Pratesi Cashmere Collection

One of the great little luxuries of life is a pair of cozy house slippers. During fall and winter, I wear nothing but slippers around the house. (Not bedroom slippers or scuffs but rather little slip-on shoes with soft soles.) I recently received an email from Pratesi announcing their new cashmere collection, and what caught my eye above all else? Very chic cashmere house slippers for both men and women. I'm a fan of J. Crew and L.L. Bean slippers, but Pratesi is winning me over with their use of cashmere. And if you're a man, all you need to complete the picture is a smoking hat like those I mentioned a few weeks ago.

There are other items in the collection including cashmere throws, ponchos, bags, and eye masks, all of which make for great holiday gifts. Who doesn't like an indulgent gift every now and then? Personally, I can't imagine anything better than lounging on the sofa under a Pratesi throw while reading a vintage design book.

For more information on the collection or to purchase, please call Pratesi at 1-800-332-6925.



The Aconcagua directly above are for men, while those at top are for women.


Sabrina home shoes for women.


Mens slippers.


Camel toned slippers for women.


Slippers with straps for women.




I'm crazy for these cashmere ponchos. Just the thing to wear when taking Alfie for a quick walk around the block.



Beautiful cashmere throws.



This quilted cashmere and silk blanket might be a nice alternative to the oft-photographed orange Hermes blanket.




The very stylish and practical Pratesi eye mask and matching bag.

Holiday Picks from Nick Harvill Libraries

One of the joys of visiting a bookstore is the likelihood that you'll discover a gem of a book, one with which you're not familiar. Because Atlanta does not have a decent used bookstore, I like to visit Jane Stubbs at Bergdorf's, Archivia, or Potterton Books when I'm in New York. Shopping for books online is a completely different experience. Let's face it- discovering some charming, out of print book on Amazon is difficult. It really is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

I recently received the 2011 Holiday catalogue from Nick Harvill Libraries, and I have so enjoyed reading it. Nick does a great job of assembling all kinds of literary treasures, and his engaging descriptions of each book really give you a sense of what lies beneath the (oftentimes) charming dust jackets. Lo and behold, I discovered some intriguing and even quirky books that I might have otherwise never known about it, and I didn't even have to travel to Nick's shop in Hollywood to find them! I thought I would share a few of them with you, just in case you too live in a book barren city.



Reno by Cornelius Vanderbilt Jr.




The Cat by Colette




How to Be a Party Girl by Pat Montandon




Someone's in the Kitchen with Dinah by Dinah Shore




The Constant Sinner by Mae West




Rich was Better by Philip Van Rensselaer




Mrs. Astor's Horse by Stanley Walker

Drinks Trays at Greystone

Today is my last day of Maison de Luxe posting. Upon going through the house, I realized that a lot of designers added drinks trays or bar carts to their rooms. Seeing that it's the holidays and most of will be doing a fair amount of entertaining, I thought that these photos might be a little food for thought. Make that drink for thought.

Image at top: Designer David Phoenix styled this drinks tray for his Dining Room. It's traditional and timeless.


Kathryn Ireland used a drinks trolley in her Social Secretary's Room. I'm guessing that the fictitious social secretary doesn't get much work done.



Philip Gorrivan used the niche for his Breakfast Room drinks set up.



Patrick Dragonette used all kinds of terrific vintage glassware and decanters for his cocktail assemblage.



Barclay Butera displayed his drinks tray upon an upholstered ottoman.



Nathan Turner had the advantage of having a bar in his Rec Room. Looks like a turban alighted upon a bottle of some kind of spirit.

All photos by Jennifer Boles for The Peak of Chic.

The Kitchen at Greystone

And finally, I want to show my photos of the kitchen at Greystone. It was not part of the tour, but I couldn't resist snooping around and taking photos of the old stove and refrigerator, not to mention the spacious cabinetry. Can you imagine how wonderful it would be to have a stove like that in your kitchen? It would definitely make me happy.

Upstairs at Maison de Luxe

And moving on to the upstairs at Maison de Luxe...



Woodson and Rummerfield decorated Mrs. Doheny's Bedroom.




