Chic in LA: Madeline Stuart
I know some of you are probably over my trip to LA so I promise I'm going to try to wrap it up soon but I met so many wonderful designers and store owners that I can't help but want to share them all with you! One person who stood out and whom I could have spent all day chatting with was über chic interior designer Madeline Stuart. It didn't hurt that her office was drop dead gorgeous too!
I love this photo of Madeline because I think it illustrates her fun personality and great sense of style. She's also extremely intelligent when it comes to design and I think her floor to ceiling bookshelves might have something to do with it! Her husband, Steve Oney, is a writer who authored the talk of the town story in LA about the con artist/interior designer Craig Raywood. The story actually came up as a topic of conversation quite a few times on my trip! You can read part one in the November 2008 issue of Los Angeles magazine online and part two in the December 2008 issue online. It's definitely worth it!
Madeline Stuart and her staff recently moved into this office on La Cienega and wanted to make it clear that they had not completely unpacked and things weren't perfect but they looked pretty fabulous to us! You also have Madeline to thank for the first movie version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory! She was too modest to tell us this herself but someone else we met informed us that Madeline had read the book and pitched it to her director father, Mel Stuart. She also appeared in the film. How cool is that?!
Inspiration boards are very popular with creative types and I loved checking out what was tacked to hers!
I loved all the stacks of books and objects in her personal office and throughout the the rest of the office as well!
She has space for even more inspiring images so I think this is only the beginning for the board!
The back wall was already mirrored when Madeline moved into the space so she decided to have her built in bookshelves installed in front of it. I've seen the backs of bookshelves papered and painted but never mirrored. I actually love this idea and will be filing it away as an idea for a future project!
On the other side of Madeline's office is this stunning Chinoiserie screen and beautiful lavender settee. The color combination was even more stunning in person!
I think it would be very relaxing to sit at the desk and stare at that screen all day, in between working of course! 
Even the bathrooms were chic! The ladies room was papered in a salmon pink grasscloth and the woodwork and shutters were painted to match. 
The mirrored wall extended the tiny space as well!
The men's room was decorated in brown grasscloth. I love that she painted the ceiling and vanity base in matching brown paint. It also makes this tiny space appear larger.
It's very hard to photograph powder rooms and bathrooms but I had get a shot of these rust look sculptures on the vanity. They add to the masculine feeling of the men's room.
This isn't the best photo I've ever taken but I wanted to show you the conference room. The walls are upholstered in linen and I am wondering if the mirror was original or brought in later. I forgot to ask. I really loved all the details that you would find in a home.
In the hallway outside the conference room were these framed letters of the alphabet.
The entry included this beautiful artwork and chairs. The flowering branches and flowers throughout the office added to the welcoming atmosphere in the office. 
I thought this white tableau was especially beautiful as is the white sculpted version of Madeline's dog that also stands in the entry below! Her real dog had gone home for the day so we missed him. I didn't know much about Madeline Stuart before this visit and I'm so happy to have met her. She's not only a wonderful designer but I really lovely person. Every time we mentioned meeting her afterward, everyone had nothing but nice things to say about her and I think that is a true measure of a person's character. And as you seen from her office, she's a really talented designer! 
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