interior glass doors: 2009-10-11

Why Don't You...

Why don't you...look into attending some of these great upcoming events in and around New York! First up is the International Fine Art and Antique Dealers Show that started yesterday at the Park Avenue Armory. I love attending this show since the art, antiques and jewelry on display are the best of the best. The dealers are also extremely generous and will take the time to answer questions and educate you about anything in their booth. One of my favorites is Maison Gerard pictured above. This show is definitely worth checking out even if you can't afford anything! Just be careful not to break anything!

International Fine Art and Antique Dealers Show

The Park Avenue Armory

Park Avenue at 67th Street

October 16 - 22, 2009

Check website for hours

Admission $20

I'm sure you have all heard of or attended the Kips Bay Decorator Show House but that's not the only event they sponsor. This Tuesday, October 20th, they are hosting their annual Designer House Tour. I will unfortunately be in High Point and will have to miss this great event which includes homes designed by Philip Gorrivan, David Kleinberg, Bilotta Kitchens, Cetra Ruddy, and many more. Don't forget to wipe your feet at the door!

Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club Manhattan Designer House Tour

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

10:00am - 4:00pm

Tickets $150 (tax deduction $125)

Call 718-893-8600 x 245 or buy online

Another exciting house tour coming up is the New York Junior League's 15th Annual Fall House Tour! After meeting for breakfast, you are on your own to hit as many or as few of the open houses as you wish. One of them that I know I am excited to see is Estee Lauder executive John Dempsey's amazing townhouse that was featured in the October 2009 issue of Elle Decor! This tour is a great way to peek inside the most fabulous homes in Manhattan to see how the other half lives!

The New York Junior League Fall House Tour
Saturday, October 24, 2009

10:00am - 6:00pm

A reader reminded me about the Rooms with a View weekend of events in Southport, Connecticut coming up November 5th -8th and I'm so glad she did! I've heard great things about it and can't wait to experience it in person! The events include "These are a Few of My Favorite Things" vignettes created by designers including Alexa Hampton, Eddie Ross, Susan Oster Designs and many more, in addition to a marketplace with over 30 vendors. Wonder if Julie Andrews will be stopping by!

Rooms with a View

Southport Congregational Church

524 Pequot Avenue

Southport, Connecticut

November 5 - 8, 2009

Please check website for complete schedule

On display now through November 29th at The Metropolitan Museum of Art is Vermeer's Masterpiece The Milkmaid on loan from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The exhibit also displays additional works by Vermeer and other Dutch artists and is cheaper than booking a flight to Holland!

Vermeer's Masterpiece The Milkmaid

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street
September 10 - November 29, 2009
Check website for hours

When I think of Monet, I don't usually think of the MoMA but now through April 12, 2010, the museum is exhibiting Monet's Water Lilies. The exhibit features the full group of Monet's late paintings in the collection and The Japanese Footbridge (above) is my absolute favorite! It's a perfect representation of fall colors. Too bad it currently feels like winter in New York! If you decide to visit, bundle up and head inside to one of these great events!

Monet's Water Lilies

The Museum of Modern Art

11 West 53rd Street

September 13, 2009 - April 12, 2010

Check website for hours

The delicious grapes of our grapevine

Maybe you have seen my post of three weeks ago where I told you about my grapevine and the engravings of grapes I had bought. Here.

I told you how proud I was of my grapevine growing at the wall of our orangerie.

Our grapevine

The grapes

Well, so now I can show you our beautiful, delicious grapes!!!

We had 2 of these dishes filled with grapes!

They are not only very delicious, but they are so beautiful to decorate!!

Here you can see them on the cabinet in my kitchen.

And every time one of us is passing, we can not resist the temptation!!!

And the engravings are framed now and hung in our orangerie.

This picture is not so good, but later on I will show you the etchings again when I do a post about our orangerie.

Have a wonderful weekend,

Greet

Every interior designer I know owns at least one L.L. Bean Boat and Tote for carrying samples but I doubt too many of us own the clothing. All that looks like it's about to change! Alex Carleton who was a design consultant for the company in Maine years ago left to start his own line, Rogues Gallery, but has rejoined L.L. Bean to oversee their new Signature collection for men and women. The clothing looks chic enough to be worn on the streets of New York as well as the outdoors of Maine! The classic Boat and Tote also got a makeover. Too bad the line doesn't debut until March 2010! I could use a bag!

