Exercising Beauty

I don't care where I am and what I am doing, my surroundings are important to me.  The way an environment makes one feel should NEVER be underestimated.  When I saw Windsor Smith's design for Tracy Anderson's newest gym in Brentwood CA, my mind was blown.  Tracy's friend (and investor) Gwyneth Paltrow suggested her friend Windsor might be the perfect woman to bring the sophisticated yet casual vibe to Tracy's newest location.  Windsor wanted a sculptural look for the gym suggesting the sculpting that Tracy helps her clients achieve.

A white on white Retna commissioned canvas hangs in the serene lounge that one can rest their weary bones in after a tough class.

The lines are blurred between exercise equipment and art installation

The gray, lavender and cream  torture, I mean signature, latex streamers hang gracefully at the ready for her notoriously tough workouts. 

I am always fascinated by the inspiration behind an idea, design, creation. In this case Windsor always admired Frank Gehry's iconic gold and brass fish sculpture in Barcelona, Spain.  That was the jumping  off point for the look of the brass shelving.  It is as beautiful as it is functional.

If you feel as though your home gym needs a little bling, Windsor would be happy to customize a gold basketball hoop for you to call your own.

Located blocks from the beach, the use of  taupe, white, wood and marble supports the desired casual, beachy feel which happily co exists with all the elegant brass!

A blow dry bar was included in this mega studio.  The girls friend, hairstylist to the stars, David Babali will oversee things within the salon.  Tracey is transforming bodies inside and out.

A white commercial Trauslen refrigerator holds Tracey's fresh pressed juices. She also has a food program to help you live the TA Lifestyle.

 Hers is a upscale lifestyle brand.  Each endeavor ; food, videos, the workout, supports the message of living and building a  healthy, graceful, strong, beautiful body.

Frankly, I'd much rather moan and groan in a beautifully appointed gym, it gives me something more pleasant to focus on besides the difficulty of the workout.  It almost helps one rationalize the $50.00 a class price tag




PH:Windsor Smith

The Martyn and Mary Show ~ part 2

Remember when I did a wrap up of spring market at the D and D building and I spoke of Martyn Lawrence Bullard and Mary McDonald?  Refresh your memory here.  Well, I was supposed to interview them and  pose a couple questions.  Time got away from us and many vied for their attention, so I left the questionnaire with them and just heard back.  It reminds me of the column People magazine does; stars, they're just like us...

1.)    People would be surprised to know that…

MM ~     I am a great traveler in 3rd world countries and I love hot dogs. 

MLB~ My favorite thing to do in life is to stay home and cuddle up in front of the TV with my dog , daisy .... I travel so much that those evenings are few and far between. 

2.)    Where is your Happy Place?

MM~  My bed with coffee and magazines 

MLB~ My happy place is most defiantly Sunday mornings in bed with a pot of earl grey tea catching up on my favorite shows like the Borgias and True blood !

3.)    If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

MM~  My mercurial nature 

MLB~ I would love to be just a little bit taller. I'm just 6 ft but always wanted to be 6'2.... I know sounds crazy !

4.)    What do you consider your greatest achievement?

MM~  Being loyal to in the face of adversity 

MLB~ My whole career has been an amazing achievement considering I didn't have any training in design. I am very lucky and blessed to be doing something I adore everyday and let creativity run wild in my office.  I think being presented with the Andrew Martin International designer of the year award was one of my proudest moments however !

5.)    What is your guilty pleasure?

MM~ coming in the office late 

MLB~ Sea salt encrusted chocolate truffles ! 

6.)    I believe in…

MM~Karma 

MLB~ I believe in the power of love and all the magic that brings with it ! 



I love coffee in bed, chocolate truffles, The Borgias and want to be taller also!  We could totally be friends!

Thank you Martyn and Mary:Fascinating!

More Design TV ~

There's a new crop of design shows coming to TV.  Don't think DIY, don't think Design on a Dime.  This is design voyerism at it's best.  Multi-million dollar properties, realistic design dilemmas being solved, huge competition wars to be waged.  They're drawing back the curtains on the drama and design decisions that enthrall us again and again.

Two of my favorite "Bravolebrities," Jeff Lewis and Mary McDonald star in a new show, 

Property Envy, a la Fashion Police.  Along with super realtor Brandie Malay and arbiter of style Stephen Collins, they dish about design and decor, and critique merits and mishaps of multi-million dollar homes.  I love when they throw open the doors of drool worthy homes we regular people are never privy to, until now.

I am really looking forward to The Real Designing Women.  Premiering on HGTV, it follows four designers busy doing what they do best, the real life drama behind the scenes (there is ALWAYS drama), and problem solving design dilemmas (with realistic budgets), then the big reveal!  The four ladies are LA's Lori Dennis, Toronto's Dee Dee Taylor Eustance, along with NY's Jennifer Flanders and Nina Freudenberger (remember I mentioned Nina in the last story?)

Hmmm,  I have mixed feelings about this next one.  Coming this fall, America's Dream Builders is a giant, splashy competition show hosted by Nate Berkus.  Teams will be competing against each other in different cities creating huge transformations with an interactive component we haven't seen before.  I'm thinking The Great Amazing Race meets The Apprentice.  Of course it will be must see tv!

I'll let you in on a little secret... 2 years ago I made it through 5 rounds of casting for this very show.  At the time the working title was Home Transformers.  The details were sketchy, but I was over the moon with the anticipation of possibly being involved.  Alas, they went in a slightly different direction without me.  Oh well it was fun while it lasted!