Bike chair by Jeremy Dahl and Stine Poole, sold during last year's Chairs for Chair'ity auction.

By Patricia B. Dwyer

Hold It Contemporary Home is hosting its third annual Chairs for Chair’ity event October 13 to 20, selling stylized seats to benefit the San Diego chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Twenty designers are donating their chair creations, functional or otherwise, for the weeklong silent auction.

“We want everyone to have an opportunity to view the chairs and support this amazing foundation,” says Hold It’s managing partner, Mike McAlister. “Not only will people with the winning bids go home with a piece of functional art, but they will also have a part in making a very special child’s biggest dream come true.”

Proceeds from this year’s Chairs for Chair’ity will help send a 12-year-old girl with cystic fibrosis to Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and help support the foundation’s other local initiatives.

Mark Stary poses next to his entry in last year's Chairs for Chair'ity auction.

Chairs for Chair’ity
BENEFITTING: Make-A-Wish Foundation of San Diego
DATES: October 13-20 (auction ends on Oct. 20)
VENUE: Hold It Contemporary Home, 1570 Camino de la Reina, Mission Valley
TICKETS: $10 advance; $15 door
INFO: holdithome.com

The WeWood watch.

By Alyson Baker

This month, we’re digging punches of Pinocchio in our lives—and that’s no lie. Go against the grain and update your look with these sleek, wood and wood-inspired products.

Watch This

You’d give someone the time in a New York minute sporting a stylish WeWood watch, made from woods including maple, ebony and guaiac. Plus, WeWood aims to —for every watch sold, they plant a tree.
Price: $119
we-wood.us
Shop local:
Ivy’s Boutique
5040 Newport Ave., Ocean Beach
Gaslamp Garage
301 5th Ave., Gaslamp

Shwood's Canby sunglasses in zebrawood.

Stick In Your Eye

See the forest through the trees with Shwood’s classic Canby sunglasses. Each frame is shaped and veneered by hand in Oregon from sustainably harvested wood. Available in East Indian rosewood, cherry wood and zebrawood.
Price: $145 and up
shwoodshop.com
Shop local:
Aloha Sunday
3118 University Ave., North Park
alohasunday.com

Necktie from Wood Thumb.

Neck of the Woods

Get a splinter of sustainable couture with reclaimed wood neckties from San Francisco-based Wood Thumb.
Price: $34
woodthumb.com

The Plank Luxe yoga mat.

Walk the Plank

Find inner peace with a Plank Luxe yoga mat, offering the look of wood with the sponginess of rubber. Mats also come in genuine-looking grass and shag carpet prints.
Price: $85
plank.myshopify.com

Renovo wood-framed bicycle.

Tree Ride

Renovo hollow wood and laminated bamboo bicycles are engineered for maximum performance, offering a shock-absorbing ride that wards off rain and holds up better than most metal models.
Price: $2,700 and up
renovobikes.com

Bixby & Ball owners Melissa Anderson (left) and Betsy Bracken.

By Andrea Siedsma
Photos by Brevin Blach

In the 1920s, celluloid funny man Charlie Chaplin fell in love with the seaside town of Encinitas—so much so that he bought a two-story neoclassical bluff-top home in Leucadia (word is Chaplin may have purchased the house for his mentally ill mother or pregnant teen bride).

The home’s current resident, interior designer Melissa Anderson, can only imagine the extravagant parties the “Little Tramp” threw, which, local rumor has it, attracted celebs including Del Mar horse racing fixture, Bing Crosby.

Romantic notions of Chaplin shuffling about the home in his trademark baggy pants, derby hat and oversized shoes led to a redesign, in which Anderson added period-appropriate elements such as wood-paneled walls, beech wood floors and white marble countertops.

Anderson’s work on the home served as inspiration for Bixby & Ball, a home accessories shop she opened with friend Betsy Bracken late last year. The 1,300-square-foot beach boutique is housed in a 1920s-era cottage in Solana Beach’s trendy Cedros Design District.

