Libbey Ranch, Ojai CA - Two Careful Lady Owners

There was no blonde moment when it came to interior designer Kristen Buckingham's design brief for the Legally Blonde's Libbey Ranch interiors in Ojai Valley, California. To begin with, Reese Witherspoon's (now former) property was none of the MTV Crib usual suspects associated with sleek glossy museum/ mausoleum sobriety, or ostentatious mountain-top tasteless mammoth show-off. Chez Reese was about authenticity, personality and lifestyle-friendly living (understand kids, pets and no make-up welcome!), a house made to be lived in and enjoyed as.

The canvas to the brief was a stunning Spanish Colonial Revival property with oodles of style, designed by Wallace Neff, originally as a barn (later transformed into a home by Austen Pierpoint), and showcasing strong period character, typical of the 1920s golden age Californian estates, packed-full with original features as striking as the wooden ceilings and floors, monumental fireplaces, wrought-iron railing, living room chandelier (both from the estate's forge), Juliet balcony, plaster walls, and built-in bed and alcoves, not to mention the outer buildings and gardens. The canvas was preserved as a heritage testimony and the designer could focus mainly on furnishing it.

Previously owned by Interior Designer and Million Dollar Decorator Kathryn M. Ireland, Libbey Ranch had already had the feminine treatment, with a streak of colour and motif running through the hacienda like an electrified symphony, a feast of rich textured fabrics, each adding a pinch of pimiento to la salsa and creating a vibrancy akin to a Mexican fiesta.

Kristen Buckingham echoed the vibrancy spearheaded by her design predecessor. Hand-picked antique Swedish furniture pieces, and rustic, Mediterranean, retro/ vintage artefacts jazzed up the eclectic shindig and accented long-lasting interest. It seems that every object had a fascinating story to tell... and that time was almost suspended and allowed to develop a soft patina like a wine made to age develops that soft aroma with time. Libbey Ranch is built for lifelong family living. Reese put it up for sale (for a reduced asking price even!) a mere five years after she bought it, and almost before we could catch our breath and time could work its magic patina.

Further Ojai-influenced inspiration, gleaned mostly from Kathryn M. Ireland's time at Libbey Ranch and from her current Santa Monica residence:

Sources: (1) to (3) 'Charmed Circle: Reese Witherspoon's Ojai Home', via Elle Decor (September 2012 issue), photography by William Waldron. (4) and (5) 'Kathryn Ireland's Bold and Bright Ojai Home', via House Beautiful. (and Cote de Texas (4) and (5) for higher resolution, as featured here). (6) 'Kathryn M. Ireland Lookbook' - Textile Talk, via Coastal Living. (7) and (8) 'Gain Access to A Million Dollar Decorator's Super-Chic Santa Monica Pad!', via Refinery29.

Further Reading: Hooked on Houses and Cote de Texas.

Plastic Fantastic?

Following on our extremely popular Caught in the Pacific Trash Vortex post that highlighted social activist Chris Jordan's plea about the seabirds from the Midway Atoll, Mirabelle was contacted last month by the designers of an interesting educational infographic that really drew our attention further on the damage caused by the 'fantastic' yet pawned invention that is plastic. We have great pleasure in sharing this catchy bit of information with you.

As a beach babe living on the coast, Mirabelle is faced with the downside of plastic on a daily basis, so we thought we would even drill the awareness message further by adding an advert that also caught our eye. In our view, packaging as a whole needs a total rethink and overhaul, and the plastic supremacy needs to be toned down drastically. Plastic manufacturers/ suppliers and their immediate Fortune 100 clients are to blame, but then again it is up to the end consumer to "vote with their feet" and shun plastics for more sustainable less pollution-prone alternatives that will be less likely to end up back into the food chain. Folks, let's make this work and let's be smarter in 2013!

Sorry, Blogger won't allow picture to zoom in!

Sources: (1) OnlineEducation.net. (2) Concept Ad WWF, by Eric Eykhout, via Behance: "Plastic litter from all over the earth ends up in the ocean, gets caught up in ocean currents and has created a giant swirling mass of 7 million tons of toxic debris dubbed 'The Great Pacific Garbage Patch.' The waters in this immense area contain 6 times more plastic than plankton, a primary food source for fish, marine mammals and ultimately affecting humans as well."

