Interior Design Blog | Tips, Trends & Home Ideas

Published on: October 6, 2018

Lifetime Achievement Award Honoring Rocky LaFleur with LA Event Lights

One of the biggest parties of the year took place during the Pacific Design Center’s annual Fall Market. As a much anticipated event, we celebrated the Lifetime Achievement Award Honoring Rocky LaFleur, our design community icon. I was fortunate enough to attend the party with many of my friends and colleagues. In addition, my friend Allan of LA Event Lights provided the spectacular lighting for the evening - illuminating the entire fifth level double height atrium of the Pacific Design Center.

Here is a before picture of the corridor space on the fifth and sixth levels of the Pacific Design Center that was transformed for the night’s party.

The space is illuminated by lighting, including custom GoBo projections for the sponsors.

The attendees filled the space which included a center bar and stage. All of the lighting is LED production and 90% battery operated technology.

With the honory guest of the evening, Rocky LaFleur (center) along with design friends (l-r): Lynnea Schweiters, Gregory Firlotte, and Amanda Neistat. Both Gregory and Amanda helped in putting together the event for the big night.

And great job to LA Event Lights for the amazing lighting display! Such a fun and celebratory night!

Published on: September 29, 2018

Circa Lighting Showroom Opening

Circa Lighting has opened a stunning new showroom in Los Angeles, in our popular La Cienega Design Quarter, in West Hollywood. I attended the showroom opening this past week and am absolutely impressed with the new space. The showroom features two levels, a ground floor with lighting collections organized by designer, and a second floor mezzanine level showcasing tech lighting.

Some of the designer lighting collections on the first floor include Kelly Wearstler, Aerin Lauder, Kate Spade, Suzanne Kasler, and more.

The showroom displays an array of gorgeous pendants from the ceiling.

Contemporary wall sconces on the second level tech lighting floor.

Glass and metal mini pendants on display.

Loved these large scale pendants over the stairwell.

Colorful and clear glass mini pendants.

As part of the opening party guests received signed copies of Kelly Wearstler’s book “Rhapsody” from Rizzoli.

Circa Lighting is located at 525 N La Cienega Boulevard

Published on: September 29, 2018

The Inside x Homepolish Event

The Inside and Homepolish have teamed up to release a line of furnishings by Los Angeles based interior designer, Katherine Carter. The collection features textiles, wall covering, pillows, and furniture all for a very affordable price point that is cool, contemporary, and should I just add - very, very chic.

Shop these throw pillows on The Inside - “Black Fracture” by Homepolish, 20” square with feather insert for $49.

Loving these removable wallpapers (need for my own place!) that I got to preview in person this past week at The Inside x Homepolish event.

How cool is this marble fabric upholstered platform bed from the collection!? I love it!

I got to test out these chairs in person too at the event - for $399 they are a steal!

The pretty patterned removable wallpaper collection.

Thank you to The Inside and Homepolish for hosting us! It was a beautiful evening setting from the Hills Penthouse West Hollywood!

Published on: September 21, 2018

Product Review: Adoric Life Premium Quality Bed Pillows

I was recently sent a pair of pillows to try out from Adoric Life Premium Quality Bed Pillows and happily traded out my inexpensive quick fix big box store pillows that I purchased when I moved into my new place just over a year ago.

I love how they were shipped flat, vacuum packed and tied with a pretty bow.

The pillows are super comfy. I’ve been sleeping on them for over a week and finally tossed out my old pillows now that I’m convinced these are keepers. I love that they are hypoallergenic and dust mite resistant too. Gives this clean freak that I am peace of mind. To purchase, click here.

{Disclaimer: I was provided with a free product in return for my honest review. This review includes an affiliate link. If you purchase items through my affiliate link, I may earn a commission. There is no additional charge to you.}

Published on: September 15, 2018

Sunset Magazine Idea House with Lamps Plus

This past week Sunset Magazine and Lamps Plus hosted a group of us at the newest, latest Idea House in Beverly Hills. A modest home in the hills that was completely transformed with sleek contemporary furnishings, kitchen and bathroom renovations, and of course, all the lighting selections featured are from Lamps Plus.

