The Great Candle Controversy

While I was giving my talk at the bookstore the other night, a reader asked me about the posts that seem to generate the most controversy. And I could easily answer that question- colored candles and flowers. It seems that we have very strong opinions on the subjects. Now I know that this all seems rather trivial. After all, there are far greater and more pressing issues in our lives today. But this is a design blog and I figure if I can give my readers two minutes of escapism and design inspiration, then that's just fine.

So I've been feeling a bit mischievous lately and had been planning on writing another post on colored candles for a while. The first post I wrote that involved the candle issue was really inadvertent- I showed images of Aerin Lauder's dining room which featured blue candles. Some people thought it was quite chic, while others cried foul and found the whole thing to be the height of tackiness. I for one am a big fan of colored candles. I adore black candles on my dining table. I also have gray, turquoise, and coral candles that I use for various occasions. In order to pull off the look, you really should choose colors that work with the color scheme of your home. And I probably wouldn't fill a house with a variety of brightly colored candles- restraint is really best.

Now I know that there are many of you whose minds cannot be changed, and that's okay because ivory candles will always be the ne plus ultra of elegant table settings. But if you're willing to experiment, I think you'll find that by replacing your neutral candles with those in your favorite color, it's a great way to change things up without spending very much. Amazingly, while I was writing this post I opened my December issue of House Beautiful, and guess who is an advocate of colored candles? Robert Rufino! That man has pitch perfect taste so I suppose I feel even more confident in my argument for choosing color.

(A while back I lamented that Williamsburg Candles- my old stand-by- had been discontinued. I recently discovered Colonial Candle, although I'm sure many of you have known about them for years. I've been using the Colonial ones for a few months now and they have become my new favorite candles... and they come in a myriad of colors too!)


Blue pillar candles in these crystal hurricanes are a nice alternative to plain vanilla candles- and speaking of which, avoid placing those scented candles on your dining table. Your guests might lose their appetite. (Interior design by Kari Cusack; styling by Grant K. Gibson; Karyn R. Millet photographer. Image from House Beautiful, Jan '07)


I love the use of different colored candles in the Atlanta home of artists Carolyn Carr and Michael Gibson. It's something slightly unexpected in these very traditional and formal candelabras. (Image from Paper City, 2005)


Don't these red candles add some flair to this sleek, Art Deco town house in London?


These silver, corkscrew candles are perfect for this poudreuse cabinet in the ornate Gallery of Mirrors at the Palazzo Gangi in Palermo, Italy (click on the image to get a better view of the sconces). Ivory candles would be too jarring, and really, if you have a room like this in your home, why not gild the lily?


Miles Redd obviously approves of black candles too. (Image from Rooms to Inspire; Tim Street-Porter photographer)


Robert Rufino suggests trying a mix of festive colors for this holiday vignette. (Image from House Beautiful, Dec 08; Jose Picayo photographer)

Image at top: The photo that started the controversy- the dining room of Aerin Lauder.

Book Klatch

For those of you in Atlanta, I'd like to invite you to a talk I'm giving tomorrow night on one of my favorite subjects- design books. The event is scheduled for Tuesday, November 11 at the Barnes & Noble at the Peach shopping center (2900 Peachtree Road). We'll start gathering around 7pm, and the talk will begin at 7:30. The proceeds from sales will benefit the Cathedral Preschool. Come support a worthy cause!

A Very Chic Party

I'm sorry that I won't be able to visit the Veranda show house at Greystone Mansion in Beverly Hills because it sounds pretty incredible. I'm even more disappointed that I didn't attend the opening night party because I hear that was quite an event!

Nathan Turner (whose career is on fire right now- see below) chaired the opening night party with Mary McDonald and Ann Getty and was kind enough to forward these photos to me. Nathan and Mary worked with the theme "Chinoiserie au Jardin", and just look what they came up with. I know that I got a few ideas for my next party from these images, but unfortunately I'll have to do it on a smaller scale- on my 8th floor balcony!

The show house runs through November 16. In addition to Nathan and Mary, the roster of design talent includes Suzanne Rheinstein, Windsor Smith, Peter Dunham, Tim Clarke, Ames Ingham, Kathryn Ireland, and many others. For more information, visit the website.

(Not only does Nathan have a wonderful store in Los Angeles, but he also just finished his second collection for Elite Leather. I don't know how he does it all and still manages to look so young!)






