Designers Guild is Absolutely Fabulous, Sweetie.

Eddy and Pats are at it again, in beautifully appointed digs.

Today, through the magic of the Internet, I was able to see the first episode of the highly anticipated return of Absolutely Fabulous.  The new season is set to air on BBC America January 8th, but who wants to wait that long?!  As expected, the show that lampoons, and harpoons, fashion and pop culture did not disappoint.  Fashion faux pas abound, cigarettes are perpetually lit, morally questionable situations arise, but I will not spoil it for those who have yet to see.  What I will be spoiling for you, however, is the interior design of Eddy's Holland Park townhouse. 

As usual, Eddy (played by Jennifer Saunders, who also writes the show) is our fashion victim while Patsy (Joanna Lumley) is the chic fashion editor of indeterminate age who has more vices than fingers to count them on, but Eddy's home, for the first time, is ridiculously chic and incredibly refined.  It's bold, feminine, and glamorous, but not one bit out of sync with good taste (atleast not to me).  This is a first for Eddy, who regularly redecorates to keep up with trends, but who always seems to fall short of something this undeniably elegant.

I had to watch the new episode a second time through just for the interiors.  The design was flawless, but I had seen parts of it before; something about it was incredibly familiar.  When I thought about it, it looked very much like the work of Designers Guild, the English firm established by Trisha Guild in 1970 known for bold color and riffs on historic patterns.  Think exploded florals and damasks in maroon, lime green, turquoise or pink.  I hopped over to http://www.designersguild.com/ and was able to find every wallpaper used in Eddie's townhouse, with the exception of daughter Saffron's bedroom, and even Eddy's gorgeous bedding (which is now on sale!!).

So, have a look around Eddy's new place and if you have any questions, you know who to call.  And if you don't know who to call, call me.  ;)

- Ian

Our first room on view is Eddie's bedroom, covered in Designers Guild/Christian La Croix 'Arles' fabric and 'Oxbridge' stripe wallpaper.  As usual, Eddy's bed floats in the room, meaning it does not touch any one wall but rather acts as an island.  The bed is a black lacquer four poster style, flanked with black acrylic Kartel Bourgie lamps.  The bedding is 'Darly' by Designers Guild, a printed cotton sateen with feather-y French scrolls and painterly floral motifs.  Above the Victorian fire place hangs a Japanese screen depicting a gnarled tree on a gold leaf background; a nice foil to the rest of the wall composition.  Also, it should be known that one of the earliest fashion obsession for Eddy was La Croix, so it's very fitting that her boudoir is covered in his patterns. 

'Darly' bedding from Designers Guild.

Behind Eddy's bed is a wall mural called 'Forum', also by Designers Guild/La Croix.  I love how dark and sexy Eddy's bedroom has become.  Earlier incarnations were gauzy and monastically white.  There's a new maturity to Eddy's interiors now.

Eddy's kitchen also got an over haul, but no wallpaper.  As with most homes, the kitchen is where all the action takes place, so hers is a large open space with a garden view sink, a large table, and split height island (an idea I love) and a large range.  Logistically, having the range so far from the sink and fridge doesn't make sense, but for looks it's marvelous.  I j'adore the horizontal pine wall cladding, and that green-gray paint used on the cabinetry.
  

Looking toward the range in the kitchen.  Love that double height island and the way the pine has spread to become part of the range hood.  The kitchen is below street level; the stairs lead to foyer.

Looking toward the sink wall.  I like the floating shelf over the subway time wall, and how the tile runs all the way to the ceiling.  It's a very old style treatment for tile, if we think back historically to great service kitchens found in hotels and country houses.  Also like the idea of the missmatched enamel metal chairs. 

Behind Eddy is an open, free standing armoire, painted in the same green as the built in cabinets.  Behind that is a service hall lined with three frosted wine coolers, each packed with champagne.  This hall also led to Eddy's ill fated panic room.  To the right of the coolers is the door to the back garden.

The next room featured is the foyer, a double height space papered with more 'Oxbridge' stripe and also a grayscale floral called 'Mehsama'.  In earlier seasons this room was a hectic catch all of ethnic artifacts and furniture. Now it's a restrained nearly Georgian space, minimally furnished with emphasis on architectural detail.  I love the black doors with white trim, as well as the silver cast iron railings; so elegant and dramatic. I also like how they have split the paper patterns, with the stripe continuing down the stairs and the floral on the wall.

Down stairs, the walls return to white with dark floors, light carpeting and a stunning theatrical floral arrangement.  This profile will be seen again in Eddie's living room, and it's not especially subtle.  You can also make out an Art Deco style console beneath the upper stair run.  I am absolutely mad for this foyer!  It's really some wonderful to behold.