“It was the first house on Cedros, and we’ve had customers come in and tell us how they remember playing in the house as kids,” Anderson says. “It’s those kinds of stories that breathe life into a home, or in our case, a store.”

Bixby & Ball is steeped in family tradition for both women. Anderson, whose family on her mother’s side owns Bixby Land Co., has ancestors who ventured west during the gold rush of the late 1800s. Bracken’s great grandfather was one of the Ball brothers, who launched Ball jars, the well-known line of glass canning jars.

“We want to offer products that are timeless and classic and have that sense of history,” says Bracken. “It’s embodied in this space.”

Bixby & Ball, 214 S. Cedros Avenue, Solana Beach, bixbyandball.com

Add vintage or coastal flair to your apartment or home with:

*Funktion dishtowels, napkins and aprons in bright, retro colors and patterns. Price: $22-$78

*Ball jar soap dispensers. Price: $35

*Big Chill retro fridges and ice boxes, which come in a variety of fun colors. Price: $2,800

By Brandon Hernández
Photos by Brevin Blach

For many chefs, the dream of having on-site gardens from which to harvest fresh herbs, fruits and vegetables for their signature dishes is dashed by lack of space. Most of the room at restaurants is gobbled up by tables, booths and kitchen equipment, making home-grown produce a tall order.

These days, some San Diego chefs and restaurateurs are finding a solution in vertical gardens, customized hydroponic systems that require no soil and circulate water and nutrients through a series of pipes. The plants grow upward versus outward, making them perfect for tight spaces. The systems provide sustainable edibles that are more nutritious and costeffective than ingredients grown in traditional gardens or trucked in from across the state or country.

Chef Christian Graves tends to Jsix’s rooftop garden.

Jsix executive chef Christian Graves says growing vertical was a matter of convenience. His herb garden on the roof of downtown’s Hotel Solamar, where Jsix is located, is a flourishing example of what an on-site garden can be.

“We are in a constant fight to make everything taste better,” Graves says. “Herbs that are cut fresh are still packed with their oils, unlike those that sit in a warehouse for a day or two.”

Homegrown flavor at Jsix

Thrilled with the restaurant’s rooftop garden, Graves is in the process of installing a similar one at his house and is hyping the trend to his culinary industry colleagues. One of those buds, Paul McCabe, executive chef at L’Auberge Del Mar’s Kitchen 1540, just finished installing two eight-foot-tall gardens between cabanas in the restaurant’s lush, outdoor dining area. To do so, he had to uproot a beloved persimmon tree, but counts that as a “worthy sacrifice.”

“The vertical garden uses 80 percent less water and 80 percent less space than a normal garden,” McCabe says. “We’re going to have 160 plants—anything we want. I’m especially excited about this one herb that we’re putting in. It looks kind of like a kaffir lime leaf, but tastes exactly like an oyster. Every restaurant in town finishes their dishes with the same finishing herbs, but by growing our own, we’ll be able to separate our flavor profile.”

Vertical gardens aren’t just for big-ticket venues. Churchill’s Pub and Grille in San Marcos was one of the first spots in the county to jump aboard the blossoming trend. Owner Ivan Derezin saw it as a way to get his hands on obscure ingredients that are often tough to find on the open market.

“We are growing a bunch of heirloom fruits and vegetables, as well as rare, obnoxiously hot peppers,” Derezin says. “Doing planter boxes or another hydroponic system would take up too much room and interrupt the flow of my business deliveries. Vertical gardens offer an advanced growing system that doesn’t need very much real estate. I can also move it around as the seasons change, and hydroponics tend to grow faster, cleaner and bigger.”

Other local eateries with vertical gardens include Spread in North Park, Lockwood Table in Solana Beach and Le Papagayo in Encinitas.

