When Something's Off

I was reading Celerie Kemble's new book, To Your Taste & one part really got me thinking. She was doing a showhouse & she added an accent pillow that was a bit off because she wanted it to seem as if the imaginary woman of the house had insisted it be there & had overruled the decorator. Here's a photo of some of her work:


But I got to thinking... there's definitely something to that concept of putting something off into a room. It feels real. Ever since I first saw this house by Leslie Klotz in House Beautiful, I was in love. It's just so perfectly off.

I realized that it's these little inconsistencies & quirks that bring life to a room. When something's just a bit off, the room becomes so right.

Part of it is because it makes the home feel personal & un-decorated, but there's also something intrinsically beautiful about it. Like this painting below that has so much more green in it than blue, but the blues in the work perfectly. It looks effortless & much better than if the tones had matched more closely. The room is deeper & more approachable.

It sounds like it would be easy to do. But it isn't always. Lots of my clients are young people starting from scratch. They don't have any collections. They're busy & they often don't have time to find meaningful things for their home. They may have a few special things that they love with which I can spring off of, but sometimes there's really nothing they want to keep & that's why they've hired a designer in the first place. In these case, it becomes the designer's job to find them meaningful things & to provide them with something a little imperfect. a little fun.

Here's a nightstand I did. The little vase is a rough touch to the glamorous lamp & photograph:

Here's a room from Domino. Check out the gray ticking on the headboard and the lamp. They're not obvious choices for this color scheme:

People may think they want Pottery Barn, but in my opinion it's not real enough. It's too perfect. (I do still love a lot of their things & the photos are beautiful, don't get me wrong-- I just feel they're just missing something.) Pottery Barn:

I know we all talk about using a nice mix of high & low and old & new, traditional & contemporary, etc., and yes, I TOTALLY believe in that... but what I'm trying to pinpoint is something more, something wrong with a picture that makes it right. Something that makes the a place feel like a home. Like these mismatched frames:

Clients give me photographs of rooms they love & more often than not, they tend to be advertisements & furniture catalogs which lack that realness to them that makes a room sparkle. I create inspiration boards from what they give me & then I let the fabrics guide me. So after, creating a beautiful spread of fabrics for all of the furnishings, draperies, etc., I look at my fabrics & try to replace a fabric or add another that will make the whole things feel a bit more normal & less perfect. It's SO tempting to go with the perfection that we see in advertisements (how great is it to find beautifully coordinating fabrics?!) but we have to get past that & create real homes for people. -- add a little something off & make it feel like a home, not a showroom.

In the photo above, it's the brown fabric that's starting to do what I'm talking about. It comes out of nowhere but just works. (A sunroom I'm working on.) You don't have to be seriously off, but just teensy bit out of left field. I'll still need a really quirky thrift store or flea market find to get the room where I want it to be.

In the one above, the reptile fabric is getting us on the right track. (This the beginnings of a Living Room/ Dining Room plan)

Below, it's the table that seems to add the imperfect feeling to the room from Domino. (I think it's Aidan Gray)

I know I'm probably rambling & being really philosophical, but anyway, it's something I'm trying to work on- To make rooms deeper & more real. It's a fine line to walk (if you're too off it'll look terrible) but I'm going to keep trying. The more rooms I do, the more I feel like I can grasp this concept. I'm going to make a serious effot to keep pushing my designs to be more real. Any thoughts?

High Society

Ok, so my husband & I were waching High Society - with Grace Kelly, Bing Crosby & Frank Sinatra- and I just had to share some pictures of the gorgous interiors. (I had it on our Netflix queue & when it arrived he said I was banned from picking out movies. :( But then when he actually watched it, he loved it. :) Here's the awesome turquoise & green room:



How fun are the white Chippendale chairs with funky green seat cushions?! And the stenciling?!!


I also love the hanging lantern & the atrium feel. This is just such an energetic color scheme & I definitely want to use it in something soon! And that table!!!

The outdoor furniture is great too. More funky green with a large rose patterned-fabric on the cushions.
Who would think to pair this combo together?! It's laid-back yet stylish. Rattan furniture is so easy to find at garage sales/ thrift stores: Put a coat of paint on it & add some fun cushions & you've got a chic outdoor space.

Here's Grace Kelly's character's room. Again, I'm loving the painted Queen Anne side chair with the pink seat. This room is definitely a little too feminine for my taste, but I do like some elements. Check out the chair in the background with the blue seat.

