Category Archives: Inspiration

Ovalia Egg Chair

05.09.2012
now-and-then

In 1968 the Ovalia Egg Chair was introduced at the Scandinavian Furniture Fair. Designed by Henrik Thor-Larsen, the chair was an instant success. It sold for only 10 years and the original editions can sell for up to $5,000!

In 2001, this iconic image brought the spotlight back to the egg. And in 2005, the Egg Chair was re-introduced. The right photograph below is of the original designer in his throne.

The current Egg Chair design looks identical to it’s original counterpart but rencent changes improve the experience of “cocooning” in the Egg.

Um, you guys? Is that Megan Draper in the chair on the left?

Information via Ovalia Images via Ariacao

Edna St. Vincent Millay

04.24.2012
RoomMuse

The muse: Edna St. Vincent Millay
The background: poet, playwright, feminist,
The inspiration: I read Edna St. Vincent Millay’s biography a few years ago and was so inspired by her will and her work. From what I learned, Millay had a way about her that transfixed both men and women. The critic Floyd Dell wrote that the red-haired and beautiful Millay was “a frivolous young woman, with a brand-new pair of dancing slippers and a mouth like a valentine.” Perhaps, but she also had some serious writing chops:
My candle burns at both ends
It will not last the night;
But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends -
It gives a lovely light.
Millay was a part of the bohemian set of the roaring twenties in Greenwich Village. She lived in what may be “the narrowest townhouse in NY” and described life in New York as “very, very poor and very, very merry.” Edna gallivanted about town, stood for what she believed in and made history with her moving words and rich poetry.
The feeling: one part bohemian, one part feminine, all beauty
The elements: pine (for Millay’s homestate of Maine), deconstructed furniture, brass, daybed, art deco, remnant of Steepletop and hints of Millay’s poem subjects

All vintage, nothing to scale. Daybed via Alhambra, Chair via Obsolete, Garden stool via RT Facts, Coffee Table via Galerie Andre Hayat, Flowers via Amy Merrick, Buck via Revival Home, Flower frog via Bluebell, Prints via TFTM, Fat Chance, Chelsea Marketeers, Carpet via Woven Accents, Books via Violas Vintages, Candelabra via Habit Schabit, Heart via Gertrudes Vintage, Chest via State Street Signage.

 

Toile

04.18.2012
now-and-then

Toile. It’s a word that rolls right off your tongue.

Originally called Toile de Jouy, toile is a type of decorating pattern consisting of a usually white or off-white background on which a repeated pattern depicting a fairly complex scene, generally of a pastoral theme. The original toiles depicted idyllic pastoral scenes and a range of settings near the factory in Jouy where they were made, showing people hunting, working, picnicking, fishing, drinking, dancing and courting. The pattern consists of a single color; most often black, dark red, or blue. Toiles were originally produced in Ireland in the mid-18th Century and quickly became popular in Britain and France. They were the height of fashionable interiors in the Colonial Era in the US, and again in the 1930s, and in the 1970s, and another upsurge in popularity occurred around 2000. I was definitely on board with that last one. The bedding set my mom made for my first NYC apartment was a blue and white toile.

Nowadays toile has become decidedly edgier. In other words… this is not your mother’s toile.

Blue and White via QueenDecor, Toile all over via Spicerandbank, Contemporary scenes via Natural History, Attempted Robbery by Timorous Beasties, Aliens and UFOs by Historically Inaccurate via If its Hip its Here, Spot of Color by Cucumbersome via Apartment Therapy

 

The Thonet Bentwood Chair

04.04.2012
now-and-then

I wonder if Michael Thonet had any idea of the longevity of his Model 14 bentwood chair design, when it was released in 1859? He was experimenting with bending woods and was looking for simpler and more economic means of production than the traditional methods. He discovered that a solid piece of steamed wood and a metal strap could be bent together in a certain way without cracking the wood, and after being dried out in a jig the wood held its shape. A strong chair could thus be made with less pieces and less joints, with screws replacing glued connections. This process also lent itself to economical mass production.