By Pat Sherman

Photography By Brevin Blach (unless otherwise noted); model: Nicole Noonan, No Ties Management; stylist: Kelsey Luce; hair & makeup: Christina Mansi, The Factory

From energy efficiency to earthy color palettes to man caves, it’s hard to say which home trend came first. Was it the egg chair or the chicken coops?

Either way, whether it’s an East County estate or a beachfront condo, home is where you hang your hat—or at least where you sleep and recharge your iPad.

Local real estate brokers, a green thumb from Walter A ndersen Nursery and a prominent interior designer helped construct this view of modern home life in America’s Finest. Please enjoy the tour. The expert advice is on the house.

Sautéing is a scenic affair in the kitchen of Al and Janet Johnstone's rotating home.

Luxe Outlook
Expanding residential horizons in San Diego

San Diego County started the year off with a median home price of about $304,000—a decrease of nearly nine percent from December.

But in America’s Finest (and perhaps most scenic) City, the abundant coastal and mountain terrain gives home buyers a chance to elevate their options, choosing from a vast inventory of stunning views.

According to Realtor Seth O’Byrne of Troop Real Estate, a view can increase the value of a home or condo by as much
as 20 to 30 percent, depending on its “wow factor” and scarcity. In La Jolla, appraisers estimate that a view can add $100,000 to $150,000 to a home’s value, he says.

“If you can see breaking waves, sand and rocks, the view could be worth $500K,” O’Byrne says. “Peek-a-boo views on condos or townhomes could be worth as little as $10k, in some cases.

“At a high-rise downtown, if every unit in a stack is identical from the second floor to the 20th floor (and) has the same view, the value to each unit is dramatically decreased.”

Residential mortgage banker Craig Sewing, host of the KCBQ radio show REAL Talk, offers a more moderate estimate. He says a view will historically add about 10 percent to a home’s value, though many variables are involved.

“It’s all about the comps,” Sewing says, meaning that the price one neighbor’s house sells for can have a direct and sometimes significant impact on the sales price of other homes in the vicinity.

While jaw-dropping views come at a cost, average home values in neighborhoods with prime views have decreased considerably, making the time ripe to give these domestic overlooks a second glance.

Rotating Mt. Helix home

Taking Turns
Rotating home a labor of love for retired phone company exec and wife

Things have been looking up—and around—since Al Johnstone and wife, Janet, completed their rotating home atop Mt. Helix in 2004.

The East County home, perhaps the only in the world that can make continuous 360-degree rotations, cost the couple about $1 million, though they received many material donations generated by the initial interest in their project.

It took the couple three years to finish the home, with Al serving as architect and Janet as interior designer.

“You can see the Coronado Bridge all the way around to Steel Canyon Golf Course (in Jamul),” Al says. “We can see the ocean, Point Loma, Downtown San Diego, Mt. Soledad, Catalina and San Clemente Island. So, yeah, it’s a great view.”

Though most rotating bars and restaurants, such as S eattle’s S pace Needle, have plumbing and electrical in a stationary, central core, the Johnstone’s rotating second story uses patented flexible plumbing and wiring.

“In a house, you need to have plumbing and gas, Internet and HDTV in the rotating portion, so I had to go in and invent what I call the swivels that would allow that to take place,” Al says.

He has patented 45 items related to his home technology and says he has an investor interested in building a high-rise in which each floor would rotate independently.

“We have formed a company, 360 Technology,” Johnstone says. “If the economy ever turns around, hopefully somebody will build one.”

Mt. Helix Stats: 4 bedrooms, 5,100 square feet
Elevation: about 1,280 feet
Rotation cycle: fastest, 33 minutes; slowest, 24 hours
Year completed: 2004
Listing price: Not for sale
Investment: About $1 million
Average. Neighborhood home value: $425,000 (up from $390,500 last year)

Dress with belt , $ 248, HH earring, $40, Bloomingdale’s, Bloomingdales.com; Jimmy Choo flat s, jimmychoo.com

Sunset Cliffs Estate
For those wanting to see how the other half views the world, there is no shortage of homeowners willing to rent their vistas for the right price.

