>> the spoils of etsy

During the process of writing this post, I bought the first item, sorry. Blue blanc + rouge wooden flag ($30...but sold) circa the 1930s; 1960s Roly Poly cocktail glasses ($195 for six); lucite and wood magazine rack ($100); vintage aviators ($12).

Le Provence

I'm absolutely loving the charming goods the good people from Kiosk brought back to their store from the south of France. Above is Le Humidifier ($31). It hangs on the side of the radiator and requires no electricity just regular intervals of water. The stoneware is not sealed with any glaze which makes it porous and allows the steam to exit. Fantastique! Below: wire dish cover ($20), which I can appreciate as last night our wine was under attack by kissing bugs; vintage postcards ($11); Mikado ($6)--the perfect game to go along side some Pastis and coffee ice cream. Have a great weekend!

Maptotes

When I travel I always throw a few empty totes in my suitcase, and they always get use, whether for it's to schlep tennis balls, dirty shoes, picnic blankets or cameras. Some of my favorites are these from MapTote ($15-$40). They have a great selection of cities, styles and colors—and I think they make an excellent gift too.

Michael Woolworth Publications

If somebody gave me a suitcase full of cash, the first thing I would do would be to book a flight to Paris. The second thing would do: take a taxi to Michael Woolworth atelier. In fact I did sorta do that when I graduated college. My parents gave me some money to start my life as a responsible adult and I blew it all on lithographs. They were very pleased. I consider Michael Woolworth atelier one of Paris' treasures and reason enough to visit. Get in touch with him and schedule a visit, he'll show you anything. Michael Woolworth Publications: 2 rue de la Roquette, Cour Février, 75011 Paris. wool_pub@club-internet.fr; +33 1 40 21 03 41.

The Marais AC Chair and other Tolix furniture

I first posted about the Marais AC Chair in April, but I've noticed since then that people almost every day are searching for this chair and landing on my site. In an effort to expand my last post I wanted to say that first off, the colors and range of the sheet metal furniture produced by Burgundy artisan, Xavier Pauchard, are not limited to the three colors that are exclusive to DWR (lemon, vermillion, gunmetal) and not limited to the rage in sizes and shapes there either (there's also the A56 chair, the A97, the A, the T4, and more)—although DWR did chose great colors and iconic pieces.

Xavier Pauchard created this metal furniture line, made of buckled sheet, in 1934 for Tolix, a French company that manufactures its own products and distributes in France and abroad. While today the chair may conjure images of quaint cafés, DWR states that "it's rumored that Xavier Pauchard's Marais AC Chair was created for use in the weather forecasting room on a battleship...We do know that after its possible time at sea, the Marais was supplied to bars and brasseries by breweries in exchange for selling their beer. This arrangement ended in the 1970s, but that didn't stop the demand for these durable chairs and stools made in France." In fact, the chairs were reissued in 1986 where it found a serious fan base consisting of deign fanatics, many who scour the French countryside in search of originals.
I got hooked on the idea of finding some vintage Tolix chairs (what if they were really on a battleship!) and found some great looking stools and chairs on sites like ebay. Below is one of the original versions of the Chaise A, which because it's stackable and durable, is said to have been used in crew quarters aboard the ocean liner Normandie. You can purchase Tolix chairs at DWR, Conran (although I think they only carry a stool), Graham and Greene, and you may be able to order one from Tolix. Prices range from about $140-$220 new. Also, if you plan on being in Paris anytime soon, A Tolix exhibition is on view at the Centre Pompidou through 2008.

