Picasso & My Mirror

Vallauris is a small town in the South of France where Picasso lived and worked around 1949 in his ceramics studio. You can still visit the studio today and buy limited editions of some of his pieces. The ceramics are relatively affordable and make wonderful additions to interiors. They bring a touch of Picasso's work at a great value. Above is a vase in the shape of a large owl, and below is an oval dish decorated with a bullfight, one of Picasso's favorite subjects in his art.

Sorcerer's Eye, or Sun Mirror, Vallauris France, 1949

I found this mirror at the famous flea market in Nice, France, which is very close to Vallauris. I fell in love with it immediately and took great pains to carry it onboard my Air France flight home to San Francisco. This mirror embodies much of what I feel about design and I have chosen it for my symbol because:

1. it is a beautiful symbol of the sun

2. it's a found object given a new life in my designs and logo

3. it's very artistic and creative

4. the convex mirror provides a wider vision

5. it looks fabulous in many different settings

Who can say for certain that Picasso himself didn't pause for a moment in front of this very mirror somewhere to check the tilt of his beret before heading outside for his "randonee" (afternoon walk) along the Mediterranean Sea in the summer of 1949?

vintage poster for a

Picasso exhibition

in Vallauris in 1958

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

in 2010, it's:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

Breaking News....Optimism in the Financial Sector!

This buoyantly designed and cheerfully sustainable financial institution is not taking it lying down. Not for them the doom and gloom of bottoms falling out of markets, the dollar devaluing and plunging real estate. 

Lobby Reception with Art Inspiration

Cafeteria with Marmoleum Floor

Stairwell with Glass Bricks and Sustainable Carpeting

In this remodel, I used cheerful and natural colors throughout, I created beautiful translucent walls, and invited mother nature inside to peek over the shoulders of those keepers of the Dow Jones. 

I worked as the designer for Hagman Associates Architecture to choose sustainable carpeting from Shaw, Linoleum from Forbo Marmoleum, and wall coverings from Knoll Textiles throughout the 31,000 s.f. space. I designed the translucent walls and panels using sustainable resin from 3-Form and reclaimable metals by DIRTT wall systems for the San Jose, California administrative offices. 

Design inspiration was a large,  brightly colored and energetic painting used for corporate branding. This vibrant painting inspired the colors used in defining work spaces, and allowed us to tone down several areas to more natural colors and elements.

3-Form Resin Pattern:  Fossil Leaf Large

65 ft. Demountable Wall made from 

3-Form Resin Panels

Lobby With Arcadia Chairs with 

Mohair and Leather

Cubicles With Vibrant Color Accents

3-Form Resin Panels: 

 Hydrangea Thatch and Solo

We are betting the optimism grows and spreads, all the way to Wall Street!

Three Color Trends 2009...Who's to Say?

I mean, really. Here are the color trends for interiors put forth by our friends at Benjamin Moore Paints. They derived these palettes from the larger studies by The Color Institute. I'd love to know what you think:

first palette:  Nature's Essence

The basics of nature at its roots...giving a tonal story of whites and off whites, subtly accented with organic green and lichen grey. Keeping things simple in 2009 since our world is in such turmoil, do our homes have to be? Begin with chantilly lace, a very start white, very simple and pure. From there add a bit of grey sky, the soft browns of white sand, the sea haze for a water feeling and pale avocado for a dash of hope!

second palette:  Unexpected Synergy

Sophisticated use of complex colors, these are colors with a darkened undercurrent that makes them warm, deep and rich. These are "liveable" colors for our times giving people a sense of peace, of security and safety. No bright Chinese reds here! We are all staying home a little more these days, and these colors envelope people and hold them close. 

third palette: Personal Imprint

On the other hand, people are also making "billboards" of themselves today. Tattoos. Green hair. Thrift store wardrobe. Individual expressions of belonging to a group. That's what these colors are all about. Unexpected combinations and throwing in colors to change the entire feel. Green is still here, even the young will not let go of the optimism of green. And not just any old black will do with this crowd:  it must be very high gloss and reflective. 

Then there's you and me. What do you think of these colors? Would you use them in your rooms? How do they make you feel?

If you did your own color palette of six colors, what would they be? Do you know why?

The Obamas' New Designer is a Very Cool Guy

photo taken with my iPhone, sorry!

I, and a few dozen others, had a conversation with Michael Smith today, and now I want to be his best friend. He's just that kind of a guy.  He, however, lists Dustin Hoffman, Steven Spielberg, Rupert Murdoch as clients. He leads with his creativity and if the client doesn't go for it, he shrugs "hey, it's their house!"

He also loves Chinese wallpaper, murals, pays homage to France, to classical design. He suddenly loves flowers. He's not quite sure how he comes up with fusion concepts like "shogun modern" for a kitchen, or "loft living in the 16th Century" for a dwelling in LA. But he makes it work. 

When asked what is the next big design trend, he say that there isn't one. He says that now it is time to do what you can with what you have. To mix in high and low. To not be so very fashionable, to not always hit it right on the nose.  How incredibly refreshing?

For now, it looks like I have to share my new best friend with his latest clients: Barack and Michelle, Sasha and Malia Obama. 

And, this client does not have a very big budget. Seriously. 

He is going to make do, and rummage around that hidden warehouse outside of DC, to use and repurpose stuff already there. Could a designer ask for any more fun on this planet?

Michael Smith's new book, lovely to look at, lovely to read

Back to My Living Room: Color + Fabric

citron media cabinet and coral mohair sofa

I am "backing into" designing my living room, because I found the mohair of my dreams at a great price. So the coral mohair is  driving the design around which everything else in the living room will be chosen. 

I chose the citron media cabinet as a complimentary color for the coral, and to inject a modern/luxe feeling to the fusty old room. I also found fabulous fabric in lemongrass for the windows. 

Next: choose fabrics for pillows + ottoman + small chair. This fabric will be used sparingly, so I want to really give it a punch. 

drapery fabric               new upholstery fabric?

lemongrass trevira for windows and a paisly I found

I love this trevira cs fabric, on the left above, for the windows. It is an amazing color! I loved it even before Michele Obama wore it on Inauguration Day. It's a synthetic, but looks and feels like silk. It's even washable, and is used for commercial spaces, which means it should wear well in my hard-used living room.  And it, too, is flame resistant. 

So now to choose another fabric to use for pillows, a small chair, an ottoman. I kind of like the paisley above right, but decided against it because the background has too much yellow, and the fabric, almost a taffeta,  was a little too dressy for this room.

        drapery fabric               another choice for upholstery?

the trevira with a coarser flowered fabric

This fabric above right intrigued me because I love large florals and the colors sing! It priced way too high for my budget, however, and I did have some reservations about the loose, linen-y weave. Ollie, my dog, would have it in shreds in no time.  And it looked a bit too granola for me. 

drapery fabric                I chose this one!

the windows fabric and the perfect complement

Finally, I found it. The perfect balance between colors coral and citron, and in an overall modern floral pattern that is vibrant and energizing! It is also a very tightly woven jacquard fabric, with a bit of sheen, so it will wear perfectly, and will add just the right amount of glamour to the room. 

What do you think?