The designs throught the movie are just so fresh & still work beautifully today. Look at how cool & classic the pool setting is... Very Restoration Hardware/ hotel look. Love the metal lampost & the pedestal table. (I think it matches the one in the turqouise/green room.)

Ahhhhh.. okay okay. I just can't get over this foyer. It would scare me if it were mine (Carrying up the laundry?!) but I would LOVE to go to a party here. :) The potted palms, statue & crystal chandelier are so simple & elegant. The room itself is so detailed that the restraint they used here was perfect.

Hope you enjoyed. There are more amazing rooms than I posted throughout the movie. If if you haven't seen it in a while, go rent it!!! :) It's really a great one!

my dad's kitchen

Well, my dad's long-awaited kitchen is finally done! I'm so happy with the results & had to share.

We battled long & hard over the countertops & he won - we both wanted black, but I wanted a honed finish to go with the old cottage he lives in, whereas he wanted the polished because he thinks patina equals old & crappy. ah vell , it's still gorgeous :)

The beamed ceilings are inset with white beadboard & the cabinets are actually standard Home Depot cabinets with added custom detailing such as crown molding, beadboard and glass in the area over the built-in hutch (below) where I displayed all my grandma's old china. The chandelier is from Currey & Company & we're puting another one over the island.

The carpernters are amazing & made this awesome arched nook for the oven & hood that mimics the archways throughout the kitchen & rest of the house. I hung some of my go-to botanical prints (these are of Queen Anne's Lace & Thistle, which grow wild in the field accross from the house & remind me of summers there) above for a make-shift backsplash. (My dad rarely cooks.) The adorable vintage blue rose linen towl is from Volo, where we LOVE to go antiquing.

Since the curtains & shades aren't in yet, I hung fresh garlands up. It smells like Christmas in there!

I found this huge antique rustic bowl in Volo & it's one of my favorite purchases ever. Everything looks good in it! (We had family over the night before & served french bread in it & I joked that we couldn't eat until we got a picture!-- But we're Italian, so obviously with our appetites that didn't happen.)

And here's my first attempt at a "real" flower arrangement. (With the green spongey-thing inside) I found everything at the grocery store & it's filled with freesia, chrysanthemums, carnations, lilies and gerber daisies. (I wanted it white & fresh) I think my Grandmother will be proud & I know Eddie Ross's blog definitely inspired me to try for more with flower arranging. I put them in this really pretty aluminum bowl I found at Volo (shocker!) with a chrysanthemum carved on the inside.

Some of the plates are my Grandma Maestranzi's and I found the sparkly glass tumblers & center plates at volo. The mercury candleholders are from Target. The apothacary jars (below) are from Target & are a $35 substitute for the $350 white Fire King set of cannisters I found at Volo. Now I think I'm happier with these!

The island is huge & so much fun to sit at. We need to get a few more stools though because there was stool-stealing going on.

Still on my TO DO LIST: window treatments, dining room rug, dining chairs (we're going with wing chairs on the end) and some more artwork/ wall arranging. But for now, I'm happy with where the kitchen's at (which is a good thing, because I think my dad's DONE.)

Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!

ps- pair of candlesticks = $5 at Volo-- that place is awesome!

Weathered Wood

Here are some pictures of some items with that beautiful weathered-wood finish we're seeing so much of. Check out the chandelier & the armoire next to the fireplace.

Interiors designed by Nancy Price & featured in House Beautiful. The aged finishes on the room's furnishings layer so well with one another.

The look is light & airy but still warm because of the time-worn feeling of the finishes.

I love this buffet from Wisteria. I wish I had a reason to buy it. It's got that perfect grayed driftwood look.

Here's the 'weathered oak" finish on a table & chairs by Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic:

I love this amazing compote from Potluck Studios. Whatver you did with this, it would be beautiful. It just looks so handmade & has this great rustic-elegance.

Here's the more refined acorn lamp from Aidan Gray Home.

Aidan Gray carries a lot of their pieces in this weathered wood/ limwash finish. How perfect is this chair?

The weathered finish mixes really well with other finishes- painted, ebonized, metal- just have fun with it! Got any pretty pics to share? I'd love to see them!

A Black & White Table Design for Fun

Here's a quick dining room design I did. I saw these gorgeous plates from House Beautiful's 101 plates & just had to do a room around them. Start with Knoll's Saarinen Dining table in black granite. (Yes, we're pretending we don't have a budget!) Its contemporary silhouette will look awesome with this white glass vintage style chandelier from Heal's above it.



