Sleek Streak

DC superfriend and badass interior designer/blogger Raina of If the Lampshade Fits found the silver foil lining of the clouded real estate market when she landed a sweet 70s home in Denver. In celebration of her spectacular find, I'm posting a cornucopia of 70s inspired interiors that manage a modern twist on classic geometric lines. You don't have to import an entire Karl Springer showroom to get the feel -- just a dab will do ya. But a ton of brass, gold, chrome and glass never hurts, because it don't mean a thing if it ain't got that bling.

Don't worry if you're a shy wallflower. See how subdued the 70s can be? No disco balls necessary. Via Richard Powers Photography.

Or you could go the other direction and bring it all on. Baughman chairs: check. Chrome and smoked glass table: check. Driftwood sculpture: check. Via Joe Serrins Studio.

Ahhh... it's quiet again. A smoked glass chandelier and muted color palette ooze restrained elegance. I want to knock that superfluous flower pot off the table, though. Via Desire to Inspire.

Wheeeee, it's loud again! You could apply lipstick in the reflection of that wallpaper, and the light fixtures are divine. Not loving the starburst wall clock. Via OWI.

Foil wallpaper may be the most ingenious backsplash, ever. I might have to do this in my kitchen... Via Style Files.

Of course, I would trade my entire kitchen, the house and everything in it for these cabinets. BRASS cabinets, people. Holy Jeebus Moses! Via Philippe Stuebi.

And while we're on the gold trip, I think I want to cover something, anything in these gold mosaic tiles. Maybe a headboard...? Via Colombe Stevens.

Nina Campbell's brass mantel is almost as delicious, but the clutter kills. Just take a mental snapshot of the brass and mirrors and close your eyes and mmmmmmmmmm. Via Domino.

If I had enough space and didn't think I might burn my house down, you can bet your sweet ass I would have an indoor firepit. Hello fondue party! Via Jerry Samuelson Photography.

Milo Baughman is definitely the go to designer for all things sleekly seventies. Fawn Galli breathes new life into his iconic chairs with some rockin' fabric and more awesome foil wallpaper.

My gay boyfriend Nate Berkus' apartment with his Baughman chair. Copious amounts of mirror action, the chrome coffee table, Arteluce lamp, and tufty time sofa complete the look. The hand chair is available here for $69. Spraypaint is the nectar of the gods. Via Elle Decor.

Cultivating a 70s vibe doesn't mean you have to keep your original 70s bathroom. Just say no to the triple threat of fiberglass tubs, formica and linoleum and say yes to burnished golden tiles, a black (!) pedestal sink and some fresh accessories. Via Living Etc.

Finally, the bathroom we all dream of. If not, you may be reading the wrong blog. Via Joe Serrins Studio.

Whew, that was a lot of pictures, but Raina's dreamy home score deserves nothing less. Congratulations, Raina, on your swingin' seventies pad -- can't wait to see it shine!

My New Apartment

Whew, it has been a loooong weekend, full of tools and gardening and yet ANOTHER trip to Ikea. Seriously, what is wrong with me? Anyway, apparently my actual life is staging an intervention, so I'm going to attempt to make this blog post short and sweet. Or should I say quick and dirty? How about short and dirty? Awww, yeah. That's me. So, what do you get when you put an photographer responsible for some of the greatest interiors shots ever:

Together with an architect who's got style to spare:

And add a dash of bookmaker husband?

Answer: a droolworthy renovated prewar apartment in New York City that serves as home to photographer Annie Schlecter and bookbinder husband Russel Maret.

Oh, and guess what color they decided to paint the back wall that used to separate two independent studio apartments? That's right -- Yves Klein Blue, which Schlecter identified as KT Color 03.001 Ultramarin Blau paint. Long time readers of DC will remember my obsession with YKB almost a year back, but all you new friends can check out the links here and here.

Now for some reason, NY Mag reported this story but got totally stingy with the pictures, so I put on my internet sleuthing hat and managed to dig up more shots from architect Joe Serrins' site (expect to see a post on his awesome homes later this week...).

Here's another shot of the living room that shows a toned down living space designed to highlight the blue wall/pink couch focal point.

The entryway is papered in gold grasscloth which is a current OBSESSION of mine. I want to paper everything in its textural glitziness.

As I mentioned before, two separate apartments in two separate buildings were merged to form one larger apartment. One of the commenters on the NYMag site said, "This is the desecration a beautiful pre-war apartment. The original architects are rolling in their graves." When will flamers learn that grammatical errors render their silly, baseless insults flaccid? Plus this is a sweet apartment and that asshat is just flat wrong.

I love that the homeowners built the cabinets from plywood and formica, and used blue penny tile and yellow paint to add some kapow zing. Kitchen renovations don't have to cost a fortune, and as an added bonus, no granite was harmed in the making of this space.

These people don't even have stainless appliances... wtf?! Confession: Ok, I have stainless appliances, but if I could afford that red lacquered beauty, she'd have a place of honor in my kitchen. Or maybe a turquoise stove would be more unexpected?

The bathroom continues the Roy Lichtenstein/Piet Mondrian primary palette, and I suddenly have the urge to paint a door -- any door -- canary yellow.

Last but not least, the bedroom -- which I know will be hated by my special super friends because it features the ubiquitous Cole and Son Woods wallpaper, but I have to say I love it. It has just the right amount of layering, pattern, and asymmetry to make it interesting.

So, I just spent months purging color from my house, and then Annie Schlecter comes along and combines pink, red, yellow, blue and orange, with abandon, and it looks GOOD. Le Sigh. I'm tired of renovating and want to move into her house.

Nevertheless, I shall power on with said renovations, and hopefully I can give you all a state of the union address very soon. In the meantime, rest assured that it contains no mention of the "pandemic" swine flu, because I am sick of hearing about that ridiculous fear mongering nonsense. (But don't judge if I just stay right here and nest up a storm in my nice, germ free house for a while, ok?)

Happy flu free Monday!