The Incredible Bathroom of Paris Stage Director...

Jean-Pascal Levy-Trumet. Photographed by the incomparable Pieter Estersohn. Appeared in the April 2003 issue of Elle Decor magazine.

I just can't get over how much I love this bathroom. I love the tub, I love the steel walls, I love the chandelier. It just speaks to me. I just love its clean lines, its simplicity, its elegance. I love the juxtaposition of all that industrial nail-headed steel sheeting against the amber old glass of the chandelier, and the smooth concrete of the tub. The illumination: completely breathtaking.

Parisian Bathroom of Jean-Pascal Levy-Trumet

photographed by Pieter Esterholm

{ Thanks! to Daniel Hale of Serendipity Rising for the photo source and information }

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

CONTACT:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

Have a Happy {Chiner} Weekend & Look What I Found!

chiner, fr. {chee-ner'} : to root around in the brocantes (flea markets) looking for stuff

chineur, fr. {chee-nur'} : one who spends their free weekend hours rooting around in brocantes

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

Now that we know who we are, look what I found last weekend at the local fleas!

If you have any great ideas of how I can use this great stuff, let me know (Beth @ Chinoiserie Chic, are you listening?)

my little treasure trove from last weekend's "chineur"-ing

antique Chinese shawl--yes those are little silver balls

sewn into the design!

I kind of like this cool globe of pressed glass

my very adorable red Buddha from the 1920's

even the little blue lantern has a certain "chinoiserie" cache

the proud peacock on one of the metal panels I found

somehow I let these adorable dauphines get away

ditto the coral print from 1910

Hope these inspire you to get out there and support your local thrift stores, consignment shops, flea markets....remember it's a very green and sustainable way to shop!

For fun in the Bay Area this weekend, be sure to visit my friends at Afterwards in Menlo Park. They have a holiday celebration going on Saturday all day long, stop in for a bit of cheer. You will be amazed at their wonderful stuff!

And my favorite flea market, the Alemany Flea, is on every Sunday at the intersection of 101 and 280.

Have a great time!

French definitions here!

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

CONTACT:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

The Linens of Chic Provence

At ten thousand years old, linen has been used by Provencals for centuries as bedsheets, tablecloths, curtains, furniture. Linen imparts the ease and simple rustic elegance that signals the Chic Provence interior.

I love its rough, handwoven feel. And you can be a little rough with linen, it stands up to a lot. It invites touch and exhalation, whether upholstering an old Louis XV chair, elegantly draped over a worn sofa or used as...a sheet! 

courtesy Libeco

courtesy Libeco

courtesy Libeco

courtesy the amazing  interiors blog

 

courtesy Red Ticking 

Linen is crisp, clean and comfortable. Soft, yet strong and durable. The more it is used, the softer and stronger it becomes. It is non-allergenic, and sustainable to the core. It offers luxury and comfort, elegance and practicality. If it gets a little worn or torn, just make a pillow or some napkins from the remnants. 

You can look for handwoven pieces at flea markets all over France. Or skip the trip and find incredibly beautiful linens at Libeco. They have listings of local sources, like Red Ticking in Seattle that's like a trip to a flea market itself!

Once you bring linen into your life, you will wonder how you lived without it so long. And you will keep it forever.

That's the soul of the thrifty, chic Provence way of life.

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

Kit Golson Design  

interior design solutions

Fast Slow Food in Green Cafes

If your hippest client suggests lunch twice in one week, you  happily go where she chooses. Good call!

On Tuesday after "bargain hunting" at Ed Hardy's bittersweet closeout antiques auction,  we headed over to  Nopalito. A new, chic Mexican that boasts sustainable and organic food, it does not resemble the usual tacqueria in any way.  Once we were able to squeeze into the packed lunch crowd there was no doubt that all the smiling faces were not from the mojitos.

Suguaro Branch Sculpture

Zinc Countertops

Pendant Lights and Glass Mosaic Backsplash

No, smiles were for the food (beyond fabulous) and especially for the design itself (very green: zinc countertops, glass mosaic wall, repurposed cans for lights, tables made from fallen oak trees, suguaro branches as sculpture, concrete floors, cloth napkins instead of paper.)

