Bon Weekend!
Bon Weekend! I'm taking a much deserved few days off! Fun at Flair
I stopped by Flair tonight to pick up another painting that we bought for the Bachelor Pad and I can't say enough how much I love this store and Jon and George who own it! And Sean who works there! They are so sweet and helpful and such a joy to visit. Every time I am there, something new catches my eye! I would buy everything in it if I could! It's so perfect! You must visit it when you are in Soho but be forewarned, they are closing from August 18th to September 1st. At first, I thought they were taking a page out of their Italian counterpart's handbook and closing for August but they they are actually getting the floors refinished in addition to taking some much deserved time off.Oh, and to let you in on a little inside scoop, the set designer for Gossip Girl bought some tables for the Van Der Woodsen abode! OMG! I can't wait to watch and try to figure out which ones they are! This is more exciting to me than when they told me about a famous uptown interior designer who stopped by! You know you love it too! XOXO!
Buh Bye Vogue Living
I picked my five pound Vogue magazine today (do you think they make it heavy on purpose to work out your arms so you'll fit into the fall clothes?!) and was wondering if Vogue Living would also be out on the newsstands. But alas, I found out that it's not meant to be. NO HOME: Blame the housing market crisis, the dip in advertising impacting every magazine or any one of myriad reasons, but Vogue Living will not publish a scheduled second issue this year. The Vogue shelter spin-off published a spring issue and had planned to produce a fall one, but a Vogue spokesman confirmed Monday that the fall issue has been nixed. "We decided earlier in the year that, given the current ad climate, this wasn't the time to roll out a second issue," he explained. However, said the spokesman, a spring 2009 issue is still under consideration. In all, Vogue Living, which executives have insisted since its inception was not a launch title, has had three issues. The magazine had a 500,000 rate base, including 300,000 copies that were poly bagged to Vogue subscribers with household incomes over $100,000, or a net worth of over $1 million, or a home valued at more than $500,000. The first issue in November 2006 had 134 ad pages; its second, a year later, carried 34 percent fewer, at 85 pages. The latest issue, in April, carried 48 pages. But Vogue Living, published by WWD parent company Condé Nast, hasn't been alone: according to Mediaweek, the shelter category has slid 5 percent in ad pages through July of this year. — Stephanie D. Smith, WWDI was just thinking that it started out with a bang but seemed to fizzle with each subsequent issue. Such a shame since Vogue prides itself on having access to the best of everything and since there aren't many shelter magazines left. I hope they manage to get it together for a spring issue. And if they need any help, I'll be the first to volunteer my services! Until then, I'll be scouring regular Vogue for the photos of Kelly Wearster's new house since it doesn't look like they're going to be in Vogue Living. Oh well.
Photo borrowed from Design Inspiration
Built in Beds
Marie Claire MaisonWhen I was eleven years old I slept over a friend's house. Her parents were interior designers and her house was beautifully decorated. The guest room had a whimsical, built in bed. It was painted in bright colors and had pretty floral curtains that you could pull closed. It had a hidden light to read in the dark of night and lots of pillow and quilts for curling up. I will always remember the night I stayed in that bed. I believed it was a secret and magical place. Over the years I have collected many, many images of built in beds. Someday I hope to build my own bed for my children or grandchildren to curl up in and dream childhood dreams.
Brian Vanden Brink 
Brian Vanden BrinkI love these first three beds, the two above and the one on top of the page - They all have a Hansel and Gretel quality. Notice the hand carved wood and built in drawers. I also love the choice of paint colors with the natural wood. Charming!
Greene and Greene ArchitectsThese special beds, flanked by built in cabinets, were built into a wide hallway What a fabulous use of space. This is a great idea in vacation home where you always need to have some extra beds.
Locati ArchitectsI love the rustic feel of this room. The beams and barn wood really give this room character. I especially love having the sink right in the room. A great spot for kids to brush their teeth. Notice the three tiny step stools in red, blue and yellow - adorable.
