After outgrowing his old digs in Almont Yard, interior designer Nathan Turner has moved his eponymous decor shop to a prime location on Melrose Ave and during my trip to LA last month I made sure to stop by to check out the new space. The shop’s vibe reflects Nathan’s eclectic and bohemian aesthetic and it’s filled to the brim with antiques, vintage, art and accessories plus treasures from Nathan’s globe-trotting travels. The back of the shop houses a mini showroom of sorts for his design pal and fellow Million Dollar Decorator Martyn Lawrence Bullards new flooring collection. Here’s a peek inside the all-new Nathan Turner. It’s a must-visit if you’re ever in the area!

Nathan Turner

8546 Melrose Ave

Los Angeles, CA 90069

_{Photos by Nicole Gibbons}

Whenever I’m in LA I always hit up the city’s best design shops but one place I never managed to get to until recently is Nickey Kehoe and I’m so glad I finally had a chance to check it out! Located on Highland Ave just north of Melrose, the rustic space is filled with a worldly and well-priced mix of furnishings and accessories, vintage treasures and one-of-a-kind finds. The shop’s owners are interior design duo Todd Nickey and Amy Kehoe whose design work exudes a modern, bohemian aesthetic that is sought after by celebrity clients like Natalie Portman and Mark and Sunrise Ruffalo. The two were also recently named one of the 5 Designers to Watch in 2011 on Elle Decor’s annual A-List! Check out the eye candy below from their shop and I’d highly recommend a visit if you’re in the area!

If you’re like me and have a passion for jet-setting and shopping then you’ll love L-Attitude, a new e-commerce site I recently discovered that allows you to virtually travel and shop some of the most stylish and exotic cities across the globe. L-Attitude brings you unique clothing, jewelry, accessories and home goods from places like Bombay, Istanbul Manila, Bagota, Hong Kong and New York. I’m especially loving their chic selection of ikat pillows direct from the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, which the site tapped chic street style blogger/photographer Garance Dore to photograph. Above and below are a few photos from the site! If you can’t find what you’re looking for, L-Attitude will soon be launching a bespoke service where you can have whatever item your heart desires hand crafted by their partner artisans and designers around the world. Talk about customer service! The site also has an awesome blog that profiles stylish taste-makers and chic travel destinations but be warned…it’s guaranteed to induce serious case of wanderlust! You can check it out here!

Left: KUYUMCU, Evil Eye String Bracelet, Istanbul. Middle: GRAND BAZAAR, Ikat Pillow, Istanbul. Right: ANUPAMAA, Purple Laburnum Scarf, Mumbai.

During my recent trip to Chicago I made sure to stop by one of my favorite area shops, Jayson Home & Garden. I also snapped some photos of the store to share with you. Often blogged about and featured in publications like Domino and Elle Decor, Jayson Home & Garden is a home design emporium that any decorator or design enthusiast would appreciate. The loft like space is filled to the brim with unique home furnishings, lighting, textiles, home accessories and books. A stylish mix of antique and vintage pieces are juxtaposed with furnishings from contemporary brands like Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams and Lee Industries while a selection of one-of-a-kind items from around the world add to the store’s eclectic feel. And you can’t forget about their incredible assortment of cut flowers, plants, topiaries and chic garden furnishings. The shop is well merchandised and is chock full of inspiration for anyone interested in interior design. And it’s a must visit destination if you’re ever in the Chicago area. For those of you who can’t get to Chicago, you can shop the Jayson Home & Garden website. But given the store’s extreme popularity, you’ve probably been there, done that:) Enjoy the photos!

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I’m always so inspired every time I set foot inside Mecox Gardens. I snapped these photos of their Southampton flagship a few weeks ago when I was in town. I hope you enjoy!

Inside Housing Works’ West Village location

There’s an amazing vintage store chain here in New York called Housing Works. They sell everything from clothes and jewelry to furniture and home decor items and whenever I’m in the neighborhood of one of their seven locations I always stop in to check out their goods. The very best items are merchandised beautifully in the store windows and put up for auction on the Housing Works website. The cool thing is that Housing Works is more than just a chain of thrift shops…it’s a charity that benefits homeless and low-income people living with HIV & AIDS in New York City and all the profits from the items sold in the stores and on their website go to fund Housing Works’ wonderful programs. So if you purchase a larger ticket item you’ll feel good knowing that you’re helping others in need. Below are photos of some of the items currently listed for auction. For those living outside of the NYC area, Housing Works unfortunately offers limited delivery options so be sure to read their FAQ section carefully if you’re interested in bidding but don’t live in New York. Enjoy the photos!

An eclectic vignette currently installed in the window of Housing Works’ Chelsea location.

A beautiful carved Asian armoire as featured in the window of the Chelsea location. Current bid as of 3/23 is $159.50. Auction ends on 3/26.

A pair of very cool vintage leather bolster chairs by Treillage from the E. 77th street Housing Works window. Current bid is $732 as of 3/23 and the auction ends on 3/30.

This current bid as of today for this upholstered side chair at the E. 23rd Street location is $109.50. Auction ends on 4/1. It’s hard to tell with the busy fabric but this chair features a tufted seat back and it looks like it has a very solid frame. I’m not a fan of the blue floral upholstery but this chair could live nicely in my apt if I re-covered it in a different fabric. Perhaps a chic, lived in-looking nubby linen. Hmm…

This gold, gilded French-style scroll mirror is featured in the window of Housing Works’ 2nd Ave location. Unfortunately, the auction for this piece ended at 5PM today so it’s no longer available. The winning bid was $275.

