interior glass doors: 2008-06-01

Bon Weekend!

Things I will be doing this weekend include admiring my new yellow Christian Louboutin Flats, shopping all the stores for sales, possibly helping Bachelor Boy buy some furniture (unless he blows me off again to go golfing - we've had a chat about that), sweating since it will be 90+ degrees, and getting a new pedicure. That color looks a little too white even though it's supposed to be beige.

Things I will NOT be doing this weekend include attending the Belmont Stakes (I'm kind of bummed about that), working (I'm giving myself a much deserved break), or buying any of the fall clothes in the stores already. It's too darned early and hot for fall clothes people!

Hope you enjoy your weekend wherever you are and whatever you decide to do!

I posted one photo yesterday of the Sag Harbor home of Margot Brunelle Fooshee, head of marketing for J. Crew, and her husband but I loved it so much that I definitely wanted to post the rest of them. It's hot and gross in New York right now and I'm dreaming of owning a beach house this cute!

As I mentioned before, the home was owned by interior designer Steven Gambrel so it was already in pretty great condition. He painted the entry Blue Seafoam by Benjamin Moore and Margot said it was what made her fall in love with the house. "A chair in a harmonizing color was a gift from Margot's mother, from the family's summer house in Nantucket. Preserved 18th-century floorboards were simply sanded and waxed."

"A beachy and comfy sitting room is furnished with Crate and Barrel sofas covered in cotton duck and an antique chest that holds pillows, blankets, books, and games. Sisal rug from Pottery Barn. Vintage Long Island nautical chart was a gift from Margot to her husband. Wall is Iceberg by Benjamin Moore."

I think the best thing about decorating a beach house is that nothing ever has to look perfect or done. You can pick up shells off the beach and sit them on the mantle and they look right at home.

A vintage camelback sofa was recovered in sky blue linen and pairs well with French chairs, a wicker slipper chair, and faux-bamboo cocktail table, all from interior designer Ruthie Sommers's Los Angeles store, Chapman Radcliff Home. She helped the couple decorate their fabulous becah house.

Chairs from a friend's basement were painted yellow and add a punch of color to the kitchen.

A wooden dresser also in the kitchen makes a perfect bar. The starburst mirror was found at Mecox Gardens, one of my favorite stores!

I love orange so it was fun to see someone design an orange guestroom. It's an unexpected color and Margot said, "I just wanted to create a happy, fun room. That crazy bright print does exactly what I was hoping it would." The wallpaper is Thibault's South Beach, the bed linens from Kate Spade, and the round table, Art Deco chair, and bedside lamp are from Chapman Radcliff Home.

The master bedroom has been described as having a restful absence of clutter. Custom tester bed by Robert Fooshee. Drop-leaf table from Wertz Brothers in Los Angeles, lamp from Laurin Copen Antiques in Bridgehampton. Striped rug, Dash & Albert.

In another shot of the master bedroom, there appears to be a drop leaf dining table acting as a console. It's another example of something you wouldn't expect to see in a bedroom but somehow works.

I love this photo of thea painted dressing table and mirror from Now/Again in L.A. in the upstairs hall painted Benjamin Moore's Blue Seafoam. The shell-filled apothecary jar is from English Country Antiques, another great store in the Hamptons.

Photos by Don Freeman for House Beautiful

Operación : un hogar más agradable

El armario empotrado de la habitación de costura va avanzando a pasitos cortos pero seguros. No es fácil tener que recolocar lo que tenía dentro y la verdad es que me está llevando bastante tiempo....pero bueno, ahí va la cosa..... De momento lo estoy forrarndo de papel por dentro y preparando las baldas.
Esta es una imagen que da una idea de los avances.

Linda Banks' Iris Hill

Anyone who has picked up a decorating magazine has seen the work of interior designer, Linda Banks. Let's have a look at her home,

Iris Hill in Connecticut.

All photos from Banks Design Associates.

I love this space! From the painted floors to the antique barber shop pole. Don't underestimate the use of interior windows, they add the illusion of space and light. This window is wonderful.

The kitchen is has such charm. I love the antique hanging cabinets and butcher block center island. Notice the antique towel bar on the end of the island.

This is a lovely dining room. Notice the detailing on the chairs with coordinating upholstered checked backs. The lamps on the side board and beautiful chandelier complete the look!

Finally, the living room - what interesting detail on the walls. This is an inexpensive way to cover not so perfect walls and add unique detailing at the same time. If you are ever in Portland, Maine head to her store SIMPLY HOME -a great collection and worth the trip.

I was thinking about art for the Bachelor Pad make over I'm currently working on and one thing that I suggested was a vintage nautical chart from Cape Cod that shows the town where his family has a summer home. I showed it to him and he actually liked it which is good since it's very reasonably priced on eBay and we don't have much money to go crazy.

Conveniently enough, I thought it would also make a good blog topic since a lot of other people also decorate using vintage and new maps in a myriad of creative ways. The vintage nautical chart of Long Island (above) hangs in the Sag Harbor home of Margot Brunelle Fooshee, who is head of marketing for the J. Crew clothing company, and her husband. The house which was published in House Beautiful last summer previously belonged to Steven Gambrel and Ruthie Sommers designed it for the couple. Can you imagine?! What a lucky little house!

T. Keller Donovan took the map idea one step further and displayed them en mass on the wall of his Miami home that was also published in House Beautiful. He actually found the 1943 Miami Beach plat maps at Paula Rubenstein in New York which is pretty funny.

