Yellow saved my world one miserable day in April 2 years ago. I am a hard core New Yorker and suddenly found myself being hurled by the realities of earning my daily crust, across the 48 contiguous states, all the way back to California from where I had escaped 7 years prior.
We had lived in California for 25 years and was more than happy to bid the land of earthquakes farewell. We moved to Marin in the 90’s when David was hired by Lucas Film. After my daughter completed high school, I escaped Marin County by the skin of my teeth. Frankly, I would rather tour Pakistan with a hard core, drug addicted heavy metal band than ever live amongst the homogenized colony of the white and the right in that peculiar piece of geography and demographic.
So I digress from mellow yellow to morose Marin days.
So its 2011 and we find ourselves Santa Monica looking for a place to live to accommodate our new live-work schedule. Fortunately, we found a great spot, a few blocks from the ocean. I know I shouldn’t complain because the weather is amazing and humid free so your hair looks good almost every day, but you really have to search for cultural activities and people who understand your NY state of mind.  Anyway, this is about decorating…could you ever guess that!

Since our timeline was and still is unknown we wanted to keep our decorating budget modest. To ship furniture nowadays costs too much so you end up selling the pieces or giving them to Goodwill. Better to reinvent yourself and start from ground zero.

West Elm became my go-to store. They have great style, good individual pieces and copy high end design, using quality fabrics and materials…all at a manageable price. Decorating assists to fill in the gaps by Ikea are amazing. They really stepped up their game since their inauguration into America as quality has improved and you can hang on to Ikea pieces for several years. CB2, although a bit more expensive than Ikea, has also definitely raised the bar for our demographic on the move.

Bed, Bath and Beyond provided 500 thread Egyptian cotton sheets and duvet at a phenomenal sale price along with those cherished 20% coupons. A lamp with a dynamite patterned yellow shade from Ikea resting on a metal bathroom cabinet from West Elm (mixing metaphors, yet again), complimented the vintage lamp on the other bedside end table from the amazing Melrose Trading Post flea market (7850 Melrose Avenue and Fairfax in West Hollywood). I added a modern, well priced lampshade from Lamps Plus and voila, a groovy bedroom design, highlighted by a grey suede tufted West Elm head board. And then the item that tied the entire room together… bright yellow paint behind the headboard. I like to frame out a room. Toss in a mélange of groovy pillows of different designs and textures (which all men detest) and you have made magic. The sunshine yellow turned this undistinguished room and my dark mood into a haven of happiness.

When envisioning a beautiful room, original artwork comes to mind. I want to give a shout out to an emerging artist. Emerald is an extremely talented and creative women who is my daughter’s contemporary. She is presently working in a “Brownies and Bitches” environment in the retail therapy world, but it will not be long before this self-taught artist, jewelry designer and Pratt Institute grad has her boundless talent recognized.

=                                                                                   original painting by Emerald Whipple