1.31.2011

Cali Part 1: Redondo Beach

In case you hadn't heard NYC was hit with the largest snowfall in January since 1925, totaling 19 inches.  Not to mention, last week we had the most below-frigid day of 7 degrees, and now with another snow storm brewing tonight/ tomorrow I am in dire need of some very warm thoughts!   With that said, I decided to pull up my travel pics from a trip to California this past summer.  I love looking back at trip pictures, especially to see what I was most interested in and what caught my eye at the time....like the below piece, which I'll explain further in a bit.
  
For the most part after viewing all my inspiration pics, I would say 99% of the time always still like everything that I had found too.  This actually is a great test if you are a person who constantly buys trend-driven pieces...next time snap a photo of the item and sit with it for a week or two.  Let it marinate, then decide if you can really live without it.  The pictures always rejog my memory and then without fail, spike the creative juices for any project I'm currently working on.  That's why I'm loving this blog so much too, because in a way I'm composing a photo journal of inspiration.

Now finally to Redondo Beach!  To give you a little geographical perspective Redondo Beach is south of Santa Monica but north of San Diego.  It's a small little beach town right near Hermosa and Manhattan beach.  

So the first stop was called Le Garage and they were having an amazing sale when I popped in.  It doesn't look like much from the outside but sometimes those are the ones with the best stuff and in this case it was true!

They had tons of great farm tables (like the one below).  I loved the tin-like sheet metal top to it with hammered studs around the perimter.

They also had a large selection of Parisian-inspired clocks clustered together on a Wainscoting wall.  These were really good imitations of vintage clocks.  Normally I tend to stray away from reproductions and prefer to go for old and authentic but these were really tastefully done, excellent quality and all under $60!

I was hired by a friend to consult on some pieces for her new apartment so it was a lot of fun to keep her in mind when I was shopping during this trip.  She had mentioned wanting a large wall clock for the kitchen and a rustic farm table (appropriately sized for a NY apt though).  I thought I had hit the jackpot in this store.  The below table was perfect!  Very rustic but new, painted and hand sanded to look a bit worn, in a perfect washed-out grey hue.  It was on sale from $375 to $224 and then with the clock and shipping & handling for both from CA->BK it was going to cost less than $450!  I don't think my client ever pulled the trigger on these pieces and a part of me regrets not buying them myself for resale or a future project.  Times like these really make me wish I had a warehouse space so I could unleash my inner hoarder ;).

And last but definitely not least, check out the beautiful apothecary cabinet they had...you know what a sucker I am for these!  I went ga-ga for the faux finish it had in the washed-out robins egg color with rubbed out spots made to look aged and a touch rusty.  It is awesome!

The next shop shop I ventured in was called Fringe.  It was a street off the beach right in Redondo- such a prime location!
It had a very 'beachy glam' feel to it- lots of shells and sea-inspired finds from furniture & home accessories to jewelry and gift items.  They also sells sofas with custom slipcovers; prices start at $975 and rise depending on fabric and fill. The floor sample pictured here was on sale for $895. The store also had a large selction of really unique pillows as you can see below. The embroidered linen octopus one was $48 (insert included) and the larger red coral one was $58 (insert included). 


They have beautiful natural bedding but my favorite finds were the decor and accesories.

This was one of my favorite finds...a drippy glass chandelier.

I love when weathered items are re-purposed.  This is a wall candelabra that looks like it's made from an banister pole split in half- such a great statement piece!  

I can't stay away from glass base lamps with natural shades.  Lots of companies make them and I haven't found one I don't like!

Again here, this is re-purposing at it's best.  This was an old intricate iron gate that would make a stunning headboard to a bed or for a huge impact as a hi-back decorative element to a bench seat in an entryway.

I'll end on that note and hope it'll keep you wanting more :).  Be on the lookout for "Part 2: Venice Beach" in the next couple of days!

No comments:

Post a Comment