Southern Accents 
Traditional Home
Need extra beds for six guests? These two photos have a more nautical theme - perhaps these beds were found in beach houses in Cape Cod or the Hampton's. I especially love the beds with the striped curtains.
Rob Whitten, Architect Here is a great use of an attic space. Simple architectural detail is achieved with MDF or plywood. Beds are boxed and set low to the floor. Walls, floors, and ceilings all painted the same color to give the illusion of a height.
King of the Road Preserve Here is a wonderful room designed for teens! Each built in was designed around a dormer and has a window seat and lamp. Also the room has a sitting area. We can not see what the leather club chairs are opposite, but something tells me it's WII or PS2 system.
Catalano Architects 
This built in is so charming. I love the beadboard and moulding details, as well as the quilts and star carpeting. The individual reading lights and built in bookshelf make you want to curl right up with a paperback.
Catalano ArchitectsI can't seem to determine what this area might have been or if it was designed originally this way. I really like how the bed, window and surround mouldings are painted green. I also like how the step up sets off the space.
Hutker Architects Hutker Architects always hits a home run - another beautiful space. What a view - who couldn't relax curled up in this bed?
Lyman Perry ArchitectsThis bed is built into the eaves of and attic. It has a nautical feeling. The single bed and built in drawers are a very smart uses of the space. For more pictures of this space see my past post "Attic Transformation"
Brian Vanden Brink Isn't this an interesting bed? It has such a Zen feeling. Its an amazing design that brings the outdoors in.
Unknown
The final bed has a Maine Cottage feeling to it. I love the bright blue paint, beadboard and private reading lamps. Makes me want curl up and pretend to be eleven years old again!
Which one is your favorite?
Which one is your favorite?
Bachelor Pad August Update
Everyone has been asking about the Bachelor Pad so I guess an update is in order. I can't show too many photos because I don't want to ruin the big reveal but I thought a before and after photo of the bathroom wouldn't hurt.I had the bathroom painted in Benjamin Moore White Ice which I thought would be a pale blue but it looks a little bit more green. Either that or the original green walls are affecting the color. It actually worked out well though because the bachelor owned a vintage French art poster from the 60's that looks perfect in the space. I also bought all Jonathan Adler white lacquer bathroom accessories and a new shower curtain from Restoration Hardware. The funny thing is that I bought the old white one for the bachelor almost a year ago when a visit to his apartment revealed no curtain or liner. (I can only imagine the reason why but let's not go there.) Even funnier since he lives a stone's throw away from Gracious Home which is where I bought it.
Still not sure why he charges all his electronics in the bathroom but maybe we can work on that next!
We're having a bit of a lull in the action at the Bachelor Pad due to some "financial restructuring" so since I can't buy anything, I've been working on some organizational projects including the closets. I have four down and only one to go! There is nothing that makes me happier than to look at all the pretty shirts lined up on matching hangers. It is a far cry from the wire hangers from the drycleaner that they were hanging on before. I would have liked to have repainted all the insides of the closets but I decided that was way too much trouble and no one would have appreciated that but me anyway.
"No more wire hangers!"
While I was in the Hamptons last week, I picked up this wonderful little painting at the Silas Marder Gallery in Sag Harbor. They have a lot of great works so if you're in the area, you should definitely stop by and also their other location in Bridgehampton. The photo is a little fuzzy so I apologize but the shagreen box is by R&Y Augousti and holds all his cuff links. The vintage bedside tables are from Pieces in Atlanta and the lamps are from Crate and Barrel. Oh, and the little Asian accent cup is from Pearl River Mart. A motley assorted crew of objects but that's what makes it look personal and not like someone came in and "designed" the place.