Rent on the three-bedroom, four-and-a-half-bath Sunset Cliffs estate featured on the cover of this magazine and in the fashion photos of this feature ranges from $1,500 to $2,000 a night, depending on the season and duration of the stay.

The Spanish Colonial-Mediterranean home offers inspiring ocean views from just about every room, and is just steps from one of San Diego’s favorite surfing beaches. It can be rented for a weekend respite, wedding or corporate event.

SUNSET CLIFFS
Average neighborhood home value: $588,500 (down from $897,500 a year ago)
Contact: 619.393.0399, sunsetcliffsestate.com

Northwest Carlsbad coastal home

NORTH WEST CARLSBAD
Stats: 6 bedrooms, 5.5 baths, 5,294 square feet
Year built: 1988
Listing price: $7.8 million
Average Neighborhood home value: $490,000 (down from $605,000 last year)
Agent: Patricia Lou Martin, ranchandcoastproperty.com

Plucky 19
Real estate broker Jim Abbott says of the vividly-decorated unit he’s christened, “Comic-Condo,” located on the 19th story of San Diego’s 19th-tallest building, the Meridian, “You can’t help but smile when you walk in.”

The condo was remodeled by Sweig General Contracting with “whimsy” as its theme. Its doting grandparent owners designed the condo as a way to keep their visiting grandchildren visually stimulated, Abbott says.

Downtown San Diego
Stats: 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, 2,500 square feet
Year built: 1985
Listing price: $1.8 million
Average Downtown condo
Value: $305,000 (down from $312,000 last year)
Agent: Jim Abbott, argsd.com

Normal Heights

Normal Heights
Stats: 3 bedrooms, 4 baths, 4,739 square feet
Year built: 1980
Listing price: $1.2-$2.2 million
Average neighborhood home value: $445,000 (up from $339,500 last year)
Agent: Alan Schmitt, alan@alanschmitt.com

This sea cliff La Jolla home is the ultimate in Southern California indoor-outdoor living, mixing modern and organic design. The structure is supported in part by the natural form of tree trunks. (Courtesy Bast/Wright Interiors)

By Pat Sherman

During the subprime real estate boom, while investors were fixing up and flipping houses, design choices tended toward the predictable and staid: elegant yet safe options with massmarket appeal, such as granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.

Robert Wright, a past national president of the American Society of Interior Designers, says homeowners these days are making bolder, more personal choices that reflect a desire to stay in their homes for the long haul.

“I think people are really looking at their homes more as a home and not an investment,” says Wright, a principal and co-founder of San Diego-based Bast/Wright Interiors. “People are kind of reclaiming their homes, so now the interior design solutions are a little bit more customized and personalized.”

Counters and flat surfaces made of composite stone are replacing natural stones, such as granite.

“It’s a more of a clean, contemporary feel—more straightforward,” Wright says.

Though stainless steel is holding steady in the market, Wright says homeowners are leaning toward tinted and painted stainless in kitchen appliances, window frames and furniture trim.

“We’re beginning to see a big redirection towards gray, mauve and purple— everywhere in the house, in upholstery and paint colors,” Wright says. “Stain colors tend to be leaning more toward the grays. I’ve seen it before; it’s coming back.”

Like fashion, interior design is cyclical. H owever, a home is more of an investment than a new suit, so the cycle moves slower. The colors and prints used in today’s fashion typically appear in home furnishings four years down the road, Wright says.

“Basically, whatever you see on the cover of a fashion magazine, you’ll see it in your home three or four years later—the fabrics, prints, designs, colors,” he says. “Typically, more fashion-forward colors end up in accents or easy elements to replace, such as
upholsteries and paint.”