"What's Inside": Lisa Wyatt

This is a very special segment of "What's Inside" because it emphasizes a certain L.A. lifestyle as well as serves as a unique guide to such in its own right. Lisa, my next door neighbor and good friend, is a photographer, surfer, film buff, and animal rescuer at large (it was Lisa that plucked my dog Harrison off the freeway last year). The interior of Lisa Wyatt's apartment is fascinating, I always find something new whenever I'm over there and I've found that her things are literally artifacts from her travels and journeys and friends around the world. Her refined eclectic style conjures words like Spanish, California, Beachy, Bohemian, Natural, and Global. Above is a shot of her front door with its archway dressed in hot pink xmas lights she left up after throwing one of her famous parties. The trim paint is Dunn Edwards "Rainforest" and that's sort of the feel as you walk in the front door among her plants and fountain.Her kitchen has barely changed much from the original design. She painted it the very subtle Mint Chiffon and the trim Climbing Ivy accented by her flowers from Moe's (notice the Chicken Balls!). All of her vases are from Maison Midi and she has a very cool cheese cabinet typical in European kitchens (ideal for storing hard cheeses at room temp) she purchased from The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills. Oh, and that's her cat, Penny. I love her staircase, especially walking down it to see an amazing Jean Luc-Godard poster she bought at Agnes B. clothing store in Paris in the 90s. Cleverly, Lisa uses jeweled Indian sarongs as window treatments, why have I never thought of that!? Her photo books casually grace the bottom of the staircase—her four favorites are: An American Index of The Hidden and Unfamiliar, Coïncidences, Surfing Photographs Taken In The Seventies, and the newly released New York Rises. Her custom bookshelf makes me drool, but not as much as the little critters that are on it, like the John Derian farm animals, a yellow snail shell a Cuban boy gave her on a bus in Santiago, some sage candle boxes and simple white Ikea magazine butlers.In the entry way to her bedroom hangs two Polish movie posters from the 1960s that she bought abut 15 years ago from a guy's garage near Sunset Blvd. and Pointsettia (anyone know if that guy is still around?) Finally, the boudior, complete with mosquito net (from Ikea) and all. Lisa is a fan of Kerry Cassill linens as well as Creative living, but the most important thing in the bedroom is her Obsidian windchimes, one hangs above her bed and there is a tiny one inside her mosquito net. What follows below are Lisa's can't-live-withouts. Thanks for sharing, Lisa!
1. Obsidian windchimes
2. Jivamukti Yoga
3. Maison Midi
4. Calypso Home
5. Young Living essential oils (these are AMAZING!)
6. Wild Mushroom Lasagne recipe from Gourmet Magazine
7. Gardening advice from Sandy Foreman of Anawalt Lumber on Highland Ave.
8. Holistic medicine, raindrop therapy, and healing from Hari Narayan (310-936-5985) of Amrit Davaa Wellness Center
9. Uncle Eddie's vegan cookies (available at Whole Foods).
10.Cinespia film screenings.
And may I just say that DESIGNwatcher can't live without Lisa Wyatt Photography, either can Jacques the Donkey.

Tair Mercier (again)

I'm STILL sick, blarg! But I think that finally (and I don't want to jinx myself) I'm getting better. Finally! I feel like I've been held up in my apartment for months not really being able to do anything or go anywhere. I've been watching a marathon of Six Feet Under and The Wonder Years, which is a bazaar combination to say the least. The only other thing keeping me occupied is checking my email every hour on the hour. One email exchange was with my friend Heather, who just returned from Paris and was gushing about how much she liked the Tair Mercier placemats she spotted. They are totally sweet, and according to Heather are only 5 Euro a pop in France. The selection over there is much better than what I've seen here too, but hey, that just gives you yet another reason to go to Paris. There is a limited selection at Elsewares and Akar Design as well as a pretty hefty selection at OK store in L.A. (sorry no e-commerce though). Anyone know some other good sources for buying Tair Mercier? Above is a shot of the one placemat I have and use under Harrison's dog bowls.

Meet Twilly

I was wandering around the Hermes website this morning to check out their beach towels (just looking), and came across "Twilly". They're 33-inch (by 2-inch) silk ribbons and I can think of 100 things to do with them, hair tie, hair band, bracelet, scarf, belt, tie it around a vase or a bowl to dress up (literally) a centerpiece, etc. etc. etc. They come in five patterns/colors right now. You can snatch one up here for $115, which in Hermes dollars is pretty good. Is it wrong that I want want to tie one around my forehead Axl Rose style, and then go play tennis? Yes? Ok, well, I also love their ashtrays, like the below one in white porcelain with red pattern ($465).

Tair Mercier Paris

French design house Tair Mercier, which if I'm not mistaken has been around in some form since the 1970s, is popping up with some cool new designs. I am a big fan of their placemats, in fact, I use one under Harrison's doggie bowls—I took a picture of it but it seems my camera has bit the dust in between the time I took it and tried to upload it to the computer. None the less, they're great for kids, adults, dogs, cats—I want more! Above is a shot from the Tair Mercier booth from the annual Paris gift show, Maison & Objet to give you an idea of the variety. You can get Tair Mercier products from a variety of places like Elsewares, Akar Design and the OK store if you're in L.A. Look for the new hounds tooth patterns, which look really cool.

Print It, Damn It.

Frédérique Lucien, a French printmaker famous for her unopened-flower renderings, can do no wrong by me. Her dramatic compositions that feature biomorphic forms floating on white paper—perhaps remind viewers of new image painings of the late 1970s, or of even Pop, but to me, that's all accidental. Instead, she defines contour and allusiveness all while neglecting abstraction. I was lucky enough to buy three of her prints at Michael Woolworth's Paris atelier in 2005. Above is "Pistils", 1991.