San Francisco Design Finds

This month's issue of San Francisco Magazine, the "Ultimate Home Decor Issue" is a wonderful guide for design finds in the Bay Area. Nineteen of the region's most discriminating design experts share their favorite local shops and artisans. Love it! The issue also features my Victorian gilt faux bamboo corner parlor chairs. The chairs are available for purchase on my web site.Thank you to my friend Sheri Sheridan at Swallowtail in San Francisco who was my partner in getting this placement.

If you are visiting San Francisco in the near future you should check out Swallowtail located in Russian Hill. It's one of my favorite and most eclectic shops in the City! Check out these photos... The store is jam-packed with the most interesting furnishings...modern decor, black & white photography, eclectic vintage and quirky objects. Much of my own home is furnished with Swallowtail finds.

The 30th Annual San Francisco Decorator Showcase was held last month and what an amazing home it was! I've never toured a 55 million dollar home, and this was amazing. The views, spectacular! The tour was held at the gorgeous mansion located at 2901 Broadway, at the top of Pacific Heights. This home, designed in 1927 by Henry Clay Smith for local industrialist Milton S. Ray, opened its doors to the public for the first time ever. Owned by the Mitchell family since 1946, this Renaissance style mansion consists of 10,000 square feet, with 6 bedrooms, 6.5 baths on four levels and has been decorated by some of the best of the best. The elevator foyer featured a pair of my gilt corner chairs.6466204169212511009

It's All Black & White

I just love black & white decor!

Some recent acquisitions...my dear friend was doing antiquing and came across this amazing taxidermy zebra that was used as a prop in a shop window in France. It's a pretty great size. Made of cow hide over a wooden form with stripes painted on it. What a great piece! Check out her cat who had fun climbing on... It will be available on my web site very soon.

I've been working on an update for my bedroom and just purchased some rugs from Thomas Paul. They are a wonderful black and cream damask. I have listed two of them on eBay
since I actually need a larger size.

I am so excited about a recent "loan" from a friend of mine. It's a wonderful vintage bus roll sign from San Francisco. Fabulously large, it's a great piece of art! Since I am a native San Franciscan, it's even that much more special. Thanks Karen!

If you love black & white, you should check out the blog of Jhayne at black. white. bliss. She has every posting imaginable having to do with black and white, including these wonderful tiny, vintage ephemera envelopes created from an Encyclopaedia Britannica about the inventions of man available from Sushipot on Etsy.4388057088675776907

Exquisite Adornments from France...

Today a friend took me to the San Francisco Legion of Honor for their fabulous exhibit, "Masterpieces of French Jewelry" which will be on exhibit until June 10, 2007. If you live in the Bay Area or taking a trip here in the near future, it's definitely worth viewing! There are over 150 examples of beautiful 20th Century French jewelry from Art Deco to Art Nouveau and includes contemporary pieces as well. I just wish they were for sale... yeah right! Featured in the show are works by the most famous Parisian jewelers. They begin with the sensuous Art Nouveau forms of René Lalique and Georges Fouquet, followed by the daring and exotic creations of Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels in the Art Deco era, and finishing with the ingenious and beautifully made designs of JAR in the late 20th century.

You will definitely be dazzled by it. On Sundays they offer "Jewels & Jazz" brunch at the Legion with live jazz and exhibition tours. If you can't make it to the exhibit, you can purchase the exhibition catalog called Masterpieces of French Jewelry by Judith Price at Amazon.com or the San Francisco Legion of Honor. 6996500012565098364