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)

Benjamin Moore Aura Launch Party at Gracious Home

Gracious Home has generously extended an invitation to all Peak of Chic readers to attend the launch party of Benjamin Moore Aura Paint, to be held on April 26th from 6:30pm -9:30pm at the Broadway location (1992 Broadway @ 67th St.). The new Aura paint is environmentally friendly, covers with just one coat (possibly two for dark colors), drys in one hour, and is washable and fade resistant.


There will wine and hors d'oeuvres, seminars on the new paint as well as faux finish techniques, and blank sheet rock set up (on the street) for you to try out the new paint. And, while you're there, you can also check out the new Lulu DK for Matouk bedding!

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

Los Angeles Antiques Show

The 12th annual Los Angeles Antiques Show will be held from April 26-29 at Barker Hangar at Santa Monica Air Center, with the opening night Preview Party to be held on Wednesday, April 25. This year, the Antiques Show will be benefiting P.S. ARTS, a wonderful non-profit organization that supports arts education for the public schools. Exhibitors include Blackman Cruz of California, Kentshire Galleries of New York, and UK-based The Silver Fund. Tickets can be purchased on the show's website. For those of you who live in the Los Angeles area, you may want to attend what should be an interesting and informative event for a very worthy cause.

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!

Metal-ocracy

Some people think of metal furniture as being too hard and too industrial. While that can certainly be said about some pieces, there is a lot of metal furniture, particularly chairs, that are anything but this. I love adding brass and iron chairs to a room's mix because they add definite interest- some of them can be quite sculptural, while others are the perfect foil for a room laden with wood furniture. Many of the chairs featured here are quite feminine and would be apropos for a dressing room or a bedroom. And if you want something a little more restrained, the brass bamboo chairs or the Billy Haines slipper chairs are perfection.



Regency style brass and iron chair at Robert Massello Antiques


Set of 4 Brass Bamboo chairs at Downtown Joe Nye New York


Pair of Chiavari Brass chairs at Robert Massello Antiques


Pair of Bronze and Black Leather slipper chairs by Billy Haines, at Alan Moss


Pair of French iron chairs at Adesso

At top: set of 4 iron garden chairs at Hollyhock

(All photos courtesy of 1stdibs.com)

Just Scandinavian

Josef Frank, the Austrian designer whose whimsical and brightly colored fabric and furniture designs have long been cult favorites, is poised for a major revival. Over the years, some of his most popular patterns such as "Hawaii" have been seen in chic interiors, usually used on pillows or the occasional chair. Now, however, a whole new audience is being introduced to Frank's fabric by Anthropologie, who is upholstering many of its chairs and sofas in Frank's fabric.

In the past, I remember being able to find some of Frank's fabrics at the Brunschwig and Fils showroom as well as online at Svenskt Tenn in Sweden. Fortunately, there is Just Scandinavian, a shop in New York that specializes in fabrics, furniture, and tabletop accessories created by Scandinavian designers. Of course, Frank's designs are well represented here (the Scandinavian connection is from Frank's work for Svenskt Tenn in Sweden). There are, however, works from other Scandinavian designers as well. Here are a few of my Frank picks from the site, including one of my favorite Frank fabrics, "Manhattan", seen above.

For other posts on Josef Frank, see my posts from February 5 and January 16. To learn more about Frank, you may want to read Josef Frank: Life and Work by Christopher Long and Josef Frank:Architect and Designer: An Alternative Vision of the Modern Home by Nina Stritzler-Levine.

(Update: After writing this post a few days ago, I was reading a copy of InStyle Home magazine last night and found an article about Josef Frank. I believe Frank's revival is here!)

"Anakreon" print on linen by Josef Frank


"Drinks" print, linen, by Josef Frank


Three-armed brass lamp by Josef Frank


"Rox & Fix", linen, by Josef Frank


Elmoot and walnut table by Josef Frank

(All photos courtesy of Just Scandinavian)

Stencil Library

Not a month goes by in which one of the design magazines does not feature a home that has beautiful de Gournay or Gracie Chinoiserie wallpaper. Some homeowners are fortunate enough to be able to cover every wall in their room with it, while others settle for a framed panel or two. If this handpainted wallpaper is a little out of your design budget, then you may want to visit Stencil Library's website. This UK site sells all kinds of stencils, from neoclassical to geometric designs. Some of the stencils are perfect for borders, while others are a little larger and can be used to decorate an entire wall.

Recently, they added some fantastic Chinoiserie panel stencils that can be used to create your very own de Gournay-esque walls. There are 4 different panels that can be used together to create a seamless scene, or you can just purchase one panel and repeat that design over and over. The site also includes photos of the painted designs using metallic paints on different colored backgrounds. If this is a little too ambitious for you, there are also smaller Chinoiserie designs that you could use on a door, a piece of furniture, or anywhere else that could use a touch of Chinoiserie.



A graphic representation of the four panels when used together.


Stenciled panels painted with gold and silver metallic paint on a Chinese red wall.


Stenciled panels painted with silvers, blues, and irridescent purples on an eggplant colored wall.


For a different repeat pattern, here is the Willow Pattern


"Diamond Trellis" stencil

(All photos courtesy of Stencil Library)

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)

Captivating Color

Continuing with the color theme.... Today's post is all about riotous red, pulsating pink, and outrageous orange. If you really want to make a statement in your rooms, these are your go-to colors. You can go as bold or as subtle as you want- if you're afraid of fuschia, then why not go for a ballet slipper pink? Does bright orange give you hives? Then perhaps you should steer toward a terra-cotta shade. Whatever your preference, these three colors are beautiful ways in which to bring some sizzle to your home.

The photo at top is of the New York apartment of legendary decorator Mark Hampton and his wife Duane. While the room is quite evocative of that time, I do think the vivid red outlined in bright pink is quite striking. (Note: in my original version of this post I incorrectly stated that David Hicks had decorated this apartment, but an eagle-eyed reader told me that Hampton had in fact decorated this apartment in 1968. Thank you poster for correcting me!).




This entryway in Sheila Bridges' apartment is a bold statement in clear, bright orange (photo courtesy of New York Social Diary)


This living room, decorated by Miles Redd, is a "subtler" shade of orange, which is perfect for this traditional apartment.


Miles Redd's living room in a deeper shade of pink- very cosmopolitan.


OK- so this is not someone's home. It's a shot of Chapman Radcliff, the shop owned by Ruthie Sommers. This is a very feminine shade of pink.


Shiny, bright lacquered red! I love this room by Barbara Uzielli. Yes, it's very traditional, but the shiny red makes everything seem slicker, so to speak! (photo courtesy of New York Social Diary)