recent posts

  • Talk to the Hand

    The design world lately is supporting rich and inspired handcrafted creations. In these times with the glut of technology, there is a sort of backlash that moves us to yearn for things real, things with a human touch. In this vein I want to share the work of some artisans.

    In the Uttar Pradesh region of India, designer Vijay Khan is helping to preserve the dying art of embroidery and quilting. Part of Khan's intention is to pay artisan women a living wage to keep alive valuable traditions. Below is an embriodered shawl. I had a hard time copying images of the work, but you can view some at Qilasaaz.

    Shawl

    You can read more on Vijay collaborating with Tamar Kovner who celebrates the hand-embroidered handkerchief!

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    I always love discovering new blockprint works. Tobias and Angel are doing some wonderful cloth bags.

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    It's a dream of mine to study hand blockprinting from a master printer in India….if anyone wants to sponsor me!

    I have been wanting to rave about the art of my Flickr friend Scott Waterman for some time now. It's difficult to capsulize the amazing range of this speacial artist, so I will probably post more later. For now you can enjoy some links and images:

    Below is a painting that he did for a room in the Villa Feltrinelli in Lago di Garda, Italy.

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    Below is an example of his modern work, acrylic on paper titled The Richmond, which is the San Francisco neighborhood I grew up in.

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    You may recognize this shot of one of his interior designs using tobacco* leaves that was in Casa Vogue, among other publications:

    *note: Scott corrects me in the comments, they are gunnera leaves.

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    A folding screen:

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    A detail of a wall he painted at a home in Bel Air, California:

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    It really is impossible to try to describe his talent. Take a look at his list of projects on his site.

  • Nina & Lola

    Love the frocks on Nina & Lola:

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  • Paper Dreams

    I'm fascinated by creative use of paper lately which lead me to discover artist/designer Isabelle de Borchgrave. Her collection of paper costumes is a feast:

     

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    Navydress

     

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    Here is an excerpt from her site:

    "The collection of life-size paper costumes travelling throughout the world retraces the history of the last 300 years of fashion. Isabelle collaborated with Rita Brown to create the costumes."

    In keeping with the subject of paper, you must see the inspiring film La Science des Rêves (The Science of Sleep), directed by Michel Gondry, with Gael Garcia Bernal and Charlotte Gainsborg. I won't go into the lengthy plot summary that would be required to describe this complex film, but I will note that Gael's character Stéphane does these amazing cardboard creations, and Charlottes character Stephanie creates miniature figures out of wool and wire. The film drags on, much like Gondry's other film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but there is enough greatness here to make it worth watching; maybe watch it in two segments.

     

    Sleep

     

    In the June issue of House & Garden (page 172) you will see that Lauri Faggioni was "discovered" by Michel Gondry in her East Village shop Lake, which featured her handmade toys and vintage finds. Much like the characters in Science of Sleep, Gondry showed Lauri how to do stop-motion animation with her animal creations. I would say that the film is loosely based on their relationship.

     

    Redbird

     

    On the film's website there is a line that reads, "Stop daydreaming about creating waking dream magic and do something about it!"

     

  • London’s Calling…

    Thank you Virginia, from Style Will Save Us, for contacting me. I am over the moon to know about this fab site out of London.

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    There is such a feast of great information here, including an interview with Flea Market Style author Emily Chalmers (Flea Market Style is Published by Ryland Peters & Small. Credit for photo below: Debi Treloar).

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    They have a Talk section that you can join. Some recent discussions topics are "Fashion brands…. we’re desperate for Sonia Rykiel to go eco! Who do you wish would catch up on the ethical front?" and "What’s your most treasured vintage item and where did you find it?"

    I’ll be browsing this site regularly. Please check them out.

  • Turquoise & Apartment Therapy!!

    I recently received some recognition from sweet Vanessa of Turquoise and lovely Lisa at San Francisco Apartment Therapy. Muchisimas gracias ladies!!

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  • Feeling Better, Merci

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    I wish I could remember to photograph the whirl of ever changing vignettes in the shop. I move too quickly sometimes. I’ve always been a re-arranger. I was brought up that way. Every few months my Mom would say, "I think we’ll re-arrange the furniture. You grab that end and I’ll grab this end…" In fact, when the people from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine phoned to say they wanted to come and photograph my living room, it had been through three incarnations since the version that they saw. I had to reclaim all of the pieces from around the house and conjure up the look that they saw, on short notice!

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    I think people who get into designing interiors all have that in common. The desire to make things new again. It’s how we get our recreation…through recreating. And for myself, I’m constantly dreaming of living in a new and different place and I think that when you’re able to manipulate your environment it satisfies some of that wanderlust.

    Anyway, I thought I’d share these glimpses of where I’ve been these days…at the shop.

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    A peek inside of an old country armoire.

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    A lovely little chair with an oil painting on it.

