Wedding Fever in February

Not only are three nieces/nephews getting married in the next few months (we're thrilled!), I am also researching designs for a wedding in June (and for a designer, that's a nanosecond away!) Weddings today are fun! No need to be all white any more; gorgeous palettes of brilliant colors are chosen by brides today, making the joyful celebrations all the more festive!

I thought you'd like to take a peek at some of the beautiful tables and flowers I've found. They'll make your heart sing!

an old farm table set up under a tent

brought by the bride's sister from India

elegant and appealing Sweet Endings table with

mostly white theme...so beautifulQ

white laminate container and shiny metal

vases contribute to the modern feel here

tulips immersed in cylandrical vases are

a fascinating centerpiece

I love the simplicity & purity of sliced limes and hydrangeas!

more sliced citrus with fuschia gerbera daisies..striking!

the freshness of lemons with the pitch-perfect

green vases is quite effective with white linens

crystal beading on the stunning rose toparies, the chic gray linens

with sheer lace overlay makes an incredible wedding setting

textures and trailing tendrils are perfect in

arrangements that are set high above the tables

two favorite colors for weddings today: persimmon

and pear green together here

Napa Valley outdoor wedding with undeniable chic!

love the light and airy feeling of clear tables without linens,

the shiny white dance floor, and the greenery at the ceiling

effective and simple use of paper lanterns to

create a festive and casual wedding celebration

the subtle blues and creams are perfect in this

architecturally interesting room

escort cards are wrapped around lottery tickets!

I found all these beautiful, romantic, gorgeous weddings on the knot...the go-to resource for brides all over the country.

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in 2010, it's:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

The Magical Land of Flora Grubb

a seating area with bright orange metal chairs next to

signature Flora Grubb pots and palms

On the prowl with one of my hippest young clients for cool, repurposed & floral items to anchor a wedding design, in the early morning mists and fogs south of San Francisco today, we found ourselves lost for hours in the magical land of Flora Grubb.

It's quite possible that I am hopelessly un-hip, or at least the very last person on the planet to discover Flora Grubb. But that's OK. It's still an experience of wonderment and awe, and worth blogging about!

You know you are somewhere very cool when you spot an old bicycle planted (somehow!) with air plants & succulents and suspended over an old reclaimed zinc-top table, looking for all the world like the Wicked Witch of the West had just hopped off of it and left it in mid-air when she stepped inside for her organic latte with The Mad Hatter. It's that kind of place.

succulents and old suguaro plants

accented with red ceramics create a

stunning entryway

cool planting table in front

of inviting green shutters

I love this blue orb set among the succulents!

a cool tile that could work for a cheese plate in

a rustic-chic setting

these plates have the look of

botanical etchings, wonderful!

inviting and colorful bistro set

on one of the garden pathways

another view down the garden path

a very cool blue chair with modern

lines invites a little respite in the garden

if you like the metal furniture, choose your favorite

from the wall and take it home today

blue chairs face the wonderful

coffee bar inside

sinuous concrete chaises for your

outdoors

concrete and redwood table is lovely

contrast to the lacy air plants

this rusty old Chevy Impala has an

ongoing life as a whimsical (not for everyone!)

planter in the quixotic garden

Lady Flora herself...a delightful

and charming creator of gardens!

When you get past the astonishing huge installations (that's really the only word for her artistic plant, artifact and salvage vignettes) and vertical green wall gardens (all the rage these days...and much easier to achieve than the green roof) scattered over the large, botanical-gardens-like outdoors, your eye will also find exquisite details and furniture. This is not your old Smith & Hawkins!

Wandering the pathways in her gardens you will see a vintage 60's Chevy Impala gently rusting away as one of (surely) the world's most unique planters. You can meander up to the coffee bar and request the barista make you one of the best espresso drinks around, then take in the scene sitting at the whimsical Caribbean pastel bistro chairs and tables while you admire every little detail. There's a lot to take in.

While we decided not every bride would choose this much drama and originality for her wedding, some elements would work beautifully for that rustic-chic wedding up in Sonoma or a wild Pacific coast setting.

