A Good Weekend To Read and Celebrate Hard Working Women:

 

 

What a weekend this will be!  Amazon has been wonderful to me today!  I received two new, long awaited books delivered to my front door – no hassles, no bothers, no long lines, no gas guzzling, no red lights.   Ah, the beauty of Amazon, my most faithful love.  These days I order almost everything from Amazon, not just books.   I have ordered light bulbs, shoes, a microphone (for the Skirted Roundtable) and even a new laptop!  And if you just  happen to need one – you can order a chandelier from Amazon.   I’m not aware of anything you can’t buy from this fantastic company.   Alas, they make it too easy to spend money.  They keep your credit card on file and you just have to hit –SEND – and it’s delivered, usually the next day.  Amazing.  Just amazing.   I had preordered these two books and had no idea when they would be released,  so it was a complete and delightful surprise that they arrived just in time for this long weekend.    And, at first glance, they are both winners.    The first book is Rachel Ashwell’s – the Queen of slipcovers, pink, turquoise, and crystal –  her newest effort is Shabby Chic Interiors HERE.  The cover is so beautiful,   I could stare at it all day – the pink, the gilt, the settee, the crystal, the peonies.  And  there is Rachel, as always, looking ravishing in her favorite low waisted jeans.   Oh, Rachel, it makes me sad to think about your current financial woes!   How disappointing it all must be for you!   Hopefully, this book will be a new start for her company, certainly she has no place to go but up at this point, it’s all such an awful shame.   The book certainly looks promising – perhaps her best effort since this one:   

 

 

The Shabby Chic Home (HERE) is almost ten years old now (!) and it remains a favorite of mine.  I love books that tell the story of one house – from its run down, unattractive beginnings to its perfectly furnished and remodeled finish.   Both this book and the new one are certainly my kind of design books.    If you have never read The Shabby Chic Home, it makes a perfect companion to Rachel’s newest book, which is very similar:  the story of her latest house – room by room, just like her fans like.  The pictures in Shabby Chic Interiors - by Ashwell’s favorite photographer Amy Neunsinger - are gorgeous and worth the price alone. 

 

 

I don’t want to ruin it for you, so I’ll just show you a few vignette pictures from Rachel’s newest book Shabby Chic Interiors.   Here, the kitchen with its charming wall mounted faucet – I love this!   Only Rachel can make washing dishes look romantic.

 

 

Pink, green, and blue- Rachel’s palette. 

 

 

Her bedroom is my favorite room in the new house, the curtains are a luscious silk taffeta in a very, very pale amethyst.  

 

 

White marble and English styled faucet.  Notice the old fashioned drain stopper - so Rachel.

 

 

Rachel has a wood cart just like the one in my office!  She calls hers a shoe cart, I call mine a wine bottle cart.  Who’s right I wonder? 

 

 

 

The other book Mr. Amazon Man delivered today was Kathryn Ireland’s second, Creating a Home (HERE.)    I wrote about this book a few months ago HERE when it was available for preorder only.   But, it’s out now and it looks beautiful!   The photography is bright and bold – all of her newest fabrics look tempting.   It’s a book for me, that’s for sure – the story of a dilapidated old ranch in Ojai California that Ireland takes under her wing and transforms into a fantasy country estate – although, in the end -  she couldn’t afford its rehab and had to sell.   My favorite series of pictures are of Ireland, dressed in a ball gown, posed around the swimming pool with her three teenaged sons.   Her middle son decides he is through with the photo shoot and the look on her face as she bribes him, scolds him, pleads with him is priceless!    What those pictures say about the manipulation of the family members during those “fun” totally uncandid photographs speaks volumes.   It made me think of all  that Martha Stewart’s daughter must have had to endure as a child – after all, Martha’s husband bolted from that media storm as soon as he could. 

 

 

 

Some of the pictures have been seen before in a few magazines, but the majority are new.   I can’t imagine how hard it must have been for Ireland to sell something she had poured her heart and soul into.  She writes that she bought the ranch thinking she and her boys would live there fulltime – the only way she could truly afford it.   Her boys resisted – they had no wish to move from Santa Monica - dashing all of Ireland’s hopes and dreams. 

 

 

The master bedroom suite, separated from the main house.  I love how the three flooring surfaces come together here: tile, wood, and seagrass.

