Designer Chris Barrett talks about Southern California style and design trends

Need some decorating tips? Read on for Chris Barrett’s take on California style!

Chris Barrett is a graduate of UCLA’s interior design program and has had her own design practice, Chris Barrett Design, Inc., for 20 years. Her firm’s work has ranged from cottage-style homes in Santa Monica to a historic landmark in Pasadena. Her personal style is a mix of eclectic and elegant. Here she talks about Southern California style and design trends.

What are recent design trends you’ve noticed in California?

I am noticing more and more that people are moving back to traditional architecture and furnishings—even when building a new house they want the "new old house" look. They want classic details with 21st-century conveniences.

In California we live indoors and outdoors—most of the homes, when given the opportunity, incorporate the exterior in their living environment. We, for the most part, tend to lean toward casual, easy elegance.

I just purchased a home locally. The house is Spanish and was built in the late '20s. It is very small but it sits on a creek. I bought it for its charm and location. My biggest challenge is working within its original footprint and trying to get enough closet space and storage.

I read a Wall Street Journal article about people doing their own design, as in customizing rugs and other furnishings. Is that really a trend? How does that translate to those of us who don’t have a lot of money?

Everyone wants to personalize his or her own space. Most of the furnishings for our projects are custom. I think it's great to customize as long as you don't sacrifice good design principles (scale, proportion, appropriateness). If your budget is limited you can make your own pillows, trim your window coverings with something special, or use in-stock carpeting and have it bound to make an area rug.

We hear a lot about the "new intimacy" in home design. Does that mean that the great room concept, with entertaining and dining together in one room, is dead?

It's true that there seems to be more attention paid to intimate and private spaces, but I think that more and more people are entertaining in their own homes rather than going out, so they need the great room. A lot of times we incorporate multi functions in the great room—creating intimate spaces within.

"I think that 'suites' of matching furniture are boring," says Barrett. "I believe that every room in your house should look inviting and interesting. The only way to do that is to mix it up."

You seem to be a fan of eclectic, comfortable design. How did you come to that?

I think that "suites" of matching furniture are boring. I believe that every room in your house should look inviting and interesting. The only way to do that is to mix it up.

What three things would you say are classics, will never go in or out of style?

Black, leather and a chesterfield sofa.

Have you seen some sort of design trend or furnishing that’s really out of the box?

I saw an exterior where the landscape had incorporated chaises made with concrete built into the grass landscape into the outdoor furnishings. It was amazing.

What is the number-one design mistake that people make?

Poor scale and proportion.

Where do you get your design/decorating inspiration?

I am inspired by everything I see. Nature, peers, history. You have to look at it all. And I look to the legends: Sister Parish, Andree Putnam, Axel Vandervoodt.

What are five things that you can’t live without?

I can't live without my antique leather chesterfield sofa, a chocolate brown cashmere throw, my collection of portraits from the '30s and '40s, my all-white bed linens and towels, and all of my antique light fixtures.

Anne Krueger is the editor of HGTV.com's Decorating newsletter. She has written for In Style, This Old House, Martha Stewart Living and The New York Times.

Read more: http://www.hgtv.com/decorating/chris-barrett-on-california-style/index.html

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Get Ready for San Diego Beer Week!

Beer Week runs November 4 through 13. Go to http://sdbw.org for more info, and check out this interview that San Diego City Beat did with the craft beer-loving Mayor Jerry Sanders:

Most would consider Mayor Jerry Sanders sitting down with me the journalistic equivalent of Us Weekly doing a hard-hitting piece on Blake Lively’s taste in shoes. That’s why I was determined not to let this become a fluff piece. I tried to pin down J-Dogg (he insists everyone call him that after a couple of beers) on big issues like employment and his collusion with The Breminati (a shadowy cabal of brewers puppeteering world events, exposed by the patriots at brewminati.wordpress.com).

Why is beer important to San Diego?

“Not only does it taste great, but it’s important because the breweries coming in to San Diego are actually creating a lot of jobs. [Green Flash has] several million [dollars] invested in a facility, they’re going to triple their output of beer and they’ve created about 40 jobs… which will probably be doubled in the not-too-distant future.

We also get the advantage of having Green Flash all over the United States. That’s a pretty good appetizer for the city.”

What does the city do to make brewing here attractive?

“Our BEAR [Business Expansion Attraction Retention] team [is] specifically targeting breweries right now. They help them through the permitting process…. They identify sites where they would probably fit in well after knowing what the brewery plan is and how big a footprint they want.
We talked to Airdale Brewing the other day—they have their offices here, but they brew their beer in Orange County—about siting a facility if we can find one and help them through that process.”

So, it’s safe to say that beer is a huge part of your agenda.

