have such fond memories of my mom and decorating.  I think it was at some point during highschool, when I caught the design bug from her.  My bedroom’s color scheme went from pink to purple to blue to turquoise.  The artwork in my bedroom (AKA, the Mark Paul Gosselar poster) was strategically placed at eye level and the Laura Ashley bedding was always fully coordinated to a matching valance.

My mom has always been there for me through every move- dorm, apartment, rental house, office and now, our new house.  These moves always bring a fun new decorating adventure for us.

 {My oh so stylish college apartment}

Most weekends we spend at the consignment stores hunting for treasures for one of our houses and telling eachother “you so need that!” (when we clearly don’t)…like this bar cart I got last weekend for $45!

My phone usually rings within hours of receiving the newest House Beautiful in the mail with my mom asking, “did you see that gorgeous spread?” or “did you read the blog post today on Colour Me Happy or Cote de Texas?”  We pour over magazines and blogs together, analyzing each and every room.

 {House Beautiful}

We’ve also recently started going to Roundtop to further feed our obsession with antiques.  We also hit up all the warehouse sales in the design district, go on local home tours, and stalk our favorite streets in Dallas (hello, Tokalon).

 {Some of our china from Roundtop}

We can’t help it- Interior design is just what we do! (and it always has been)  We couldn’t care less about shopping for clothes- in fact, that’s usually considered a nightmare to us.  We will take Riverfront Boulevard over Northpark any day of the week!

So in honor of my mom on this Mother’s Day, I thought I would share with you her thirty year transformation of the house she has lived in since the 80′s (and boy could you tell it was the 80′s when she first moved in!)

Entry in the 80′s-

We are SO excited to announce that we are partnering with the very luxurious Vero Linens for this month’s giveaway!! Vero’s luxury cotton bedding has been produced for over 150 years by a family of craftsmen in Northern Italy so they know how to make some quality bedding! Vero Linens utilizes old-world finishing techniques including the classic hem-stitch finish on their sheets, pillowcases, shams, and duvet colors. Vero Linens uses only the finest grades of Egyptian cotton produced to make some of the finest cotton goods in the world. PLUS, they sell their linens directly to the consumer so there is never a retail mark-up! How great is that?! This means that Vero Linens doesn’t sell their linens through retailers and there is no retail mark-up, and with luxury linens this typically means a mark-up of 225% to 250%! So you really can’t beat a deal like that!

Enter here now!!

Now one lucky MG reader has the chance to win a complete set of 100% Egyptian cotton sheets in the color, pattern and size of your choice! Vero Linens’ sheet sets are available in two patterns, solid and tone-on-tone stripes, in three neutral colors:

Diamante Pillowcases

Righetta Pillowcases

A set like this would normally retail for well over $1000, so enter HERE now for your chance to win fabulous sheets (and a great night’s sleep) for free!! 

This giveaway will end May 27th and the winner will be announced on MG Monday, May 28th!