Minnie in Malibu

I wish I had seen the APT by LSD on Vogue.com feature on Minnie Mortimer's Malibu home earlier.  Since she's an avid surfer, it would have made the perfect follow up to my Surf's Up post.  I'm waiting for new bookcases to arrive so I was very taken with all her fabulous built-ins.  There is also nothing I love more than seeing what's on someone else's shelves.  The bookcases will flank my sofa so that means I can't hang the art until after they arrive.  I can't wait to create a new gallery wall like Minnie's.  I love her mix of artwork and photography.  Another example of buy what you love and you'll find a place for it. 

Photos by Claiborne Swanson Frank

Courteney's Chic Retreat

I've always heard that Courteney Cox enjoys renovating and decorating homes so when ELLE DECOR offered me a sneak peek at Malibu retreat. She worked on the interiors with designer Trip Haenisch to create a "modern barn" look and feel.  I especially love how the vintage bar stools warm up the white contemporary kitchen. For more photos and the full story, pick up the new issue of ELLE DECOR or check out the online story.

 Photos by Simon Upton

Beachfront Retreat in Los Angeles

Today, dear readers, I have a most singular house to show you. Designer and antiques dealer Richard Shapiro built this Malibu beachfront retreat and decorated it in a rustic yet elegant style with unique period pieces. If you'd like to read the whole story just go right here.



Richard Shapiro, antiques dealer and head of Studiolo home furnishings, at the Malibu beach house he designed with architect Douglas Burdge. The Dutch wicker chair is from the 1960s.

Steel windows fabricated by Pierre Quinton open to a view of the Pacific Ocean.


The living room walls are sheathed in frescoed plaster; a 17th-century Italian gilt-wood mirror is displayed above an antique Cypriot fireplace. Shapiro designed the chairs, the wood stools are 19th-century Ghanaian, and the white-painted cast-bronze floor lamp, by Patricia Roach.

The open kitchen occupying one end of the living space is anchored by an island made of basalt. The same volcanic stone is used for the backsplash and counters; the cabinets are black lacquer. A vintage glass waterfall table by Pace is paired with a linen-covered sofa custom fitted to the alcove.

The dining area is centered beneath a pair of 18th-century inlaid Cosmatesque panels. Rattan chairs and a bench designed by Shapiro.

A sculptural staircase with a steel balustrade winds up to the master bedroom and bath. At its base is a 19th-century replica of an ancient Greek statue; the nail-studded walnut front door is 17th-century Italian.

In the living room, a painted-steel pedestal displays a fourth-century Roman torso.

The timber staircase leading to the beach was designed to resemble the weathered ramparts of a Moroccan fort.

The stone terrace is furnished with rattan and wicker chairs and an early-20th-century octagonal table painted deep red; the large ceramic jar is 16th-century Thai.

The front door is framed by a French 18th-century stone surround and lush greenery.

A daybed covered in mismatched stripes is tucked into a corner of the library; the table is 15th-century Italian, and the painting is by Shapiro.

The library walls feature tadelakt, a traditional Arabic polished plaster. An 18th-century French chair is paired with a Spanish desk of the same period; the ottoman and sofa are Shapiro designs.


A 19th-century Uzbek suzani covers Shapiro’s bed; the 17th-century Italian Savonarola chair stands alongside an antique Burgundian roof corbel.

Shapiro conceived the master bath so that the minimalist tub has views of the garden and the Malibu hills.

Photographed and produced by Miguel Flores-Vianna

All images and information from Architectural Digest.

Tiles and Colours in Malibu

This house in Maibu, California, used to belong to Merritt and Rhoda Adamson, whose family started Malibu Potteries. Where better than in their own home to show off their colourful handmade tiles in every room.


Even the facade has tiles surrounding the entrance door and the upstairs windows.


The grandfather clock stands next to an eclectic tiled table. The lamp and urn are Italian hand-painted earthenware. The blue ceiling and burnished walls, which symbolize sky and earth, echo the natural vista outside.


Down to its intricate fringe, the Persian-style tile "carpet" in the loggia was conceived for the house by William Handley, a designer for Malibu Potteries. The elaborate pattern, which includes more than 670 tiles, was created using cuerda seca glazing.


Glass doors with a wrought-iron grille bring light and ocean views to the hall.


The baseboard skirting is composed of tiny individual tiles set into a motif that continues up the stairs.


The dining room's frescoed ceiling consists of painted, wood-framed plaster panels that echo the rhythm of the floor tile.

The kitchen's geometric patterns have been described as Pueblo Deco, in contrast with the Moorish motifs in the rest of the house.

The upstairs hall with its ironwork railings and scored oak floor features decorative painting by two Danish artists who spent a year accenting doorways, ceilings, and furniture. The linen closet doors are adorned with trompe l'oeil "carvings."

Viking and Venetian galleys, an ocean liner, and a clipper ship navigate the bright-blue-tiled walls of Merritt Jr.'s bathroom.

A closeup of the bathroom tile.


The Adamsons planted a flowering coral tree outside the bathroom shared by their daughters, Sylvia and Rhoda May.

The floral patterns on their Belgian silk bedspreads mimic the tree's red-orange blooms. The bedroom's ceiling was painted by Danish artists, who also decorated the bookcase.

The Malibu Potteries bathroom tile also takes its inspiration from the flowers just outside the window.

Each of the home's six bedrooms has its own bathroom, where walls, floors, and even some ceilings are tiled.

The Peacock Fountain, just outside the loggia, captures the colours of the Pacific. One tile to the left of the urn was set backward; it's believed to be a deliberate error reflecting the Islamic belief that perfection comes only from God. (Beats me... I can't find it!)

Designed for sunset viewing, the tiled patio features a built-in fireplace for chilly evenings.

All images and information from here.

Surf's Up: Part Deux

The surfer images from Vogue reminded me that I took some photos of surfers myself while I was in LA. I made Christian of Maison21 take me to Malibu so I could see what all the hype was about. I wasn't that impressed with what looked like a trailer park plopped down on the side of the road (I'm sure the homes look much better from the ocean side) but I did enjoy all the hot surfers. I swear the one in the first few photos saw me taking his picture and started posing! Only in LA! I thought we could use some fun man candy and beach photos on this gloomy day. Enjoy!

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic