31 August 2009

Visiting Emily Joubert in Woodside


My friends and I love to meet for breakfast at Buck's in Woodside before heading out for a busy workday or for a leisurely weekend gabfest. It's always fun to watch residents of this woodland enclave dismount their horses and tie them to the hitching post as they nonchalantly amble inside for coffee and gossip.


Only deep in the heart of Silicon Valley will
you find a plasma screen installed outdoors
to show how the exquisite Juliska is made!
at Emily Joubert Home & Garden


When we finished our breakfast, I headed over to Emily Joubert Home & Garden, the source for things that make us feel like we are in a {deceptively luxurious} simple country place in France: Arte Italica, Juliska, William Yeoward. I also love that her traditional chic extends to the hip, green and sustainable Chilewich line of rugs and table linens, and the very hip and fun Danish Rice line of tableware, and bucketsful of the friendly affordable striped rugs of Dash & Albert.



Rustic Elegance Perfected in this
Welcoming Setting



I was stunned at the beauty of the new pewter
finish on Juliska's Octagon line....and even
more stunned to learn it's oven, microwave
and dishwasher friendly!


Simple & Elegant Etched Lantern


Juliska's Table!


A Grand Old Dauphin with Shell


Buckets of Those Charming Dash & Albert Rugs


If you adore the rustic elegant look, drop in here for a couple of hours of delightful immersion. You will want to take home everything you see here.

And speaking of buckets, just be sure to give Trigger his oats before you lose yourself completely at Emily Joubert Home & Garden!

................


Emily Joubert Home & Garden
3036 Woodside Road
Woodside, California 94062
ph. 650.851.3520








........................................


Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design


25 August 2009

Tadelakt: "Hard as Stone and Soft as Silk"


The first time I saw tadelakt was in St. Tropez, France, several years ago. I was immediately transfixed by the pearlescent, translucent, hand-rubbed-all-the-way-to-glossy, impervious-to-water finish. I had never seen anything like it before, and rarely have since. I had stumbled upon one of the oldest and most treasured plaster finishes in the world. The art of tadelakt is 4,000 years old, and comes from Morocco.

Designers in France are using it today for its silky texture and indescribable patina, which are unmatched by any other plaster finish available. It is absolutely stunning.


Tadelakt functions extremely well in wet areas and can form a seamless, monolithic finish to back splashes, countertops and sinks in kitchen, bathroom, shower and powder room areas. Made from natural hydraulic lime, quartz and marble powder, tadelakt is white in color and can be pigmented using natural earth pigments.

The tadelakt process is deceptively simple. A natural powder paste is applied to the surface, then polished with a smooth stone. This is repeated seven times. Finally, the surface is sealed by rubbing with a black olive oil soap.

To fully appreciate it's allure, it is said that you have to caress it. I couldn't agree more!





Satiny Coral Tadelakt Finish on
Integrated Shelves in
French Kitchen




A Parisian Salle de Bain Finished in
Black and Taupe Tadelakt


Tadelakt Taupe Walls in
Parisian Salle de Bain



Tadelakt Taupe Walls in
Parisian Water Closet



Charcoal Grey Integral Tadelakt Bathtub in
Parisian Bathroom


Tadelakt Red Shower Walls in
Chic Provencal Salle de Bain


Tadelakt Red Sculptural Bowl in
Provence, France


Creme Tadelakt Walls in Parisian Salle de Bain


Gorgeous Tadelakt
Parisian Salle de Bain


Beautiful Tadelakt Red and Gold Backsplash and
Integral Sink in Provence, France


Tadelakt Grey Countertops and
Shelves in Parisian Kitchen



Tadelakt Backsplash, Countertop and Integral Sink in
Provence, France


Tadelakt plaster finish would be gorgeous and luxurious in our American homes. I can see it working beautifully in chic Napa and Sonoma wine country homes.

If you have seen tadelakt installed here, I would love to see pictures!


Resources:



Photos Courtesy of Traditions du Maroc
and Maroc Design in
Paris and Avignon, France




.......

