What I'm Looking At Today: Things that add lnterest

 I always use new custom upholstery when decorating on all of my jobs however, a room must have a patina, so it's important to mix in antiques and vintage items to avoid that 'showroom' look.

That means that I get to do a lot of shopping looking for singular items that will create a unique environment. Luckily I have pickers and there are many sites where you can find great things.

I like this tortoise shell that has been mounted as a lamp by Maison Jansen.

This pair of Italian sofas from the 70's are by Domino Industries. Great leather with just a nice patina.

Free form tables by Silas Seandal

On the other side of the spectrum is this steel and gilt bronze specimen table. You could put this just about anywhere.

An egyptian revival sofa. This type of seating,  not comfortable as we're used to today give a room a nice sense of age.

I've always liked big shells.

Really great Regency chairs. These could live anywhere.

Well, that's what I am looking at today, perhaps some of these items will find homes in my client's homes....if not they will certainly provide inspiration.

House in Gladwyne: The Garden

This is the house in Gladwyne that I have been working on for a while. We moved on to the back garden which is shown here in various stages.

                                                                                           

Working out paving. We decided to use Bedford stone. The yard took on a new aspect after clearing some old and not very pretty trees.

             

The stonework in random pattern. The idea was to create three 'rooms'. We did not want to make a symmetrical arrangement, but rather a balance of proportion with an enclosed dining room and an 'open' room marked by boxwood in Versailles planters.

The center  section on axis with the main doors of the house has a pool and beyond in the distance we placed a statue to lead your eye back.

                                      

Looking from the dining area past the pool to the seating area.

Looking from seating area to the dining

reflective pool and seating area

Looking from the main door

Eventually the boxwood will grow in. The furniture is very  a classic mix of cement and teak, wicker and zinc. We suggested that they plant some trumpet vines along the back wall of the house so it will be entirely covered in green.....this already looks as if it's always been there but it will look even better as the plantings mature.

REAL DECORATING: YSL and Pierre Berge in Morocco

Just pictures today.......beautiful

A House in Bronxville

I have been working with a young couple in Bronxville for a while now on the house that architect, Lucio de Leo of Studio RAI designed for them. The decoration is finally coming together and here's a few pictures of a work still in progress, but on it's way to being a very stylish home.

In the front hall is an 18th c Italian console table from Christie's. There are portraits of the couple's children which give the space a colorful and personal touch.

Hall curtains are detailed with tape trim and Empire style fringe.

The living room is used more as a  music room. The focal point is the piano with the reverse painted mercury glass lamp in front of a vintage Chinese export screen. There are lustrous floors so instead of a large carpet we opted to have cowhide rugs. The bay, where the piano was supposed to live now holds a Kagan sofa and a mod pair of painted chairs.

Looking into the Dining Room

There's a great Jansen sideboard with an 18th c mirror from Christie's and a rustic table and mismatched French chairs. The light fixtures are custom shades on simple iron bars.

Curtains reflected in one of a pair of Venetian mirrored obelisks, also from Christie's

The curtains are really lush. Three fabrics and a deep fringe really make these a standout, but they manage to be understated at the same time.

The clients commissioned artist Ric Best to make a portrait of the children which hangs over a Renaissance style bookcase. This picture is a little deceptive as the scale of the picture is 8'x3' and the bookcase is 7' tall.....

Curtains are of cream wool with hand applied Suzani fabric lined in orange silk. Here they are being installed.

A 17th c style table from Christies stands in front of the windows.....will post more pictures of this room when it's pulled together.

Before and After: NYC Digs

So, as promised, some after pics of our NYC digs. I tried to get the same angles as the 'befores', but the rooms aren't large.

The hallway

Ric being an artist means that we have a lot of artwork. There is a series of flowers in the hall along with a small drawing by our good friend Jim Bloom and a small 18th c. print.

The library/dining room has already had a few changes of chairs, they seem to just make an appearance on their way to other homes. The blue industrial shelving and a 19th c Indian rug keep it from getting too serious. We have a French cartonierre with a seated Mercury and a large Hundi lamp over a rosewood table.

The Living Room

The Regency bookcase we've had for 20 years, since my school days when I bought it from Virgil at Art Industrial Design Store. It was entirely out of place there as it had originally come from Stair & Co. I had no money, but he let me pay it off in installments......I never told Ric what it cost!

You know it's really home because my wooden foot roller is in the corner, the cats like to play with it and it's always somewhere......bronze athlete on a deco pedestal.

 A dancing faun on a deco pedestal anchors a corner and between the windows is a picture by William Hillman, a 19th c French landscape and another drawing from Jim Bloom.

 A peek into the office. 

We have a large Empire bookcase filled with design books, an old William IV chair and a mod desk and console.

Detail of the bookcase. I like Empire furniture and this was originally destined for a client's house, but we decided to keep it. The painting by Neil O'Brian reminds me that it's never as bad as I think it is and the lions are actually arms from a once great chair.

So that's our new NYC digs.