Ina and her City Digs

I first want to apologize for my lack of posting. We are in the end stage of the prep work for of our big renovation project in the house we recently purchased and its not fun in this economy! But we are weathering the storm and hoping for a democrat for President, ANY democrat. Anyhow, remember Ina Garten's Manhattan pad in House Beautiful? I never got over those orange velvet curtains against those black window panes. Ina is a lucky gal to have snagged a duplex with double height windows which she really showcased with these simple, lush panels. I wish my workroom didn't charge an extra 30% for sewing velvet, or I would be doing these more for clients. Ina is such a great lady, do you know her former life was writing nuclear budget policy for the White House? Isn't fantastic you can have more than one life in this life? Now, if only I could get this house off the ground to start my new life.....

Were you Raised in a Barn?

Cassandra's renovation before..
And after
An interior shot. Love those dark floors with the step. The glass doors are original (once the tack room!)

My mother in law Patricia has this amazing old barn in the back of her property that I always dreamed I'd turn into a home away from home. I'm not sure if she'll ever let me, but you can understand my excitement when I logged on to Cottage Living (where is my April edition??) and saw this amazing renovation by Cassandra Naylor in Baltimore County, Maryland. And eco-friendly to boot! Here is the article if you can't wait:

http://www.cottageliving.com/cottage/homes/article/0,21135,1721650,00.html

The Irish Eyes are Smilin'

Flavor Paper's Nouveau Riche wallpaper out of New Orleans 9th ward.

I wish I could remember. Pulled from a wonderful blog.
From Lulu DK's new contract line- "Rope"


Lulu DK's Madison fabric

Here in my city of Scranton, we celebrate St. Patrick's Day in a big way. We are the third largest Parade, and we expect well over 100,000 revelers tomorrow including one Senator Hillary Clinton to march amongst our finest ( and Barack on Monday). In honor of our fine Irish heritage (being from County Cork myself), I wanted to post some of my favorite greens.

Dreams Do Come True (ha ha!)

The original picture that caught my eye courtesy of Habitually Chic's scan of Vogue Living.

The gorgeous cottage from the water.

That amazing lattice- clad dining room that I keep thinking about. I believe it was originally done by Sister Parish and then re-discovered.

Gwen on the porch in that fabulous orange dress.

I love the mounted sailboat. Do you think that was Windsor Smith's idea?
One of Gwen's adorable daughters in a vintage swim cap. Sofa now available at Windsor Smith.

A huge thank you to Heather at Habitually Chic and Courtney at Style Court for coming to my rescue on the search for Gwen McCaw's Maine House (see last post) featured in Vogue Living. These two powerhouses in the design blogging world went above and beyond to help me find and locate these pictures Thank you ladies, its nice to have blogging friends! And the pictures are just as fabulous as I remember!

This House.....

This house has been on my brain lately. Let me explain. I remember reading an article about this Islesboro, Maine cottage (yes, cottage) that was built by a Philadelphian named J. Kearsley Mitchell (1871-1949). This wealthy businessman earned his fortune by selling his rubber works business to B.F. Goodrich. He then went on to marry J.P. Morgan's business partner's daughter, Edward Stotesbury. I can't find her name. Their wedding gifts, according to The Summer Cottages of Islesboro, by Earle Shettleworth, Jr., included "a diamond necklace, a diamond tiara, and a string of pearls valued at $500,000." In addition, a big check for 1 million.

Ok, here is why I know and think about this house. It was featured in a magazine article (Vogue Living, maybe?) with this fashionable, young family. My goal was and still is to find the great, interior shots of the renovation. I remember the first picture of the story was the woman in a row boat with one of her children in front of the house. The story went on to say that she retooled the house after purchasing it from Kristie Alley and Parker Stevenson. I remember giggling at the fact that the new owner had to strip some of the frilly details from the celebrity couple. I think she said Kristie tried to out-Parish Sister Parish ( in Kristie's defense, it was the 80's).Sister vacationed in these parts and had worked on the house, including a lattice filled dining room. Is this ringing a bell for anyone? I'm obsessed. And if I had any sense, I would have just torn the article out, but I never do. I always think I'm going to save the magazine and catalog it. Yeh, right. So upon searching everything from Sister Parish, to Islesboro Inn (it became one for awhile) to Kristie Alley (boy, they had a nasty divorce), I only found these two photos from Around Maine. But I love the awnings on the porch picture, I don't think it holds the same design, but doesn't it look so current? I hope you can help me.

****UPDATE****

Courtney of one of my all time favorite blogs, Style Court, remembered the article from the first Vogue Living (remember Jennifer Lopez on the Cover??) I'll have more info to come! Thanks Courtney!

Don't you just love a picture that makes you want you to live your life a bit better? I remember saving this picture from one of Kate Spade's ad campaigns. I think its just the pairing of a terrific couple ( ok models) set against a wall of beautiful china. Yes, as much as this makes me want to run to Kate Spade, it also reminds me that you can mix your casualness with your fabulousness. You don't need to pick one or the other. Living well and authentically, that is my goal in 2008!