The final room we are re-introduced to is Eddy's Living Room, decorated in bold red and black with white walls.  The classical urns are placed before an other wall mural by Designers Guild, this time it's 'Ornamental Garden', which depicts Old Master style florals in urns on a black ground.  In previous seasons, the location was home to Saddam Hussein's feet, remnants of the fallen statue that was a by product of his demise.  The airplane wing desk is a hold over from a past series, first used in the Living Room when Eddy had to downsize her PR company.  It's an incredible piece.  Also a very nice use of slat blinds, they reinforce the architecture of the room without having an overbearing presence.

The Living Room, looking toward the over-sized Georgian fireplace. I am crazy for this feature!  I love that it's matte black, to match the doors throughout, and I also like how they have inserted a gas burning chrome cube to act as the 'fire' (if you look, you can see Eddy's shoes reflected in it).  The scale of the installation is marvelous.  You can also see the button tufted stain screen, which is a very feminine touch and also a nice contrast to the visual weight of the mantle.  I'm also a fan of the over sized candle sticks and lamps, and the minimal number of accessories.  There's plenty to look at, but it's not a load of twiddly little things.  All the accessories are high impact and large, reducing the visual clutter in the interior.

The Little Kitchen That Could is Finished!



I am crazy for the beautiful simplicity of this corner.
It's all just so right.  Also, even though I was cramped
for space, I was able to find an oven that gave the owner
options.  This model has a full size oven, plus a smaller
area that can be another oven, a warming oven, or a broiler.
Such a good use of space.



And we're done!  After 3 months, the Kitchen is complete.  Painted, plummed, electrified, tiled, floored, and full of new appliances and fabulous semi custom cabinetry.  It was a marvelous project, and I'm proud to have done it. 

A lot of Designers I know of wouldn't have wanted this Kitchen, because it wasn't glamorous, it had limitations on space and budget, and they couldn't go over the top and radically change everything. 

I'm sort of the opposite.  Don't get me wrong, I love carte blanche projects, but I think restrictions can also help push a project to be truly great.  Finding solutions takes more time, but it also helps you refine your options and make choices that will ultimately be the best for your situation.  There's nothing wrong with working inside a set of parameters; where you get in trouble is venturing out and looking at things you know you can't have. 

For instance, I had a total gut on this kitchen; everything had to go.  I knew I needed new electrical and plumbing, appliances, cabinets and a floor.  Keeping this in mind, I went straight for the moderately prices products.  Why dream of a Viking Range when my kitchen is as small as my budget?  No one likes being the heavy, but we all have to be realistic, and the right choice is there if we're open and willing to work it into our plans.  

- Ian 





In keeping with the idea of a Period style Kitchen, I ordered
a scalloped wooden valance for above the sink and window seat.
It was an option my Vendor said many people didn't go for.
I completely understood, but it is so right for this little
charmer of a room.




This is silly, but i love details: I found a vintage reproduction
door bell and had my GC install it.  It's perfect, and it
also works, two features the old door bell lacked.



Attached to the kitchen is a rear hall.  A narrow space
that's mostly storage, but with some cute little features,
like the built in desk and book case.  The Kitchen floor
continues into this area.  For fun, I painted the cabinet
interior Green to pick up on the Kitchen color.



The little Kitchen That Could - Part VII

And we have a floor!



New floor installed, and cabinet hardware too!



For all the planning that went into the Kitchen (counters, lighting, cabinet finishes, hardware options) I never once thought about the floor.  I'm not bragging; it was a problem I didn't realize I had until almost the very end. 

I though I'd be able to find some really cute vintage looking sheet flooring that would punch up the space.  Let's just say my options were limited, regardless of my budget.  There was nothing cute to be found; it all looked like something out of a hole in the wall Mexican Restaurant or a Trailer Park.  I started to get a headache.  I wanted sheet Vinyl.  I budgeted for sheet Vinyl.  I dreamed of sheet Vinyl.  The market, however, was cluttered with hardwood, laminates, porcelain tile and stone, not sheet Vinyl.

With limited options, I went with what I could find that was reminiscent of the 1940's or 50's; which means I fell back on what I could remember from my Grandmother's house.  She liked a floor that looked clean when it was dirty, and one you wouldn't slip on when you spilled water.  She was practical to say the least.

I found some workable patterns that had the look of mosaic tiles, both in a Grey/Green color way.  I really wanted my clients to want the busier of the two, because I like that clash of the the reserved and the chaotic.  Happily, they went for it and the floor went down two days later.  As a boon, the whole house smelled like new toys thanks to the fresh floor.  I'm probably the only one who finds the aroma of new Vinyl pleasing, but it's the little things that make us special, right?

