John Stefanidis Fabrics

I tend to troll the internet for fabrics far too often, and inevitably during these virtual fabric forays I visit John Stefanidis' website. I love his fabrics and would love to use them sometime, somewhere.

John recently added some new additions to his line; the fabrics are breezy, a little casual, and have just the right amount of the exotic. (And really, don't the names of the prints make you want to take a voyage to some far away place?) I wish that one of the Atlanta showrooms carried his line, but at least the line is represented in the States. Harbinger, the much buzzed about Los Angeles showroom, carries it as well as Monica James in Florida.


Zanzibar


Udaiphur in an earth tone


Udaiphur in blue


Scritch Scratch


Kuba

Fabric at top: Fanfare

A New Tent Obsession

I love high rise living. I have a doorman; someone is always around to sign for packages; there's a fantastic view out of my windows; and being up high means I have fewer bugs. However, I just learned about something that has made me want to chuck living up high and buy a house with a yard. Why? Because I'm dying to own a tent from Boutique Tents.

Owner Anne Girault started Boutique Tents after being commissioned to design cabanas for a Tara Guerard event. With her background as an interior designer, Girault mines fashion, travel, and textiles for inspiration. Each tent is made to order, and while there are nine different valances from which to choose, Girault welcomes custom design requests. Can't you see one of these tents by a pool or out on your patio? Wouldn't you feel chic lounging or dining in your very own bespoke tent? I know I would.

(For more information, contact Anne Girault at (843) 345-5049 or info@boutiquetents.net)




This tent was designed for an Indian wedding in Charleston. The scalloped trim of the valance and the stenciled design of the ceiling within the tent were inspired by motifs in the wedding correspondence. (Event planner was Blue Moon Event; image courtesy of A. Bryan Photo.)




A tent with tassel trim that now lives sans tassels in a downtown Charleston garden.




The Madeline tent would look smashing as a poolside changing room or cabana. Anne calls this her homage to Palm Beach style.


Love this tent that was used at a wedding.




An entrance tent that led to a lounge tent that led to the dining tent and on to the dancing tent! (Photo by Liz Banfield; event by Tara Guerard)


A tent for a dog. Do you think I should get one for Alfie?

(Image at top: a sketch for a custom tent by Anne)

Jacques Grange Interiors

I've spent the past few nights in bed with Jacques Grange.


Photo by Jérôme Macé, from Jacques Grange Interiors by Pierre Passebon (Paris: Flammarion, 2009).


Can you blame me? He's awfully handsome...and so are his interiors.



Photo by François Halard, from Jacques Grange Interiors by Pierre Passebon (Paris: Flammarion, 2009).

Like this 1920s Park Avenue apartment, above.




Photo by François Halard, from Jacques Grange Interiors by Pierre Passebon (Paris: Flammarion, 2009).


Or this Paris apartment that I fell in love with when I first saw it published a few years ago.



Photo by François Halard, from Jacques Grange Interiors by Pierre Passebon (Paris: Flammarion, 2009).


I wish I could show you more, like this home, above, in Paris...




Photo by Marianne Haas, from Jacques Grange Interiors by Pierre Passebon (Paris: Flammarion, 2009).


...but unfortunately, I can't. But take my word for it, Jacques Grange: Interiors by Pierre Passebon (Paris: Flammarion, 2009) is truly fantastic. If you weren't already a Grange fan, I think you'll become a convert.

Mad about Mad Men Style

Aren't we all anxiously awaiting Sunday when season 3 of Mad Men begins? Just what have Don and the gang been up to?

House Beautiful is running a feature on their website about decorating the Mad Men way. You can learn how to add a little 1960s dash to your home, view photos of House Beautiful homes from the era, and help Betty with the redo of her home. (Can we please get rid of her kitchen?)

House Beautiful editor-in-chief Stephen Drucker was kind enough to answer some of my Mad Men questions, all for the sake of understanding that Mad Men allure.



What is it about the Mad Men era that still captivates us today? Is it the cavalier attitude towards drinking, smoking, and sex? The fashion? The cocktails?

First, we envy them: They could smoke, drink, and say inappropriate things without any guilt. And then there's the whole schadenfreude thing: Their world is about to fall apart, and they don't see it coming.

Design wise, which looks from that era still seem fresh today? Which looks should remain shelved?

I love the Sterling Cooper office with all those colored doors and Selectric typewriters. Nobody likes Betty's spinning-wheel-and-butter-churn Early American suburbia. Everybody thinks all the midcentury modern stuff seems fresh, but they got tired of it, and I think we will too.



What was with all of that orangey, stained wood paneling and cabinets in homes from that era? Betty has it in her kitchen, so I'm assuming it was de rigueur for the time?

Maple was the wenge of 1960. Let's not be judgmental. They'll be laughing at 2009 in a few years.

What three colors sum up Mad Men style?

Any of Joan's dresses.

Any idea of what that generation did to get rid of cigarette odor? Or did they not worry about it?

They didn't think of it as an "odor." It's just what everything smelled like. There was no stigma to smoking, and non-smokers were the minority, so if you didn't like that ciggy smell, it was sort of your problem.



If you were one of the Mad Men, what would your "pad" look like?

