Gutsy Stripes

Love them or hate them, striped walls certainly make a statement. Graphic stripes are bold and at times brash (and I mean that as a compliment). Tonal stripes bring a more subdued and quiet look to a room. If the idea of painting or papering your walls with stripes is a bit too much, you can always achieve the look by using striped fabric, as Alessandra Branca did below. Here are a few examples of wild, snappy, and chic stripes.


Photo of the Chapman Radcliff showroom, courtesy of Ruthie Sommers


Photo of bedroom designed by Anne Coyle


Home of decorator Sam Blount


Showroom of Woodson and Rummerfield


Children's room by Alessandra Branca; photo courtesy of Southern Accents

Photo at top of Deborah Buck's fantastic antique shop in New York, Buck House

1936 Revisited

I love to look through old design magazines to see what the trends were for that time. My favorite era is the 1930s- such a glamorous era, at least in my mind! This past weekend I was looking through my vintage House & Garden magazines from 1936, and I was struck by how many of the styles and trends still work today. Mirror, bamboo, and chintz were popular then and are still popular today! Of course, there are some dead giveaways to the age of the rooms I'm showing below- namely the window treatments and the lampshades. I do hope that those frilly lampshades of yesteryear do not make a comeback. Excluding these, however, can anyone else see themselves living with these furnishings?

(If you're interested in purchasing vintage design magazines, Style Court just posted about Past Paper, which she says is a great source for vintage House & Garden issues).

Chameleon Fine Lighting

When some people shop for lighting, they choose function over form. Of course, the function of the light is of utmost importance, but there is no reason why lighting can't be chic and fun too. Lighting is, at least for me, an important decorative element that sometimes gets overlooked.

Chameleon Fine Lighting, based in New York City, is a terrific source for both antique and reproduction lighting. If you're looking for inspiration for your home, you need to look at their website. There are so many wonderful sconces, chandeliers, and lamps that it is easy to get lost in their site! Although the main showroom in New York carries both the reproduction and antique lighting, there are showrooms throughout the country that carry their reproduction "Signature" line.

"Pagoda" brass and gilt metal lantern, from Chameleon's Signature Line


"Lilly Burst" crystal and gilt metal sconce, from Chameleon's Signature Line


Antique French metal chandelier, circa 1940


Italian glass mongolfier fixture, circa 1940


French opaline chandelier, circa 1940


American Empire-style sconces, circa 1940


Chinoiserie sconces made by E.F. Caldwell of New York, circa 1900


French Empire-style table lamp, circa 1920

(All photos courtesy of Chameleon Fine Lighting)

Shell Savvy

Mother Nature is truly the ultimate designer, and shells may be one of her most beautiful creations. They are beautiful, sculptural, and durable. It is for all of these reasons that shells are a great way to incorporate nature into a design scheme. Of course, the shell motif is quite popular in beach houses, but there is no reason why those of us who are landlocked can't incorporate shells into our decor.

Marian McEvoy (whose home is featured in the top photo) is the queen of the glue gun, and she seems especially fond of gluing shells to anything and everything: beds, fireplaces, mirrors. If the thought of doing this is just a tad too overwhelming, why not buy a shell mirror, such as the one below from 1st dibs?

Vintage shell mirror from Gustavo Olivieri at 1st Dibs


Shell chandeliers, such as that in Muriel Brandolini's apartment (second photo down), are so striking with their ropes and dangles of little shells. This one, from Mecox Gardens, is particularly pretty.

Shell Chandelier at Mecox Gardens

When too many shells are not enough, Christa's South Seashells is the place to visit. This Palm Beach shop carries everything from tasteful antiques and home accessories to the wildest shell encrusted furniture and sculptures.

Shell console from Christa's South Seashells


Shell "David" from Christa's South Seashells

Finally, if all you want is just a small touch of shells, this wall bracket from Ruzzetti and Gow is just perfect.

Shell encrusted wall bracket from Ruzzetti and Gow

(Photos at top from "Rooms to Inspire" by Annie Kelly and Tim Street-Porter)

Brown and Aubergine

Last week I posted on blue, red, and pink rooms, so continuing in this vein, today I'll post some of my favorite brown and aubergine rooms.

These two dark, rich colors really pack a punch, and they go a long way in creating a luxurious and warm atmosphere. I love the way the light and bright colors of fabrics and accessories play off of dark walls. If you're scared of dark colors, perhaps you should embrace them in a small way, such as in a powder room. Flat browns and aubergines are always right, but if you want a high wattage effect, then go for the lacquered look. And if Billy Baldwin embraced these dark colors, then you know you can't go wrong!

Dining Room by Richard Keith Langham; color is Flat Brown by Pratt and Lambert (photo courtesy of Southern Accents)


Room for the 2005 House Beautiful Showhouse by Joe Nye

Room at top by Mario Buatta in a custom lacquered aubergine

The Look of Lucite

This season, the Lucite shoe is having its moment in the fashion spotlight. No longer relegated to bargain basement status (or to the feet of Vegas showgirls), many of the big named designers such as Chanel, Manolo Blahnik, and Tory Burch have embraced the plastic trend. And in their hands, it doesn't look half bad.