 

Both Ashwell’s and Ireland’s books are remarkable for this:  they tell the story of two highly independent women, both from England, who came to America on a lark and penniless.   But, through hard work and gritty determination, they both reinvented themselves and became international successes.    Ireland and Ashwell share so much biographic history – it truly is uncanny.   And what better weekend than Labor Day to celebrate what hard work and toil can bring to you – regardless of where you are from, and how little you have to start with.    And though Ashwell is currently suffering through this  economic downturn, I have no doubt that she will rise again, like a Phoenix.   Hopefully, just like Ani DiFranco, another true American success story, says here:

 

Thirty-Two Flavors:

And god help you if you are an ugly girl
'Course too pretty is also your doom
Cuz everyone harbors a secret hatred
For the prettiest girl in the room
And god help you if you are a phoenix
And you dare to rise up from the ash
A thousand eyes will smolder with jealousy
While you are just flying past

 

From our house to yours - I hope you all have a safe and healthy Labor Day Weekend.

If You're Going To San-ta Barbara:

If you are planning a trip to Santa Barbara, the tony town just north of Los Angeles - there are a few places to stay that would interest interior design aficionados.  Two were decorated by interior designers covered in the last two Cote de Texas blogs and one is, well, special - as you will see!

HOTEL #1:    The Canary Hotel

Recently purchased by the company that owns Shutters on the Beach, one of the most popular hotels in southern California and it's sister property, the Casa del Mar,  the Canary Hotel sits squarely in the hustle and bustle of downtown Santa Barbara, which could be a either a  good thing or a not-so-good thing if you want peace and quiet.  The allure of the Canary Hotel to Cote de Texas readers would be Michael S. Smith, recently named #9 on CoT's Top Designer list (yeah - ok, big deal!)   Smith, fresh from his Shutters on the Beach renovation, next tackled the elderly building that the Canary Hotel occupies.  The rooms' decor  is true Michael S. Smith:  hardwood floors, four poster canopy beds, seagrass rugs, white linens, Mediterranean styling. lush draperies, comfortable seating, Ikat and ticking upholstery fabrics,  and a Suzani inspired pillow (of course!)  The bathrooms have tiled showers a la Smith,  and the rooms have the Michael Smith ubiquitous blue and white pottery and fabrics (of course!)

The Canary Hotel:  rooms by Michael S. Smith:  four poster beds, seagrass matting, blue and white ikat upholstery (barely seen on chair to the left of bed), and Mediterranean styled, dark-stained wood furniture.

And here's Michael Smith's trademark:  the Suzani - this time seen on a pillow!

The Canary Hotel bathrooms have flatscreen tvs, hanging pendant lights, damask wallpaper, and tiled showers (visible in the mirror.)  The vanity and mirror are the dark wood that Smith loves.

The other side of the guest rooms:  blue and white porcelains, blue and white ticking on the sofa, dark wood Spanish styled dresse, and flat screen tv.  Nice!

View of the guest room from the opposite side.  Great attention was paid to decorating details such as framed prints, trendy lamps, and octagonal mirrors.

The lobby at the Canary Hotel was redecorated by Smith:  French styled wing chair, accent pieces for side tables, flat weave area rugs, large hanging Suzani, and note the tiled wall behind the sofa!  Pure Michael!

The terrace of the Canary Hotel on the top floor gives a panoramic view of the ocean and the mountains.  I love the outdoor fireplace shaped like a Spanish Mission bell tower, seen on the left.

The terrace set for a wedding on a foggy day in Santa Barbara.

The terrace at sunset.  Chairs wear striped fabric chosen ny Michael S. Smith.

HOTEL #2 - The Oceana Hotel

Shown here, the beachfront Hotel Oceana was once actually four motels combined into one.  A casual hotel, far more so than the previous luxury Canary Hotel,  the Hotel Oceana has the distinct advantage of being directly on the beach.

Decorated six years ago during its renovation by Kathryn Ireland, the rooms are dressed in Ireland's checked fabric.  Here, the choice was yellow check.  Note how Ireland covered all the lampshades with her checked fabric.

Here, this guest room is done in Ireland's sage green check, while the draperies are a contrasting fabric of hers. 

Here Ireland decorated this outdoor patio with vibrant colored fabrics.

One of the four buildings that make up the Hotel Oceana, facing the beach.

Rooms here either face the ocean or an interior courtyard such as this one, above.  The lush landscaping is so typical of southern California where bougainvillea grows wild on the sides of the freeways.

Another courtyard view, this time with an emphasis on the Spanish tiled roofs.

This is probably the only time you will ever see a conference room outfitted with Kathryn Ireland paisley fabrics and pine conference tables!  This look is so typical of Ireland - and so atypical of conference rooms.

The reception desk at the Hotel Oceana.  Ireland fabrics cover the sofas and the lampshades.  Astute observers will notice a similarity between these lamps and the lamps in Ireland's own bedroom.  The desk paneling is fauxed to resemble Ireland's beloved pine furniture.  Again, this look is Ireland's own translated to a hotel lobby.