While Oriental rugs would seem to have run their course, Wright says people are more emboldened to match design schemes these days. That ostentatious Oriental number might still work when contrasted with a woven, contemporary rug in an adjacent room.

“They bounce and play off each other,” Wright says. “Some of the wonderful, classic furniture looks beautiful on Oriental rugs.”

For this La Jolla ranch remodel, interior designer Robert Wright used a variety of hard surfaces, employing concrete for the fireplace and granite and composite material on counters. The rooms are interconnected and open. (Courtesy Bast/Wright Interiors)

Less is more, again
Though San Diegans aren’t ready to jump on Japan’s capsule hotel trend (in which people rent coffin-sized, stackable lodging for the night), they’re definitely downsizing, preferring aesthetics over cavernous square footage, Wright says.

“People want to live smaller and better,” he says. “Proportionally, contemporary interiors are working better, because these homes are smaller and contemporary furnishings tend to be lighter in scale. They’re open and more airy. They’re not big and heavy and cumbersome, so they fit better in these smaller, clean-line, contemporary spaces.”

Chic and sustainable
As the demand for organic and eco-conscious building materials increases, the supply and variety of fabrics, cabinetry and countertops made from these materials have increased and become more tasteful. There’s no excuse not to build or design green, Wright says.

“I think, within the next 10 years, it’s going to be expected and just woven into every one of our design solutions.”
bastwright.com

Design trends for 2011
Pantone color: honeysuckle (last year’s color, turquoise)
Other trending colors: Muted hues and neutrals such as white, chocolate browns and icy grays; bright reds, sapphire blues, fuchsia purples
Vintage: Reused and restored furniture
Ruralist/eco-chic: Cabinets, countertops and fabrics made from recycled, organic or sustainable materials Indoor-outdoor blending: Bringing elements of the outside indoors, and vice versa; use of rattan deep chairs, bamboo coffee tables and large plants indoors
Scandinavian chill: Minimalism is still going strong with white furniture, romantic lines and white walls; colorful acc essories are used as accents
Belgian: Gray-washed, distressed oak tables and linen-upholstered sofas

Aqua top, $58, Aqua shorts, $58, Tom Ford Sunglasses, $360, Bloomingdale’s, Bloomingdales.com; espadril plat form, $30, tutto cuore, tuttocuoureshoes.com. (Photo by Brevin Blach, chickens courtesy Jodi Basped)

By Catharine L. Kaufman

If you thought you heard a cluck or a cock-a-doodle from your neighbor’s yard, you’re sanity hasn’t taken wing. Urbanites are going Green Acres, constructing stylish and charming chicken coops in their backyards, garages and on balconies. The funky hen party is part of the sustainable movement that’s good for your family and the planet. The following primer on chicken rearing and coop culture should help you get started.

The chicken or the egg
City folk have taken a shine to raising female chicks, whose multitasking talents serve as a slug, bug and weed control system that’s chemical free (chicks like to nosh on assorted insects and pesky weeds). They also supply their owners with a daily feast of fresh, organic eggs and serve as fun-loving, low-maintenance pets. Hens lay about an egg a day, though it varies depending on the breed, age, diet and time of year.

How to pick your chick
Urban chicken pioneer and Del Mar resident, Lisa Lutz, hatched her first chick in 2008. She advises fledgling chicken owners to do their homework beforehand.

“Look at the breed and temperament,” Lutz says. “If you want a good egg layer, then get a leghorn; if you want a loving, well-mannered pet, then the squawky, flighty leghorn is not for you. If you’re into ornamental eggs, the Ameraucana lays gorgeous ones tinged with hues of blues and greens.”

Flock Food Experts advise chicken owners to nourish their birds with organic vegetarian feed and spring water, as “you are what your chickens eat.” Shelly Stewart, a University Heights urban chicken advocate and lecturer says the life stage and functionality of the bird will determine its nutritional requirements.

“The babies need higher protein, (while) laying hens need more calcium, and meat birds, additional protein,” she says.