A detail shot of Mrs. Doheny's Bedroom.




The Bath off of Mrs. Doheny's Bedroom.



Kendall Wilkinson designed the Twilight Room. She created this infinity wall using mirror and flowers.



A metal structure in the middle of Wilkinson's room supported these benches with chair backs.



The Gentlemen's Study as envisioned by Patrick Dragonette.




A plaid lampshade tops a horse lamp in Dragonette's room.




The Family Room by designer Barclay Butera.




Martyn Lawrence Bullard was chosen to design Mr. Doheny's bedroom. As you can see, the room was teeming with the Million Dollar Decorators filming crew.




Bullard also created a Massage Room...




...as well as Mr. Doheny's bathroom.




Oliver Furth created a mature Girl's Room.



It might be a little hard to see, but in the center of the room Furth hung a sculpture that was made of balloons covered in graphite. As the show house continues, the sculpture will get smaller and will release its graphite coating. The sculpture was created by artist Elyse Graham.




A little fuzzy, but I tried to get a shot of the peacock blue lacquered ceiling. It was a striking contrast to the brown toned walls.




The Girl's Room Bath, also designed by Furth, featured a dressing table and walls with metallic paper insets.






Atlantan Raymond Goins painted these horse themed canvases that lined the walls of his Sitting Room. Standing in the room was like being surrounded by galloping horses.


All photos by Jennifer Boles for The Peak of Chic

Downstairs at Maison de Luxe

I want to thank Luxe Magazine for inviting me to attend last week's Maison de Luxe Opening Night Gala event. The show house, taking place at the glorious Greystone estate in Beverly Hills, is quite a success thanks to the hard work and skill of an impressive mix of designers. Over the next few days, I plan to show my photos of the house. (You'll have to forgive the quality of some of the images; taking photos at night with people milling about is not my area of expertise.)

The house is around 50,000 square feet, so needless to say, I took a lot of photos. Today's post features the rooms on the first floor and basement. Tomorrow, it's the upstairs that will be the focus. There are many other decorator rooms that I was not able to photograph, so if you happen to be in Los Angeles over the next few weeks, I highly encourage you to visit the show house for yourself. You won't be disappointed!



First up, the Grand Entry Foyer that was decorated by Timothy Corrigan. Corrigan chose a rich red Phillip Jeffries grasscloth paper to warm up the vast space.



Corrigan also designed the Grand Center Hall on the second floor.



A Corrigan vignette on the second floor.



A detail of one of the urns flanking Corrigan's seating area in the second floor hall.



Looking down the stairs into the Grand Hall and Card Room, both decorated by Michelle Nussbaumer. Born settees were a popular accent in a few rooms.



Looking across Nussbaumer's Card Room.



Two card tables at the ready.



One side of the Card Room.



This fixture in the Card Room caught my eye.



Barry Dixon decorated the Library.



One side of the Library.



I'm taken with this intaglio table (one of a pair) that Dixon chose for his room.



I couldn't resist taking a photo of this vintage dog book that was displayed on a cocktail table in Dixon's room.



The Living Room as envisioned by Jamie Drake.



Mary McDonald decorated the East and West Grand Halls in shades of blue and white. How stunning is that ceiling?



An assemblage of brackets with blue and white porcelain and white flowers.



McDonald even created vignettes above the doors.




Two more detail shots of McDonald's Hall.



Suzanne Rheinstein decorated the Guest Suite. At either end of the room were screens upholstered in her new embroidered Vermicelli fabric for Lee Jofa.



A square born settee.



The opposite side of the Guest Suite.



Philip Gorrivan's Breakfast Room.



Another view of the Breakfast Room.



And another born settee.




A detail of the Kyle Bunting rug used in the Breakfast Room.



The Social Secretary Room as designed by Kathryn Ireland.




The Dining Room by David Phoenix.




Phoenix chose one of my current favorite china patterns for the table: Alberto Pinto's Champignon.




Nathan Turner's handiwork is seen in the Rec Room off of the basement bowling alley.




A vintage issue of Playboy graced the bar in Turner's room.

All photos with the exception of the exterior were taken by Jennifer Boles for The Peak of Chic.