interior glass doors: 2008-11-16

Cómo decorar tu mesa de centro en Navidad

Cuando llegan los días previos a la Navidad y comenzamos a decorar nuestra casa con detalles alusivos a estas fechas, cada ambiente empieza a tornarse más acogedor. El salón y el comedor son probablemente los ambientes de la casa en los que centramos la decoración navideña, debido a que en estos espacios recibimos a nuestros invitados, en especial en estas fiestas cuando se incrementan las reuniones.

Decorar con originalidad cada rincón de tu salón comedor, hará que todo aquel que visite tu hogar por Navidad se lleve una grata impresión, además tú disfrutarás observando cada detalle. En esta oportunidad te brindamos ideas para decorar la mesa de centro del salón:

Los centros de mesas alargados son una buena alternativa para grandes mesas de centro rectangulares. Los modelos más tradicionales son troncos navideños o trineos, acompañados de follaje verde, piñas, guirnaldas, etc. Coloca un camino de mesa para resaltar el centro.

Las velas juegan un papel muy importante en la decoración de Navidad, ¿Que te parece si colocas una mini-colección como centro de mesa?. Puedes incluir velas de formas rectas (redonda, cuadrada, triangular, etc), en colores alusivos, combinadas con otras de formas navideñas (PapaNoel, hombre de nieve, árbol, etc).

Elabora un sencillo y moderno centro de mesa. Los materiales que necesitas son: Un plato o fuente, una o más velas y popurrí. (Todo en los colores de la decoración navideña de tu casa), coloca las velas en el centro del plato y rodéala con el popurrí. Así de facil tendrás un aromático y decorativo centro de mesa.

I think I have found my all time favorite interior to date! The apartment belongs to Calvin Klein designer Francisco Costa and his partner John De Stefano, a horse trainer and manager. It feels very European to me with a perfect mix of minimalism and interesting details. The couple didn't use an interior designer but did have a little help from their friend Mark Cunningham.

"It really was a quest to find things that suggested a permanence to our lives," said Costa. "But I think that's the fun part, making the place feel like it belongs to us. We wanted every single piece to remind us of somebody or something or sometime important in our lives." The artwork above is by Enrico Castellani.

In the den, a mid-century bench sits in front of very perfectly organized book shelves. You don't even notice the small flat screen television at first!

The horse photograph was a gift from Linda Fargo of Bergdorf Goodman and the bed linens are from Calvin Klein Home. I love to mix gold jewelry with grey clothing and the same mix works in the home. I think the gold lamp pops against the grey walls and lends richness.

The minimalist kitchen also hides a bar while the whole apartment is painted in various shades of grey. I wish my kitchen looked that clean!

I love the sculptural quality of the two concrete benches and the juxtaposition of them with the pastoral painting. It also reminds me of a wall in the Metropolitan Museum of Art!

Flush doors with an edge pull blend into the woodwork and add to the European ambiance, as do the chevron patterned wood floors. There is even perfection in the bathroom below. The next time I paint my apartment, I may to go grey!

Photos by Martyn Thompson

Looks like Bergdorf Goodman was dreaming of a white Christmas too. The holiday windows aren't quite finished yet but I did get a little sneak peek this week and they are well on their way to being spectacular as usual. Check in a few days for photos of all the windows.

I think books make a wonderful present at the holidays. I always consider them the gift that keeps on giving. It gives someone away from home something to read and it gives others some quiet time away from their family..."I think I'm going to go upstairs and read my new book for a little while." Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, one of my favorites this year is Marie-Antoinette and the Last Garden at Versailles by landscape designer and garden expert, Christian Duvernois. Don't let the title fool you, this is much more than a garden book. It highlights everything related to Marie-Antoinette's folly including the architecture and interiors with breath taking photos by everyone's favorite photographer, François Halard. It would be the perfect gift for any Francophile or gardener. Or maybe you could buy a copy for yourself so you have an excuse to sneak off for some for some alone time!

Copyrighted photography by François Halard, Marie-Antoinette and the Last Garden at Versailles by Christian Duvernois, Rizzoli New York, 2008. Serial rights are available. Please contact Jessica Napp, jnapp@rizzoliusa.com.

Great Kitchen Design

Here is a great design idea I just had to post - this is such a wonderful, ingenious design. I am anxious to use it in my next project. The first view is entering the kitchen. Notice the raised island area where the the stools are placed.

Hutker Architects

Here is the view from the other side. It is the perfect space for storing dishes, bowls and mugs. Isn't that so very clever?

Hutker Architects

I think this design idea would work especially well in a vacation home. Guests getting up in the morning at all different times and they can simply find everything they need without feeling uncomfortable rummaging through the cabinets. What do you think? Like it or love it?