Image at top: Nathan Turner, Ann Getty, and Mary McDonald

Let the Good Times Roll

When I planned this post over the weekend, I intended for the topic to be solely about home bars from the 1920s through the 40s. And then I realized that this post would be published today- the day after the election. So I suppose I could say that these images might serve as some inspiration for those of you who are celebrating today.

All kidding aside, have you ever thought about putting a bar like one of these in your home? It would certainly be a far cry from the drinks tray or table that most of us have. Back during Prohibition, some of the design magazines gave tips for designing home bars. Since you couldn't imbibe in public, you had to drink your bathtub gin at home (far safer than hanging out at a gin joint). And it couldn't just be any old bar. It had to be rather swell. The kind of place that would elevate your hooch into something far more refined.

While most of us don't have the luxury of space to create a home bar, it's fun to imagine what it would be like to have a room devoted entirely to recreational fun- or vice, depending on how you look at it!


Elsie de Wolfe designed this bar for her Beverly Hills home After All. That black and white tented ceiling is pretty fabulous, but I would think that it might cause a little dizziness after one too many Singapore Slings.


This bar was designed by the old design firm Thedlow. Rather gutsy to render the doors as giant playing cards.


This was a serious little bar for the hardcore home barkeep. But how great is that floor?

Image at top: This bar decorated by Frances Elkins is seriously cool. And those bar stools have to be the all-time best bar stools ever designed. Period.

Doris Leslie Blau and Our Favorite Designers

I'm currently on the hunt for rugs for both my living room and dining room, and the timing couldn't be better. Why? Because Doris Leslie Blau has just introduced the new 2009 Designer Carpet Collection, and most of our favorite designers are featured. Albert Hadley, Miles Redd, Todd Romano, Markham Roberts, and 42 other designers have created modern carpet designs for this venerable company. (That's Mr. Hadley's design at top.)

I really like the range of designs. Roger Jones' carpet is very cool and elegant. Now that one would look great in my dining room, but I could also see it in a icy blue bedroom too. And the other designs? Can't you see them in living room with a Ventry Ltd. sofa, upholstered in a neutral of course, and a chrome or lucite cocktail table? I'm thinking something very Billy Baldwin. What do you think?

(The designer collection carpets are made from various materials including silk, wool, and banana-leaf fiber and come in different weaves. For more information, visit the Doris Leslie Blau website.)


Todd Alexander Romano


Markham Roberts


Miles Redd


Roger Jones of Colefax & Fowler


Veere Grenney

Good Drama

You know what I've been taken with lately? Uplights. Are you still with me? Have I lost a few readers??

I know that uplights are considered by some to be gauche, perhaps due to their use and abuse back in the 1970s and 80s. I suppose they might, and I stress might, be in the same league as those big and bad track lights from a few decades back. But you know what? I think that when used tastefully, uplights can be quite practical. And the light they give off can really add some drama to a room. Need some light in a dark corner? Stick an uplight on the floor. Want to give that bust on a column some brooding personality? Put an uplight on the floor at the base of the column. Or, shine a little light on a piece of wall art- preferably a large canvas- with an uplight.

There are different options available for uplights, but to get the most bang for your buck I would suggest the canister lights from CB2. Available in black or white, they're only $19.95 a piece. For that price, you can go crazy with uplighting. I bought one in black and I'm having fun trying it out in different areas of my home. And you know what I've realized? Dramatic lights are a lot easier to stomach than dramatic lives!


John Stefanidis used this chrome canister to light this large painting.


Mica Ertegun used an uplight behind this screen. Positioning an uplight behind a screen seems to be a big decorating trick of the trade.




David Hicks... On Uplights. When I think of uplights, I immediately think of Hicks. Here, he has used them to light blank walls (both painted and upholstered) and to light a corner of a room concealed by a screen.


CB2's Can Lights, available in black or white, are a great way to experiment with uplights.

Image at top: Even back in the late 1920s, people used uplights for a bit of drama. Don't you love that shadow that the calla lilies cast?

An Architectural Alphabet

Remember how we all raved- for months- about Andrew Zega and Bernd Dams' Chinoiseries? Well, hold on to your hats because they are back with a new book that I think might be one of their best yet!

