Happy 4th to everyone!

I know we put up a short fireworks video yesterday, but click on over to Travels With Bella Figura USA.  There we have an uber-cool video showing the incredible fireworks display put on in New York.  It is totally awesome!  (Do the kids still say that?  Oh well...)


And don't forget: our Birthday Bash Sale is going strong in the boutique.  Click right here on our Birthday Bash Sale page, to get all the details and check out the items. 

Everything's 30% off!  Fabuloso!

        

Here on this Free For All Friday, we're wishing everyone an early  Happy Fourth of July!

And to get you in the mood, here's a cool fireworks video that shows the firework shells set up, then the lighting begins.  First, three inch shells are exploded, then the ten inch shells are lit.

Totally cool! 

        

"As far back as my memory takes me I have been smitten with gardens..."  Bunny Williams

For our Style Source Fave this Thursday, we have a book by the designer, Bunny Williams.  Ms. Williams has actually made our Thursday list before: for her wonderful New York garden shop, Treillage.  An in that post we mentioned another book of hers that we love, An Affair with a House, plus her book Point Of View, and today's highlight book.

Today's book was written by Ms. Williams along with Nancy Drew, and illustrated by John Roselli: On Garden Style.

Yes, more about gardens.  After all, there's just something about beautiful gardens - they inspire, sometimes produce envy and longing, and the good ones soothe and delight.

In On Garden Style, Ms. Williams and Ms. Drew take us on a journey through sophisticated garden style - something Bunny Williams  insists everyone can achieve.  She invites the reader to think in new ways: about the style of the garden, the "ornament" of the garden, the look and feel of the garden, all the while offering practical tips and advice to achieve the stylish garden.

And with summer in full swing, who doesn't want to lounge in a beautiful, peaceful garden?

For your pleasure:









As always, On Garden Style can be purchased
at Amazon.com

        

Here we are on a Home Decor Thoughts Wednesday, and words are failing me.

When you see the photo you'll understand.  It's just too scrumptious for words: a garden pavilion, in Houston, Texas, that is beyond gorgeous.

Check this out:



Aye yi yi - I don't think I've ever seen a better reproduction of a European garden house.  The beams - the incredible stonework - and the peeks at the lush gardens beyond...  what a fanciful setting. 

The tole chandelier, center table, and floor (18th century stone) are all French.  The iron seating is by Herve Baume, with DeLany & Long fabrics.

The stuff dreams are made of...

Pavilion Design: Interior Designer Pamela Pierce
Photography:  Peter Vitale
To see all photos of the pavilion and gardens, check out this month's issue of Veranda magazine.

        

I've always admired the Academy Award winning actress Angelica Huston - not just for her tall, dark, elegant looks, but the way she's always behaved in the limelight - with dignity and composure (her smacking Jack Nicholson a good one, notwithstanding.)

And speaking of Jack, I do love him.  Who doesn't?  But when he lost Angelica after their long on-again off-again relationship, I think he lost a bit of his own sparkle and magic.

But Angelica moved on, continued her work, and married the sculptor, Robert Graham.  But since this is a Tuesday They Get It segment, I'm thinking more about her wardrobe than her personal life.

Statuesque - that's Angelica - and her wardrobe has always played up her long and lean assets.  Now approaching her 58th birthday, she dresses with the knowledge and elan of her age.  With her Red Carpet looks - gowns and elegant tuxedo suits - she looks sophisticated and age appropriate.  And out and about - her look is stylish and easy.

Our first photo is a back in the day shot, Angelica and Jack the way they were - and then with her brother, Danny Huston:

 



With husband Robert Graham (now deceased):

     

She's one tall drink of water - and she dresses her part well.

        

We were out and about this weekend, and all we can say is "yikes!"  We definitely saw some "scary" summer ensembles.  Now granted, we get loads of visitors in this area, and people want to be comfortable in the heat, comfortable walking...  Yes, that's all well and good. 

But that's no excuse to wear flat-out ugly/totally inappropriate clothing.

So, we're having some fun.  We're looking at the opposite end (and very high end) of the fashion spectrum, and checking out what clothes Hermes sent down the runway for this summer.

John Paul Gaultier is know for his creativity, and yes, some of the clothes are in the "only on the runway" category; but others...  Well, let's just say we covet some of the trousers and dresses.

Enjoy.

        

What a week - three people, all cultural icons in their respective arenas, passed away.  First it was Ed McMahon, then Farrah Fawcett, and most unexpectedly, Michael Jackson.

But today we're writing about Farrah.  Beautiful, golden tressed, free spirited Farrah.

