Houses in Film

Meryl Streep's new film It's Complicated has one of the most beautiful homes I have ever seen. With true southern California style; the home is in Santa Barbara - but rumored to be in Thousand Oaks.

Jon Hutman; who also did set direction for Somethings Gotta Give and The Holiday admits that he can't take all the credit for the movie's beautiful set. He says he read countless blogs and every interior decorating book that exists.

Jon also worked with Beth Rubino for set direction who also helped with his previous movies.

The house was so beautiful that I just couldn't believe one of the big parts of the plot was remodeling the gorgeous kitchen and giving the house a new addition. Watch the film and check out Nancy Meyer's other films complete with beautiful homes.

The Holiday

Somethings Gotta Give

What Women Want

Father of the Bride II

Football Sunday

I have to admit I was a cheerleader, but I think my enthusiasm for football ended years ago. If you live in southern california this week you no doubt noticed the overwhelming support for our San Diego chargers. The girl at starbucks served me my latte with "GO CHARGERS!" vs the standard "have a nice day".

I love community coming together, neighbors gathering for BBQs and any excuse to drink beer. So here are my favorite outdoor entertaining spaces for a sunday afternoon with the game on.

I love this earthy colored adobe used for the wall and fireplace.
Built in benches and planters.

Is all the focus on your TV?

Flat screens are officially how TVs are made these days. Armoires just don't seem necessary when you can put your television on the wall like a piece of art- but do you want to send the message to your guests that your TV is your focal point?

So many rooms gather around the TV for many reasons; number one- you have to watch the television sometimes and to do so having furniture face it is nice. Number two- that large space about the fireplace just seems to be asking for a TV to be nailed to it. I am a sheep in this awful trend and vowed to find a solution to the eyesore that is my television. I came across these do it yourself frames with doors and the new version of an armoire for a wall.

Custom made units can be made from any cabinet, armoire or entertainment unit doors.

Covering the screen completely is even better! A beautiful wooden frame with craftsman doors is much better than the metal frame of plasma screens.

I wasn't able to find many wall mounted armoires without a custom made furniture maker, hopefully more companies will catch onto these very useful and beautiful furniture options.

Decorative panels on these wall mount tv armoires found on horchow.com

The tv sunk into the wall with wood framing the inside and outside of the unit makes the tv feel like a built in piece of furniture thats interesting to look at even when the tv is off.

Remember Your Resolution

Most American's made a resolution to be healthier for 2010. To go to the gym, eat better and be more conscience of their overall health. Was this your resolution?

Stick to your workout goals for 2010, we are only half way through January and people are already starting to forget to give themselves personal fitness time in their day. Whether you sit down to breathe in meditation, do yoga, go for a run or hit weights at the gym- DO IT FOR YOU. Its the one thing no one can take from you.

In times of people losing jobs, homes and cutting back on everything we can, personal health will be yours as long as you decide- not your employer, friends, clients or stock market.

I want to be a Gypset

They are people I’ve met–or been inspired by– in my travels who have perfected a high-low approach to life that fuses the freelance and nomadic wile of a gypsy with the sophistication and global references of the jet set. Its an alternative way of traveling and living that’s based more on creativity then money. Instead of a luxury hotel in St Tropez or St. Bart’s, you might find a Gypsetter in Montauk, Cornwall, or in a teepee in Ibiza.

- Julia Chaplin

I read an article in Paper Magazine this month about a woman named Julia Chaplin, who claims herself to be a countercultural wanderer. Her story was so interesting I came straight home to research her and her culture of "Gypsets", people who are gypsy-like nomads yet also jet-setters.

Julia says the gypset culture came from "a reaction to the conspicuous consumption of the jet set- a group who seemed cutting edge when they emerged in the 1960's but by the 2000's had become completely commodified and boring (aka the St. Tropez syndrome)." With horrible economic times for everyone and people losing their corporate jobs and turning to work via Internet or blackberry, the gypset lifestyle was born from this change. Ability to sublet apartments via craigslist for a month and use proceeds to live in a hut in Brazil- no one will know where you are emailing from! Julia was inspired for the lifestyle described, as she created her book Gypset Style, from British romantic poet Lord Byron, Victorian adventuress Jane Digby, and Hemingway; to the Surrealists in Mexico, the beats in Tangier and backpacking gypsies and hippies.

She says "a gypsetter doesn't take vacations, they barter residencies, crashing with friends and swapping apartments." So if a gypsetter does check into a hotel its short on comforts and big on characters. where waiters serve local rums and where sarongs.

She claims that most gypsetters will be artists, surfers, musicians, designers or "bon vivants".

Gypset Rule #1

Hang out in places that are hard to reach, preferably more than three hours from an airport and down long dirt roads.

Gypset Rule #2

Don't mind falling asleep with salty hair

Gypset Rule #3

Montauk, not East Hamptons; Ibiza, not Capri; Venice beach, not

Santa Monica

Gypset Rule #4

Mansions and villas are OK as long as they are someone else's and are seriously run down.

Gypset Rule#5

Never wear clothes with visible logos

Fabrics

Scarves are used for blankets, clothes or shelter.

Inspiration.

When you have so much travel gear that you have to stack it up and use it as furniture. . . you may be a gypset.

Gypset style

The gypset style creates interesting and inviting spaces without feeling posh or swanky, yet they still feel rich and historic is a way that could never be bought with money.

Rich colors with interesting patterns match with cut metals or woven fibers or woods with many different colors and shapes.

Use cooking techniques and utensils from other regions other than North America. Friends and family will feel apart of your nomadic journeys as they eat from pounded metals, coppers or wood instead of an average porcelain plate.

Multiple patterns mixed and matched will find a way to look gathered through travels vs styled.

Easy living, simple needs and good company.

No matter how necessary planes and cars are at times, bikes, boards and feet will always be the most fabulous transportation a gypset can travel by.

A gypset will always look glamorous no matter how many hours she has spent on a train, boat or plane. Flowing material is comfortable and loose while stylish at the same time. There is no need to be sitting for hours in skinny jeans when a floor length skirt will look just as beautiful.

Headwraps do not have to be scarves, yarn, beads or different strings can become accessories for the traveler.
visit julia's website and follow her journey at www.gypset.com