Stretch, who lived in Los Angeles right out of college, explains:

There’s a great east west divide. Beverley Hills is east of the 405, Santa Monica is west. It can take two hours to get from Pasadena to Santa Monica with traffic, 45 minutes without.”

I’m still confused.

I was just about to give up on LA, prepared to stay disoriented and mildly depressed every time I visit, when I was asked to write a story for the June issue of  British House & Garden about LA designer Todd Nickey who moved from NYC to LA twenty years ago.

Todd and his business partner in crime Amy Kehoe, another NY export, joined together in 2004 to form design duo Nickey Kehoe. When I flipped through the pages of their book Golden Light, The Interior Design of Nickey Kehoe, I was entranced.

This was the LA I could relate to, the LA I could move into. Fixed up old houses with original details – floors, beams, bannisters, ceilings, fireplaces all left intact, old tiles salvaged, English wallpaper added, a lot of books and pictures and an eclectic mix of objects, just the right amount of color, deliberate but unfussy, not perfect, a respect for what could and should be saved but never musty or sad.

I can almost smell the orange blossoms wafting in though the French doors or feel the warmth from the California light streaming in through the open leaded windows. An English bulldog is hanging out on the patio. This is my LA.

As hotelier Liz Lambert writes in the forward when describing the Nickey Kehoe aesthetic:

An attitude of warmth and casual sophistication. Unforced. It says: repair what exists. It is a love for the natural…. The irreverence of a wall painted deep banana to the natural ease and elegance of an overgrown garden wall. Here’s to making people feel grounded and good and free.”

So, I have a plan.  Next time I visit LA, I’m going straight, do not pass go, to their shop on Beverley Blvd and then Todd (who doesn’t know this yet, but he was super pleasant during the interview) is going to show me around our LA, all the houses and neighborhoods in that dreamy book. We’ll end the day at my favorite house of all, the one I got to write about, Todd and his husband Greg Holcomb’s Pasadena hacienda, originally built in 1927.

We’re all drinking margaritas in the courtyard with that oversized terracotta pineapple they lugged home from Mexico. Oh, and Anne Hardy who made this story happen, who makes most of my design stories happen, she’s there too.

The sun is setting a lavender glow. The air is warm and fragrant. It’s February. California dreams.

May 2021

The post A Kindred Spirit in LA- Nickey Kehoe appeared first on Elena Bowes.

I start and end my day on Instagram scrolling, taking screen shots, emailing my latest finds to my designer, children and Stretch. Often I get no replies or at least not as quickly as I would like. ie THIS IS URGENT- DO YOU LIKE THIS CHAIR???

Sometimes they surprise me and do respond quickly, ie for the above:

No

Who needs to read about China and  Iran, when you can look at the latest in chandeliers and bookcases? It’s just a different kind of news.

Before I brush my teeth in the morning, I check to see what my new ‘friends’  are up to.

What’s Remy Renzullio posting? Ahh, rocking the rattan…

Where could this Voutsa wallpaper work (minus dog)?

Can I copy Connolly’s King’s Yellow?

Oh, what a glorious shade of pink!

Here she is working the Kyle Minogue look- design addicts are famous for going off piste.

And here’s our story –

the Insider’s Guide to London with a spotlight on design. You can never have too many chandeliers. Talk about a subject dear to my newly obsessed heart. I would have done it for free- which I basically did. Lol

When I visit people’s houses/apartments, I often ask to use the bathroom. Then I sneak off and take an ‘inspiration snap’. Again, my designer, children and Stretch are likely to get random photos from me 24/7 when I spot something I like.

A cool pink resin table? How did I not think of that?!

I sometimes write articles for regional magazine Connecticut Cottages & Gardens – basically looking at strangers’ pretty houses, a legitimate form of snooping. In one interview I fall in love with a woman’s jewel box of a house on Belle Island off Rowayton Ct. Sigh. I can so easily see myself in her big fluffy bed, waking up to views of  Long Island Sound. She tells me how she feels like she’s on a permanent vacation. I nod. That’s so what I need in my life right now.

Sometimes, she adds, she gets up in the morning and goes kayaking. I forget that I am meant to be interviewing this woman. Instead, I picture myself – maybe about ten years ago when I was more carefree and going outside didn’t involve 100 degree sun block, a huge floppy hat and a Sunbrella kaftan – anyway, I am  carefree and kayaking off into the horizon with suntanned, toned arms.  This house is so me.

Stretch called me the other day and found me in a state of bliss.

I have spotted the most gorgeous piece of material at Guy Goodfellow’s.  I’m going to make it into a throw and hang it on our living room sofa. Excuse me Miss, does this come in a wallpaper? God, this is great.