- Ian

   




Option #1 - A Mosaic style with varying shades of Green and White.
Punchy and fun, but sort of busy, depending on who you ask.
Works nicely with the cabinet color as well.




Option #2 - A Travertine look with a Green-ish cast.
Safe, but boring and drab.



The Little Kitchen That Could - Part VI

And we have counters!



I always say, it's going to get ugly before it gets pretty.
Case in point, the Kitchen looks like a crime scene. 




I chose to do a two tone tile because it was appropriate to the
house; Granite, while popular, would not have fit in with the style
or Period of the home.  I chose an affordable tile in a pretty
sage green and ivory with a glossy finish to reflect light.   



I love the pencil tile that creates the pin stripe effect on the
Back-splash.  My Grandmother's kitchen had a detail similar to
this, and it's such a simple way to add a little Period charm.  Her
was a home of the same period, and her kitchen tile was Canary
Yellow and Forest Green!



Remember how i said the old cabinets were 18" deep?  Well, here's
the solution to that.  I had to keep 18" on part of the cabinet
due to the door swing, but we brought the rest of the depth out
to the standard 24".  I think it's works well, and it adds a little
quirk to the kitchen.  This area is for silverware and linens.
It's always so convenient to keep those two things near the sink.
Love the green frame around the Back-splash, so graphic.



The Little Kitchen That Could - Part V

And we have cabinets!

In the corner is a Lazy Susan cabinet.  I could play
with that all day. 

I was like a kid on Christmas Morning when the big truck rolled in with boxes upon boxes of cabinetry.  I gleefully snatched the shipping manifest and helped the installers call off unit numbers and accessories as they found their way into the garage for storage.

After working with the Vendor on the perfect plan for this Kitchen, which, by the way was done on a budget, I finally started to see the work come to life.  True, it was cathartic to be rid of the obsolete appliances and the floor I ran the risk of falling through, but after draining the pool for cleaning, it's nice to fill it up again.

The name of the game for this kitchen was storage.  I wanted it, whether or not my clients knew they needed was another issue all together.  You can never have too much storage in a kitchen.  That Fondu pot you thought you'd use all the time has to get stashed somewhere, as do all those boxes of Girl Scout Cookies, and the cleaning supplies.  With this design, we have skinny cabinets for baking sheets, corner cabinets with Lazy Susans, glass front cabinets for China, Tall shallow cabinets for pantry items, and slide out trays for pots and pans.  In today's world of over done and under thought, convenience and practicality are party guests we need to invite more often.

- Ian



The drop cabinets under the window is the future home
of the new dining area.  We're doing a little cafe table and
treating the area as you would a window seat.  Very charming.



The perfect solution for the Range.  Ample room on either
side to act as a resting spots for a hot pot just off the cook top.
I see so many Kitchens without this convenience, and it's really
quite an oversight.



A stacking Washer and Dryer will go by the door
on the right.  I love my vintage lights!



The Little Kitchen That Could - Part IV

Well, the old cabinets (what there were of them) have been demolished and the old appliances and plumbing removed.  The floor was already on it’s way out thanks to water damage, and required very little effort to finish the job.  However, once the ‘decorative’ floor was up, we discovered more water damage that had caused the plywood sub-floor under the Washer and Refrigerator to de-laminate, decompose, and become host to a number of shiny black bugs that crunch when you step on them.

Pulling the cabinets down proved to be more effort than expected.  Instead of finding bare plaster, we found bare studs and tar paper.  Apparently, the original builder hung the cabinets from the studs, then plastered around them (in an effort to save a little money).  We were also granted a view into the attic (and it's abandoned Wasp nests), as he gave the ceiling the same treatment as the wall. 

In the photo, you can see that we have begun to install green board where necessary, as well as putting up drywall and mudding the ceiling.

If taking the cabinets down was problematic, removing the soffit was a nightmare.  Plaster gave way to chicken wire that was nailed to studs which were set 8” apart (the standard is 16”), and those studs were there to stay.  The original builder obviously believed that if 10 nails were good, 100 nails were better. 

My GC’s workmen were literally hanging from the soffit structures trying to rip them down.  It looked like some slapstick comedy routine that never got off the ground.  After sledges, crowbars and hammers failed them; they found success by sawing through the nails and pulling the soffits down.

-Ian  

The Dinette set used to live here.  It's soon to be the home of cabinetry
and the new range.  Outlets are a sign of things to come.

The Little Kitchen That Could - Part III

Cloth off, J-Boxes in.

