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Go Fug Your Room: Adam Levine’s Hollywood Hills House

 

Is the Husband reading?  No? Good. Because here is where I confess to a teensy weensy crush on Maroon 5 lead singer Adam Levine.

It helps that he looks uncannily like an Australian I had a bit of a crazy affair with (it couldn’t be called dating) before I met the Husband, and I’m also really liking his attitude as a judge on The Voice (I think you really are revealing too much about yourself today, Ed)  – he’s cute and funny and seems to really care about the contestants in his team and about music in general.  I’d been afraid that he’d turn out to be a complete douchebag (how I still love that word) much like the handsome Australian turned out to be, but for me he’s added major charm points.  Oh and I like his clothes.

But we all know that we can’t come to a proper conclusion about a man until we’ve seen the inside of his home, so fortunately Adam Levine’s house in the Hollywood Hills was featured recently in Architectural Digest so I could ascertain whether he was a worthy recipient of my affections.

 

 

Here’s Adam waiting to pick me up and whisk me off.  It’s looking good so far, isn’t it ladies (and gay men)?

 

 

And here’s the kitchen. Some great furniture (a Florence Knoll table and some Jacobsen chairs).  It doesn’t look like he cooks much, but I’d be happy to bake him a cake.  A little bit of colour would be nice somewhere -  this looks a bit like a space-age conference room - and the stylist who brought in the pink orchids obviously agrees.  But overall not bad.

 

 

Oh dear. Purple VELVET?  And the Chesterfield shape looks a bit incongruous and grannyish with all the mid-century stuff going on.  I don’t like the rug either, something more graphic and less Miss Havisham would have worked better.  And the dark drapes continue the ‘conference room at a mid-sized bank’ theme. 

 

 

 

Admittedly it looks a little better from this side. I take it back, the van der Rohe daybed does work with the couch, and the big cushions outside are cool. I still wish he’d change that hideous rug though. Love the floor lamp.

 

 

This really feels like a musician’s house.  Adam comes across as really loving music on The Voice and this feels really authentic and true to him.

However, I could do without more tufted velvet – I love the piece, but not here – and  yet another granny rug, and although I have been known to like black walls in some contexts, this all looks far too dark and louche for southern California. 

Adam, you are disappointing me.

 

 

Guns and Grammys?  Seriously?  I know you want me to know that you’re overloaded with testosterone, but this is all a bit much. I absolutely adore your sideboard though.

 

 

And THIS is the bed you are planning to throw me on to?  Isn’t it, shall we say, a little staid and a bit Hilton Hotel-ish?  More for snuggling up in flannelette pyjamas on your own with a good book, I’d say.  And I’m not sure that black walls, looming portraits of hairy rockers and SKULLS are exactly going to get me in the mood.

I’m sorry Adam, but I’ve just remembered a prior engagement.

So my lovelies, what did you think of Adam’s shag palace tastefully appointed home?  I really wanted to love iy, but to me it’s just too weird a mix of fabulous furniture, chain hotel and trying-too-hard mancave, with a hint of douchebaggery round the edges.  But I have a sneaky suspicion that might be a pretty authentic reflection of Mr Levine’s personality anyway.

What do you guys think?  Is this house fugly? Please post your thoughts about his body in-depth analysis of the interiors in the comments.

poll by twiigs.com

 

An astonishing 74% of you agreed that Ines de la Fressange’s Provencal home was fugly. 

Un Moment ‘Noir’

This tribute to film noir is pretty darn cool and set to one of my favourite tracks of all time, Angel by Massive Attack (who can forget the bit in the West Wing  when Zoe gets kidnapped?)

{From J-Walk via the Daily Dish}

OK Go –This Too Shall Pass

So, this is even more awesome than their treadmill dance (which is saying a lot).

Yet Another Awesome Video

As someone who is in the process of knitting thousands of interminable small stitches for my blanket, I do hope this video was made by some sort of camera trickery, and not by someone knitting every frame.

Two Awesome Videos

Miniature Knitting

 

{via Abigail Percy}

Fun in Bed

 

Video for Her Morning Elegance by Oren Lavie {via Uncle Beefy}

Mixtape for Snuggling Up on a Winter's Afternoon with a Mug of Cocoa and a Good Book

Mixtape for Sashaying Round the House In New Shoes

Go on.  You know you want to.

Mixtape for a Grey November Afternoon Writing Press Releases At My Desk

I made you guys a mixtape!

 

Shamelessly plagiarised from beachbungalow8.  If you like it, I might make you another.

