Beverly Hills Housewife

Ms Pony from fabtabulous blog Pony and Pink made a comment the other day about the photograph Richard Powers took of stylemaker Rachel Zoe standing at the window in her Los Angeles home. "The image of Rachel in the green dress by the window really, really reminds me of the David Hockney painting - Beverly Hills Housewife". What do you guys reckon?

Covering Up

I'm loving these prints by Namao Rococo and Lene Toni Kjeld over at Hermitage. These bespoke prints come in sheets rather than rolls, allowing one to cover an entire wall or framed as a single objects d art. Because these are one-of-a-kind papers, each sheet will have subtle variations in the printing and painted ground.

Hermitage is happy to offer wallpaper samples upon request. Each sample is US$3. To order, email or call 206-328-5550.

Did You Know - Sofa Facts

Over on one of my favourite websites London Design Guide the very talented Brit author Mr Max Fraser has shared some amusing and insightful facts about our beloved sofas. According to a recent poll by home insurance company esure the sofa – endures some heavy abuse in its lifetime, which apparently averages only 8 years, 1 month, and 8 days.

photo via the melody censor's

The poll also showed the average sofa puts up with children jumping up and down on it 587 times during its lifetime.

photo via susan and her 5d

The average sofa will witness 293 arguments, 1,300 cuddles, and suffer over 1,600 spillages in its lifetime.

photo via thegloaming 

Owners will also find money inside the sofa three time a month, totaling about 60 pence on each occasion – that’s the equivalent of £1.80 a month and £176.04 over the sofa’s lifetime.

photo via Nich Hance

In addition, couples who own the sofa will use it to kiss each other 12 times a month and cuddle up 14 times a month – that’s 1,174 kisses and 1,369 cuddles over the sofa’s lifetime.

 

photo via merkley??? 

It will also be a bed for up to 489 visitors and be slept on by one member of the household for 293 nights due to a heated domestic spat.

photo via Sarah-Ann Photography 

The most comfortable seat in the house will also host the bums of up to 782 visitors and tolerate 391 lads’ nights and 293 girly nights.

Photo via mikhail wassmer's

The study also found that the sofa is home to its residents for an average of four hours per day

photo via wiseacre

It also emerged that the average child will lose approximately four toys a month down the back of the sofa and lose three socks or other random items of clothing.

photo via mikhail wassmer

It seats residents for 13 TV dinners a month, and homeowners snuggle up on the sofa for 1,271 soap operas and 782 films.

photo via girlhula

In addition, children will drop food and drink on the sofa three times a fortnight or 72 times a year, and even their parents will spill some of their dinner on the sofa six times a month.

Hang Out The Washing

 Design by Yoshikazu Yamagata shot by Koomi Kim

Things always seem much bigger when your smaller. Hmm perhaps we should remember this when we ask the kids to hang out the washing...

One Day In Paris

This is such a brilliant idea from blogger Little Brown Pen called Perpetual Paris Photo Collage + Perennial  Calendar. It's a calender consisting of photographs capturing a time when Nichole lived in Paris. Check out the blog about how he did it and watch this video to follow some of the journey. This is something we can all do and if not well buy it from Etsy.  I'm sure we will start to see some other cities soon. Meanwhile lets just imagine this weekend where in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Bonjour and Happy Friday everyone!!!

Bill's Backyard

There is a new guy in town called Backyard Bill photographing folk at their homes in their clothes!

The Iconic House

For any lover of modern architecture this new book by Thames & Hudson The Iconic House is a must have.  

The Iconic House is an essential book on modern architecture featuring one hundred of the most significant houses of the past hundred years.  The images in the book are delicious and it's so nice to see updated pictures of buildings that haven't been shot for such a long time. Photographer, Richard Powers (Richard has a few shoots on the blog) and author Dominic Bradbury have been travelling the world for the last couple of years gaining access into buildings where most can't. For example I have been trying to get into The Eames house forever and Eames Demetrios has always had some excuse. Well guess what? It's in this book all shot by Richard. I'm so excited about this read.

GUSH GUSH Falling Waters is why I fell in love with architecture and design. This is a home so ahead of it's time.  Frank was connecting with nature and telling the world before the 40's the importance to do so. From the first stirrings of modernity in the early twentieth century to the present, the house we call home has served as a test bed of design experimentation, the place where architects have sought to create new forms and to offer new domestic lifestyles. Alvar Aalto, Buckminster Fuller, Rudolph Schindler, Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehry, Eileen Gray, Charles and Ray Eames, Charles Gwathmey, Carlo Scarpa, Herzog & de Meuron: most great architects of the past hundred years have begun or catalyzed their careers with an iconic house.

Concise architect biographies and a list of key buildings accompany each house, while photographs and easy-to-read plans bring the words to life.

I want to live here in a sculptured house like this... How could you NOT do great things in life when you have an inspirational building oozing brilliance.

The glass house is another favourite home of mine. Perhaps some feel they are fish in a glass bowl when inside but for me the concept of blurring the outdoors with the inside begun here. 

Now I know I wouldn't normally tell you what to buy but this bit of reading needs to belong on your bookshelf. You should click here to own one.