{spa redesign: Aesthetic Genesis Medical Spa}

There is a place in Redondo Beach, CA. where you can discreetly slip into a beautiful office to get some pampering spa treatments. This place happens to be owned by a friend of mine, who hired me to remake it into her own oasis.

The waiting room.

We picked a soothing blue for the walls, and accented with a vintage setee and gingko print rug. It has a zen feel without being over the top.

Looking out onto a private courtyard from the waiting room.

The medical treatment room where you can get Botox, laser treatments, Restalyne- or any number of amazing treatments.

Daniela Leslie, the owner of Aesthetic Genesis.

For Daniela's space, we kept it clean and simple with soothing golden yellow walls, crystal chandelier, and large but simple pieces of art.

The acupuncture treatment room.

We used the same golden yellow walls with large art and dark wood floors.

The waxing and facial treatment room.

It was important for us to keep the color palette clean and simple, but not boring. What we got was an energetic but soothing space that gives you all your beauty and medical needs- with a great homey feel.

For more information about Aesthetic Genesis, click here

{reinvented: Sur La Mer Design}

On May 31st, I decided it was time to say goodbye to my retail store in North Manhattan Beach. Sur La Mer lived happily there for five years, and the decision had to be made whether or not to renew my lease, with the answer being a resounding 'NO!', (especially from my husband).

For being the first business I ran on my own, and in retail, nonetheless... it was a great success and an incredible learning experience. Without it, I would not have my interior design firm- or the knowledge of how to run my online store, http://www.surlamerdesign.com/- to launch at the end of September.

I'm contemplating opening another store in a more accessible shopping area, but right now, I am enjoying not having the retail part of my business.

The empty store on May 31st, 2009.

Surprisingly, it was a very happy day for me.

The store in its glory days, will always be one of the best experiences of my business life.

Since moving to LA from NY six years ago, it was the only thing I knew! It was the most interesting and unique furniture store I had ever seen, even to this day.

Thanks to all my friends and clients in, and around Manhattan Beach!

You made it fun and successful for me.

If you are in need of interior design services, my new offices are located at:

3508 Highland Avenue, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266

310.939.7730 direct

310.939.7740 fax

The new online store will launch at the end of September

http://www.surlamerdesign.com/

{design: "the" YSL chair}

Exhibition Hall of Paris's Grand Palais

The Yves Saint Laurent sale of the century, aka the biggest auction ever held in Europe, ended yesterday after netting an incredible $477 million in winning bids - including $28.3 million for a, dare I say... ugly, 90-year-old armchair crafted by famed Irish designer Eileen Gray.

Many other incredible pieces went up for auction, including two Qing bronzes as the star lots. Objections from the Chinese government and a legal challenge failed to halt their sale, and most likely added to the allure of obtaining them. I just have one question- what recession?

{design: incredible bathrooms}

This incredible bathroom is in Ralph Lauren's Bedford estate. The white marble, fireplace, and gorgeous tub make this my number one pick. I'm loving that when you look at all these bathrooms, you can almost guess where they are located. Each tells a story about where they are and what the needs of the homeowner are. They all seem to have drawn inspiration from their surroundings, and incorporated them in the home, specifically the bathroom. It can be difficult to personalize a bathroom. Here are ten that did it right!

Nairobi

London

Los Angeles

Kohala Coast

Istanbul

Hollywood Hills

Hamptons

Colorado

Chicago

All photos Architectural Digest

{design: vintage reclaimed wood floors}

Historic Barnwood Oak

If you've ever replaced your floors, or even had them refinished- then you know how daunting of a task it can become. There are so many choices, colors, textures, new, old, engineered, reclaimed, etc. UGH. I've made some mistakes in my life when it comes to floors, but mistakes no more, I know what I need in my floors. For example, my store has engineered flooring due to the high traffic and high usage of the space. We are constantly sliding heavy things and need the floors to be scratch proof. However, in my main residence in LA- we made a hasty decision to have three bedrooms refloored while we were on our honeymoon, and came back to less-than-desireable floors. The moral of the story, don't leave town while your floors are being done unless you have them sign off that they will give you their first born if they are not done to your exact specs....

Coopersmark Oak Barrels

Fortunately, the rest of the house has gorgeous 85 year old Oak floors that were laid in 1923 when the house was built, so we just tolerate the other floors in the bedrooms. Which leads me to my cabin, which in case you didn't notice, has become a bit of an obsession. I've been determined to not settle on even the tiniest point, which has led me on a search throughout the country for the perfect wood floors. While we were in the Hamptons over the summer, we found a little shop in Bridgehampton with the floors I desperately wanted, but hence, could not be shipped across the country without quite an ordeal and large expense. We were also weary of ordering them, having them shipped, and then taking the chance of them not being exactly what we wanted. So, the search continued, until I found Vintage Wood Floors right here in Southern California.

Sample boards in the showroom

The view inside one of their warehouses

Old red barnwood from a dismantled 50+ year old barn in Wisconsin. I'm going to pick each piece myself (they said I could!) and have all my windows and doors trimmed in this.

This is a sample board of wood that we discussed as a possibility for the exterior horizontal finish with chinking. We decided it was too rustic and picked a different wood and finish. This is a great way to ensure you are getting exactly what you asked for and envisioned. If they can't provide you with a sample board, or you don't ask for one, then you just may not get what you want.... Clearly not an option for me.