With work underway, and the Kitchen cleaned of minor debris (how many whisk brooms does one person need, anyway?), we really started to see what we had to work with (see it came from inside the wall to see what we did not have to work with).  You will notice a change in wall texture.  We went from old dirty gloss paint to mat plaster.  This is because homes built within the first half of the 20th Century would often have their utility rooms and wet rooms skinned in a canvas oil cloth and then they would paint them with 7 layers of gloss oil based enamel so that 50 years later, when you peel off the cloth, all the layers of paint shatter and blow off like Confetti and get stuck in your hair.

The cloth also served as a protective barrier so that the plaster would not be damaged while in use in high traffic areas.  It blocked water and oil, prevented stains and dings and also hid any minor cosmetic issues that could come to light over time (cracks).  There is the double edge sword in this brilliant concept.  The canvas not only hid small cracks, it hid big ones too.  So, after peeling the canvas, we had to chip out the major cracks caused by settling and re-plaster.

You can also see a color change in the drywall, going from white plasterboard to green board, as well as a strong patched line in the ceiling.  To me, this would indicate that there was once a wall separating the once even smaller kitchen from what used to be a Laundry Room or Service Porch.

You will also notice that the 8 foot shop light is gone, the hole patched, and 3 new j-boxes installed.  These will be the new home to some great period lights I found at www.rejuvenation.com.  They have with porcelain bases with milk glass shades and are a perfect match for the period of the home.  This Kitchen is going to be so wonderful, and so useful when we're finished.  It's going to be amazing.

- Ian

These vintage fixtures from Rejuvenation are going to be perfection.

The Little Kitchen That Could - Part II; It Came from Inside the Wall.

So guess what I found behind the dryer?  Yeah.  A big hole (this was after the old newspapers and chicken bones).  There was once a time when things shocked me, but that time has passed.  It really makes dealing with things much easier.  This huge void goes way beyond the standard size required for venting in any country, and it completely explains the evidence of vermin we were seeing.  But, horror and chagrin aside, it did give a full view of the plumbing situation. 

And as you can see, we have a variety of electrical and pipe, one of which looks like it was picked up at a rummage sale at the Hoover Dam.  You can also see one of the many random pilot holes (lower left) that perforated the wall.  I am not sure if the goal that inspired the holes was ever achieved, but they were humorously plugged with paper towels and old newspaper and then sealed with numerous coats of paint.  It is situations like these that you thank your General Contractor heartily when you discover he always buys extra dry wall and mud.

- Ian

The Little Kitchen That Could - Part I

One of the projects that I am most excited to be working on is the restoration of a 1942 Bungalow in the West Los Angeles neighborhood of Westside Village. It is a sweet little house done in a mix of American Colonial and, interestingly, Stream Line Art Deco. It is small at around 1200 square feet, with one and one half baths, a fireplace and two bedrooms. Instead of razing it and erecting one of those overzealous monsters so popular in other areas, the owners opted to preserve and restore the homes inherent charm (a word we all seem to forget about), and focus on quality over quantity.


I was so sad to see this little Radius cabinet go,

but it had next to no storage and the door stuck.

Those soffits were doing nothing but eating up space.
You can also see the 8' shop light that bathed

the kitchen in oh so flattering cool white light.

One of the most interesting challenges of this project is the Kitchen. Measuring 9 feet across and almost 21 feet long, it was sparsely populated with cabinetry and has only 9 linear feet of counter space.  It's filled with a Motley Crew of obsolete appliances (RCA Range, anyone???) and plagued by a water damaged sub floor (the Fridge is sinking as we speak). There was no functioning dishwasher, no garbage disposal and the base cabinets were only 18 inches deep (standard cabinets are 24 inches).

While the Kitchen is small by current standards, we needed to stick with the original footprint while updating the look and functionality. We needed loads more counter space and storage, a new floor, room for appliances, pantry space, new lighting, a washer and dryer, an exhaust fan that did not catch on fire, and somewhere, an eating area. We also wanted to preserve the charm of the Kitchen, and bridge the gap between Period charm and Modern functionality. Oh, and the appliances had to all be Electric, which, if you did not know, severely slashes your options.

So, take a look at the before photos, and check back to see the progress and find out how our Kitchen issues were resolved!

- Ian



I love the police line up effect of all the offending appliances in the back.

A free standing Dishwasher that hasn't worked in a decade (still full of dishes),

a Dryer that won't dry, a Washer that sounds like a Cement Mixer,

and a strange food processing center on wheels.




Note the Dinette next to the Range. This is bad space planning!

You can also see the lack of counter space on either side of the sink.

And let's not forget that 8' shoplight that is stealing the show!