valentine's day Blame it on Rio

I am so digging the instagram app square format shots for iPhones. Check out this cool vintage-on-vintage shot from Rio de Janeiro:


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"Vintage Cupcakes" by cyberelfo.

valentine's day Local Color: Le Jardin

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Le Jardin....what better place to find local color? A garden is filled with all of the colors of the rainbow, and this Sacramento shop is no different. I am very lucky to live so close to this jewel of a shop. I drive by almost daily and peer into the windows to see what new treasures the ladies who own this shop have found.

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Mother and daughter team Linda Fairley and Janice Fairley Winn have a way with putting things together: vintage French style furniture and leather bound books....topiaries and leopard print pillows.....

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all mixed in with industrial tables and architectural remnants. I love it all! And isn't the floor brilliant? They painted the yellow and white checkerboard right on top of the concrete. It looks just like handmade glazed pavers.

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The ladies always seem to have beautiful alabaster lamps on hand.

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I almost took home these gilt banded glasses the other day.

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This white wire cage would make the perfect table base!

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The green window frames....perhaps a headboard for a twin bed in a little girl's room? And that gilt mirror!

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Dashes of mercury glass, some vintage, some new add a bit of sparkle. And there are pieces of coral, and antlers and vintage paintings....

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These chairs were particularly nice covered in an icy blue velvet.

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I spotted the interesting wicker table up above, and thought of countless possibilities....and then there was the Bergere...

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What a beautifully scaled mirror this was! And hiding below it , the green headboard....so pretty!

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So.....if you are in the neighborhood....or even if you are not....Le Jardin can be found at:

2598 21st Street

Sacramento, California 95818

And since there is no website quite yet....if you see anything you like, you can call:

916-739-6726

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Stop in a pick a few flowers!

valentine's day Cool: Gardenhouse

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Vintage yellow aluminum Love Seat with White Patent Leather Seat Cushion.

I was recently introduced to Gardenhouse, a wonderful shop located in West Palm Beach Florida. Owned by a very creative couple, Cheryl Maeder Antonio and her husband Gary. As with any creative person, Cheryl is multi talented. She studied photography in Switzerland and traveled Europe before moving to San Francisco to start a photography studio there. In San Francisco, she met her sculptor husband Gary. They began antique hunting for fun and the fun soon turned into a passion....which ultimately resulted in their very colorful and happy shop, Gardenhouse.

I am smitten....and knew you would be too. So I am so excited to share some of the objects of my affection.

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Red High Gloss Wood Bench for Outdoor Canopy or Indoors

Each piece is lovingly transformed by Cheryl's unique point of view which she describes as "vintage, with a modern twist". Happy paint colors and modern fabrics certainly give each piece new life and vitality.

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Vintage Metal Table Lamp with Green Metal Shade.

Cheryl has many more brilliantly reborn vintage finds, so I hope you have minute to click on over and check out Gardenhouse.

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Chalkboard Dresser. Unfortunately already sold....but had to show you! valentine's day

Black and White Slipper Chair with Decorative Nailheads.

OHHH!! And be sure to check out Cheryl's dreamlike seaside photos on the Gardenhouse site as well. Here is just a little sampling:

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Beach Series VI

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Sea and Sky V

I am headed off to dream of new furniture for my naked back patio, and sunny summers at the beach .......while the rain beats steadily outside my window.

valentine's day jettmodern

Phew! Finally a day to myself, and what do I want to do? SHOP! I have been wanting to visit a wonderful new shop run by a couple of the best (in my humble opinion) designers in Sacramento. (And they really are a couple.)

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Linda and Tim Arbogast , the husband and wife team that formed Arbogast Design Group in Sacramento, California have just opened jettmodern.

Jettmodern is a fantastic, wonderful "modern" boutique that specializes in: chic gifts, home furnishings, tchotchke, vintage upholstery and found objects. When they first opened, people were thinking of "modern" in terms of midcentury "dwr" terms. However, Linda and Tim are setting their own standards of what is modern, and thankfully so! Take a look at the definition on their wall above.

Here are some pictures of the shop for you to drool over:

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This found awning is fantastic, and they have arranged it over a great mirror and French commode.

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I love this combination of vintage baker's rack and birdcage with these green silk armless chairs. Don't miss the wonderful "crown" chandelier!

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A close-up of the white lamp from the previous picture. The shop is located in an historical building in "Old Sacramento". (Those bricks are over 150 years old.)

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The way Linda and Tim have selected items for the shop reflects their obvious design talent. I love this red Chinoiserie cabinet with the art and finds arranged on the wall. I know you all have a thing about antlers, but I am still enamoured!

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Another shot of the area showing a collection of vintage glove forms. Great Faux Bois table too!

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Great Jonathan Adler sideboard! Custom upholstery available. Loving the starburst mirror here. Oh! And they have put together these mini-planters inside escargot shells. Brilliant!

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You will also find Dwell and John Robshaw bedding and pillows here, as well as Jonathan Adler and many other favorite designers of mine.

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Just some more of the wonderful stuff to be found here. I love the limed wood candle holders, mercury glass spheres, and...and...oh there is something everywhere I turn!

I also have to say that I had a great time talking with Linda when I went in today. She was warm and gracious and very fun to talk to. Needless to say, we were definitely on the same design wavelength.

I have been waiting AGES for a shop like this to open in Sacramento, and all I can say is: IT'S ABOUT TIME! Thank you soooo much Linda and Tim!

valentine's day All Mapped Out

Maps have been used as wall decor for as long as, well, as long as there have been maps. I got to thinking about the different ways maps have been displayed after reading a post on Pigtown Design in early July about maps. Here are some great examples of creative displays:

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A map of 16th century Paris, Plan de Turgot, on a screen by Jansen, ca. 1950 in the home of Phillips "Pete" Hathaway, former head of French and Continental furniture at Sotheby's. House and Garden September 2006

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Antique maps on display shelves in the home of designer Lori Weitzner. Metropolitan Home November 2006

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I love the 1943 Miami Beach plat maps that designer T. Keller Donovan found for his South Beach weekend home. House Beautiful December 2006

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A map of the Great Lakes was created by Francis Whitehead with platinum glaze on ceramic tile for the home of Mary Jane Jacob (former chief curator at the museums of contemporary art in both Chicago , MCA and Los Angeles, MOCA) and Russell Lewis ( Chief historian of the Chicago History Museum). Metropolitan Home September 2006

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Globes are maps "in the round", and vintage globes are quite collectible. These globes are displayed on custom built shelving in the home of John and Janet Jay. Metropolitan Home October 2006

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This vintage U.S. map and vintage globes make a great combination in the L.A. home of Christine and Craig Gillespie. Elle Decor October 2006
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I love all three of these pretty rooms which have been decorated with vintage maps. Left: Beach House in Edgartown, Martha's Vineyard by Paula Perlini, House Beautiful July 2007. Middle: Florida beach house by Phoebe Howard, House Beautiful September 2006. Right: Guest Room in the home of J. Crew president Jeff Pfeiffle, decorated by himself. What talent! House & Garden December 2006