Model Nicole Noonan of No Ties Management, and friend. (Photo by Brevin Blach)

Stewart infuses her organic feed (a blend of cracked corn, wheat and flax known as scratch) with dried kelp as a mineral supplement, and crushed oyster shells for extra calcium.

The scoop on coops
Many of today’s urban hen habitats are architectural masterpieces, from chicken chateaus to shabby chic and retro-style houses. Do-it-yourself chicken coop blueprints are available online, along with prefabs from IKEA and Wal-Mart. Or get creative and design an original, making it a family pet project. Lutz’s husband calls their hen house, built from recycled roof shingles, the “Coop de Ville.” Their ‘girls’ bedroom” is both rodent- and predator-proof, so raccoons, opossums, skunks and coyotes won’t devour their pet chicks for dinner.

Chicken Laws
Different San Diego County cities have specific chicken ordinances relating to birds, noise and rooster restrictions, and the coops’ proximity to residential buildings. To be safe, check your city’s municipal codes. The city of San Diego limits the flock to 25 and bans roosters. Coops must be 50 feet from all residences (yours and your neighbors).

Check out Raising Chickens for Dummies and Building Chicken Coops for Dummies or visit backyardchickens.com and mypetchicken.com to see if rearing chickens is all it’s cracked up to be.

Interior designer Tracy Lynn gave this 4S Ranch garage a NASCAR-themed makeover. (Paul Burlingame Photo)

By Christy Scannell

There were a lot of plusses that drew Russ Havens to the Kensington house he purchased with wife Judit a few years ago. But one quality far surpassed the others: its remodeled garage, the designated site for his long-awaited man cave.

“I got really lucky,” he says of the space he selected for his guy-friendly hideaway. “It was a perfect shell. It already had the epoxy floors and deep cabinets.”

Havens plastered the walls with his collection of surf movie posters from the ’50s and ’60s, unboxed his extensive set of slot cars for display, hooked up the stereo and hauled in an old computer the family wasn’t using. A dorm fridge provides cold drinks, while a shabby sofa and an IKEA rug add a touch of warmth.

“It’s all stuff you would never be able to put in the actual house,” Havens says. “I think it’s a solution for happy couples—and an even better solution for non-happy couples.”

As Havens realized how much he was enjoying his man cave (he calls it his “decompression chamber”), he figured other guys probably were, too. In 2009 he launched checkoutmygarage.net, a social networking site where like-minded men can upload photos of their at-home getaways. Cavers from as far away as Europe have participated, showing off everything from banner collections to rare cars and vintage art.

“It’s as unique to the space as it is to the person,” Havens says of the man caves on his site. “Sometimes it’s almost like a little boy’s room—everything you had then somehow reappears in your cave, like those autographed hockey pucks.”

Havens’ philosophy is decidedly organic when it comes to outfitting his cave. He says everything in it he either collected or received free or at low cost. And he is still waiting for a good deal on a TV, a must-have for a fully functional man cave.

“If they’re too slick, they lose their point,” he says. “You’ve got to be able to not worry so much about spilling and creating a mess. If not, why not just stay in your house and let the family room be the ‘man cave.’ ”

Not everyone agrees. When interior designer Tracy Lynn of S tyle on a Shoestring was working on a 4S Ranch home recently, she was asked to create a NAS CAR-themed man cave in the house’s garage.

Interior designer Kristy Kropat converted this four-car garage in Rancho Santa Fe into a plush game room and nuptial cave. (Paul Burlingame Photo)

“[The homeowner] loves to rebuild old cars and he wanted a space where he could have all his guy friends and his sons over to watch a sporting event, crack open a beer and work on the cars,” Lynn says.

Lynn wouldn’t divulge the room’s cost, but she said similar cabinetry, lighting and flooring can cost upwards of $20,000, depending on the room’s size and scope.

“It’s worth it because it’s a space where they can really have their say about what represents them and what they want,” she says.