The Thonet bentwood chair consists of only six components (plus a few screws and nuts) and the design has remained virtually unchanged for nearly 150 years. The chair is simple while still being interesting, lightweight but very durable, and this combination has made it a favorite chair at cafés and restaurants since the 1860s. It was also popular with artists. Auguste Renoir and Toulouse Lautrec both featured Thonet chairs in their paintings and drawings, and Pablo Picasso had one in his studio.

Michael Thonet’s company has now passed through five generations of his family and Thonet bentwood chairs are still popular today. As you can see below, over the years other artists and designers have discovered ways to modernize up this iconic chair.

 Original Thonet via The Old Cinema, Pink Thonet via ABC Carpet and Home, Thonet with Socks via The Design Files, Patterned Thonet via Name Design Studio, Thonet history via Patrick Taylor

Chateau Marmont

04.02.2012
getaways

Let me preface this by saying “hello, again!” to the Salvaged Grace subscribers who were lost in transition from the old website design to the new. BC saved the day by finally cracking the code to getting the RSS feed emails up and running again. Thank you BC! And WELCOME BACK friends, I’ve missed you! 

One of my favorite movies is Laurel Canyon. It’s a story about a guy and his med school girlfriend who move out to the Laurel Canyon area of LA to stay in his mother’s house for the summer. But, unexpectedly, his music producer mother is still at the house, producing a new album and cavorting with the lead singer/guitarist, who’s a bit cheeky and half her age. And… things get complicated. The cast is unbelievable (Frances McDormand, Christian Bale, Alessandro Nivola, Kate Beckinsale), the story is complex and interesting, and the setting, high in the hills of Lauren Canyon, is bohemian perfection.

The story culminates during a party in a suite at the Chateau Marmont. This hotel really doesn’t need any introduction – since the 20′s, Chateau Marmont has been the setting of many of Hollywood’s most scandalous stories . And the elegant, though somewhat shabby, design of the spaces are meant to convey a hotel steep in history.

Below you’ll find images of beautiful Chateau interiors paired with some of the most shocking stories happening offscreen in Hollywood. Glittering as it may be, the Chateau has its fair share of dirty laundry.

Dirt on the Chateau gathered from Wikipedia, Daily Mail, Flavorwire, NY Times, Hotel Chatter. Images via Chateau Marmont. Images (from top) via The Aesthetic Omnivore, Concierge, My Motels, Telegraph, AOL, TripAdvisor, Virtual Tourist

Kerri Strug

03.27.2012
RoomMuse

The muse: Kerri Strug
The background: ’96 Olympic gold medal gymnast
The inspiration: Truthfully, it started with this ABC Family show, Make It or Break It that I’ve been obsessed with lately. In one episode one the gymnasts pulls a Kerri Strug and lands a vault run on one leg. I sought out the actual footage from the 1996 Olympics and watching it was as inspirational as it was in 1996.  In her book, Landing On My Feet,  Kerri writes of that moment “Our USA team had only one chance to clinch the gold. I had one vault and one moment to score high enough to win, but there was so much pain in my ankle…. I knew something definitely was wrong, but I had only seconds to either try the final vault or walk off the podium and leave the gold medal up for grabs. For me, that decision had been made years before I made the walk to the top of the runway.”
The feeling: Americana, traditional, touch of Arizona (Kerri’s homestate), pride and bravery
The elements:  framed gold medal, red white and blue, gymastics mat covered coffee table,  flags and eagles.

Images via Arizona Painting via Vintage Zen, Oriental Rug via Antique Helper, Couch via The Shop at Maison, Southwestern Pendleton Pillow via Indian vs Indian, Flag Pillow via LovVintageFinds, Mat Coffee Table via Ma(i)sonry, Side Table via ModishVintage, Lamp via OlsenVintageMarket, American Circle Frames via The Art of Flozy

Mad Men

03.23.2012
agenda

Yay the Mad Men Season Premiere is this Sunday night. We’re doing it up; Jello molds, cocktails, beehives. To give you a sense of my excitement:

Have a very mad weekend, all!

Lamp via Marie Battaglini, Credenza via Vintage and Modern, Art via Chelsea Marketeer, TV via Sony, Ottoman via Flavor, Chair via Sultan Chic, Pillow via Quintessentia, Tray via Mid Modern Goods, Champagne Flutes via Vintage and Modern, Bugey Champagne (my favorite) via Morgan and York