Kerry Joyce wallpapered the bedroom wall in a maps to create a beautiful and serene backdrop. I love the colors of nautical charts since they are almost always made up of pale aqua and tan colors which are my favorites.

Just published in the June/July issue of Domino is the Nantucket cottage of photographer extraordinaire, Matt Albiani, who also wallpapered a bedroom in nautical charts that faded over the years. Matt is actually very close friends with a girl who used to be my roommate in Boston. It's a very small world. I've met him a few times and he is as nice as he is talented. You can also see his New York apartment in the issue and online in a video house tour.

This bedroom looks like it was papered using new maps including a few from Paris. Kate's Paperie in New York has maps printed on sheets of paper that would be perfect for this option.

Last but not least is the bathroom decoupaged in marine blueprints in the Maine house of Gwen McGaw that was designed by Windsor Smith and published in the premier issue of Vogue Living in 2006. Very creative and original!

The possibilities of decorating with maps seems endless and also a perfect DIY project for summer! I was also thinking that maybe we should all start buying up maps now before they vanish due to GPS and internet! Just don't bid on any of Cape Cod! The auction hasn't ended yet for the one I need!

Garden Pleasures en proceso

Un pequeño esquemita para tener las manos ocupadas . Rápido, muy propio de la estación y por supuesto con una de las típicas " muñequitas " propias de Little House Needleworks. Este tipo de bordado siempre son " esquemas descanso " porque sirven de alivio después de la energía gastada en otro proyecto de mayor trabajo.

He intentado utilizar todos los hilos propuestos a excepción de los que he tenido que sustituir. El lino es del modelo, 28ct Lambswool.

Mi trabajo me mantiene últimamente con la mente en otras cosas , lógicamente. Los finales de curso son siempre estresantes. Asi que intentaré ir publicando según vaya pudiendo. Las vacaciones están ya a la vuelta de la esquina y pronto tendré que empezar a pensar qué " proyecto vacacional " me tendrá ocupada. Ya me imagino que vosotras soléis hacer algo similar.
Siempre hace cierta ilusión empezar algo especial y que luego nos recuerde a ese lugar de vacaciones que disfrutamos.

When I was little, I always wanted to be a fashion designer. I used to sketch clothes and I poured over a book of designs by Yves Saint Laurent while lamenting the fact that I was too young to wear his fabulous creations or hang out at Studio 54. So I was deeply saddened to learn of his passing yesterday. As most creative types are wont to be, Yves suffered from addictions and depression but still managed to create some of the most iconic clothing of all times. We have him to thank for the safari look, the tuxedo for women, and some of the most beautiful dresses ever created.

If you want to learn more about this talented man, I suggest you read Before the Fall: Lagerfeld, Saint Laurent and Glorious Excess in 1970's Paris by Alicia Drake and watch the haunting documentary, Yves Saint Laurent: His Life and Times, 5 Avenue Marceau 75116 Paris by David Teboul. Au revoir Yves!

In 1967, Yves Saint Laurent created the costumes for Catherine Deneuve for the film "Belle du Jour" and the two became lifelong friends.

Yves Saint Laurent with two fashion models who went on to become muses, Betty Calroux (left) and Loulou de la Falaise, outside his 'Rive Gauche' shop in 1969 wearing the famous safari look.

Yves was very influenced by art as seen here in his Mondrian dress from 1965.

Bianca Perez Morena de Macias married Mick Jagger while wearing a risqué Yves Saint Laurent white suit at the town hall in the French Mediterranean town of St Tropez in 1971.

"Fashion fades. Style is eternal." Yves Saint Laurent

I thought it was funny to open the May 2008 issue of Town & Country magazine and see a spread about a couple that I have had the pleasure to meet in New York, Blair and Alistair Clarke. Blair is a fabulous dealer of contemporary art and Alistair is the worldwide head of English and European furniture for Sotheby's. Alistair was in charge of my old boss's sale at Sotheby's a few years ago and for some reason I always see him when I'm walking on the Upper East Side.

Anyway, I think their apartment is a great example of mixing modern art and antiques. Without Blair's contemporary pieces, Alistair's antiques would look very stuffy. They definitely lighten the mood and make for a very interesting space. "So many people are worried that they'll do something quote unquote wrong, " says Blair. "But Alistair and I think it's a great luxury to experiment with new ways of living with art."

Blair and her daughter Poppy pose in the entry gallery in front of paintings by Natasha Law, Jude's sister.

Alistair in front of another Natasha Law painting.

In the library, a Richard Serra oil stick drawing hangs over a Regence kingwood commode, circa 1730. I love the grasscloth wallpaper that adds some texture to the walls and adds another layer of interest. I realized recently that all my favorite interiors have layers made up of different tones, textures and surface materials. It gives your eye more to take in than a slick all white room.

In the dining room, the juxtaposition is quite evident as 18th-century decorative arts share space with a martini glass chandelier by Michael Marra, while an Andy Warhol Marilyn Monroe silkscreen looks on. While below, a Sara Genn painting and a Shane Bradford box lighten up the mood of Alistair's Boulle-front cabinet while Poppy plays in the background.

Photos by Oberto Gili

interior glass doors

Halaman

Bon Weekend!

Water Colors

Operación : un hogar más agradable

Linda Banks' Iris Hill

Map Quest

Garden Pleasures en proceso

In Memoriam: Yves Saint Laurent 1936-2008

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