This is the domain of the landscape artist and not to be missed by anyone with an eye for design and beautiful, exotic vignettes. Although the living green walls have a certain portability about them, most of these amazing plantings are well-suited for the long haul, enhancing a space on a permanent basis.

Flora Grubb Gardens

1634 Jerrold Avenue

San Francisco, CA 94124

415.648.2670

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in 2010, it's:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

The Kissing Dilemma in France :) Explained

You can only imagine the fluster the uninitiated among us might feel on Valentine's Day in France...where kissing is already confusing!

is this one of those "air" kisses?

Whom do you kiss, and where? on the lips? the cheek? cheeks? hand? The opportunities for embarrassment are many. Here, then, is your guide to just how many kisses are expected depending on who the kisser and the kissee are, their ages, sex and social status, and finally, just where you are located in France.

The map is color-keyed to give the proper number of kisses depending on the departmente you are visiting, in order to avoid acute humiliation! The links will give you much more in-depth guidance to navigating these social waters in le Hexe!

French friends and readers, please feel free to weigh in with advice!!

link to: Combien de Bises? The Kissing Map of France

then there's the Chinese girl who wanted to kiss 100 men in Paris,

and did it...pictures on her blog

(where she got 220,000 hits in one day!)

sources: Frogsmoke, The Times Online

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in 2010, it's:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

Valentine & Awards

Just a little Valentine wish for all my beautiful readers and

fellow bloggers who give me so much encouragement and

support as we navigate this blogosphere together!

Thanks the captivating Simone of The Romantic Query 

for bestowing the Lovely Blog Award on Chic Provence. 

Be sure to read her searing post "Funny How a Broken Heart..."

on Feb. 12, 2010...it will catch your breath. 

the lovely award given to me by

Simone I pass along to the following

wonderfully creative and brilliant

Odi et Amo

Bonjour Madame

The Elegant Thrifter

The French Eye

Chinoiserie Chic

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in 2010, it's:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

These Colors *Will* Banish the Gloom

And gloomy it has been!

I have been very busily occupied away from my blog (withdrawal!), so today's post is a little cadeaux from my favorite Marie Claire Maison! It is such a lovely little series of pictures of color and how/why it was used. The homes are all over: Corsica, Paris, Sicily.

These rooms will inspire you! Don't forget, the easiest way to create a new look in a tired room is to change the colors...paint walls, add art you forgot you had hidden away, make some new pillows in fabulous colors, reupholster some pieces...it's as simple as that!

{Now if I could just convince my new client to go with those turquoise walls freshened with all that white...}

Electric blue turquoise walls are tempered with lots of white paint and upholstery in the Paris salon of Laurence Leclerc of Caravane (one of my favorite sources for wonderful fabrics). The "witches eyes" mirrors on one wall reflect the light and color of the room, while the gossamer lampshades create a fairy-like atmosphere. The only other color (besides the rusted metal on the wall), a sharp citron, is introduced in pillows from a Tunisian fabric.

Multicolored lanterns imbue this amazing living room with a fantasy-like ambience. The large living space is divided into several smaller functional areas using furniture placement, painted chairs, and gorgeous multicolored velvets and silks for upholstery on the sofas and pillows. This is the fantasy home of Etienne and Clorinde Mery, inspired by the colors of Colonial Cuba and South America.

Near Jaipur, designers Liza Bruce and Nicholas Alvis Vega pay homage to the colors of India. In the very pink living room, traditional Indian motifs are exaggerated and used as wall paintings in white to great effect. The mercury glass chandelier in purples and pinks looks like a large cluster of grapes!

This Corsican mansion has been painted in the soft colors of the area: pinks, yellows and ochres. In this dining room the walls have been glazed with transparent colors to create a pink that blends with the original pinks of the ceiling.

In the south of Sicily, the austerity of the building and the small windows are offset by intense, strong colors of orange and lemon yellow on the walls, while the furniture is a riot of colors mixed on each piece and creating a cheerful, imaginative space.

all photos courtesy of Marie Claire Maison

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in 2010, it's:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design