Every time I visit the Bachelor Pad, I love looking out the bedroom window at this beyond ridiculous penthouse apartment or apartments. I'm still not sure how many floors they have or what is going on in the part that looks like it held an old water tower but I'm determined to find out! I'll keep you posted! So that's it for now. We still need to find chairs and an entertainment console for the living room but it's not for a lack of trying. I think I've shown him a million different options so I might just have to make an executive decision soon so I can be done with it. I also need to hang the mirror above the entry console and all the artwork, as well as lay the new bedroom rug. I'm waiting until the last possible minute to lay the old living room rug since we just had it cleaned and I saw what he did to it before. Boys will be boys you know. There is still a lot to do but I hope it's done soon because I'm ready for a vacation...to a place where people clean up after me for once! Or maybe the people in the penthouse would just let me go sit on their terrace!
The Greenwich Hotel
It seems like every day there is a new boutique hotel opening in the city but The Greenwich Hotel seems more like a home than a hotel. Albeit a home in Tribeca owned by a movie star and in this case Robert DeNiro. The best part about the hotel is that no two rooms look a like and this attention to detail took three years to create by interior designer Samantha Crasco. The exterior, Ago restaurant, and public spaces were created by Grayling Design, the group behind Bathazar, Pastis and Schiller's among other fabulous New York spaces. You can read more details about the hotel and Samantha Crasco in the September 2008 issue of Elle. Enjoy!
Decorating is Exhausting: Part Deux
When I told everyone that I had to go to the Hamptons for an installation, I think everyone assumed I would be sitting by the pool eating bon bons while directing the delivery men as to where to place furniture. This could not be farther from reality although we did get to have a little bit of fun when we arrived on Thursday night. We saw Peter Cook having dinner at Sen in Sag Harbor and then Jay McInerney of "Bright Lights, Big City" fame after we got ice cream on Main Street. But then a huge thunderstorm rolled through town. There is nothing scarier than staying in a sparsely furnished and enormous Hamptons house with no window coverings while lightening looks like it may strike you or the house at any minute. Oh, and did I mention that lights went out at one point?! Good thing we weren't watching a horror movie!Well, we made it through the night to greet the delivery men at 8:00am Friday morning with a truck packed to the roof with furniture. We, of course, had muffins, donuts and drinks for the men but you would be surprised at how many people don't even think to offer them anything. Let me make this clear, if you are having moving men deliver the heaviest furniture ever produced, it would be polite to offer them a glass of water, in addition to a hefty tip. A hurricane could hit the house and the Holly Hunt teak outdoor furniture they had to carry would still be sitting there. I could barely even move any of it a few inches. And then there was the ridiculously heavy Dakota Jackson dining table. Luckily, we had the nicest and funniest crew you could ever wish for who were a delight to work with. And just because I was moving furniture didn't mean I wasn't working.
We also had the contractors to deal with in addition to the electricians installing light fixtures and the carpenters installing bathroom accessories. It was a three ring circus with only two ring masters! Next time we are definitely bringing our intern! Things weren't finished until 5:00pm and then we had to clean up! Everyone thinks interior design is so fabulous and that all we do is pick out fabric and paint colors. Little do they know that you're also sometimes a shrink, personal assistant and maid. While my colleague vacuumed, I had to go through all the bathrooms and clean up the messes left by the workers. I also made sure all they all had perfectly folded towels and fresh flowers. (The house is so large that it is actually exhausting to walk the length of it!) But in the end, it was all worth it. The house looked so beautiful that it was a shame we had to leave. Although, we have two more installations before it will be finished so we'll definitely be back!
On the way home, we had very weird weather. It was both sunny and raining which produced a spectacular rainbow. We also happened to see the editor and chief of a big magazine in the parking lot of the Super K wearing a very casual outfit of cargo pants and a t-shirt. A very large departure from her usual all black ensembles. Just goes to show that not everyone or everything in the Hamptons is glamorous all the time. I will admit though that I wouldn't mind a huge house to get away to every weekend! Maybe I should start working harder to save up for one. Anyone need a decorator?!
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