You all know that I have a soft spot for anything French. I can wander for hours at…
bottega louie 7 May, 2010
To follow up on the amazing downtown walk, we stop by for the dinner at Bottega Louie, a new hip restaurant I’ve heard a lot about all over blogosphere. And we know that the blogosphere doesn’t lie. The place was even better that I’ve imagined. Designed by View Design Studio, it already got the 2009 AIA Los Angeles Restaurant Design Award.
Combining classical architectural details, exquisite food (bot on the menu and at a little retail area) and the trendy social atmosphere, Bottega Louis definitely makes you forget that you are in LA rather you are sitting in the heart of Manhattan. Well, someone here is in the New York state of mind today.
And I seems to find the one responsible for the package design of the irresistible macaroons boxes. Those evils look SO cute and luring. Shortly, if you ever find a spare $20 you know what to get me) 
<images via 1, 2, 3>
walking in downtown LA 6 May, 2010
One of the past weekends, I finally managed to carve out some free time to go and explore the downtown. With the tremendous changes of the past few years, it has turned from the “scary to be” place into “to be seen in” place. Lots of trendy restaurants, clubs and cultural venues all fleeing to downtown. And so did I, equipped with a camera.
In downtown, it’s all about the details. To take the moment to stop and literally look above those hectic shops and take it in. Wish for the Golden Age of Hollywood era and see yourself strolling down Broadway for the premier of the new play in one of those gorgeous theaters. 
Oh and Art Deco, of course…
And for the piece of New York on the West Coast for those of you, like me, tearing your heart apart between the two cities.
<images via me>
the old new: polka dot ceiling lights 5 May, 2010
It’s been a while since my last public copycat unveil but this is a good one. Flipping though last issue of Conde Nast Traveler I had one of those deja vu experiences with the ceiling lights by Marcel Breuer now found in Buenos Aires.Check out by yourself and don’t forget to VOTE for your favorite at the end.
THE OLD: Whitney Museum, NY by Marcel Breuer, 1966
Breuer’s bold gestures doesn’t end with the massive stepping exterior of the museum, but continues into the hall with the very architectural yet simple lighting decision.
On the black ceiling surface the series of the pendants looks more like the recessed concaves. The interplay of the positive and negative spaces really fools the eye. 
THE NEW: Isabel Bar, Buenos Aires by “Have no idea who…searched all through Internet”, 200?
This new “to be seen” spot is located next door from the celeb’s favorite dining spot Casa Cruz in Palermo. The menu of drinks changes hourly, so it’ll get you from “hangover” all through steamy Palermo night, with the loud upbeat house and glitzy dressed crowd. Waiters sell “Isabelinas”, casino-type chips used at the bar as scrip. Jeez..if only Breuer knew…
I apologize for the picture quality, had to scan from the magazine. 
So which one is your favorite?
design fix: wall stripes 29 April, 2010
As promised I’m reviling one more DIY transformation of my apartment for the latest party weekend. As a regular married couple we also have the TV discussions. And although we haven’t bought it yet (it’s been a year now!), the question of where to place it has been raised several times. Of course, my husband wants to put it on the pedestal in the most prominent place in the room and to be honest, we don’t have that much choice. So my challenge was how to visually divert the eye from this monster in the room and have the TV to be the last thing people will notice. I needed a statement!
So here what I came up with.
BEFORE: Regular white rental wall got painted in “Russian Blue”. Yes, I’ve selected the color by its name:)
Then I taped off irregular width stripes and primed the surface of the stripes with Acrylic Medium Gel, that way the edges come out very crisp and precise. 
The fun part began. I used white, green, black and 3 tones of gray, all of which are left overs from previous projects. 
After 2 days of re-taping, re-priming and painting again, the result was quite a statement which I was looking for. I bought two Manzanita Branches and nailed them to bring in the element of nature. 
As for the rest, I got two TV stands form Ikea (yes, I know… designers use Ikea too) and upholstered the doors in this amazing linen with printed fonts. I was looking for this fabric everywhere and finally found it in F&S Fabrics (Thanks Maison 21). Now, as the set is done, I’m ready for the arrival of the TV in our house.
<images via me>
design fix: side tables 27 April, 2010
Hosting a party is a true stimulus for the progress of your long forgotten DIY projects. That’s what happened to me last week, as you might have noticed with the lack of posts. Hosting my mother-in-law birthday pushed me to finally take out those paints, masking tape, sewing machine and what not. Everybody wanted to see “the interior designer”‘s house. All of those in the industry know, that the real ID-er house looks more like a mess or a bunch of unfinished projects rather than the picture perfect dream come true.
Anyways, I decided to reveal a few TLC projects that were both wallet-friendly and actually quite fun to do. Although I redid these side tables quite a while ago, I just never had a chance to take a good picture of them. So here we go.
BEFORE: I got these pieces on the brink of being thrown away in rather miserable condition. I really liked the solid frame and the fact that they are not completely the same. 
AFTER: Half of the quarter of black high-gloss paint did wonders. 
<images via me>