when i was out in san francisco last month i had the pleasure of stopping by chronicle books and seeing where all the magic happens. while i was there i met vanessa dina, one of the design directors, who kindly sent along pictures of her lovely home for our second sneak peek of the day. read on, and click here for more full-sized images. as always, you can find all of the sneak peeks here. [thanks, vanessa!] -anne
[Above: Bedroom: Danish cerdenza with white lacquered top from the 60’s. Linens from Antropologie with a circle embossed pillow from Ikea. Paper mobile for 99 cents! Who doesn’t love a bargain? And a Cinni fan to keep me cool when the fog disappears for a week!]
Kitchen: I continue to collect plates for my wall. So far I have transferware, 60’s prints (Autumn collection) and modern plastic ware (couldn’t resist the pink bird). The salmony-pink vinyl chairs I found on the street and the cream ones were from a thrift store. Always fresh flowers on the table (peonies) and of course my cookbook on hand: The Meat Club Cookbook, For Gals Who Love Their Meat. Co-authored and designed by yours truly.
My living room. Thankfully it gets fantastic light during the day. When I moved in the walls were painted burgundy with faux wood-colored trim. I repainted everything a neutral cream color and covered the fireplace with black matte paint. Chairs are a mix of old and new: Eames and Ikea. Curtains: Ikea fabric and vintage barkcloth from a flea market. Hanging lamp: I made using extension wire and a spot light lampshade from Cole Hardware. Coffee table on rollers has spaces beneath that perfectly hide colored cushions from Urban Outfitters. Sofa folds out to a bed–great for sleepovers.
Mantel: Old pics of my mom and I and one of my grandmother, tealight holder from the 60’s, vintage labels I found from scouring flea markets, a pack of Mexican cigarettes from the Mission (such charming packaging) and letters that spell out one of my weakness: “meat.”
An easy way to brighten up a space: Decorate with edibles and flowers. I tend to group items by their color. Here are some kumquats surrounded by vintage pics of my family and a poster from a Callum Innes exhibit at Kew Gardens.
My collection of SF MUNI passes. The colors each month are such a welcomed surprise I hate to throw them away.
Here’s a still life of some of my favorite things–books, flowers, and dishware. Jonathan Adler vase with a yellow transferware teacup and saucer that I found at a local street fair for $2! Penguin came out with a series of short stories by various writers. I bought them all. A great read and they look beautiful spine-out. Inside the teacup is an air plant that flowered last week. Print is from sugarloop.
Another collection of goodies: mini Rex ray print, Ikea vase, and handmade vase by a local SF artist (can’t remember her name?!) Birds on branch were bought from Radish and Rose.