Get me the key to Pete's penthouse. His 1950s white brick building is down the block from my apartment in Manhattan, so I have a soft spot for it.

Were they really more sophisticated back then?

Back then, everybody aspired to being grown up and wanted a sophisticated, adult stage to live life on. Now everybody wants to be 25 forever. And we feel sorry for Don and Betty?!

(All images via House Beautiful's website.)

Shades of Prunelle

Those of you who follow me on Twitter may have seen my YouTube link to an old Harper's Bazaar video. Titled "The Fashion Message for Fall 1971", the video featured China Machado interviewing Bill Blass, Halston, and the like for their thoughts on Fall fashion for 1971. When Machado asked Geoffrey Beene for his color forecast, he mentioned teal blue and "a color the French call prunelle". Prunelle? That would be a plummy, prune color. At first I thought how very Seventh Avenue to use the French word for this color, but then again, wouldn't you prefer to wear a prunelle dress rather than a prune dress? It reminded me of an interview I saw with Vera Wang in which she described the color of her living room as "moutarde" rather than mustard. And I'm guilty of slapping fancy names on colors. Have you ever heard me say that I adore an eggplant lacquered room? Nope. I always say aubergine. I suppose it just sounds more exotic than it really is. Pretentious? I think it just might be.

Anyway, I started to think about prune in the home. I wonder why this color is not seen more often in interiors? Are we biased towards the color because of its name? Do we shudder at the thought of its medicinal effects? (When I see the word prune, I immediately think of the prune juice that was on the menu for years and years at The Cloister. I bet when they decided to go after the glamorous set a few years ago they got rid of that item on the menu!) Or, is it just an ugly color?

I don't think I would want a prune colored room. Instead, I'd choose either brown or aubergine. I mean eggplant. But, what about a chair seat covered in prune colored leather or mohair? The chair frame would need to be something other than brown wood, perhaps a creamy ivory or even a smoky gray would be pretty. Or, I could see a glossy ceramic lamp in prunelle. And prune might look pretty smashing mixed with glints of gold and hand rubbed brass. I'm certainly not trying to sell you on coloring your world prune, but it's not that bad of a color. You only need it in small doses- like prune juice.



Do a search on Neiman Marcus for prune and this Ferragamo shoe pops up.


What do you think? Is Farrow and Ball's "Pelt" a shade of prune?


This Calvin Klein fabric from Kravet is Ligne in Prune.


A prune commode by Cote France via Decorati

Image at top: Good luck finding a room with prune accents in it. Perhaps there's a reason for it. This room is kind of pruney, although perhaps it's more plummy. And guess who's responsible for it? Billy Baldwin.

Julia Child at Home

All of you who saw "Julie and Julia" over the weekend raise your hands. It was a cute movie, although I would have enjoyed it even more had it only been about Julia Child. I swear, Meryl Streep is Julia Child, and Stanley Tucci was so fantastic that I now want a Paul Child of my own!

So, in the spirit of the movie that everyone is talking about, I thought it would be fun to see photos of Julia and Paul's former home in Cambridge, Massachusetts. I must admit that I liked the Child's Paris apartment featured in the movie a bit more than their Cambridge house shown here, but, the Paris apartment did not have that famous blue pegboard wall in the kitchen!


The exterior of the gray clapboard house.


The dining room. The painting "Kunming Street Scene" was by Paul Child. Julia and Paul preferred to entertain in the kitchen rather than the dining room.


The Music Room, where recitals were often held with Julia on the piano and Paul on the violin. Again, the painting was by Paul.


The Living Room.


The Pastry Room with the Pantry beyond. Don't you love those copper casseroles?


The famous pegboard wall with Julia's pots and pans. Julia said "We rejoice in the shapes of tools."

(All images from Architectural Digest Celebrity Homes)

Moore & Giles Leather

I've always liked leather and have thought of using it for a few different applications, but I never went gaga over leather...until now. I recently had a chance to see Moore and Giles leather in person, and now I'm ready to upholster anything I can get my hands on in one of their sumptuous skins.

Moore and Giles, based in Lynchburg, Virginia, has been in the leather business since 1933, first as a supplier to the footwear industry and later the home furnishings business. Only recently have they entered the residential design arena. Many of you have seen Moore and Giles leathers in person, but perhaps you didn't realize it. For instance, those oft-photographed and commented on blue and avocado colored leather chairs in the Kelly Wearstler designed BG restaurant? Yep, Moore and Giles leather.

What first caught my eye were the yummy colors. Sure, you can stick to the basics if need be, but if you want a shade that is bright or moody or mysterious, this line has those too. And the textures are amazing. Buttery leathers, pony hairs, embossed, and laser cut. I suppose that I just wasn't aware of the array of finishes available...and the variety of ways in which you could use these leathers in your home!

(Moore and Giles leather is to the trade. To request pricing and samples, contact Greyson Kirby at design@mooreandgilesinc.com)

(ed. note: I just found out that Style Court likes Moore and Giles leather too! Check out her post on the line.)

Teju Lizard


Shark


Royal Vine


Palace Point


King Croc


Echo


Barrington


Amazon


Chair upholstered in Amazon

Image at top: Cottswald leather samples and a sumptuous leather chair.