Elle Decor and John Mayer hosted a party at Armani Casa this past Tuesday night that was packed with a very stylish crowd and a lot of handsome Italian men. Why American men can't look that good in a suit is beyond me but I digress. The chicest person in the room was actually the Interior Design Director of Armani Casa, Joy Moyler! I couldn't decide if I wanted to steal her entire outfit or create a Habitually Chic award in her honor! Joy designed John Mayer's new apartment and we agreed that bachelors make the best clients! They agree with pretty much everything you suggest and are always so appreciative. The only problem with John's project was that he was always traveling so that meant a lot of emails and strangely timed phone calls but it looks like it was worth it as you can see in the September 2009 issue of Elle Decor.

Joy was kind enough to introduce me to John who said he couldn't be happier in his new apartment. Since he does travel so much, he wanted to create a more "zen" home where he would have five pairs of black pants, five black shirts, five white tees, etc. I had to joke with him about how long that could last since New York makes you want to collect things and we agreed that he might need to get a storage space. Then I was elbowed out of the way by two blond girls who wanted to have their photo taken with him and that was the end of that conversation.

The party was packed so luckily, I had stopped into Armani Casa last week to check out their wares and take some photos. It is clearly a store where fashion and design collide with very chic results. Enjoy!

Photos by Heather Clawson

My first blog award

Thanks to Little Augury, today I received the Kreativ Blog Award!! This is my first award and I am so thrilled getting this award from Little Augury! Thank you so much!

So I was asked to post 7 things that you might not know yet of me! And I am supposed to nominate 7 blogs to give the Kreativ Blogger award.

So here I start with the 7 things about me :

1. I am a real animal lover.

Here you can see my dog Ralph, a cavalier king charles.

If I had more time to be at home I would have a lot more animals. They can give you so much joy and love!!

Ralph

This is Carol, she is the mare of our neighbours. And every morning she is waiting for me to bring her some bread.

She knows me that well!

2. My home is my castle. I enjoy being at home!

In the weekends I can enjoy every corner of my house just sitting in the sofa reading a good book or redecorate some places...

My home.

3. I am a family woman.

I love to invite family and friends!
And gathering with them around the table!

Tablesetting is as decorating to me.

Guests on a summerevening this year at our home, from the left to the right: my niece Elise, my sister Inge, my husband Jan, me and my brother-in-law Dominique.

If our guests like to stay for a few days, they can sleep in our French styled guestroom.

4. I enjoy a good glass of wine. With moderation of course!

The wine cellar.

5. I am a reader! A novel, a history book, a book about interior

decoration or a magazine. Everywhere in my house you can find books! I am hooked on books!

Books on the shelves of my library.

Always books on my night table. At this very moment the title of the novel on my night table is "The townhairdresser of Amour".

6. I am a collector of egg cups.

Every time we go on holidays or we do a citytrip, I bring with me an egg cup.

Egg cups from different cities on the shelf of my kitchen cabinet.

7. My preferred places to go to visit (and I will never get enough of them) are : the museum

of the Louvre in Paris and the Castle of Axel Vervoordt in Antwerp.

The Louvre

Castle of Axel Vervoordt

I could go on...!

And here are the 7 blogs I have nominated and which receive from me this Kreativ Blogger Award!

3. being ruby

6. the chukker

7. from the house of edward

I am sure you will enjoy all of them!

Greet

As you probably know, ELLE DECOR is celebrating it's 20th anniversary this year with the launch of their new book Style and Substance: The Best of ELLE DECOR. Editor in Chief Margaret Russell has been there since the beginning and she was gracious enough to take time out of her busy day to talk about ELLE DECOR, the new book, and the future of magazines! Enjoy!

HC: You’ve helped found ELLE DECOR 20 years ago and have been the editor in chief since 2000. What is the biggest change you’ve seen to the design industry in that time?

MR: The manner in which magazines are produced has changed exponentially—honestly, we used to write on typewriters! And our world is still changing; it’s the most exciting time in terms of technology, digital capabilities, and increased and more varied means of delivering ideas and content. But the most important development of the past two decades is clearly the Internet—Google, websites, design blogs, Facebook—even the things we haven’t yet imagined.

HC: What are the criteria that you and the editors use to determine if a project is right for ELLE DECOR?

