Pages

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Purple, love it or leave it?



Not everyone loves purple, but I do! And it's done so well in Nina Campbell's London residence featured by Veranda. I love everything about the room above, it's traditional yet whimsical, pretty but not too serious.





To see the rest of the feature - click here.

all images via Veranda, photography by David Parmiter

Friday, July 30, 2010

Mita Corsini Bland - Illustrator of Sister Parish Design


illustration by Mita Corsini Bland for Sister Parish Design

I am crazy for beautiful illustrations of house interiors. Sometimes they seem to capture the essence of a room better than photographs (a little artistic license goes a long way). Mark Hampton's illustrations are some of my all time favorites (see his book Mark Hampton: On Decorating).

So, I was thrilled when I received my copy of Sister Parish Design - On Decorating and found that it was illustrated beautifully by Mita Corsini Bland. Between the illustrations and all of the helpful pointers from the best decorators of our time, this book is a must have for your design library.


illustration by Mita Corsini Bland for Sister Parish Design


illustration by Mita Corsini Bland for Sister Parish Design


illustration by Mita Corsini Bland for Sister Parish Design

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Catalog Living - the blog


Once in a while you stumble on a blog that just makes your day. Thanks to the AJ Photostylist on facebook I checked out this blog - Catalog Living. It's a hilarious look at the life behind all of the catalogs you get in the mail.

Don't miss this blog - it's a guaranteed smile! Click here to see what happens in the shower above.

Sister Parish Design - On Decorating


If you have not read this book by Susan Bartlett Crater and Libby Cameron, and you love interior design - go get it immediately. It's like sitting at a round table discussion with the best in the field today. I read it at the beach in June and couldn't put it down.

Speaking of Sister Parish, a few images of Parish Hadley design -

image via sara gilbane interiors


image via desk of annie


image via style court


Yellow Oval Room, 1962 via Chameleon Interiors

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Just because...

I was cleaning out/organizing my picture files yesterday and I found these to share.


image via Peak of Chic, living room of Mrs Vincent Astor, design by Parish/Hadley


Source


image via House Beautiful, design by Lynn Morgan


image via House Beautiful, Quadrille fabric


image via House Beautiful, design by T Keller Donovan

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Pilgrimage



Every summer Jane Douglas and her children make a pilgrimage to her home state of Virginia to see her family and friends in the Old Dominion. A few days ago she stopped by Virginia Beach which is full of great old beach houses. The temperature reached 105 degrees while they were there - the heat seems to be coming through in the photos!









This is going to date me, but I can't say or hear the word pilgrimage without hearing the REM song in my head -
to hear Pilgrimage click here.

Takes you right back to 1983...

all photos taken with JD's iphone

Monday, July 26, 2010

House of the Week



This week the house of the week is a Peachtree Heights Tudor owned by shop proprietor and designer Kay Douglass. I remember this house (from my morning dog walks at the duck pond) before the Douglass family owned it - it was a little bit ramshackle and there were random sculptures and items in the front yard. Kay Douglass has kept the house's charm while updating and freshening it.










I love the steel casement windows.


The porch, closeup photo of it without these lanterns is below.

All photos above via Whitehaven

This house has been featured in Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles and also in some lighting advertisements, which you can see at the Limestone and Boxwoods blog.


The kitchen via Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles,
photo credit Mali Azima


Kitchen eating area - via Limestone and Boxwoods


The porch, via Limestone and Boxwoods


Kay Douglass clearly likes Tudor style houses - her previous house, featured in Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles, was a Tudor also.



Look, here's artwork by Atlanta artist Helen Durant (my aunt) in Kay's previous house -


image via Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles
photo credit here and above William Waldron

Only three degrees of separation...

Saturday, July 24, 2010

Slow Going

When will this (next door to me):




Be this?

Friday, July 23, 2010

Double D, Dorothy Draper That Is

This summer my reading list has included books about Sister Parish, Billy Baldwin, John Fowler, Mark Hampton and most recently, Dorothy Draper. Her work in the design world was a true tour de force.

New York Magazine's list of key elements of Dorothy Draper design:

1. intense use of color



2. florals/greenery -'as much a part of a decorative scheme as beautiful curtains,'she said


3. textured carpet -thick tactile rugs

4. striking details - a few bold accessories, not clutter


5. a fireplace



6. bold prints - over sized patterned wallpaper, fabrics

7. chessboard floors -black and white large tiles


8. large mirrors - the more ornate the better



9. romantic furniture- curves and some whimsy

10. color contrasts - opposites on the color wheel ie. red with green




In an interview in Newsday, Dorothy commented on how to approach each project:

"1. an intelligent analysis of the problem
2. how to put it into production as economically as possible with emphasis on function, and
3. a sense of good showmanship, the capacity for seeing things as a picture."



all images via the Collection of Dorothy Draper and the Carleton Varney Group

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Bar Cart or Tea Cart?


The tag on this little beauty at Antiques and Beyond reads "tea caddy," but it looks like a bar cart to me. Bar carts are back according to Eddie Ross - but were they ever out? I like the lines of this one. Reasonable too...

Some ideas for your new cart should you choose to run up to Antiques and Beyond and make a purchase.


Eddie Ross' bar at his country house, via Lonny


Domino


image via Where the Sidewalk Begins


source


image via maison 21 blog


I also saw these pretty lowball glasses with an ice bucket to complement your new bar cart. They have a nice heft and feel good in the hand. From Antiques and Beyond




above 2 images and image at top via Whitehaven