Stretch is a patient man. He must be hoping that when these projects are finished, I will return to the person he once knew- a person who read the newspaper, novels, had opinions about what was going on in the world beyond the current craze for all things rattan.

Maybe I’ll look for my local Interiors Anonymous group. Imagine all the other design addicts I will meet.  I promise we will NOT talk about the latest in chandeliers and bookcases.

May 2019

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Some background: I met Jane with fellow creative Anne Hardy (just as fun, by the way) who has known Jane for a few years. We three explored magical Washington Depot and Kent, Connecticut  for a story pitch. Anne chose the concept for the story, Jane brought her camera to her vision, and I chose what to eat for lunch. Actually, what Jane ordered looked a lot better than mine. And she’s a sharer,  my kind of gal.

We agreed on everything – like who we thought was cute – (a farmer did catch our collective eye), who we thought was not so great (top secret) and how Flirtation Lane deserved a photo – with said farmer please.

Yes, readers, I know. Just because Jane is lively and entertaining doesn’t mean she’s talented.  But she is. She has worked for Elle Decor, the New York Times, AD, Veranda, Vogue, Condé Nast Traveller and a whole host of top tier titles. Just look at her web site if you want to see beautifully-shot interiors.

“Once we began to work together,” says Anne, “I realized what  I admire is the sense of place she brings to a shoot.  That is what makes her such an interesting creative to work with – she sees what she is shooting in context – which, I think, makes her work particularly resonant.

“Jane helps keep everything lively and fun”, adds Anne. “She talks about her work filling her cup. She fills ours.”

I asked Jane how she ended up in photography – a mid-career decision after working in fashion at Esprit. (note the stylish neckerchief)

“I grew up in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, born to a painter mother. The house was full of paints and easels, but no dark room, which was a blessing, because I hated chemistry. But I  always loved art.”

Jane studied art history at the University of Michigan, spent spring breaks in Paris and New York City blissfully visiting museums alone and doodling Matisse interiors on restaurant placemats She enjoys doing both to this day.

When digital came along in the early 2000’s, Jane found her calling.

“I am a photographer who came of age as film ended and digital began”  She prefers shooting interiors, food and travel. Jane in action at The Flat in Westport.

I asked her to do a headshot of me for a magazine. She rarely does portraits, but made an exception. People often feel sorry for me. (Note: discuss with shrink)

Here are a few of her pics…

Not bad, eh? And Jane politely said they didn’t need much retouching. Love her!

September, 2018

Top photo of Jane with camera was taken by her talented teacher Elyse Shapiro at Silvermine Arts Center.

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I become another person when I land at JFK – Superperson. No time to smell the daisies, no time to chill in the park.

I switch to a New York pace.  sprinting across the highway that is Park Avenue when the green light says there’s five seconds to go, zigzagging the city when the light turns red. No stopping for lunch. Only breaks allowed are for blister pads,  battery charging and the bathroom.   I am a woman on the go, and yet nothing ever goes to plan. I get distracted, sidetracked by the city.

Turns out, I’m not the only one. My sister Diana who lives in Connecticut joined me a few weeks ago to look at art. I had a list of shows for us to see based around women artists, starting with the Museum of Modern Art. Pretty straightforward. Not when the shop Belgian Shoes lies between us and the museum.

This will only take a second, Diana promised as she disappeared through the door.

The handmade leather shoes are known for their second skin comfort and rainbow of colours. Each size comes in four different widths.

It’s the next best thing to wearing nothing, says Pat, the store manager. The Palm Beach crew go for the pastels, anything pink and blue.

You can (and we did) spend valuable art viewing time sampling faux-lizard, croc, camouflouge, leopard and Palm Beach pastels.

The 55th street shop is  the only Belgian Shoes in the world. The company was started more than sixty years ago by Henri Bendel, the nephew of the founder of Bendel’s Fifth Avenue department store.

From there we went to see  Making Space:Women Artists and Abstraction at MOMA focusing on the often unappreciated achievements of women artists between the end of WWII and the late 1960’s start of the Feminist Movement. More than 50 artists and 100 works are shown, including pieces by Lygia Clark, Helen Frankenthaler, Joan Mitchell, Agnes Martin, Louise Bourgeois and Ruth Asawa (see below)

Next on my list was the Brooklyn Museum to see We Wanted a Revolution:Black Radical Women, 1965-85. But as Diana pointed out, the Manolo Blahnik shoe shop is so close to MOMA that it’s practically another wing.  By the time we’d finished browsing Manolo’s witty designs, my sister had shoes on the brain. So we nipped into Bergdorf’s 5th floor where the less pricey shoes are.

Time’s up – Diana needed to catch her train home. But NY-me never   stops.  To Brooklyn I went.

