Laman

Can You Spell Chandelier?


While on the internet on one of my favorite sites, Houston Real Estate, I came across this lovely home for sale. It's in the Memorial area, one of the toniest neighborhoods in Houston, and as you can see, it's quite a huge house. It's for sale for close to 9 million, just in case you're interested in buying it. But, like they say, money can't buy you taste. I got the biggest case of giggles looking at the pictures of the interior, and I just had to share them with you. Enjoy!


So far, so good. It looks interesting, wood bordered limestone floor, Niermann Weeks sconces, french settee, not quite sure about the hall table, but ok. Personally, I wouldn't have put a skin like this on my stairs, but, that's what makes horse racing.


Master bedroom: Not bad. This kind of cove lighting drives me crazy and I don't really care for the large dark whatever-it-is kneeling in front of the mirror, but, all in all, it's nice. Except, wait, why do they have two duvets on the bed? Uh oh, shades of things to come??? Beware!


Living Room: Ok, we have two back to back sofas, good idea for a large room. But, does each sofa have to have a humongous chandelier over it? I'm not sure that even one of these behemoth's centered in the room would have been good. But two of these are two too much.


Another view of living room. Mucho animal skins. Here the chandeliers don't look so overwhelming. Maybe it's because the second one looks like a reflection of the first one? The Two Theme is really evident here. Two sets of two matching chairs. On the far left, you can see two matching settees side by side.

Two for dinner? This designer really likes the "two" theme. In the dining room, we have two matching tables, each with matching bowl, and of course, two matching chandeliers! I'm beginning to wonder if there was a 2 for 1 sale at the local lighting company? Oh and look, we have two matching Oriental horsemen on the mantle!!! I'm kind of sorry there aren't two fireplaces!

The Kitchen: Surely, gentle reader, you didn't think there would be ONE pendant light here, did you? No, I don't mean to disappoint, but there are, of course, TWO lights, yet again. And two dishwashers. At least we're consistent here.

TheGarden Room: Are there two chandeliers in the garden room, too? Yes, of course! It gets really dark in garden rooms, you know, so there has to be lots of lighting. One for the sofa, and one for the two matching side by side chaise lounges. Actually, behind the plant on the left, I'm pretty sure that's a matching sofa with a matching lamp. Of course.

And finally, the family room. Oh no, oh no!!!!! What happened to the Two for Two Theme? Well, it IS a large sectional and everyone needs their own light, I guess. And carrying the Three Theme further, note that the ottoman actually IS three sided, so that makes more sense. And if you look closely, it appears there are Three Sets of Three Decorative pillows on the sectional. Ok, I understand now, I think?

I'm wondering, do all the chandeliers stay with the house when it sells, or are the owners going to take them all with them? Hmmmmmm. I'll keep you posted!



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Can You Spell Chandelier?


While on the internet on one of my favorite sites, Houston Real Estate, I came across this lovely home for sale. It's in the Memorial area, one of the toniest neighborhoods in Houston, and as you can see, it's quite a huge house. It's for sale for close to 9 million, just in case you're interested in buying it. But, like they say, money can't buy you taste. I got the biggest case of giggles looking at the pictures of the interior, and I just had to share them with you. Enjoy!


So far, so good. It looks interesting, wood bordered limestone floor, Niermann Weeks sconces, french settee, not quite sure about the hall table, but ok. Personally, I wouldn't have put a skin like this on my stairs, but, that's what makes horse racing.


Master bedroom: Not bad. This kind of cove lighting drives me crazy and I don't really care for the large dark whatever-it-is kneeling in front of the mirror, but, all in all, it's nice. Except, wait, why do they have two duvets on the bed? Uh oh, shades of things to come??? Beware!


Living Room: Ok, we have two back to back sofas, good idea for a large room. But, does each sofa have to have a humongous chandelier over it? I'm not sure that even one of these behemoth's centered in the room would have been good. But two of these are two too much.


Another view of living room. Mucho animal skins. Here the chandeliers don't look so overwhelming. Maybe it's because the second one looks like a reflection of the first one? The Two Theme is really evident here. Two sets of two matching chairs. On the far left, you can see two matching settees side by side.

