janel holiday interior design: February 2011

Friday, February 25, 2011

PALM SPRINGS please...!

With my beloved city of San Francisco in a frenzy about the possibility of snow tonight, I keep thinking of warm places – my favorite warm desert town being Palm Springs. The Palm Springs Modernism Show was last week and I must say that I am rather disappointed that I missed out again this year….note to self, get it together for next year!

Palm Springs is a magical place for me on several levels. It is the first place I went with my boyfriend (now husband) when I was falling madly in love with him. Him being a design enthusiast and having so much knowledge of mid-century and modern design, it was insane to see Palm Springs through his eyes. I fell in love with that city on that special trip as well. That was nine years ago and since then we have taken countless trips down – sometimes for the day, sometimes for days on end….and every time we visit our favorite architectural spots and places.

While this is about a 5% glimpse at my favs of Palm Springs I hope its enough to take the chill off your Winter day/night and give you something gorgeous to look at!

Albert Frey House II is basically my favorite piece of architecture. It defines Palm Springs mid-century modern design and the thought process behind the house and how it was built into its surrounding landscape is inspiring. On my first weekend to PS with my (now) hub we hiked up the hill and sat on the rock outside the bedroom....looking down at PS while Jim told me all about Albert Frey's impact and contribution to the city. Check out this book by Albert Frey to get the 411…

Richard Neutra’s Kaufman House as shot by Slim Aarons. Can I be that girl? Right now??

as shot by me - not Slim. Obvi.

Elrod home by John Lautner…..just a fantastic piece of work.

Rest of these shots were shot on my honeymoon….almost two years ago!

lobby @ the ace hotel

pool side - viceroy

tram station as design by Albert Frey

viceroy

blue skies, palm trees + bougainvillea = palm springs

random radness.

viceroy @ night

the hideaway - first date weekend :)

And then there is Jonathan Adler's adorable "Parker"....next place we are staying!

the cutest lemonade stand EVER.

one for you and one for me!

love all the textures

who wants to drink in a marble encased bar? I do!

Soundtrack......something by Bing of course - a frequent Palm Springs-er:

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

a bridal shower for BUNNY!

i'm a girl who LOVES to throw a party! although the party prep will end up driving me crazy because i stress out about all the details, that doesn't stop me. A dear girlfriend of mine is tying the knot in a few weeks and i was honored to throw her a very intimate bridal shower reflective of her very intimate wedding coming up.

my Bunny Girl is a sass-machine....she has a fabulous collection of vintage clothing and loves Rock Steady and Soul and I knew i wanted her shower to reflect her vintage and feminine style. Since i like to make my invites when possible, i searched for the perfect image to set the tone.

this vintage Vogue pattern from the 60's was beyond perfect!

invites ready! who doesn't love a sparkle when they open their mail?!

i'm a big fan of people leaving with "something"....left over food, a cupcake or three, etc...and when it's the guest of honor, I for sure want them taking something floral back to remember the night. I love using vases like the ones below (from IKEA) because they are simple and won't break the bank.

too simple for the Bunny Bride though...! I took vintage, white lace and wrapped each vase (doubles as hiding the weedy stems of the flowers i knew i would use as well) and then finished each one with a pastel, girly bow. I stuck with the pastel palette of greens, pinks, yellows and blues from my inspiration photo.