The dining room area with a metal base table and chairs.

The lushly landscaped and very private backyard with pool.

The master bedroom is light filled with a great view of the yard.

A pair of these wall sconces flank the bed in the master bedroom - a favorite!

The master bathroom features bath fittings from DXV.

A guest bedroom with table lamp lighting from Lamps Plus.

A contemporary bathroom with sink from DXV.

Love the terrazzo stone tiles and shower niche in the guest bathroom.

It was great to see fellow design friends, left to right: Jeanne of Cozy Stylish Chic, Jeffrey Johnson of Jeffrey Design LLC, Lynnea of Lynnea Jean Interior Design, and Erica Islas of EMI Interior Design.

Thank you to Lamps Plus for hosting us!

Published on: September 13, 2018

Bend Goods Showroom Opening

Bend Goods has opened a new showroom in the Melrose District of Los Angeles - and it happens to be right in my own neighborhood! This past weekend I attended their opening night party with friends. It was great to see the very cool newly opened showroom and the party was lively with a DJ, drinks, hors d’oeuvres, and a fun photo booth.

An overview of the showroom space - an eclectic mix with pops of vibrant color and a white backdrop.

Metal chairs and barstools on display.

Love these dual pendants.

Love the chic retro look.

Fab combination of green and gold chair detail with great pillow and seating cushion shapes.

Another showroom overview pic with lots of color mixes.

From the SnapBar photo booth had fun seeing friends Christian May of Maison21 and Megan Reilly of Westedge Design Fair.

If you’re in the neighborhood stop by and visit Bend Goods at 7007 Melrose Avenue or come see them at Westedge Design Fair October 18th-21st - I’ll be there too!

Published on: September 3, 2018

Highlights from The Taste LA

Over Labor Day weekend I attended The Taste LA at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles. The studio Backlot couldn’t have been a more perfect setting for a food festival. With the ambience of a NYC street scene, lights strung between buildings, tents set up featuring fare from local restaurants, and great music - we sampled bites from Eataly, Border Grill, Trois Mec, Granville, Stella Artois, Pacific Dining Car, and many more.

The scene for The Taste LA encompassed several “streets” on the Backlot of Paramount Studios with some of the “sets” open to showcase bars and shops, such as a Los Angeles Times cafe featured on site for the event. It was fun having access to and exploring the various streets during the event - all the while eating and drinking!

Stella Artois had two great set ups for serving their Belgium beer - one a cafe, a smaller location and another larger walk in serving bites and full glasses of beer on tap. It was so good - we went back twice!

Chef Bernhard serving up small bites at Stella Artois.

This year at The Taste LA honored a tribute to the Los Angeles Times own renowned food critic, Jonathan Gold.

Aperol Spritz had a super cute drink stand and these yummy drinks went down easy.

Drink Bai had a fun photo booth with GIF pics that we took pictures in.

Paramount Studios was such a great setting for the festive event.

Thank you to The Taste LA for including me at this years event! If you missed the LA event or looking for the next one, The Taste moves to OC next month. For more info and tickets, details are here.

Published on: August 28, 2018

Los Angeles Times “The Taste”

This coming Labor Day weekend in Los Angeles is the annual Los Angeles Times “The Taste” event being held on Paramount Studios Backlot. The festival includes three back to back evenings of amazing food, wine, spirits and chef experiences, plus unique culinary pop-ups and collaborations. Dozens of local restaurants will showcase the city's rich and diverse culinary scene by serving their best each evening. I’m looking forward to attending and covering the event this weekend.