While Lucite may come and go in women's fashion, it is actually a modern- classic look in interior design. The problem is that there is a fine line between "classic" Lucite and "tacky" Lucite. Obviously, you don't want a house full of it, and you probably want to steer clear of those purple acrylic pieces, but a little Lucite never hurt anyone. Lucite occasional tables can look quite nice, while Lucite vanity stools can bring out one's inner diva. And for a primer on Lucite- Lucite, Perspex, and Plexiglass are all tradenames used for this type of synthetic material, generally known as acrylic.



Lucite twist lamps at Mecox Gardens


Louis Ghost Chair at Graham and Greene


Lucite Tray Table by Jordan Cappella at Woodson & Rummerfield


Lucite TV tray table in Todd Romano's apartment


Lucite chair in Amy Fine Collins' apartment

(Shoes at top by Manolo Blahnik, available at bergdorfgoodman.com)

Kitchen Splendor

In honor of May being "Kitchen" month for various design magazines, I am featuring a few of my favorite kitchens from the past few years. Overall, my picks tend to have much in common- marble counters and backsplashes, stainless steel, and simple cabinets. Some of these kitchens very easily could have been designed in the 1920s or 30s- minus many of the modern conveniences, of course. In terms of color, I tend to be a purist, preferring white and other neutrals. I did, however, include a black kitchen- that of Miles Redd- because it's just so glamorous. And the wild card here is the Fifth Avenue kitchen of socialite Anne Slater (in a McKim, Mead & White building, no less). I love this chocolate brown kitchen because it's a time capsule- it still has the original stove and cork floor. Even though it's slightly dated, it's refreshing to see a homeowner whose self-confidence precludes her from having to redecorate and renovate every few years.

Kitchen featured in House Beautiful, Feb 2006


The Nussbaum's kitchen, House and Garden


Kitchen of Miles Redd, courtesy of New York Social Diary


Kitchen of Anne Slater, courtesy of New York Magazine

Kitchen at top from House and Garden

Wall Pastiche

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. The same can be said for rooms that lack architectural detail. It is certainly nice to be blessed with rooms that have rich paneling or moulding. On the other hand, plain-jane rooms present a blank slate in which to express one's creativity. Recently, I've seen quite a few rooms in which decorators have used upholstery nails on walls to create faux architectural features and designs. In fact, New York decorator Jeffrey Bilhuber has used this effect in two different apartments. In a client's Manhattan apartment, Bilhuber glazed the walls of the library and then created faux paneling by studding the wall with nails. For his own apartment (photo at top), Bilhuber employed this technique again, this time using square brass nails over walls covered in Groves Brothers' "Marianne" cotton.

Some decorators prefer to use the nails to create a more "free form" pattern, such as that created by decorators Etienne Coffinier and Ed Ku for the Kips Bay Decorators Showhouse. The two designers used silver nails over white leather panels to create a more fanciful design. And just because I've seen three rooms recently with studded walls, this design trick is not new. The venerable design firm McMillen used brass nails over green felted walls for Charles Revson's billiard room, seen below.


Manhattan library decorated by Jeffrey Bilhuber; photo courtesy of British House & Garden, April 2007


Room designed by Etienne Coffinier and Ed Ku; photo courtesy of New York Times.




Billiard Room of Charles Revson, decorated by McMillen

(Photo at top of Bilhuber apartment courtesy of Elle Decor, May '07)

Artesian Bar London

I think I've found my new dream bar, and it's absolutely stunning. The Artesian Bar, located in the Langham Hotel in London, is a throw back to the glamorous, and sometimes louche, cocktail era of the 1920s and 30s. David Collins, the London-based architect and designer, has created an oasis of theatrical sophistication that is dominated by a fabulous Chinese Chippendale bar and pagoda chandeliers. Needless to say, if there is a Chinoiserie or Orientalist theme to a room, then I'm taken with it. I also think the purple accents- the upholstered furniture, the rugs- look quite right here, and I'm usually not a fan of purple. And the muted color scheme, coupled with the soft lighting, creates a decadent environment in which to imbibe. Cheers!

Terrific Trellis

The use of trellis on indoor walls has been quite popular over the past few years, especially with the increased interest in the work of Elsie de Wolfe. It was de Wolfe who introduced this decorative element as part of her design for the Colony Club in New York back in 1905. It was, in a way, a call to arms to banish the tired, heavy Victorian look and to embrace a lighter and more modern way of thinking about design.

Trellis is perfect for rooms such as sunrooms and solariums, breakfast rooms, and even sunny dining rooms. It can be applied over white walls or colorful walls (such as a bright green or pale blue), or even used over mirrored walls for a glamorous, albeit over the top, look. You can paint the trellis white or make it graphic by painting it a darker, contrasting color. If this all seems like a lot of trouble, perhaps you might want to choose a stylish trellis-print wallpaper. However one chooses to use it, it is important to use good quality trellis and to keep the furnishings in the room rather simple. After all, you wouldn't want to overshadow that fabulous trellis!



Entrance Hall given the Trellis treatment by Nicholas Haslam (photo courtesy of Southern Accents)


Trellis in a poolhouse designed by Paul Garzotto (photo courtesy of Southern Accents)


Maine home of Gwen McCaw (photo courtesy of Vogue)


Palm Beach breakfast room by designer Carolyn Malone and architects Norman Askins and Bill Litchfield (photo courtesy of Southern Accents)

Photo at top of Sarah Jessica Parker in a fabulous trellised room (photo from Vogue)