Since moving into a new apartment with my guy, we have savored and at other times struggled to wrangle our very different styles into one harmonious aesthetic. It’s still very much a work in progress, but last night I was finally successful in (I hope!) catalyzing a sea change in how things are done around here. That is, I separated our two desks, lugged an enormous leather Italian loveseat across a room, and reoriented the dreary carpets (hopefully not here for much longer). He remarked on how different the room felt, and what a nice change it really was. “I never thought about the space this way before,” he said. Well, maybe not a sea change, but certainly some modicum of evolution.
If only he had the design sensibilities of a French man or Los Angeles woman! *wink*
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, also known as Le Corbusier, designed the chrome-plated tubular steel chair you see above. I had the great pleasure of seeing it in the flesh at La Maison Roche in Paris in 2001 before la Maison closed for a long renovation. La Maison Roche is now open and can be visited with prior reservations. Among many claims to fame, Le Corbusier is renowned for his “machines for living” — his architecture — that are synonymous with the International style and a great amount of derivative, cold, concrete buildings seen on campuses worldwide.
The image on the bottom is a stuffed lounging chair upholstered in textiles designed by principal designer Paula Smails from the vivacious Los Angeles-based design studio and store Henry Road. It makes me smile just to look at it, and really trumps most IKEA confections. Specifically, she married bold colors and euphoric floral patterns inspired by nature (naturally!). Smails also happens to sell a book I just bought elsewhere: 1000 Ideas for Home Design and Decoration, by Mariana Eguaras Echetto for Universe Press, a subsidiary of Rizolli. Its bazillion pages burst with novel and traditional ideas for home design and decoration. That being said, the writing and tips are at times repetitive, contradictory, and a little too axiomatic. Nevertheless, it’s definitely an interior design primer and will remain on my coffee table for at least the foreseeable future. For anyone who lacks design vocabulary or imagination, the book also doubles as a great see-and-point aid for discussing where next to take your home.
