Moguls, Mansions, and Movie Stars
Celebrity real estate agent and architectural author Bret Parsons will bring to life the stories behind some of the most famous mansions of Beverly Hills and the moguls and movie stars who inhabit...
View ArticleA Passion for Fashion
Fashion designer extraordinaire and Project Runway favorite Bert Keeter will discuss his storied career in the fashion industry designing for such design icons as Holly Harp, Bill Blass, Arnold Scaasi,...
View ArticleStop and Smell the Roses
Renowned floral designer David Jones will discuss the behind-the-scenes stories of the floral works of arts he has created and parties he has planned for Hollywood celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor...
View ArticleArchitecture in the Movies
Celebrity business manager John McIlwee and historic preservationist Christopher Carr will discuss how architecture is used as a backdrop in Hollywood films and television. As the owner of the famous...
View ArticleContemporary Art and Architecture
Contemporary art consultant Merry Norris will discuss the behind-the-scene accounts of how contemporary art is chosen for public commissions As the President and Vice President of the Cultural Affairs...
View ArticleSold! Behind the Auction Gavel
What goes on behind the scenes at an auction house and the auction process? Barbara Strongin, Sotheby’s Institute of Art Director of Administration and Licensed New York Auctioneer, will shed light on...
View ArticleSetting the Stage
Emmy Award winning set decorator Melinda Ritz will talk about what really happens behind the scenes when planning sets for television and film. She will discuss how a set decorator plans the sets and...
View ArticleThe Naked Truth on Design
The interior design industry has undergone tremendous changes in the past few decades, and what lies in store for the future is a topic of much discussion. Rocky La Fleur, known as one of the most...
View ArticleDays of Wine and Chocolate
Chocolate chefs Jacques Torres and Hasty Torres will discuss the inspirations behind their designs in chocolate and how they have expanded their businesses through boutique stores. Gift basket designer...
View ArticleTraditional Design in Modern Times
“You have to know the rules first before you can break them.” Two renowned names in the field of design, architect Marc Appleton and interior designer Darrell Schmitt, will discuss their traditional...
View ArticleCrossing the Atlantic in Style: The RMS Queen Mary
One of the grandest ocean liners in the world, the Queen Mary carried Hollywood celebrities, royalty, and dignitaries as her passengers until she was recommissioned as the largest and fastest troopship...
View ArticleThe Best of the Best: The International Fine Art and Antiques Dealers Show
Brian Haughton, founder of the International Fine Art and Antiques Dealers Show, will give a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the show and the array of fine art and antiques that will be...
View ArticleAnn and Eleanor Dish Their Own Dirt
Ann and Eleanor talk about the courses their lives have taken that have led them to their own niches in the design field. Ann will talk about her work as an interior designer and offer design ideas to...
View ArticleLouis, Louis…and Louis!
Always an arbiter of taste, France reigns supreme in the history of design. Eleanor will tell the stories of Louis XIV, Louis XV, and Louis XVI, their decorative arts and furniture makers, the guild...
View ArticleThe Glamour of Old Hollywood
Hollywood boasts a plethora of beautiful homes and glamorous retreats where legends of the film industry lived, worked, and played. Eleanor will discuss the beginnings of Hollywood, how it developed...
View ArticleSpecial Encore Presentation: Crossing the Atlantic in Style: The RMS Queen Mary
Just in time for Halloween, Ann and Eleanor talk with Captain Will Kayne of the RMS Queen Mary, who will discuss her storied history and tell us about some of her most famous passengers, including...
View ArticleDon't Let the Bedbugs Bite: The History of Hotels in America
As America grew in size and stature, the need for decent lodging for weary travelers grew, too. Follow Eleanor as she talks about the raggedy town taverns and inns of colonial times through the rise of...
View ArticleWhat Artists and Designers Need to Know About Their Businesses and the IRS
In an increasingly complicated business environment, artists and designers need to know the basics of the tax structure and what taxation issues specifically apply to them. Tax expert Michael Schapa...
View ArticleThanksgiving Traditions
The history of the traditions celebrated at Thanksgiving time are rooted not only in Pilgrim and Native American culture, but in other American cultures and festivities as well. Join Ann and Eleanor as...