But compromise goes a long way, too. When Kristy Kropat of Kropat Interior Design was working on Richard and Jennifer Kim’s Rancho Santa Fe home, the homeowners chose to convert their four-car garage into a game room. The couple—who met playing pool—agreed on a dark lounge theme with mood lighting, shag rugs, animal print sofas and chrome accents. The effect, Kropat says, is similar to a nightclub.

“You go into that room, and it doesn’t match the house. It feels like you are getting away from the normal space,” she says.

“I guess that makes it kind of like a man cave, except that in this case it’s a man and woman’s cave,” Kropat says with a laugh.

Man cave trappings
• Disco ball and lava lamps
• Autographed photos from athletes or musicians
• Pool and/or foosball table
• Kegerator or other beer refrigeration
• Music system—from an iPod to surround sound
• Theater seating
• Bar, from stacked crates to custom carved wood
• Pinball or machine vintage arcade game
• Train set
• Woodworking bench
• Auto shop
• Stripper pole
Source: Russ Havens

Furniture designer Alberto Vieyra’s aesthetic call-to-arms came when he was about 13 years old, and it came on wheels—in the form of a mint-condition 1957 Cadillac El Dorado with a black exterior and textured white vinyl interior.

“It was my neighbor’s car, so I could stare at it every day,” says Vieyra. “The opening for gas was inside the taillight. I was in love with the futuristic look of it—it was like a spaceship.”

Vieyra’s childhood fixation with future looks was also fueled by his having grown up in Mexico City, where the skyline is graced by architectural masterpieces. These influences converge today in Vieyra’s furniture, which takes the common interpretation of mid-century design—and explodes it.

Take, for example, his Origami Table. Inspired by the $2 million Lamborghini Reventón and (duh) origami shapes, the table’s base bears geometric lines reminiscent of the facets of a diamond. And whereas famed Japanese-American designer Isamu Noguchi’s mid-century tables have a swooping anemic-chic look, Vieyra’s table is gracefully substantive.

On the lighter end of the design spectrum, other works from Vieyra Designs include tall tables that pair spindly, angular wire legs with marble and granite tops that are inset with cactus-growing planters. For now, the designs are custom-made for a Los Angeles- and Palm Springs-heavy clientele, but Vieyra says he’ll soon begin showing his works in local shops in addition to on his website.

Having moved here three years ago from Columbus, Ohio—where he ran his own gallery and worked as an interior designer—Vieyra was a hit at the San Diego-born trade show, Thread, back in April. And while Mexico City remains in his thoughts, much of his current work is inspired by sights in his new hometown, including the Timken Museum in Balboa Park and the Pearl Hotel in Point Loma.
“San Diego infuses the modern-urban lifestyle with a laidback beach-town essence,” says Vieyra. “To me, this is what incites creativity, art and design. The combination of cultural diversity and ideas inspired by the people who arrive here from other cities and countries—that’s what makes the local art and design scene have its own identity.”

Today, Vieyra’s in the midst of launching his “Tiempos Modernos” collection of custom furniture composed of metal, wood and granite, and ranging in price from $300 to $3,000 apiece. One of his first pieces will be an origami-inspired egg chair, reminiscent of acclaimed designer Eero Aarnio’s celebrated Ball Chair, with a green interior and a white exterior covered in Dupont car paint.

“A lot of people don’t know how furniture can be art, and that it can make a space beautiful…or horrible,” says Vieyra. “I’m always dreaming about the future. It’s going to change in five or 10 years, because we’re going to conceive of it in a different way, but in this moment, this is how I picture the future.” vieyrahdesigns.com

Photos (from top): “DF 1968” table; “White Dining Table and Chair” in Vieyra’s kitchen; Eero Aarino’s Ball Chair, one of Vieyra’s current influences; Vieyra in front of his “Objeto Viviente” table.

