Colorful Mats

The apartment of Ingrid Bergman in the 1958 film Indiscreet has become a design favorite.  I've never seen anyone else frame their art so colorfully until yesterday when I came across two examples. 

David Hicks also used colorful mats or "picture mounts" as they are called in David Hicks: A Life of Design.  This London apartment from 1954 was also featured in House & Garden so I wonder if the set designer from Indiscreet happened to see it.

While looking through Tales of Endearment, the blog by Natalie Joos yesterday, I came across a photo of Fabiola Beracasa's apartment.  I love how cheerful the bright colors look on the dark wall. 

Kate and Andy Spade also hung artwork with colorful mats in their daughter's room.  The craziest color I've used for a mat is pale blue so I might have to add this idea to my list of things to try this year!

ART by Thomas Nozkowski .......(Via Made By Girl)

Elle Decor's October 2010 issue featured an artist named Thomas Nozkowski. Did you see this feature?? 

I'm a HUGE art lover, I find Nozkowski's work to be quite compelling! For me, the colors & the use of unusual shapes are what attracts me to his pieces.  Thomas has been painting for more than 30 years....but I REALLY hope his work will be talked and written about more.  Enjoy! 

Picasso: His Recent Drawings 1966-1968... (Via Made By Girl)

After seeing Nicole's post about this Vintage Picasso book, I definitely wanted to post mine! I have so many books and this one is DEFINITELY one of my favorites!  The book is called "Picasso: His Recent Drawings, 1966-1968" and was published in 1969 with 254 pages.  It retails for anywhere between $20 to $300....from what I've seen online. 

So my advice would be to make sure you look around for the BEST PRICE if you really want to add this book to your collection. This book is a MUST have for art-lovers like myself, below are some of my favorite pages. 

images by jen ramos

Art of Heather Williams.....(Via Made by Girl)

Some of you may recall me blogging about the art of Heather Williams here, but I just love these prints! She uses the most amazing colors don't you think? My favorite is the Rose Trio print, it's just STUNNING & every time I look at it, it puts me in a good mood!  


Heather also offers other custom sizes if you think the 8x10 ones are a bit too small for your taste. For me personally, I prefer my artwork to be BIG...and the Rose Trio print, I can picture it in a 30x30. But that's just me..Check out her shop to see the rest of her work!

images via heather williams

Susan Brown's Romantic Paintings....(Via Made By Girl)

I came across Susan Brown's paintings some time ago and found them to be so romantic and pretty! These are great pieces of artwork for those of you looking to add flowery-type ART to your home! On her site she offers originals and prints of her originals as well. 

For me, I'd rather have the ORIGINALS.....I need to TOUCH the canvas and feel the paint texture!  I was also very drawn to Susan's use of colors, she's not afraid to splash hot pinks and bright reds on one canvas... all the while still looking great! 

Check out more of Susan's work via her site.

images via susan brown

The Fantastic Work of Jeremiah Goodman

One of my dreams is to meet artist Jeremiah Goodman and watch him work.  Since that hasn't happened in person yet, I'm glad I can see photos of him sketching and painting.  Usually his work is on the smaller scale but the Swedish retailer Acne commissioned him to create three large canvas murals for their London boutique.  I don't usually like to mention age but Mr. Goodman is 88 and his fantastic work is clearly keeping him young!

Photos by Dean Rhys Morgan

The Big Bambú

The best part about the roof garden at The Metropolitan Museum of Art is that it's open to the sky. So imagine my surprise when I stepped off the elevator and was faced with a 100 foot long bamboo structure that blocked the sun! It looked like a cross between Kon-Tiki and a hippie Swiss Family Robinson habitat. My visit was at the end of May when I was at the Met to see the Picasso exhibit so I hadn't read yet anything about the summer installation which officially entitled Big Bambú: You Can't, You Don't, and You Won't Stop. At first, I wasn't sure whether I liked it or not but once I had a chance to walk through it and read more about it, I definitely came to appreciate this amazing art exhibition.

Twin brothers Doug and Mike Starn and a team of rock climbers will be constructing Big Bambú until October and you can watch them build it before your eyes. I witnessed one worker strip the bamboo poles of leaves and cut them for the other members tied them together with nylon rope. You can see in my photos that the team climb very high off the ground and dotted throughout the installation. If you are also dressed properly, meaning sneakers and shorts or pants, you can schedule a guided tour that takes you along the footpaths and bridges that weave through the structure. I, of course, was wearing sandals and a dress so I didn't not take advantage of this opportunity which quite frankly looked scary! I am sure it would be very exciting for children though. It will interesting to check in periodically throughout the summer and see how Big Bambú has evolved and even more so to see how it ends. And more importantly, I wonder how many months it will take them to clean up!

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic

Colorful Art Pieces.......

ART can make such an impact in a home, don't you think? I love LARGE paintings in a dining room area and in entryways. In fact, many of the art hanging on my walls here at home, I painted. However, for those of you who aren't that SKILLED in the drawing or painting, there is hope! 


You can still OWN something original & handmade by artists from all over the world. Below are a few artists, who I think may bring a nice POP of COLOR into your homes with their work.  Enjoy! 

 above artwork by heather williams

above artwork by yahgie

above 2 pieces by cozy little cave




Below is some of my personal work....none of it is for sale but it's to show you my own PASSION for drawing & painting. However, the bottom painting is currently hanging in my home.
You may recognize the drawing (of the face) below from the Mademoiselle Frou Frou shop, I came across the painting online and drew it for myself.