The City Sage

His and Hers: Club Monaco Spring 2012 Collection

Oh hey. Let's go on a date. We'll pop into our favorite indie bookshop and quote Pablo Neruda to each other, then we'll dash across the rainy street to that artisinal espresso bar. You'll squeal with delight over the latte art (I'll request a heart in your foam) and we'll gaze dreamily into each others eyes as the starving screenwriters type angstily around us. Oh and by the way, I like your pants.

Oh hey. Let's go on a date. The flea market awaits. You'll try on floppy, oversized hats and bug-eyed 70's sunglasses while I marvel at Civil War-era rifles. I'll win your affection with my killer bargaining skills ($5 for that medicine bottle! Highway robbery!) and you'll let me wipe butter off your chin when we eat at the corn-on-the-cob stand across from the taxidermy booth.

Oh hey. Let's go on a date. Anywhere esoteric will do: art gallery, art museum, art lecture. I'll wear khaki and black. You wear black and khaki. We'll pretend we didn't plan it. Important questions will arise as we study the art. Is this art? What is art? Then it will all fall apart when I admit that frankly I'd rather go roller skating or shopping at Hot Topic. And thank goodness, you feel the same.    

Oh hey. Let's go on a date. This morning the groundhog saw his shadow which means six more weeks of winter, but at least we can hold hands and skip with spring in our steps. I'll treat you to an ice cream sundae with hot fudge sauce (you want to go halfsies? I get it, you're an independent woman) and can I sneak a kiss in between bites? 'Cause that would warm me top to toes indeed.

Images: Club Monaco Spring Collection 2012

Home Lust: Mark Tuckey by Mikkel Vang

It's a well-known fact that chefs make the most demanding diners, doctors the toughest patients, baristas the fussiest espresso snobs. Well add designers to that list--because as the home of Aussie furniture craftsman Mark Tuckey demonstrates, only perfection will do when it comes to their own abodes. Add photographer Mikkel Vang into the mix, and nothing short of a miracle occurs here.

Mark is known throughout Australia for his exquisite collection of furniture that uses mostly native timbers--many pieces of course can be seen in his home, such as the bench and table in the dining area above, and the coffe table in the top living room photo. There's an airiness to his style that belies the solidity of the wood, and its that juxtaposition that draws me to his work.

Blend the raw, organic materials of Mark's trade with a fresh black and white foundational palette, punctuate it with touches of juicy crayon color, and you've got yourself a family home fit for, well, who wouldn't want to live here?! I do encourage you to check out Mark's furniture website, but only if you have several hours to kill--it's a deep, delicious rabbit hole indeed!

Just Around the Corner: Valentine's Day for your Guy!

Oh Valentine's day. Thou scourge of lonely hearts everywhere. (Okay, I don't really feel that way about V-Day, it just was a really fun sentence to write!) I actually have a real soft spot for February 14th, mostly because of fond elementary school memories: paper bag mailboxes taped to our desks, pink frosted cupcakes, secret admirers around every corner. You know what I mean, right?

As a grown-up, however, it's been a while since I celebrated the big V. But if I were to pick up a little something for a fellow, I'd look for manly-man items with homegrown rock 'n' roll appeal. These are for the city boy who likes a jaunt to the country now and then, who is never without a quality pen, who appreciates the finer things but who isn't afraid of dirt under his nails. My kinda guy!

Shopping Guide: Shirt, Taylor Stitch. Purifying Cream Cleanser, Aesop. Pocket Watch, Tokyobay. Fragrance, John Varvatos. Album, Sons of August. Scarf, Taylor Stitch. Pencil, Delfonics. Key Bottle Opener and Leather Envelope Portfolio, MAKR. 

Office Daydreams with Interior Connector

My office is my couch. Or my kitchen table. Or a coffee shop. (Right now it's a Starbucks on Montana Ave. in Santa Monica.) But that doesn't stop me from fantasizing about the hopefully-not-too-distant future in which I have a real office, and thinking wistfully about how I would decorate the space. Lately I'm picturing midcentury glam: a strong yet still feminine statement.

I poked around the Interior Connector website and came up with a few must-have pieces for my dream workspace. Signature touches include plenty of right angles and clean lines; warm tones like brass and walnut; textiles in shades of mink, merlot, and midnight. A mid-afternoon break for chocolate-covered digestive biscuits would have to become de rigeur, wouldn't you agree?

Shopping Guide: Horse Drawing, Pewter Rhino, Missoni Pillows, Walnut Table, Walnut Midcentury Chair, Brass Table Lamp, Trellis Coffee Table. Images: 1, 2, 3, 4.

Outfit to Room: Stylist Jen Pinkston

I do so love a study in contrasts, don't you? Take, for example, these two images from the portfolio of fashion stylist Jen Pinkston (who we recently had the honor of working with at Rue. She's phenomenal.) Same model, similar pose, but each photo conveys such a different feeling--and I want to dive into both! Warm blushes and golds, rustic woods, I'd happily laze the weekend away up there...  

But down here, it's all about the action, about getting things done. Stark black and white, a punch of red. Rather than the restful, breezy atmosphere of the home, there's an air of controlled chaos. Tell me: Do you have your 'action' colors and your 'restful' colors? Or other visual cues you turn to when you want to create a specific mood for yourself? This is such subtle yet powerful stuff, isn't it?

Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.