Have some fun with the chairs & go with a clean-lined wingback chair in an oversized damask. The chairs will warm up the look & add some needed pattern into the mix. They'll also create a cozy feeling that'll have everyone lingering way past dinnertime.
Choose between this plate or the one above: (Both from House Beautiful's 101 Plates) This one's neoclassical print is such a fun take on a classic element.

Stagger these white glass candlesticks & black flower candleholders from Z Gallerie. They'll look randomly elegant. You could even add a simple white linen runner accross the table so the black flowers will stand out more.

This table setting ends up looking fresh & modern but has some more transitional roots- i.e plates, damask, chandelier. It just feels fun to me. Add some good eats & you're ready to go! enjoy!

Flea Market Finds from Trip with Eddie Ross

As promised, here are the items I found at the Flea Market trip with Eddie Ross. Check out this amazing metal side table, how much fun is it?!!


I love this gorgeous piece of vintage coral. The dealers at the booth (a couple) said they've had it in their house for 30 years. I couldn't thank them enough, especially with a price tag of only $25!

And here are the adorable fish! I'm not quite sure what they are: drawer pulls or maybe even shelf brackets. Soon-to-be bath towel hooks:

And, of course a piece of wood. ha! no, but seriously, I saw it & grabbed it so fast because I love how raw & aged it is. Eddie had the great idea of using it as a cheese platter and you know how much I LOVE CHEESE!!! I think it'll sit in my big hutch until feeding time ;)

And, my GINGER JAR LAMP! I've been looking for this lamp for 4 years. (Wow, has it been that many years I've been out of college?) My grandmother has had them forever at her house which is why I wanted one so badly. They remind me of her & the house I grew up in & of course, they're beautiful. My grandmother spied one at the thrift store one day, but by the time we went back to get it, someone else had nabbed it! They're very hard to come by. This was was a steal at $20!!!!! (You can see I'm holding it like a friend in this picture Jaithan took at the flea market- ha)

Here's a really simple ribbed wedgewood bowl. (I was seriously impressed when Eddie recognized it as Wedgewood from far away without turning it over.) ($5!!)

And, you know how I feel about inexpensive nature prints! I chose 4 bird prints (birds seem to be everywhere nowadays, don't they? Don't worry Grandmother, I know you've been doing them for years!) and was able to put two of them in gorgeous linen & gold vintage frames Dave & I had found for $15 on our anniversary trip to Easton, Maryland.

We weren't big fans of the Fashion Ladies who came in the frames (But they're very old & I saved them just in case!) so I cut the frame open & took out the original prints.

And look how pretty they are! The fit's not perfect but for $25 I'm happy for now.

And, you know how I rearrange all the time, but here they are in my big hutch. (The bowl on the left is the Wedgewood one looking adorable with a pitcher from Target!)

And on the other side of the hutch: (Paired with a sundial, a twig ball & an old jug of my grandparents')
I'll send after-pictures of some of the items later! hope you enjoyed!

Flea Market Trip with Eddie Ross!

This weekend Dave & I went into New York City with Christian & went on a flea market tour with Eddie Ross!!

Pictured counter-clockwise: Baby Christian, me, Jaithan, Eddie & Dave

Eddie Ross is one of my favorite designers and the Senior Style Editor for Martha Stewart Living Magazine. He was just recently on Bravo's 2nd season of the show Top Design. He's only 30 years old but has already owned his own catering company, worked as House Beautiful's Decorating Editor and also as Martha Stewart Living's Food Editor. His style is defined by his ability to create something out of nothing. He believes we can all have beautiful homes & don't need to spend a fortune to get them. He is a flea-marketing guru. From eight feet away he can spot a piece of Wedgewood (I saw this happen in person) & can tell you when it was made and how you can get it looking like new again & what you could do with it.

We had such a great time meeting Eddie & his partner Jaithan. They're so warm & friendly & down-to-earth. It was hard for me not to jump up & down & squeal because I was so excited. I can't believe how knowledgable Eddie is about antiques. (It has definitely rubbed off on Jaithan too because was able to tell me what things were that I had no idea what pupose they could have- like pretty little personal salt bowls- but I ready forgot the proper name!) It was really awesome to see them in action!

Please check out Eddie's post about the shopping trip for details:

http://www.eddieross.com/eddie_ross/2008/11/shopping-with-new-friends.html

I'll write more about my finds on another day!

Here's the link to the article about him that was recently in the Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/gallery/2008/10/08/GA2008100801639.html

I just can't say enough how happy I am to finally meet Eddie & Jaithan! I felt like I knew them before I met them from the blog, but now I feel like we're friends. :)