The building was the creation of the actors behind United Artists, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin, and the architecture is a riot of styles which has been restored to it 1920's splendor by the folks at the Ace Hotel. Every area held a surprise.
According to the La Conservancy's website, the faces of some of th evil Hollywood producers are carved in the columns along side other gargoyles and grotesques.
I was lured through a red velvet curtain (of course) and drawn into this powder room glamorously frozen in time.
Did Mary Pickford ever sit here?
The tiles on the stairways are perfect for a home; theatrical and magnificent, yet whimsical and over the top (what are those animals?)
None of the architectural delights were as fantastical and wondrous as this mysterious shrine which greets you as you enter the lobby. Was this original to the theatre? If not, why, who, what???
Yep, that's a corona of fingers with matching staff...
with a herd of bizarre blue cats at her feet. Fab shoes too...
A quintessential example of why I both love and hate this city is that no one else seemed particularly intrigued, delighted, or disturbed by this centerpiece--it just accepted like most things in our city. No staff I questioned knew anything about him. I was shocked there was no mmention of this sculpture on either the Ace Hotels site or even the L.A. Conservancy site. Only when I googles "weird finger statue Ace Theatre" did i get to the answer.
The statue is the work of artist Kevin Willis who created it during the remodeling of the hotel and theatre and also did other installations at the hotel.
It is called Cathedral of Our Lady Fingers. He also refers to him as the patron saint of feral cats. No other explanation is necessary in L.A.
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The client wanted two pullout shelves for DVDs but I wonder how
much longer these will exist. Lets see...since my beginnings of consuming
media, we've seen records, 8 tracks, tapes, laser disks and stuff I can't
remember that has become obsolete.
We used 3/4" inset euro hinges and full extension Accuride glides
with a 75 pound rating. Old school technology is heavy duty.
Event supports flights to help children needing medical care
Thursday, August 29, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal
Event supports flights to help children needing medical care
Miracle Flights for Kids was the charity chosen to benefit from a little soiree held at Mortise & Tenon furnishings Aug. 22.Miracle Flights for Kids enables all children to have access to the best medical care, no matter where that treatment is located, and no matter what the personal or financial situation of their families might be.
Often, health insurance companies do not cover out-of-state transportation. Volunteers associated with Miracle Flights for Kids provide air transportation for children and families to specialized health care facilities throughout the country at no cost to the parent or to the older patient if he or she meets the program's requirements.
The Mortise & Tenon store at 4590 W. Sahara Ave. is known for its unique furnishings that also can be seen on the sets of such popular television shows as "Friends," "Will & Grace," "Just Shoot Me" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."
Guests were invited to see the new fall lighting collection: a sassy group of very small to tall lamps decked out in crystals, silk brocade and even eyelash fringe.
Debi Bedell, public information officer for Miracle Flights for Kids, greeted guests including the organization's founder and president Ann McGee and her husband Bill, entertainer Rick Thomas, Susan Houston, Sean Bayliss, Judy Robinson, Tanya Norbert and Kathleen Poulos.
Four lamps were set aside for a silent auction and a portion of all the lamp sales went to Miracle Flights for Kids. Bob Jeswald, weathercaster at KTNV-TV, Channel 13, did a wonderful job of getting the bidding up and collecting donations throughout the party.
Guest bartenders were TV anchors John Overall and Darren Peck of KVVU-TV, Channel 5. Wild Sage Cafe prepared wonderful appetizers such as warm puff pastry squares with wild mushroom duxelles and caramelized shallots; oven-roasted new potatoes stuffed with truffled potato puree; and chicken salad with sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts on endive spears that were butler passed to guests Dr. Michael Carter, Dr. Victor and Yolanda Muro, Dr. Robert Gutierrez, Irit Langness, Robert Graff, Ken Brownlee, Tammy Foss, Nader Hassani, and Frances Lee Dowell with granddaughter Ashley Sade Holman.
Introduced was 3-year-old Justin Israel with his father, Wayne M. Israel. Little Justin has been flown back and forth to Arizona where he received a cochlear implant enabling Justin to hear sounds for the first time. Nancy Byrne and Veronica Meter were seen chatting with Felix Rodriguez, Maite Garcia, Jerod Lazan, Lynne Garcia and Juan Garcia of Mortise & Tenon.
Golden anniversary: Longtime Las Vegas residents Jenny and George Jaramillo recently celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with family and friends at their summer home in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Before retirement, George Jaramillo was the owner and president of Las Vegas Fertilizer Co. The Jaramillos were married 50 years ago at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Las Vegas.
The couple renewed their vows and received an apostolic blessing from the pope at St. Pauline's Chapel at the famous Broadmoor, a magnificent Colorado resort hotel built in 1918 exuding Old World charm. The couple rode in a horse-drawn carriage from the chapel to their summer home on the grounds of the Broadmoor.
