I’m back – fashionably late,  full of inspiration and creative goodness and looking forward to sharing it with you.

To bring you up to date 2011 ended with a 5+ week American odyssey for my tribe and me.  It was (as you may suspect) friggin amazing.  We flew, drove, caught trains, buses, taxi’s and pounded the pavements of  Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, Charleston, Savannah, Coco Beach, Maimi Beach, Key Largo and Key West.

I fell in love over and over with the  architectural wonders we stumbled upon in every place we went.

Over the next wee while I will share the buildings that stole my heart but today I’m  starting with the mid-century wonders that make Los Angeles one of my favourite cities.

 

 

The Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills was a touch of 1960′s wow. We were very lucky to stay a couple of nights here. The pool area is amazing.

 

LA Airport – I was smitten as soon as I laid eyes on this homage to the Jetsons.

 

 

 Los Angeles County Museum of Art or LACMA – was closed on the one day that we visited it but that didn’t stop us discovering this building and wanting to take it home.

 

 

John Lautner – Silvertop House a masterpiece of curves and cantilevers. I believe it’s still privately owned (lucky ducks) by the couple who completed it. John Lautner is one of my favourite mid-century architects and seeing his work in the flesh was mind blowing.

 

 

Richard Neutra-  Ohara House built in 1961 and still relevant and beautiful in 2012.

 

Another iconic Neutra creation – Yew House built in 1957 and filled with clever features.

 

 

Once the offices of Gregory Ain and James Garrott this building has been adopted again by a firm of architects – I just love the wall of windows and that long flat roof.

 

 And to finish with a Silverlake home  that made me smile and conjure up images of the Brady Bunch. How fantastic is that orange door!

 

 

I’m having an affair with vintage cane and I’ve got it bad.

It all started so innocently with a peacock chair just like this.

But now it’s evolved.

I spend my mornings scouring ebay for the next great find.  Saving pieces to my watch-list that are hundreds of kilometres away from where I live… pieces just like this…

I’m captivated by the curves, the intricate detailing and the possibilities each piece offers .

I love that a lick of paint and a well placed cushion can turn it into a statement.

 

 

Most of all I love that in a world of mass produced, vintage cane still looks and feels bespoke.

 

If I had a spare $1,200.00 this Hans Bolling folding table would be in my lounge. I learnt today that Hans Bolling was born in 1931 in Denmark (of course), graduated as an architect but went on to design all kinds of objects from dolls to town halls (and of course the above rather sexy folding table).

One of his most notable designs was the wooden mother duck and duckling shown below (and yes it was inspired by a real life duck and her offspring crossing the road – how cute).

 

If I had a spare $1,650.00 I would definitely buy this magnificent danish sideboard – All I’m going to say people is classic. I’m particularly attracted to those long hand slots on each of the cabinet doors.

 

 

 

Starting at a mere $0.99 you could score yourself an imitation cane chair based on a Wegner Papa Bear chair – yes it looks a bit grotty at the moment but apply a dash of elbow grease and a smidgen of imagination and presto –  something special this way comes.

 

   

okay I concede my ebay find is  never going to be as special as the above original Papa Bear Chair – which is just a tad divine! – but there’s potential.

 

I nearly had this Cane Bed head that sold for $187.00 last night!

 

I was beside myself  when I spotted this bed head for sale on ebay a mere twenty minute drive from where I live. Lately I keep seeing images of these wonderful old cane bed heads popping up all over the place (see below).  However somehow I missed out on it by just $40.00 – needless to say I’m kicking myself and have learnt a very valuable lesson … you snooze, you loose.  Lucky there is always next time.