Black and Blue

A few readers have suggested that I post about favorite paint colors, something which I thought would be fun to discuss. I have so many favorite colors (and so many favorite rooms) that I thought it would be better to have a few different posts that are segregated by color.

Today I'm featuring just a few of my favorite blue rooms (and one black room) . I am particularly fond of ice blue- it's so soothing, yet so chic, all at the same time. In fact, I've always had a blue bedroom. As refreshing as pale blue is, a deep, dark blue that veers towards black can be quite mysterious. These deep hues look great in living, dining, and powder rooms. Furniture and accessories seem to take on a sense of drama when paired with a dark colored room.

I hope you like the rooms that I'm showing, but I would very much like to hear what your favorite blue rooms are. Please note that I tried to include specific paint colors when I could. Stay tuned for other colors soon!

Icy Blue Living Room of decorator James Andrew. The lettuce green of both the tureen and the chair fabric looks quite vivid when paired with this color blue.

Dining Room of Brooke de Ocampo; the peacock blue walls and brown and white zig-zag painted floor were inspired by a photo of a room decorated by Parish Hadley. (Photo courtesy of the New York Times.)


Teal Dining Room in the Hamptons home of Aerin Lauder; custom color by Donald Kaufman


Deep, blue- black living room of designer Barclay Fryery; paint color is Black Panther by Ralph Lauren

Photo at top of designer Alexa Hampton's feminine blue bedroom

Elsie de Wolfe and the Jose Iturbi House

The May issue of House and Garden features a fantastic house in Beverly Hills that had been decorated by Elsie de Wolfe in 1936. The home's owner, Countess Dorothy di Frasso, had hired de Wolfe to decorate the house and inject it with some glamour, something that de Wolfe most certainly achieved. In 1947, Jose Iturbi, a Spanish composer and pianist, bought the house from di Frasso and amazingly left de Wolfe's handiwork untouched. According to Iturbi's goddaughter, he never replaced anything, something that is so remarkable given today's mindset of everything having to be new, new, new!

The house is quintessential Elsie de Wolfe. Chinoiserie is prevalent throughout the house, especially in the living room with its' Chinese themed wallpaper and trompe l'oeil bamboo moulding. Mirror, another de Wolfe hallmark, is found everywhere: in the living room's fireplace surround; the dining room's magnificent verre-eglomise walls; and in the bedroom's clear and topaz mirrored headboard and paneling.

Iturbi died in 1980, and I'm unsure who has been residing in the house. The house is for sale, and hopefully the new buyer will appreciate the house and its' heritage. The contents of the house will be auctioned off by Neal Auction House sometime this Spring.


















(All photos courtesy of House and Garden)

Breezy Blue and White

The blue and white color combination seems so right this time of year, especially when used in outdoor living areas, sunrooms, and really any room that opens onto a patio or garden. Mary McDonald is a master of this color scheme, and taking inspiration from this outdoor room that she did, I've found some blue and white pieces that are sure to add some "crisp tranquility" to any room.


"Notions" dining chair in Josef Frank's "La Plata" Fabric, from Anthropologie


"Walko" indoor/outdoor fabric by Pierre Frey


"Delft" cachepot from Tiffany & Co.


Blue and White Chinese Garden Seat from William Wayne & Co.


Mottahedeh Blue and White Tin Plates at William Wayne & Co.

Seeing Stripes

I was very excited to read the other day that Scalamandre has reissued the "Zebra" wallpaper as part of its Cabinet de Curiosites line. "Zebra" was first designed for the legendary New York restaurant Gino's in the 1940s. The original owner, Gino Circiello, had been friends with the Scalamandre family, and when he opened his restaurant he asked them to design a wallpaper that had a big game hunting motif. What they came up with was a magnificent design of running zebras being chased by arrows, all set against a red background.

I first learned about the famous wallpaper about ten years ago. In fact, I decided to dine there just to see the wallpaper, which looks even better in person. I had been told that while the restaurant was still in business that Scalamandre would not reproduce this pattern. It seems however that that may not have been an accurate story. According to some recent articles, Scalamandre employees discovered the lost printing screen during their move from their Long Island City factory, so they decided to include this print in their new collection.

The new "Zebra" is slightly different from the original in two ways. First, the new zebras no longer look like hunted prey (they seem to prance rather than run). Secondly, the original design was charming in that one of the zebras was missing a stripe from his hind end, and the new pattern has reintroduced the missing stripe. The new "Zebra" comes in many colorways, although the red one is still my favorite. Kate Spade used a bright green version of the print in her guest bathroom. Also, I believe the red version was used on the set of the movie "The Royal Tenenbaums". What I like most about the design, though, is that is whimsical without being kitschy, and that it represents a little piece of New York history!




Photo of Gino's, courtesy of New York Times


Photo of Kate Spade's Guest Bathroom, courtesy of World of Interiors

Photo at top of "Zebra" print, courtesy of New York Times

Focus on Markham Roberts

Markham Roberts is considered to be one of the brightest young decorators in Manhattan, and it is easy to see why. Roberts, who used to worked under design legend Mark Hampton, has been fortunate enough to work on some pretty spectacular residences. What I like about his work is that while his rooms are sophisticated and at times formal, they are always comfortable. While Roberts' "look" is rather traditional, he manages to add fresh, bold touches to his rooms that keep them from looking dowdy. Some rooms are lacquered with rich colors, while others are defined by interesting patterns. Texture is another thing that I always notice about his interiors, such as smooth as glass lacquered walls and floors or sumptuous, tactile fabrics. And there always seems to be an interesting mix of accessories. Here are a few photos of his portfolio, courtesy of his website. Enjoy!

