Pea Gravel Heaven

A client in Malibu is having me recreate this gorgeous, Mediterranean look.

Transforming a grassy/weedy area into pea gravel patio. It all started with falling in love with these distressed white wire chairs from my favorite garden furniture designer, Janus et Cie. We plan to find an old metal table similar to the one shown. Can't you just imagine dinner al fresco at this table??? What gorgeous things you could serve up to your guests!


Janus et Cie items are sold exclusively through the trade. White Wire Chairs approximately $825/each.

Designing a Piece of Malibu

{Janus et Cie Adirondack Chairs in Adult and Child sizes; made from recycled milk cartons are ultra, ultra fab at this lookout point created on the westbound portion of the bluff!}

How long has it been friends?
Too long...far too long....

....I've been up to my forehead in designing mania....!Fabric swatches, color chips, furniture samples, granite slabs, plant material...burlap, ticking, sunbrella, toile...it's all been wrapped around me like a glorious, sun-kissed necklace.

Now that my HUSHHUSH design job has wrapped, I can get back to playing with with some other fun souls! Due to confidentiality agreements, I can't share much of this spectacular fun job, but I can share a teensy looksy of this outdoor haven. Enjoy and I'll be back soon to share all the OTHER AMAZING fun things we've been a part of and immersed in!

{Taking a break from the mania with toes in the jacuzzi!}

{In the rose garden sits a statue by a talented Los Angeles artist; statue created in the likeness of the owners' daughter}

{My boardroom!  The area where I held morning meetings outlining the day's tasks.}

{Tennis courts where energy could be exerted after long days of moving and installing furniture.}

It's been crazy busy and as usual I'm running around like a headless French Chicken!  Back VERY soon and I promise to share more exciting news! Hope everyone is doing great and THANK YOU for continuing to keep us busy and having a blast filling all of your orders!

Fall Decorating au Natural

{Judy's amazing creation for us to enjoy ABOVE!}

Usually we go all out for Halloween decorating. This year has us busier than we've ever been with decorating here and there for clients, leaving us little time for WOW ME holiday decorating...

This year we decided to focus on a more Au Natural Fall Decor Theme, pulling in inspiration from Dear Mother {NATURE,] that is



Clock faces abound at Vintageweave, as does any vintage typography we can lay our hands on! Since none of this is glued down, you can rotate any holiday theme.

{Cloche Halloween Theme; $64 -- VERY LIMITED quantities available by contacting vintageweave@aol.com}

Of course at VW we are most crazy for French Textiles....pillows in muted fall colors....
{French Fall Pillow; $300 includes down insert available by contacting vintageweave@aol.com}

Vintage Vignettes

Dear friend, Jackie, recently relocated from Los Angeles to North Carolina. I first met this amazing woman as a customer of Vintageweave. Her visits became more frequent and within a month she became a client. Shortly thereafter, she became a friend, a treasured friend. Jackie loves to shop almost as much as I do! Her home is filled with lots of Vintageweave treasures and other wonderful finds discovered during her frequent vintage hunting trips. I miss her daily visits, but now enjoy her daily emails...we have fun trying to decorate together over the phone or via email...

"....move the small blue atop the large yellow and the big pink near the green..."

I trust any government employee scanning our emails doesn't think it's Russian Code for a chess game of spy warriors!


Note the Vintageweave Mail Holder in the lower left...Jackie turned it into a unique spice rack...LUV IT!


Jackie has many talents and if you're in the NC area and are interested in becoming a Casting Director, she occasionally teaches classes on this topic when she's not, well, casting.... IF YOU KNOW OF GREAT VINTAGE SHOPS IN/AROUND NORTH CAROLINA, PLEASE SHARE AS SHE CRIES THAT THE AREA IS BARREN and she's needing a fix that UPS can't always deliver from our doors to hers....

Our email decorating discussions are due in anticipation of a November photo shoot for Country Home magazine.(Out around this time next year).

For the Love of Red!

French Red.

"What exactly is that?"....this is a question I hear far too often.

Well, it evokes a feeling, a time, a place, a land far, far away.

I see a certain hue of red and my heart beats faster. Roll in faded red to a shade of pink, dolled up next to a more vibrant red and I can hardly contain myself.

Enter the antique French enamel pitcher above. I saw a sea of them and nearly fainted.
Ohhhh....it's so easy to make me giddy. Really. So, so easy. {D&A Rug in Framboise color-varies sizes; French zinc pitcher. All available at vintageweave.com >

La Chihuahua!

Los Angeles is one small-dog friendly, crazy town!

It's rare to not find an LA restaurant that doesn't accommodate dogs outside while you eat. And many a restaurant has a small DOG menu, akin to a KIDS menu section!

Dogs of all sizes abound...

