{the blog}

Gambrel @ Balustrade & Bitters

All the shelter magazines may be folding right before our eyes... but this article/interview with Steven Gambrel more than makes up for the lack of eyecandy in my mailbox these days.  Just when I was feeling good about my design studio... they had to go and feature Gambrel's.  The man has serious talent, he deserves the coolest design studio every known to man...

 

 

 

 

 

The design studio is darker than I would have expected, but somehow it's still so perfect.  He's updated his portfolio since I last visited his site... be sure to check it out.  It is guaranteed to inspire (or make you feel really bad about your own space)).

All photos from Balustrade & Bitters.

still love...

Suzanne Kasler's line for Hickory Chair is phenomenal.  I know this isn't breaking news, but I love coming back to something I've already seen and be as inspired as I was the first time I saw it.  The line is sophisticated, yet understated... a balance hard to master.  I love it.  Have you seen it?

   

 

Or if you like to show a little leg...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peter Dunham does it again

   

peter dunham has a new website! 

fig leaf has some hot new competition.

   

 

okay, it is only fair to give the fig a little press too... it is one of my all time favs.

 

via The Speckled Egg(thanks Jane!)

even happier

 

 

 

 

Katie Ridder's work makes me happy.  Happy to know she has a wallpaper line now too!

 

 

 

I love the patterns and the colors!  Beautiful!

the Obama's designer...

   

Well, Barack and Michelle have selected Michael Smith to decorate their private quarters in the White House... I think they chose very wisely.

 

The budget is $100,000.  Margaret Russell was interviewed on the Today show (along with some footage from Deborah Needleman)... both mentioned Smith plans to use our good ole American retail chains like Target, Anthropologie, Restoration Hardware, and Urban Outfitters.  Urban Outfitters?  That one surprised me... doesn't seem quite like "White House material"... anyway, Smith is not granting any interviews, but I sure hope we'll see some pictures once he's worked his magic.  The installation begins next week! 

More info HERE.

sweet adieu

 

I've had a subscription to Country Home since I was in high school.  It was one of my favorites.  I say "was" because (as you may already know) last week they folded too.  So this past weekend I dug for my all time favorite issue... May 2004, where they featured Thomas O'Brien's weekend house on Long Island.  An architecturally classic structure with that Thomas O'Brien modern twist.  I scanned it for my own good... you know in case my house burns down, at least I'll have a digital back up copy here at the office.

 

I have mixed emotions about mostly white interiors.  Sometimes they lean too romantic, too-shabby chic... which is better to me than too contemporary, "sterile white", but ultimately I think they are just too safe.  Yeah, I think that's my qualm with white... the safety-factor.  Or is it that it's easy to create?  Or that life is just too short for all white?  Okay, so I'm obviously not really sure.  However... I do know that Thomas O here (who is definitely in my top 5) does an edgy white, one that feels good... a mostly white interior that you aren't afraid to have a glass of wine in.  One that actually feels lived in.  Is it the black accents?  The mix of finishes (brass and nickel and different species of woods)?  The sculptural lines of the fixtures and furnishings?  I think it boils down to the mix of all of it. 

 

I think the white is off-set by the found objects, the antiques, the interesting little thing-a-ma-bobbers here and there.  They aren't "accessories"... they are items that you know he has found at flea markets and in travels that simply spoke to him.  That little bench tucked in under the coffee table... delightful.

 

And the garden... oh the garden and that patio. 

 

The kitchen and the master bathroom were my favorite.  Sometimes I have flashbacks of these spaces.  How can someone master "perfectly imperfect"... so perfectly?  Totally chic, yet totally livable.  Little pops of black.

 

 

Ahhh the bathroom... looks like a nice place to take a bath.

 

 

If you click on the photos to enlarge them you should be able to read the tips on how to "bring it home".

Darryl Carter

Not sure where I have been... but I just happened upon Thomasville's website and found Darryl Carter's new collection.  I've always appreciated his passion for "new traditional" design... and am pleased to see that it's now available for the masses... 

 

 

 

 

[that chair looks a lot like this one]

 

 

I can't vouch for the quality, but the prices look good... anyone seen this in person yet??  Sat on the sofas and chairs??  It seems to me like it hits a price-point for those who can't quite touch the coveted high-end furniture lines, but still appreciate classic designs.

I enjoyed the Video interviews here.

And of course this prompted me to go back and dig into his portfolio... which I spent some time studying a few months ago after his Elle Decor cover in May that had me in awe.  His interiors have a sculptural quality to them, without being stodgy and heavy... it's an impressive mix. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maybe I need to make a trip to Thomasville this weekend!? 

[first round of images from Thomasville, second round from Carter's website]

yes ma'am!

 

"I like a sense of humanity in a home; the more you exhibit of yourself in a room, the more interesting that room will be. Design is all about really living in rooms. It's probably more chic, more fashionable, and more adult for me to live in a pared-down environment, but that's just not me. I have too much to say; I can't keep it all in. I've tried to not like stuff, but face it-I just like stuff"

- Ellen O'Neill,  via BB8 (via the book Designing Women, which is of course in my collection and I highly recommend it... it's designers in their own spaces, in fact mine was a gift from Victoria after my internship with a nice note in the front from the queen-bee herself)

Have you been in people's homes where you feel like:

A) you need to take your shoes off

B) it feels like a furniture showroom

C) looks like a spread straight out of Pottery Barn (sorry Pottery Barn)*

Do you know what the downfall is of most homes today?  The lack of personal stuff!  This goes back Courtney's post on "Personal Warmth".  We all need to work on it.  Don't be shy!  Show your stuff!  Your house will feel better as a result of it!

*- a little Pottery Barn, West Elm, Crate & Barrel, etc are fine... but don't do your whole entire house in it!

and a PS:

I cannot quit thinking that I want a ticking stripe sofa... this image above sealed this, and so did this image on Mrs.Blandingsthis morning of her ticking stripe sofa... more on this subject later!

'

it's raining, it's pouring, i'm sure not snoring

It's early.  And it's been pouring for hours.  I am a light sleeper... so I am wide-awake.

 

I was just thinking, it'd sure be nice to take the day off and curl up on the sofa with some hot tea, watch talk shows all day, maybe even order pizza for lunch, popcorn for a mid-afternoon snack.  The Weather Channel says the rain is gonna be around for a few days.

So, it's very unrealistic to take today off, but these interiors scream 'rainy day' to me, like they are summoning me to come over and watch it pour. 

Don't you like to snuggle in when it's raining?  I sure do.

Images from House Beautiful, September 07. Interiors by McAlpine Booth & Ferrier, photos by Don Freeman.

city or country?

I hate to snag pictures at the expense of someone else's hardwork, but I think Joni will forgive me? The highest form of flattery, right? Joni, you are sooooo good, and I had to share!

Joni has profiled two fabulous movies this week... go check her out!

Did you see the movie The Holiday? It's one of those movies (like Somethings Gotta Give) that the interior of the houses had me watching the movies over and over.

Ironically, I could seriously see myself living in either one of these houses! 

So, which house would you pick... city or country?? Do tell!

Love movie sets, fabulous houses? Like Father of the Bride!? Check out Silverscreen Surroundings!