In Full Swing and Koa

I have a very eclectic sense of taste when it comes to interior design. I'm not one of those "everything gotta match" or "I need some jewel tone paisleys to go with the rest of this Ralph Lauren plaid prints and matching Scottie dogs." Yes, there is such a thing and it is horrifying....HORRIFYING I tell you! Not my cup of tea, but dammit, I could make your living area look like a Country Club in Connecticut! And you probably won't see any Herman Miller furniture in my home since I'm not one for those Star Trek Enterprise looks. Well NOT ALL of it is that bad, but it's pretty up there! I don't by any means have this lavish home and have the nicest of all things. I'm saving for all that when I move outta this apartment! ha!

But I digress. So what do you actually like Iris? Well, today we will focus on some Hawaiiana. I'm not a huge fan myself of the pineapples and the coconut trees, unless it's something really cute like this fabric I once had of monkeys playing ukuleles under coconut trees and some holding umbrellas. It really was cute I swear! But anyway! Full Swing Textiles has some great prints made of 100% cotton bark cloth. These are some of my favorite prints from the collection:

(top left: "Bacall", top right: "Casablanca", bottom: "Carmen Miranda")

Yes, I know not the most Hawaiian of names but aren't they pretty?? The flow of the palms and vibrant hues remind of the '40's and '50's prints that were used for most drapery, and for the cushion coverings of the hand-carved design Koa furniture. And speaking of Koa, these prints above, work splendid for the coverings of the Koa furniture. Koa wood, or Acacia Koa is to me, the most magnificent of all hardwoods. The curly Koa is my favorite grain (there are three types of grain), with it's three dimensional iridescence, it reminds me of the ripples of the ocean and opal. It can be difficult to find authentic antique Koa furniture with the hand-carved designs that run along the front panels of the arm rests. (Heck, I couldn't even find a decent picture online!) But when you do, they run along the thousands of dollars and are usually sold by private owners that have had them in their own livingrooms for the past decades. Most koa furniture you find nowadays won't have the hand-carved design, but are still beautiful either way.

Now all I have to do is find some Hawaiian family living in Tennessee, preferrably in Nashville, that has some antique Koa furniture for sale at a reasonable price at their home. Anybody? Anyone?

june heat

This heat is getting to me. And it's not a gradual transition from spring to summer. It goes...Monday: 75 degrees. Lovely. Tuesday: 95 degrees. Humid and sweating in places I really wish it wouldn't. That's Tennessee for ya. But all hail to the creator of air conditioning! Without it, I'd probably just wander around my apartment in my underwear. But I would trade A/C any day for some cool tradewinds like back home in Kaua'i. Picture it. A cool breeze blended with the subtle fragrance of plumeria, salty ocean, and a hint of rain that makes its way across the sandy beach, swaying you ever so gently on a hammock mounted under two banyan trees. Ahhhhhhhhhh....the island life is calling to me around this time of year. Let's see. The closest beach to me is the Gulf Coast in Alabama. A 9 hour drive you say? No problem. Oh wait, a cranky 3 year old and J who needs to stop every hour for a smoke break? Scratch that. Or we just leave in the middle of the night while the little guy sleeps and I covertly slap on a nicotine patch for J. "Oh...a mosquito. Yeah, a mosquito was on your arm. Yeah that's right!"
This polar bear was so happy at the Memphis Zoo. Oh how I wish that was me! Minus the fur and extra 300 lbs. of fat anyway. I guess for now, I'll just wade around in the pool, make use of my A/C, and find other ways to cool down in this June heat.