OMG WTF Vinyl

Jenny Andrews from MFAMB is having a love affair with vinyl.  I've been having one for years. I covered my dining chairs, a French settee, and a camel back sofa if faux white leather, which is really, uh vinyl. I have also done this for clients' furniture.

Jenny says, "that some of you think vinyl is the asshole of all fabrics. The most annoying of all fabrics. The Luann in London of fabrics".

She has a way with words. Really. I love her.

These chairs are for Jenny - designed by Ashley Longshore

Anyhoo, I found some very special vinyl covered furniture that I think Jenny will love, and I think you will love too. It's designed by the artist Ashley Longshore here in New Orleans. Scroll down and enjoy!

Ocean blue metallic with gold fish

Bonjour! Hot pink glitter! You know you want these!

Tasteful beige glitter Time Out chairs

Spectacular vintage Milo Baughman chairs covered in white metallic vinyl, named the Paparazzi Chairs

Fab Kelly Green frame with Audrey painted on patent leather vinyl

Black French frame chair with matte finish beige vinyl with Audrey painting on it

Fantastic robins egg blue vinyl on an antique settee frame

Child and adult size Time Out chairs in gray and yellow vinyl - I could sit on one forever

Ashley Longshore with her chairs - In her talented hands vinyl is art - photo by Michael Smith

Anybody else out there love vinyl? Just one thing: Don't wear a vinyl rain coat when you sit on a vinyl chair. You might get stuck there forever.

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The Arty Kitchen

I know you all do it. Put art in the kitchen. It's not like our grannies or moms used to do, decorating the wall with the huge wooden spoon and fork. I love art all through the house. It is especially interesting to see what ends up in the kitchen.

This is my kind of arty kitchen

So here's a little round up to inspire you to get some art for your kitchen.

I love me some Audrey in the kitchen

Clutter crazy good

Restrained and elegant

Trendy and cute

Black and white  - Love it

Nobody does it better than Nicole Cohen

Just a little piece of art on the counter top adds so much

Ditto on open shelves

Love the gallery wall all along where the back splash usually is

Yellow mod painting is so chic

Framed botanicals look amazing over the kitchen sink

The arty kitchen of a future decorator

Now go hang some art in your kitchen! And send me some photos of your kitchen with art. I haven't done a Readers Rooms post in like forever.

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Domino And Audrey Hepburn

There are just some things all the decor bloggers love, like Domino Magazine and Audrey Hepburn.
A press release was sent to a few bloggers yesterday.

Yay! Domino is coming back from the dead!

from Conde Nast:
"NEW YORK, NY, February 7, 2012 – Condé Nast will publish a Domino special edition entitled
Quick Fixes, it was announced today by Thomas J. Wallace, editorial director at Condé Nast. 
Domino Quick Fixes will be full of Domino’s best home decorating stories, focusing on easy,
often inexpensive changes that make a big difference – from quick spruce-ups of dowdy furniture
to more involved DIY projects like painting stairs or reorganizing a home office. Domino Quick
Fixes will be available on national newsstands from April 17 through July 16, 2012, for $10.99. A
second special edition is scheduled for the fall." 

And as for Audrey, what blogger has not loved her bath tub settee in "Breakfast At Tiffany's"?

Holly Golightly decorates

A couple of years ago you could find a version of it selling for around $1200. Well guess what? Here in New Orleans, the shop Discoveries has one for $399.!

Holly Golightly bath tub settee at Discoveries in New Orleans

And of course the world's oldest living Holly Golightly had to sit in it!

Blurry cell phone pic, but I think you can see how fab this settee is! The Visual Vamp still channels Holly Golightly!

Discoveries Furniture & Finds

318 N. Rampart St.

(504) 569-0310

www.EDISCOVERIESFURNITURE.com

And I just had to share this darling photo with you sent by blogger Renae Moore in response to my Puppy Bowl post.  Do your pets interact wit the television? Cholo barks at the dogs he sees sometimes. Kitty Kitty Bang Bang hasn't "seen" the moving images yet.

Renae's dog Erma enjoying the Puppy Bowl

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Designer Bikes, Yes or No?

I have been wanting a bike for the past couple of years, not a motorcycle, but an old fashion pedal bike. When I spend time in Key West with Michael Pelkey, we ride around town night and day on beach bikes, those faded cruisers often personalized with a home made paint job. I also have fond memories of Danilo riding me on his handlebars late at night to the New York City disco Area. We'd "pull up" alongside the limos and a doorman would take Danilo's bike and stash it in the coat room, and wave us in past the ubiquitous velvet ropes.

I love the new crop of designer bikes that have come out lately. Here are a few to consider.

Missoni bike at Target - You can still get it!  $399.

City Bike from C. Wonder - $249.

My favorite! At Wal Mart only $89.99! They are out of stock online, but I have seen it and lusted after it at my local Wal Mart. LOVE the aqua accents and the black and white damask print! I would love to ride around town on this for sure!

No post about bikes would be complete without a picture of Audrey Hepburn riding her bike! I would love to get a basket for my bike and ride Cholo around! I wonder if he would let me do it?!

Did you know that the bicycle was a very important aspect to woman's liberation? It was an equal opportunity modern way of transport that was embraced by women in the Victorian and Edwardian era, affording them a freedom to move around under their own power and on their own.

The bicycle gave women freedom

Another acquaintance, Pryor Dodge has an amazing collection of antique bicycles that he exhibits in museums around the world. He first pointed out to me the profound effect the bicycle had for women.


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Breakfast At Tiffany's Turns 50

Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly is more popular than ever - Happy Birthday to Breakfast At Tiffany's - Read more HERE

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Remembering Audrey

Remembering Audrey HERE

Every year around this time I especially remember Audrey Hepburn. Her birthday is on January 20.

