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The Four Seasons Under One Roof
During the summer, when everyone else is focused on beach-house decor, I continue to turn my attention to warm, cozy rooms that scream winter. It's not that I want to be in such rooms when it's...
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The Old-Fashioned Powder Room
One of the many things I love about 1930s-era issues of House & Garden and House Beautiful is the attention given to rooms that once epitomized sophisticated living. Take, for example, the powder...
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My Kind of Country Living
I want to congratulate two friends, Christopher Spitzmiller and Harry Heissman, on what has to be a dream come true: to be featured in the pages of Architectural Digest. The magaine's July issue...
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Curling Up with a Good Book
For the past few days, I've been engrossed in engaging new book, A Curious Friendship: The Story of a Bluestocking and a Bright Young Thing. Written by Anna Thomasson, the book recounts the...
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Anne Allen and Jean Pillement
I slipped into New York last week to see both my sister and the exhibit, China: Through the Looking Glass, at the Met. Friends who had seen the exhibit told me that I would flip for it, and they were...
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Richard Lowell Neas in France
It's always a treat to stumble upon the work of the late decorator and decorative artist, Richard Lowell Neas. Over the years, I have collected photos of his Manhattan apartment as well as examples of...
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Until Next Week...
I was planning to post this week, but considering that the internet seems to be a virtual ghost town because of the Fourth of July holiday, I'll wait until next week.I do, however, want to bring to...
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Decorating Enhanced by Personality
Nancy Lancaster once said, "I can't bear anything that looks like it's been decorated." I wholeheartedly agree, which is why I prefer interiors where the decorating plays the supporting, although...
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Crazy for Cartouches
While reading A Curious Friendship, I was reminded of Rex Whistler's proclivity for cartouches, which he incorporated into his murals, like those he painted for Brook House, above, as well as his...
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Catesby Engravings at Auction
I know that a few of you collect Catesby engravings, which is why I want to bring an upcoming auction to your attention. This Saturday, Case Antiques of Knoxville will be auctioning off a pair of my...
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Winterthur's Chinese Parlor
Of the many images that I have filed away in my head, two images in particular have made the greatest impressions on me: those of the Chinese Parlor at Winterthur. Specifically, detail photos of the...
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The Work of Diamond Baratta
I was saddened by the recent news of designer William Diamond's death. With partner Anthony Baratta, Diamond founded Diamond Baratta, one of America's most dynamic, not to mention colorful, design...
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The Art of Reprotique
I recently learned of Reprotique, a line of art-inspired home accessories. Based in Virginia, Reprotique was founded by Susan Stanley Sprinkle, who specializes in reproduction 17th and 18th-century...
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Revisiting David Hicks Carpet
Around the time I started blogging, David Hicks's carpet designs were all the rage, just as they had been when first introduced decades ago. Everywhere I looked, I saw hexagons, octagons, and the rest...
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The Art of Gainage
Gainage. No, it's not what happens to your body after, say, a holiday season spent eating fattening foods. Rather, it's the term for the French style of upholstery in which fabric is applied to hard...
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What Do Michael Bloomberg, Victoria Press, and George Eliot Have in Common?
Over the weekend, I read a New York Timesarticle about the Cheyne Walk mansion that former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg recently purchased for £16 million pounds (around $25 million.) Wishing to...
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A House That is Glowing and Warm
"I wanted the entire house to be glowing and warm, but above all, cozy. Color does this; so do pictures, stacks of books, music, photographs and flowers." So said Mrs. Anne Peto, an American whose...
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The Classics: The Telescoping Table
Next month, I will celebrate nine years of blogging, and I can hardly believe it. Back then, blogging was considered cutting-edge, but today, it's more like the éminence grise of the social media...
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A House Made for Instagram
On Instagram, I have noticed that there are certain photos that seem to garner many "likes". Rooms with a traditional, European sensibility are popular, as are rooms painted in moody shades of brown,...
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Breakfast Tray Chic
Thank you to the Scully & Scully catalogue for reminding me that the world hasn't completely gone to hell in hand basket. Its numerous pages filled with photos of folding bridge tables, hardboard...
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