Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Sad to have parted with this bedroom in a wall unit!

Murphy beds have long been used to provide the comfort of a true bed in limited space. Unlike the usual extra bed solution (air mattress, fold-out couch or futon), a murphy bed is as good as the mattress that is fitted within its frame, and can even be used as the primary sleeping solution in a small space.

We have a murphy bed in the den of our vacation rental condo, that we're replacing with a larger, built-in unit. So, it's for sale, for half of what we paid for it. It's been very infrequently used over five years.






This unit requires 10 feet and 4 inches of wall space horizontally. The pier (side) cabinets are 28 inches wide and 80 inches tall each, and the center compartment -- designed to hold a queen mattress -- is 68 inches wide and 87 inches tall.

One side cabinet contains a closet for shirts, jackets, skirts. The other contains 3 shelves behind doors of the main compartment. Each side also has a smaller shelf with doors at the top, and two drawers below. There is a pull out night table above each of the sets of drawers. A dimmer switch controls lights over the head of the bed, and there is room to hang a piece of art.

An updated version of this murphy bed is available from Island Collections in Kailua-Kona, but  its quality and appearance are lower than that of this unit that is for sale.

Price: $2,900.00 (does not include mattress)   *** SOLD ***





Friday, April 15, 2011

Swarovski Elements Wallpaper

Luxe, posh, over the top ... I love the rich details of these wallpapers, even if they don't work with the design of my home.

• Image from Swarovski Elements website •


The wallpapers use Swarovski crystals and pearls to accent the designs. I'm not sure how durable they will be, but they are certainly unique!




• Images from Swarovski Elements website •


Each is offered in multiple colorways, and with interesting embellishments. Check them out, and move your mouse over the images and text to see how to get the most information. Truly lovely!

http://www.swarovski-elements.com/wallpaper/

Updated in 2024: Apparently these beautiful wallpapers did not succeed in the marketplace, and have been removed from Swarovski's catalog

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

A few of my favorite things

Fire • Passion Candle from Feng Shui Elements
Special objects -- purely artistic, simply functional, or with multiple attributes -- personalize any thoughtful living space. When each accessory reflects its owner's personality, the item provides pleasure and delight to its owner, and potentially sparks interest in visitors.

As simple as a candle,

as stunning as a gorgeous vase,

these personal touches finish a home;

they are the accoutrements of a room.


Curvaceous vase made from
ebony and mother of pearl,
acquired in London

Glazed and fired with passionate reds
and gold metallics, this vase is a stunning
and functional piece of art

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

In and Out of Fashion

The painter John Seery, a leading light in the 1970s art scene in New York and California, has been "rediscovered" in the past few years. An original member of that era's lyrical abstraction movement, Seery created works that are expressionistic, conceptual, vivid, and commanding. After achieving recognition for his painterly efforts, he spent the 1980s in academia. From 1990 until 2003, he lived and worked in Hawaii.

Some of the many museums that count Seery's works in their collections are the Whitney, Guggenheim, Hirshhorn, National Gallery of Australia, Fogg Art Museum, Smithsonian, and Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

John Seery's recent (and fabulous) abstract paintings are offered by the Garboushian Gallery in Beverly Hills. I love these new works, especially Psyclone (2006) -- perhaps because 1) its year was a particularly challenging and interesting one for me; 2) its name is delightful and ironic; 3) I would enjoy looking at it every day. Fortunately for our budget, we lack the wall space to hang it.

Designed for indoor-outdoor living in Hawaii, our home's wide doorways and many windows populate outer walls to expose the gorgeous views. The interior floor plan is open where possible; thus we sacrifice wall space. There is too much art to display, so I am trying to work out a rotation plan that doesn't create many extraneous holes in the wall.

Peter called the Garboushian Gallery to find out the value of our John Seery painting:


When the gallery representative learned that our painting was from Seery's Hawaii period, the dismissive response was that those "flowery" paintings wouldn't be worth more than $200. It doesn't seem very flowery to me, but you can check it out yourself by clicking on the image above to view a larger size.

Since the current paintings in Garboushian's exhibit sell from $7,000 to $18,000, I have decided to doubt that valuation -- at least for the long term. I read some time ago that Seery was known for destroying his older works. So, perhaps he'll become truly famous, and ours will become priceless! It already is -- to me.

Check out this review (now archived) from last year's Seery exhibit in Beverly Hills.

Edited April 6, 2023 to note that currently John Seery is represented by the Fortom Gallery in Miami.

Monday, February 28, 2011

Peter's Office in Use!

Here are a few more photos, including a better view of the wall-mounted credenza behind Peter's desk. It's made of burlwood veneers, stained green and varnished to perfection. Has four roomy drawer to keep Peter's stuff out of sight. This piece is by The Pace Collection, and has been licensed by Glendale Furniture, so a new one can be ordered from their website (under products, then the last item in "specialty").

note: click on any photo to see a larger size.

A view of the north wall of Peter's office reveals Gary Pezzoli's series of four Big Island inspired paintings, and the cornered étagère. Temporarily, we've removed the top glass shelf so that it can act as the TV stand.


The small corner between the room's two wide doorways holds a contemporary totem pole, of bamboo. About eight feet tall, it's the work of an artist in North Kohala.




We played with using another wall-mounted shelf adjacent to Peter's desk to hold the TV and a few other items, but have nixed that idea. That shelf currently rests on the floor until I wrap and store it, or re-purpose it.


We'll figure it all out. Meanwhile, Peter enjoys his new space!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Putting Our Furniture from The Pace Collection to Work

We've painted Peter's office using Sherwin-Williams SW 6150 Universal Khaki, with accents on the pocket door wall and the soffit in SW 6151 Quiver Tan. It works well with the lacquered four-drawer wall mounted shelf of burlwood stained in a complementary green, from The Pace Collection. Additionally, the khaki wall provides a flattering backdrop for our painting by Maui artist Tony Walholm.

Peter's "new" desk, called "Boca" and designed by Leon Rosen for The Pace Collection, is made of gorgeous burlwood with legs of black enamel on wood. Finished with countless coats of lacquer, it perfects the mid-century modern look that The Pace Collection mastered. Alas, the desk was designed circa 1970 when computers on desktops were science fiction ideas ... so we hope to figure out an attractive placement for his iMac. I've seen a couple pieces that I like (including an acrylic side table), but we're going to try a few things that we already own first.

Adam Tihany designed the stunning Venezia Chair for the Pace Collection, and we've put it in front of the desk so that its laced back is visible. I'm thrilled that Peter found a spot where we can use it, and see it from behind!




















Separately, I acquired an interesting, used, glass shelved étagère to hold Peter's various trophies and Belvoir Cup memorabilia, along with a few other items he likes to display. On the unseen wall to the left is a favorite series of four abstract paintings by Gary Pezzoli. Through these doors to the right, in the small corner space, is an eight foot tall contemporary totem, carved of bamboo.

I'm debating whether to put a carpet down. I have a few attractive options, but since we live with the doors wide open every day, it's easiest to keep the floors clean when they are bare stone. Suggestions are welcome.

As we return Peter's stuff to the room, it will be interesting to figure out how to control clutter and maintain the retro modern look of his office.