Blue Mood

Design by T. Keller Donovan

Blue seems to be generally accepted as a soothing and peaceful color, ideally suited for a bedroom where relaxation is key. But what about blue patterns in a bedroom? I think these rooms show that they can still work brilliantly: the energy and movement that patterns inevitably bring being tempered by the natural calm of this cool hue. Enjoy!

Bedroom by Charlotte Moss

Bright blue walls, a toile-like floral draping the bed, patterned stools, and an amalgam of furnishings.... As Charlotte Moss said in her lecture, "Why not!"

Design by Garrow Kedigian

What a sweet and pleasingly calm room by Mr. Kedigian!

Design by Martyn Lawrence-Bullard

Always creative and with a hint of the exotic, Lawrence-Bullard's interiors are quite refreshing, shown here in varying shades of blue.

Bedroom by Elaine Griffin


I like how Miss Griffin contrasted the bold pattern of the wallpaper with the clean lines of the bed and the crisp white of the linens.


Design by Eddie Ross

I adore this faux canopy bed by Eddie Ross! Note how the deep indigo fabric (outlined with that gorgeous trim) is on the outside of each panel and the chinoiserie-style toile (matching the walls) lines the inside. What an inventive space!

Bedroom by Sara Gilbane Interiors

Here's to a great week ahead!

Soothing Neutrals

Living room by Garrow Kedigian

After the busy weekend (and yesterday's extensive post of it), I wanted to focus on some easygoing rooms that make you just want to say, "Ahhhhhh".

Design by Erinn Valencich of Omniarte

Using a palette of creamy ivories, washed-out blues, greys, and greens, as well as a bevy of natural textures from linen to seagrass, these rooms please the eye with their serene composition.


Bedroom by Elizabeth Martin


I love that this bedroom uses five different patterned fabrics, but doesn't feel in the least bit busy or garish.

Seating area in Kips Bay Showhouse by Charlotte Moss

Bedroom by Joe Minton for the Southern Accents Riverhills Showhouse

Bedroom by Ginger Barber

Is it just me, or is gingham popping up everywhere? This pretty pattern is one that is definitely growing on me.

Living area by Chad Eisner



Living room design by Phoebe Howard


What a lovely room for our last post. I love the florals, the bobbin chair, and the peachy beige on the walls of this room.

Here's to a happy (and, hopefully, stress-free) day!

Bust a Move: Part II

Manolo Blahnik at his home in England

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Now let's get back to our sophisticated sculptural subject: busts!

I love the contrast of the red upholstery and the cool aqua walls in the room above. The bust, however, is in perfect sync with the grand mantelpiece and moldings.

Vignette by Eric Lysdahl



Living room by Thomas Britt

More red upholstery abounds in this sunny room by Thomas Britt. I love how the plants in the room are used as a type of sculpture, too, punctuating the doorways and large windows.

Design by Jay Jeffers

Another great contrast. Here you can see how the bust (along with that unique suit-of-armor mirror) ground the rather fanciful lavender walls and mirrored dresser.

Design by Garrow Kedigian

What a warm and masculine room. I love the combination of the wall color, painting, and dark, plush settee.

Vignette by Gary Spain

Gary Spain certainly knows how to go bold, but I love how, in this case, he tempers the graphic wallpaper with warm flooring, traditional furnishings (I love that dresser), and solid accessories.


Design by Gary Spain



Dining room by Richard Norris and Mark Leslie

I like how Norris declared that, since this dining room is not isolated, it has become a place to "linger over meals, plan trips, and discuss our problems".

Foyer by Timothy Whealon

Love, love, love this foyer! It seems more like a garden room than a foyer. What a cheerful room to come home to!

Living room by Matthew Patrick Smyth

I am ending today with one of my favorite designers: Matthew Patrick Smyth. I love his elegantly eclectic interiors, and this space is a perfect example. The pair of busts at the far end of the room have great scale, anchoring the space perfectly. My favorite pieces in the room are, by far, the delicate, gothic armchair and the fabulous, painted pedestal table. (Oh how I would love to have one for my own home!) This room is pretty but tidy, and grounded yet bright. Lovely!

Have a happy Tuesday!

Thrill of the Hunt

Living room design by Miles Redd and Gil Schafer

I'm sure many of you out there have experienced this: you see a picture of a beautiful room in which you find that perfect fabric that you've been searching for. But only then does the adventure begin. Who makes the fabric? What is it called? Where can I find it? You will search for hours on the computer, hunting determinedly to find that gorgeous material.