Two for dinner? This designer really likes the "two" theme. In the dining room, we have two matching tables, each with matching bowl, and of course, two matching chandeliers! I'm beginning to wonder if there was a 2 for 1 sale at the local lighting company? Oh and look, we have two matching Oriental horsemen on the mantle!!! I'm kind of sorry there aren't two fireplaces!

The Kitchen: Surely, gentle reader, you didn't think there would be ONE pendant light here, did you? No, I don't mean to disappoint, but there are, of course, TWO lights, yet again. And two dishwashers. At least we're consistent here.

TheGarden Room: Are there two chandeliers in the garden room, too? Yes, of course! It gets really dark in garden rooms, you know, so there has to be lots of lighting. One for the sofa, and one for the two matching side by side chaise lounges. Actually, behind the plant on the left, I'm pretty sure that's a matching sofa with a matching lamp. Of course.

And finally, the family room. Oh no, oh no!!!!! What happened to the Two for Two Theme? Well, it IS a large sectional and everyone needs their own light, I guess. And carrying the Three Theme further, note that the ottoman actually IS three sided, so that makes more sense. And if you look closely, it appears there are Three Sets of Three Decorative pillows on the sectional. Ok, I understand now, I think?

I'm wondering, do all the chandeliers stay with the house when it sells, or are the owners going to take them all with them? Hmmmmmm. I'll keep you posted!



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There's No Place Like Home

Well, like the old saying goes: there's no place like home. After three wonderful weeks at the beach, we came home today to huge stacks of unopened mail, plants that desperately need to be cut back, a dog with a swollen eye (ouch!), hydrangeas dead from heat stroke, messy clutter left from leaving in a hurry three long weeks ago, a teenaged daughter who announced that she didn't really miss her old mom and dad (sniff), and still, we're glad to be home. I've been missing my stuff: my candles, my books, my antiques, my sheets, my sconces, my style!



I did have a few surprises waiting for me. Gorgeous wallpaper samples from Farrow and Ball. I'm thinking about wallpapering my bedroom in pink damask. What do you think?

The only problem is the pink in the Farrow and Ball sample is much more orange than in the picture. (Hi Sammi Jo, looking busy there!) So, I may have to start my search over again with something more like this:



And also waiting at home for me was this gorgeous huge cigar box full, I mean stuffed full of fabric samples from Raoul Textiles. Eat your heart out, designers! I am SO excited about this package. I have never before seen such gorgeous packaging from a fabric company. This beats Rose Tarlow's sample box by a mile. I was forced to order the Raoul samples because no one displays the fabrics in Houston. But, truly, the samples they sent are huge, so they are worth it. Here's the cigar box:


And while I was at the beach, I placed a few orders with Amazon. So, there were wonderful books waiting for me. Like this: Florence Broadhurst.



But, I'm afraid I won't get it finished in time to discuss it with the blogger's Book of the Month Club. Maybe next time. Also waiting at home was this book, recommended by Bibliostyle. It looks great:


But the crowning glory was this, recommended by Domino's guest designers' this month: The old Vogue's Book of Houses, Gardens and People. It cost a small fortune, but from the looks of it, it may be worth it. Gorgeous Horst photos of people like the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, the Pucci Family, and other long ago socialites. Since the book is tres over priced, I'm willing to let anyone who wants to borrow it to do so. Just let me know and we'll trade addresses. Seriously. It's my gift to bloggers! I am going to try to scan some photos from it later. It looks like this book is a serious example, yet again, of how classic design does not date or go out of style.


Pictures from the chapter on the Pucci Family.


Chapter about Cy Twombly.

Read More

There's No Place Like Home

Well, like the old saying goes: there's no place like home. After three wonderful weeks at the beach, we came home today to huge stacks of unopened mail, plants that desperately need to be cut back, a dog with a swollen eye (ouch!), hydrangeas dead from heat stroke, messy clutter left from leaving in a hurry three long weeks ago, a teenaged daughter who announced that she didn't really miss her old mom and dad (sniff), and still, we're glad to be home. I've been missing my stuff: my candles, my books, my antiques, my sheets, my sconces, my style!



