Design Inspiration of 2008

Well, we are here! The end of a very interesting year, historically, politically and spiritually!

I do not make New Year’s resolutions. Why? It’s like trying to buy a gift for someone who already has everything. In my case, I make lists all the time, so why do another one just because it’s January 1st?

So, instead, because my blog is focused on interior design, I thought I would post some spaces that were inspirational to me, that lifted me up, that made me think about the way that I wanted to design, that made me want to be a better designer, that made me want to have access to better workrooms and carpenters and skilled craftsmen. These spaces spoke to me.

I saw this kitchen on Ronda Carman’s All The Best Blog and instantly wanted to be sitting in this space on a warm, breezy summer afternoon with the french doors wide open. It also helps that the space it all white, which I love.

This kitchen was modeled after the movie “Something’s Gotta Give”. It’s my dream kitchen and I longingly look at this picture every once in awhile and hope that one day I will be able to buy a house where I can have this kitchen! I love everything about it from the wall color, to the bin pulls to the dark hardwood floors.

Well, it’s obvious why I like this space….. the view! I’m not sure where this living room is located. I do know that it was designed by Randolph Duke. And, I love the brick that extends past the wall of glass to the exterior, that leads your eye to the view. The furnishings are all kept monotone, so not to distract your eye from the view. Fabulous! And how about that fireplace!

This patio setting with a wonderfully distressed painted pedestal table and beautifully styled patio furniture just makes my heart happy. Not your typical patio furniture and that’s what I love about it!

Windsor Smith Design. I love the big wing-back chair at this table and the pendant lights mixed with the Chinese inspired chairs. I can just imagine cooking for all of my friends who would be hanging out right next to me at the table and chatting.

Windsor Smith Design.

I love the kitchen above for the Chinese-Chippendale chairs. And the fact that they used red chairs in this kitchen makes me love it even more. It’s hard to see in the picture, but there is a red lantern above the table in the second kitchen.

No Design Inspiration blog would be complete for me without my favorite designer, Michael S. Smith. This is the Painted Room that he did for the Lowell Hotel in New York. It’s so calm and serene.

Another relaxing bedroom by Tamara Magel.

A friend of mine introduced me to Jeff Shelton, an architect in the Santa Barbara area who builds really funky and really fun architecture. I love this space because the windows are so fantastic and organic. This building could be in a Dr. Suess movie!

Hamilton Design Associates, New York. I love the use of blues and greens in this space. It’s a bold mix of pattern and color and not for the faint of heart.

One more from Hamilton Design Associates. Here they use tangerine and light green in various patterns to create a fresh room that my daughter would love. It uses a fresh energetic color, but somehow this room feels restful to me.

Bob Barry Design of Los Angeles. Even though sparsely decorated, the stone and personal effects (look at all of those photos on the upper landing!) give it a warmth that I love.

Elegant, refined, airy and unconventional with the cowhide. Charme Tate Interiors out of New Orleans gives us this beautiful room.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!! May your heart be filled with Love and may Blessings come your way in 2009!!

Counting Blessings

C'est la vie

As the year comes to a close we have the opportunity to take a moment and reflect on our blessings. I count you, my readers, as a huge blessing in my life. Thank you!!! Willow Decor is labor of love and my sincere thanks for reading, and sharing your comments. I never imagined when I started writing this blog it would reach so many readers in so many countries. Your emails, comments and questions inspire me to be better each day. Wishing you all the best for the Holiday Season! I look forward to continuing the journey with you into 2009!

Peace!
Gina

Flikr

Best dressed in 2008 part. 2

Celebritatile care s-au imbracat cel mai bine in 2008, part. 2.
JENNIFER LOPEZ
Jennifer Lopez, diva glamour, nu putea lipsi din lista "best dressed".
Jennifer cu poseta Versace din piele de crocodil

Rochie din satin Roberto Cavalli, diamante Neil Lane si poseta vintage Daniel Swarowski

J. Lo intr-o rochie Alberta Ferretti

NICOLE RICHIE
Nicole Richie nu face parte din categoria celebritatilor care poarta un lucru o singura data. De exemplu, geanta neagra Balenciaga, pe care o are din 2005, pantofii Christian Louboutin "Miss Boxe" sau jacheta din piele Alexander Wang le-a purtat de nenumarate ori. Si anul acesta ramane in randul vedetelor bine imbracate.
Nicole in rochie Proenza Schouler si jacheta de piele Alexander Wang. Accesorii: geanta Chanel, colier Hermes, pantofi Balenciaga

Rochie si poseta Stella McCartney si jacheta Alexander Wang.

