Studio Tour: Bonnie Levinthal

Last year,  I featured a home tour of Phildaelphia painter Bonnie Levinthal's perfectly appointed and gracious Chestnut Hill home. Tucked away on the third floor is her painting studio, the jewel in the crown if you ask me in a home chock full of jewels. Not only because of its glorious light, but because it reminds you of a European pied a terre, simple, humble, and utterly perfect for the serious work of artists. As a fine art photographer specializing in large scale silver portraits, I have always envied my painter friends toiling away in daylight while I slogged it out in windowless darkness. Ok, the darkroom red light is pretty captivating as is all the running water, but ten hours in a darkroom suspends time, oddly, while ten hours in a painters studio allows the unfolding of light, how it moves through the day, changing color and intensity, its own kind of miracle. Bonnie's work has always been (among other things sensual and psychological) a treatise on light. Light as atmosphere, light as form, light transforming land, and light illuminating the psychological vagaries of the mind. You can see more of Bonnie's work and follow her blog by clicking here.

Covetable...The Anna Necklace Ledge

A while back in a Home Tour post, I featured residential designer Mel McDaniel's fabulous apartment in West Philadelphia. Since then she has been hard at work training with a master welder to develop and hand build a line of must have accessories for the home.  Perfectly proportioned with plenty of pegs for hanging all of your Ilsa Loves Rick jewelry, this object-exercise in form meets function can be yours by contacting Mel through her blog home, I love you.  The Anna Necklace Ledge (named for a favorite character in literature),  $160, 20" wide with a 3" ledge and 13 pegs. Custom sizes available.

Ilsa Loves Rick at Eloise in Charlottesville, VA

I am thrilled to announce that the Ilsa Loves Rick line is now available at Eloise in Charlottesville, VA, one of my very favorite stores!  The first time I stumbled upon this perfectly curated shop was in the fall of 2006 when they were still located in Charlottesville downtown walking mall and I was smitten at first site.  Carrying Tila March bags before they had a toe hold state side and Clare Vivier bags before they took the market by storm, there isn't a season that goes by where I don't wish I lived within driving distance to do some serious shopping.  Owned and operated by mother-daughter duo Cyd McClelland and Amy Kolbrener, Eloise takes its name from Amy's favorite childhood book.  Eloise has been setting the standard for Charlottesville fashion since 1999.

Ilsa Loves Rick at Atomic Garden in Northern Cali

I am thrilled to announce that the Ilsa Loves Rick line is now offered at Atomic garden in Oakland.  Dedicated to craftsmanship and simplicity, they pride themselves on the fact that every item they carry is either good for the community or the planet. The products they carry are sourced from around the world, are fairly traded, are often locally sourced and made in small batches. You can see shop inspiration by clicking here. Their mantra "Inspired by beauty in everyday life. We are a repository for all things hand crafted, thoughtful and made with purpose."

Show Me Your ILR...Kristen in Brooklyn

Covetable...Sea Salt Soap

This amazing soap import from Sweden has quickly found a cult following in the US. My darling husband gifted me a bar in my Christmas stocking this year, and I was smitten at once.  Delicious fragrance and large pieces of sea salt (the perfect exfoliant) will have you using this day and night.  I buy it by the case.

Introducing ... Ilsa Loves Rick for Men