Celerie Kemble

I was looking through my files today and came across an article on a Philadelphia house decorated by Celerie Kemble (House Beautiful Feb. 2003). While the overall look is traditional, I think Kemble added some youthful touches (mainly through her use of color) to keep it from looking stuffy.

I'm crazy for the living room- I especially like the moss green grass-cloth covered walls (see above and below). The green is repeated in the green velvet ottoman and the green and cream striped bergere. I think the red floral Bergamo fabric that Kemble chose for the corner banquette adds some punch to the room and keeps it from looking too serious.




The dining room walls, strie painted and glazed, are such a rich brown/ochre shade. It's the perfect backdrop for the red Chinese Chippendale chairs and the red beaded chandelier.




Kemble created a tranquil bedroom by using soft green and cream as the color scheme. But what I love best are the bed hangings- so luxurious!

Lulu DK for Matouk

I just found out this morning that Lulu de Kwiatkowski will be designing bed linen for Matouk. I could only find one image on the internet (see above), but it looks like she is using some patterns from her Lulu DK fabric line. I think the third pillow down from the top is the Paradiso print, but I can't tell what the others are (perhaps someone else might be able to identify them?).

According to Home Textiles Today, the Lulu DK Matouk collection will feature six different prints in seven colorways. The line will include sheets, shams, duvet covers, and quilts. I can't wait to see the full collection, which I hope will be soon!

Paradiso

All The Best's Interview Series

For those of you who are curious about your fellow bloggers, you should go to All The Best's informative and beautiful blog. She has started to post a series of interviews with various bloggers. It is so interesting to read about what inspires others. Keep checking back as she will be profiling quite a few popular bloggers in the weeks to come!

Decorative Screens

1st Dibs is certainly not lacking in decorative screens this week. There are some beautiful ones that I thought I would share with you.

Michele C Antiques of Los Angeles has a circa-1985 screen comprised of Zuber wallpaper panels (the site calls them Juber, but I'm assuming they meant Zuber). The wallpaper is an 1830 design entitled "Views of Brazil" that was created using the original wood blocks. I just love the rich colors and the charming "exotic" scenes.





George N Antiques of NYC is offering a circa-1830 Neoclassical painted canvas screen. The two central panels depict a pastoral scene with a gentleman, two ladies, and a dog, and the two outside panels are painted with very typical Neoclassical design motifs. Also notice the faux-marbre effect at the bottom of the screen.





Screens are such wonderful accent pieces, and one of the beauties of screens is that they can be fairly easy to make. For full-on art deco glamour, why not make a screen using mirrored or antiqued mirrored panels? Or, if you're on a budget, you could have a handyman make a three or four-paneled wooden screen. You could add the design element by gluing on your favorite wallpaper!

Tagged- I'm it!

Looks like I've been tagged by All The Best (great blog, by the way), so now I will share with you six weird things about me. This list, unfortunately, was not too difficult for me to come up with!

1) I love to sleep under a pile of blankets in the summertime and then crank up the air-conditioning so that it's like an icebox!

2) I'm a nut for symmetry, and I always have to buy or display things in pairs.

3) I have great taste in tv shows. So great in fact that every show that I like ends up being cancelled after a few months (anybody remember that late great nighttime soap "Savannah" from the mid-1990s? I thought not!).

4) I can't leave dirty dishes in the sink after a party. I'm the fool who is up until 4am handwashing the china and silver.

5) I love china and can't have enough of it. I have my formal china, everyday china, breakfast china (seen above- love it but don't use it enough), dessert china, great aunt's china, and am now looking for luncheon china and holiday china. It's a disease!

6) And finally, I have organized my want list of books in my laptop, alphabetized by author's last name and with publisher and publication date included! Am I a Type A or what???

Anyway, enough about me. Now I would like to tag Maryam at My Marrakesh. Maryam, if you have already been tagged, then my bad!

Leontine Linens

OK, admit it, how many of you would give your right arm for some Leontine Linens??? I'm crazy for linens, and Leontine ranks up there with Porthault (in my opinion) as the ultimate in linens! Fortunately for those of us in Atlanta, they have just opened a showroom where we can see these gems in person (or, if you're in NYC, check them out at Bergdorf's). Until I get the chance to run over to the showroom, I'll just stare at these beautiful photos of custom orders, courtesy of their website.

Winter Antiques Show

The Winter Antiques Show , one of the most prestigious antiques shows in the country, is currently underway in New York. Held at the Seventh Regiment Armory, the show benefits the East Side House Settlement and runs from January 19-28. Exhibitors include some of the most illustrious antiques dealers in the country: Hyde Park Antiques; Kentshire Galleries; Leigh Keno; and Mallett.

I was looking at NewYorkSocialDiary.com's coverage of the event, and there were two booths that caught my eye: those of Elle Shushan and Carolle Thibaut-Pomerantz.

