Sumner Design Studio

I live in California, where most of the time I’m extremely thankful for the mild weather.  But seeing decorations like this makes me nostalgic for those Minnesota winters…

I’m kind of a dork about Christmas, and especially about Christmas decorations.  I have a binder full of magazine photos of Christmas decorations that I think are interesting.  So I’m going to post some of those over the next couple of weeks.  Unfortunately, I didn’t keep track of where most of these images came from, so I can’t give credit to those who created/photographed them.

This one is one of my favorites – I love the Scrabble display.  Every year I say I’m going to recreate this on my entry table, and every year I forget about it.  Maybe next year…

I really like this woodland-inspired Christmas tree, which I saw in the December issue of Martha Stewart Living:

Even though it’s not your typicall green Christmas tree, I’m actually really liking the bronze/brown/white color palette.  Of course I love the owl ornaments.  And though I’m not a fan of mushrooms in real life, I like the mushroom ornaments, and think the ones sprouting from the moss at the tree’s base are a clever idea.  I looked around for some ways to recreate this look.

I was surprised at the number of colors you can get artificial Christmas trees in.  Z Galerie has a small, copper colored tree that would work well:

As far as ornaments go, there are a surprising number of owl and mushroom ornaments available.  I know owls are popular now, because I keep seeing them everywhere, but mushrooms?  Here is a good option from our old standby, Jayson Home & Garden:

And a sparklier version, in case a tree made of tinsel wasn’t enough:

As far as owls go, Jayson has this little guy in a number of colors, but I’d stick with the gold option:

Or the white one:

Z Galerie also has a good white owl ornament:

And finish it off with some of these gold pinecone ornaments from Crate & Barrel:

I’m back…  Sorry I have been missing in action.  I just looked at my last post and was shocked to realize that it was a full month ago.  In my defense, I just moved into a new condo.  Have you moved lately?  It’s not fun, and it takes a lot more time than it should.  I will write some posts about my new place, but not until it’s photo-worthy, which may be a few months yet.

It’s December now, which means I can post all the Christmas decor I want to!  I’ll be back next week with more regular posts.  Until then, I leave you with this image from photographer Bruno Suet, via Desire to Inspire.  You know I love me some portraits – I’m loving the cardinal in the modern setting, flanked by the two red pendants.

My wife is a big fan of owls, and lately I’m noticing them everywhere.  Here are some of my favorites:

This little burrowing owl pillow is from Areaware.  I saw one of these owls (a real one, not a pillow) recently in Berkeley, and yes, they really are that cute.  They’re not purple, though.  I’ve posted about Roost products before, and they’re doing a lot of owl products right now:

Barn Owl Lamp

Look at this inquisitive fellow!

Owl candleholders from Z Galerie

On Friday night we went to see Regina Spektor at the Fox Theater in Oakland.  It was a great show, and the setting was amazing.  The Fox opened in 1928, as a grand movie palace in downtown Oakland.  It closed in 1966, and narrowly escaped demolition in the 70s (it was slated to be replaced by a parking lot).  After being closed for forty-three years, a newly restored Fox opened in February of this year.  I’ve admired the building’s exterior since moving here twelve years ago, so it was exciting to check out the interior.

Exterior of the Fox Theater

Even during renovation, the exterior is pretty amazing.

This photo, taken from the balcony during construction, gives a glimpse of the grandeur of the interior.  The detail of the ceiling is incredible:

Here is a photo of the stage area after renovation:

sfgate.com

And a close-up of the deitites that flank the stage:

Besides the main theater, the building houses a no-cost performing arts school.  Downtown Oakland has so many gorgeous buildings dating from the 20s and 30s, and it’s amazing to see another one restored so beautifully.  If you live in the Bay Area, I recommend checking out a show at the Fox.

So this post is a little late, but there’s still time to round up a few creepy home accessories…

Like this white ceramic owl from Z Galerie.  I love owls, but I have to admit that barn owls (which this guy appears to be) freak me out just a little bit.

I love these claw candlesticks, from perennial favorite source Jayson Home & Garden.  I would use these year round.  Jayson also offers this luxe bronze skulls:

But my favorite is Donghia Bell’Insetto fabric.  It’s not cheap, but it’s amazing:

Check out the black colorway:

I’d love to see this on a gilded Louis XV chair – creepy and beautiful!

I have a new furniture crush.  Bradley Hughes is a manufacturer that’s new to me, and I’m loving what I’ve seen so far:

I love the dark glamor of these pieces, and the juxtaposition of contemporary and traditional elements.  Like the skull fabric upholstered Mick chair above.  It looks like they are to-the-trade only, and I’m sure they’re not cheap, but get a look at these pieces:

Beth Console

Alice Chair

Giselle Chair

I love the detail on the Beth console.  The Alice chair would make an amazing desk chair.  And the Giselle chair looks like something out of a Gothic novel, or maybe the Mad Hatter’s tea party – love it!

I found this image on Martha Stewart’s website, of all places.  You know I’m a big fan of orange, and I love the shade they’ve used on the walls of this entry.  What really makes this special is the border – they applied brown ribbon around all the edges for an inexpensive custom look:

I was flipping through the latest Ballard Designs catalogue, and I spotted this new fabric that I thought was interesting.  Their fabrics generally seem a bit stodgy to me, but I’m really liking this one:

They’ve taken vintage documents and combined them into this fabric.  I’m a sucker for anything with vintage script (why don’t we learn to write like this anymore?), so I find this very appealing.  It can be purchased by the yard or on any of their upholstered items:

I think it adds a little interest and a slightly contemporary twist to these traditional pieces.