house philosophy.

Sommer Forever

Interior designer Ruthie Sommers has an eye for style. She can find any old thing, paint it or recover it and voila it's perfection! A rising star, Sommers has been published in a wide variety of national magazines (including two different issues of Elements of Living!), and is getting more popular (and therefore more difficult to hire!). Luckily for us anyone can get a sense of Sommers' style by visiting her chic boutique, Chapman Radcliff Home on La Cienega in Los Angeles--or if you're not in the area, check out her section on 1stdibbs.com. But don't worry, Sommers' fabulous finds won't break your bank. She's confessed to me that she wants good design to remain affordable, and she follows this through by not marking up her price tags with a heavy hand. For a client of mine I found a perfect vintage coffee table for only $300! (In the end I did bring the price up a bit by having it painted a high-gloss Hermes orange, but under Sommers' direction that stayed reasonably priced as well). Mind you $300 is not necessarily her typical price point, but everything Sommers offers is a good value. I recommend the shop to anyone who is looking for that special something...to me Chapman Radcliff is a real find.

Give Me Shelter!

I was introduced to Shelter by one of my design clients, and it was love at first sight. The company has two locations, one on Beverly Boulevard snuggled in admist similarly chic shops, and another in Santa Monica, conveniently located near Third Street Promenade.

The overall vibe is cool, and contemporary, but thankfully not too precious. There are some faithful reproductions, as well as loose interpretations of 50's classics, but most of the pieces have a very updated and current look. The place is chock full of furnishings -- including tables, casegoods, seating, upholstery, storage, etc. The main attraction is Shelter's own line of furniture (with many custom capabilities, such as size and finish -- they offer 12 different veneers, a variety of fabrics, as well as COM), while the supporting cast includes a range of accessories including pillows by Hable Construction, tabletop by Jonathan Adler, bedding and design books.

While many of the customers are designers, the staff is fully trained to assist homeowners, and will gracously and patiently walk anyone through all the myriad of options. It's a great way to spend an afternoon!

1433 5th St Santa Monica, CA 90401 (310) 451-3536

7920 Beverly Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90048-4502
(323) 937-3222

Desirious Furniture

Manhattan is moving west one chair at a time... For the past 10 years, DESIRON has been a must-visit destination in SoHo. For us folks who now live in Los Angeles (I'm speaking of myself, of course), we no longer have to wait for the odd trip across the country to lounge on DESIRON's hip, and oh-so-comfortable furniture. This past June the company opened their 5,000-square-foot showroom on Robertson Boulevard in West Hollywood.

With a family history in ironwork, owner and designer Frank Carfaro creates clean, simple, modern designs. The materials that go into each of his pieces are rich and varied. Ingredients include metals (of course!), as well as hardwoods in a plethora of finishes (from natural to black oxide), topped with a luxurious new textile line that includes 75 different fabrics (everything from vinyl and mohair to silk and linen). Best of all, each piece is bench-made by artisans at the company's factory in New Jersey.

Though you may not have had the opportunity to visit either of the bi-coastal locations (yet), chances are you've already experienced DESIRON's furniture, as it graces many fashionable spaces, such as Nobu and Ritz-Carlton. If not, check the company out online, or get yourself dressed up and go out for sushi.