Every woman of a certain age in this country, sported a Farrah "do" at one time or another.  Her style was admired, imitated, and for the guys - lusted over.

After all, no one but Farrah could don a red one piece swim suit, and launch herself into the stratosphere.  Ah, that poster - how many men (young ones all those years ago) had that poster in their bedroom?

She was so unabashedly sexy; yet, somehow seemed wholesome at the same time.  The proverbial girl next door.  Gorgeous and sexy, yes!  But still, the girl next door: sweet and fun.

And then, of course, there was Charlie's Angels.  Dubbed jiggle TV, it was silly and mindless, and totally entertaining.  Even if it was only to see what the three gorgeous Angels were wearing each week.  And again, Farrah was an absolute knockout.  Dazzling in evening gowns or sportswear, she had a huge impact on fashion.  Farrah made a simple white blouse and trousers look more chic and sophisticated than anyone before; and young women (and older) donned the same, again imitating Farrah.

Farrah was literally and figuratively, a golden girl.  And as she aged, she maintained those golden looks - and a fierce independent spirit and joie de vivre.  Sure she had her troubles - no one gets of out this life without them.  But she always came back - flashing that smile, tossing that hair.

A sign of a life well lived: the people who love you.  And anyone who watched the documentary of her battle with cancer, or saw any of the tributes to her last night, is well aware that Farrah was surrounded and beloved by many friends and family.  And longtime partner Ryan O'Neal?  Who had a dry eye when he said that all he wanted to do was take care of her everyday - keep her comfortable?  We should all be so fortunate.

Rest in peace lovely Farrah - we won't forget you.

        

Last week for our Style Source Faves segment, we offered a remarkable book:  Houses of Los Angeles: Volume II.  And of course, many of the beautiful, old homes in LA are in the mode of Spanish/Mediterranean architecture.

So for today's style source, we're suggesting another lovely book: Spanish Houses:  Rustic Mediterranean Style, by Patricia Espinosa de los Monteros and Joaquin Fernandez de Santaella.

Spanish Houses takes the reader on a journey through a number of Spain's historic private homes in various locales (none of which are opened to the public.)

Besides detailing the characteristics: wood, tile, stucco, iron work, the author's note the original models for Spanish homes.  In their words, "Spanish houses developed through two basic models: the mediterranean casa romano and the Celtic casa celta."  The first - a white-washed, flat roof Southern mansion with patio and courtyard.  The second - a thick walled, pitched roof, stone retreat.

Loaded with beautiful photographs by Francesco Venturi, this book makes a lovely coffee table book to peruse at leisure, or acts as a guide for creating your own Spanish hacienda.

        

The living room featured in today's Home Decor Thoughts, was part of a story in the January 2002 issue of Veranda magazine.

It's incredibly lovely.  So lovely, in fact, that the room made it onto their Memorable Rooms list a couple of years ago.

I've said before that I love Mediterranean/Italian style; well, check out this space.  Not only did the designer use the rich, warm colors of Tuscany, but wood, stone and iron elements are all incorporated.



One of my favorite things in the room is the use of full length shutters with the doors.  Not only are they a stunning design detail, but a practical application that you see all around the Med.  And why not?  When the sun is at it's peak, you simply close the shutters to filter the light and cool the room.  Now, the shutters in this room are solid.  I prefer the louvered, as you can keep the doors open and still have air flow.  But that is a very Mediterranean thing.  They wouldn't be practical in all parts of the country.

And then of course, there's the wonderful stone fireplace -  loaded with candles.  Gorgeous and romantic.  And the ceiling?  Coffered with aged/distressed wood - talk about attention to detail - it's fabulous.

Beautiful stone floor - lush, comfortable upholstered furniture - the outdoors beckoning... 

What a fabulous room!  I could see some of our handcrafted Tuscan ceramics in this room - oh yeah.

Interior Design:  Landy Gardner
Photographer:  Peter Vitale

        

Cary Grant - we love him.  He's been the focus of our posts several times.  After all, he was the definition of savvy style.

So, what more can we say?  Well, we're not going to say anymore; but we are going to let Michael Caine do the talking.

In this video, a tribute he did to Cary Grant on TCM, Michael talks about the impact Cary Grant had on him, and men all over.

Utterly charming.  For your pleasure:

        

 I'm often asked how it happened - the real story.  Up 'till now, I've always been reluctant to tell the tale.  Why?  It's complicated - messy - just like real life.

So there I was sitting on the terrace of the Vittoria, Campari and soda no sorry, Americano in hand, when a light tap on my shoulder interrupted my reverie.

I hadn't even noticed that anyone had walked up behind me, I was so intent on the sea.  But looking up I saw sparkling eyes, the color of that sea, within inches of my face.

