Leaving on a Jet Plane

I'm off to New York City today for my daughters 18th birthday with two of my sisters and one of my daughters friends. It's her first trip to the Big Apple so we're doing some tourist stuff and of course shopping & eating.

We're staying at the ultra chic London Hotel. I'll post some pics of it's cool lobby when I get back. Gordon Ramsey's restaurant is there althoug the last time I ate there the food was awful with a capital AWFUL. We we're starving and we ordered BLT's on the bar menu - we we're served a liquid and gelatin BLT flavored compote that was disgusting! Probably just a bad menu choice but UGH!



Dinner at Del Posto - Mario Batallis new restaurant. We also get to go to a private wine tasting in the afternoon at his wine boutique.

Skating in Rockefeller center is always fun for the girls but I hope they just want to take a quick look. I don't have the patience!



I always plan at least a few hours at Saks! It takes three hours just to go through the purses.


We're having lunch on Saturday at BG, the Kelly Wearstler designed restaurant in Bergdorf Goodman. I can't wait to see her new home accessory boutique at BG it looks very swanky!


Dinner on Sunday night is at The Spice Market. A very cool Middle Eastern inspired restaurant that is full of eye candy.


We're doing Sunday brunch at Tavern on the Green. Very touristy but you should go there at least once in your lifetime.



Desert at Serendipity on Monday! Best ice cream anywhere!

Making time for The Met on Saturday. My daughter loves the impressionists and I want her to see Monet's water lilies.




Dinner Friday night is at David Burke and Donatella - a fairly new chic eating spot where the rich and famous dine out ( I don't fit either category - I hope they let me in )


Hopefully we will have some time Monday to hit the Guggenheim - I have to check right now and see if it's open Mondays - many museums close on that day.

More shopping at Henri Bendell - can't go wrong there.


Cocktails at The Hudson Hotel bar - tres chic! Check out the groovy log bench with chair backs attached to it.


I think that is all I can jam into 5 days. See you all when I get back on Wednesday.

Read More

Homey Home Offices

I am still pondering what to do with my home office now that I am spending most of my waking hours there. I am currently choosing paint colors and debating whether or not to change my window treatments. Trying to strike the right balance between functionality and comfortable home fashion is a tricky endeavor as more and more people opt to ditch their corporate digs for the greener pastures of home sweet home

Here's some inspiration from Row House Creative. This office has a nice blend of functional and decorative items. I like the use of urns as pencil holders. The whitewashed floors and stark white walls are a nice contrast against the red brick.



This small office is well organized to hold an array of books and supplies. The abundant personal items in combination with decorative accessories make it a very comfortable space. The white porcelain lamps, cane back chair and bordered rug soften the space and add to it's comfortable feel.



I love this little office. It's cheerful and inspiring. The space is unified by using the same fabric as the curtains to cover the desk and hide some of the clutter underneath.


Here's an office fit for a very sophisticated home toiler. I like the minimalist style and the way they warmed up the room by using grass cloth on the walls.


I'm not usually a fan of Pottery Barn but this room makes me happy just to look at it. I think I could while the day away quite nicely in here. More whitewashed floors - I see a trend.


This is the office of author Carmen Callil. You can clearly see that this is a real working office which is what I love about it. The desk was her father's and was shipped to her from Australia. It is the centerpiece of the office and must be a great source of inspiration for her. Again white washed floors!



Famed writer, Beryl Bainbridge, author of Every Man For Himself and Young Adolf among countless other classics, writes her novels in this wonderful office that looks like a setting in one of her books. She actually types of her first drafts on that typewriter. The gun is a toy belonging to one of her grandchildren.


Who knew simple white cubes could look so inviting? Those baskets hide a multitude of sins!


More white cubes - I like the green paint showing through. It keeps the space open and minimizes the cubes.


It seems a good view in a home office is mandatory to a happy work environment. Luckily my office is almost all windows, although being in Las Vegas this means it is a blast furnace in the summer and I spend all day with the blinds closed.

My office used to be primarily my sewing and craft room. Now it's doing double duty. I think that's part of my problem. It is almost impossible to keep a sewing room looking organized. This sewing room below is about as good as it gets.


When I finally make some decisions about what to do with my own office I'll post some before & after pictures. If you have a cool home office please share some photos!

Read More

Perplexed by Paltrow

Like many of you I am a Gwyneth fan and I adore her mom, Blythe Danner. I've always thought of Gwyneth as a style icon but with a quirky, natural, unpretentious, girl next door flavor. So I was excited to see her home in the Hampton's featured on so many blogs this week. Check out the posts by Girl Meets Glamor, Bijou Kaleidoscope, and Decorno.


I have to admit the girl has impeccable taste. It seems that every item was chosen with great care. The home is very hip and every piece is about as current as you can get. But I am surprised by the impersonal, sterile look of the house. This could be a photo shoot of rooms from any one of a hundred hotels around the world.