The first nights event begins on Friday, Aug. 31, 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.:
L.A.’s pop-up and underground restaurants will take the stage with a demo of Cajun-by-way-of-Compton cuisine from chef Michael Lawless (Shad’s New Cali Catering). Ludo Lefebvre (Trois Mec, Ludo Bird) will showcase his French flair. Master of the grill, Burt Bakman (Trudy’s Underground Barbecue), will lead a barbeque how-to. Ricardo Zarate (Rosaliné) and Jonathan Yao (Kato) will provide a glimpse of what makes their dishes imminently Instagram-able. The Bar Stage will be serving up white wines of Italy with Wes Hagen of J. Wilkes Wines. Restaurants include: Amor y Tacos, Baltaire Restaurant, Bone Kettle, Casa Vega, Chao Krung, Farmhouse, Hinoki & the Bird, Otium, Pop’s Bagels and Wanderlust Creamery.

The second night Saturday, Sept. 1, 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.:
Delicious food will be the special of the night as Briana Valdez (HomeState) celebrates breakfast all day with a demo of her signature dishes. Sommelier Ira Norof will give you 101 reasons to drink wine. Restaurants include: Cento Pasta Bar, Border Grill, Crustacean Beverly Hills, Jaffa, Kali Restaurant, Madre Oaxacan Restaurant & Mezcaleria, Mayura Indian Restaurant, Prawn, Taste of Tehran, Trois Mec and Winston Pies.

For the last night, Saturday, Sept. 1, 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.:
Experience the diversity of flavors in our fair city when Sean Lowenthal (Little Beast Restaurant) and L.A. Times Test Kitchen Director Noelle Carter highlight Southern cooking, Minh Phan (Porridge + Puffs) shares her technique for elevating porridge, and Charles Olalia (Rice Bar/Ma’am Sir) gives a master class on Filipino cuisine. Niki Nakayama and Carole Iida-Nakayama (n/naka) showcase Japanese cuisine. Wine expert Christine Dalton will raise a glass to rosé. Restaurants include: 71Above, Banh Oui, Coni’Seafood, Holbox/Chichen Itza, Hotville Chicken, Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken, Inko Nito, Kobee Factory & Syrian Kitchen, Meals by Genet and Prince of Venice.

This year’s event also includes a special tribute to the Los Angeles Times very own food critic, Jonathan Gold.

For more info and to purchase tickets, click here. Hope to see you there!

All images courtesy of JS2 PR and attending on behalf of as media.

Published on: August 18, 2018

Architecture of Spain

Spain, the beautiful architecturally rich country, has easily become one of my most favorite places to visit. It is certainly the country I’ve been to the most. In February, I took my fifth trip. I was there on behalf of Tile of Spain to attend the annual Cevisama (tile trade show) in Valencia with an added day excursion to Castellon en route to Barcelona for a few days of architectural tours. From there, we took the train to Madrid to spend a couple of days, including a day trip to Toledo before driving to Portugal for another few days. Highlighting Spain, are some of the great architecture sights we visited in Valencia, Castellon, Barcelona, Madrid, and Toledo.

Probably the most noted architecture in Valencia is the work of local architect Santiago Calatrava, who along with Félix Candela, designed the City of Arts and Sciences. Above is the Museu de les Ciencies Principe Felipe and to the left the L’Umbracle. The City of Arts and Sciences is situated at the end an old riverbed known as the river Turia, which was drained in 1957, and is also a park with a trail that curves around the city for walking and biking.

Reflected on water, above is the L’Hemisferic (an Imax theater, planetarium, and laserium). Behind is the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia - I was completely mesmerized by its sculptural curved roof structure. These buildings are listed as part of the 12 Treasures of Spain.

Venturing from the futuristic, is the Old City (Ciutat Vella) of Valencia, the historic city center that was once a walled city. The area is lively and filled with historic buildings including the Estacio Del Nord, above, a Valencian Art Nouveau railway station built in 1852.

Also in the Ciutat Vella, is an Art Deco influenced building known as the Rialto Teatre, still currently used as a theater.