Have you ever felt your body freezing in place?  Felt so utterly shocked that you couldn't take a breath?  I stared back at him.  Wordlessly.

He smiled, that dazzling smile from the old days - so familiar - and captivating.  My god, he hadn't changed a bit over the years: same blonde hair, same baby blues, same golden boy looks.  I must be dreaming.

But then he laughed, and winked, "Yes, it's really me.  I've come for you."

I couldn't think my mind was so jumbled with questions.  But two thoughts eventually emerged: "thank goodness Antonio did my hair this morning, and thank goodness I put on my Shu Juan Lu wrap before I came out on the terrace."   At least  I knew I looked as stunning as he did.

To be continued...

        

My father used to play with my brother and me in the yard.  Mother would come out and say, "You're tearing up the grass."  "We're not raising grass, " Dad would reply.  "We're raising boys."   Harmon Killebrew



Happy Father's Day to all!

        

You know we love Dean Martin, he's certainly made it into many of our posts.  And why not?

Talk about style - holey moley.  The man was walking style.  Not only handsome and debonair, but that voice - golden honey, liquid silk.

But the other reason we LOVE Dean - his humor.  The man was funny.  And he loved to laugh.  Whether he was cracking up on stage at another performer's jokes, or laughing over his own - he had such a good time.  And we all had such a good time watching him.

Here's a video with Dean laughing his way through a song, as only he could do. 

So, to take us into the weekend on this Free For All Friday: "Dean, we're laughing with you!"

        

Remember how Nick first described the parties at Gatsby's house? There was music from my neighbor's house through the summer nights.  In this blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.

I've always loved those lines - so evocative.  And here on another Thursday, another Style Source Faves segment; we're all about gardens -  great garden style - garden style Jay Gatsby would love.

I love gardens, and I love all of the accessories that go into gardens: sculptures, obelisks, fountains.  So, I was delighted to discover today's garden style source.

I am 100% wild about the garden products - no, the art - from this company: David Harber.

This is an English designer/company (yes, they do export) and without a doubt, they have the most creative, stunning designs I've seen.

Check them out for yourself (these photos came from the website):



 

 

(Middle row, left photo - a moon dial.  How cool is that?  When the moon is in the seventh house, and Jupiter aligns with Mars...)

Mr. Harber is known for contemporary designs that pay homage to the past.  I'd say he knocked it out of the ballpark with these designs.

So, if you're in the market for exquisite garden accessories (not to mention accessories that no one else around is going to have!) or you just love looking at beautiful designs, be sure and check out the website: David Harber.

"Nothing is more the child of art than a garden."-- Sir Walter Scott

        

Oh, we have a beauty for you on this Home Decor Thoughts Wednesday.  The living room in designer Adrienne Vittadini's Florida home.  A masterpiece in contradictions: black and white, old and new, straight lines and elegant curves.

Black and white is such a classic combination, yet many are skittish about going there with room decor.  Concerns range from fear that the  the room will be too dramatic to concerns that the room will be boring.  And then there's the too contemporary, or cold  tag that black and white often gets stuck with.

So, if anyone thinks black and white will result in a cold, unwelcoming space,  one look at this room will convince otherwise.

Check it out:



The room from another angle:



And a third angle, looking out onto the water:



Note the fab Plexiglass tables - love them!  (Vintage, of course.)  And the beautiful tufted chairs: Alex Flamont, upholstered in Belgian linen.

And then, of course, there's the blue backdrop: that gorgeous waterway with the Gulf of Mexico just beyond.  Nothing cold or unwelcoming about this place!

Interior Design:  Adrienne Vittadini
Photography:  Peter Vitale

        

It's Tuesday, time for our They Get It segment, and we're revisiting one of our previous picks.

Why?  We just couldn't resist posting this video.  It's the one and only, fabulous, gorgeous: Diahann Carroll.

The video shows a few minutes of her concert at the Royal Albert Hall.  And for those who only know her from television, be sure and watch.  Ms. Carroll's a Tony award winner for the musical No Strings, and the very first song she sings in the clip is from that show: The Sweetest Sounds.  Marvelous...

And beyond the beautiful voice, check out how she looks.  She must have a picture in an attic somewhere!  She's truly ageless - with tremendous personal style and fashion style.

For your pleasure:

        

Here we are on a What's New Monday, and I'm posting a video.  A short little video, taken at an Italian fashion show.  But here's the catch: the year is 1956.  That's right - '56 - probably before a lot of you were born (and a short time before I was born too.)