Back to the 80s

With les Rita Mitsouko. Just reminding myself of one of best songs/videos of the 80s (she says dating herself horribly).

A Day In Wallingford

So last Saturday we just hung out in the nabe.

Watched naked people cycle past.

Went for ice cream at the new and very fabulous Molly Moon's (had the balsamic strawberry which was extremely delicious and the salted caramel which was too salty).

And then came home to watch the setting sun bounce off the downtown buildings from the deck.

I'm so glad we moved to this part of Seattle.

Speaking of which, very long time readers may remember me blogging ages ago about Matt whose videos of him dancing all over the world are some of the most watched on You Tube.  What I didn't know then is that Matt lives in Seattle and always finishes his videos by dancing near a Seattle landmark (the 2006 video finishes at the Troll which is also just around the corner). The final scene of his latest effort was filmed in Gasworks Park, which is just on the other side of the trees which you can see at the bottom of the picture above.

Unfortunately I found out about the filming a couple of days too late (via the new and very excellent Wallingford Seattle Blog) or else the Minx and I would have been there with bells on (in the figurative sense of course).

Watch the new video and be strangely moved.  And look out for the very nice colourful houses in Buenos Aires.

The Lab - Design Blogging in Seattle

The next Lab is on Wednesday 28th May from 6-8pm (though the last one went on longer) at Velocity's showroom at 251 Yale Avenue N (opposite REI) and is starring ME!!! Talking about design blogging.

Actually I'm feeling like a bit of a fraud, but fortunately there will also be Seattle bloggers on hand who actually know their stuff, namely Megan Not Martha; Elaine Decorno and Mary T from Shelterrific.

So come and have all your questions about the ins and outs of design blogging answered; find out if we're really all rampant egomanics or just to sample some fab drinks from sponsors Dry Soda and have a nose around Velocity.  Remember the Lab is open to men and women and everyone who has even the vaguest interest in design. And if you're a Seattle blogger yourself we'd be hugely grateful if you could spread the word on your own blog.

If you do come, please be gentle with us.

I'm in a jolly mood today.  Have just discovered some superfab ambient house music podcasts by a Swedish DJ  - DJRiver (also available for download on iTunes), sort of high end Buddha Bar meets Hotel Costes. Not that this will be remotely of interest to anyone in Seattle, where hairy white rock music reigns supreme.

Glow in the Dark - Kanye West

Kanye West in rehearsal at Seattle's Key Arena (all pics from Kanye's EXTREMELY cool blog)

One of the CDs I listened to while I was in labour was Kanye West's The College Dropout.  The midwife kept asking if I'd like to listen to something different (I think she hated it) but I found all the expletives to be just the thing. 

Notwithstanding the fact that it brings back memories of the most hellish hours of my life, I've always liked Kanye's music (yes, I know he himself can be a bit of a jerk).  So when I found that he was opening his Glow in the Dark tour in Seattle, and was promising the mother of all stage shows, with lights by the same guys who had created Daft Punk's kickass pyramid then I just had to get tickets.  I'm a sucker for a good light show.

The support was pretty awesome too - Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D and Rihanna.  We arrived in time to catch the last bit of N.E.R.D's set (Pharrell Williams is SO pretty and She Wants to Move was banging ) and all of Rihanna. She looked like a supermodel - all black PVC with dayglo pink and green accents and the most amazing neon pink lipstick. She can actually sing too and Don't Stop the Music and Umbrella were pretty hot.

Then we had to wait for about an hour for Kanye to hit the stage - he obviously doesn't have to worry about paying babysitters.   I have to add it wasn't because he was being a prima donna, but because they were clearly having issues with the set. 

When the show started, we could see why there'd been issues. The set was indeed incredible - a raised stage like the rolling hills of an apocalyptic landscape, the most enormous back screen and a hydraulic platform that tilted and moved up and down.  All accompanied by pyrotechnics, smoke machines, underlighting, overlighting, everywhere lighting, giant lit up globes, an anime blow up doll, a gold painted stripper hologram, a sexy computer and....just Kanye - the self-proclaimed brightest star in the universe - alone on stage for ninety minutes. 

In a act of either extreme hubris or bravery, what was apparently a huge contingent of musicians and backing singers (all his tracks have been reworked for the show) were dressed in black, hidden under the stage in an orchestra pit and practically invisible, leaving Kanye on his own, acting out a (very, very silly) hip-hop space soap opera with all the technology.