Miss Richie in jeansi vintage Levi's, pantofi Christian Louboutin "Miss Boxe" si cu geanta Balenciaga

LAUREN CONRAD
Lauren Conrad si-a imbunatatit stilul in 2008 si a devenit o adevarata fashion icon. Nu este chiar o trendsetteritza, dar are potential.
Lauren poarta jeansi skinny J Brand, pantofi Miu Miu, esarfa si geanta Chanel

Rochia "Jasmine" este din colectia ei Lauren Conrad Collection

LC in rochie Stella McCartney, colier si geanta Chanel

ANGELINA JOLIE
In 2008 stilul Angelinei Jolie poate fi descris in trei cuvinte: monocromatic, simplu, elegant.
Angelina poarta o little black dress Versace custom made, pantofi peep toe Sergio Rossi si cercei cu perle Mikimoto

In rochie Versace si bijuterii Ralph Lauren Vintage Collection

Angelina poarta o rochie cu nasturi la spate semnata L'Wren Scott si pantofi Stuart Weizman

Best dressed in 2008 part. 1

Mai sunt doar doua zile din 2008 si, ca orice bloggerita de moda care se respecta si isi respecta cititorii, trebuia sa vin cu o lista de "best dressed". Dupa cercetari si studii indelungate am adunat celebritatile care s-au imbracat cel mai bine anul acesta.
Lista mea, mai mult sau mai putin obiectiva, are mai multe parti, pe care le voi posta zilele urmatoare.
Incep cu Posh, Gwyneth, Kylie si Kate.
VICTORIA BECKHAM
In 2008 Victoria Beckham si-a consolidat pozitia in lumea modei odata cu lansarea colectiei de rochii.
A purtat multe tinute Marc Jacobs, a carui imagine a fost, dar si piese din colectia ei de denim si ochelari, dVb, si The dress collection by Victoria Beckham, o linie de rochii timeless, lucrate manual in UK.
Ar mai fi de mentionat ca a renuntat la bob pentru o tunsoare "Pixie", care l-a inceput a incantat-o , dar acum nu ii mai place si a lansat un nou duo de parfumuri - "Signature" for him & her.
Posh poarta o rochie "Evol" din colectia proprie, pantofi Yves Saint Laurent si geanta Chanel "Kelly"

Shopping la Kitson, magazin cunoscut ca home of celebrity shopping, pe Robertson Boulevard in Los Angeles, unde se vinde si dVb, in jeansi dVb si geanta Chanel vintage

Alaturi de Marc Jacobs in rochie si sandale Marc Jacobs (cum altfel?)

GWYNETH PALTROW
In 2008 actrita Gwyneth Paltrow si-a schimbat look-ul, renuntand la parul foarte lung, pe care nu l-a mai taiat de la moartea tatalui ei, si optand pentru o tunsoare mai scurta si mai sic. Combinatia ei preferata pentru covorul rosu a fost rochie+sacou.
Gwinnie poarta o rochie Lanvin, bijuterii Chopard si sandale Giuseppe Zanotti pentru Balmain

LBD Balmain si pantofi Alexander McQueen

Gwyneth in rochie Stella McCartney

KYLIE MINOGUE
Kylie "the impossible princess" a ramas si anul acesta in lista celor mai bine imbracate celebritati.
Kylie in Australia la lansarea celui mai nou parfum al ei, "Sexy darling", intr-o rochie Yves Saint Laurent.