View ArticleMind Your Manners
You can navigate your way with ease and confidence through workplace and social events with a few key tips from Ann and Eleanor. Learn how manners and etiquette developed from the time of the Egyptians...
View ArticleSecret--and Not So Secret Stories--of Celebrity Homes
Celebrity real estate agent and architectural author Bret Parsons is back to tell more about the homes of the movie moguls and Hollywood luminaries. He will also talk about the stars who have ventured...
View ArticleOh those Brits! (part 1)
The splendor and pageantry of the Tudor Court of King Henry VIII heralded the entry of England into the European Renaissance. Eleanor will discuss the creation and decoration of fine palaces and...
View Article'Tis the Season
Where do all the assorted traditions of the holiday season come from? Discover the origins of Santa Claus, Christmas stockings, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, the Festival of Lights, Mishumaa Saba,...
View ArticleOh, Those Brits! (part 2)
The splendor and pageantry of the Tudor Court of King Henry VIII heralded the entry of England into the European Renaissance. Eleanor will discuss the creation and decoration of fine palaces and...
View ArticleNew York Art Deco
Art Deco was an elegant, stylized period of art, architecture, and design that graced the decades of the 1920s and 1930s. Inspired and propelled by the development of aerodynamic forms of...
View ArticleAll that Glitters
Wesley Kropp is a noted designer of jewelry and objets d’art with a long career of designing for Jay Strongwater, Ivana Trump, Joan Rivers, and Princess Amada Borghese. Trained by luminaries at Van...
View ArticleInteriors in Art History
Ann and Eleanor look through the lens of art history through a designer’s eye. Throughout the ages, artists have painted not only portraits, but the accoutrements of the sitter’s life—fabrics,...
View ArticleOver the Top: The Architectural History of Trousdale Estates
The Trousdale Estates section of Beverly Hills is an enclave of the finest of Mid-Century Modern architecture that became famous for its concentration of celebrity residents and the eminent architects...
View ArticleBeverly Hills: Its Past and Preservation
The City of Beverly Hills is famous for its beautiful homes and celebrity residents. It has been the focus of historic preservation efforts after many historic structures were destroyed by new...
View ArticleElvis Has Not Left the Building: Saving an Historic Home from Demolition
With the recent purchase of Elvis Presley’s home in the Trousdale Estate section of Beverly Hills, a conversation has arisen in the architectural community over the possibility of whether it will be...
View ArticleLove is in the Air
Who was Saint Valentine and how did he inspire Valentine’s Day? Discover the traditions of Valentine’s Day and all the associations of love that it brings to us. Join Ann and Eleanor as they reveal who...
View ArticleThe Business of Interior Design
Join guests Katherine Fern and Keith Granet as they discuss the organizations, legislative issues, and good business practices that affect designers today. Katherine Fern will speak about the...
View ArticlePaul Revere Williams, Architect to the Stars
Often described as “Architect to the Stars,” Paul Williams left an indelible mark on architecture during a prolific career that spanned almost 60 years. The first African-American member and Fellow of...
View ArticleUncommon Scents
Perfume expert and author Denise Hamilton will reveal the stories behind the history of perfume, the subtle and not-so-subtle ingredients of perfume alchemy, and how scents rise and fall in popularity...
View ArticleCase Studies in Design
Architect Dion Neutra, son of Richard Neutra, and filmmaker Eames Demetrios, grandson of Charles and Ray Eames, will speak on the legacies of their forbearers as well as their own current projects.
View ArticleSpecial Encore Presentation: Traditional Design in Modern Times
“You have to know the rules first before you can break them.” Two renowned names in the field of design, architect Marc Appleton and interior designer Darrell Schmitt, will discuss their traditional...
View ArticleDressed for Success
Famed costume designer Deborah Landis, known for her iconic designs for such movies as “Animal House,” “Indiana Jones,” and “Coming to America”
View ArticleWhat Drives L.A.?
Los Angeles is a city unlike any other. It has evolved through a complicated series of subtexts and has embraced a broad spectrum of urban and suburban themes.
View ArticleAnd Don't Decorate It
As a follow-up to The Getty Exhibition entitled “Overdrive: Los Angeles Constructs the Future, 1940-1990”
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