I'm done resting. Sigh.

School is almost upon me once again, and I have a stack of horrible reading to complete.


I went to Tahoe for Christmas, and it snowed and snowed, so for anyone looking to ski this season, now's the time to go. I spent Christmas day riding through a blizzard--it was magnificent.

New Year's was at the Bonaventure. They did an awesome job of decorating the five-story lobby, and the rooftop garden room. Too bad the lines were too long and I did not get to see Oakenfold spin. I don't think Bonaventure security had any idea what they were in for when they agreed to host Giant. Around 2am there were epuddles in the hallways and cracked out people passed out on the lobby couches..it was hilarious.


My foray into Interior Design:

I have spent a good portion of winter break redecorating Tim's pad. For those of you who have seen the place prior to its metamorphosis, the change is amazing. As the unofficial decorator/indentured servant, I invite everyone to come and witness my very first interior decorating exhibit. The place itself has always held such great potential. Most of the furniture and decor were already sitting there, waiting to be placed and cleaned. It's priceless, really, watching a great-looking home emerge from the ashes of years of neglect and dust and random piles of porn (I found three stashes, but more doubtless exist). Here's a virtual tour:

We went for a modern, blue and silver look for the living room (element: water), a warm, lounge/wine bar/cafe atmosphere for the sitting room (element: fire), garden theme for the stairs (element: air) and an autumnal theme for the end of the upstairs hallway (element: earth). The decor moves from modern to old-world to nature, and finally the decadence of nature as expressed by the large poster of autumn trees in luxembourg, at the end of the upstairs hallway (which is also the natural end to the navigable hallways of the house).

Living room:
Where there was once a mass of blankets and an incredibly ugly couch, there now is a beautiful living room with a massive triptych of Ansel Adams photos, drawing attention to the high ceiling. Van Gogh's Irises hangs above the fireplace and Night Stars hangs next to the door leading to the patio. A multicolored tropical plant, kind of trippy looking and reminiscent of the Van Goghs, sits atop a wood and glass table in the corner of the room, where there used to be a pile of dust and junk. The ugly orange couch, until now the bane of my very existence, has mercifully been covered with a beige slipcover. A new blue rug with geometric accents in a grid pattern further adds to the modern feel of the room.

Middle Sitting Room:
In my opnion, the piece de la resistance of the house. Where there was once a guilt-inducing weight set and mishmash of desks and yet another horrid couch, there is now a cigar-lounge inspired sitting room and shiny bar setup. The color theme here is dark mahogany woods, red, black and chrome. A black leather loveseat sits on the wall facing the living room, in front of a dark wood coffee table. The paintings on the wall are a Paris Cafe/Brasserie scene (unknown artist) and two art-nouveau liquor advertisements: Cinzano 1920 by Leonetto Capiello and Martini and Rossi: Vermouth Torino, by an unknown artist. The two liquor ads sit above the loveseat, while the Paris Cafe painting hangs above a dark wooden park bench, flanked on both sides by palm tree and ficus plants. Two miniature palm plants sit atop the coffee table, which sits atop a deep crimson rug. In the corner of the room sits a rolling two-tier bar setup with chrome tray and coasters, ice bucket, bar gadgets, etc.

While pondering the modern/antique juxtaposition of the main living room and this room, it occurred to me that actually the Van Goghs are from an earlier time than the Art Nouveau prints in the middle room. So I guess it's a stylistic, old-money "feel" rather than a chronologically correct juxtaposition.

Stairs:
The wall area along the staircase is graduated in four steps. I have placed (straw-colored) woven palm-leaf mats on each step, with a small potted plant and clear glass tealight holder. The bottom step has a chameleon poster that matches the green color scheme and adds a little variety to the whole garden theme. The other wall hangings are antique turn-of-the-century botanical prints.
When lighted, the tea lights draw the eye upward, ascending the stairs and culminating at the top of the stairway, where a large botanical print in more muted colors blends the green theme of the stairs into the autumn-hued theme of the top level.

End of upstairs hallway:
This is the natural termination of the main hallway connecting all rooms of the house. As such, I chose an autumnal theme. The poster is a sepia-toned photograph of autumn trees in the Luxembourg gardens in Paris. The persepective of the row of trees adds depth and extends the hallway. Underneath the poster is a collection of leaves and potpurri (autumn colors) given to Eva by her cousin Karolina during her summer visit, and four frosted glass votive candles in red, purple, orange and yellow. I thought the autumn theme was a natural extension of the green, garden theme of the stairs below, yet indicates a movement toward termination.

Upcoming projects:
The kitchen. I have yet to think of a fitting theme. Woodland? Sky? Kitsch? Asian?
Adding mirrors to the upper level that reflect the large cathedral windows, creating the illusion of an atrium-like space.