A candlelight dinner catered by the Broadmoor was held on the patio overlooking the Broadmoor's golf course. Tables of eight, decorated in pastel colors with English bouquets of fresh flowers, were set for the 60 guests. There was an ice carving of the Eiffel Tower reminiscent of their trip to Paris, and strolling violinists entertained during dinner.
Joining their parents for this significant celebration were their children, Paul of Las Vegas, Greg of Colorado Springs, and Tina Farina and Kim Shah of Los Angeles.
A twilight supper welcome: Dorothy and Stan Bokelmann's Royal Crest Ranchero home was the site for a resplendent supper welcoming VannAnn Moore to Las Vegas. Moore was in town to perform her one-woman music theater production, "The Life and Times of Lillie Langtry," at Winchester Center theater.
The Performing Arts Society of Nevada and Clark County Parks and Community Services sponsored the performance.
Her father, Ivan Moore of Belen, N.M., accompanied Moore as they joined guests Mari and Floyd Harris, Dorothy Howard, Larry Groth, John Meren and Thomas J. Gallagher in viewing the Bokelmann's award-winning desert landscape garden. Hostess Dorothy Bokelmann had prepared a cold buffet of meats, salads and fruits. The dessert was double chocolate and orange pineapple cakes.
]]>When it comes to purchasing a rug, ask yourself these questions:
1: Where am I going to put this rug?
2: What kind of use is this rug going to get?
3: How long do I want to own this rug?
Inexpensive rugs are not a bad idea for porches, kids playrooms (not for babies though, you don't need them putting wool in their little mouths) or for spaces you don't intend to have for over 5 years. Just beware, you will become very good friends with your vacuum.
However, if you are in the market for a rug, and don't plan on buying another, invest wisely.
Wool: This word has become a loose definition for hair that has been sheared from an animal. Wool is most commonly harvested from sheep, although may also be taken from goats or even camel.
Dead Wool: It's brittle, coarse, poor quality wool used in production of many high volume, commercially available rugs (Fast Food). This type of wool often will shed profusely, and render a rug lifeless in a short period of time. Dead wool is often the refuse from combing out finer, longer stapled wool.
New Zealand Wool: Typically New Zealand wool is often known for it's longer staple, and naturally soft feel (Fine Dining). This is due in part to both the altitude and vegetation available to herds. It's not uncommon for a rug to have a New Zealand and local wool blend to counteract the investment of import and material cost.
Gazni Wool: Typically found in higher quality peshawar weavings, this comes from high grazing sheep in the mountains of Afghanistan. This wool is soft yet firm to the touch: Depending on the way in which the wool has been treated, Gazni wool often has very slippery (almost oily sides), with a crisp and strong feel after clipping of the pile.
Semi-Worsted Wool: Semi-Worsted wool is a very solid quality wool which is retrieved from wool by the process of combing. After wool has been combed, finer, longer strands of wool are separated from shorter less desirable wool. The term Semi-Worsted wool refers to a wool which has been produced by one of two ways: Either the very high grade wool (after being separated from low to mid grade), or the highest grade wool which is separated from the lowest grade and then is blended with a medium grade wool.
Worsted Wool: Worsted wool refers to a process (and product) of combing excellent quality wool from high, medium and lower grade (determined by length, or staple.) After wool has been combed, the finest, longer strands of wool are "Worsted."
Qurk / Kork Wool: Qurk wool is taken from the neck, belly and underarms of the sheep. This is often considered the most choice of wool to come from the sheep, as it is very fine, thin, and long stapled. Kork wool is most often reserved for only the finest of weavings. Perhaps this type of wool is most commonly found in high-end oriental rugs. The appearance of fairly untreated Qurk wool has almost a dull finish, yet very compact, firm and dense feeling pile.
Pashmina Wool: Pashmina wool is exclusively taken from the coat of Himilayan goats. This wool is very silky, long stapled, and very unusual to come across in exported weavings from rug producing countries. Pashmina wool is very soft, highly sought after, and very expensive.
Mohair: Mohair is harvested from the Angora Goat. Mohair is often very fine, long stapled and have a silk like appearance and feel. Mohair rugs are very unusual to come by, as mohair is a very expensive and hard to come by fiber to be used in production of Oriental Rugs. One should carefully inspect a mohair rug for color run, as it's not entirely uncommon to find overdyeing of colors which could potentially run. Also, be careful when purchasing mohair, most find out later that they are allergic. If you can manage getting a sample, I highly recommend it.
