Kenyan Pattern Curved Shade
Let’s face it “green” design doesn’t automatically go hand-in-hand with beautiful design. Green design is vital to our great planet earth, but must it be so utilitarian? This past October, while attending West Coast Green, I found that not all green design is just about efficient function. We can have style, panache and feel good about it.
Decorative Screens
Parasoleil has created wonderful copper panels that can be used for shade, privacy and dare I say, pure for aesthetic enjoyment, and come in three finishes– verdigris, bronze and raw. The patterns are inspired by many different cultures from around the world. The panels are made from 90% recycled content copper. Although copper was the original material for the panels, now you can get them made in aluminum, acryllic, steel, composite and FSC wood. Parasoleil crafts these shade partitions in Boulder, Colorado. The local distributor, Living Green Design Solutions, is located in Fresno, California.
Flanigan Shadow
My personal favorite in the Flanigan pattern with the verdigris finish. I’d use it to hide that ugly pool equipment. The panels are definitely works of art but the best part, in my opinion, are the shade patterns they create.
She does it because that’s what the previous owner of the house, Eloise Martin, did with her children — and Sue is so grateful that she and her husband, Rob, were able to purchase this house from her 10 years ago, that this is her way of paying homage to those that went before her.
The couple completely relandscaped the back yard around the pool, adding a hot tub, fireplace and tiki bar. They also remodeled the kitchen opening into a bar area. “I love everything about my home,” Sue said. “I love the fact that the best people in the world trusted in us enough to have it.”
Saltilo tile floors greeted her in the entryway with a sweeping staircase with curved wrought-iron railings. Two steps down took her to the grand formal living room with plenty of space for the baby grand piano and their whimsical orange and black “Halloween tree” that adorns the front window for the autumn Rose Garden Homes Tour in mid-October.
One of Mary’s favorite spots for a little solitude is the lovely balcony off the master bedroom where she often reads or enjoys a cup of coffee while overlooking the lush backyard and swimming pool.
wash in her glory and while the drought stricken earth needed the rain, we personally could have waited a couple of days.
(To follow the rest of the Hinkley Family remodel, go to 
That was our morning at the home of one of our favorite lookiloos — Vicki Petulla. We have done a couple of stories about her home already. One featured the inside of the house, where her family of three has the kitchen table always at-the-ready for a party of 10 (A girl after my own heart.) We did a second photo shoot of her new backyard fireplace. But that still wasn’t enough for our readers. We received an email from one who wondered what Vicki was doing with her home for the holiday season. “Would LOVE to see how she decorates for fall/halloween/Christmas,” the reader wrote.
Well, we here at Lookiloos aim to please.
Our friends, Amy and Parke Young and Julie and Craig Paulsen and my husband, Chris, and I decided on a south of the border theme and called the party “Night of the Iguana,” inspired by the 1962 film classic starring Richard Burton and Eva Gardner.
All I can say is, thank God for Amy. As much as I write about great decor and tabletop settings, I still tend to be all thumbs when I try it myself. (Every year, I swear I’ve got the most uninspired Christmas wreath on the block.)
We started by clearing out the screened porch and putting the seating arrangement on the back lawn for cocktail hour. I dragged an old rug I found at a garage sale from the shed (I could never get the musty smell out of it for inside) and put it on the grass. Parke built a bar from salvage plywood. Amy added palapa grass to the umbrella. Parke strung paper lanterns across the back yard and we lit a fire in the chiminea outside and in the fireplace on the porch, and lit tea lights everywhere.
And with boxes of colorful odds and ends from Amy’s basement, plus some potted palms from their yard, I’d say we made a pretty good effort at a “faraway paradise.”
I’m completely smitten with rooftop gardens. A big city filled with high rises and concrete but hidden at the top of the stairs you find an oasis. My love of rooftop gardens began years ago watching a very sappy chick flick staring Christian Slater. Bed of Roses is not a great movie, but the garden is fabulous. I found all of these rooftop gardens at 
This contemporary, Zen-like garden makes you want to sit back and watch the rocks grow. Or maybe read “Eat, Pray, Love” while listening to the gurgling fountain. Wispy bamboo balances the travertine tiles. A Buddha is nestled in the greenery. As lovely as it is now, it will be transformed for the home tour by 
*The owner of a classic Monterey Colonial with a beautifully remodeled kitchen and new landscaping walks to the dining room window and looks out every time her grown children pull out of the driveway. She does it because that’s what the previous owner did, and does it out of gratitude and respect;
*A spectacular garden where the tea party will take place has a walking labynth, plus a lovely holiday boutique.
Recent Posts
