Nocturnal Animals: Part 2 The Movie Set

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Set designer Shane Valentino along with the movie director Tom Ford chose a stunning Malibu house designed by Scott Mitchell. The house was used as the home of Susan and her husband, Hutton. “One of the directives we had in terms of Susan’s world was that it wanted to feel very hard and cold,” he says. “A good way to do that is to look for lots of glass, concrete, or hard materials.”

Art was also a major component to the design of Susan’s home. Valentino used a mix of modern and contemporary art throughout the house.

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Valentino reworked the interior design of the house to include darker furnishings which you can see in the 2 pictures above.“A lot of it is almost a mirror of some sort of Tom’s life and his world that he lives in,” he says. “The chaise lounge, the settees, and the armchairs that are there are part of his aesthetic. We went to a lot of high-end design places like JF Chen to find particular pieces.” Below I’ve put 2 pictures of the original house before the changes were temporarily made for the movie! It has the complete opposite ambiance of the dark and mysterious movie set… here the house is light and airy which is beautiful but somehow I’m in love with the changes made by Valentino!

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Anyways back to the set design

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I love this photograph from Richard Misrach’s Desert Cantos series that was hung in the entryway. It’s  from Tom Ford’s private collection. Not sure if I would use or put this photograph in a home, but  I think that this particular movie it was a brilliant choice by Valentino, especially with Susan’s hair colour against it! And most importantly I feel that landscape was the perfect hint for us of what was expected to come in the movie….  and sort of set the mood for us!

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Another art piece that caught my eye was that beautiful painting by Mark Bradford that hangs above Susan’s bed. I haven’t seen his work in person before but after I saw this I put him on my lists of artists to check out!… I just love it… In fact, I love everything in this room… Everything chosen complements each other without feeling matchy …like how the black marble table top complements the painting…. I love how all the wood walls complement the black and white in the room… I could go on and on about this room but I’ll stop and instead share a picture of the original bedroom just in case you were wondering about it!.

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So what do you think?  Which house do you prefer?  The dark and mysterious one? Or the bright and airy one?

The Art of Packing

Louis Vuitton has dedicated a cute video about packing. They show us how to make the most of our luggage space and more importantly how our clothes can remain in good shape once we have arrived! I mean honestly who better to show us how it’s done other than the most famous luggage luxury brand? Hope they keep making more and more of those short videos with those helpful tips!

10 Unusual Uses For Coca Cola

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I found this amusing so thought that I’d share it just for fun… I wish that I knew about number 8 when I was a kid!!! lol

1. Pot Cleaner

The bottom of pots sometimes become blackened. If you pour Coca Cola into your pots and let it sit. Wash the pot as normal with concentrating on the blackened areas and the Coke will likely remove the stains!

2. Rust Buster

Soak rusted metals in Coca-Cola overnight and then scrub in the morning. The rust will weaken and come off more easily.

3. Toilet Cleaner

Add a can of Coke into the mix to help hasten the cleaning process.

4. Window Cleaner

Instead of using chemical household cleaners, try wiping down windows with Coke to remove dirt and grease.

5. Clothing Stain Remover

Pour Coke right on top of a stain and let it soak. Ofcourse the stain will slightly discolor due to the color of the soda, but after you throw your clothes into your washing machine, the shirt will come out clean.

6. Pain Reducer

Dab the affected area with the beverage to relieve bee stings and mosquito bites. It even works for jellyfish stings!

7. Stomach Soother

Coca-Cola helps balance the pH levels in your stomach and will temporarily relieve heartburn and indigestion

8. Remove Gum From Hair

Soak your gum-tangled hair with Coke and let it sit for a few minutes. With some patience, begin to slowly pull it out.

9. Kill Bugs

If you want to get rid of an ant hill or rid roaches, spray the bugs with Coke. Even though it attracts them, it will also kill them once they’re inundated.

10. Loosen Bolts

Because Coca-Cola is so helpful in dissolving rust, it can help to loosen bolts that have rusted and once were close to impossible to remove.

Via Homesessive

Labeling With Style!

I always found labeled jars and other labeled household stuff rather ugly!… Well until I saw this picture below!…I love the way the labels were done here… so stylish and they have a minimalist look to them!!…They somehow remind me of the skin care brand philosophy that I used to use back in college days!

For more information on how to do your own labels go to The Painted Hive

Traveling Tips From Collin Cowie

It has been a few days since I posted!… I am away for spring break with my family and I guess that I have taken a break from blogging as well!!!

We are in Dubai at the moment which isn’t too far away from home!…. Regardless of the distance packing was required …. and for those of you who know me (or have been reading my older posts!!!) know how obsessed I am about packing!!!

Anyways packing for this trip reminded me of a video of Collin Cowie that I found a while back and thought that his traveling tips were really helpful… he has a refined version of how we pack and I just find it inspiring!!!

PS: Please ignore the fact that it’s from a wedding program!!!

Entertaining Tips From Collin Cowie

I just love Colin!….. I mean he doesn’t just throw fabulous parties for celebrities…he lives fabulously too!!!  I have been living by his rules or Tips on how to entertain ever since he was on Oprah a few years ago!
Colin believes that there’s no better way to share in life than to invite people into your home. “I think you will agree that some of the most memorable moments in life are spent around the dinner table.” he says.

Here are 3 main tips that I think would be key to successful entertaining!!!

Be Organised:

You won’t find any junk drawers in Colin’s kitchen. Every cupboard and drawer is meticulously organized. “I can find anything I’m looking for at a moment’s notice,” he says. “It allows me to be able to entertain whenever I need. I get really turned on by keeping everything in the right place.”

Always Be Ready:

Thanks to a huge stock of dinnerware and supplies in his organised kitchen, Colin says he can throw together a dinner for 100 with an hour’s notice. He keeps 24 chickens, a dozen racks of lamb, duck breasts, frozen soups, chicken stocks and veal stocks in the freezer…and a huge variety of chilled beverages are always ready in the refrigerator….. just in case!!!… ( Now you obviously don’t have to stock up the same amount of food or drinks in your fridge… but you get the idea!!!)

Be Creative:

Colin obviously sets the most beautiful tables and I think its because he practices all the time… I mean he sets a proper table even when he dines alone at home!!!!…By arranging your table settings everyday even when you are dinning alone you get to experiment and try different table settings and that helps with coming up with some sort of creative ideas for settings!!!

Via Oprah.com.

My New Addiction!!! Clean House New York

Those of you who know me very well know that I just love the show Clean House…yes the makeovers aren’t great, but the befores are so bad they make the afters seem pleasant!!! Plus who couldn’t love Niecy Nash? She is just hilarious!

Anyways……..Clean House New York is my new addiction!…. it has the same concept but is done New York style!….. Basically the show will be dusting off the city that never sleeps! From the East side to the West side.

Clean House New York has 2 interior designers instead of just 1! Nina Ferrer and Michael Moeller (who I prefer)….They will help messy homeowners battle the disorganization that is holding them back ….Then, appraiser Elyse Luray and auctioneer Duncan Schieb identify anything valuable and sell it at a yard sale, auction, flea market or wherever the team can make the most money out of, with proceeds going towards the homeowner’s new clean and clutter free space with a surprisingly nice makeover by the 2 designers.

All Dolled Up!

My daughters love their American Girl dolls and all the accessories that come with them!. So imagine my delight when I saw those pictures below of how a mom managed to tackle and contain all the clothes, the shoes and bits and pieces of those dolls. Her solution was very simple ….. I’m sure that my daughters will love some of her ideas as much as I do!!!

Via IHeart Organizing.