Los Angeles Design Blog | Material Girls | LA Interior Design

High Point Market – that is!

This past Spring market, the Material Girls (along with other fab bloggers!) were invited to participate in “Suite Spot Tours” at the International Market Centers in High Point, NC. As part of the tour, we were each allowed to select vendors through-out the market suites to feature as part of our intimate guided tour:

To highlight a few of the vendors I included on my tour (& some of my favorite finds!) – here’s a re-cap:

Marc Phillips Rugs – always love their collection of area rugs, and especially the new unique artist designed rugs that I also featured here. One in particlaur was on display at High Point Market, the Obey Giant designed piece.

Another collection I enjoy, is the graphic pillows from V Pillows & Rugs, a company based out of Miami, FL.

Los Angeles based designer Kim Salmela is a new favorite – loving, loving, loving everything coming out of her product line – which you can view here. Kim was nice enough to share with our group her background and design collections for Spring!

…and when I wasn’t busy with my own tour, I went on over to another High Point building fave: 220 Elm to tour W. Schillig with my bestie: Maison21 (& shout out to him for a big help on my tour…let’s just say he helped “keep the pace.”) BUT here’s the thing: he gets to his tour, finds this super comfy leather sectional sofa to recline back on and tells me, “Now you go take the rest of my tour, I am staying put right here!” See how that works! (If you don’t believe me – well, the picture above tells exactly the story!)

Another showroom at 220 Elm I had the opportunity to visit (thanks to a friend of mine who was helping out there!) was Mat Orange. They have a range of rug collections (many graphic, and colorful) – one of which I absolutely love – pictured above.

In addition to showroom tours, I had the opportunity to attend a press tour for the Traditional Home Showhouse located in Greensboro, NC. The Adamsleigh Estate is a magnificent 15,000 square foot mansion that boasts 33 rooms and covers 13.5 acres which includes a lake, tennis courts, pools, gazebo, & five car garage. A handful of amazing designers transformed the home into one amazing room after another. Above is the powder room. For more info on the home and designers included, click here.

Next came the parties. Lots of them! One of the most anticipated was the unveiling of the new Stanley Furniture showroom. The entire two story space is stunning. The most exciting was seeing the work of our friends, Los Angeles based design duo Ron Woodson & Jaime Rummerfield of Woodson & Rummerfield’s House of Design and their showroom gallery space for Stanley Furniture. Above is Maison21 and I photographing the gallery wall of mirrors which we loved!

Ron Woodson and Jaime Rummerfield at the Stanley Furniture opening party with fellow blogger / designer Sarah Sarna.

While at the Stanley Furniture party, Christian of Maison 21 took a little time out to be interviewed by Shane Inman.

Next came the Halo party – always a packed house!

Between design events & parties, we stopped to take a few pics – or, in other words – wherever we saw mirrors! Like here in the courtyard at the Baker Furniture Showroom (with Ashlina of The Decorista and Edyta of Edyta & Co Interior Design).

And more mirrors! (Edyta, me, Ashlina)

We had a fun afternoon hanging out at the Younger Furniture showroom (located at 220 Elm) for the launch of designer Traci Zeller’s new textile line. Pictured above is Traci with Ashlina.

Last but not least, came the grand finale of High Point parties: the always fun Four Hands party. I had a great time hanging out with my “twin” & Blog Tour London buddy: Raina of A Stylist’s Life.

Many thanks to High Point Market Authority for organizing yet another succesful market!

Thank you to IMC (International Market Centers) for inviting the Material Girls to High Point for a great opportunity!

220 Elm & Heinz – thank you for hosting us all for an amazing lunch!

If you haven’t yet been to High Point Market – it is defintely worth a trip! For details and planning for Fall Market, visit the website here.

{For additional pictures from High Point Market, check out my Instagrams.}

This past week, the Design Bloggers Conference took place here in Los Angeles – and with that came lots of events, parties, and the arrival of so many fabulous designers and bloggers that I’ve come to know and love! This year, it was an honor to attend the actual conference itself, as the Material Girls were nominated for a Hall of Fame Award in the category of Best Overall Blog!

The start of the three day event kicked off with an invitation (courtesy of the lovely Bethanne of Currey & Company) to interior designer Michael Berman’s house for a dinner party. We were fortunate enough to have had a really beautiful day with this amazing view of the downtown and LA basin from the backyard pool of Michael’s house!

As always, I attended the party with my “design partner in crime” Christian of Maison21, pictured here with interior designer Michael Berman.

Of course, all my favorite boys where there too: Christian of M21, Andrew of Andrew Joseph PR, Sylvestre of Fuse Lighting, and Clinton of Atlanta Homes & Lifestyle Magazine.

The interiors of Michael Berman’s chic mid-century modern home.