Yellow, not so Mellow

Do you all remember this picture from Blueprint Magazine? I just never got over this yellow door. I'm thinking about painting our new front door on our very old house a great yellow. I'm sure my Scranton neighbors are getting very nervous if they are reading this. But I think if you paired it pitch perfect, it would be sublime. Not easy right? So what shade?

Maybe Cane by Farrow & Ball

http://www.farrow-ball.com/productdetails.aspx?pid=0053CA&cid=PC&language=en-GB

Or Sunny at Heart by Mythic Paint (gotta love the name)

http://www.mythicpaint.com/

What about Ralph Lauren Bicycle Yellow

http://www.ralphlaurenhome.com/rlhome/products/paint/items.asp?haid=83

By the way, Blueprint's door color is the following:

Hollandlac Brilliant paint, $95 per 2.5 liters,finepaintsofeurope.com

Moss strikes again!

Did you happen to catch this article in W magazine about design charmer Charlotte Moss in this month's W magazine? If you don't get it, or would like to read the article, check it out here:

http://www.wmagazine.com/celebrities/2008/03/charlotte_moss

What I so appreciate about Charlotte is her ability to balance business with design. She is a brilliant merchandiser, always cognisant of the bottom line as the article reveals. Admittedly tough, Charlotte has also made a few blunders along the way (such as a mismatch with another high profile designer), which makes me like her even more! I think I'm going to pre-order her new book from the website, "A Flair for Living". What is your take on Charlotte?

David!

Jen, David, and me at the Campbell
Walking out to insanity of the Giant's win in the Super Bowl in Times Square. Some crazy fan took our picture.

And yes, we did find David Jimenez in the Big Apple!!! David had Jen and I him at the Campbell Apartment, in Grand Central Station. It couldn't have been more pitch perfect. If you don't know about the Campbell, its this tucked away, magical spot that was originally the office of 20's mogul, John W. Campbell. I found this information about John and his misnamed "apartment"-

"Not until 1999, long after his death, was the office of John W. Campbell restored and renovated into a public bar and lounge called the Campbell Apartment. The name is apparently a misnomer, people having assumed that such a grand space was an apartment, not an office. The walls and ceiling were brought back to their former glory and the original steel safe, once hidden behind a wall, now sits in the massive fireplace as a reminder of Campbell's wealth. The renovation cost $1.5 million.
In 2006, Mark Grossich, who restored the leased space and owns the bar, decided the Campbell Apartment needed further updating. He hired Nina Campbell, an interior designer in London, to spruce it up. She replaced a largely blue palette with a largely red one, including new carpet, bar stools and chairs. To avoid closing for even one night, the renovation took place in less than 12 hours and cost $350,000". *taken from Wikipedia

Ok, now about David! He battled for well over an hour to get a cab from the Bronx due to the Super Bowl to meet us. Within 5 minutes, you are so smitten with David's ease and generosity. And can I mention how handsome he is? We learned how David earned his star creative status through hardwork and determination, and innate talent. His candidness about his early days at the Gap, right out of school winning competitions in the store, is h-i-l-a-r-o-u-s. But David just has that "it" factor that you immediately can't deny, and neither could the Gap. And after moving up, up, up, the corporate ladder, he seamlessly transitioned into world of home design for both Restoration Hardware and Pottery Barn. And of course he conquered that world as well, and now working his magic for Hallmark Inc. He says there are big changes to come! So, a girl can't give away all her secrets from a fantastic night in Grand Central Station, but I can predict David's full impact on the interior design world has yet to be seen.

New York Gift Show

It's Lulu of Lulu DK fame! I think she may have thought I was slightly psychotic for asking her to take a picture for the blog, but she was lovely about it which makes me believe she's a great girl. Pre-order her highly anticipated book, Lulu! And honestly if we all didn't love her fabrics so much, I would never had put this awful picture of myself (does anyone have lipstick and some powder?) Her baby and bedding line for Matouk was terrific ( and Mr. Matouk was really nice as well.)
Jen checking out some adorable napkins we picked up for the shop.


I thought this line ( I'm still digging through my paperwork for who it is, sorry) was really interesting mixing metals and wood.

I really wanted to see Bungalow 5 in person, and it didn't fail to impress. Really quality construction with fun colors and shapes. Great scale, I love their tables. I see one in my friend Kathy's living room project.
Their new Berkeley collection was lovely


A wall from Two's Company, a monster accessories company. Jen and I thought this was wallpaper at first, but its actually a real wood installation. I thought it was really inspiring.

What a great time in New York City this weekend. Jen and I headed to the Javit Center to see what is new at the Gift Fair. I admit that it is so overwhelming and there are so many great designs and lines. The Wearstleresque influence was so apparent in many of the accessories. But also I felt there is a forthcoming American nostalgia. Pillows with needlepoint, colorful chests, and nods to Old Glory. Love it or hate it, its coming! I would have taken more pictures, but not all retailers are down with that and I didn't want to get us thrown out. Overall, a nice show. But I know you all are waiting for the best part.......