Happy Holidays to all!

Illustration by Scott Payne

To kick off the holiday season, landscape designer Patrick Ward of OUTDOOR ENVIRONMENTS (outdoorenvironmentshome.com) decked the halls of my home as we opened it up to the public for the fifth annual Holiday House Tour to benefit North Shore Holiday House. With the only residential summer program on Long Island, this local charity provides young girls in need with an enriching & healthy respite. Patrick & his team did an incredible job inside & out & it’s wonderful having a jump on my holiday decorating. Now, it’s time to start my holiday shopping!

Books are a wonderful gift… A Passion for Interiors

I recently attended a celebration for the publication of Caroylne Roehm’s new book A Passion for Interiors at the magnificent Carlton Hobbs on the Upper East Side. The book features an intimate look inside her city townhouse & country home in Connecticut both of which are as classically beautiful & elegant as the lady herself. It would make a perfect holiday gift for the design enthusiast on your list – or for yourself!

Interior Portraits

Another beautiful new design book I can’t seem to put down is Victoria Hagan’s Interior Portraits. If a picture is worth a thousand words, the images in this book are priceless. The pages are filled with ideas & inspiration reflective of Ms. Hagan’s elegant & understated signature style.

Inspired Interiors

One other design book to which I continuously turn for inspiration is Suzanne Kasler’s Inspired Interiors. Her classically inspired, comfortable & livable rooms with soft color palettes are beautifully photographed & featured on the (more than) 200 pages.

During our holiday hiatus, I’m looking forward to s-l-o-w-i-n-g down & to sharing special times with family & friends. Also planning to sit by the fire with my favorite new design books & that stack of magazines I’ve been meaning to enjoy.

I hope your holidays are filled with peace, joy & all the blessings of the season.
The very best to you & yours in 2011,

Autumn in New York

Fall is in full swing here in New York & there’s nothing more inspiring & fun than spending the day enjoying some of the city’s finest offerings in fashion & design. The 38th Annual Kips Bay Showhouse opened October 14th & runs through November 11th. This year’s designers had to put their creativity & plans on hold when the showhouse was postponed last spring but the fall premier was well worth the wait. The townhouse (at 106 East 71st Street) features awesome architectural details including this magnificent spiral staircase which connects the dwelling’s six floors.

While the entire show is not-to-be missed, my favorite rooms include:
The Sitting Room by Nancy Boszhardt (photo below)
Living Room by Sherill Canet
The Dining Room by Ellie Cullman (Cullman & Kravis)

Fall Fashion Finds

After visiting the showhouse, I took an autumn stroll up Madison Avenue for some window shopping at the finest boutiques & couture houses such as Chanel, Hermes, Prada & the like. Then, I headed over to one of the best-kept secrets for couture design lovers on a bit of a budget, ROUNDABOUT DESIGNER BOUTIQUE at 31 East 72nd, Just steps away from Madison Avenue, this couture consignment boutique features an incredible array of top designer clothing, shoes, handbags & accessories. I visit often & never leave empty-handed. On my most recent sprees, I found a silk Gucci blouse, a Mui Mui skirt, a buttery-soft pink Ralph Lauren leather jacket & several brand new cashmere sweaters. My heart races thinking about the beautiful bargains!


Getting back to home design…
Kravet recently conducted an informative seminar on the art of fine upholstery in their Bethpage showroom. Feeling educated & enlightened, I’m inspired to share all I learned with my clients who can then make the best choices for all their upholstered furniture purchases.
In a world of “delivered in two days”, mass & machine- produced, so-called “bargain” furniture; fine, handmade custom upholstery stands in a class of its own as a true craft that is so well worth the investment. If you want a sofa or chair that will stand the test of time, to be enjoyed for years, the classically created pieces hand made in America such as those featured by Kravet & Lee Jofa are among the finest on the market.



Kravet’s Susan Lorenz narrated while master upholsterer Mike demonstrated the step-by-step process of producing a finely crafted, impeccably made piece of upholstered furniture from start to finish. With amazing attention to detail & workmanship, the chair took shape before our eyes – from a bare maple wood frame to a luxurious & comfortable chair from Kravet’s collection known for impeccable styling & the utmost quality.