North of Valencia, en route to Barcelona, we visited the small town of Vila Real in Castellon after a tile factory tour. It was fascinating to read this town hosts four of Spain’s 500 largest businesses, all of which trade in the ceramic tile business. (I did see the large tile manufacturer Porcelanosa on our drive - I’ve previously contributed articles for their site.)

In Vila-Real, province of Castellon, the Sancti Pashalis Basilica is listed among one of the main sights.

Beautiful Barcelona, a gem of architecture. As part of our planned Tile of Spain group, we got to experience a day long hosted architectural tour of the city. Including everything from gothic to art nouveau to contemporary and modern sites throughout the city.

This is Casa Vicens by Gaudí, his very first design. The private 130 year old home was opened in 2017 as a museum. It has an amazing tiled roof top terrace with a look out spot and intricate chimneys.

Another Gaudí, and probably one of his most famous, the Sagrada Familia. It was my first time seeing, somehow had missed on previous trips. Stunning, fascinating, mesmerizing, absolutely worth seeing.

Ah Madrid, my favorite, surprisingly. Perhaps it’s because I’ve spent the most time here, but it feels a bit like “home”. I tend to gravitate toward large cities, and Madrid offers a mix of a beautiful European city with the vibe of NYC energy in some neighborhoods along with modern city shopping areas, cool trendy barrios and historic areas. It’s a bustling city and I’ve always felt very comfortable in Madrid.

Housed in a beautiful building built in 1916, nearby to Plaza Mayor, is the Mercado De San Miguel. The “market” actually houses over thirty gourmet tapas eateries serving tapas, paella, ham, olives, baked goods and beer and wine are also available.

The famous Plaza Mayor with a detailed painted facade. The large square has some interesting history and statues on display, small shops and bars are on the perimeter.

Walking a neighborhood of Madrid just outside the Plaza Mayor.

The Royal Palace of Madrid, which is also a museum you can visit.

Beautiful grounds and buildings seen walking around Madrid on a wintry day.

Retiro Park, which is near to Atocha Train Station and next to the Only You Hotels we stayed at, is a large park with expansive gardens and a lake where you can rent paddle boats.

The amazing building known as Atocha, Madrid’s main railway station, conveniently directly across from our hotel too.

Worthy of a day trip from Madrid, by train, is a visit to Toledo. Another historic walled city that is full of so much fascinating history.

It was so pretty on a crisp cold day in February. This view is upon entering from a steep walk up from the bottom.

The bridge over the river Tagus leading to the historic walled city of Toledo.

This river leads to Portugal and that was our next destination from here.

After two weeks I still wasn’t ready to leave Spain, I came home missing Spain, and I’m still wanting to go back to Spain! Hopefully a return visit soon!

[All photos are personal photos taken.]

Published on: August 16, 2018

Street Artist Turned Contemporary Artist: Karlos Marquez

I have long loved contemporary art, abstract art, and street art - many an artist falls into this category that I love - and now the work of artist Karlos Marquez has captured my attention. A fellow native Angeleno, one of the original LA graffiti artists since 1983; under the name of “Kartoon”, he joined “K2S” (Kill to Succeed) graffiti crew in 1985. Karlos went on to receive an education in art studying at both Los Angeles City College and Associates of Art in Sherman Oaks. In the past few years his art has evolved to include mixed mediums and collaborations with the furnishings company, Cisco Home, a local LA based home furnishings company. (The above art is for sale here.)

Karlos at work. (Image via Facebook.)

Loving this “Love”chair. (Image via Facebook.)

His Instagram is full of colorful inspiration, there are several great pieces that I love, including this abstract.

The designer in me took to these very cool, vibrant pillows! (More on Instagram.) Super coveting!

A true street artist, right!?

Looking forward to “Open Studio” this Sunday in LA along with artist Jose “Prime” Reza. More details for this weekend’s event here.

Stay tuned for more posts featuring the studio visit too!

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