The holiday season really is the most wonderful time of the year in New York even despite the lack of cabs and hoards of tourists. Check out my holiday guide to the city in the new issue of Kansas City Home Design magazine so you can prepare yourself. You can actually read the entire magazine online too! Happy Holidays!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the city and feel like like it too! It's freezing! But before it turned too cold, I managed to take a few photos of the Barney's holiday windows. This year, they are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the peace sign with a Hippie Holiday. I am a little surprised they didn't do anything political this year but since the planning begins so far out, I guess it's little hard to predict who will win. Regardless, they are a fun and free activity for you and the kids and just the beginning of the fabulous holiday windows to come! Peace out!

I had been planning a post about giving this year and after reading New York magazine's sad article, Charities in Need this Season, I thought there was no better time than the present. I know there were many people who felt a gleeful sense of shadenfreude that so many wealthy Wall Street executives lost their jobs and that some banks went under but what they forgot is all the not so wealthy people they employed and helped with their money. I've already planned my Thanksgiving donation and my office has put together a donation for one of the charities mentioned in the article. This holiday season will be a tough one for many around the country and I hope you will help in any way you can.

While You’re in the Giving Mood
These charities have been hit particularly hard by the Wall Street crisis. What you can do to help.

1. Food Bank
Why they’re hurting: Washington Mutual and Lehman Brothers used to hold corporate volunteering days at the Food Bank’s 90,000-square-foot warehouse in Hunts Point. “Now we’ve lost that entire network,” says spokeswoman Carol Schneider. Meanwhile, the number of people who need the Food Bank’s services is rapidly rising. “I just got an e-mail from the Bed-Stuy Campaign Against Hunger,” says Schneider. “They’ve seen 1,200 people in the last two days. At least 50 of the families are completely new.”

What you can do: A donation of $1 at foodbanknyc.com translates into five meals. The group also relies heavily on volunteers to unpack and sort food donations and serve weekday meals at the community kitchen in East Harlem. E-mail Heather Joseph (hjoseph@foodbanknyc.org) to help.

2. Citymeals on Wheels
Why they’re hurting: The fall of Bear Stearns and several generous hedge-fund donors has taken a huge toll. “Altogether, we’ve lost $1.286 million this year. That’s about 200,000 meals,” says executive director Marcia Stein. While volunteers are always needed, what the charity really could use is more cash. “We need to make up losses in a time when food costs are rising by more than 7 percent.”

What you can do: Donations are the highest priority—each meal costs the organization $6.42—and they can be made at citymeals.org/donate. Volunteer to deliver meals for a day or an afternoon. Or if you’re ready for six-month commitment, sign up for the Friendly Visiting program. You’ll visit a homebound senior once a week for a half-hour, just to check in. For Friendly Visiting, download the volunteer application from the Website and fax it along with two references to 212-687-1296. E-mail volunteer@citymeals.org to help with deliveries.

3. United Way
Why they’re hurting: The organization has long-standing relationships with Fortune 500 companies like Bank of America and JP Morgan Chase, but many have cut back on their annual giving. “Our revenues are down, but our needs are up,” says Steve Kaufman, senior director of community affairs. “For every job lost on Wall Street, an additional 3.3 jobs are lost throughout the state’s economy,” a state of affairs that will undoubtedly affect the low-income communities his group serves.

What you can do: Volunteer for the year-old financial-literacy initiative called “MoneyUp,” which provides families with free financial counseling—opening bank accounts, prioritizing debt, processing tax returns. A brief orientation is required, but a professional financial background is not. The best way to donate is through unitedwaynyc.org; you can choose an “action area” to support and receive monthly e-updates on how your donation is helping. Call Natalia Lopez (212-251-4047) to volunteer.

4. Big Brothers, Big Sisters
Why they’re hurting: Bear Stearns was involved in the charity’s workplace-mentoring program, which brought teenagers into an office twice a month throughout the school year to learn about the professional world. “We have 47 corporations that have managed to stay with us,” says Michael Corriero, director of the New York office. “But if one leaves, that’s ten, fifteen, twenty kids left without a place to go.”

What you can do: The standard workplace program runs the length of the school year and brings teens into the office for four hours a month. If that’s too much commitment, businesses can also run a one-day mentoring program with employees and mentees (a.k.a. “littles”) spending at least two hours together. Individual volunteers can sign up to be paired with a “little” for at least eight hours a month for a year, on any activity they choose together. Volunteers and donors can get involved online at bigsnyc.org. Businesses interested in workplace programs can call 212-686-2042; ask for the workplace-mentoring center.

5. Habitat for Humanity
Why they’re hurting: Volunteers (including many former Bear staffers) are still willing to wield a hammer to build affordable-housing units for Habitat, but it’s the high cost of construction materials that will likely restrain projects. Since 2002, construction costs have shot up $112 per square foot. “It’s so crucial that we get donations,” says executive director Josh Lockwood. “We have a project in Brownsville where there are 8,000 requests for 41 condominiums.”