Audrey Hepburn with Bob Willoughby 1958

Bob Willoughby was a photographer to the stars, and he took many wonderful photographs of her.

Audrey Hepburn with Bob Willoughby in 1963

I can never look at too many photos of her. "Audrey 100" is a book that Audrey's family has compiled with 100 stunning images. Paying strict attention to aesthetic beauty, artistic expression, and personal significance, they have lovingly selected these photographs to represent the qualities Hepburn herself stood for throughout her life and career.

Audrey 100 HERE

I collect images over the year, that I hope to use for my annual Audrey birthday post. I always seem to find a couple I haven't seen.

Richard Avedon took this photo of Audrey Hepburn

I especially love to see "at home" photos. There are a few of Audrey Hepburn's homes in the earlier years of her career.

Architectural Digest used one from the 1950's for a cover in 2006. Does anyone have this issue? Are there more photos of her home inside? I didn't find much on the AD web site.


The house photographed is the Beverly Hills home she shared with then husband Mel Ferrer in the 1950's has all the trendy trappings of the day.

Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer at home in the 1950's

Audrey was an animal lover and kept a pet fawn in her home for awhile in the 1950's.

Smoking and a boomerang print on the couch were en vogue in the 1950's

Mel and Audrey also had a Malibu home.

Audrey playing ping pong at home

Malibu home of Audrey Hepburn and Mel Ferrer

Why do so many of us girls love Audrey? As a young girl about town in New York, I of course fancied myself as my own version of Holly Golightly. And of course Audrey was so elegant, so funny, so chic. Later she became a role model for all her charitable work for UNICEF. What girl didn't love her?

One of my treasured possessions is my own personal photo of Audrey. She's posing with my a dearest friend. They are at the Museum of Modern Art. There was a party for Audrey honoring her films that night. I did the flower arrangements for that party.

I was longing to see her, just a glimpse of her. My friend loved her even more than I did. And then there he was with her!

He worked at MOMA and secured an invitation that night. He waved me over, and whispered "get a camera".

This was in the days way before cell phones, much a less cell phone camera, and it was pre-blog days where we have acquired the habit of photo documenting everything to the point of numbness.

I didn't even photograph my own work that night, I didn't even own a camera! But I did as I was told, and found a a man with a camera, and brought him over to my friend, who was still standing next to Audrey!

He said, "Miss Hepburn this is my dearest friend Valorie Hart, and she arranged the bouquets on the tables tonight".

"Lovely," she said, "Everything is so pretty and perfect and my favorite color. How did you know my favorite color?"

I told her she was too kind, and asked if I might have a photo of her with my friend.

They both passed away.
And I am an old lady with a faded photo and great memories.

My photo of Audrey Hepburn with my dearest friend

Have You Ever Had Anything Custom Made?

Oh the luxury of having something made especially for you. Before the machine age everybody wore custom made clothes and shoes, and had custom made houses with custom made furniture. With mass production custom made goods assumed a place for the privileged minority who could afford the cost and time.

Custom made shoes HERE

As a dancer I have had custom style shoes made, but never real custom made shoes that require having a last made. The process begins by making a plaster mold of the customers feet. Then a shoe last is modified to accommodate any irregularity in the foot.

Lasts stored at the shoe makers shop

This pair of lasts are stored and can be used to make future shoes. The uppers are hand made with detailed input from the customer. Style, color, type of material are all customized. Details like the type of sole, heel, lace are also part of the custom made process. Finally an insole is made that makes the shoe comfortable.


I have had a purse made for me in Spain and in Argentina, but not just a custom style for me, because they sell the same "custom" model to anyone with the tourist dollars to pay.

Grace Kelly with the Hermes bag made and named for her

It's not like Grace Kelly or Jane Birkin having Hermes design and name a bag for them, but it still was wonderful to see my bag in pieces at the workbench, and then put together just for me.


There is a cute little contest going on at the blog over at CustomMade.com, the most visited website for artisans to feature their custom made goods. They are currently running a contest starting this Friday 6/25 asking anyone to present us with reasons why handmade and custom goods are a better idea than the lacking quality of mass production goods.

They are offering a $100 gift card for the best response to the question "Why Custom?". You could win $100 for taking 30 seconds to enter a one sentence response, and please mention Visual Vamp.

Getting measured for custom made gloves

I also have had leather gloves made for me in Spain. I felt so pampered!

Feragamo the famous Italian shoe maker fits Audrey Hepburn

Who is more beloved for her glamour then Audrey Hepburn? She certainly had many beautiful custom made things made for her: Clothes, shoes, bags, etc.

Givenchy fitting a dress on Audrey Hepburn

Hubert de Givenchy was her personal designer and life long friend, and custom made her clothes for her movies and for her real life.

Audrey Hepburn in the little black dress Givenchy made for her

Who wouldn't love to have a life long relationship like this?

Many of us experience the feeling of having something custom made and fitted when we get a wedding dress. For that one moment in time we allow ourselves to indulge in luxury. And men often have custom suits and shirts done for them if they have the budget for it.

It's even a small thrill to have a label with our name or initials sewn into a garment made especially for us.


Home decoration affords more opportunities for custom made goods. Built-in book cases and kitchen cabinets are accessible custom projects.



Custom made furniture is not out our of reach either. If you buy a good quality sofa or chair, it is often made just for you. And custom drapes and upholstery is something attainable.

Audrey on a custom couch

If you are lucky enough to have a dressmaker, or even more lucky to be able to sew and make your own clothes, you can have a custom made dress form. One size certainly does not fit all in the world of custom made goods.

Custom made dress forms

Now go enter the contest HERE, and tell the Vamp sent you!