Daily Living

New Home for Calypso

I'm SOOOO excited! Calypso Home just opened at the Brentwood Country Mart. (I was ecstatic when the Calypso boutique opened in the mart last summer, but it's nothing compared to what I'm experiencing now!) Christine Celle is just what Los Angeles needs. The founder and vision behind everything Calypso, Celle has an eye for style. She travels the world bringing back textiles, furniture and exotic objects to our neck of the woods. You'll not only find items from obscure locales, but also items from talented designers and vendors such as Angkasa, Michael Aram, John Derian, Les Indiennes, Maison de Vacances, John Robshaw, Thomas Paul, and Judy Ross.

Sommer Forever

Interior designer Ruthie Sommers has an eye for style. She can find any old thing, paint it or recover it and voila it's perfection! A rising star, Sommers has been published in a wide variety of national magazines (including two different issues of Elements of Living!), and is getting more popular (and therefore more difficult to hire!). Luckily for us anyone can get a sense of Sommers' style by visiting her chic boutique, Chapman Radcliff Home on La Cienega in Los Angeles--or if you're not in the area, check out her section on 1stdibbs.com. But don't worry, Sommers' fabulous finds won't break your bank. She's confessed to me that she wants good design to remain affordable, and she follows this through by not marking up her price tags with a heavy hand. For a client of mine I found a perfect vintage coffee table for only $300! (In the end I did bring the price up a bit by having it painted a high-gloss Hermes orange, but under Sommers' direction that stayed reasonably priced as well). Mind you $300 is not necessarily her typical price point, but everything Sommers offers is a good value. I recommend the shop to anyone who is looking for that special something...to me Chapman Radcliff is a real find.

Give Me Shelter

I was introduced to Shelter by one of my design clients, and it was love at first sight. The company has two locations, one on Beverly Boulevard snuggled in admist similarly chic shops, and another in Santa Monica, conveniently located near Third Street Promenade.

The overall vibe is cool, and contemporary, but thankfully not too precious. There are some faithful reproductions, as well as loose interpretations of 50's classics, but most of the pieces have a very updated and current look. The place is chock full of furnishings -- including tables, casegoods, seating, upholstery, storage, etc. The main attraction is Shelter's own line of furniture (with many custom capabilities, such as size and finish -- they offer 12 different veneers, a variety of fabrics, as well as COM), while the supporting cast includes a range of accessories including pillows by Hable Construction, tabletop by Jonathan Adler, bedding and design books.

While many of the customers are designers, the staff is fully trained to assist homeowners, and will gracously and patiently walk anyone through all the myriad of options. It's a great way to spend an afternoon!

1433 5th St Santa Monica, CA 90401 (310) 451-3536

7920 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048-4502
(323) 937-3222