Funny, there are no people or lights on, I thought as I approached the pretty Beaux Art Building.

Then I spotted the sign …

Who knew museums closed on Tuesdays? This is often how my trips go – two steps forward, one step back. The city is not quite as 24/7 as it proclaims. Determined not to let this setback discourage me, I went to see my friend Jussara Lee  in her  lovely West Village boutique. Apart from Jussara’s gorgeous hand-tailored fashion label often made from recycled or leftover fabric,

she is also starting a monthly “Hand-Me-Up” sale where friends can bring unwanted clothes, and Jussara will retweak and update them and then sell them on.  She got inspired to do this after reading that people don’t wear 75% of their clothes. She wants to inject some glamour and love into second hand clothes.

While it’s slightly annoying that I never see as many shows as I had planned, I do always leave the city excited to return. I guess it’s all about the journey, the detours are the journey.

Here are the women-artist shows I missed:

Rei Kawakubo Art of the In-Between at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, only the second time in the Institute’s 70-year history that a living designer has been honoured.

The modernist founder of  fashion label Comme des Garçons is a complex woman, whose life obsession gives her as much pleasure as pain.

Designer Paul Smith interviewed the forward-looking designer for Dazed  several years ago. Here’s a brief illustrative excerpt of that Q&A as re-reported in The Business of Fashion:

PS: What do you fear the most?

RK: The next collection.

PS: What do you feel you’d still like to achieve in life?

RK: The next collection.

PS: What is your favourite month and why?

RK: The ones that do not have collections.

The closest I got to the exhibition was a Barney’s window display tribute to her along with the late sculptor Louise Bourgeois…

Next trip I am taking the ferry to Governors Island, just off the tip of Manhattan, to see British artist Rachel Whiteread’s Cabin sculpture. It’s her first installation in the city in nearly twenty years. I can’t wait to go back!

May, 2017

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I have selected four one-off, unusual sales/shops to buy things for that choosey friend where a scarf from Harvey Nick’s, a hamper from Fortnum’s or a candle from Jo Malone just won’t do, the kind of friend where you must prove your devotion by the effort and originality you expend. These friends are demanding, but we’re, I mean, they’re worth it.

Top on my list is this jewellery sale tomorrow at 61 Victoria Road from 11am-6pm …

For those who don’t know Elie Top, he was accessories designer at Lanvin for 15 years, collaborating closely with Alber Elbaz. Inspired by 18th c. French and Italian Renaissance, Top, who launched his own label last year,  is known for his large metal pendants inlaid with precious stones and diamonds.

If, on the other hand, your discerning  friend is into funky town beads, Indonesian head dresses or pompoms sported by the flamboyant flamingoed Iris Apfel, then head to Peter Adler’s Pebble London Christmas sale this weekend where everything is 10% off.

Bead lovers need never despair again with Adler’s Cave of  hanging treasures. Fancy some Afghan tribal trinkets …

or perhaps something still vibrant but a tad more conventional …

…

Not feeling colourful? No problem …

Now if your someone special devours Pinterest, gets excited by tangerine roses in a bud vase, a new coloured moleskin journal, you know the type (Kate, Lauren, thinking of you), then interiors shop Pentreath & Hall on Lamb’s Conduit Street is just the ticket.

Recently featured in NYT’s T Magazine, the shop is owned by the multi-talented Ben Pentreath, who in addition to being decorator to William and Kate, is a skilled architect, interior designer and blogger. These alphabet pots above make organising fun – especially for you know who (Kate, Lauren, party time!)

Fuchsia hued Merino wool coasters will make your design-devotee pal blush …

while  decoupage plates and slick lacquered trays will send them to the moon.

What’s more, today only (Thursday, December 1st) from noon to 8pm all the quaint shops on both Lamb’s Conduit and Rugby Street are offering a 10% discount.

Final stop on Secret Santa’s mystery tour is for that friend who’d prefer  something on the wall to something on the bod.

Pop-up House of Voltaire on Cork Street

is selling a cornucopia of artist donated pieces. With over 150 artists and designer contributions including Carsten Holler, Simone Rocha, Phyllida Barlow, Michael Craig Martin, Chris Offili, Ed Ruscha and a host of others. From limited-edition prints by the likes of Belgian superstar Luc Tuymans …

and Trafalgar Square’s Forth Plinth artist David Shrigley

to a festive lambswool blanket by Jonas Wood …

or a  prison tray by London-based Argentine artist Pablo Bronstein (my personal fave),

there’s a lot to choose from for that certain visual someone.  House of Voltaire runs until December 18th. Money raised goes to the London-based arts charity Studio’s Voltaire gallery and education programs.

Happy Hunting!

December, 2016

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