Monochromatic design scheme

Give me a colour to work with or a piece of fabric and away I go. It's very exciting to be working on a monochromatic design scheme pulling together lots of earth and sky tones and incorporating natural materials.

Love the motif on this cushion::

Intricate Moroccan chest of drawers:

A French Louis XVI sofa covered in linen:

Side table:

Cocktail table with marble top and metal legs:Tall side chair paired with an industrial table for dining:

I love how all of the colours work together. It's a very soft palette and easy on the eye. This is a work in progress but I will be adding a splash of colour with artwork, some subdued lamps dotted around the room and soft woollen rugs underfoot.

Joe, my carpenter

This is Joe, my carpenter. We've known one another for over 10 years and I am amazed by him. I don't think my clients realize the amount of love, thought and dedication that goes into his work. I met him this morning to go over a couple of jobs he's working on for me. The first, shown in the picture, are some built-in book cases he's doing. He's spent the last week researching, doing detailed drawings, visiting stores and sizing up components and books that will fit on these shelves. He's very much like me when a project starts - he lives and breathes it and can't stop thinking about it.

Here he is, on the right, with another Joe (on the left) who is, in fact, a very successful private chef with his own line of rubs... check out his website at the bottom of this post.

Love you Joe.... thanks for all of your hard work.

He's the other Joe's website too..... and what a lovely, kind man! Check it out:http://www.chefbambam.com/

Sourcing around San Francisco

What a busy few weeks..... AND a couple of new clients.... so I thought I would share a few goodies I found here in San Francisco. These pieces are not all for the same space.... so look at each one individually ;o)

Don't you just love this "peace" chair?



Gorgeous antique red chest with gold detailing:



Glass lamp:

Stripped chest of drawers:

Fun bedside table:

Accessories:

Updated Louis chair:

Beautiful modern chandelier:

Finally - some lovely oil on canvas pieces:

Suzanne Benton's exhibition at ArtHaus

Installation – World Piece
Photo: Alan Bamberger

I went to see my lovely friend, James Baachi, last week and saw his latest exhibition by Suzanne Benton entitled World Piece.

Suzanne has shared her multi-faceted art for over 30 years in 29 countries. As a trans-culturalist and feminist pioneer based in the U.S., her venues stretch far beyond New York’s art world to villages in remote parts of Africa, India, and Nepal, and to philosophy and educational portals from Calcutta to Cambridge.

Inspired by her travels throughout the world, Suzanne continues her monoprint-making (one of a kind prints) with Chine colle (glued paper collage) which has evolved since 1983. She works with a 30”x50” Charles Brand press. The colle papers are hand made, pre-inked and hand painted. The collographic printing plates are inked individually for each print, and allow for the embossing of a complex texture onto the prints.

Images and colle papers are coated and placed on the plate. These papers then adhere to the sheet of etching paper as the plate and paper are run through the etching press. Suzanne's work has been featured in more than 150 solo exhibitions. Her work is represented in museums, galleries, universities and public and private collections worldwide. She’s an active print maker, mask maker and performance artist, as well as a guest lecturer. Author of The Art Of Welded Sculpture, Suzanne and her work have been the subject of more than 300 media features and reviews.

Mystic Warrior – Mahakala (Tibet)
Welded steel and mixed-media
Courtesy of ArtHaus

Mutang II (Korea)
Copper coated steel
Courtesy of ArtHaus

Also on exhibit, ArtHaus IN SQUARE, a group exhibition featuring multi-media works in a square format by Gallery and Gust Artists, including; Carolyn Meyer, Marc Lambrechts, Carol Massa, Franc D’Ambrosio, Chris Schiavo and Samuel Fleming Lewis.

ArtHaus is located at 411 Brannan Street in San Francisco. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Friday, 11am-6pm, and Saturday, Noon – 5pm. For further information, please phone (415) –977-0223 or visit ArtHaus on the web at http://www.arthaus-sf.com/