A few of my favorite upholstered pieces in Kravet’s Collection:

The Harmony Sofa (2 styles)

The Medley Sofa

The Montauk Chair

As the weather turns cooler & the days draw shorter, I for one am ready to relax on my (handmade!) sofa in one of those cashmere sweaters & enjoy special time with family & friends. I wish you & yours all the blessings of the fall season & a very Happy Thanksgiving. We’ve so much to be thankful for. Enjoy…

Farewell to Summer…

It’s always sad to see a beautiful summer winding down with these long, easy, sunny days giving way to shorter, fuller days of work, school & an all-too-often hectic pace at home & the office. On the bright side, the new season brings so much promise & opportunity…a new school year, new client projects & my favorite - fall fashions. I hope you had a wonderful summer & are as ready as I to welcome the new season.



Fashion Legend Oscar de la Renta’s New Fabric Line


Speaking of fashion, I’ve been anxiously awaiting the highly anticipated launch of fashion great Oscar de la Renta’s fabric line for Lee Jofa & it’s finally here! It’s a fashion-loving designer’s dream to have a textile line designed by one of the greatest fashion icons of our time. Now, we’ll be able to wrap our rooms in the breathtaking beauty & elegant luxury of 25 silk, linen, velvet & cotton textiles created for the home & featuring the fine tailoring & attention to detail that is synonymous with Mr. de la Renta’s brand. I’m inspired!





Showhouse Season
While the designer showhouse season usually opens in the spring, this year, it’s a very busy fall season with four local showhouses opening their doors:

September 4th – October 17th
The Winter Cottage at Caumsett Historic State Park
Lloyd Neck, New York caumsettfoundation.org
I had the wonderful opportunity to design the main living room in this charming cottage.

October 14th – November 11th
Kips Bay Showhouse
106 East 71st Street
kipsbay.org
The oldest & one of the best showhouses in the country. I truly missed it this past spring & look forward to touring the Kips Bay showhouse soon – especially to see the creations of my fellow Hampton showhouse designers, Nancy Boszhardt & Sherill Canet.

October 30th - December 12th

Home for the Holidays:

A Designer Showhouse

at Old Westbury Gardens

oldwestburygardens.org

November 2nd - December 12th
Designers' Showcase® 2010
at Mill Neck Manor
40 Frost Mill Road, Mill Neck, Long Island
516.628.4333
Mansions & Millionaires®
millneck.org/manor_house/showcase.html

A few of my favorite things…
When it comes to home décor, there’s so many beautiful & incredible items available. Here are just a few of my favorites – the things I can always rely upon to keep clients comfortable & content:

Sofa: The Knole (Knoll) Sofa-with it’s deep seat, high arms & back – it’s the perfect place to curl up in front of the fire for a good read or - in my case - a Sunday afternoon nap. It dates back to 17th Century England where it was originally used as a formal throne by the monarch. Add the finials of your choice & some elaborate tassels (these are from Lee Jofa) & it’s a work of art.

Cocktail Table: I love the masculine lines & rich mahogany finish of this Chanel cocktail table by Kravet & I’m always drawn to the “X” motif. The bottom shelf is an added bonus for books or storing table top items away when using the main surface for serving.



Club Chair: This “Chloe” swivel chair is from my collection of custom upholstery. It’s classic shape is unbelievably comfortable & there’s nothing like a swivel base to point you toward the fire, the window or your conversationalist of choice. This Kravet ultra suede makes it extra comfy & forgiving. The lumbar pillow offers lower back support. These are done in Hampton Embroidery in Soft Blue from the Mulberry Home Collection by Lee Jofa. The colors, textures & detail of this fabric is beautiful & it comes in rich navy tones as well.





Ottoman: The “Caroline” ottoman is the perfect scale & size to move around the room with ease. Here, it’s featured with Lee Jofa PF50064-935/Cosma in Smoke Blue.





Floor Lamp: The Lotus Lamp by Barbara Barry for Visual Comfort. Its graceful curves & lines remind me of a beautiful water lily.














Great Art: Often times, I find inspiration & a color palette in art. In this case, the room was designed first & my artist friend Maxine Jurow (maxinejurow.com) created the beautiful abstract landscape over the fireplace after I showed her my textiles & color tones. It’s the crowning touch to the room. Thank you, Maxine. The other paintings are done by Barbara Crimi of West Palm Beach. I love grouping art together based on the artist or a theme & I particularly love to place old, sometimes imperfect canvases in a room .


Photos: John Bessler






A few of my favorite blogs…
designingthehamptons.com
cotedetexas.blogspotcom
decoratortagsale.com

I wish you all the best in the new season & always.
Until next time... happy decorating,