.....but it's no secret that we love our small dogs here....especially, La Chihuahua!

Enter my client, J......J has just finished producing BEVERLY HILLS CHIHAUHAU. He's also been busy working on his new fabulous Cape Cod-style Hollywood Hills home, yet while shopping at Vintageweave weekly, always has time to visit with my "girls", Biscuit & Coco.

(Sorry ladies, he's taken and his girlfriend is simply the BEST.... a real doll and a beauty to boot.)

Clients like J are the best. Nice, personable, and focused on producing family-oriented movies that can be enjoyed by all. Not enough of that in Hollywood....

BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA OPENS FRIDAY OCTOBER 3!

Take your kids! Take your neighbors' kids! Take your friends' kids! Most importantly, take all the dog lovers you know!

The movie is cute with an inspirational message. And did we mention it's great for the entire family??? Go Disney!

More on his house as it gets completed. Due to activity from/to the pool area, he's a big fan of Dash and Albert rugs carried at Vintageweave:
If I'm able to post pics of his house after it's got all the Vintageweave touches, I'll certainly do so.

In the meantime, enter to win an ohh la la, so French Louis Vuitton tote bag filled with doggy goodies! Enter THE PAMPER YOUR PUP CONTEST HERE

Venerable Nate

Designer extraordinaire and all-around-great-guy, Nathan Turner, popped in to say hi this week......and look for treasures. We love his visits as he's cuddly and cute and has the most fabulous eye. If you've not visited his LA shop you MUST--a treat for the antique senses! Nathan Turner Antiques, 636 Almont Drive


His frequent contributions in DOMINO are surely seen by many of you. I love his sense of style!

Nate is working on yet another fab entertaining photo shoot........this time at his parent's ranch where he's putting together a rustic, nothing perfect, nothing matching setting. Can't wait for it to hit newsstands in a Western Interiors issue early next year.

If you can't see his smiling face in person, check out his
website. Nate is so personable but sadly you won't find much on his blog---the dude is just too busy!

A Casual Beach Retreat

{Take inspiration from drying squash and bits from nature}

Thought I'd share a client's beach retreat in Malibu....hope it provides a bit of inspiration!

A majority of the items shown can be found by visiting the boutique save for the one-of-a-kind treasures. Phone inquiries are always welcome if you can't hop on a plane and visit us!

Note the large wood balls in the urns. I love using an assortment of wood balls; contact us for current in-store selection...

A simple linen slipcover is given added panache with a French floral fabric border.


Sconces in waiting as we pick the perfect spot on the wall...



Reproduction wood candlesticks are difficult for us to keep in stock right now! In faint shades of blue, white, cream, black or brown....





A new Vintageweave favorite. While I'm typically not a fan of slipcovered sofas, this tailored look over the chic, elegant curves make me gasp. Custom orders are running approx 14 weeks....!

Mmmm, in luscious LINEN or HEMP in shades of natural, canvas, or celedon (sage). {Call for quote.}




Sorry, but ocean saltwater and sand are not included in Vintageweave custom orders............dipping toes into the nearest body of water is always optional! Massive thanks to Kammy Kenman--an amazing designer!!

A Whirlwind!

I haven't been able to blog lately as the plate...er, platter-super-sized platter....hath runneth over!

Helping a client move in to an Ojai Italian Villa has proved to be just as fun as I had imagined, but with all the months of treasure hunting and a full week of doing the initial install, there is still an entire notebook full of TO DO's...

This is all understandable.  Once one moves in to a new home, it takes a bit of time to feel the soul.  After the big pieces are arranged after you "feel" their positioning,  then tweaks & changes are usually necessary. We're editing out and adding in....and also now moving on to the missing bits and bobs.  One task for the next couple of weeks is to complete new outdoor cushions and pillows as the outdoor scheme is changing a bit now (about 65!) and still many, many (MANY!!) items to hunt for and then position.

More Gathering! More Shopping! Fun! Fun! Fun! I'm beyond loving all the treasure hunting!

I promise to back in touch in a day or so with actual pictures....

Some of the product being placed in and around this gorgeous setting nestled amongst orange groves, national forest, Santa Barbara mountains, and blue, blue sky:

I love using antique Batik pillows around a European decor scheme...nestled on Tuscan mustard hemp and white cotton twill, the colors add a pop without overpowering a room...

I found an old garden chair and made it into a princess chair on the deck outside a little girl's room. Sunbrella fabric in Canvas Natural will keep it outdoor friendly.

Ready for morning toast!