MR: ELLE DECOR’s design and decoration editor Anita Sarsidi and I review most projects together and I think we balance each other well; plus, it’s not really about our personal taste, it’s what we believe will work for the magazine and our readers. We are both drawn to places that offer lots of ideas, that have a sense of history and real life to them, and those that reflect the owner’s taste and personality. We have neither need nor desire to publish interiors that are brand-spanking-new or look like a tastefully organized furniture showroom; our readers expect and deserve better.

HC: How hard was it to go back through the ELLE DECOR archives and choose the best rooms of the last 20 years of ELLE DECOR for your new book Style and Substance: The Best of ELLE DECOR? Do you have a favorite?

MR: It wasn’t hard at all; it was time-consuming and I did most of it at night and on Sundays, but it was truly a pleasure. There were places I’d forgotten that I loved seeing again, a few layouts that admittedly made me wince, and many ideas that will inspire some tweaks in our lineups and format in the future.

HC: We’ve seen so many magazines close in the last few years. Do you think that traditional magazines will be able to survive in a world that has become increasingly digital?

MR: Print magazines will absolutely survive, though we all need to be even more creative, smart, focused, and discerning. There’s no margin for error. Magazines are now brands—brands which must exist on all levels—print, online, TV, books, and perhaps as ancillary signature products.

HC: I know that ELLE DECOR is doing very well at the moment so what is that you are doing that keeps readers anxiously awaiting their new issue every month?

MR: I am wildly fortunate to work with a terrific team; we’re all passionate about what we do, curious about what’s coming next, and driven to discover new talent and the best in design.

HC: I don’t think we’ve seen your home published anywhere. Would you ever be willing to open it up to your readers online or in the magazine?

MR: I’m moving to a new place this year, which will be a big project, but I always prefer to focus on others in ELLE DECOR and not me; I’m far too private!

HC: What do you see for the next 20 years of ELLE DECOR?

MR: ELLE DECOR has done well because we’ve never lost sight of our original mission: The magazine was launched 20 years ago as a sister publication to ELLE and ELLE DECORATION and is now one of 24 international ELLE DECO editions. (ELLE DECO is correct and not a typo.)Our mandate is to publish the most interesting and intriguing interior decoration, architecture, art, and product design from around the world and infuse it all with the flavor of our strong fashion focus. During such a challenging economic environment, it’s also critical to show that living well needn’t be expensive and great design can be had at an affordable price.

Moving forward will require flexibility and the skills to adapt—you can’t just throw some version of a print magazine online and expect anyone to think it’s a great idea. We’re constantly refining and redeveloping what we’re doing on the web, and I’m excited about how we can grow and all that we will be able to offer our readers both in print and online in the months and years to come.

And I truly believe readers should pay a higher subscription price or more magazines will fold. The devalued subscription-offer situation has become insane. I know that it’s impossible to take even a short taxi ride in New York for what one year of my favorite magazines costs; I'd be pleased to pay up!

Photos from Style and Substance: The Best of ELLE DECOR

Visillo de antaño

Hace ya un año que a través de ebay España conseguí ganar un maravilloso bordado de finales del XIX o principios del XX ,con un calado impresionante . Había estado cosido a algo. La mujer no supo decirme , quizá al borde una sábana o un tapete...... El caso es que yo ya lo veía convertido en un visillo para la ventana de mi habitación de costura......

Pero esa banda era estrecha y tenía que añadirle más tela para que me diera la medida suficiente y colocarlo a media ventana.

Por eso busqué una tela blanca que quedara permanente en este visillo. Luego sobre la costura añadí botones antiguos de nácar en distintas medidas.

En la parte superior y con el fin de poder cambiar de imagen de vez en cuando, hice otra banda con tela Lecien que va sujeta con unas lazadas sobre las que cosí botones de forma alterna...... En esa manga también añadí un trozo antiguo de malla que deja pasar la luz.

Cuando me canse , sólo tengo que volver a hacer la parte superior con lazadas nuevas , ya tengo un cambio de look.

Elegí esta tela romántica de rosas porque el fondo hace juego con el papel pintado de la habitación y además con las cortinas laterales que tengo que coser en cuanto pueda . Así quedará la ventana ya acabada.

Se me olvidaba comentar que en la tela blanca , para dar uso a la nueva máquina , bordé unas pequeñas guirnaldas . Tuve que hacer un empalme y en el corte cosí una puntilla.