Chemically Washed Wool Rugs: There are techniques which are used post production which chemically treat the wool pile of a rug to give it a softer feel and more lusterous pile sheen. While these washes may be used successfully with little affect to the woolen fibers, it is not entirely uncommon to come across a rug which has been too harshly treated with this process. Similarly, there are rugs which have a very low quality wool which have been subjected to these washings which make them appear to have a better quality wool than is actually used. In both cases of too harsh a wash, or low quality wool to begin with, copious amounts of shedding will be apparent from the aggitation test.
How will I know if my wool is healthy?
What to look for: Judging the quality of wool takes many years of experience, however, there are ways for even a novice to pick up on sub standard quality rugs. Although it's not uncommon for a new Oriental Rug to shed just a bit in the first several months, there are extended cases of shedding which are a serious problem. A quick test for low quality wool is to first thoroughly vacuum the face of your rug, then aggitate the pile back and forth with your hand a dozen times to see if wool surfaces. If the wool which surfaces to the pile may be rolled into a ball which is equal to or greater than the height of the rug's pile, chances are you have a carpet where inferior quality wool had been used in production. Additionally, wool which feels "brittle," "coarse," "dry to the touch," or "wirey" are also signs of a lower grade, or "less choice" selection of wool used in weaving. In the long run, this generally means the longevity, durability and and appearance of your rug will be compromised. That is to say, an Oriental Rug which has a lower quality wool will show signs of wear far quicker and appear "used" far sooner than that of an Oriental Rug which impliments a higher grade wool.
Low wool grade rugs are a problem in more than just looks alone. Wool that surfaces, more often than not, are individual hairs from any given knot. As each hair is released from a knot, the knot will subsequently become more loosely packed in the structure of the rug, making it far more suceptible to future shedding.
Life of a working dog.
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Every month seems to have it's own theme and the month of May has certainly been one of custom furniture randomness.
We have been using custom laser cut panel patterns in many of our cabinets but still haven't featured one on our showroom floor.
The Brentwood Project.:This customer purchases homes and completes high-end remodels. They come to us to help them stage the home with custom furniture.
Over the last few years we have been building our own custom metal furniture and although this is a piece we buy, not build, it's been fun mixing wood and metal into our designs.
I love when I get to give the drawing for this geo table to our shop manager, he gives me a blank stare for a few seconds, than it's total concentration for the next 10 hours.
Another Sara Ingrassia custom furniture design. This walnut entry way cabinet is finished in a alcohol glazed stain with a pre-cat bar top lacquer top coat. We put temporary handles on this piece until Sara finds the perfect pulls.
A client came into the store the other day with a couple ofvery old chairs that were falling apart. The finish on them (which lookscharming in this photo, but trust me, isnt) was coming off in sheets and the upholsterywas threadbare.
The other problem was that these chairs werent them. They simply didnt fit who theclient was, and how they were going to live their lives. They wanted something FAR more modern andedgy, even ironic.
So we went to work. After taking the old finish off, we reupholstered them in this deep purple, and gave them a super glossy black and silver angle.Sometimes it's good to tickle a goat.
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Can there be too many choices.... maybe, but not around our parts. With every new custom order we build we are introduced to a whole new way of looking at a product.
Over the years.... well more like 23 years, we rarely build the same item more than a few times. Our clients are so creative and have such specific design requirements, we have made one of a kind our mantra.
Nothing more exciting than starting with a stripped down interior. I am always amazed at the ability of great interior designers to take a empty palette and turn it into a amazing interior environment.
Want to mention that our vendors for this project are listed at the end of this post, great resources especially the hardware
Jaclyn S. Los Angeles, CA
This could be my new favorite furniture store.
Price-wise this is no IKEA but I think most of their prices are actually really reasonable. Walking by the storefront I spotted a beautiful Chesterfield sofa in an indigo and cream classic print. At Anthropologie something like this will set you back 3k-to-5k. This one, however, was marked at ~$1800 (http://www.mortiseteno...). I couldn't believe it so I decided to go inside.
Literally, I've never seen a home interiors store I thought displayed such classic but eclectic good taste. There were furniture pieces with stunning custom woodwork and cabinet designs, detailed with iron or walnut burls. Amongst other things, I looked at botanical prints, framed vintage maps, an armillary sphere, pewter (?) monkeys, and cast iron sparrows finished in verdigris. Overall, I'd come here for framed art and odds and ends, also big furniture pieces. The lamps appeared to be priced in the whopper range ($350++) for the few price tags I perused. However, they said they're usually running some kind of sale, which is definitely a plus.
Btw - as said in another review, the lack of tude is truly amazing and part of the reason I made a couple purchases. Nobody looked me up and down, nobody followed me around the store or pressured me to buy, but when I had questions they were helpful, charming, and informed.
If your taste is global but not kitschy, refined but not boring, then get on your shopping shoes and check this place out.