Perfect Holiday Gifts Under $50 from Craig Olsen - Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from Craig Olsen! We wanted to share our top picks for fabulous and unique holiday gifts this year - sure to "wow" with their uniqueness and tasteful "stand out" qualities. All items are available at Craig Olsen - feel free to shop online at our Online Store or call us directly to place your orders at 323-677-2111

This Body Tonic can also be used as a room spray. These make useful gifts for any host/hostess this holiday season, and you can't go wrong with these incredible scents (you've never smelled anything so good - we can't get enough). $27/each

This 17-3/4"L Metal Beatle is a fabulous addition to any home OR garden. And for $48 it's guaranteed to be a standout gift. This is a unique piece that we just love.

We have these beautiful hourglasses in red/clear. purple/clear, in clear with white sand and clear with black sand as well as turquoise and clear. They are $42/each.

We are obsessed wit this gorgeous Monkey See statue. $29

These glass votives are not only the perfect holiday gift, but they also make the perfect addition to any holiday party. And for $13/each, how can you possibly resist?

This large industrial wooden tray is great for breakfast-in-bed or even better as an addition to any coffee table. It's a powerful design piece for any room and mixes beautifully with every design taste.

11"H Stoneware Hand, Cream. You can't go wrong with spreading "peace" this year - and this statue is the kind that radiates the message regardless of it's placement in your home or office. $38 

Are Snakes the Silent "Power" Trend?

If you like snakes, but are not too keen on having them as a house pet, why not bring them into your home by including them in your decor. Snakes have been associated with some of the oldest rituals known to mankind - they definitely make a strong statement in fashion and interior design.

Speaking of fashion, that's where we always take our "cues."  We have noticed some interesting trends taking place this Fall 2011.

Notice this Jimmy Choo Snake Wedge - and since "Furniture" follows "Fashion," we always watch for the trends in fashion. And regardless, when has Mr. Choo ever steered any of us wrong?  

If you want to do just "a little" - something not quite so "bold" you can easily add an interesting table top accessory, or try a subtle side table.

If you are someone who "goes big and takes chances in your decor" - I particularly like this piece for a front door.

I am not a fan of snakes in the "skin" so to speak but for some reason I have become slightly obsessed with this snake chain fabric and plan on designing some dining room chairs for my own home - stay tuned for the completed work - I will post a photo once they are complete!

Connect with Craig Olsen on Facebook, and be sure you're getting his tweets...

Fabrics Galore: Organizing the CRAIG OLSEN Library

Organization is key - in any business, in any household, in any anything. And we usually are VERY organized - but it's that funny thing that happens when too many artists "live" and "work" under one roof (showroom) - things are bound to go haywire. So we spent today going through all of the fabrics that we have acquired over the years. Every piece you see carries deep significance to us here - they are all equally important to us. Some denote specific trends, some represent complete design statements, some compliment other pieces we have in our space, etc.


We usually put the company of where the fabric came from and roughly how much of it we have - so that's already organized. We just had them all over and in mountains...



Lately, we have been working a lot with pink, as our clients are asking for it more and more, so we put together some of our favorite textiles on our inspirational wall. Because let's be honest...it's all about the inspiration in life...or at least...it is for us.






Oh, the deal on all those little tags is...we acquire tons of remnants over the year so in order to know what I have I like to put them up on these tags-it helps my mind be organized and I usually will put the company of where the fabrics come from and roughly how much of it I have. I use these little bits and pieces for pillows, piping for a fun little chair etc etc.

Pillowcases with Personality...J'adore!

These pillowcases are 100% cotton and are manufactured through companies that emphasize environmentally friendly processes, fair wages, healthy working environments, gender equality and the development of self- sustaining communities. Everything that is important at CRAIG OLSEN. A set of 2 retail for $98. They make great gifts - they're too cute to pass up! Who doesn't see themselves as King or Queen? They're also perfect for your own home or guest room.

"Sleeps with dogs" is our personal favorite. Everyone that purchases these from us slyly pushes the neatly enveloped pillows towards us and kinda looks down almost with shame and embarrassement that they allow their furry children to take up space in their bed - if they only knew how much we all do the same thing! Too funny!

MAG RAGS FOR THE HOME!

***Kendra is blogging this week about her favorite online design magazines!!

One of my new fav pastimes is reading and browsing through online magazines. Living in Los Angeles I must drive past at least 4 newsstands a day but do I ever really wanna pull my big suburban out of the flow of traffic and stop? Do I have time? Is there ever a parking spot right in front to fit said ridiculously large vehicle? No, No, and of course not!

