Sequels: Updating Home stories
Occasionally the Home section likes to follow up past coverage and tell readers what has happened since articles were published. Some updates:
After we printed David A. Keeps’ cover article on 89-year-old silkscreen artist David Weidman on July 24, we’ve seen his work pop up in various places, and not just Urban Outfitters stores.
Viewers of “Mad Men” know that copywriter Peggy Olson (Elisabeth Moss) has to fight for respect from her male colleagues, she frequently commits fashion don’ts, and she has an uncanny knack for choosing the wrong men. Her taste in art, however, is unimpeachable. In a recent episode, two Weidman prints provided Peggy with a period backdrop.
Weidman’s daughter Lenna confirmed that the 1960s works pictured on the show are available for purchase through https://www.weidmansart.com. “The Girls” measures 11 by 301/2 inches and sells for $575; “Flowers II” is 15 by 29 inches and priced at $550. (A version in blue is $450.)
“The style is very distinctive and indicative of that era and the popularity of Danish modern,” Claudette Didul, “Mad Men” set decorator, said of Weidman’s work. “They remind me of pictures I saw growing up and seemed in keeping with Peggy’s sensibilities and reflect her younger and somewhat more cheerful outlook.”
Greene & Greene home
Remember the house thought to be the only remaining Greene & Greene within Los Angeles city limits? Times staff writer Mary MacVean reported on the history-filled architecture as our cover article June 12, after the house had gone on the market for $775,000. A 2,620-square-foot design by the Craftsman icons that has original fixtures and was lovingly restored by a well-respected preservation architect — for under $800k?
The article quoted experts who explained why the house would be a tough sell, even at that seemingly low price. The experts were right: The house remains on the Multiple Listing Service after more than four months on the market.
TV homes
The Home section’s Sept. 18 cover story headlined “Channeling the Home” told how three fall TV shows were depicting the modern family house. The related blog posts triggered a flurry of reader questions about one photo in particular from the set of “Parenthood”:
“Anyone know the title/artist of the painting hanging in Julia’s living room?” one reader asked.
“I am obsessed with the painting in Julia’s home above the fireplace,” said another.
“I too am obsessed with the painting in Julia’s home above the fireplace,” said yet another. “Does anyone know the artist/title of the painting, as I have searched everywhere and can’t find it.”
Fans, “Parenthood” set decorator Julieann Getman has come to your rescue. She reports that the artist is Brian Bonner, and he can be reached via e-mail at lorraine@artaccomplished.com.
The rest of the room, as previously reported, was pulled off on a tight budget. Getman found a coffee table and chairs that looked similar to Mies van der Rohe’s classic 1929 Barcelona design at Blueprint in Los Angeles. Tables came from Crate & Barrel, rugs and pillows from West Elm, and lighting from Lamps Plus and Ikea.
Beach house
The remodeled beach retreat of designer Andy Wolf and TV producer Carol Mendelsohn, detailed in the Home section June 5, drew praise and a few questions from readers wondering how they could achieve some of the same looks.
Los Angeles reader Cheryl Cook saw a modern interpretation of a shoji-style door. She wrote that she was trying to source four similar doors for a 14-foot closet wall but was having trouble finding a Southern California supplier.
Wolf said his door, which he designed himself, was fabricated by a Thousand Oaks company that has since gone out of business. “Given our beach location, a [white] polymer composite was used instead of silk or paper,” he said. Wolf suggested contacting the Sliding Door Co., which has locations throughout the region.