I did have a few surprises waiting for me. Gorgeous wallpaper samples from Farrow and Ball. I'm thinking about wallpapering my bedroom in pink damask. What do you think?

The only problem is the pink in the Farrow and Ball sample is much more orange than in the picture. (Hi Sammi Jo, looking busy there!) So, I may have to start my search over again with something more like this:



And also waiting at home for me was this gorgeous huge cigar box full, I mean stuffed full of fabric samples from Raoul Textiles. Eat your heart out, designers! I am SO excited about this package. I have never before seen such gorgeous packaging from a fabric company. This beats Rose Tarlow's sample box by a mile. I was forced to order the Raoul samples because no one displays the fabrics in Houston. But, truly, the samples they sent are huge, so they are worth it. Here's the cigar box:


And while I was at the beach, I placed a few orders with Amazon. So, there were wonderful books waiting for me. Like this: Florence Broadhurst.



But, I'm afraid I won't get it finished in time to discuss it with the blogger's Book of the Month Club. Maybe next time. Also waiting at home was this book, recommended by Bibliostyle. It looks great:


But the crowning glory was this, recommended by Domino's guest designers' this month: The old Vogue's Book of Houses, Gardens and People. It cost a small fortune, but from the looks of it, it may be worth it. Gorgeous Horst photos of people like the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, the Pucci Family, and other long ago socialites. Since the book is tres over priced, I'm willing to let anyone who wants to borrow it to do so. Just let me know and we'll trade addresses. Seriously. It's my gift to bloggers! I am going to try to scan some photos from it later. It looks like this book is a serious example, yet again, of how classic design does not date or go out of style.


Pictures from the chapter on the Pucci Family.


Chapter about Cy Twombly.

Read More

Orange You Glad it's the Weekend?!

I'm sooo glad it's the weekend! This week has been crazy! I originally started my blog because I was a bit bored at work but now things are picking up and I'm swamped! But it's all good. Actually, it would be better if I sat at the desk above and had a view of the park! How fabulously chic is that?! It was featured in the June 2007 issue of House and Garden and was part of a feature on the firm Janson Goldstein photographed by Nikolas Koenig. While the rest of the apartment is a bit too white and modern for me, I'm loving the study and that desk!

Right now, I'm off to meet with a photographer who is going to be shooting some of our finally finished projects for a walkthrough of an apartment in the Time Warner Building. And next week, I have some fun and exciting surprises in store for you! Until then, bon weekend!
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Is Philip Gorrivan the New David Hicks?

Philip Gorrivan was recently touted by House and Garden as one of The New Tastemakers and I'm loving his living room pictured above. I think yellow and turquoise is my new favorite color combination. But the more I looked at his designs, the more I kept thinking about David Hicks, whose work is pictured in the next photo. If you look really closely, there are David Hicks design books in Philip's apartment so obviously he's read his books and studied his work.

I think it's the patterned walls and carpets that Philip has used in his home and designs below that is the obvious similarity but it's also the use of eye popping color combinations.

If you want to look anywhere for design inspiration, you might as well look to the master. David Hicks' designs still translate and look modern to this day.

I love the soothing and serene palette in the master bedroom above that is accurately described as a cool mix of glamour and comfort.

It's in his work for a client's home pictured in the photo above and below that the references to Hicks really stand out. And since Hicks is no longer around, why not call upon Philip Gorrivan. He might just be the new David Hicks. What do you think?

Photos by Simon Upton and from David Hicks archive
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Yves Klein Part Deux

Don't you just hate it when you think you have a great idea for a post and someone beats you to it! I've been meaning to write about Yves Klein for awhile now and this morning, who do I see profiled by Nick Olsen over at Domino, but Yves Klein! So, I decided if you can't beat 'em, you might as well join 'em.

The photo above is a project my firm did for a client whose homes are among my favorites and below is the New York apartment of interior designer David Netto that was profiled in Vogue many years ago. I LOVE David Netto! I'm definitely going to have to profile him again later.

Anyway, I think they both show how something as modern as an Yves Klein table can look so at home next to an ancient Roman sculpture and surrounded antique furniture. If you design with what you love, you can never go wrong and what could be chicer than that?!

Photos by Bruce Buck and Francois Halard
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