Part of the fun of seeing celebrity homes in our favorite rags is to see how they live. To peak into their personal lives and live vicariously through their mementos and personal objects. This house could belong to anyone. It looks like it has been staged to sell by removing any personal hint of the owner (except for the ever so subtle product placement of her perfume and face cream on the nightstand- sell sell sell) .

In the fabulous behind the scenes post by Habitually Chic you get the sense that even the photographer was having trouble giving the space a human feel. They have added "props" like shoes and child's steps in an attempt to make the reader believe that people actually live in this space. If you took away the photo of Gwyneth you would have no idea what kind of person lived in this home.


A pair of sneakers posed in the front room. Is this to remind us that she has a husband? Where are the family photos? The mementos of her career? Her Oscar? They do show a couple of toys here and there but where are the kids paintings or personal items?

How do you put a sisal rug in the main room when you have two kids crawling around? This is a beach house and they must be in shorts most of the time. Those poor little knees!


I love the canopy treatment in Apple's bedroom but isn't it a bit old looking for a 3 year old? The only personal touch in the whole home is the monogrammed pillowcases. Does this look like a room where toddlers would play? The room looks cold and sterile to me. A stark white rug in a kids room! Come On! I think it looks kind of creepy in a weird hospital room sort of way.

The Moral of This Story.......
The ability to buy expensive, trendy furniture and accessories does not mean you will be able to automatically produce a beautiful, comfortable home. Without your own personal touch and inclusion of some of the messy clutter of life you are merely producing a hollow picture of a room.

I hope at the end of the day after producing all of these unemotional photos she took out all of her real stuff from the closets, pulled the shoes out from under the bed, brought the kids toys back inside from the garage, made a mess in the kitchen preparing dinner, poured a glass of wine and flopped down on one of those perfect sofas and looked around to see a perfectly beautiful mess!
What do you think?

Read More

Dress Your Windows with Drape Couture

I was recently introduced to Monica Macha, the creative force behind a new custom drapery company called Drape Couture. She designs custom window treatments inspired by runway fashion. In the picture below a model is "wearing" a drapery panel from Monica's reversible lined drapery collection.


Drape Couture offers several different heading options and can customized a one of kind drapery collection for retail stores.

New to the line are decorative tie backs with exotic flourishes made from feathers and silk flowers.
The fabric selection is predominantly silks and a variety of coordinating trims are available.



Pillows and bedding are available as well as a children's collection. Monica is currently working on a line of drapery inspired by men's wear that will be constructed of pinstriped wools and wool solids.


The companies main focus is on reversible double sided drapery panels. I think they have a great idea however currently they are only offering silk fabrics which are not appropriate for exposure to sun. I would have to recommend a separate liner panel to protect the fabric from sun rot and fading. I'm looking forward to following their progress and seeing how they continue to emulate fashion in their designs.

Read More

Meeting Michael Payne

I'm in Philadelphia this week at The Custom Home Furnishings Conference produced by Draperies and Window Coverings Magazine. The keynote speaker today was Michael Payne of HGTV's "Designing for the Sexes".

I've never watched many of the "design" oriented shows on TV but I have caught his show a few times and he seems to be the real deal. His speech today was surprisingly funny and full of energy. I had envisioned him as being ultra conservative but he was quite approachable and engaging.

I had the chance to meet him after lunch and I gave him a copy of my book. He's promised to read it and write a review for me - so we'll see if he follows through or if he was just saying anything to get rid of the crazy lady with the book!! He's writing a new book of his own about the remodel of his 1948 bungalow in the Hollywood Hills entitled " House of Payne" .

Read More

Fit for a Queen or at least a Really Spoiled Princess

Every girl wants to feel like a princess at some time in their life even if they love modern design and hate foo foo and ruffles.

For those stylish city girls of sophisticated tastes ( and for foo foo lovers as well ) the one of a kind seating from Chair Couture will do the trick. Feminine yet Funky, each piece is finished and upholstered to bring out it's own unique character.


Exquisite detailing and finish work is highlighted by the choice of fresh, current fabrics guaranteed to command attention.


Striking contrast between frame and fabric creates an almost electric feel.


Margaret, the creative and "perky as her chairs" mind behind the line describes her concept. " My idea for Chair Couture is to "re-dress" the vintage French and Italian pieces I love so much in bold modern fabrics ( and sometimes paints) making every bergere, fauteuil, settee, and boudoir bench a striking one-of-a-kind art piece. These chairs are designed to not only fit in, but actually stand out and become a focal point in the most contemporary environments.


I love the harmony that she achieves between the traditional styling of the frames and the contemporary fabrics. It takes a keen eye to be able to pull this off so well. I know, I've tried and failed!!! It's wonderful to have a resource that specializes in this genre to help designers and homeowners achieve this look successfully.




Ingenuity in design is a rare thing and I commend her for her forward thinking. I am looking forward to seeing her expand her line.

Read More