A few years ago, Victoria Gilbert began a problematic renovation of an undistinguished bungalow fronting the UCLA campus. It was a more involved project than she anticipated, and after a few missteps she sought help from Apurva Pande and Chinmaya Misra, a young couple who had recently launched a design firm called CHA:COL.
One of the drawbacks of Gilbert’s bungalow was its drop ceilings and shortage of natural light. By stripping the interior back to load-bearing walls, the couple was able to create a high-pitched ceiling with graceful overhead volumes.
“We felt that the major spirit of the house should reside with the roof,” said Apurva, who had previously worked in Frank Gehry’s office. “It’s like a cathedral; you’re more affected by the roof scape then the floor.” One of the more contemporary features was provided by www.Moderustic.com with their Aquatic Glassel and Fire Stones.
For more pictures of the Gilbert renovation, click on the slide show below.
Los Angeles - With several million dollar hits behind them, one would think George Clooney and Brad Pitt wouldn't need to steal, but they do and are returning to the scene of the crime.
Warner Bros film studio on Monday announced they were pairing up for a third movie in the successful crime film franchise featuring master thief Danny Ocean.
The movie, Ocean's 13, follows Ocean's Eleven and Ocean's Twelve which together earned more than $800m worldwide.
Producer Jerry Weintraub would only divulge one secret of the new movie: "There's going to be a heist," he told Reuters.
13 takes place in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and returning with Clooney and Pitt are Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle and other original actors. Ellen Barkin has signed up to co-star and Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh will return as director.
Warner Bros said filming is set to begin in July, but a release date has yet to be set.
In the movie, Clooney's Danny Ocean and Pitt's Rusty Ryan lead a pack of thieves who are specialists in crime. In the first movie they hit a Las Vegas hotel and in the second they planned three big heists in Paris, Rome and Amsterdam.
Ocean's Eleven, made in 2001 and based on a 1960 movie starring Frank Sinatra and his Las Vegas Rat Pack, raked in more than $450m worldwide, and three years later Ocean's Twelve pulled in another $360m.
Clooney won a best supporting actor Oscar earlier this month for playing a CIA agent in the political drama Syriana.
The Playboy Club at The Palms, Las Vegas
The first new Playboy club in 25 years opens next month in the appropriately named Fantasy Tower of the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. Our glass "AQUATIC GLASSEL" was specified for the Playboy Club and rooms in over 14 fireplaces in the new addition of the Palms and Playboy Club.
The Playboy Las Vegas experience will include not just the Playboy Club and Casino, but also a store; the Moon, a nightclub with a retractable roof; and the Hugh Hefner Sky Villa.
The "villa," a two-story, 9,000-square-foot suite, has a media room, a fully equipped gym and a sauna. An outdoor cantilevered Jacuzzi with glass walls and a Playboy logo, "Playboy art" selected by Hugh Hefner himself and 8-foot-round rotating beds will allow guests to achieve a Hef-like feeling.
Back in September, CBS and Warner Bros. invited Monsters and Critics to tour the sets of their new vampire thriller series, “Moonlight,” starring Alex O’Loughlin, Sophia Myles, Shannyn Sossamon and Jason Dohring.
Many fan websites have popped up, and diehard fans of Alex O'Loughlin turned out to support him and donate toys for the charity Christmas toy drive at the Pole Position Raceway in Corona this past weekend.
Many of you read the set-tour piece and submitted "talkback" questions for the set decorator, Chris Marsteller.
What are the crystals used in the fireplace? How does it work?
The crystals are actually small pieces of tempered glass ("Aquatic Glassel"). There is a flame bar below and the the flames pass through the glass providing us with our effect for Mick's fire place. (Provided by www.Moderustic.com)
The fireplace below was done for Nick Cannon (now married to Mariah Carey)(http://www.NickCannon.com/ ) in Hollywood Hills California. We installed a remote control inside of the fireplace on the left side as you will see. The remote control was an IPI (Intermittent Pilot Ignition) so the pilot light only goes on when you turn the fireplace on with the remote control. We use a lava base filler and topper it with 1/8" Black Base Glass for a very fine layered look. The fireplace was coated with a high heat concrete mix to make it look wider and lower. A very contemporary look and it looks great.
And now you have one very simple but unique fireplace. You almost can't see the remote because of the glass color. The remote was to go inside the left cabinet but the plumber forgot to show up, oh well. But it's done and everyone is happy.
The Lure Lounge At The Wynn in Las Vegas.
The pictures below are sent from Steve Wynn. He used Gold and took pictures of the indoor fire table and then we have a photo of the the fire pit lit-up
Click here to see the video of this star studded event. We did three fireplaces for this event.
