....stalking some major PALM SPRINGS REAL ESTATE....!

One of my favorite daydream pastimes is cruising one of the the ever-so-convenient real estate sites such as Trulia, Zillow or Redfin and seeing what fabulous listings there are for Palm Springs.....it is basically my dream to purchase a home there and have free reign to design it however I see fit (think major hostess moments throughout....the ultimate poolside party pad).

Well, look at this little number I stumbled upon...the private home of interior designer Arthur Elrod.  He decorated it inside and out and lived there from 1962 - 1964 until the current owner (a friend of his) bought it and decided to keep it exactly as Arthur himself had designed it.

Arthur lived here prior to John Lautner building what is now known as the "Elrod House" on the northern tip of Southridge.  Neighbors?  Well, for starters you have the Lautner home built for Bob Hope.  Not bad, right?

It hasn't been on the market for over 40 years and the William Hamling, the owner now, has kept it furnished the way Arthur had when he designed it for himself.

AND, it is going on the market furnished.  Look at those light fixtures....!

So while I was doing a bit more research I found that you can actually RENT this property through Luxury Retreats. I found all these additional photos on their site:

so I can LIVE there?!  If only for a few days....

xo janel

summer WHITE with a bit of GOLD....!

Hot summers always calls for crisp whites - whether in home decor, fashion or both.  Since my summer in SF tends to be on the "grayer" side (ahem, KARL the FOG), I am finding myself attracted to whites with a bit of glimmer and sparkle. Check out ten white + gold combinations that I am coveting this week!

1. specifically designed for the The House Hotel Galatasaray in Beyoglu, Istanbul....gold plated with white steel chandelier by autoban.

2. knuckle duster coffee mug by MouseTheory 

3. white lacquer and gold leaf scalloped mirror by the uber fabby Dorothy Draper 

4. gold plated metal, translucent epoxy stone, mother and pearl and glass make up this sparkly necklace by Kate Spade....enough to chase my foggy blues away!

5. porcelain "Fontanta" collection by Jonathan Adler 

6. okay, so not really gold AND white...but this pom-pom Curtis Jere sculpture would be amazing on a stark white wall....maybe in Palm Springs?!

7. ceramic bowl with gold polka-dots 

8. gold dipped porcelain spoon set

9. mid-century lamps with gold gilt circles

10. white lacquer side tables with gold gilt table that feel very James Mont-esque, yes?

Hope your summer is treating you well so far!

x janel

....red, white + blue 4th of JULY DECOR....!

We haven't been rocking too many large parties over here at Casa Holiday Huff these days....Our Lu Lu is older and not quite the party girl she used to be and quite frankly the cleanup after just got a bit tired....however this 4th of July we had really good friends come into town and we wanted to host a small gathering to welcome them off the road and celebrate the 4th.  We quickly threw together a small guest list, assigned a few side dishes to share and then I whipped up some red, white + blue decor to get guests in the holiday mood.

I used old bandanas to line trays, etc.

I printed these little napkin rings to give the flatware a festive pick up!

the menu gave our guests a rundown of the dinner to come....always on the menu? my husband's grilled turkey burgers!

I always love a signature cocktail.  I tweaked the recipe a bit for this spicy layered margarita and it was a HIT!

I used the same napkin ring graphic and busted out my hot glue gun to do these little cocktail skewers.....i love a pom-pom!

Nick gets a sip!

After we ate we took advantage of a very rare clear evening and hiked up to the top of Mt. Davidson to watch all the different neighborhoods light off (um, illegal) fireworks and of course the big SF fireworks - it was a beautiful night and a perfect end to a great day....hope you all had a wonderful 4th!

....BAG lady...!

I am major crushing on several recent handbags these days - especially the studded, bejeweled and graphic bags - yes, please!  All are out of my price range.  All are being obsessed on by me currently.

Here are 10 pricey and fabulous little numbers I am tempted to break the bank for....

1. Crystal embellished studded leather tote from Miu Miu - swoon!!

2. Stone and black leather Partition shoulder bag by Lanvin

3. Super into all the various patterns and layout of the Allie Whip-Stitch Satchel by BCBG

4. Watermelon leather Va Va Voom Mini Leather shoulder bag by Valentino 

5. Crystal embellished on glitter PVC clutch....love these neon details....by Shourouk

6. Geometric printed leather clutch by Proenza Schouler

7. Valentino's Rockstud Leather Trapeze Bag in this blushy beige *almost* trumps the love I have for the black version I have been lusting after for months....almost.

8.The Hairy Prisoners Domino bag by Marc Jacobs....because showing the checkerboard collection he did for Louis Vuitton is an obvious obsession I have been fostering.

9. Prada's Saffiano Vernice Top Handle Bag - I held a version of this in my hot little hands last week and fell in l-o-v-e.

10. Alexander McQueen perfection...the red is suede and the black is leather.....Large Heroine tote bag

Do you have a favorite?!

....the SUTRO BATHS of san francisco....THEN + NOW...!

When my mom came up a few weeks ago for Mother's Day (remember THIS?), I took the opportunity to take her on a little field trip to the Sutro Bath ruins here in San Francisco.  I had never really traipsed around them and this seemed like the perfect opportunity because my mom appreciates a visual + historical traipse as much as I do!

Completed and opened in 1896 the Sutro Baths were the world's largest indoor swimming facilities.  There were seven different swimming pools with six of the seven being salt water.  An elaborate and expensive recycling and pump system would fill the baths directly from the Pacific Ocean it was built directly on.

Eventually the Sutro Baths became an ice skating rink until it burned down during demo in the later 1960's.  I wonder what the facilities would be like today if they were still standing?  I love that SF's mayor at the time - Adolph Sutro - had this vision which probably seemed so outlandish at the time, and made it happen.

a photo from 1943

in its final ice rink days

Today the former baths site is open to the public and is part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.

my mom voguing 

And here are a couple design related items I sourced in a pinch based on the beautiful, illustrated poster depicting the baths when they first opened:

1. industrial pendants made in the USA with white enamel shades

2. vintage inspired swim cap

3. large, arched mirror with antiqued mirror inset

4. framed, 1930's wool bathing suits

5. turquoise bistro bottles - set of 6

6. Grotto style shell-encrusted plaster urns on pedestals 

7. scooped rattan vine chair 

8. giant resin clam shell - love this look planted with succulents! 

(background color = Benjamin Moore's "Green Essence" #853)

all present photos by janel holiday interior design. all other photos from the world wide web.

I'll leave you with this classic Esther William's trailer from "Million Dollar Mermaid":