To see more of their work and about their company click here

{design: reclaimed fireplace mantels & stone floors}

$22,500

I've been on the hunt for some interesting pieces to incorporate into my cabin, and have stumbled upon some incredible finds. When my husband and I designed the new addition, we put in as many fireplaces as possible, and then were left with the task of making each one unique and special. These fireplaces are the hub and focal point of all five rooms they are in. Most importantly to me, was the library, my sanctuary. One the flip side of the library fireplace is the family room fireplace, so I wanted them to have a cohesive feel, but not the same mantel.

These antique French limestone mantels are pieces of art and can give a room that homey, rustic feel-while still keeping it sophisticated and simple. I just couldn't stand the thought of staring into a cookie cutter fireplace when we will be using it so much and with lots of friends and family. These are from Exquisite Surfaces in Beverly Hills. Now don't get me wrong, I absolutely think these are extravagant purchases, but these types of details will absolutely MAKE your renovation. You really can tell the difference, I promise.

$18,200

$32,500

$8,200

This flooring, rescued from a very old estate in France is absolutely gorgeous. They bring it back as a large slab and make 3 horizontal cuts in it to reveal three different grades of stone. This one is the first cut, and the most expensive at approx. $58 per s/f (based on over 500 s/f). My little toes were in sheer heaven walking on this!

{design: reclaimed antique Indian doors}

There are several dealers I work with who bring in reclaimed items from all over the world. I seem to gravitate towards really old wood and things that were used for many, many years and in seemingly ordinary ways. These wood double doors are from India, and are gorgeous, one-of-a-kind, art pieces. They range from 50 to over 100 years old, and can make the difference between a ho-hom entryway, and a knock-em-dead experience.

I've used a smaller set going into a guest bathroom, and am going to use one of these as an entrance into a guest bedroom. My contractors will have to cut down the wood frame a bit to make it fit into the width constraints of 48", but the height of about 9' will ensure that the dramatic effect of the doors is intact.

Whether you are working on a new house, or vamping up an older one- try to find some unique ways to make your house stand out from all the rest. You'll be glad you did!

{design: bathroom idea, fossil murals}

I always seem to be bored with peoples bathrooms. I long for the unique and unusual, or at least, give me a beautiful piece of art. Right? Well, I'm designing another bathroom for my cabin, and have been searching high and low to find something that makes sense for a lakehouse guest bath, but that is a showstopper.

Well folks, here it is. These are fossil murals and mosaics composed of the sedimentary layers of the deepest part of Fossil Lake, an ancient Eocene lake in existence in Southwest Wyoming 45 to 50 million years ago. Now located 7,300 feet above sea level, the layers of sedimentary stone reveal the rich variety of life that thrived in and around the lake during the Eocene.

The spectacular Green River Formation specimens are quarried by a specially trained team who remove the fossils by hand, according to scientific specifications. Each digging season, approximately May through October, yields a fascinating collection of finds, including a wide variety of fishes, as well as the more rare palm fronds, turtles, crocodiles, and birds.

They are pricey, but how many people can say they have art that is 50 million years old? I have an appointment today in their showroom to see what I can find.

If you want more details about this fascinating find click here

{book: Building With Reclaimed Material}

I was recently at a warehouse hunting down old barn wood for the floors of my cabin that is being renovated, and stumbled upon this book. It was a wonderful find for anyone that needs fresh ideas for old materials. You will love the pictures of how they mixed the woods with reclaimed marble, and stone. I found the book on Amazon.com. Let me know what you think.

{home: Olivia Palermo's Tribeca pad}

If you don't know who Olivia Palermo is, then you either are not hanging with the young, socialite, Upper East Side crowd, or not watching MTV's The City. I heard about her a while back when a "fake" email was sent around claiming to be from Ms. Palermo, asking for entree' into the existing Socialite posse. Daddy came to the rescue on that one to clear her name, and she is back and better than before. Don't hate her because she is beautiful, thin, rich, young, got a great job with DVF... in fact, don't hate her at all... yet! Okay, I admit that her referencing her "deb ball" while acting like Manolo Blahnik was her best friend was a little puke worthy, but let's just hope that she can give the New York dose of reality needed to keep things spicy on The City.
Here are pics of her Tribeca apartment that her mother, designer Lyn Hutchings, decorated for her.

“I’m so excited to be living in my own home,” says socialite Olivia Palermo, surrounded by clothes racks, shoes and handbags in her colorful, 63-square-foot walk-in closet accented with a zebra-print rug. She used the Container Store’s Elfa system to transform the office space into her dream closet.

The ins and outs of Olivia's place

Moved In: 2007
Neighborhood: Tribeca
Layout: one-bedroom with an office space
Nearby: Nobu, Mr. Chow, the Odeon
Worth: One bedrooms with home offices in the building start at $4,150 a month

The sofa is a two-piece sectional sofa bed from Jennifer Convertibles. The eye-catcher in the room is an Hermès tray, a vintage find from the ­Hamptons, placed on top of a Carlyle ­Custom ­Convertible white-leather coffee table with nailheads.

The art deco chair was a housewarming present from her aunt.

Photos and some copy: The New York Post