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    And lastly, a chair of a different breed. In fact, it’s labeled Mr. Chair. It was designed by George Mulhauser for Plycraft Inc. (mid century). Behind it is a rare Japanese Tsuitate screen that would have been used in the entryway of a temple (circa 1910).
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  • Migraine Madness

    I have been suffering with back to back migraines. Thanks for checking back with me. I will be amongst the living again soon.

    xo Sylvie

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  • Transcendent Collectibles

    I realize that title is an oxymoron, but it’s a conflict I’ve been faced with regularly since opening the shop. I’m finding all of these delectable goodies, but I can’t keep them!! And not only that, they’re being devoured, in the best sense, before I can photograph them for my Flickr archives.

    Exhibit A:

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    This backwards glance, through the looking glass, of this little maharaji chair is the only evidence I have of it. I recovered it, and the matching settee, in a shimmery orange and magenta dupioni silk. They were painted with a metal design that was then washed over with an orange stain, and had little wooden ornaments dangling from all sides of the frame. Even now, it pains me to describe it. I meant to photograph it last Saturday but got struck with a migraine and was lying helplessly in bed when the set was wisked away by a customer who wanted it for her granddaughter. Don’t get me wrong. I like the thought of a little girl enjoying this magical furniture, I just hadn’t gotten any closure! I only have this one shot of it by accident while photographing the bed set.

    Here’s the difference for me…this beauty below has sold…

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    but I have this lasting image that I can appreciate. My friend Paul, a master of trascendent mid-century furniture, gives me his sage advice, "You can’t get attached. You have to be careful not to get emotionally involved with the pieces." HA! Furniture infatuation. Silliness. Don’t I have family members that I owe cards and letters to. Shouldn’t I have animate, real connections with living, breathing, warm things. Oh! Speaking of warm things…I need to go and put another coat of linseed oil on a teak dresser, and I better make sure my camera has charged batteries….

  • I Am Officially A Winner!

    The Better Homes and Gardens May issue is out!!! I'm on pages 84 and 86. Yippee!! I had a little trouble trying to convert the PDF file to a jpeg so it looks a little wonky, but you get the idea. If you've been to my Flickr photos then you're familiar with my living room re-do already. Here it is:

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    As you can see I won in the category "Best Update Under $5,000." That was a cinch. I've lived my entire life on a hand-me-down budget. It's what I do best, first, out of neccessity, second, out of a sense of responsibility towards a low impact lifestyle….trying to have a little baby footprint on this earth.

  • Multi-Task Overkill

    Life’s lessons go on, and on…

    Last night I was telling Marcel a story of when I was a young girl of ten, on my summer vacation in the farmland of British Columbia. It was a bucolic landscape; quite a contrast to the cement of San Francisco. In the fields I would collect herbs for my powerful witch’s potions, and in the woods I created little rooms with mossy logs for benches. One of my favorite things about being there was that the neighbor girl had a horse, Gypsy, and a pony, Whiskey. One day I went for a ride on Gypsy, running her through the fields, jumping her over streams and logs. But we got going pretty fast and when she rounded a bend I slipped from her bare-back, down around in front of her neck, and landed on the ground in front of her. I saw and felt it all in slow motion, watching this 1,200 pound creature coming down on me. Amazingly, she was as nimble as a cat and shifted her weight so as not to step on me. All that happened was that she clipped my collarbone and top lip with her hoof. And then she stopped and waited for me. I got back on her and rode her home. I felt fine. Wiser even.

    Marcel was tickled to hear such a dramatic story. Well…I took him with me today to go and pick up some furniture for the shop. It took me ages to figure out the jigsaw puzzle configuration to get the pieces into the car, but we did it, all but one dining chair that had to go on the roof. The chair was upholstered and it was threatening to rain at any minute. I had to stop for gas. I felt pressured by the impending rain as I pulled into the gas station.

    Do you want to know what a good example of being overwhelmed and moving way too fast is? Well I’ll tell you. It’s driving away from the gas station with the hose still firmly inserted in the side of your car. WHAT?!! Yes, it’s true. I did it. The sound of the hose ripping from the pump and from my car. The screaming of the onlookers. "Dear me, what can the matter be?" I am still in shock. I don’t do these kinds of things. There goes at least a week’s profits from business at the shop. Oh how utterly stupid!

    Now, do you want to know what a good example of overstating-the-obvious is? Well I’ll tell you that too. I stopped the car in the middle of the gas station, with the hose dangling from its side, and walked into the office and announced that I had pulled the hose from the pump. To which, the woman behind the glass partition replied, "That’s because you didn’t remove it before you drove away." To which I responded by throwing my arms up the air in a sort of Hail Mary motion with my mouth agape. Well duh!

    Oh my dear. Life is troubled. Life is hectic. Life in the modern world is more and more challenging. All the juggling of all the balls. And yet, you solve things, you re-solve things, you resolve things, and keep on going. You keep going because you have survival instincts that tell you to do that. Instincts that tell you that there are good times ahead, and good times in the midst of the modern madness. You have instincts that tell you to get back on the horse.

    Mercy………Merci.