I can’t believe it’s been 5 months since we moved to London! It’s been a bigger adjustment than I expected but I’m now starting to think in both “American” and “English” - & it turns out there are some great synergies, like the ones I want to show you now…
Read MoreWell, THAT was incredible! The first trip I booked when I knew we were moving to England was a pilgrimage to the Bloomsbury group’s home base in Sussex, UK called Charleston Farmhouse. I kept reading about it via my interior design favorites - Kit Kemp, Beata Heuman, & more - and now I see how it IS the jumping off point for so much of inspired English design. Let’s dive in!!
Read MoreDo you ever stumble upon someone with a new point of view & suddenly all you see is that style? That is the case for me with the new book Decors Barbares: The Enchanting Interiors of Nathalie Farman-Farma (Vendome Press). It sums up so many things I’d been thinking about but didn’t know how to express visually.
Read MoreI don’t know about you, but the drudgery of domestic life under quarantine has gotten REAL in our household, as laundry & “chores” pile up daily (if not hourly!:). SO with this backdrop, is it surprising that my mind drifted to images & practices of domestic order?? To get some inspiration, I recently spoke with Keiki Jordan of The Finished Seam, who creates beautiful ways for clients of top interior designers to elevate their day-to-day life at home. Many of the ideas are easy & inexpensive but add so much oomph, which I really need right now!
Read MoreOk, you all are in for a serious treat! This is my very first interview post, which I’ve been wanting to do for a long time. I’m calling this series Point of View because the tastemakers I’m talking to have unique take on design & I think we need inspiration more than ever these days. Francoise Murphy is an American interior designer who has lived all over the world - from Saudi Arabia to Austria to now Kentucky! A mom of two young kids, she has a beautiful aesthetic sense that is also very livable & down to earth….let’s go meet her now!
Read MoreSince all anyone is thinking or talking about is Corona virus, I thought you might want to drift back to LAST WEEK (feels like lifetime ago!) & my dreamy trip to San Francisco….I was there for the Design Influencers Conference, which was amazing, and it gave me chance to check out some really unique home design shops. Let’s go!
Read MoreSometimes decorator show houses can be overwhelming, leaving your head spinning at the glimpse of any shiny object. And since lacquer and lots of color are still in vogue, my head did a lot of swivelling at this year’s Kips Bay Decorator Show House in Palm Beach. Still, I managed to find some peaceful places to rest my eyes. And it was fun to see how designers struck a nice balance between classical and contemporary.
Read MoreWe all have something about ourselves that REALLY bugs us - whether you’re like Nora Ephron who famously did not love her neck, or perhaps you’re like her character Sally (Meg Ryan) who thought of herself as “difficult.” The object of my self-loathing is seemingly much more solvable - & yet it persists. This bugaboo is my unending battle with little piles and half-done projects in every room…of every house…I’ve ever lived in. It follows me like a plague but THIS year I’m determined to crush it!
Read MoreI’m counting down until the auction preview of Lee Radziwill’s estate at Christie’s/NYC! Lee (& her sister, Jackie O) are so well known for their fashion sense, it’s easy to forget their knack for creating iconic living spaces too. While a lot of the drama & beauty in Lee Radziwill’s homes was helped by her sky-high budget & the direction of Renzo Mongiardino, there are lessons in there that anyone can use - whether you are American royalty or not!!
Read MoreIt’s been almost 2 months since my trip to London & just as my memories of the interiors & architecture I saw there were beginning to fade, my new subscription to UK House & Garden arrived! It reignited all my interest in what I admired in British design — from a mishmash of patterns, to a curated blend of antiques + modern pieces, a jumble of color, and fresh flowers or greenery ALWAYS. I’ve picked two of my favorite Brits who don’t get much press in the U.S. - hope you’ll find their work inspiring…
Read MoreIt’s Showhouse season everywhere it seems, particularly in my neighborhood in DC and in NYC at Kips Bay. I haven’t gotten up to NYC yet but have already picked my favorite room at Kips Bay….and the Georgetown House Tour was tremendous this year. So sit back & enjoy these lovely spaces!!
Read MoreAs Diana Vreeland famously said “the eye has to travel,” and in this case, my trip to London was a real visual feast. From pattern, color, layers of history with fresh modern style, it was a whirlwind 3 days of museums, design shops & walking past too many architectural gems to count….Let me dive in to give you the deets!
Read MoreLately I have found myself drowning in family possessions - not the usual “kid clutter,” which I’d gotten good at figuring out over the years, but frankly “senior clutter,” things passed down from Ted’s late dad & my late mom. Thankfully both sides of the family have beautiful pieces, but it’s been hard to tease apart the sentimentality of pieces with what is really best for the way we live…
Read MoreHow much do I love Eddie Ross & what can we learn from him? Let me count the ways! You will be richer for knowing him & his creative, entrepreneurial spirit, which has given me a real jolt of inspiration…
Read MoreIf you are in need of a visual & decor “fix,” there’s no place with more eye candy than my original hometown, NYC! Even a quick 24-hour blitz through NYC can recharge my senses in a way that nowhere else can. Here are some of my favorite haunts…
Read MoreMaybe it was the endless walking through so many showrooms, buildings and pop-up installations at the sprawling High Point Market, but I found myself oggling CHAIRS everywhere - comfortable, beautiful seating just beckoned me!! Here are my top 10 picks…
Read MoreOkay, I’m back with Part II of my High Point Market adventure with the Esteem Media “Fall Bloggers Tour” & am STILL dizzy from how much we saw & covered there! So as not to overwhelm you, I’m zeroing in on a few things that were really beautiful AND that we can all do in our homes, no matter style or budget…
I’m still processing the whirlwind 2-day adventure of High Point, as I was selected by Esteem Media to be on the High Point Market Fall 2018 “Design Bloggers Tour” along with 9 incredibly accomplished blogger/influencers. It was an amazing experience & I have so many insights I want to share with you…
Read MoreThe Serena & Lily Friends & Family Sale is on for just a few more days, so I’m trying to be a savvy shopper like my friend Janet who decorated her amazing house in style during the last “Friends & Family” event. EVERYTHING on their site (or catalog) is 20% off…
Read MoreI got to meet Kate Spade just once, a very long time ago at a family wedding in Napa. She had yet to officially kick off her handbag empire but there she was at the luau-themed brunch with - if memory serves me! - a little purse she made out of a REAL coconut. Classic. Adorable & so original, just like the style she came to be known for. SO I decided to dedicate this post to Kate Spade and her artistic eye, which brought beauty, warmth & personality into everything she did.
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