i grew up in los angeles, and lived there most of my life until coming to san francisco sixteen years ago. so, i’d say i’ve got l.a. in my blood. i know the streets of the valley like the back of my hand, and spent many a rebellious and youthful night trolling the streets of hollywood, not sure looking for what, but enamored with it’s tarnished glamour. i love a good bit of los angeles film noir and fantasize about living in a neutra or lautner home high in the hollywood hills, my view of the sprawling city layed out before me, filtered by a slightly smoggy sunset. this is los angeles, and sometimes, in my dreams i live here again.

i think i’m gonna go high-powered, ultra cool and stylish in the living room like this one from richard powers photography. a mid-century modern flagstone fireplace would be awfully swell, too, even if it is too warm out to ever light the pretty thing.

morgan of the brick house has the epitome of l.a. cool going on in her kitchen and dining room, so i’m gonna go for this look. i find los angeles to be this unusual dichotomy of cheesy spots like the big donut and then it’s all stylish and vintage-modern, like a Butterfly Chair, via moma and morgan’s rad kitchen (below).

i’ll probably dress like this (because this is a fantasy, afterall); and have a view of the hollywood hills, via lonny, which i’ll take slightly for granted and scarcely appreciate as much as i should. i’ll have great mid-century fixtures and eames chairs scattered about carelessly; and some skateboard art called fringe by ryan kapp, via the beholder.

i think i’ll go with a sleek and modern bedroom, via lonny and maybe have a vanity that’s a little bit old-hollywood for those nights i need to glam it up and hit the l.a. scene, because that’s how i’ll roll.

• top image via the life of an architect.

artist Olaf Hajek seems right at Home in Berlin on the selby this week, but he says he has a love/hate relationship with the city. it doesn’t show. his home is beautiful and bright and cheerful, much like his incredible illustrations. plus, he has the most rad socks ever. go have a look at the full tour on the selby.

hilary walker is a melbourne, australia-based lifestyle and interiors photographer who shoots lots of interesting people in their very interesting, creative spaces. she’s photographed the likes of stylist emily chalmers, artist rob ryan, and designer donna wilson – all some of my favorites, so suffice it to say hilary has my dream job. here’s a glimpse into some of her work. hilary walker has an etsy shop called halker, a tumblr page for images that inspire her called halker stalker and a blog of her most recent work.

if y’all have received your west elm catalog in the mail this month, you may have noticed some familiar faces and spaces. lucy and i are featured in the current west elm catalog (and their blog front & main) and she looks great as always — damn that girl! the lovely folks at west elm came over for the day, asked me to style up the place and show off my parson’s desk. then, they shot a little behind the scenes.

i’d like to also say, i think it’s super awesome and ahead of the competition to show all my own pieces mixed in with west elm products. normally, you might see just ‘product’ in a catalog and this was so refreshing, to show how their pieces can mix so well with your own. so if you’ve got your catalog, take a peek and say hi to me and lucy!

i love this little french country home i discovered over on marie claire maison . it’s filled with vintage finds, but then covered in bold modern prints and splashes of vivid color. it’s like a little storybook house i imagine tucked away in somewhere in provence. i’d like to plan a getaway and hole up here for a while, cozy up and read all those books!

did you know the always affordable, and very often ahead of the curve, Swedish IKEA, has a blog? it’s called Life at home or livet hemma in swedish. i’ve been hitting ikea since the first one in california opened in the mid-80′s — we’d make the trek out to riverside, and marvel at the stylish bargains. i like how easily you can mix up IKEA’s Scandinavian pieces with traditional, vintage, mid-century and modern contemporary furnishings for a really eclectic and individual look — even though a million other people may have the same piece. it’s just neutral and cool enough to work.

livet hemma is in swedish, but you can google translate it into almost any language, and you’ll find loadss of inspiration and ideas, and even ikea diy hacks! i like a company that shares how to hack themselves — it’s pretty genius if you ask me. here’s a look at life at home.

artist michael gillette sent me a link to his new james bond prints available at eclectric works in san francisco, (below) and it got me thinking about a mod world — mid-century, brit-pop mod. i love the glamorous lines and bold colors of the 1960′s, so i thought i’d round up some fun mod vintage-inspired finds. yeah, baby.

clockwise, l to r: james bond print from michael gillette; mid-century modern chair via hansel from basel; judy kaufmann’s city prints; eero saarinen womb chair; mid century modern coffee table from hindsvik; twiggy Diamond Dust Painting by Justin Belmont via not a gallery; crate and barrel’s petrie sofa is perfectly mod; PLINC Emperor Six Print from house industries; orange desk caddy from vintage modern and more; and TAHIR MAHMOOD CHAAND lamp from cavier20.

a few more of michael gillette’s mod james bond prints.

• top image: santa barbara house tour via apartment therapy.

my friend lisa coris, a jewelry designer and artist, has a beautiful home tour of her san francisco apartment in the new online magazine, modern ink. i’ve featured lisa’s fab art-filled, mid-century modern influenced apartment here, but since she’s always on the hunt for great vintage treasures, it’s fun to see an update. check out the whole tour and lisa’s tips for vintage thrifting finds, too! modern ink’s a great new design magazine!

i recently discovered this danish home furnishings company called gubi based in copenhagen, and i went gaga. not just for their furnishings, but for the overall styling. i’m in love with the juxtaposition of mid-century, danish modern furniture in these very ornate, victorian rooms — it just makes the gubi pieces stand out that much more, and adds interest and an eclectic twist i love. you can download gubi catalogs and magazines on their site. i think you’ll find them most inspiring.

i fell in love with this lamp. is it not spectacular? i saw it on a yatzer tour of designer Azzedine Alaïa’s home. he himself designed all the interiors, you should go look. for now, i’m just gonna light this candle, cuddle up with ferm’s living’s lovely blanket and lay around and covet this lamp.

• top photo © Alexandre & Emilie, Persona production.