Curve Appeal

My taste in design tends to be a bit schizophrenic- sometimes I am drawn to more masculine colors and lines, while at other times I want pure femininity in my rooms. There is no reason why the yin and yang of design can't coexist. One way I inject some feminine charm to a room is by adding a few curvy pieces of furniture and accessories to the mix. The curves tend to lighten things up and create more visual interest. Lately, I've been particularly drawn to interlocking, scroll type designs. Here are a few finds that might just add some feminine mystique to your room.


"Paris" Console by Eboniste


Double Twist Sconce at Circa Lighting


"Versailles" Shams by Haute Home


Espresso Linen Napkin by Carolyne Roehm

Photo at top: "Zeus" chair by Oscar de la Renta collection at Century Furniture

The Mysterious Billy Baldwin Painting

I first spied this great oil painting of two dogs in the book "Billy Baldwin Decorates" (see above). Baldwin had displayed it in his fabulous, glossy brown living room. Then, in an Elle Decor article from a few years ago on decorator James Andrew, the painting reappeared! This time, it was hung in Andrew's pale blue Manhattan living room. Imagine my surprise when, a few days ago, I was reading a magazine and came across "the painting" in an ad for Lars Bolander's shop. Did Andrew purchase the painting from Bolander and the photo in Bolander's ad was a few years old? Or, did Andrew sell the painting to Bolander? Perhaps a more plausible answer is that the original painting had been copied? Any insights that one could share would be much appreciated!


Photo of James Andrew's apartment, courtesy of Elle Decor


Photo of Lars Bolander's shop

A Well-Stocked Bar

I love glamorous bars in a home, and I'm not talking about a small tray with a few bottles of liquor laid out on it. I like a bar that is both well-thought out and well-laid out. There are so many fun things you can add to your bar: a nice variety of liquor, a great array of mixers (Canada Dry or Schweppes anyone?), beautiful glassware, and chic bar tools. Of course a bar should first be utilitarian, but the "look" of it is important too. Perhaps that is why so many designers choose to put out glass bottles of Coke on the bar rather than plastic ones! While it may not always be practical to give up precious real estate in a house to a bar, they can be a sign to your guests that they're in store for a fun evening! (For ideas on bar tools and accessories, see my post "Glamorous Imbibing" from last year.)


Miles Redd's stylish bar in his Manhattan home (image courtesy of House and Garden, Sept. 04)


Eugenie Niven designed this apartment for her father, who is the son of actor David Niven. The photo of David Niven on the bar is quite apropos (image courtesy of House Beautiful).


Dining room with bar in the Paris home of Mathilde Agostinelli, designed by Jacques Grange (image courtesy of House Beautiful, Sept. 02)

Image at top of the "ultimate" home bar by David Hicks

The Beautiful Home of Tory Burch

Last week I posted about chic closets and I included a photograph of Tory Burch's dressing room. The photo was taken from an article in Vogue (I'm sorry that I can't figure out which issue). A few readers have asked for more photos of Burch's Manhattan apartment, so here they are. The apartment was decorated by architect/decorator Daniel Romualdez, who, judging by the photos, is quite talented at creating a sophisticated but comfortable family home.





View of the drawing room leading into the dining room. The drawing room walls are covered in a moss green velvet. The dining room walls are lacquered orange. Note that the trim is painted faux-tortoise.


Another photo of the drawing room. Romualdez designed the sofa.


Another Romualdez designed sofa, which he calls an homage to Givenchy. 17th C. Dutch painting.


View of the library. The fabric on the sofa and chair is by Madeleine Castaing.


Photo at left of Burch's twin sons' room. Foyer, at right,with Gracie wallpaper.


Burch's bedroom with bed in Fortuny cotton lined in lilac taffeta. The walls were stenciled to match the Fortuny cotton.


Pale green and white kitchen at left. Closet/dressing room at right.

Image at top is of the Tory Burch store on Elizabeth Street in New York City.

(All images courtesy of Vogue magazine and were photographed by Francois Halard.)

Maison Jansen Furniture at Malmaison

Malmaison, the appointment-only antiques shop owned by renowned dealer Roger Prigent, is considered to be one of the finest purveyors of early 20th c. French furniture. Much of Malmaison's wares are available on 1st dibs, and this week's new arrivals feature a bevy of Malmaison's Maison Jansen furniture. Some of the pieces are rather simple (as one recent magazine article stated, Jansen also made furniture for maids rooms), but others are quite spectacular. Here are just a few of Malmaison's offerings.



Pair of Louis XVI style chairs, stamped Jansen


Pair of Crystal and Bronze chandeliers by Jansen, 1940s-50s


Pair of Jansen consoles, circa 1940s


Black Lacquer Louis XVI style writing table by Jansen


Mirrored Three-Panel Screen by Jansen, circa 1940s

Image at top: Mirrored Jansen Dressing Table, circa 1940s