Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Every so often…


Every so often…

Every so often one finds an item that is irresistibly perfect to give another.  I was sold on the clock below, from first moment’s glance.  I  hesitate to decorate others’ homes with my gifts; this clock imported more confidence than usual!  The chics rock back and forth with the clock’s ticking.  Love the clock.  Love Bird in Hand Vintage Home – Etsy Shop. (Hope my sister-in-law loves it as much as I do.)

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Monday, February 27, 2012

Salterini


Salterini

Attended the Thomasville Show & Sale this past weekend (on my day off from the law office and the blog).  It was a beautiful show; the store owners carried interesting items and lots of information.  One vendor carried various outdoor items—planters, chairs, figurines, etc.  He introduced me to the vintage furniture maker, Salterini —mid-century, “neva rust,” wrought iron.  I am dying over these advertisements.  Clearly, that was the dress I wore to my last dinner party (see third advertisement below)!

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Assemblage – 1stdibsMetro Retro Furniture – 1stdibs. Thomas Hayes Gallery –1stdibs. Tom Gibbs Studio –1stdibs. Form – 1stdibsJ.F. Chen – 1stdibs.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Before, During, & After (A Recent Dinner Party)


Before, During, & After
(A Recent Dinner Party)



I recently hosted a dinner party in honor of one of my sisters.  The evening was a delightful excuse to create a tablescape and enjoy those whom I hold most dear over a plate of southern comfort: black eyed peas with spiced butter, sweet potatoes, pork roast, and a scoop of ice cream and baked apples.  Tablescapes need not entail the luxurious expense of high maintenance flowers (though they are fabulous).  For $12.00 at Publix, 3 bunches of alstromeria lilies did the trick. My napkins were employed and served as our color palette.    I snagged the sea green large vases from West Elm—$10 a piece  and the center piece of black pottery from IKEA for $15.  One of my sisters laughed at my sliding the couch to the table, pillows and all (at my mom’s suggestion).  As she put it, your house is like your personality, let it be you (without any apologies)!

BEFORE:


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DURING:

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AFTER:

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Monday, February 20, 2012

Recent Inspirations


Recent Inspirations

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GOD’S GREEN EARTH (AND ITS FRUIT):  Organic Golden Beets – Freshfields Farm

“Humility is the luxurious art of reducing ourselves to a point, not to a small thing or a large one, but to a thing with no size at all, so that all cosmic things are what they are—of immeasurable stature.  That the trees are high and the grasses short is a mere accident of our own foot rules and our own stature.  But to the spirit which has stripped off for a moment its own idle temporal standards, the grass is an everlasting forest, with dragons for denizens; the stones of the road are as incredible mountains piled one upon the other; the dandelions are like gigantic bonfires illuminating the lands around; and the heath bells on their stalks are like planets hung in heaven each higher than the other…But the towering and tropical vision of things as they really are—the gigantic daisies, the heaven-consuming dandelions, the great Odyssey of strange-colored oceans—all this colossal vision shall perish with the last of the humble.”

OTHERS’ WORDS: Excerpt from A Defence of Humility – G.K. Chesterton

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OTHERS' WORK: VillarrealCeramics Etsy Shop

Friday, February 17, 2012

Practical is Beautiful.


Practical is Beautiful

“Practical is beautiful... .Suitability always overrules fashion.” – Billy Baldwin

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The kitchen above, by Tammy Connor, may just be my dream kitchen.  Surprising?  I might have directed the aesthetic a bit differently, but it is a dream for the reasons stated above: suitability.  Practical is beautiful.  Can’t you just envision its use?  Holidays, homework, family dinners, crafts, Christmas baking, waffle breakfasts—cooking or just enjoying company.  Idealistic?  I like to think it is as idealistic as practical, albeit, admittedly a very large space.

A few of her other spaces are below.  I love the use of the monochromatic color palette, strong frames, and soothing layering of textures.  Her interiors have a sense of interest and mystery with simple pieces and intimate alcoves—each would house a Millet  beautifully (example below).

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Connor was named in the Bloggers’ Choice 12 in Elle Décor March’s issue.  Someone to watch!

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Millet, Jean Francois.  Faggot Carriers. National Museum of Wales, Cardiff.

Photos Courtesy of TammyConnorid.com

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

New Additions


New Additions

I was excited to find new additions to compliment my terrazzo floors and checkered linoleum.  Rugs are tricky finds—especially when their utility (and price) is as important as their aesthetic, a la entry rug. Though both different, I like how they each rug compliments the existing pieces in the space.

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Monday, February 13, 2012

Miles Redd


Miles Redd

Aimed to fortify your awareness of another trendsetter, lets talk about Miles Redd.  Miles Redd is a natural subject for such a discussion.  He has trained under John  Rosselli (we’ll get to him) and Bunny Williams and has emerged as a “notable” in world of design.  Apartment Therapy described his work as “rule breaking riot of color,” with “more is more interiors.”
 
A romantic, Redd infuses glamour in most every interior he touches.  He credits Bunny Williams with teaching him the basics of practical design and managing a budget.  Having studied at NYU and Parsons, Redd entered the design world from several angles, confessing he would have quickly become an antique dealer had decorating not panned out.  I found his manner in interviews to be gracious and down to earth, though unabashedly himself in his love of glamour and the luxurious.  His genial manner is quick to attribute his success to those influences of history and his own career who developed his eye and craft.  He is oft’ to mention the illustrations of Rene Gruau as inspiration (snagged a few below for some context).  
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His office is on Bleecker street (East Village), with a Little Italy townhouse he shares with his sister and her family (below).  He runs his own design firm, Miles Redd, LLC, and sits as the Director of Oscar de la Renta Home.  Take-away impression of Redds’ work: color, drama, and luxury.
 
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HIS WORDS
“Buy the best and you only cry once.”
 
#7 of Top 12 Things He Can’t Live Without: “Trays.  They give order and clarity to clutter.”
 
#12 of Top 12 Things He Can’t Live Without: “Juxtaposition: high/low; shiny/matte; refined/crude; grand/humble; modern/ancient. It is the essence of chic.”
 
Tips for young designers: “….answer the telephone. Most people let everything go to voicemail. Answer every phone call because the early bird catches the worm. Everyone is so addicted to email these days, and it’s so nice to actually have a live conversation. Also, use your home as your best laboratory. Don’t be afraid to try all the things that are dancing through your own mind and experiment.”
 
On his clients, “When you’re in control [referring to working for himself],” he continues, “if you don’t click with someone, you don’t have to accept them as clients. Decorating is about personality. I love the people I work with.” [This goes for every service provider, right?!]
 
“Order is important.  And decorating is pointless without proper housekeeping.”
 
[Q: Even though they are new designs, your rooms have the looks of those that have been lived in for decades. What is your secret to creating rooms that feel so comfortable and loved?]
“It's all in the mix. And my rooms are object driven, as opposed to fabric/upholstery. It makes them more meaningful.”
 
HIS WORK
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