A trip to Oakland last weekend for a triple play — a visit to the Alameda Pointe flea market, a trendy retro shop, and the Oakland Museum’s White Elephant Sale — ended with barely a thing for me. But for my friend, Dhelia, it was a treasure trove. And I enjoyed every vicarious minute — and the great bargains.
The highlight for us was the White Elephant Sale, a huge rummage sale in a giant warehouse benefitting the museum. We went last year and each brought a large oil painting. So fun! This time, we used the same strategy — arriving no less than two hours before closing on Sunday. That way we would get great bargains — and wouldn’t know what we missed.
As the photo shows, Dhelia nabbed a beautiful pair of faux bois chairs, a French term meaning fake wood. In other words, they look like wittled branches. (The funny thing is these really are wood, so maybe it’s more bois than faux….)
They were in immaculate condition, with cane backs. The price for the pair was $300, but because of the late hour, reduced to $150. With 15 minutes before closing, the kind volunteer said, “make me an offer.” I pulled Dhelia aside, whispered in her ear, and she offered $75. Sold! Now how much happier can a pair of girlfriends be?
Dhelia had already purchased a gorgeous, antique oil painting at 50 percent off the original price. With slight rearranging of her living room, the faux bois chairs sit behind a couch, looking out her french doors to the garden. Beautiful. 
Read the stories I wrote after last year’s White Elephant to take a peek at our purchases and what we did with them…
“I love changing something old and giving it new life,” she said.
You can find Metamorphix at 554 Bascom Avenue.
Getting lost drives me nuts. I hate it. I always stress about keeping my clients waiting and I don’t really care to be spending any extra time wandering around trying to figure out if I’m headed in the right direction. But on this particular day, I found myself lost. I was supposed to be in a very nice residential area of Redwood City and instead, 
I found myself in the middle of downtown Redwood City. So I’m trying to find my way back to the street I need and something catches my eye. A gorgeous red brick building and on that building there was a sign — Brick Monkey.
favorites is this set of metal nesting tables for $1350.00 and let’s not forget these fabulous chairs. I love the geometric shapes of the leather. Now here is the best part—Brick Monkey is having their very first factory floor sale! All of their custom metal furniture will be up to 70% off. 
So mark your calendars for January 23rd and 24th. Be sure to come prepared with a large vehicle and moving pads to bring your one-of-a kind treasure home. Trust me on this. Bring a big car. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been caught in the wrong vehicle. Once a year, designer Stephanie Kolkka, a Brick Monkey partner and the metal-smith( who created those wonderful nesting tables) clears out her Napa Valley studio to make way for new designs. Expect great savings and wonderful finds. OK, I’m putting this out there— I’m up for the floor sale! Who else wants to make the trip? I’ll drive and I’ve got a big suburban. Let me know. We could meet for coffee (Peet’s preferably) and then some serious shopping! C’mon it’s twenty ten and we all could use a dose of fresh! Comment here or drop me an email—desiree@lookiloos.com
Then she saw it, an eight foot angel with golden wings, a long white robe and bursts of cobalt blue. Translucent. Brilliant. Mesmerizing. Once the adornment for a San Francisco mortuary, it was now stored in a Richmond warehouse. Lisa quickly realized it was too big for the bathroom, and, quite frankly, almost too beautiful for it.
After 15 years of marriage, Craig has learned to trust the fantastical vision of his artist wife. As usual, however, the vision would come with a price. The new home for the angel would be the south-facing bay window in the great room — and that would not only mean a new design concept for the room, but a major re-engineering of the bay window to hold its weight.
But Lisa had originally designed the great room that opens to the kitchen to have a retro David Hicks style with a geometric circle motif. And that would no longer work with the leaded glass window. So she has ditched the idea of using Kraftmaid kitchen cabinets that had a circular overlay as well as the splashes of hot pink she was planning in the family room furnishings.
For the Shefflers’ table, while he celebrated the Asian inspiration by using wooden Geisha statuettes and delicate orchids, he honed in on a simple yet whimsical concept: Chinese take-out.
2. Add tall, wispy orchids in clear glass or simple vases to add height.
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.
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