Here’s M21 pictured in Michael Berman’s breakfast room…being silly and using a real old-school wall mounted telephone! (Even the original oven was still in the kitchen!)

When we weren’t being silly, we were taking amazing pictures of the gorgeous LA view (pictured here with me is Sylvestre).

A detail shot from Michael Berman’s latest collection: Bronze Studio (image courtesy of Maison21).

Fun parties aside, come Monday was the start of the Design Bloggers Conference. By noontime, Tobi Fairley (a recipient of last year’s Hall of Fame Awards) emceed the awards with her hilarious presentation (read about it here – the pics are the best!). While it was an honor to be nominated, the Material Girls did not win (always next year!). However, it was thrilling to be in the room when the crowd applauded and our blog was flashed on the big screen (pictured above).

It was fun to see so many design blogger friends at the conference, and while I didn’t get a chance to take many pictures, I did meet up with Sara from Decorative Carpets and Lulu & Georgia during one of the brief  breaks.

As glamourous as LA can be, an invite to an intimate dinner party hosted by Duralee at the Chateau Marmont is a great honor! On Monday evening, I joined the likes of Tobi Fairley, Brooke Carter Wallace, Christian May, Clinton Smith, Vanessa de Vargas, Andrew Joseph, and both Allison and Samantha of Duralee for a fun filled evening! (Tobi and Brooke will make you laugh to tears! Just request their impression of the girl named “Dur-ah-leeee!”)

Our dinner menu for the evening – everything was SO good!

While photography is not allowed at the Chateau, we rebelled – and took more than a dozen self-portraits (me, Samantha from Duralee, and Andrew Jospeh) having fun after dinner!

Last but not least, we were each given a copy of textile designer John Robshaw’s latest book (& I was lucky enough to score an extra copy for a soon to be giveaway here on the blog – stay tuned!) [Image via M21]

It was great to see so many design friends and bloggers this past week here in LA. Next year’s conference will be taking place in Atlanta, GA for those of you who could not make the trip to LA. Many thanks to Lynn of Decor Arts Now for sharing her conference ticket with me!

{my image via Instagram}

Currently on display at the Century City shopping center (an outdoor shopping mall here in LA) is The Reindeer Project: a curated selection of twelve local artists who have transformed a blank reindeer statue into a unique piece of art. The reindeer displays are showcased thorough out the shopping center and being auctioned to benefit Inner-City Arts, a non-profit devoted to bringing arts education back to students in the public school system.

The Reindeer Project at Century City, LA.

Reindeer by artist Johnny Taylor.

Reindeer by artist Couto Bros.

Reindeer by artist Man One and Max Neutra.

Reindeer by artist Marilinda Rivera.

Kids can also come and create chalkboard reindeer art!

For more info & pics, visit the Facebook or click here.

I am happy to announce the winner of Olioboard’s Holiday Entertaining Design contest that I took part in judging. So many fantastic and creative design boards were submitted (which made it a challenge to select just one!). However, one lucky winner was announced last week…

The winner: “A Blue Christmas” with My Two Designers by Olioboard member Anne.

Here are some of the other great design boards that made the top eight (you’ll see why it was hard to choose!):

“Relax & Enjoy” by Allison.

Another from winner Anne, “White Christmas.”

“Cozy Cool Christmas”

To view the other runners up, visit the Olioboard website here.

I recently got an exclusive preview of the Heimtextil Trends 2013/2014 which will be presented by Messe Frankfurt next month at the trade fair taking place in Frankfurt, Germany. The Heimtextil Trends 2013/2014 offers an in-depth view on influential developments in the area of home textiles.

This year, the current trends have been categorized into four distinct personalities: the historian, the eccentric, the inventor, and the geologist.

Here’s a look at the textile preview trends of what will be shown at the Heimtextil show in 2013:

Muted colors are seen in the Historian collection.

The Eccentric features vibrant colors and textures.

Vibrancy reigns in the Eccentric collection.

The Inventor features innovative textiles.

Undoubtedly earthy in the Geologist collection.

Pretty colors featured in the fabrics from the Geologist collection.

For more info, visit the Messe Frankfurt website for features on all the home and gift shows.

My Two Designers along with Olioboard is teaming up for a fun contest – and I’m excited to announce I have been selected to judge! One lucky winner will receive $1000! For all the details and to enter the contest, click here. {As an added bonus, entrants will receive a 20% discount code just for entering.}

Looking forward to taking part and viewing all the design boards (one of my favorite things)!

Hope everyone is enjoying their “end of summer” weekend and had a great summer! I can’t believe it’s already September! I spent the month of August on Balboa Island in Newport Beach, CA where my family lives and my dad keeps his boat. I actually lived on the boat for the month and it was a really nice change of pace.  Thought I would share some highlights from my summer vacation!