La London Brit Awards, unde a luat premiul "Best international female solo artist", in rochie vintage Vicky Tiel

Kylie arata ca o zeita greaca in rochia drapata J'Anton si bijuterii Tous

KATE MOSS
Stilul lui Kate Moss, un mix intre masculin, sexy, boho si rock'n'roll este intruchiparea sicului facil si are o multime de adepte. Este considerata cool chiar si atunci cand poarta cizme uzate sau tricouri gaurite. Tinutele all black sunt printre preferintele ei.
Kate la petrecerea de lansare a noului ei parfum "Velvet hour" in rochie Marc Jacobs si sandale T-bar Christian Louboutin

Rochia cu gheare de leopard este din colectia ei pentru Topshop. 100 de astfel de rochii au fost vandute in doar 15 minute.

Kate intr-o little black dress (LBD) Poltock and Walsh

The Golden Mean and Modern Design

I was first introduced to the Golden Mean in an Elements of Design class. My professor, in her French accent, sat at the front of the class and slowly and methodically explained the Golden Mean and how it relates to many things in the world; architecture, art, music, design. It was fascinating to me then and still is today.

The Fibonacci Sequence

1 2 3 5 8 13 21 34 55 89
Every figure is the sum of the two preceding
1 2 + 3 = 5 8 13 + 21 = 34 55 89

O.K. Stay with me here… The Golden Section is devised from this ratio. When a Golden Rectangle is progressively subdivided into smaller and smaller Golden Rectangles, a pattern is obtained. From this, a spiral can be drawn which grows logarithmically, where the radius of the spiral, at any given point, is the length of the corresponding square to a Golden Rectangle.

The given symbol of Phi, which symbolizes the Golden Ratio.

Since then, it’s opened up a lot of doors for me in how I look at design, how I look at architecture and how balance and harmony are present in the world.

Since the Renaissance it has been used extensively in art and architecture, it has been used in historical and important architectures, such as the St. Mark's Basilica and the Parthenon and has become a standard proportion for width in relation to height as used in facades of buildings, in window sizing, in first story to second story proportion, even in the dimensions of paintings and picture frames.

The Parthenon in Athens, Greece.

Ceiling Mosaic in St. Marks Basilica.

A geometrical analysis of the Great Mosque of Kairouan reveals a consistent application of the golden ratio throughout the design.

The Swiss architect Le Corbusier, famous for his contributions to the modern international style, centered his design philosophy on systems of harmony and proportion. Le Corbusier's faith in the mathematical order of the universe was closely bound to the golden ratio and the Fibonacci series.

Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye, Poissy, France.

Villa Savoye Plan View and the use of the GOLDEN SECTION (1:1.618).

Le Corbusier explicitly used the golden ratio in his Modulor system for the scale of architectural proportion. He saw this system as a continuation of the long tradition of Vitruvius, Leonardo da Vinci's "Vitruvian Man", the work of Leon Battista Alberti, and others who used the proportions of the human body to improve the appearance and function of architecture. In addition to the golden ratio, Le Corbusier based the system on human measurements, Fibonacci numbers, and the double unit.

Le Corbusier’s Modulor System.

Le Corbusier took Leonardo's suggestion of the golden ratio in human proportions to an extreme: he sectioned his model human body's height at the navel with the two sections in golden ratio, then subdivided those sections in golden ratio at the knees and throat; he used these golden ratio proportions in the Modulor system.

Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man (ca. 1487).

Palladio’s Villa Rotunda.

The Villa Rotonda is symmetrical on all axes, including diagonals. Any architect will tell you this is hard to do, much less sell to a client; even Palladio only did it once, probably just to see if he could. Palladio based his design on simple progressions in the Fibonacci series leading to the Golden Mean. This is also hard to do.

In India, the Golden Mean was used in the construction of the Taj Mahal, which was completed in 1648.

Piet Mondrian used the golden section extensively in his geometrical paintings.

And today, architects are still frequently using the Golden Mean or Ratio in their work…

The CN Tower in Toronto, the tallest tower and freestanding structure in the world, has contains the golden ratio in its design. The ratio of observation deck at 342 meters to the total height of 553.33 is 0.618 or phi, the reciprocal of Phi!

The College of Engineering at the California Polytechnic State University have plans for a new Engineering Plaza based on the Fibonacci numbers.

What can you create using Fibonacci’s Golden Mean?