What you can do: As much as you may want to get out your tool belt, making a donation online at habitatnyc.org will go further. Habitat also accepts donations of tools and building materials. Contact senior project manager Gina Buffone (212-991-4000, ext. 311) to donate tools or materials. The group is not currently taking new volunteers.

To read about more charities that could use your help, please click here.

Every time I go to see my colorist (no, I'm not naturally this blonde) I take a photo of Jennifer Aniston with me and tell her that's what I want it to look like. After seeing Jennifer in the December 2008 issue of Vogue, I realize now that it will never look that good because I am not a movie star or a resident of sunny California. But one can dream.

The article is just as good as the beautiful photos by Craig McDean including the beyond gorgeous one above. I especially love it when she says, "Somebody once said, Everything you want in the world is just right outside your comfort zone. Everythingyoucouldpossiblywant!" Amen sister. So I encourage you to step outside your comfort zone today. I'll be doing that too but first I have make a hair appointment!

Tendencias en la ropa de cama

Es importante acertar en la elección de la ropa de cama. Ésta no sólo participa en nuestro descanso sino también decora el dormitorio.

El algodón sigue siendo el material por excelencia con el que se confecciona la ropa de cama. Una sábana 100% algodón es más suave que una hecha con poliéster, y no genera pelusas. Además es perfecto para confeccionar la ropa infantil porque conserva el calor natural del cuerpo, deja circular mejor el aire, y no irrita la piel.

Sin embargo, con el fin de obtener una sábana resistente y fácil de lavar, la tendencia pasa por mezclar, en mayor o menor proporción, el algodón con fibras sintéticas.

Aunque el tradicional juego de cama, compuesto por sábanas, bajera, y colcha o edredón, se sigue vendiendo en un alto porcentaje, la generalización de las fundas nórdicas es cada vez mayor. Su principal ventaja radica en el hecho de que un mismo elemento sirve para todo el año, ya que sólo hace falta cambiar o quitar el relleno. Éste puede estar compuesto por plumas y plumón, el cual elimina la humedad y conserva mejor la temperatura corporal, o bien por fibras sintéticas, recomendables en caso de alergias.

Check out the new December 2008 issue of American Vogue for beautiful photos by François Halard of Oscar and Annette de la Renta's Connecticut home that had me double checking to make sure it wasn't in England. "What is nice about a house in the country is that it's the work of a lifetime. You see the evolution of your own life, in a way. You never finish," says Oscar.

While I was perusing the Dutch site Knack, I also came across the New York bachelor Pad of Jean-Edouard van Praet, a Belgian born financier. The interior designer, Francis D'Haene is also a Belgian whose company D'Aphostrophe is based in New York.

The furnishings in this apartment are also an eclectic mix which includes a B&B Italia sofa, two leather chairs from the 1950's, and an Italian floor lamp in from the 1960's.

The open floor plan creates a generously proportioned living room, dining room and office. The owner is a man after my own heart. My coffee table is also covered with books and magazines!

Van Praet originally lived along Central Park so it was important that his new apartment have a view and light. The living room has four arched windows that let in plenty of light and overlook City Hall and it's park.

The apartment is also the perfect backdrop for the owners art collection. He has a preference for works on paper from the 20th-century and photography. Their are various styles and movements represented and only a part of the collection is on display at any one time. Van Praet has many pieces in storage and regularly lends works to museums and galleries. Must be nice!

The dining table is also B&B Italia and is paired with chair from the 1920's and an Ingo Maurer light fixture.

A Keith Haring from 1981 hangs out in the kitchen near a Robert Mapplethorpe. Van Praet also has many works from Vik Muniz, a Brazilian artist and good friend.

A large format reproduction ink drawing of a photo of Jackson Pollock hangs in the bathroom.

In the guest bedroom, a dramatic large sized photo of Trinity College by Candida Höfer hangs next to a Navy Seals piece by Vanessa Beecroft. Van Praet's collection also includes works by Kara Walker, Sol LeWitt and Yayoi Kusama.

If the Dutch translation is correct, the black chests are Tommi Parzinger from the 1950's.

There is art everywhere including the master bath in this timeless yet modern bachelor pad that I am so glad I stumbled upon.

interior glass doors

Halaman

Cómo decorar tu mesa de centro en Navidad

Going Grey

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

Marie-Antoinette and the Last Garden at Versailles

Great Kitchen Design

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Hippie Holiday!

Tis Better to Give...

Hair Apparent

Tendencias en la ropa de cama

The Room with a View

Another Bachelor Pad

Followers

Arsip Blog

Other Site

About Me