Both my mother and I are experiencing just such a labor of love, hunting for a Cowtan & Tout cotton (upholstering the tufted chair shown in both pictures above) and a Kravet silk, respectively.

My mother's living room is not unlike this one so cleverly assembled by the spirited Mr. Redd. It is grounded with a similar, massive oriental rug, punctuated and structured with warm antiques, and doused in natural light from a broad wall of windows. The chair fabric, enigmatically called "Rupert Cord Cotton" (where they find these names I do not know), would be a natural fit in such a room.

Design by Alex Papachristidis featured in Elle Decor

This is where I first saw my elusive fabric: in the latest Elle Decor. (Please excuse the terrible quality of the photo above.) The interiors Papachristidis created for this space are intriguing, glamorous, and even a bit sensual. My own bedroom may only aspire to be these things, but I cannot help but feel that this fabric would bring my room far closer to that ideal than any other could.

This photo shows one side of my little bedroom. Would the warm browns and exotic ikat on that Kravet silk not be a perfect complement to my happy little collections? (By the way, the walls are painted with quarter formula Cliffside Gray by Benjamin Moore, the lamp is antique, the tiny painting is by my father, and the bust was a recent hand-me-down from my mother. You may recognize the other objects from a previous post of mine....)


Kravet "Passage" silk/wool in Stone 


I believe this is the color Papachristidis used in the London apartment above, although his version is admittedly more extravagant due to the hand-beading and embroidery he added in order to make them "sing".

Bedroom by Garrow Kedigian

Another designer with similar style (who is also a favorite of mine), Garrow Kedigian, used this same fabric in a different colorway to frame the huge iron casement windows in a Manhattan bedroom, which was featured in the latest House Beautiful.


Kravet "Passage"silk/wool in Bluestone 

I love how this fabric provides the only cool tones in this warm and rather neutral room. The combinations of patterns and textures, however, are anything but boring: the furry blanket, the lattice-like print on the rug, the striae composition on the armchairs, the gilded paper panels on the wall. Ahh, to wake up in such a place!

Many discoveries-cum-searches like this are, inevitably, in my future, but isn't the hunt all part of the fun!




Short on time, but not on design

Hello, all!

I am a bit strapped for time today, but I still wanted to share some of the beautiful designs that make my little heart go "pitter patter"! Enjoy!

First up is a photo from Matthew White's Italy of my Dreams. Just seeing this pic alone makes me feel the need to make a mad dash to the store to get a copy!

Shifting from bright and airy to moody and warm, here is the living room of David DeMattei and Patrick Wade, the head honchos behind Lucky Brand Jeans. Love the Burberry throw, love the zebra benches, and totally love the contrast of the sparkly chandelier against the chocolate walls!

Alessandra Branca also knows how to play up the drama in a room. I love all those red lampshades and actually bought a pretty one for myself recently. Now I just have to pick which lamp to put it on!

Now just feel the calm wash over you as you look at this next room by Christina Rottman. I just love the scale of the mirror, fireplace, and palm.

Garrow Kedigian certainly knows his way around a muted palette as well, as you can see in these next two photos of his living room. His apartment was actually featured in the New York Social Diary's section on the home. He said that he was going for the "abandoned mansion" look. Well said! 

I just adore this room! Loving the mixture of furnishings, the textures. I love the pedestal supporting that large, sculptural bowl.

I found a fabulous marble sink, excavated from a Turkish bathhouse (or "hamam"), on an impromptu antique stop on my way back from the beach this past summer that is just waiting for just such a platform. (The thing is so heavy that it's still riding around in the back of my car! Ha!)  

That man sure can do pink! Fabulous. Enough said.

Living room by Stephen Shubel

Alrighty, one more fabulous space then I must be off. This exceedingly cheerful living room (note the gorgeous coral paint and grasscloth on the dining room walls beyond) is by design duo Bill Brockschmidt and Courtney Coleman.

This Florida home has such a soothing feel due to a limited color palette (coral, white, pale blue) and what Brockschmidt has cleverly tagged as a "tidy informality". I love that phrase!

I feel the same way about getting the positioning of furniture and accessories, and the introduction of color just right. Then, when everything is in its "proper place" (as Brockschmidt says), everything feels easy and nothing is jarring.

Orderly breeziness: my ideal decorating style! And what better theme to end on than that?