Western Interiors, you broke my heart.

I was just literally blown out of the water when I tried to visit the Western Interiors website this morning and found THIS. Did anybody else know about this? Apparently it went down a few months ago right under my nose! I'm floored right now but curious to see if this magazine will be any good. I hold Western Interiors in such high esteem so it will be hard for this LUXE to measure up.


Alicia

Dan Marty, a pleasant surprise.

I was flipping through my Western Interiors saying silently in my head "love it, hate it, love it" but then I got to the Dan Marty spread and I started screaming, "LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT!" Dan Marty is a designer/showroom owner originally from Northern California. His style reflects his sophisticated and worldly upbringing as he went on trips to Europe at least twice a year growing up (psht, is that all?) with his family. He uses lots of eclectic antiques, yet his style is very original and surprising. This spread was of his apartment in Villa D'este in Los Angeles, an Italian Renaissance building built in the 1920's.

Here is the living room filled with eclectic style antiques and Chinoiserie accents.

The other half of the living room. I'm such a sucker for color but this room is mostly neutrals and I can't look away. There are so many subtle things going on here--the chunky sisal carpet, the three paintings stacked on each other, the blue and white urn on the brick hearth just to name a few.

Even though I can't stand the abrasive red color of those chairs, I still love this room. The framed antique maps mixed in with the drawings and the light yellow lantern over the gorgeous wood dining table.

This bamboo chest with the ebony lamp and pleated shade are like a work of art. J'adore.

Woah, Union Jack motif! I love the way he uses reds and blues...and antlers.

And at last the bedroom, I love the striped rug and my fave thing that you can't see is that he monogrammed the initials, DMD, on that blanket--it's genius. I love the inset arched moments on the back wall as well.

A lot of times, when you put lots antiques together it can either look too casual slash beachy, or too stuffy and museum-like. I think that Dan Marty conjures up just the right balance. He describes it as what "started out with a British Colonial feel, but I also mix in a French Indochine look." Take a look at his website too, it's amazing with so many things to look at: Dan Marty Design.


Alicia B.

Contempo House in Wyoming.

Okay, this one is better. Remember my blog posting a few weeks ago railing against that hideous concrete mess in Idaho? If not, HERE it is. Anyway, I just have a thing about modern houses set in natural landscapes just to make a statement. Why don't you work with the landscape--it's so rare!? Well, I came across this house above in Western Interiors (amazing mag), and was pleasantly surprised. I feel like they (the couple and the designer) actually gave a little thought to the location of the home. They worked with the landscape and tried to integrate it in a modern sort of way. The house was designed by a couple, Lori Ryker and Brett Nave in Wapiti Valley, Wyoming. Take a look.

The materials that were used were glass, wood, steel, and rammed earth. I'm not sure what rammed earth means but it sounds natural.

You can see right into their living room from the outside, but they don't exactly have close neighbors. I like how the angle of the roof is a mirror reflection of the jutting angles of the mountains behind it.

From the magazine: "We took our cues from the rock formations and their varied colors,” says Ryker. “The exterior forms were shaped by our thinking about the interiors, and we strove to make them an integral part of this wild and beautiful landscape." I think this choice is quite apparent. Well done.

Like the other house, the decor feels a tad stark for my taste, but I know that must reflect the style of the home. The window to the right looks like a framed landscape picture and can you imagine waking up to that view?

What do you all think? Better? Worse? Same? I feel like this home looks like a string of old miners huts on the side of a hill. I like how they respected the old style of the area but brought a little of their modern personality to the site.


Alicia B.

Designer Spotlight: Wick Design Group

In one of my favorite magazines, Western Interiors, I read about a designer Will Wick of Wick Design Group. So, obviously I googled him and found his website and portfolio. I found his interiors clean and calming but not necessarily simple. He is based in San Francisco and is very attractive...not that that has anything to do with his design. OR DOES IT?? www.wickdesigngroup.com

Here are my favorites slash interesting ones:

I like his use of primitive type woods with more refined materials. Oh yeah, and ZEBRA.

Amazing drift wood over the mantle but the shell in the fireplace scares me.

Zebra pillow! And I really like that LV trunk as a side table. Nice bookcase displays too.

Clean bathroom.

This was the image that caught my eye in the Western Interiors.

Clothing is framed on the wall. Interior design meets fashion? People are very enthusiastic about this trend but I'm not sure. What do we think?

On the website, there are items hand picked by Will Wick from his travels or otherwise. Check them out because there are some fabulous vintage pieces.



Alicia B.