Design Public

I’ve been thinking a lot about “eclectic style” every since reading the post in Decorno I mentioned yesterday. For me, it’s really the person who lives there showing their personality, and surrounding themselves with things they love. Those who are able to successfully get a bit of an eclectic mix for others are true mix-masters; I would assume the clients would be throwing some of their own taste in the mix (for example, when Ruthie Sommers found that horse shoe chair for Drew Barrymore’s partner’s office in Domino, knowing it was something a cowboy lover would love).

Anyway, I was just perusing some of my flickr faves, and I think this is a great example of eclecticism reflecting the person who composed the room:

Another favorite comes from flickr member midcenturyjo’s stock of amazing images. You probably know her from her fabulous blog, desiretoinspire:

How about one more favorite eclectic credenze from happymundane:

photo one from flickr member Bird in the HandÂ

photo two via flickr member midcenturyjo, from the Sense of Style: Colour, by Shannon Fricke. From Inside Out , Australia. Scanned.

photo three from flickr member happymundane. Be sure to click here to see the notes on where all the items came from.

In addition to my chair obsession, my purse fetish, and my love for ceramic rams with big asses , I have a serious map fixation. I could study and old school AAA triptik or an NYC Subway Map for hours. Thus, I’ve collected maps and snagged old atlases at flea markets and junk stores for years.

The other day I had this urge to wallpaper my sunporch in old maps. I don’t like the color but it’s too crazy a room to try to paint - high ceilings and trim galore. I realized that I did not have enough maps with similar colors, and that just going all out with all different palettes would look ridiculous, so I wound up with these out of a 1935 slightly moldy atlas that’s been wasting away on my shelves:

It’s not there yet. I think it needs some sort of black border. I wish I could find some 2″ thick black graphic tape, or that I had a saw and knew how to use it so that I could just build a big frame around it. Maybe it works as is, maybe it fails miserably. I always have to experiment with these things a million times. Victoria, will you please come over and help me?

As I looked through my magazines before deeming some keepers and others recyclers, I realized how much of my brain has absorbed inspiration from magazines, books, places I’ve visited and other blogs:

1. Peter Dunham’s fabulous 1960s L.A. Freeways Map:

2. A love of island maps and charts:

3. Matt Albiani’s love of all things nautical and his genius way of composing unexpected objects:

4. Flickr map fun from flickr member inspiringdecor:

5. This wall from a Luis Barragan home:

*(added later, I forgot!) What is it about blogging that makes me use the cheesiest punny titles for posts? It’s like I can’t help myself. I think the worst one, or one of the worst ones I came up with was “Lofty Aspirations!”

• First four horribly amateur photos from yours truly. Next, in order

• Peter Dunham photo by Miguel Flores-Vianna, as seen in Domino

• Photo by Paul Massey as seen in Coastal Style

• The next two Matt Albiani photos by Matt Albiani, as seen in Domino

• Large map photo from inspiringdecor, as seen on flickr

• Barragan photo by Armando Salas Portugal as seen in Barragan (holy crap, that book ranges from $512 to $1000 on Amazon, maybe I should sell mine! Sounds like they need to re-release it!)

Do you have a flickr surfing pattern? I’ve just started to recognize my own pattern. First, I desperately look up “recent activity” to see if anyone has commented on anything I have, which rarely ever happens and it’s very exciting when it does. Then I go to photos from my contacts, flip through the first four pages or so, and then I head to my groups. The first group I always hit is our Anti-Depressive Living group, and that’s where I found this gem. I love Revolutionary Girl’s frame wall, but I think I love her dog even more. He’s just the most photogenic pooch I’ve ever seen - I think he could give the Anti-Depressive Living Group’s mascot, Liberace, a run for his money on the cute scale. Here’s another shot - he does not seem to have a bad side!

Revolutionary Girl’s pictures are really fun to look through - she includes all the prices of her flea market goodies, and you can see how her rooms have evolved. I did not see that she had a blog anywhere, but if she did, I’m sure it would be a daily read for me.

So I started to tell you about the Modern Atlanta Home Tour yesterday but I didn’t get very far! I wanted to show you more from my favorite home that I saw on the tour (stairs described yesterday are pictured above). By the way, I only made it to five. I’d say five to six is the maximum you can really see when driving from place to place in a five hour time limit. It’s exhilarating but also exhausting. Also, once in Decatur my car automatically drove me to Victory Vintage, and I stopped by my house for a snack before visiting the house down the street. That’s how I roll.

O.K. So first, the architects who live in the house with a soul also designed this house around the corner (photos immediately above and below). It’s absolutely gorgeous, and the inhabitants have a smart mix of high end items and art and IKEA. I just found myself wondering if all the stuff they usually keep out was smushed in the “not part of the tour” closed door rooms, or if they are really this strictly minimal. That’s cool if they are, I just know that I could not accomplish such discipline in a million years:

(more…)

I was just perusing our Anti-Depressive Living group on flickr today and came across this wonderful photo from one of my flickr faves, ninainvorm.  I’ve been amassing some favorite photos for another art arrangement post, but who knows if I’ll ever get it organized.  For today, we can all be inspired by ninainvorm!

Since I got off to such a slow start in January, I’ve decided we need to keep the organization theme going for awhile longer. I know I haven’t met my goals, as there is a very scary guestroom closet to organize and a lot of very un-feng shui haphazard storage underneath all of my beds. Instead of sleeping on a pea under 17 mattresses like the princess, I’m sleeping over a very old cassette collection from the years of my teenage angst. Anyone need a worn out tape of Scritti Politti? (more…)