Furniture Reporter

OK, this is not in San Diego, but it is a business that I can recommend:  Retro@Home specializes in Mid-Century Modern Furniture.  To the unitiated, that means furniture from the 50′s and 60′s.  So basically all the set dressing in the AMC tv how “Mad Men” is Mid-Century Modern. Pretty cool huh?  I think so.  In fact I bought quite a few pieces from this store and trucked them down to my house in San Diego.

Not only does this furniture look awesome in my pad, but it is strong and durable. It’s not the particle board, veneer covered stuff you get at IKEA or many other stores –it’s solid wood.  Often times, it’s teak, a hardwood grown in the tropics.  Lots of it is “Danish Modern” which looks clean, simple and stylish.  Personally I don’t dig on the super bulkin tables and couches and chairs most people like.  I like my pad to be spacious and neat.  And that’s what their showroom looks like. They arrange stuff in sections so you can see a bunch of different living room arrangements, etc.

Anyway, next time you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, look them up.

Mark Perez is a Search Marketing Consultant at Atomic Media SEO, a San Diego SEO company which offers complete SEO, Web Design/Development, Link Building, and Onlline Reputation Management Services to small, exclusive list of clients.

Remember Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson? That children’s book about a little boy with a magic crayon that could draw a whole world in the air? You always wished you had a real “purple crayon” with which to draw things that would then become real.  Now, thanks to some Swedish designers who have put together the technology of 3-D motion capture and 3-D printing, it has become “reality.”  See their video on their website:  http://www.frontdesign.se/sketchfurniture/.

The world is what you make of it, friend. If it doesn’t fit, you make alterations.   [Stella from Silverado]

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  [Matthew 6:33]

Weekly Retail Pick:

Source Perrier French Directoire “Gueridon” Occasional Table

How to use it:

-This table is flexible enough for pretty much any situation. The study, the office, the living room, the bed side…anywhere you want to chic-up a space, echo French style and furniture savvy, or even juxtapose masculine and feminine. Perfect for a lamp or as a “helper” side table (such as a cocktail surface for guests, or a surface for stacked books and a small flower arrangement).

-The clean and modern lines lend themselves well as a statement piece for both modern and contemporary interiors. The historic interpretation of Directoire style is well suited for transitional, traditional, classic and period interiors. It just may be the perfect table for any situation.

-Remember that in design- the possibilities are limitless. You can have the metal refinished if you don’t favor brass (but I see a comeback for Brass and gold-tones) or create an insert for the top of the table if you don’t favor black granite. You could employ a wall covering you like, leather, a fine lacquer finish or even photos and paper mementos put under custom cut glass. Personalize an already fabulous piece of furniture to further define your style and ensure no one else has the same thing.

How to get it: This piece is available through Source-Perrier online and via catalog.

Retail Price: $875

Check in for my weekly trade pick later this week!

-Janelle Steinberg, BA ASID Allied

Principal and Director of Design

J Steinberg Design

Marsia Holzer spent two decades designing costumes for high-profile rock stars on tour, including the Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and Elvis Presley, as well as for Broadway shows such as Hair, before finding her true passion in life?salvaging felled trees to create organic furniture and lighting for her own company, Marsia Holzer Studio. One might find the change in careers mystifying, but Holzer’s one-of-a-kind designs still require imagination and customization, this time between Holzer and the client requesting the piece.

Holzer uses recovered exotic wood that has fallen in storms to create slabs for tables, which she affixes to handcrafted bronze, steel, or glass bases. The wood retains the natural shape of the tree, often with blond sapwood running down the thick sides, creating the illusion of a live tree poking up through the floor. Kayaking near her home in the Hamptons, she scours beaches for driftwood that will later be cast in metals at a foundry in Scotland. These casts serve as the bases for table and floor lamps, complete with drum shades of parchment or fine Irish linen. Holzer works with clients from selecting the slab of wood to choosing a base and finish. The mesh chandelier with metal tree branches (shown) is $4,200. Pieces in her collection range from $6,000 to $28,000.

W Hotels, the first “boutique” chain of hotels that is unique for their network of branded urbane-style properties, brings a contemporary New York style to the commercial waterfront harbor in West Kowloon, the hub of Hong Kong’s buzzing financial district.

True to W’s impeccable standards, the W offers guests a complete boutique service, from rest to play, dining to pampering.

All 393 rooms, which carry superlative adjectives as names from Fabulous to simply “WOW” (and there’s even an Extreme WOW suite), are designed by Australian interior designer Nicholas Graham and Japanese designer Yasumichi Morita.

Each designer was assigned different floors, giving a different refreshing flavor as each room has its own personality. Another outstanding feature is the rooftop pool with a gigantic butterfly motif by Australian designer Fabio Ongarato, that overlooks the hustle and bustle of one of the most cosmopolitan cities in Asia.

W Hong Kong features its signature KITCHEN and sizzling FIRE restaurants to satiate your taste buds. After satisfying your palate, recline to the Liquid Bar or drop by the Bliss Spa to pamper yourself with their range of mesmerizing massages and famous facials.

Exclusive W Happening Events will give you an insider’s peek into the latest in fashion, art, music and design amongst some. For a little souvenir, W Hotels’ luxurious offerings will satisfy any avid shopper. For those who want to mix and mingle, the Living Room DJs guarantee an unforgettable night with exclusive CD collections.