Sorry this picture is so small!  Some of the guest rooms have canopies behind the upholstered headboards as shown in this picture taken from Ireland's old web site.

The bathrooms - through an archway - have fabric attached with nailheads instead of cabinet doors  - a homey Ireland touch.

And here is a picture of a guest room in Ireland's red check fabric with contrasting curtain fabric.

HOTEL #3 - The San Ysidro Ranch

If you grow tired of Santa Barbara's hectic pace and want a little peace and quiet, you will find it south of the city towards the foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains.  There, an old, luxury hotel, over 110 years old to be exact, is located on the same land titled in the 17th century by the King of Spain.  It's called the San Ysidro Ranch and it just might as well be called Heaven on Earth.   Located on over 500 hundred acres of coastal landscape, it offers views of both the Pacific Ocean and of the mountains.    Famed for where Jackie and John Kennedy spent their honeymoon (if you choose, you can even stay in the original cottage that the Kennedys slept in)  AND where Laurence Olivier and  Vivien Leigh married, the hotel is steeped in romance, history, and beauty.  Owned by Ty Warner and Rosewood  Resort, this hidden ranch is gorgeous, inside and out.  The rooms are housed in cottages and each one has different decor.  Completely remodeled and refurbished during a renovation that lasted three years,  the ranch is in tip top shape and well worth the money (that is, if you HAVE the money to stay here!)  There are a variety of different rooms and suites, all decorated by Marc Appelton and his company (one of Architectural Digest's elite 100.)   The cottages all have radiant heated floors in the bathrooms and outdoor rain showers along with private hot tubs on their terraces.  All have fireplaces and just about every amenity you would expect out of a five star hotel.  The best part for me is your dog is even welcome here - with a $100 cleaning fee, of course.

The entrance to the San Ysidro Ranch.

The ranch newly landscaped with lavender and olive trees and pergolas.  Sandstone was brought in for retaining walls.  Views are of the Santa Ynez mountains.   

Flowering plants are everywhere.  Lilly of the Nile lines the path on the left.

View of the Pacific Ocean in the back, pergolas and landscaped gardens in the front.

A lily pond surrounded by sandstone on the newly landscaped grounds.

The "Hacienda" -  the original ranch house built on the property in 1892.  Now this bougainvillea covered cottage is where guests congregate and check in.

The front desk at the San Ysidro Ranch.  I love the antique sofa on the right.

The Stonehouse, built in 1889 to handle the distribution of oranges that grew on the ranch during its days as a citrus farm.  Now, it's the restaurant.

Outdoor dining on the terrace of the Stonehouse.

This adobe ranch house, built in 1825, is a California Historical Landmark.  It now serves as a private dining room.  I love the sunburst mirror!

Or you may choose to dine on your  private deck with the Pacific Ocean in the background.

The tennis courts, surrounded by the towering eucalyptus trees found all over southern California.  The Pacific Ocean can be seen in the background.

One of the 41 charming cottages - the garden gate is under a rose covered pergola.

The grounds surrounding one of the cottages with chairs and birdhouse.

All of the cottages have outdoor rain showers - can you imagine?

The Orange Cottage living room.  Notice the high, wood ceiling.   Love the plasma tv showing the famous Roman Holiday movie!  

Through the garden gate to one of the cottage rooms.

The Oak Grove Cottage.  Again, note the gorgeous wood ceiling and wonderful fireplace.

  

One of the cottages surrounded by flowers and mountains.

The Lavender Cottage's bedroom and sitting area. The African Queen plays on this TV.

One of the cottages with the bedroom on the left and the sitting room with fireplace on the right.

Close- up of the bedroom area.

Picture of the cottage's newly renovated bathroom with its dual vanities.

The Gardenia Cottage.  Is this the most romantic hotel room you've ever seen?

 

Another cottage with the charming french doors, vaulted wood ceilings and luxury decor.

 

A footed bathtub in one of the cottages.   Lit by a chandelier and warmed by an oriental rug - is this a hotel bathroom?

 

The secluded outdoor terrace of a cottage.  The cottages have outdoor showers and private hot tubs.  I love how the windows swing open for fresh air.

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The Willow Cottage with its charming chintz upholstery and curtains.

 

If you had a chance to go the Santa Barbara area and money was no object, would you choose to stay in the downtown shopping and antiquing area in the Michael S. Smith decorated Canary Hotel, or would you chose the Kathryn Ireland decorated beachfront Hotel Oceana, or would it be the San Ysidro Ranch outside of town in the shadow of the Santa Ynez Mountains?   Hmmmmmmmm.....??????    Let me guess!