John Saladino

Most people don't associate John Saladino with Architecture and Garden design as he is more well known for his Interior Design and Furniture Design. As I have an ongoing admiration for John Saladino's style I would like to profile these two areas of his work in today's post.

John Saladino on Architecture:

"Architecture, beyond being shelter and keeping the rain off your head, for me is an emotional experience. One should be enveloped in a world edited and made endorsing the occupant." John Saladino

John Saladino

John Saladino

John Saladino on Garden Design
"The landscape is a created reality, an improvement on the real world. The garden then may become a quest or seeking of paradise. We transform nature so that we may spiritually embrace it". John Saladino

John Saladino

John Saladino

photos from John Saladino web-site

Vancouver Artist Glenn Payan

"Artists help us to understand what is around us."

Andree Putman

Patricia Gray - South Granville Residence

photo BPlus Studio

I recently completed a residence for clients shown above and hung a piece Glenn Payan's art.

"The subjects of many of Glenn’s paintings are colourful and, sometimes moody, whimsical landscapes: west coast and mountain villages, local Vancouver scenes and perched roadways winding along coastal waterways and between majestic mountains. His obsession with the Sea to Sky corridor, between Vancouver and Whistler has produced many stunning pieces."

In case you haven't heard Vancouver & Whistler are hosting the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The following pieces of Glenn's work are of the Sea to Sky Highway which links Vancouver to Whistler mountain. Above the Cheakamus II 2007 Oil on canvas 40" x 60"
Howe Sound 2007 Oil on canvas 72" x 18"

Glenn's works are on display at the Ian Tan Gallery

Marrakesh

Last night I spent some time on the My Marrakesh Blog. It is Maryam's Blog and she lives in Marrakesh, Morocco. Her and her husband have recently purchased 9 acres of olive grove and are building a home there. She hails from the US and has lived in Marrakesh for 6 years. She is an accomplished Blogger and has received quite a few awards for her Blog: The Bloggers Choice Award for Best Travel Blog, The Blogitzer, and she is the finalist in the WebLog Awards for Best African or Middle Eastern Weblog....among others. Her Blog is fabulous and it has wonderful images and information about living in Marrakesh. I listened to her Podcast and now I am dreaming about visiting this wonderful city. Check her out at My Marrakesh .

Maryam did an interview on her blog with Alan Keohane , a British photographer, now living in Marrakesh that caught my attention. "Alan Keohane’s images of Moroccans are some of Morocco’s best known and most loved. His touching portraits of nomads with their camels, Berber women from the Atlas mountains, fantasia horsemen in full regalia, and young beauties preparing for hammam, can be found for purchase in upscale boutiques throughout Marrakech." I fell in love with his images of the desert and went to bed dreaming Lawrence of Arabia dreams. I have to have one of his pieces!!!!!! He wrote a book in 1994 Bedouin Nomads of the Desert which is now out of print and is only available used at the UK Amazon store. I have just put my order in for one and now I can hardly wait to receive it in the mail.

Image owned by Alan Keohane. May not be reproduced in any form without Keohane's written permission. His portfolio can be seen at http://www.alankeohane.com/.
Excerpt taken from My Marrakesh .

10 Things I Love in my Bathroom

Pampering for me starts first thing in the morning. I like to have few things, but the necessities that I have need to be the best. I love the quote by Gucci "Quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten". Case in point being my Pratesi towels. Just about broke the bank, but I have used them daily for several years and they are still like brand new, and I love them every single day. Fine Egyptian cotton gets better with use. I don't have a lot of time to get myself together in the mornings. My day usually starts @ 6:00 AM with a work out with my personal trainer. I have tried to do it on my own but it is too easy when the alarm rings to make an excuse - like I'll do it tomorrow - and roll over and go back to sleep. So I pay my trainer in advance and if I miss a morning I forfeit the fee. Good Incentive. My make-up and hair regime has been tailored down to a fine science.

Minimal, quick and oh, of course, CHIC.......... Louis Vuitton Make-up Bag

My minimalist 5X Magnification wall mirror

Jo Malone Bath Oil Pomogranate Noir
I love the scent and can't start the day without it. The fragrance lasts and lasts.

I have often been asked hours after I have put it on, what the fragrance is that I am wearing.

Bobbi Brown Long wear gel eye liner lasts all day and is water resistant

KissMe Mascara This revolutionary cream mascara from Japan encases your lashes in tubes of color which plump and lengthen your lashes. (It gets even better!) The tubes create a water-proof, smudge-proof seal. To remove, the combination of water and pressure pop off the tubes clean from your lashes

Ionic Hair Dryer dries my hair in half the time with 1/2 the heat

My Pratesi towels in white with 3 lines embroidery in ecru. They are the softest, dreamiest Egyptian cotton.

Last but not least my heated limestone floor in my shower (Picture to follow)

Tchotchke

I have been seeing the term "tchotchke" used a lot lately. The new store in SanFranscisco Jett Modern has a whole category of accessories called Tchotchke. The Gold Gnomes by Phillipe Starck are my ultimate tchotchke.

This is the offical dictionary definition:
tchotchke \CHOCH-kuh\, noun: A trinket; ... Tchotchke is from Yiddish tshatshke, "trinket," ultimately of Slavic origin.