Additional Resources: Find out about professional surfer Kyle Thiermann's mission to help reverse plastic pollution effects on 'surfers paradise' coastlines across the world, via Surfing For Change.

Interesting update (18/07/2013): Two scientists manage to break down phtalates (soft plastic components), using bacteria! (via TED Talks).

Caught in the Pacific Trash Vortex

Images speak a thousand words as documented by visual artist and social activist Chris Jordan who has been following the fate of albatrosses on some of the remotest islands on Earth, the Midway Atoll... Ironically what should be paradise is nothing more than paradise lost... in plastic!

Source: All photography by Chris Jordan. Midway displays signs of human civilisation in all its tangible horror, where plastic fantastic is an aberration of pharaonic proportions. In this part of the world, the trash vortex - a superposition of plastic debris swirling around and causing devastation and suffocation not only to marine life but also to sea birds - is the size of Texas, itself slightly bigger than France... Where better to look out for proof than in the stomachs of decomposed corpses, so no need for NCIS to get their shiny dissection instruments out to determine the cause of death. Oh, and while we're at it, enjoy your dinner! Now according to Bag It (Jim Hurst) who's also been involved in the Midway Project, 'In the United States alone, an estimated 12 million barrels of oil is used annually to make the plastic bags that Americans consume. The United States International Trade Commission reported that 102 billion plastic bags were used in the U.S. in 2009.' Makes you ponder, doesn't it?

In the Mood for White Interiors

Those of us with an inclination to believe that white home interiors are bland, clinical, urban, austere, impersonal, unpractical, high maintenance, modernist or simply a figment of design fantasy, might be in for a surprise with this small selection of cosy, warm, stylish, period country homes that also happen to be family-orientated and easy-care; those of us who are white converts can simply rejoice in further inspiration (with the promise from Mirabelle of more interiors features in the pipeline!).

Sources: (1) Marie Claire Maison, 'Visites Privées : Un ancient couvent transformé en maison-atelier' (A former convent converted into a house & workshop). This is the spacious character home of German furniture designer Katrin Arens, located in the Lombardy region of Italy, by the River Adda, and only a short drive away from Milan. There is an interesting balance going on between the pared down, sober and timeless lines of the monastery interiors, white painted walls, concrete flooring and worktop, set against the warmth of the mid-brown textured, grainy, slightly rustic, naturally old or aged wood, with touches of mid-century modern design (Arne Jacobsen chairs) that don't look out of place. In passing, we'll note the clever repurpose of a wooden pallet into a china display shelving unit. (2) Dreamy Whites blog, 'A Favorite Flower and My Tin Ceiling' (22/05/10). A fresh bouquet of old-fashioned peonies or roses takes Spring home and enhances a white theme by adding a romantic accent to a tabletop. (3) Marie Claire Maison, 'Visites Privées : Une ferme hollandaise où le style champêtre et le design cohabitent' (A Dutch farmhouse with a successful mix of country style and  design). From outside, the actual fabric of the farmhouse has remained untouched, while indoors designer Thomas Eyck has cleverly incorporated elements of modern design to the more vintage pieces, brought together to the eye by the white canvas of the walls, in order to create a modern homely home. In passing, we'll note the Delft-style fireplace that so beautifully typifies The Netherlands. (4) Coastal Living, 'Homes: Soothing Beachy Bedrooms/ Take a Second Nook' (photo by Jonny Valiant). The colour white makes a room luminous and shouldn't be limited to walls, ceilings and/ or furniture and soft furnishings. Woodwork, from skirting boards and staircases to a boat galley and nook like here, with a white satin finish will give a room a soft yet sophisticated appeal. (5) Ceramic badges and pendants by Austrian design pair Mischer' Traxler, available to purchase from Designboom. These are quirky one-off pieces carefully cut out from vintage crockery using a diamond drill. Although these are made to be worn, why not purchase a handful of them to scatter on a coffee table or bedside cabinet to create the unexpected? (6) Muse Interiors, 'Portfolio: Interiors - Mudroom'. Tongue-and-groove panelling, cornicing, vaulted ceilings give white its depth of character. A natural wooden floor sets it off. So then, who said that white had to be flat, bland and boring? It wasn't Mirabelle.