La Tendance Bleu-Vert

These luscious jugs and pots dipped in blue, green, turquoise, mint and pistachio paints are making me long for the summer days and sunshine of Provence (it's still raining and grey in San Francisco! Summer, where are you?) As I sit at my desk wrapped in a scarf and dressed in all black layers and Merrill boots to chase the chill away from our grey day, these images give me a little hope for sunnier days!

Enjoy a little soothing color break...these colors are very easy on the eyes!

all jugs, pots and paints at Coté Maison

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Then seeing all these wonderful hot weather blues and greens in Catherine André's Summer 2011 collection made me realize that, yes, blue-green is definitely hot this summer, in France, anyway!

all clothing and accessories Catherine André

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So of course I checked out the fabrics by Pierre Frey, just to be sure...and yes, lots of blue and green in fabrics and wallpapers to be found.

all fabrics by Pierre Frey

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thanks for visiting! ... Kit

The Magical Land of Flora Grubb

a seating area with bright orange metal chairs next to

signature Flora Grubb pots and palms

On the prowl with one of my hippest young clients for cool, repurposed & floral items to anchor a wedding design, in the early morning mists and fogs south of San Francisco today, we found ourselves lost for hours in the magical land of Flora Grubb.

It's quite possible that I am hopelessly un-hip, or at least the very last person on the planet to discover Flora Grubb. But that's OK. It's still an experience of wonderment and awe, and worth blogging about!

You know you are somewhere very cool when you spot an old bicycle planted (somehow!) with air plants & succulents and suspended over an old reclaimed zinc-top table, looking for all the world like the Wicked Witch of the West had just hopped off of it and left it in mid-air when she stepped inside for her organic latte with The Mad Hatter. It's that kind of place.

succulents and old suguaro plants

accented with red ceramics create a

stunning entryway

cool planting table in front

of inviting green shutters

I love this blue orb set among the succulents!

a cool tile that could work for a cheese plate in

a rustic-chic setting

these plates have the look of

botanical etchings, wonderful!

inviting and colorful bistro set

on one of the garden pathways

another view down the garden path

a very cool blue chair with modern

lines invites a little respite in the garden

if you like the metal furniture, choose your favorite

from the wall and take it home today

blue chairs face the wonderful

coffee bar inside

sinuous concrete chaises for your

outdoors

concrete and redwood table is lovely

contrast to the lacy air plants

this rusty old Chevy Impala has an

ongoing life as a whimsical (not for everyone!)

planter in the quixotic garden

Lady Flora herself...a delightful

and charming creator of gardens!

When you get past the astonishing huge installations (that's really the only word for her artistic plant, artifact and salvage vignettes) and vertical green wall gardens (all the rage these days...and much easier to achieve than the green roof) scattered over the large, botanical-gardens-like outdoors, your eye will also find exquisite details and furniture. This is not your old Smith & Hawkins!

Wandering the pathways in her gardens you will see a vintage 60's Chevy Impala gently rusting away as one of (surely) the world's most unique planters. You can meander up to the coffee bar and request the barista make you one of the best espresso drinks around, then take in the scene sitting at the whimsical Caribbean pastel bistro chairs and tables while you admire every little detail. There's a lot to take in.

While we decided not every bride would choose this much drama and originality for her wedding, some elements would work beautifully for that rustic-chic wedding up in Sonoma or a wild Pacific coast setting.

This is the domain of the landscape artist and not to be missed by anyone with an eye for design and beautiful, exotic vignettes. Although the living green walls have a certain portability about them, most of these amazing plantings are well-suited for the long haul, enhancing a space on a permanent basis.

Flora Grubb Gardens

1634 Jerrold Avenue

San Francisco, CA 94124

415.648.2670

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in 2010, it's:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

The Gorgeous Reclaimed Floors of Chic Provence

If you are building a new home, or remodeling one, you have the perfect opportunity to create authentic Provencal ambience from the ground up (lucky you!). No, you do not have to settle for wood floors that merely look old and distressed, or tiles that try to capture the patina of hundreds of years of life.

You will be doing your part to go green, too, by using reclaimed flooring instead of wasting energy creating new. And the charm and elegance of these venerable old floors is undisputed.

antique French oak floorboards imprinted with

character from hundreds of years of use

reclaimed planks 6" 11" wide and 98" long

antique parquet de Versailles unfinished,

reclaimed from chateaux and farm houses

in Europe

antique French terra cotta floor tiles reclaimed

from Provence, each reflecting the color of

the region where made

18th & 19th C. reclaimed tomettes, or hexagonal tiles, named in honor of l'Hexe

(France herself looks like a hexagon on a map)

cut limestone floors

antique handmade terra cotta tiles are

charming and utterly practical

these very rustic antique handmade tiles are the perfect foil for

the elegant furniture and draperies

reclaimed flooring and

other architectural material at:

.........................................

in the new year, it's:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design

Have a Happy {Chiner} Weekend & Look What I Found!

chiner, fr. {chee-ner'} : to root around in the brocantes (flea markets) looking for stuff

chineur, fr. {chee-nur'} : one who spends their free weekend hours rooting around in brocantes

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Now that we know who we are, look what I found last weekend at the local fleas!

If you have any great ideas of how I can use this great stuff, let me know (Beth @ Chinoiserie Chic, are you listening?)

my little treasure trove from last weekend's "chineur"-ing

antique Chinese shawl--yes those are little silver balls

sewn into the design!

I kind of like this cool globe of pressed glass

my very adorable red Buddha from the 1920's

even the little blue lantern has a certain "chinoiserie" cache

the proud peacock on one of the metal panels I found

somehow I let these adorable dauphines get away

ditto the coral print from 1910

Hope these inspire you to get out there and support your local thrift stores, consignment shops, flea markets....remember it's a very green and sustainable way to shop!

For fun in the Bay Area this weekend, be sure to visit my friends at Afterwards in Menlo Park. They have a holiday celebration going on Saturday all day long, stop in for a bit of cheer. You will be amazed at their wonderful stuff!

And my favorite flea market, the Alemany Flea, is on every Sunday at the intersection of 101 and 280.

Have a great time!

French definitions here!

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CONTACT:

Kit Golson Design

for elegant, sustainable and pragmatic

Chic Provence Interior Design