Blissfully guiltlessly we lunched. 

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

On Wednesday, while down in Palo Alto foraging for old fireplace mantels at Whole House Building Supply & Salvage, we headed over to Town and Country to  Calafia Cafe.

Intentionally sustainable and repurposed throughout its brilliantly conceived interior (kudos to Nicole Hollis for her seltzer bottles for pendant lights, barn wood ceiling, straw in plaster walls, recycled bottles for chandelier, huge reclaimed beams for support, Chilewich placemats, tree trunk coffee tables), the food served there by a former Google chef was delectable and delish.

Lights Made From Old Bottles

Did Someone Say "Adorable Tree Trunk Coffee Table"?

Eco Friendly Plaster Made Friendlier With Straw

If you find yourself near either place when hunger hits, go.  But before you order, take a moment to note the green and clean ambiance.  Celebrate the sustainable design. Exhale. 

Your body and your spirit will both thank you, and your mother earth will love you. How hip is that?

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

What Is the Color of Safety?

It's not news today that when a woman is abused by her lover or husband, she needs to leave home quickly and unequivocally. Safe houses keep her and her children hidden from view.

I had the immense privilege to design a home for these women and their children. As you might imagine, the budget was not huge. I immediately went to work creating a place that felt comforting, light, happy. I changed floorplans to create places for older children to study and for younger children to simply bounce off the walls if they need to.

Inspiration was found in these beautiful paintings by Kim Parker, with names like "Garden of Hope" and "Beach Garden". Framed prints will hang on the walls.

I created a "Mother's Chair", with a footstool and lamp in every bedroom, where a weary and frantic woman might put her feet up and exhale for just a little while each day, surrounded by soothing seafoam bluegreen and her things.

countertop accent

transluscent 3-Form resin panel

renewable resource bamboo flooring

I chose natural materials...gorgeous bamboo flooring throughout, recycled glass and ceramic countertops and tiles, transluscent 3-Form panels in painted kitchen cabinets, paints without harmful vapor, and Marmoleum linoleum floors....to keep things healthy for the inhabitants and our Mother Earth. Many of these incredible materials were donated by the local community.

I developed a soothing and joyful palette. The main living areas will have a chair rail painted in a semi-gloss to keep cleanups easy; in the living room, dining room, kitchen and kids' area, joyful and happy upper wall colors will be grounded by the neutral of the chair rail and the trim.

The kitchen cabinets will be painted the beautiful green color above, and upper cabinets will be paneled in the leafy green 3-Form transluscent resin panels, with inner lights to provide a soft glow.

I believe that giving these families a lovely home we will elevate the self-esteem of those who might feel a bit hopeless. I think their spirits will soar when they walk into the light-filled and joyously feminine atmosphere.

Benjamin Moore paint colors

What do you think? If you are interested in donating to this wonderful organization, please click here. Your donation is entirely tax deductible.

You will find yourself on the side of the angels if you do.

**Stay tuned for final pictures of this nurturing and comforting space.

We are nearing completion and hope to occupy by July 1, 2009.**

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

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

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

The Garden Won This Week

the arch should fill in with scarlet trumpet vines this summer!

The garden begged this interior designer to leave the computer, the drawing table, the eternal email and iPhone and just come outside this week. 

the fence before

And this is where I've been.  All that wonderful recyclable redwood fencing beckoned, I knew it was time to get replace that fence. If I waited much longer, Aida's garden next door would soon be roaming & digging territory for Ollie, our terrier.

So a new fence went up. It hasn't been painted yet. But when we know the rains have ended (this is California, and the rains will end soon!), we'll finish the job. And those redwood boards? They're stacked neatly in the shed waiting for a new life as something different. 

the fence after being replaced but before its painting

the old greenhouse has been standing for 35 years now

The greenhouse needs a LOT of work this year. Hmmmm...time to replace it with a small poolhouse?

Then the plum trees obliged with a snowy show.

I couldn't bear to come back inside until today.

Hello again!

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