Shushan, based in Philadelphia, deals in American, English, and Continental portrait miniatures. Her site features a wide array of these miniatures which are truly charming. I like how she painted her booth pink and then added faux architectural features in black. Although the booth is far more theatrical than those of other dealers, I thought it was the perfect backdrop to display her wares.

Carolle Thibaut-Pomerantz is an antique wallpaper panel dealer with offices in New York and Paris. Unfortunately, her website is still under construction, but you can see some examples of antique paper panels on her homepage. The two examples below are also on her homepage. How amazing would it be to see her inventory in person?

(Photos courtesy of newyorksocialdiary.com)

Windsor Style

One of my very favorite things to pore over is the catalogue from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor auction that Sotheby's organized back in 1997. I know that they were certainly a controversial couple, but it can't be denied that they were quite stylish. With Elsie de Wolfe as a mentor and the firm of Jansen as her decorator, the Duchess of Windsor couldn't help but be surrounded by beautiful things. I thought I would share with you some of my favorite rooms and images from the catalogue. Enjoy!

Lorely Furniture

I'm sure many of you are familiar with Laura Yaggy's Lorely Furniture line, especially her popular python telephone table. I finally got around to checking out her website, and I truly love her furniture collection. The pieces are so simple, but what is so great about it is that you can choose amongst a multitude of finishes and colors- lacquer, crackled lacquer, lacquered linen, python, faux emu... the list goes on! She will even finish some of the pieces in faux tortoise- my current fave (as seen in my post from this past Monday). You can go as wild (or as tame) as you would like.

Here are some of the selections from her website:

Todd Alexander Romano

Todd Alexander Romano is one of those well-known designers who still manages to fly under the radar. It had been a few years since I had seen his work profiled. Fortunately, his Manhattan apartment can be seen in the current Elle Decor.

Romano's work is characterized by touches of the traditional and the urbane. I like that while his apartment is formal, it is also quite comfortable. I think he "warmed" things up with his use of sumptuous velvets in shades of brown and red. At the same time, he adds a crispness to everything with the antique mirrored panels, the mirrored garden stool, and the wonderful Queen's Ware displayed in the black bookshelves (very graphic).

Romano has a fabulous shop on Lexington Ave.- it's filled with wonderful antiques, and I believe he also carries de Gournay wallcoverings (reason enough to visit). The next time you're in that neighborhood, you should definitely check out his shop!

Carrot & Stick Press Stationery

Was anybody else taken with the leopard print note cards featured in the February Domino? Any and all animal prints catch my eye. The note cards were designed by Carrot and Stick Press in Oakland, CA. Their website has so many great graphic note cards, place cards, and place mats, all in bright, cheery colors.

What I plan on ordering, though, are their stylish note pads, perfect for a bedside table or by the phone. The brown and white striped one reminds me of a Bendel's bag!

Think Pink....In the Dining Room!

I was looking through my style file last night and came across this photo of Mathilde Agostinelli's Parisian dining which was featured in the May 2006 issue of House and Garden. I love the fact that it's pink- pink fabric walls, pink table linen, pink orchids (you can even see the pink sofa in the living room beyond). Pink can be hard to pull off, but it certainly doesn't look saccharine here. I think the neutral patterned carpet and chairs temper the pink and make it look sophisticated. And what about that spectacular chandelier??? C'est magnifique!

Prince of Chintz

In the current issue of Vogue Living, there is an article about the current popularity of floral chintz in both fashion and home design. I know that most people have a love/hate relationship with these traditional florals. Used in moderation, however, they can actually be pretty, feminine, and stylish. The article even shows one print, "Delphinium" by Rose Cumming (the one in the top left-hand corner), that I could actually see myself using.

That being said, I tend to prefer floral prints that are either bold in color or graphic in design. Of course, I think that Dorothy Draper was the queen of floral prints. While some of her designs are quite tame, there is one in particular that I truly love. "Baroque Bouquet" (part of Carleton Varney's fabric line) incorporates two of Draper's favorite things- floral prints and Baroque architecture. I first saw this print used on pillows at the mini Dorothy Draper boutique at Bergdorf's, and I have to tell you that this print has some major wow!

Josef Frank, the Austrian architect and designer, designed some very exuberant fabric for Svenskt Tenn in Sweden during the mid-20th c. His floral prints are over-the-top, but I think that they would look pretty wonderful as an accent to a room. I particulary like "Milles Fleurs" and "Nippon".

Milles Fleurs

Nippon

Frank did design one floral print that is actually somewhat tame but is striking nonetheless. "La Plata" is such a beautiful blue and white floral print. I could see this print being used for cushions on white wicker furniture, or even as a tablecloth with plain white china or better yet blue and white porcelain!

And finally, what about this Leslie and D.D. Tillett floral print? It is so graphic and yet very classic! Jackie O. was a fan of the Tillett's fabric, and I can certainly see why. I have tried to find out if this fabric is still being made, so if anyone knows anything about it, please let me know.