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Wheel of Fortune
Sometimes, I find the lottery to be depressing in the way it functions as a regressive tax, taking higher proportions of poor people’s money than rich people’s, since it is the poor who keep holding on to that hope, and they have less disposable income to begin with. But sometimes, lottery-winning stories are just enough to convince me, “why not let people keep hoping? Sometimes it works!”
Last Wednesday, a 50-year old Ventury county man who works at his local Ralph’s grocery went into a Chevron and asked for two $10 lottery tickets, as he always does– one for himself and one for his father. But the clerk made a mistake and gave him one $10 ticket, and one $2 ticket. She asked if he would like to cancel the transaction and start over, but he said no, he’d give the $10 one to his father, and just add $8 more worth of numbers for himself.
Then, after his lunch of Chinese food yesterday, he was inspired to check his lottery numbers when his fortune cookie read, “You will enjoy a luxurious life.” Sure enough, he had won $10,000,000 with the $8 ticket he had accidentally purchasd. He said he has no immediate plans for how to spend the money, but will continue to work at Ralph’s because he doesn’t want to “become a lazy slob.”
info via The Ventury County Star
Oh, and if you haven’t seen Waking Ned Devine, the movie that these images are from, you absolutely should. It begins when an elderly Irish man wins the lottery and then dies promptly upon hearing the news, and hilarity ensues as his lifelong friends consider faking his identity to claim the winnings, and inevitably the whole of their small town ends up involved in the moral dilemna.
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Kitchen inspiration… via a Pixar film…
Have you seen Ratatouille? If you haven’t, you MUST. It’s so good. And not just good for an animated film. Good period.
I absolutely loved the kitchen at the restaurant, and I just found a quicktime tour of it– you can pan through– it’s so cool.
Check out that gorgeous black and brass La Cornue range! We want to borrow elements of this kitchen for the restaurant kitchen at Mattei’s, which will be a display kitchen with a chef’s table in an inglenook. We love how it’s not all matchy-matchy like a modern American kitchen– so many textures, and notice all the different finishes? There’s brass, stainless, copper… and it feels totally authentically French.
It also makes me want to know more about set design for animated movies. How do they do it? Do they have a set designer do all the specifications and everything as though it’s real, and then just have the animators create it digitally? Sooo beyond me. There’s also a tour of Skinner’s office, and it just makes me think, “Who chose that rug on the floor? And how/why?” So cool.
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Summer Style
Summer necessity… a new bathing suit! Bought online, which scares me a little bit given the fit of a bathing suit is rather important, but it was so reasonable on sale! From Boden.
A recent splurge… gorgeous leather carry-on from Steamline Luggage. Hey, I travel a lot and it was also on sale!
Yeah, I’ll take him too. Image via the Sartorialist.
Adorable clothes from Mona & Holly.
LOVE this look captured by Garance Dore.
Image via style pill
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Freedom of Expression
I love the way each of these bedrooms has a fairly neutral palette, but uses art and artifacts to give the rooms character.
Stephen Shubel
Cottage Living
Thomas O’Brien
Ken Fulk
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Industrial Revolution v2.0
I realize industrial-chic is becoming quite trendy at the moment, but the look really does work for this Mattei’s project, I swear! And I particularly like the legit antique pieces. How cool is that industrial architect’s drafting table?!
Antique drafting table and bluestone-topped dining table from Balsamo Antiques, zinc-topped side table from Avant Garden, and reproduction demi-lune zinc-topped tables from Mecox Gardens.
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Ultimate bar
I know I just posted on a bar tray, so it must really seem like I’ve got booze on the brain, but really it’s just this Mattei’s project, I swear. And hey, it’s five o’clock somehwere, right? Just kidding.
Anyway, we love this bar! It’s so perfectly moody looking, without being dive-y. Saloon-y without being kitschy. I wish I knew what bar it is, but it’s actually from an ad for Antique and Vintage Woods of America. It’s a brilliant ad since the whole atmosphere of the bar seems to be set by the gorgeous wood ceiling. We will definitely be copying that ceiling.
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Campaign Modern
Richard Wrightman‘s take on campaign furniture is brilliant. Only subtle changes from the traditional designs, but important ones. The shiny black leather just takes it to a new level. And now we’re thinking about doing this tray table as the nightstand instead of the red one for Mattei’s.
Also, we emailed them about pricing and customization, and Richard Wrightman himself wrote back within hours. Gotta love that.
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Your next whiskey bar
I am OBSESSED with this bar tray from Laurin Copen on 1st dibs. Wrapped in red leather with a chrome inside? Yes. We are considering making something custom like this as the bedside table for Mattei’s, so I think we should just buy this one as a prototype, right? And we can just store it in my apartment when we don’t need it. I wouldn’t mind too terribly.
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Los Olivos
So we’re just getting started with our next project, which is going to be an inn on the property of Mattei’s Tavern in Los Olivos outside of Santa Barbara, and I thought I’d put together a little virtual inspiration board using the images from our actual inspiration binder! The hotel won’t be finished for about two years, but you can start daydreaming about your wine country getaway now! We certainly are!
First, Mattei’s Tavern:
Built as a stagecoach stop in 1886, this historic building that sits right at the edge of downtown Los Olivos is now one of the most popular restaurants in the Santa Ynez valley. Surrounding the restaurant are roughly 5 acres on which about 22 cottages, a pool, spa, and gym will be built. Here’s are some images we’re loving:
Love the palette, half and half curtains, and dark mullions in Stephen Knollenberg’s Lake Michigan house.
From Ken Fulk’s napa retreat, we want to borrow the niche of stacked wood and the brown ticking stripe on the upholstery- so casual and inviting, just like the little town of Los Olivos.
We like the idea of pillows with this clever hardware detail. In a town as horse and wine-loving as Los Olivos, a little hardware can add just the dose of equestrian that people want to see, without crossing the line into kitsch.
Wouldn’t you love to dine outside in this rustic-yet-romantic setting with wine-country views? We plan on using LOTS of these Casamidy lanterns around the property for a dose of sexy amidst the charming historic architecture.
Among the many things that San Ysidro Ranch got right are their windows. We definitely want to incorporate these cute corner windows, as well as the clever ways they open. Notice the hinges at the top of the corner window– they are awning windows that open out– and the tracks on the other windows– they slide!
Classic shutters and hardware are a must as well.
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Modern Organic
Urban Hardwoods, based in Seattle, creates stunning furniture using reclaimed tree trunks and branches from the forrests of the Pacific Northwest.
This might be the coolest butcher’s block I’ve ever seen:
