Beautifully Understated

What I'm looking at today

Today I'm looking at some items that I really like. I'm a pushover for truncated columns, the only thing that would make these better, for me, is if they were porphyry.
I also really like little neoclassical tables with chippy gold leaf....I'm told this one is Swedish early 19c it's a very nice size, perfect for a narrow hall or entrance.

I like that this mirror is surmounted by a deer....usually you see eagles or dragons or dolphins....and it's a very nice size as well.

Lastly these really great, almost life size pair of Grand Tour deer....made in Naples and stamped, they're super.

Old Asbury Park....well at least as old as when we were there.

A while back we had a huge old house in Asbury Park. It was way too large for two guys with a cat and we just filled it with things we liked.....we weren't too worried about it being a little fancy for the Jersey Shore as there were quite a few fancier. Here's the Dining Room done up for a showhouse....and yes I did dust the leg..it's a reflection.

The Living Room looking from the Entrance Hall. I had gotten the round table at a thrift store and the silver bowl is actually a deco light fixture.

Our 'Saddam Hussein' room....it was during the Gulf War...#1 and we had an extra room that we never used so I went to Marshals and got remainder wallpaper...DIY and for $10!!!!!! yes you read right TEN dollars, excluding labor [ME] we had this nifty room....Ric hated it but our cat Sebastian was always napping there. The daybed is from Simon Ross and we had a coverlet that a client gave me back so we used that as upholstery....I think it was Clarence House.

This was our bathroom. I found the Directoire screen with my friend Vic during one of our recon missions to the various thrift stores and the chair and dressers, one of which we made into a sink came from one of the houses nearby that was being sold....the huge mirror came from the now defunct Asbury Park Auction House......you could find great stuff back then.

Things I'm looking at today

Looking at these cool antler chairs for a gentleman's office or a dining room.

An Italian sunburst

I would love to use this in the house I'm working on right now......16th c tapestry

Love the legs on these tables.

Four Points of View

Four Living rooms, four points of view. The earliest was done almost 20 years ago but, they all have one thing in common, none follow fad or fashion. The Philadelphia living room pictured above is in a large townhouse near Rittenhouse Square, it's spare and masculine with strong Regency furnishings and modern art. The Fortuny fixture gives it an exotic feel.

This Living Room is in a country house in Armonk. It retains a modern point of view while using antiques including the Indian carpet, an 18c Irish table, Jansen cocktail table and pair of Louis XV King wood tables. The tiger velvet and caned chairs are Robert Leighton.

This is a much more traditional room. It started with the Russian needlepoint rug and grew from there. The clients initially wanted a room people would be scared to go into but, I think over time they realized that what they really wanted was a warm country style house....warm and cozy but high style.

This is a modern take on a Living room albeit with a mid century twist. The whole thing is anchored by a large 19c Indian rug. Walls are leather with copper crowns. The artwork ranges from Pre-Raphaelite to Rauschenberg. The small round table in the corner is Frank Lloyd Wright and the curved and blue chairs came from flea markets. This room is almost 20 years old.....it still holds up.

Artwork

The best way to personalize an interior is with unique, one of a kind pieces. Artwork can be massed in groups or used singly to great effect. In this Ocean Grove beach house the artwork is arranged as in 19c salons....all of the pieces are 20th c.

A more modern approach was taken in this living room in Manhattan. Two large images of Amazon Indians by William Hillman flank a 19c Cuban mahogany bookcase from Stair & co.

It's always a good idea to do something a little unexpected. In the Living Room of a country house the very traditional decoration has been given a quirky edge by arranging a large collection of boxing memorabilia in unexpected ways.

A Dining Room in Philadelphia has some wonderful flower prints by Ric Best, the soft, aqueous blues and soft pinks are echoed in the antique Venini chandleier.

Here is a stylish Living Room on the Mainline in Pa. We're still working on finding the right smalls for tables but, the room is on its way.

The picture is by Julian Schnabel, I liked the expanse of white and the very painterly strokes of pink and blush. It gives the room a nice kick.

Mixing modern art with antiques and modern upholstery keeps a room alive. There's nothing worse than dead museum rooms and in any event no one wants to live in one ....well almost no one.

Hollywood Glamour

I just got this chinoiserie chest on stand.....I'm thinking it's from the early 1900's but it's going to live in a glam livingroom in Bronxville. The clients are pretty young and very funny and want it to look like Tony Duquette light....or at least that's what they're getting......so far they seem happy. I'll post pictures of the room when it's done.

Grand Tour

As these are my first posts I'm letting you see what I like.....although I can work in any style and often do, I truly love the neoclassical, especially anything Grand Tour. I came across this souvenir Atlas a while back and it was the inspiration for a room that my friend RJ Thornburg and I did together.....he's missing his globe and looks a bit fey arms akimbo but, he's large and has great presence. The print behind the late 19c Coade stone finial is by my all time favorite artist....Ric Best.

I was fortunate enough to get these great chairs.....they are Regency and are exactly like the ones that Madeleine Castaing had in her Rue Jacob Dining Room.....I think I'm keeping these for a while.......

I also have a horrible chair fetish. We had a tiny apartment when we first moved to NYC ...I think the entire thing was less than 450 sq ft....but the kitchen, we used as storage. My friend Vic came by and was aghast at the amount of chairs that were piled up....I would sell a few when I needed books or supplies for school.....these are some great Klismos style chairs...rosewood 19th c....I wanted to keep these but, I made the mistake of inviting one of my clients over to see what I had in 'stock' and she wouldn't leave without them.....I miss these chairs!

Hello

So my friend Michael has insisted that I write a blog about what I do. Here we go.....I'm in interior design and am constantly searching for and looking at objects, some may be expensive or they might come from flea markets, they all have one thing in common: they're beautiful. So I hope to post items as I encounter them, some you might see in my projects, some will simply be for inspiration. I hope all will be fun.