OKL Style

Design by OKL stylist Rebecca Robertson

Look at this beautiful mantel surround! The carvings are just beautiful and so unique. It's original to the old brownstone that Today Show's Natalie Morales lives in with her family, but is styled  in such a fresh, modern way with the mirror and x-base stool. Plus those touches of blue that tie into the rest of the room's color scheme. So great. Go check it out here!

The Various Incarnations of Cozy



A welcoming foyer by Katie Brown


It is a bitterly cold and irrepressibly wet night here in Alabama. It looks like we are in for some snow after the sleet gives us a good chill. So, sitting here in my innumerable layers of clothing, I began thinking of how cozy my little house is and the methods I used to create that feeling. I am a fan of layers: layers of art, books, fabrics, styles. I love finding something new to throw in the mix, and seeing how it creates a new dynamic among the objects with which it's placed.

Vignettes create an attractive display while also providing an intimate look into a home's occupants and I think those kinds of personal touches are great way to make a house feel more cozy.

My most recent purchase was this vintage, painted ice bucket. I could not resist the pattern, colors, and texture of this unassuming little piece. I do not have many vintage items, but I do like the way they add playfulness to more serious traditional pieces (such as the marble-top, Empire pier table on which it sits).

I love this table. The color of the wood and the veining in the marble are so lovely and the curve of the legs so simple that this piece never fails to charm me when I look at it.

This little vignette is still evolving, but, since I do love having pictures casually set on the table top this way, I think the photos will stay. The largest photo on the left was taken by my very talented sister, the docking station was a Christmas present from her and my brother-in-law, and the mica shade was a happy find from my new favorite lamp store, Baker Lamps and Linens. I still need to properly plant the orchid in the ice bucket (doesn't that sound funny), but I think the items set in this manner have an overall pleasing look so far.

So what do you think "coziness" is?

Guest room by Eric Lysdahl

Is coziness... a daybed with fabric softly draped over its sides and plenty of pillows on which to recline? (I think the wall and ceiling color complements well the mood set by the elegant, yet comfortable furnishings, and creates a restful cocoon.)

Design by Sean McNally featured in Lonny magazine

 Is coziness... layers upon layers of color and trinkets and collections?


Design by Sean McNally



Bedroom by Delphine Krakoff

 Is coziness... a warm fur blanket to wrap up in at night and a plush surface under your feet when you wake?

Landing design by John Peixinho

Is coziness... lots of cut wood at the ready for a roaring fire on a snowy night? (Isn't this pinky-lavender wall color pretty? Lavender is a growing favorite of mine.)

Design by Michael De Perno

Is coziness... coming home to the pups you love?

Home of photographer William Waldron and his wife Malene

Is coziness... a roaring fire in a chunky stone fireplace?

Library photo courtesy of Cote de Texas

Or is coziness... being surrounded by the beautiful things you love? (What an incredible library!)

However you define coziness, I hope you are staying warm and cozy out there!

Listening to the fire crackle and the cat purr...

Design by William Hodgins

Just kidding. I have neither a cat, nor a fireplace, but this cool September morning is making me wish for the latter. I love, love, love lighting a fire on cool days, not just for the warmth, but for the glow and the ambiance it creates.

Design by Jay Jeffers

A fireplace, to me, epitomizes luxury and lounging (two of my favorite things!) and creates a cozy (or opulent) focal point in the room.

Steven Gambrel added this amazing deco fireplace surround in a bathroom. Oh, the extravagance! It is so unexpected and so perfect with that marble. Classic Gambrel style.

Alessandra Branca keeps it traditional in this lovely living room. Notice the way she manages the monumental scale of the room: accenting it with a tall mirror, bringing it down to residential scale with the large vases and floral arrangements, and arriving at human scale with the cozy seating surrounding the fireplace. 

Eric Cohler illustrates here, in his Charleston home, that he also knows how to manipulate scale in a room. I love the huge etageres standing guard on either side of the hearth. I also love the way he casually leaned the photos and artwork on the mantel, as opposed to hanging them, giving the room a more modern, breezy feel.

As usual, Melissa Rufty wows us with bold, playful colors that, here, act as a perfect contrast to the classic marble mantel.

As you can imagine, I love the color of this room in the home of Jared Goss, a curator for the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. I also love how the room, designed by Bill Brockschmidt and Courtney Coleman, has a fabulous blend of styles: the traditional portrait, the dark - almost Victorian - mantel, the antique mirrors, and don't miss those lucite "ghost" chairs!

Room by Kristen Panitch

Love the wallpaper, love the ikat, love the tiny lamps, and LOVE that roaring fire! Contemporary cozy at its best!

Of course, Charlotte Moss knows how to pull off cozy elegance. This room is so classic and even grand, yet, as always, Moss manages to make it a comfortable retreat, perfect for curling up by the fire.

Another fabulous example of the work of Eric Cohler. This room seems soothing to me, perhaps because of the muted blue and green palette, but there is really a lot going on: the checkered floor, the tufted settee, the ornate mantel, the collection of sunburst mirrors. I find his work is truly a treat for the eyes!

Well, the sun has come out, the temperature is back in the 70s, and so my fireplace fantasies must be put on hold for now. But I will leave you with one last superbly cozy fireplace....

Unknown from House Beautiful