So exhausted in fact, that it has taken me over a week to get up the energy to post some images!  But all the time and effort expended were worth it, and the Teen Choice 2009, Bop-it Celebrity Retreat was a great success.

We went with an artist’s loft theme this year, complete with paint splattered drop clothes and quirky accessories.  We stuck to a black, white and red color palette, to provide a good back drop for the retreat’s main sponsor, Bop-it.  If you haven’t ever played with a Bop-it, I can tell you that the celebrities were really getting into it.  I was too busy chatting with people to try it myself, but those who did said it was addictive fun.

We had the support of some terrific companies this year, as we pulled everything together.  The elegant, yet super comfy sofa from Eco-Luxury by D’Bodinus that you see in the image above was much larger (and heavier!) than it looks!  The seat cushion was so full of cushy goodness that it weighed almost as much as the frame!

Idea Paint provided some great interactive boards, which many folks took a turn at signing or drawing on.

Between Miss J reminding us all to stand up straight, and George Lopez’s crazy face drawing, the boards were a hit.  Jordan Sparks actually wrote “Whoa!”, which was her reaction after I told her that Idea Paint can be applied to any smooth surface, such as walls, doors, chairs, refrigerators, etc.

This “cabinet of curiosities”, was generously provided by Cleveland Art, one of my favorite sources for one of a kind, repurposed furniture.  The amazing (and amazingly heavy) coffee table, as well as some other terrific pieces just out of camera range, were all created from items found in old factories and recreated into functional furniture.  The birds were provided by the wonderful people at Stray Dog Designs, who make terrific lamps and accessories out of recycled tin and paper mache, amongst other methods.

Here’s a close up of one of Stray Dog Designs adorable, funky paper mache birds, next to the beautiful tulip and rose centerpiece from The Spiraled Stem, who specialize in eco-friendly floral arrangements and events.

Here’s another shot of the lounge, where you can see the bright red birdcage chandelier, also from Stray Dog Designs.  Everyone loved it!

The beautiful black and white print organic cotton fabric was generously provided by Harmony Art, long my favorite source for fun and creative prints.  I’ll write a little more about the story behind the pillow this week, but it too is a design by Harmony Art.

All in all, things went great.  Celebrities and press enjoyed the space and many nice things were said.  Although I’m a little past my swooning teenage years, I had fun meeting all the up and coming young talent, such as Ashley Greene, Abigail Breslin, and Keke Palmer, who all stood out for their genuine charm and sweet natures.  And while some, such as Britney Spears, looked pretty much as you expected in person, others, like Will.I.Am from the Black Eyed Peas, were even more handsome up close.

Many thanks again to all the wonderful companies who participated in the lounge – Idea Paint, Eco-Luxury by D’Bodinus, Cleveland Art, Stray Dog Designs, and Harmony Art!  Many thanks too to Linsi Brownson for her terrific illustrations, helping me wrestle things up and down ladders and in and out of delivery trucks, and mostly for being a terrific assistant under pressure!  And of course, a big thank you to Karen Wood of Backstage Creations, the retreat’s production company – You make this more fun than work!

Now back to my regularly scheduled programming…

It’s just one of two prints from Harmony Art that I will be using at the Teen Choice Awards lounge, but the other one is a secret custom print that Harmony designed just for us.  Stay tuned to see it revealed at the event!

Idea Paint

I had the pleasure of speaking on the phone yesterday with Jeff Avallon, co-founder of Idea Paint.  One of the best aspects of my job is getting to know all the great, creative people who come up with such amazing products.  Jeff is no exception, and I think we could have gone on for hours brainstorming great new ways of using Idea Paint.

If you haven’t seen this terrific product, it’s an eco-friendly paint you can apply to any smooth surface to turn it into a dry erase board.  If you ever get tired of it, you can just paint over it with regular paint, and you’re back to “normal”.  I’m excited because it will be a feature of my Teen Choice Awards lounge area.  I’ll post images of the installation once it’s done in a couple of weeks, but for now, check out this video Idea Paint took during the Dwell on Design show recently.

Cleveland Art is a paradise to someone with my quirky aesthetic.  Founded in 1994 by Jason Wein, who saw the potential of industrial machinery and surplus being re-purposed and recycled as functional design, Cleveland Art has become a draw for many designers and architects.  Each piece is truly unique, and lends a sense of purpose both fulfilled, and reclaimed, that cannot be replicated.

A perfect coffee table, made from a vintage factory cart

Recycled glass is another favorite medium for Jason Wein, and the freeform shapes of his vases, bowls and light fixtures are perfect foils to the hard, metallic edges of the vintage factory pieces.

Freeform glass bowls

There are a million ways to use this terrific table.  TV console?   Cocktail cart?  Dog house?  I want to buy it and play!

And who… WHO wouldn’t want their very own, explosion proof cabinet???

Cleveland Art receives new shipments frequently, so make sure you check back from time to time.  You never know what they’ll come up with.

Then, last year, I found Sidecar Furniture and I’ve been a convert ever since.  Furniture maker David Johnson has taken a cue from that classic style and put his own spin on it, creating absolutely sublime furniture, that speaks of the beauty of wood, and the timelessness of craftsmanship.

I had the pleasure of running into him again at Dwell on Design, and got to see his newest version of the TV console I fell in love with last year.  Here it is with one sliding panel open.

The detailing is as rich and well thought out as before (check out the beautiful cane-woven ventilation panels at the back), but now it is made in beautiful strand bamboo.  My photos really don’t do it justice, so I encourage you to check out the Sidecar Furniture website to get a better feel for these terrific pieces.

Oh, and for those of you who read “Sidecar” and got a little retro cocktail hankering, here is the classic recipe – Cheers!

Made from 100% recycled plastic water bottles, these indoor-outdoor pillows are hand silk-screened, using environmentally friendly dyes, and are designed to last!  Use them by the pool or in your living room, either way they are a bright and cheerful addition.

My personal favorite was this marvelous pillow from the Tokyo series.  I could happily design an entire room around this image (and yes, it’s a real photograph).