Revisiting the Art of James Nares

I wrote about artist James Nares shortly after a began my blog which was almost three and a half years ago.  Since then, his work has shown up in many more publications.  I love seeing how great his flowing calligraphy brush stroke art looks in such a variety of interiors.  What's even more interesting is James Nares suspends himself to paint them.  I think I might have to see if he's open to a studio visit!  Bon Weekend!

John Barrett residence from Elle Decor

Todd Alexander Romano via New York Social Diary

Josie Natori from Elle Decor

Baroness Bruno de Pampleonne

Michael Rosenberg and Assoc.

Foley & Cox

Alexandra von Furstenberg

Kara Mann

Laura Day via Lonny

Michael Smith

Blue Carreon

“It’s a fine balance between design and the thing making itself happen. The stroke has to have complete precision to work. Sometimes I lose it on the exit. You can’t fudge it. It ruins the whole thing.” The resulting figures are almost always contained within the rectangle. “It’s less of a window if I keep it within the confines of the canvas, but there’s almost always a drip that’s an umbilical cord.” - James Nares

Beautiful in Beverly Hills

I was going through more old magazines recently and came across another classic.  Around 1936, interior designer Elsie de Wolfe designed a beautiful home in Beverly Hills for Countess Dorothy di Frasso.  Jose Iturbi bought the house furnished from di Frasso around 1947.  It remained intact until just a few years ago when pieces were sold at auction.  Just before then, House & Garden published gorgeous photos by Simon Watson of the glamorous home that hosted many chic soirees.

Chinoiserie wallpaper and bamboo outlined mirrors clad the living room.

The home also featured many Chinese antiques.

Wallpaper detail.

Custom mirror panels line the dining room which I'm sure looked beautiful in candlelight.

A closer look at the dining room walls and 19th-century tortoiseshell and mother of pearl commode.

The sunroom features artwork commissioned by Charles Baskerville. 

Loving this backgammon table.

Beautiful California light streams through the windows.

The house has a lovely timeless quality that confirms that good design never goes out of style.

The bedroom features 20th-century hand painted Chinese wallpaper panels.

Elsie de Wolfe designed the Art Deco bedroom suite of furniture for the room.

The master bathroom below complements the colors of the bedroom and include a custom Art Deco tub chair that still looks chic today.  The pink tile not so much but I guess not every design element remains timeless.

Photos by Simon Watson

Discovering Interior Design Ideas with an iPad

We have received a great post written by Amanda Johansson from TestFreaks.com, a site that offers product information and reviews which cover a variety of domains. The article is about Apple Ipad applications that can help you get inspired when decorating. Enjoy!

The Apple iPad is a popular computing device, and with millions of units in the field it is easy to imagine that it can be used for a variety of applications. The real strength to this versatility lies in the App Store, and with multiple apps for almost every occasion it is fairly simple to find something applicable.

I wanted to explore the possibility of using the iPad as a way to discover new interior ideas and designs, and so I headed over to the App Store to see what was available. As I suspected, there were many apps to help make the iPad a real tool in creating home design ideas. Let’s take a look at some of the best.

Houzz Interior Design Ideas

Houzz Interior Design Ideas has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, and more. If you ask yourself why it has been so lauded, the fact that it has one of the largest home design idea databases on the net, might have something to do with it. With over 70,000 photos and 150,000 ideabooks, Houzz offers a handy way to browse ideas and include them in your own virtual idea book.

The app allows you to store idea photos locally on the device, making it simple to take the iPad onsite where a connection might not yet be present. The app can also put you in touch with local designers, architects, and contractors to help make your vision become a reality. And with a copy of your ideabook in hand, it makes it simple to show exactly what you have in mind.

Home Interior Ideas HD

Home Interiors Ideas HD was selected by Apple as a choice in “REWIND 2010: iPad Apps” and “NEW and NOTEWORTHY”. The app presents a selection of hundreds of interior designs in six major categories:

• Living Room
• Bedroom
• Kitchen & Dining Room
• Bathroom
• House Pool & Jacuzzi
• Japanese Home Interior

The pictures are high quality, and the app allows you see a slideshow and even zoom in for those important details. You can bookmark your favorite design ideas, and even share them via email. Since the app contains all of the resources, no Internet connection is required to use the app. This makes Home Interior Ideas HD a great companion to take with you on a getaway to relax and explore the possibilities.

iHome HD

iHome HD focuses on simply browsing great interior designs, and you can select either a manual presentation or a slideshow. The app does offer the option of using a favorite design as the device’s background wallpaper, keeping the design at hand every time you turn on your device.

Dream Home HD

Dream Home HD presents many different ideas for practically any room of your own dream home. The app allows you to select inspirational designs based on the room type, basic style, and color. The high-resolution photos are presented in a gallery format for quick individual selection, and you can also view a slideshow presented with your selected music.

No Internet connection is required to view the designs, but if one is available it will update weekly to provide even more beautiful designs to browse upon. You can also bookmark favorite designs, and explore design trends, tips, and ideas.

Remodelista

Remodelista is an online sourcebook that has a strong following from design devotees and architects alike. Considered a must read by many, and an obsession by some (such as Gweyneth Paltrow), Remodelista’s daily content features inspiring architecture and stylish DIY projects. With such features as 10 Easy Pieces and Steal This Look, you may find your next project inspired by this interesting iPad app.

Interior 2011 – SWEET HOME (HD)

Interior 2011 is a collection of design images to help you find your perfect home design. The app presents hundreds of carefully selected beautiful kitchens, designer fireplaces, and even home cinemas for your perusal and consideration. In the home design collection you will find:

• 195 Bathrooms
• 98 Bedrooms
• 80 Fireplaces
• 72 Home Cinemas
• 120 Kitchens
• 209 Living Rooms
• 149 Restaurants, Cafes, & Bars
• 92 Saunas and Indoor Pools

Interior 2011 features full screen images that you can zoom, rotate, and view in a slide show. You can also save the images and use them as wallpaper. Please note that the app requires an Internet connection to function.

With the right app, an iPad can be a great tool in finding your perfect dream home design. From the kitchen to the home cinema, the apps presented here offer many ways for you to explore what you like. Like they say, it pays to shop around, because the worse time to find that perfect design is when you put the finishing touches on the wrong choice.

Bio: this is a guest post from Test Freaks, a product review site. TestFreaks is the world’s largest review comparison site with over 10 million reviews and 30 sites worldwide. Read more about Ipad reviews at Test Freaks..

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