I thought I would share with you all some of my top picks:

#1 for me is High Gloss!
 Of course the name drew me in first and foremost but I do love the mix of furniture and fashion and the latest Issue is all about L.A.! Yay!

http://www.highglossmagazine.com/issues

Coming in at a VERY close 2^nd and fairly new to the online mag game is Ivy and Piper.
Funny enough Ivy and Piper actually remind me of myself and Craig. We both have a very different design style that when put together is also very cohesive and I gotta say produces some fab results!

 http://www.ivyandpiper.com.au/

#3 is Adore Home!
This is Australia’s 1^st online home magazine and lemme tell ya, those Aussie’s really know their stuff! Check out their Urban Road page where they show you all kinds of cool canvas art prints.
Oh, P.S. You can get this look by stretching a really cool textile over a canvas for instant room va-voom!



http://www.adoremagazine.com/

Rue is great because it covers interiors, fashion, great shopping places, outdoor design, food, awesome giveaways and great stuff to download from do it yourself invitation that are way cute or playlists.

http://www.ruemag.com/

Last but quite obviously not least is Lonny! Check her out!

http://www.lonnymag.com/issues/31-sept-oct-2011/pages/1

Go ahead- waste a few creative hours!!!

"Coffin" it up Vampire Style

Craig and Kendra are blogging together this week.

***WARNING: If you haven't seen the latest TRUE BLOOD Episode this may be a small spoiler for you.

It's no secret that I love my vampire's. Of course I am team Edward and with Craig and I having been both born and raised not that far from Forks (yes, it really is that rainy and gloomy) the whole Twilight Series was really exciting for me.

When I had the opportunity to help furnish Vampire King Bill Compton's newly remodeled lair for this season's True Blood I was literally screaming YES before I even knew what they wanted. At CRAIG OLSEN we have been so lucky to have worked on many productions and have had our furnishings chosen for so many wonderful events but this one was different as we are huge fans!

Fang Banger Productions presented such a great concept with the sleek, sexy regency feel they were trying to convey. Very Vampy! I felt our very own classic deco Mansfield Table here at CRAIG OLSEN would be perfect so we decided to clean it up and simplify the design for the entry table and finish it in a rich Mahogany stain with some high gloss. Just what you would expect from a 146 year old Vampire King-right???

I started working on this project in early November and let me tell you as a viewer, we can all attest it was painful to await the new season but as a designer I was dying to see the end result on T.V. I could not wait to point and say, "I did that!!!" (See table directly below) ;)

I have loved catching glimpses of Bill's Lair every Sunday and catch myself smiling at the handiwork. Sometimes furnishings become such an integral part of the actors scene. Sometimes the furniture becomes the star itself just like on "All in the family"-remember Archie Bunker's chair or the speaker box in Charlies Angels where Charlie would say, "Heeello Angeles"???

The other night when I settled in to watch, imagine my pain when Jessica broke through her silver chains and clamored through the entry past our furniture knocking the beautiful entry table to the ground with a wood splintering crash! It still hurts. Truth is that's a little dramatic. I actually had 2 tables made because I was told early on one would get "fairly damaged" but I had forgotten and had to calm myself down.

Phew! So, if you haven't seen the furniture or missed the entry no worries, the "stand in" will hopefully be in place next Sunday and you can see our beautiful CRAIG OLSEN work again!




Uh Jessica, you knocked our table over!!!

We just received a very nice thank you card from the lovely Set Decorating Department. Really we should Thank YOU True Blood from 2 of your greatest fans!

Pillows by Gregory Keith

This week we are elated to introduce to you our Guest Blogger Angelino Gregory Keith.

Gregory is not only an amazing photographer but has recently started his very own successful pillow line. I love to see his new collections and hear what his inspiration was behind it. It is always a great story and I am sure you will find him as talented as we do here at CRAIG OLSEN.

We feel very lucky to have some of his fabulous collections on display in our showroom on La Brea. Please come in and check out the beautiful handiwork of Gregory or simply go to his website and get inspired! Be sure and always check back because a creative type like Gregory is always working on the next thing!

http://www.gregorykeithworld.com/

Enjoy!

Gregory Keith:

A trip, an experience, or family and friends inspire all of the pillows I design.  My recent trip to Zihuantanejo, Mexico was the latest inspiration for my vignette of pillows, appropriately called Zihuantanejo.

When traveling I usually take hundreds of pictures, and when I get home I see what I was inspired by.  For this collection the markets in the town center of Zihuantanejo caught my eye.

The colors were so rich and there were so many textures, that it was naturally a source for inspiration.  When I came back home I immediately went shopping for fabrics.  My fabrics are vintage and rare, so I have to find really unique textiles that represent my inspiration. 

For this collection I traveled to Britex Fabric in San Francisco, and found amazing fabrics!

After buying all of my fabric I lay it out and then try to make a cohesive vignette.  This can sometimes be a challenge, but in this case it was not!  I think the result is awesome, and this is definitely one of my favorites vignettes to date.

Introducing the Playa La Ropa Collection!

Thank you Gregory!

Pssst... A little insider news I heard is that Gregory may run a promotion soon so keep checking his sight and take advantage. Since his textiles are mostly one of a kind vintage finds-if you snooze- you WILL lose!!!

http://www.craig-olsen.com/

323-677-2111 CRAIG OLSEN showroom on La Brea