The show's all about summer fashion.  Now, you might be thinking, "Fashion?  I just want to be as cool and comfortable as possible."  And I do agree with that.  But looking at these clothes it's easy to see how cool and comfortable can be right in line with chic and fashionable.

The show features great hats (I LOVE hats) and pretty sleeveless dresses that could be worn today; and I especially got a kick out of the one dress that suddenly turned into shorts.  And it's much, much prettier than the skort ( a piece of clothing that frankly, I don't get.)

Enjoy:

        

It's Free For All Friday - yahoo! 

Last night I was watching one of my favorite shows (besides Burn Notice, of course.)  In fact, it comes on right after Burn Notice, on HGTV: House Hunters International.

Well, I've been glued to it this week since they've been going to the favorite "exotic locales" picked by viewers.  And last night was the Amalfi Coast.  Sigh...

I LOVE the Amalfi Coast - passionately.  And in last night's show, a couple from San Diego were looking for a house there.  The first one they saw was nice - completely remodeled with gorgeous views - and priced at a cool million bucks.

The second one was a wreck - a ruin!  In fact, it was an honest to goodness ruin from the Middle Ages (according to the real estate agent) and it looked it.  The couple had said, over and over, that they wouldn't mind a fixer-upper.  Well, this place was WAY beyond that.

You had to walk 350 steps up a hill to get there; and when you did, well - I think the ruins at Pompeii look better.  The house had no kitchen, no bathrooms; in fact, it didn't even have plumbing or electricity.  Yeah, not exactly my idea of a fixer-upper.  And I think it was priced at around $700,000.  Yikes!  That price was obviously for the view.

And then the third - Oh No!  I fell asleep.  I never saw the third - never saw what they chose.  I'm totally miffed.

So, if you saw the show, and unlike me, saw the ending - let me know the outcome.  I'm dying to know what they purchased.

And with Amalfi on the brain, it's time for a video.  There are lots of YouTube videos about the Amalfi Coast, and they're fun and beautiful.  But today, I chose this one because it not only captures the extraordinary mountains and sea, but the charming towns on the coast.

Enjoy:
 

And for a longer (10 minute) look, check out this video which takes you from Naples down the coast, driving in a too cute Alfa Romeo:  Drive with Julia down the Amalfi Coast (includes a stop at Mt. Vesuvius.) 

And a video to give you the feel of the drive, along with Italian driving lessons, check out:  Driving Along the Coast

        

It's Thursday and time for our Style Source Faves segment.  And today, we have a book (yeah, yeah - I know I choose a lot of books for this segment - but they're such a great sources of inspiration, not to mention nice additions to your library!)

Now, I've mentioned before how much I like Mediterranean architecture.  And when I say Mediterranean, I'm thinking Spanish, French, Italian, Moroccan - in other words, all the countries around the Med.

And as most know, Los Angeles is a mecca for fantastic examples of all kinds of architecture: from the gorgeous old Spanish colonial designs and Mediterranean revival designs that I so love, to modern Frank Lloyd  Wright and Richard Neutra designs.

So, the book today looks at some Los Angeles houses.  It's actually part of a two volume set, with the first book encompassing 1885-1919.   But today's book  covers 1920-1935 and the residential architecture that was created as LA grew, and the ultra-wealthy citrus, oil and Hollywood types built  their mansions and estates.

The book:  Houses of Los Angeles, by Sam Watters.  Mr. Watters teaches at USC, and each house he chose for the book has not only house and garden plans, but archival photographs, along with the history of the house.

The book is a veritable history of residential architecture in America - perfect for all who are interested in house design, garden design, interior design, or the early 20th century lifestyles of the original titans of Los Angeles.







As usual, this book can be purchased at Amazon.com

        

In recent years outdoor furniture has become a LOT more sophisticated.  Thanks to retailers like Frontgate, gazillions of people have seen and gotten decorating ideas from the beautifully appointed outdoor rooms in the catalogue photos.

The days of ticky-tacky are long gone.  And we say "thank goodness and high time."

But today, on a Home Decor Thoughts Wednesday, we have an "outdoor room" (really more of a sitting nook) that is beyond sophisticated.  We spied this space in Veranda magazine a couple of years ago; and decked out with a pair of gorgeous wing chairs, a stone table made of 18th century limestone slabs (would kill for the table - well, almost ) and eye catching  accessories, this space is tres chic and gorgeous.

Check it out.  (And those chairs - from Dennis & Leen - and yes, the fabric is an outdoor fabric from Donghia.)



Exterior Design:  Barbara Wiseley
Photography:  Jonn Coolidge
Limestone table:  Exquisite Surfaces

(Location is Santa Barbara, California.)