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic
Chic Provence Interior Design


21 August 2009

A Little Luxurious Levity


If you always play it safe, that's ok. But not everyone does. For some, life is tough enough out there; when they get home, they would like a bit of cheer. Something unexpected that makes them smile again when they see it. Something just a little luxe, but in a fresh way.

Enter the designs of Christopher Guy and Emma Gardner, two of my favorites for clients who emphatically don't want a plain vanilla aesthetic. Hey, they probably like Christian Liaigre, but they want to mix it up, shake things up. Here they are shown alongside iconic French designers Frederic Mechiche, Jacques Adnet, and Jean Royere.


Emma Gardner's "Whole Baby Fish" Rug in Acid Hand-Knotted
Silk and Wool


Christopher Guy's Playful Headboard
Made up of Silk and Mohair Upholstered Ellipses


Iconic French Designer Jean Royere's
"Upholstered Bear Chairs"



Emma Gardner's "Joy" Rug in
Springtime Green Hand-Knotted Silk and Wool




Pair of Raspberry Fauiteuls by Jacques Adnet, Celebrated Icon of
Luxurious French Modernism




"Fire Island" Rug in Pale Shell Hand-Knotted Silk and Wool
by Emma Gardner



"Fishtail" in Chocolate Fossil Hand-Knotted Silk and Wool
by Emma Gardner


Emma Gardner's "Koi Pond" in Aqua
Hand-Knotted Silk and Wool


"Canape Allure" by Frederic Mechiche, French Designer
Known for Injecting Playfulness Into Luxury Designs



"Palace" Rug in Midnight Hand-Knotted
Silk and Wool


Christopher Guy's Design Squared Headboard
Made up of Silk and Mohair Upholstered Squares





.............................................................


Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

16 August 2009

Our Love is {Sphere} to Stay!


Adults spend an astonishing nine hours per day looking at rectangular screens: computer, TV, iPhone, blackberry (aren't I this very minute looking intently at my Mac screen, scrutinizing every word and pixel, in a rush to get this post done before the season premiere of Mad Men?).


And, as a designer, I spend an extravagant amount of time concerned with rectangles: graph paper, doors, windows, floorplans, tiles, floors, picture frames, rugs, cabinets, countertops....on and on the list of angular items grows. And it seems the younger and hipper the client, the more straight lines there are.


The Artist Model Keeps Two of Artefact's Wire Spheres Company


Is it any wonder then, that where ever I go, I see spheres? O happy sight! Roundness, curves that are so curvy they meet themselves again in an eternal embrace! No angles to square? Relief!


Out scouting design ideas yesterday, I fell hard for spheres. The antidote to too many angles in our worlds.



Starfish-Covered Spheres on French Deco Club Chairs


Mossy Green Spheres in an Old French Urn for the Garden


Big Statement Spheres From Reclaimed Wood


A Spiky Little Guy Adds Oceanic Interest


Galileo Might Have Liked the Way These Spheres are Shaping Up


We Can Only Wonder What The Buddha Is Thinking About This Big Red Sphere


Rustic Sphere


Waterballs...Reclaimed From New England
Water Filtering Plant in Last Century..
Beloved by Designers Everywhere


Stunning Wire Sphere Crafted by Dave Allen at Artefact


A Tower 'o Balls 12 feet Tall...
Just In Case You Miss the Point


Equal Time to the Rosary, Since Buddha is Pictured Above!


A Tactile Soft Sphere


Small Delicate Orb Spheres in Blown Glass


Contemporary Chandelier in Crystal Daisies, A Diaphanous Sphere




Sources for These Spheres Click on the Store Names Below:


Artefact Design & Salvage, at Cornerstone in Sonoma, California

Extremely creative and talented team of David Allen and Wade Hines for very cool furnishings from repurposed items


Zipper, at Cornerstone in Sonoma, California

HIp and chic, not to be missed!


Chateau Sonoma, just off the Square in Sonoma, California

Well, if you can't make it to France anytime soon, just drop by toute de suite!







.............................................................


Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design



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