I'm not sure it entirely worked for me - call me old-fashioned but I like seeing musicians perform - but it almost did, and Kanye is the only hip-hop artist with enough ego and charisma to get anywhere close to pulling it off. And it all got very moving when he appeared to be close to tears after a stripped down version of Hey Mama. And there really is nothing that compare with seeing a state-of-the-art, money-no-object, no-technology spared stage show.

Just to bring this post vaguely close to on-topic for this blog, do check out Kanye's surprisingly fabulous blog - full of his design and creative inspirations.  He's got some really cool stuff on there.  Oh and couple of reviews of the show here and here. And goodness, the sound system at the Key is cr*p.

Inspiration

So, I know we've been somewhat mean about her in the past, and that she's recently had a facelift, and is no doubt Botoxed to the hilt and airbrushed to the max, but good grief, her Madgeness is looking HAWT in her latest vid.  And very inspirational to those of us who may be past our first flush of youth.

The song is the best thing she's done in ages too.

Mark My Words

This is the next American Idol. 

 

I promised myself that this was the year I wouldn't get sucked in, and I only managed to hold out until the Top 24.  Self-discipline is not my forte.

One More Time

 

More pics and picture credits HERE

Now that everyone's videos are up on You Tube (how I love video camera phones), I'm just popping in to say that if you're into electronic dance music and Daft Punk come anywhere within a thousand mile radius of your home, just sell your grandmother and go see them.

We saw them last Sunday at Seattle's fabulous state-of-the-art WAMU Theater and had the most amazing time.  Just two robots, a mesmerising electronic pyramid, a kickass sound system, and the most insane and incredible light show ever (this review memorably calls it 'a Vegas night show from space' which sums it up perfectly).

I danced my knickers off and went home sweaty, exhausted but on an incredible high.  Why don't they make workout videos like this?

We went to see The Killers about six weeks ago who were also pretty amazing. Seems like the WAMU is attracting a lot of top names to Seattle which is great news.

Blaker Girl

Pic taken on phone, so not very good quality

So any street cred I might once have possessed was torn to shreds on Friday, when the Minx and I found ourselves in the square in front of the Westlake Center cheering for Blake Lewis, Seattle's representative in the final 3 of American Idol, on his homecoming tour.  

I know he's a bit of an 80s throwback (I just love the way the American Idol judges seem to think that beatboxing has only just been invented) but then so am I and I like the fact that he's into dance music and is trying to do something a bit different on AI . Anyway, I went along mostly out of curiosity - and because it was something different to do with the Minx - but actually ended up having a pretty good time.  Though I still reckon that Blake will end up being a much better producer than he is a recording artist.  I'm sure the powers that be are dreading a possible Blake victory as Blake is clearly a prominent member of the Seattle underground hip-hop scene and it's not going to be easy getting him to make the requisite album of syrupy goo.

The clip below is long, but includes Blake's version of Keane's Somewhere Only We Know and a duet on Baby Got Back with Sir Mix-a-lot.

Blake comes across as a very typical Seattleite - very pleasant and down-to-earth with an endearing geeky eccentricity and a total disregard of what other people might think.  I like Seattleites very much.

I'm finding it fascinating to see at first hand how much Americans identify with their cities and states.  While Europeans seem to focus on monumentally important national rivalries, here it's all about the state. While it would never do to admit it, Seattle is quietly thrilled about Blake. Look for me and the Minx in the crowd when they show the clips on telly on Wednesday night.

Editing to say:  My forehead appeared on international telly last night peeking from behind a sign during Blake's homecoming.  In order to spot it you would have to a) know which sign b) watch it frame by frame in HDTV.

And no UK peeps, I'm not telling you the result...

American Idol

Oh well, I suppose I'd better 'fess up. I love American Idol. It is the perfect Friday night TV for those of us for whom going out on a Friday night is but a distant memory (here in the UK we get a hugely edited version of the performance show and the results show in one fell Friday swoop).

Except this season wasn't really getting me excited, well, not in comparison with the beyond awesome series 3 with Fantasia, LaToya, Jennifer Hudson (I LURVED her - I'm so thrilled she's going to star in the movie of Dreamgirls) and the adorable George Huff.

Until last night, when Taylor Hicks - the long lost lovechild of John Belushi and Father Ted - had me jumping about in my living room. Yes, I am that sad. First 'goosebumps' moment of the series so far.

You send me

While I'm in an American Idol frame of mind here are a few of my favourite performances from previous seasons.

Here are a couple from the last season's incomparable Bo Bice

When I'm down

Vehicle

And here are a couple from probably my all time fave Jennifer Hudson.

Weekend In New England

I Have Nothing

And finally Fantasia's breakout performance, also from season 3.

Summertime