“We’re thinking that next year, my last as mayor, could be the Year of Beer.”

You recently told the Reader, “If you're 21 or over and enjoy good beer, it's your civic duty to support local breweries.” Do you feel that drinking locally is truly a civic virtue?

I think if San Diegans like beer, they ought to try the local beers, because if they haven’t tried them, they’re missing out on some unbelievable quality. [Our local breweries are] attracting national attention, and I think it’s good for San Diegans to understand they’ve got a tremendous resource in their backyard.

So, it is their civic obligation.

You go into Poway and it says “Buy Local, Buy in Poway.” I’m saying ‘Drink Local, Drink San Diego Beers.’

How long have you been into craft brew?

I was a Bud Light man for years and years and all of a sudden my tastes just changed.... I’ve really enjoyed the porters and the IPAs. Stone Porter is one of my favorites.

I’ve seen you tap quite a few inaugural kegs.... Is that kind of power the reason you got into politics?

Oh, absolutely. There’s two things I live for—tapping a cask and giving proclamations. Everything else is the slop.

Read more http://www.sdcitybeat.com/sandiego/article-9496-talkin-craft-beer-with-mayor-jerry-sanders.html

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Chula Vista Centennial Celebration 100th Birthday Bash is TOMORROW October 15th

In case you haven't heard, Chula Vista's 100th Birthday Bash is tomorrow, October 15 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center. Not planning on coming? Here are 10 reasons to change your mind:

1. Saturday will be a full day of non-stop music playing on both a main stage and a community stage. See who all is playing at:  http://www.chulavista100.com/entertainment
2. There will be a Craft Brew & Margarita Garden (yes, garden!) next to the main stage for your beer-drinking, music-enjoying pleasure
3. Fireworks! Seriously, who doesn't love fireworks?
4. For the kids: Rec & Roll Olympic obstacle course. First 1,000 participants get a Centennial Medal!
5. Classic cars on display -  fifty vintage vehicles from Model Ts to low riders
6. Carnival rides, games and face painting
7. Pony rides for the kids!
8. A chance the see the high-flying BMX athletes in action. Kids can even try out a bike on the development track
9. There will be a Twist of Lemon tasting area with offerings from over twenty restaurants, featuring entrées, cocktails, and desserts, all incorporating a lemon theme. Zesty!
10. This is your city's birthday. It won't be a celebration without you!

Happy 100th Birthday Chula Vista!

Photo from http://www.facebook.com/ChulaVista100. Make sure to check out their Facebook page for some great sneak peeks!

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Capitol Christmas tree chosen from Calif. forest

This holiday season, the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree will have California roots!

“Somewhere in the middle of a California forest stands a perfectly formed 65-foot white fir about to meet a glorious end as the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree.
Where, exactly, is top secret, though it is somewhere in the Stanislaus National Forest in the central Sierra Nevada mountains.

"It's a matter of national security," said Maria C. Benech, in all seriousness.

She is the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree Coordinator, for now at least. After the tree is safely delivered to the front of the U.S. Capitol, she'll go back to overseeing resources in the forest.

The tree is, indeed, a spectacular specimen, standing out like a verdant beauty queen amid scraggly competitors, at least in the photo the forest service provided. The shot shows only the top half of the tree and those around it to avoid identifying landmarks and keep its location guarded.

It was chosen based on shape and fullness, color and the condition of its foliage. No Charlie Brown tree would do. The Capitol needs a tree that looks cylindrical from all sides.

Earlier this year, rangers set out to find 30 potential candidates to show Ted Bechtol, supervisor of the U.S. Capitol Grounds Division. He toured the forest in July to make his selection from a group whittled to 15.

"He looked at them, then slept on it before making the final decision," Benech said.

The tree will be cut Nov. 5 and loaded on a tractor-trailer truck for a tour along a 4,500-mile route that begins with a jaunt through California's heartland, then roughly follows Interstate 40 across the U.S. Only a few days earlier, an environmental assessment report will be made public that will pinpoint the tree's precise location.

After that it will be guarded by law enforcement 24/7 to prevent both saboteurs and terrorists, Benech said.

The tradition of "The People's Tree" began in 1964, and the job of providing it rotates among national forests. This year, the Stanislaus National Forest was chosen to provide the tree, marking the fourth time the Capitol tree will come from California.

It will be decorated by 5,000 ornaments handmade by Californians. House Speaker John Boehner will light it along with a child from California on Dec. 6.
Come January, when the tree has served its purpose, it will be ground into mulch and spread across the Capitol gardens. It's not lost on Benech that a living entity will die to provide joy to so many.

"That's a pretty good way to go," Benech says. "The good news is we've got a million more of them out there. I think we'll be OK."

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