Kathy Griffin my life on the D List Kathy's Grammy red carpet gig was a hit, but a scandalous one at that, so even though she is happy. Since E has asked her back for the Oscars, she is less than thrilled to be relegated to the media bridge, far away from all the celebrity action.
In between a stressed-out stand up gig in New York and minor scuffles with her picky dress designer over avoiding “double boob” on Oscar Day, Kathy finds time to sit down with her best gays to write outrageous red carpet jokes and chill out to the 'Project Runway' finale. When the Oscars finally roll around, Kathy looks like a Queen and is ready to rule - until she loses her red carpet credentials and may not be allowed on air! Be sure to check out the 3 fireplaces Kathy so much enjoys and must have on during filming even if it's 120 outside! Thank you Kathy and thanks to www.bravotv.com
The Living room had twin fireplaces with brushed stainless steel. And we also added our FireGlass to her Master bedroom fireplace.
Behind the scenes with Entertainment Tonight "ET" and Ray Romano with "Everyone Loves Raymond"
Marines were on hand for the "Toys For Tots" and a few other guests Andy Dick and friend.
Billy Idol and Nicolette Sheridan at the AMA American Music Awards 2004
A Fire Pit for Reba! In Nashville Tennessee.
Here is her stainless steel fire pit pan as we manufactured it for propane with electronic ignition.
Below is a 36" aluminum pan burner for propane with a 3" outside lip. These can be made to fit any fire pit, fire table of fire fit for natural gas or propane. We can build anything! This pan has a thermo-coupler for safety and air mixer built in to eliminate soot.
The fireplace below is a direct vent fireplace located in Palm Springs California . We have done over 60 of these installs in the condo complex and they all are outstanding! For those of you who say it can't be done, well here is is. Just because you don't know how doesn't mean it can't be done.
Dream rooms. And host Kenneth Brown--an acclaimed designer who's "a dream to work with." That's reDesign. Once a frequent guest on HGTV, Kenneth is known to viewers for his inventive yet impeccably tasteful take on design. The result is virtually no-holds barred interior design. Redos that morph into stunning breakthroughs on every episode. Kenneth has a remarkable gift for quickly developing a rapport with others and demystifying design. His natural inclination is to always work closely with clients and to clearly explain his reasoning as the creative process unfolds. Related Features:
Ed: Thank you for all of your support and help. Kenneth The fireplace below was on one of Kenneth Brown re-Design episodes, we weren't told which one, oops! Anyway the glass that was install was Evergreen Base Glass and Evergreen Reflective Base Glass.
Saturdays 10pm e/p Design on a Dime makes over a space for design-conscious home dwellers who want lots of style but may not have lots of money for the project. With a budget of just $1,000, a design team tackles a problem area such as a boring bedroom, lackluster living room, cluttered dining room or outdated office space. Together the team transforms the ordinary into the awesome. What a dramatic change! And what fun to see the residents’ reaction to their new room! The budget isn’t big, but the payoff sure is. Hosts are Sam Kivett (100s and 200s), Lee Snijders and Kristan Cunningham (300s); design team members include Charles Burbridge, Summer Baltzer, Dave Sheinkopf and Spencer Anderson. http://TLC.Discovery.com
Boise International Airport Fire Water feature in the lobby/ food court.
This fire pit featured Starfire Base Glass surrounded by water. We only did the glass and the burners were by another company.
Three Public Art Projects Selected for Boise Airport
BoiseCity Council has approved the selected artists to design and build an art glass fireplace with Aquatic Glassel, a cast and fused glass wall feature, and a fabric mural for the new buildings of the Boise Airport. Art projects will complement the modern, curvilinear architecture inspired by Idahos natural resources.
Project: Fireplace/Water Feature Artists: Lawrence Ko and Ray Ahlgren from Portland, Oregon and Moderustic of Rancho Cucamonga, California
Budget: $155,000 Site: Food Court in New Terminal Completion: September 2004
Sponsored by: Boises Percent-for-Art, Aviation and Public Transportation Department
A fireplace made of glass (Aquatic Glassel) with a surrounding water basin feature inspired by the stepped landforms of the Boise Riverbanks and nearby reservoir will act as a beacon of light within the new food court area. Sited below a skylight, the fireplace will be a focal point and gathering space for travelers.
W Hotels San Diego, Chicago, Los Angeles Biltmore Hotels San Francisco, Huntington Beach, California La Costa Resort & Spa - North Golf Course Carlsbad, California Westfield Shopping Malls Century City Los Angeles, California San Diego, California We have furnished glass for fireplaces in the food courts in dozens of their malls and we will post pictures as well soon.
Westfield Shopping Malls 