By Rebecca Chappell
Photo by Paul Brody

Have you lost that loving feeling? It may be your bedroom’s fault. Practitioners of the ancient Chinese art of Feng Shui (pronounced fung shway) believe that what goes on in our lives is a reflection of our personal environments. By successfully balancing the flow of energy, or chi, in a space, it is thought that we can attract the life of our dreams.

“When you walk into a room and instantly feel safe, comfortable and happy, that’s good Feng Shui at the most basic level,” explains Tamara Romeo, owner of SouthCoast Feng Shui Design in Del Mar. “In a bedroom, there are specific indicators of good and bad Feng Shui. For example, are you sleeping well? Are you and yourpartner intimate as often as you’d like to be?”

If your answer to that second question is, “No,” read on. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Romeo shares these tips for how toprime your bedroom for love by incorporating Feng Shui.

What are some basics of good bedroom Feng Shui?
Open your windows every day to let air and sunlight circulate through the room. This invites positive energy and naturally clears the space of any lingering smells. Make sure to have a supportive headboard or a wall behind your head versus a window or open space to encourage feelings of safety and security. And avoid positioning your bed under “hanging” items such as beams, ceiling fans and chandeliers. Our subconscious mind finds these things uncomfortable. Plus, it hurts if you hit your head while having a little fun!

What might lead to bad bedroom Feng Shui?
People try to multi-purpose their bedrooms with televisions, exercise equipment or work-related items, and that’s a big no-no. A bedroom’s purpose is to be a warm, welcoming sanctuary of love. Items in the space that represent any activity other than sex or sleep create an opposite, negative energy. Also, water creates an energy field of too much emotion. In the bedroom, it can create problems in a relationship, including lack of passion, because water cools fire. Keep water images, fountains and aquariums in more active areas of your home.

What else should be avoided?
Don’t keep any furniture pieces in the bedroom that symbolize “downer” moments. If you can afford to, throw out that old mattress, or at least the bedding from your last relationship, and get new ones. Also, move photos of your family and friends out of the bedroom. This is your love den—no one needs to be looking at your cousin’s wedding photos or your son’s first communion. Any artwork should be romantic, soothing and represent a happy couple.

What colors or accessories work best?
To achieve balance in the room, start with soothing skin tones ranging from light cream to velvety brown. The goal here is to promote the best flow of energy for sleep, as well as sexual healing. Then incite passion with “fire” elements—hot colors such as crimson, coral or fuchsia, and plenty of candles. If you’re afraid you may forget to blow them out, you can find battery-operated candles that work on a timer. Leather and animal prints also represent fire. So, for example, you could incorporate a leather headboard or zebra-striped throw to “heat things up.” Another fun accent piece would be a red feather boa. That’s something that definitely has a few purposes in the bedroom!

Any tips for the chronically single?
Make room for romance by clearing out clutter. This includes saying goodbye to your junior-high collections of dolls and stuffed animals. Look at the art throughout your home. Solitary figures convey messages of independence and thus remaining a “single.” Be sure to display art that shows two people, two animals, or whatever inspires you, and place items around your home in pairs, especially in your bedroom. Finally, have nightstands and lamps on both sides of the bed. It not only makes the space appear balanced, but also creates the energy of being part of a pair. Your partner will get the message to “stay” when the room feels like it is already meant for two, rather than just one.

Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall
Mirrors in the bedroom can definitely enhance your sex life, but in Feng Shui, mirrors represent the element of water. And because a bedroom is a warm, dry, nurturing space, Romeo says we should avoid cooling it down with water-related items. Mirrors also tend to reflect and bounce energy around the space, detracting from the relaxed atmosphere we are trying to create. Therefore, Romeo recommends having no more than one mirror in your bedroom, and a small one if possible. If that doesn’t cut it for your shag sessions, Romeo suggests buying a wardrobe mirror. Simply bring it in the bedroom for a sexy romp, then move it back to the closet when you’re done. Yeah baby, yeah!