The Way We Live: PodArt Creator's Home

With each of her moves, my mother-in-law recreates homes that speak to her love for plants, books, art and colorful textiles.  Her latest landed her in a space she professes to love even more that her previous ones.  

I'm always amazed by how well she combines her favorite [old] possessions with newly acquired pieces and accessories.  In her newest residence, she showcases more of her work, PodArt, the organic feel of which blends seamlessly into her decorating style.   PodArt reinforces her love for nature inspired art that successfully adds character and texture to any interior. 

Whether is by creating vertical gardens or assembling interesting vessels brimming with native botanicals, she devotes as much attention to her outdoor spaces as she does to her indoor ones.

No matter where she lands, her love and devotion to her "Munchkins" (as she likes to refer to our children) is loud and clear, as is one her favorite mantras:  "I've never met a wall I didn't like".  

Her dining room combines her treasured Russian fairy tale plates and her favorite chandelier with slick [really comfortable] seating on a colorful dhurrie rug.  When not creating PodArt or tending to her many plants, Natalia spends quite a bit of time in the kitchen creating new dishes or mastering old ones for the enjoyment of our family and friends. 

Her entry way reflects her sense of whimsy and aesthetic sense of balance.  The beautiful ink and watercolor work on the wall is by her mother, Nadia, who is the original artist in the family.  She is still drawing and painting at the 'young' age of 87.  The featured PodArt is one of Natalia's first works and one she couldn't part with.

Her study is home to most her books, to art painted by my husband as a 5 year old boy, and glass terrariums created by the Munchkins, suspended from a foraged Manzanita branch.

Incense burns in a Sansevieria pot, next to stacked vintage suitcases that double up as a night table.  The bedroom's warm hues reflect Natalia's ever present drive to create spaces that are cozy, yet uniquely relevant.

Please check out her website   www.podartca.com   and stay tuned to learn about her future shows and exhibits.

Out And About: PodArt Studio

Visiting my mother-in-law's PodArt studio is an adventure for the senses.  She utilizes seed pods, foraged branches, lichen and precious stones to create one of kind wall sculptures.  Whenever I'm there, I want to touch and closely examine all the materials she uses.  From feathers to birch bark, it's all very intriguing to me.  I'm happy to announce that Natalia will soon have her PodArt website up and running.  In the mean time take a look at a few images of her studio from my last visit:

Stay tuned for the PodArt website launch...

Botanical Inspiration: Dahlias

Last week, Natalia and I ventured to the San Francisco Flower Market for a much needed botanical inspiration.  While she checked out seasonal pods and interesting objects for her Pod Art, I became immersed in the rich colors of the Dahlias that are ever so bountiful this time of year.  Although I'm most often attracted to foliage plants, I couldn't resist the deep burgundy hue of this season's petalled beauties.  After selecting a perfect sampling of them, I added some sedum, eucalyptus branches and weeping celosia to create a weekend arrangement for our home.  There's something deliciously self-indulgent about creating something beautiful for oneself, and that's precisely why I highly recommend you try it.  Here's how:

Pod Art

When it came time to unveil my latest endeavor on Debra’s lifestyle blog, she asked me to write a little something about it.  Where to begin?!

“Pod Art” is perhaps the newest expression of my love for plants.  Ever since I can remember, the happiest childhood memories revolved around them.  Whether playing with dolls on a bed of violets, watching my grandfather weave daisy crowns for me, or climbing trees to eat their fruit for what seemed like hours, these experiences forged a bond with Nature that continues to fulfill and inspire me.

Love of perennial gardening led me to create both live and dried floral arrangements for friends, boutiques, restaurants and the grandest of hotels.  Together with Debra we’ve designed, planted and sold [too many to count] original compositions for weddings, as bridal bouquets, terrariums, succulent planters, mini biospheres and even vertical gardens.

“Pod Art” evolved naturally from this.  It combines both the end AND the beginning of the growing cycles and it provides an interesting array of visual shapes and textures that allow me to wield a glue gun as a painter would his/her brush.  Foraged seeds and nuts, twigs and feathers, lichen and moss, beads and metal come painstakingly together to form unique and beautiful art.  I hope that some of you will agree with me on that...NS

It's always exciting for me to watch Natalia create art no matter what it may consist of.  I'm honored to feature her latest works, as well as reflections on her personal creative journey.

If you’re interested in buying or commissioning one of her original wall hangings, please email me at:  debra@cocoonhome.com for details.

Pod Art

I've been dying to show you what my mother-in-law has been up to in her studio as of late.  There have been a few sneak peeks both here and here, but now I can actually bring you the 'big reveal'.  Natalia's love of nature's bounty and passion for earthy adornments are artfully joined in one-of-a-kind wall hanging compositions. By combining seed pods, feathers, semi-precious stones and other natural foraged elements she creates unique representations of what she likes to call "Pod Art".  Take a look:

I love the way she mixes textures and colors and brings glamour to her pieces by using glass, semi-precious stones and metals. If you're interested in commissioning one of her original wall hangings, please email debra@cocoonhome.com for details.