When I was in LA last week I got to sneak away from work for a bit to hit up LA’s design district and browse some of the amazing antique stores and showrooms scattered up and down La Cienega. One of the showrooms on my must-visit list was Woodson & Rummerfield’s House of Design. I love Ron Woodson & Jaime Rummerfield’s design aesthetic. Their signature style combines California modern with old Hollywood vintage to create a look they’ve dubbed “Modage“. I’ve seen many different incarnations of their ever-changing showroom in pictures, as I’m sure many of you have, but seeing the space in person was so incredibly inspiring. The rooms were GORGEOUS! It made me want to go straight home and re-decorate my apartment! Below are some photos I took of the place…

This is the main “living room.” Love! The black fireplace, moldings and chandeliers make the room feel very dramatic while the purple velvet sofa and pink jacquard throw pillows add a feminine touch. This room is so glam! The entire showroom, including the above space, is filled with re-done antique and vintage pieces mixed in with items from Ron & Jamie’s Woods & Fields line. The photography on the walls is by an up-and-coming LA photographer named April Brimer. The modernity of these photos is striking against the more classic furniture styles and decorative elements in the room.

One of Woodson & Rummerfield’s more prominently featured items is this stunning chesterfield style “Aristocrat” sofa. The luscious velvet fabric…the tufting…the Louis-esque legs…the beautiful color…all so perfect! And so chic! I envision some stylish woman with a glass of champagne in hand wearing a dress and high heels sitting cross legged on this sofa while tossing her head back and laughing at something hilarious. Seems like a fitting scenario for such a regal looking sofa! And don’t you just love the series of Brimer photographs of the girl in the yellow dress above the sideboard? I do!

This is W & R’s “Through The Looking Glass” chair. This beautiful wingback chair is the perfect example of how Ron & Jamie use just the right fabrics to make a more traditional piece of furniture to seem ultra modern. I forgot who makes the fabric but I love it.

I also really love this chair here. Another classic wingback style…this time with tufting and nail head detail…made to look more contemporary with white vinyl upholstery. Yup…I said vinyl. The designers opted for this as an eco-conscious alternative to leather. The chair, with its more petite frame, was designed with women in mind.

I love really creative pieces that are a bit out-of-the-box. This cute little chandelier is made of vintage crystal wine glasses and goblets. Very cool. I’ve never seen anything like it!

I noticed a kitchy little collection of interesting porcelain lady heads scattered all over the showroom. You can see them in the photos above. The top two photos are from the main room and the bottom photo shows a few lady heads positioned around the mirror above this chinoiserie cabinet in the entryway. I love the gold Florence Broadhurst wallpaper featured on the in the bottom photo. This is also seen framed within the moldings in the main room.

A view of the main room from a different angle. I really like the portraits at the top of the bookcase.

Lots more eye candy in the photo above of the showroom’s “dining room”. The red bamboo chairs add such punch and I love love love that table. I swear, I could just pack a bag and move right into this place! The best part about my visit was that Ron & Jamie’s super nice business partner Tom happened to be there and was kind enough to show me around and give me the scoop on some of the projects Ron & Jamie have been working on. One exciting venture in the works is a new book called High Style, slated to be released this Fall. A little blurb about the book reads: “From Palm Springs to the Hollywood Hills, features on vintage furnishings and flea market finds complement the stories behind the fabulous rooms they’ve created. With over 300 stunning photographs, High Style packs all the glamour of Los Angeles-where modern fashion meets Hollywood antique-into a book as attractive to display as it is compelling to read.” Another book to add to my wish list and I can’t wait for it to hit the shelves! You can read more about it here.

While running errands over the weekend I stumbled upon a jewel of an antique shop called FIG. And on the Lower East Side of all places! (If you’re not familiar with New York, the LES is known for being one of Manhattan’s grungier neighborhoods.) This tiny little shop is filled with a well edited collection of fine European antique furniture, art, textiles, and jewelry along with many other incredible items. For such a small shop there were so many amazing things to look at! Some of the pieces date as far back as the era of Louis XIV. I was kind of in a hurry and left the shop feeling like I wish I could have learned more about some of the amazing things I saw there. Luckily they have a great website with detailed info on many of their pieces. Check it out here. Some of my favorite picks from their site are shown below. And if you’re ever near the LES you should definitely pay FIG a visit!

Left: How great are these Chinese ginger jars with the little Foo Dogs painted on them?! They’re from the late 1800s. Right: A 19th century inkwell from France.

Left: A French Boudoir mirror from the early 1900s. You can see the store’s reflection in the mirror. Unfortunately this piece is sold but they have a selection of other equally amazing mirrors to choose from (see below). Right: A 19th century French Bergere chair with original needlepoint embroidery.

Left: I love these South African Kudu horns! The Ebonized mirror behind it is also for sale…It’s from Italy dating back to the late 1800s. Right: This 1920s Louis IV style desk is to die for. It’s lacquered black with gilt metal detail and topped with a red tooled leather writing surface. Sorry people, this one is sold too.

These 14K and 18K gold bands from England are from the late 1800s. I’d buy any one of these…so my style! I love the one on the bottom right that looks like a belt buckle. So chic!