An Architectural Alphabet (Connaissance et Mémoires) is the new limited-edition artist's book that features the duo's watercolors of the alphabet. Each letter is featured in an architectural or garden related scene. In fact, a few lucky letters are painted against backdrops of Chinoiserie follies. How great is that?

The new book, with a forward by none other than Charlotte Moss (I told you this was good!), is hand-bound in silk, numbered, and slip-cased. Forget the jewelry, baubles, trinkets, and bibelots- this is what I want for Christmas. I better start writing Santa right now.

Cynthia Conigliaro and Will Rogers of Archivia Books and Catherine Cormery of Connaissance et Mémoires are hosting a book party where Zega and Dams' new book as well as some of their recent watercolors will be featured. The event takes place at Archivia Books on Thursday, November 20 from 6 until 8pm. To RSVP, call 212-570-9565.

Carolyne Roehm and her Passion for Blue and White

I just returned from San Francisco where I attended a lecture given by Carolyne Roehm. Held in conjunction with the San Francisco Antiques Show, the lecture, entitled "All Roads Lead to Roehm" (very clever!), was a celebration of all things blue and white, including her new book A Passion for Blue and White. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a copy, and I really think it might be one of my favorite Roehm books to date.

In both her lecture and the book, Roehm champions the versatility of this classic color combination. First, you have an array of shades with which to work- from icy blue to cornflower to navy and beyond. And blue and white also works well with other colors too such as pink, yellow, and red.

I believe that many of us think of blue and white as being casual, and it certainly can be. Really, what is chicer than a white blouse with a pair of blue jeans? But Roehm also makes the case for blue and white to be used in elegant and formal settings too. I suppose you can say that blue and white is like the perfect date- you can take it anywhere and it will fit in marvelously. No need to put lipstick on the pig! (Just kidding.)

I have to say that I admire Roehm's efforts at putting her passion into images and words. Roehm's love affair with blue and white began many years ago, and years later it is still going strong. While other colors might stir my passion more, I think I might be coming around to the whole blue and white thing.

Joe Nye New York will be hosting an afternoon tea in honor of Carolyne Roehm and her new book on Wednesday, November 5 at the Joe Nye New York showroom. To RSVP, contact Christina Juarez, tel 917-463-3685. Wish I could join you!



Blue and white can be laid back and informal


Or it can be quite grand and proper


Blue and white can be exuberant


And it's also quite breezy


And you know what? It looks quite smashing on a cake too.

(All images from A Passion for Blue & White, Carolyne Roehm, Broadway Books, 2008)

Amaze Me!

In Regency Redux: High Style Interiors: Napoleonic, Classical Moderne, and Hollywood Regency, author Emily Eerdmans mentions an anecdote in which couturier to the stars Adrian commissioned Tony Duquette to design his Beverly Hills dress salon. And the directive that Adrian gave Duquette was really quite simple- "Amaze me". How fabulous is that? I'm sure that for many of you designers, these two little words uttered by a client might be like manna from heaven. It's a directive that gives the designer license to pull out all of the stops and unleash the full force of one's creativity. But I suppose it's also a command that is fraught with uncertainty and that just might provoke stage freight.

I've been thinking about this story for a few weeks now because I would love to tell certain people "Amaze me"- my shoe salesperson at Neiman Marcus, my general contractor, and my hair stylist, for example (and all three are pretty fantastic so I feel confident that they could do so.) But in terms of design, sometimes you see an interior and you can just tell that the designer felt compelled to give the client something ultra special and well, amazing. I wonder if this might have been the case in the following interiors (and a garden too).


The Paris apartment of Charles de Beistegui, c. 1933. Designed by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret, the apartment featured this stunning cement staircase painted blue and white. Note too the crystal rail.


The entrance hall at Sa Torre Cega, Cala Ratjada, Mallorca, Spain. Carlos Ortiz-Cabrera of Maison Jansen was responsible for the Pop Art looking, trompe l'oeil painted floor in the foyer.



The Madrid bathroom of the Duchess of Alba, designed by Armand Rateau, c. 1925. The bath was carved from a single piece of white marble, and the walls were covered in gold lacquer with pastoral type scenes.


Landscape design can be used to amaze too, as seen here in the park of Mimi Pecci-Blunt's Paris home, c. 1926.

Images at top: The ultra chic, ultra glam studio of Adrian, designed by Tony Duquette