To make room for baby brother I cleared out some bookshelves in our room and came across this Elle Decor spread on D.C. designer Darryl Carter’s 19th-century farmhouse in The Plains, Virginia. I really like the way he uses antiques in a modern way and love the rustic overtones. He recently opened a shop in the Shaw neighborhood in D.C. that I can’t wait to check out soon.
Posted in Design
Tagged D.C., Interior Design, Shaw neighborhood, Virginia, Washington, Washington D.C.
My friend Gwynne McCue’s interior design projects are full of creativity. I thought I’d share her latest project, a tri-plex apartment on the Upper West Side of Manhattan designed for a single woman with a love of Japan.
The dining room cleverly converts from Western- to Eastern-style dining. Love that idea. And the pillows throughout were made from vintage Asian textiles.
The slipper chair in the bedroom looks like it’s floating on a cloud.
In the media room, the recessed shelf was a smart way to add light to a room with few windows.
See the full project on Gwynne’s site.
Inspired by Matthew Knowles fabulous gallery wall featured in the December issue of Lonny, I finally got around to hanging my own in our Richmond hallway. 
I hope to add some more family photos but it was taking me way too long to choose them so I decided to use the art I had on hand in the meantime. 
There’s Marguerite running in the living room. Below is the gallery wall we hung in the stairwell outside our Brooklyn apartment. I liked the casual way some didn’t have frames but they do often fall off that way (you’ll see in the shot above I’m missing one). 
Incidentally, Matthew is an acquaintance who works with Charlotte Moss. Check out the entire Lonny spread on his cleverly designed studio apartment. Lots of great ideas for space saving!
Read more posts about our house here.
We’re throwing a Moroccan-themed dinner party this weekend so I immediately thought of Peacock Pavilions guesthouse outside Marrakesh. Owned by an architect and the blogger behind MyMarrakesh.com, I knew I’d find some fresh Moroccan design ideas for the party. Now, if only we could have the dinner here…
The husband-and-wife design team Roman and Williams have designed some of the coolest spaces in New York, like The Ace Hotel and Standard Hotel. They’re working on the upcoming Viceroy in Midtown, which I can’t wait to see. As former set designers, their design aesthetic is hard to pin down, but it’s always surprising and full of great details. The couple commutes from Montauk and their home offers some great inspiration for its primitive/natural/vintage decor — a perfect fit for that laid back surf town on Long Island’s east end.
At top: That sofa and giant sheepskin are great (you’ll find lots of skins at The Ace). The accessories give this room a ’70s feel, which seems fitting for Montauk. Above: I love the collage of ocean folk art and that wild light fixture. That industrial table on the right is very cool, too.
They painted the windows glossy black giving the home instant history. I want to do that in our house. Continue reading
Tagged Designers, Hotel Design, Interior Design, Montauk, Sweet Hotels
J. Crew President Jenna Lyons used to live a few blocks from me in Park Slope. I was lucky to have been inside once during a house tour and used to walk down Garfield Place every chance I got just to peek inside those beautiful windows. The New York Times Style section story on her yesterday (which said she sold it last year for $4 million to Vincent Martin of Depeche Mode and moved to Tribeca), reminded me of that amazing brownstone, and I wanted to share it here.
Here’s the living room shot Domino magazine used when it covered her house in 2008. The gray walls inspired our own gray hallway. Pretty amazing bones in this 1880s townhouse and I love those French doors off the living room that open to the Juliet balconies with that beautiful ironwork.
The gray, black & white color scheme continues into the dining room. I read that the chandeliers were custom. I like the unexpected pairing of black iron with crystal, and the black candles are very cool. Also her son’s Playsam car is very cool. Continue reading
Posted in Architecture, Design
Tagged Brooklyn, Brooklyn Brownstones, Brooklyn Living, Jenna Lyons, Park Slope
The book I worked on with interior designer Charlotte Moss came out and it looks fantastic! (Hint, hint if you’re looking for any last-minute Christmas gifts…) A Visual Life is about Charlotte’s passion for scrapbooking, which may sound hokey and crafty, but she elevates the topic, as only Charlotte can, with the previously unpublished scrapbooks of famous women such as Gloria Vanderbilt and Jackie O. My favorite part is the essays by contemporary women, like Vogue editor Candy Pratts Price, who talk about how and why they scrapbook. Pinterest is great but books last. My daughter probably won’t ever see my Pinterest boards but she will inherit our family albums.
Yes, that would be me. In case someone’s wondering what’s on my list. Here it is…
I’ve been on the hunt for a chunky gold bracelet forever and fell in love with this Feather Cuff from Stella & Dot, $98 and had Scott get it for my birthday.
I like to keep bulky sweaters to a minimum and wear a scarf for warmth instead. The best kind are thin but warm like this wool one from Cole Haan, $68. Been searching for one like it for ages. (Great for The Packing List, too.)
We have two bikes and now a tricycle in our hallway, I wonder if they could make this brilliant wall-mount bike storage, $147, fit two bikes, especially since I won’t be riding mine anytime soon.
I loooove my Vans Old Skool Skate sneakers so much I’ve completely worn them out. I wear them to the park, store, stroll, everywhere. Less dorky than running shoes, don’t you think? $30.
I don’t even like pottery but there’s something so sweet about this heart dish, $12. And I’m super into blue right now.
The Target Marc Jacobs Pouch in rose gold is cute enough for a party but would also be great as a cosmetic bag in a bigger purse, $70.
Not exactly sure all that I’m getting Scott for Christmas but here are some holiday gift ideas for the devilishly handsome, stylish-and-hip husband and father in your life. Scott may or may not be getting some of these, but I know he’d love them.
Scott really wants some kind of Redwing-like boot. I convinced him they’re too clunky so he found these Wolverine Mayall 8″ boots which are a pretty good compromise. Maybe I’ll surprise him with them, $250.
We both love our Soda Stream but sadly it isn’t nearly as cute as this new Soda Stream Source designed by Yves Behar, $150. If we didn’t have it already, I’d get him this.
This J.Crew Classic Leather Plaque Belt is a take on the Tiffany & Co. one which will knock you back quite a bit more than this one’s $49.50 price tag.
Just got this iPhone tripod/charger for Scott since he’s become my cameraman on travel stories and aspires to be a pro. Also, it will help us take steadier videos of Marguerite.
Scott got a huge stain on his perfectly fitting Thomas Mason Slim Shirt that I gave him last year so I’m considering getting him a replacement from Richmond’s cool shirt company, Ledbury. Maybe this one.
Still thinking about getting him some kind of wireless speaker. Maybe this one iHome iW3, $199. Our friends have it and it sounded pretty great at a party, or maybe the Jawbone Jambox because it’s so incredibly small.
Hope this gives you some holiday gift ideas for dad/husband in your life.
We just read “Bringing Up Bebe” in my book club and it’s stirring up memories of the French influences on my life when we were new parents in Park Slope, Brooklyn. New York is practically Paris-East; there’s a huge number of French living in the city and in Brooklyn. We felt the influence on our lives, in the cafe culture, the baguettes and the language spoken on the streets. Here are a few of my favorites… et tu?
Pink Olive Baby Shop
Posted in Baby, Design, Travel
Tagged baby, brooklyn neighborhoods, Coffee, French Style, great shops, Park Slope