Malibu Home Staging

In the midst of all the crazy busy-busy of filling an Italian Villa in Ojai, California from top to bottom {remember I'm doing everything from the toothpaste to the towels to the towel racks! More on this at the end of the week}, I've been pulled in to work on staging a home for one of my most favorite (and biggest) clients. It's a mega gorgeous piece of property in Malibu. With so much on my plate, I've brought in my friend Kam to work with on the interiors. I will do all the outdoor areas. Kam is part of a group who does amazing, lightening fast set ups, thus allowing clients to get top dollar for their estates; check it out here:
DESIGNED TO MOVE


Home staging, used to facilitate and expedite selling luxury properties, is a big business in residential real estate, especially in California. Kam used to own a home decor store called Creme Fresh (we met when she started frequenting Vintageweave) in an area known as 'the Valley", but has since closed it and does mainly interior design and home staging. I'm really looking forward to working with her--more pics as they develop.
Kam will do inside, and I'll do exterior, which includes three outdoor areas. How will I possibly find the time? Easy! I plan to hook intravenously to a Starbucks and fire up my clone machine.......


We're meeting at the crack of dawn tomorrow to strategize....wee hours of the morning, mainly because my Ojai project is heating up and the move is scheduled for later this week. But I get to travel along the ocean soaking in one of the most gorgeous coastlines in the world so I'm pretty excited for every stage of this project...

Of course, when trying to sell a home it doesn't hurt that BARBARA STREISAND is your next door neighbor! "Spying from this balcony" might be a selling point!

A little piece of Ojai Heaven

Sometimes we are given an opportunity in life to work alongside beautiful souls. Other times we are given an opportunity to be surrounded by friends with beautiful hearts who support us in these endeavors...And further still there are times we may be given an opportunity to enjoy friends with beautiful hearts who support our dreams, clients with beautiful souls to work with in beautiful homes in beautiful environments surrounded by beautiful things. 

Enjoy the life and create a life to enjoy.

In our digital age, life moves fast and I often find that I pass myself in the hall. (!!)  A culprit of what others view as loading too much on my plate, I have the innate desire to accomplish an entire month's TO DO list in a day. (I've never been a relax on the beach kinda girl. I spent a month in Greece doing just that 15 years ago and that has pretty much filled the quota and carried me through...!) 

I left the crazy wall-street driven corporate life to foster and feed my creative soul but still find the yearning to move at a wall-street pace!   Thus it is no surprise that I am so grateful for my current project: One that allows me to move at lightening speed, juggling a million items, yet also allows a significant amount of stop and smell the roses moments throughout the day. I always take time for me--ALWAYS--(it is so important for us women to do this for ourselves!!!) but on this project it is such special me time.

I often find myself smiling saying,

........  "Thank you, God. This. is. a. beautiful. life. "

I am filling a beautiful Italian Villa.....

from appliances to linens to chic olive oils to cooking utensils  to light fixtures to mattresses to sofas to textiles...... and all things in between.

Everything to make it 100% turnkey ready. Oh such fun! I love to shop. I love to create. I love to arrange. I love to plan. I love to create smiles. I love to engage. In other words...all the things I love to do at the tippy top of my dream job list are all bundled for me to enjoy in my fast-paced, crazy-busy project. My bonus?  Homeowners with such beautiful souls.

 Join in on a wee bit of the fun...

Oh the options of Italian dinnerware! Can't decide? Let's load up a table with eight completely separate options and do this the sophisticated way: Enee, Menee, Minee, Mo.

 Client requested bright, cheerful colors and no one does cheerful Italian better than VIETRI.  Of course I could never be one for sets, so the mixture of tuscan red, butter, saffron, cream and sage are married with another VIETRI bright pattern:

 Prefer the flushed edge;  raised edges can cause scraping sounds of a knife as you cut your food. Vietri is my favorite upscale casual Italian line. The look is tumbled and hand created.  "Oh, to Grandma's  Italian farmhouse we go.... "



Lest we forget sure-to-be-lots of kiddie sleepovers, there's even a fun mixture of animals images for the kids. Vietri has five color choices, each with a different animal such as bunnies and sheep. We're going to use some of each pattern....


Just how gorgeous is this stemware?


Fabulous  metal sconces in burnished brown with hints of gold leaf...a crown fit for royalty!


A few Niermann Weeks light fixtures will provide the perfect touch:


A small round entry table and Italian dresser leave me drooling...I am so loving this dresser!

Dishwasher, washer/dryer, convection steam oven, linens, towels and so much more have been ordered. It's exciting as with that behind me I only have 7,236 things left TO DO...

Did I make you tired?  Ok, let's together stop and smell the fresh euculyptus-scented air with lavender winds , driving past the long winding road of orange groves...

We're here!

Maybe stop and enjoy a cup of tea in the side herb garden...(Wait-you have the tea. With all that I have left to do, gimme' a triple shot of espresso....)



I almost don't want to climb back down the hilltop...