The boat is docked quite literally just steps from the beach, as seen here from the aft of the boat. These homes are on the Beacon Bay waterfront side of Balboa Island.

How cute is my nephew Eli hanging out on the boat!

Paddling on the bay is very popular, many canoes, paddlers would go by daily…

…some with their dog too!

But I actually spent my summer days working…

…and here too.

But the reality is, most days were actually spent hard at work here.

But EVERY day at the *office* was finished with an amazing sunset like this one!

Or this one!

Mornings started early, where the water was like glass and it was peacefully quiet.

My sleeping quarters were not the “captain’s quarters,” instead I opted for a modest “cabin.”

And the most compact bathroom I ever got ready in each and every day. (Although it’s not every day you see a seal swim by from the “head!”)

The galley style kitchen located on the lowest level of the boat.

When I did venture off the boat, my favorite thing to do was take the Ferry from Balboa Island across the harbor to the Balboa Peninsula side.  The Ferry is just $1 per person each way, it crosses the bay continuously from early morning until late at night and carries both cars and passengers.

Passing by one ferry from another (there are two that go back and forth).

My favorite place to go is Newport Landing Restaurant, they have the best happy hour!

The view from the second story patio at Newport Landing.

Coming back on the ferry at night, a view of the Fun Zone and Balboa Pavilion.

Our boat is docked just steps away from Marine Avenue on Balboa Island, the one main street lined with shops and restaurants. I walked it daily but unfortunately didn’t have time to explore some of the home decor shops, like this one (and others that I’d like to eventually feature on the blog).

I mostly walked through town to get to Little Balboa Island (where our house is) passing by the homes on the canal side…

…and over a bridge.

I’ve since said goodbye to my “summer office” – and am now back home!

Until next summer!

(All photos by Jill Seidner)

This past week, my friend Brooke invited me to dinner for my birthday at Terranea Resort in Palos Verdes, CA. Terranea is a destination that sits right on the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The resort evokes the feeling of being somewhere else (such as Hawaii) and not just twenty minutes from the bustling LA streets.  As a native South Bay/Palos Verdes resident, Brooke has been frequenting the resort for dinners and drinks and kept telling me I had to check it out. As it turned out, it worked perfectly for last week and I think now it’s going to be on my frequent destination list!

The entrance to Terranea: as you walk in you feel as if you’ve been transplanted to Hawaii, yet this is a local Southern California resort.

The main lobby has a tropical, beachy vibe.

Straight through the main lobby are doors that lead to a terrace with a dramatic back drop of the Pacific Ocean (and in the distance, Catalina Island). Unfortunately, we have been experiencing a bit of our typical “June Gloom” weather but even so, the views were amazing and I am looking forward to returning on a warm summer evening.

The outdoor terrace (which overlooks the view above) and it’s outdoor fireplace, Spanish tile floors, and oversize potted plants.

We had dinner at Catalina Kitchen (it was SO good!) AND if you go on your birthday, they offer a complimentary surf & turf dinner (can’t pass that up!).

The interior side of the restaurant at Catalina Kitchen.

We dined outside under the outdoor heaters, with this view from our table.

This picture is a little blurry but I loved these hanging lanterns, a blended mix of colors which looked so pretty as they glowed when it got dark.

View of the cliffside resort with the lower pool and pool bar overlooking the beach (above photo by Brooke).

And if you come and stay for a weekend – there are more than a few pools to lounge by!

I recently discovered Pinterest after hearing other bloggers talk about it – and I am loving it! It’s social media and virtual eye candy all rolled into one! In the past, I have blogged about how much I love inspiration and concept boards. I like Pinterest for it’s simple layout and individual pin boards of images. At the moment, I am completely new at it and have yet to really add much. However,  I am looking forward to using it as source for inspiration in addition to featuring inspiration boards of my own.  In the meantime, I have posted a bunch of my own concept boards and look forward to expanding beyond my own work and sharing images and ideas from my blog posts and Material Girls, too!

The first board I put up are images of concept boards I have put together for client projects.

If you have joined or requested an invite to join Pinterest, you can follow me here.

And there’s an app coming, too – looking forward to that!

MyVibeMyLife – that’s the name of Kelly Wearstler’s new blog!

Kelly Wearstler has joined the ranks of bloggers – with her new blog (which can also be found on her website). Raina, who does marketing for Kelly, was nice enough to send me an email last week with the announcement.  I was eager and excited to check it out for myself!

Her first blog post shows her gathering and pulling together inspiration for a project.

The interiors of her design studio, where she uses large trays to organize each project.

To see more of the trays, check out the blog!

Looking forward to future blog posts and the insights into Kelly’s projects and design process!