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What's Next?
I spend a lot of my morning personal grooming time (i.e., makeup and hair) thinking about design trends. By "trends" I don't mean trendy, but rather, the dominant styles of the day. And the conclusion...
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Beth Scanlon and Scanlon Apparati
I have a real weakness for interior illustrations, so much so that I gave them their own entry in my book. Whereas most interior photographs are meant to capture a room as it actually appears, interior...
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Atelier d'Offard
The other day, I overheard someone declare that wallpaper is coming back. Coming back from where? Ever since I was a child, I have loved wallpaper, and that love has yet to wane. In fact, one of my...
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The Philadelphia Antiques Show
A few weeks ago, I attended The Philadelphia Antiques Show, where I was one of the show's featured speakers. I was aware of the show's reputation as one of our country's premier antiques shows, but I...
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The Late J. Hyde Crawford
May 20 marks the one year anniversary of the death of J. Hyde Crawford, a truly talented man. As an illustrator, Crawford was responsible for updating Bonwit Teller's signature violet print, which was...
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R.I.P. Betty Sherrill
Yesterday brought the sad news of designer Betty Sherrill's death. For decades, the New Orleans-born Sherrill was the doyenne of American decorating. Having joined McMillen Inc. as a young designer...
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Not-So-Garden Variety Rooms
While I was wide awake at 2 a.m. the other night, the most random image popped into my head: a photo, seen above, which shows the garden room of architect Archibald Brown's River House apartment. When...
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Cluttered
I was looking through my copy of Interiors by Minn Hogg and Wendy Harrop for what must have been the tenth time when it finally dawned on me that my favorite chapter of the book is titled "Cluttered"....
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Memorial Day Entertaining
I'm sure that many of you are heading out of town today in order to spend your Memorial Day weekend at the beach, the lake, or in the country. No matter where you plan to spend the holiday weekend,...
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The Way Dominick Dunne Lived Then
Boy, do I miss Dominick Dunne. I thought of him the other day as I was planning my summer reading, because his books were really the best kind of reading for a lazy summer day. Murder, high-society,...
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Dominick Dunne at Home in Connecticut
And now we're on to Dominick Dunne's Connecticut country house, which he owned at the time of his death in 2009. The photos that you see here are screen shots of the documentary, Dominick Dunne: After...
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The Fresh Look of Fine Antiques
One question that I am asked time and again is, "How can you make antiques appealing to a younger generation?" My answer is always the same. You need to show people that antiques can look not only...
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Seconds Sale at Christopher Spitzmiller
Summer means different things to different people, but to me, it marks the event that most of have been waiting for all year: Christopher Spitzmiller's Seconds Sale.I've said it before and I'll say it...
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Dining Chez Kenneth Jay Lane
So many of the articles that I have read about Kenneth Jay Lane have touched upon his ardor, not to mention his flair, for entertaining. In fact, photos from one of these articles appeared on my blog...
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Tea Time
Although I have never before hosted an afternoon tea at home, I do love the thought of doing so. There is something about this type of entertaining that is so gracious and elegant, not to mention...
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John Richardson's Folly
Over the years, I would occasionally come across a photo or two of the homes of Picasso biographer and art historian, Sir John Richardson. The few photos that I found were enough to intrigue me, such...
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Carolina Irving in 1993
To most of you, Carolina Irving needs no introduction. The textile designer and recently-appointed Creative Director of Oscar de la Renta Home is featured often on blogs, and with good reason. She has...
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A Passion for Porcelain
While doing some online research yesterday, I stumbled upon these photos of Samuel Wittwer's Berlin apartment, which appeared in the Swedish publication, sköna hem. Wittwer is an art historian, the...
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A Lot of Pretty Things
One of the highest compliments that I can pay someone who has an attractively-decorated house is, "She (or he) has a lot of pretty things." It's not an especially deep or erudite compliment, but it...
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Porcelain Kick #1
I almost started this post by writing, "Please forgive me, for I am on a porcelain kick this week." And then I realized that it was a stupid comment, because why does anyone need forgiveness for going...
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