Annie Dietz is a passionate collector of vintage art and furnishings from California in the early 20th Century and the originator of the term "California Revival." Searching for a term to encompass the pottery, tile, iron, art, furniture, and artifacts created in California in the 1920s and 1930s that would also convey the integration of these objects into current living spaces, she proposed the term, "California Revival." Annie was then working on a book with Carole Coates, an antique dealer who specializes in Catalina Island pottery, who agreed they would use this concept in the title of their book, California Revival: Vintage Decor for Today's Homes.

A native of southern California, Annie's love of antiques and her passion for collecting were inspired by her mother, a talented folk art painter of vintage furniture and accent pieces with whom excursions to estate sales, flea markets, antique shows and the like became a powerful bonding experience, both between mother and daughter and between Annie and antiques. Like many collectors, Annie's tastes and collections evolved over the years, at various times encompassing Victorian art, French provincial furniture, European mugs, Chinese foo dogs and furnishings, English and Tiffany silver, and more. Annie enthusiastically researched her acquisitions and experimented with display concepts over the years, eventually realizing that only her colorful Bauer pottery had fully sustained her interest in the face of the relocations, work demands, and life changes typical of any career woman. It was this enduring love of Bauer and an expanding interest in the period that led Annie to leave a career as a business executive to pursue full time her passion for what she would later name California Revival decor.

Among her greatest joys are the discovery of unfamiliar pieces and their arrangement throughout homes and work settings. Annie's philosophy on interior decorating is simple: surround yourself with the things you love. She believes that vintage and antique collections can be beautifully integrated into living spaces to create a unique and personal setting that conveys a palpable connection to those who populated California generations ago.

Many of the dealers who have helped Annie achieve her goals and the collectors who share her passion have become dear friends, despite the intensifying competition for scarce pieces. Celebrity interest in the genre has always contributed to the competition and mystique, with public figures holding some of the finest private collections. Annie particularly admires Diane Keaton for sharing her collection with others by opening her beautiful California Revival period homes to important media and preservationist organizations. Annie and her husband, a busy forensic psychiatrist, are surrounded at home by her collection, which survives constant traffic from grandchildren, a son in college, a son in graduate school, guests, and a mischievous Siberian Husky. Annie contributes to organizations for the preservation of historic California buildings and the salvage of tile, fixtures, and iron from California architecture that cannot be saved. She is a member of the Catalina Island Museum, the California Heritage Museum, the Malibu Lagoon Museum, and the L.A. Conservancy, and is active in local philanthropy. You can write to Annie at calrevival@aol.com.