Riviera View

Friday, December 4, 2009

The Perpetual Christmas List

What happens when you want a thing so badly but the universe doesn't comply? If I could make a wish-list and publish it for the world to see would it be embarrassing or brave? On the flip-side (and being a Libra there's always a flip-side) what makes me think that I need more than exactly what I already have in order to be happy? I'm sure there's some psych term for it but I haven't the slightest idea what it is. Life speeds by so friggin' fast and yet some wishes remain elusive. For today I'll just be thankful for the basics: my family, shelter and Friday night pizza.

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Back From Hiatus

This past week we travelled to Northern California for what has become our annual Thanksgiving family gathering.

Since I'm not quite high tech enough to travel and post simultaneously Riviera View has been on the quiet side as of late. Most of that time was spent either preparing for the trip, or in the car driving to and from our various destinations. We were gone just shy of a week but when you have a dog and a kid prepping for a road trip takes time.

Of course once we were actually in the car headed north there was so much inspiration along the way. (There were some depressing sites too - like the litter along the Interstate 5, and the drought ridden farmland - but for the sake of design we'll skip those.)

photo - http://www.cornerstonesonoma.com/gardens_yoji.php

The photo above is from Yoji Sasaki's garden at Cornerstone Sonoma, one of our many pit stops. Cornerstone, sleepily appears on the horizon where California Highway 37 meets the 121. As you round a bend on 121, you see what looks to be a blue tree standing against the sky (think the artificial blue of blue-man-tube group fame) along with the thought, "...what is that?" running through your mind.

photo - http://www.cornerstonesonoma.com/gardens_claude.php

Turns out the tree is the idea of artist Claude Cormier's to save "...a diseased tree slated for removal by decking its branches with 70,000 sky-blue Christmas balls. The landscape equivalent of a "Photoshop eraser" saturates the natural tree with the artificial, in a bid for total camouflage." - from the Cornerstone website

The spot is a collection of great gardens, galleries, restaurants and shops -- most of which happen to be kid friendly. That is, if your kid is well-behaved unlike the wild thing that I lovingly call my son.

Photo - New Leaf Gallery

If you go this route Cornerstone is a relaxing place to stretch your legs, have a bite to eat and just hang out.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Fun Fabrics from Ikea

At $6.99 a yard you cannot go wrong with these fun fabrics from Ikea. They would look great as roman shades in a retro kitchen, or as bedding, curtains, or even pillows in a young person's bedroom. Whatever strikes your fancy.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Great Costumes - "Cheri"

If nothing else, the 2009 film, Chéri, is worth renting for the amazing costumes alone. Below is an interview, from Handbag.com, with the film's costume designer, Consolata Boyle along with some wardrobe clips from the film.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Julius Shulman Documentary - Visual Acoustics

Convair Astronautics - Architects: Pereira & Luckman - 1958, photo: Julius Shulman

Dome House - Architect: Bernard Judge - 1962, photo: Julius Shulman

Stahl House - Architect: Pierre Koenig - 1960, photo: Julius Shulman

The much better writer (and blogger) Kitty Sheehan, from Return to Bohemia brought to my attention this new documentary about the photography and lifework of Julius Shulman. The film is showing in select cities across the U.S.

And if you live in L.A., there's still time to catch the film this Saturday and Sunday, November 14th and 15th at Pasadena's Laemmle's Theatre.

Below is a bit a copy from the Visual Acoustics website...

"Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, VISUAL ACOUSTICS celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, the world’s greatest architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture to the American mainstream. Shulman, who passed away this year, captured the work of nearly every modern and progressive architect since the 1930s including Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, John Lautner and Frank Gehry."

Check out the trailer here.

Thank you for the heads-up Kitty!