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Not-So-Basic Bedding
For years, I had seen photos of boutis, those Provençal quilts that are often made of solid-colored cotton or silk, but I never thought much about them. Certainly they always looked charming, but I...
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Modern Bedrooms
You know how enamored I am with 1920s and 30s-era design, so I was especially excited to receive a 1939 copy of Modern Interiors: Today and Tomorrow from a friend. Written by Emily Genauer, once...
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Ava Gardner's Abodes
When I think of Ava Gardner, it's not her Oscar-nominated performance in Mogambo nor her upbringing as a North Carolina sharecropper's daughter that come to mind. I also don't immediately think of her...
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Upcoming Appearances
My book and lecture tour will be resuming soon after a summer hiatus. For you Southerners (and non-Southerners who want to travel down South,) I invite you to the following:On Wednesday, September...
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Hercule Poirot and The Labours of Hercules
I've been savoring the final episodes of Poirot via Acorn TV, and there was one episode that I found especially appealing. In "The Labours of Hercules", the opening scene depicts an elegant soirée...
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A Tribute to Harry Hinson
Yesterday, I learned the sad news that Harry Hinson died last week. Although I can't claim a close relationship to Harry, we were pen pals for a number of years. Harry often emailed me in response to...
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Greenville County Museum of Art's Antiques, Fine Art and Design Weekend
I am honored to be a featured speaker at this year's Antiques, Fine Art and Design Weekend, which is organized by the Greenville County Museum of Art in Greenville, South Carolina. The show, which...
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An End of the Week Pick-me-up
Time got away from me this week, so rather than leave you with a blog post full of illuminating text, I'm going to leave you with a blog post full of illuminating images. The photos seen here, which...
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Quaglino's
I recently found myself getting mired in stress. I was stressing about those big questions that inevitably haunt me from time to time, such as "What's the next step for me in my career?" to the more...
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Lecture in Memphis
And one more speaking engagement to announce...On Saturday, October 11 at 2 pm, I will be speaking at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art as part of the Decorative Arts Trust speaker series. My lecture,...
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Last Weekend
I love movies, and I love interior design, and when the two meet to make movie magic, well, all the better. That's the case with Last Weekend, a new film that was written and co-directed by Tom Dolby....
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Revisiting Denning and Fourcade
Those of you who own a copy of The New York Times Book of Interior Design and Decoration are probably already familiar with the former Manhattan townhouse of designers Robert Denning and Vincent...
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Facing the Music
Don't ask me how I got on a roll with music motifs, but somehow, I did. I think that it was a glimpse of Mrs. Antenor Patino's music-themed table linen (seen above and below), which appeared in The New...
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Life on the Road
The interesting thing about a book signing event is that I never know who is going to show up to buy a copy of my book. Such was the case this week when the ladies of Place on the Pointe, a shopper's...
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Markham Roberts: Decorating the Way I See It
Today's post marks the first in a spate of upcoming fall book reviews. (After a year of book touring, it's nice to once again have time to both read design books and review them.) First up is Markham...
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Two More Books for Your Consideration
Two fall book releases that I have highly anticipated are The Drawing Room: English Country House Decoration by British historian and writer, Jeremy Musson, and The Private Houses of France: Living...
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A Tribute to Jane Marsden
Jane Marsden, one of Atlanta's preeminent antiques dealers and interior decorators, was a fixture in our city's design community for decades. In addition to decorating some of Atlanta's finest homes...
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Serendipity
I experienced design serendipity last week. I was catching up on my World of Interiors reading when I saw the article about the Castilian home of Paco Carvajal, the Count of Fontanar. Great decor...
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Inspired by Tradition: The Architecture of Norman Davenport Askins
It's not often that I can say I have a history with the subject of a high-profile book, but such is the case with the soon-to-be-released Inspired by Tradition: The Architecture of Norman Davenport...
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Ye Olde Southern Style
I'm back. I've been touring the South over the last few weeks, lecturing in such cities as Birmingham, Memphis, Greenville, and Dallas. Each of these cities has its own unique style, but what they...
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