Casual-Cool "Love" Rooms

This house stopped my in my tracks when I saw it in Elle Decor.  (Back in March of '09!)  It's a 1927 redone Hollywood house that was once owned by Ingrid Bergman that now belongs to director & producer Brett Ratner. (To read the full article, go here.)

{Brett Ratner's House in Hollywood, featured in Elle Decor.  Designed by the renowned Waldo Fernandez}

The laid-back house hosts great parties & is masculine and natural.  I love its collected feel (this is almost a characteristic in my favorite spaces) and the mix of vintage & traditional pieces.  The house has such a palpable sense of place and some serious vibes.  I'd love to live somewhere like this one day.

And I must think about this window at least once a month:

{Perfection }

I'm working on a project right now & I was thrilled when my client sent over this apartment as inspiration:

{Design by Brad Ford I.D. featured in Lonny}

There's nothing better when a client pulls inspiration photos from some of your favorite magazine articles.  The ones you've poured over.

This kitchen by Peter Dunham fits right in:

{by Peter Dunham featured in House Beautiful}

I love this shot of the bowl of clementines:

{Peter Dunham}

And here's another favorite.  I want this:

It's such a practical set up with there being two tables and a little space to slide in between so no one has to scoot a mile to get to the center of the other side.  (The eating areas in my home are fairly small and I imagine I'll do something similar to this in our dining room one day to accomodate us a bit better.)

I'm so excited about the design I've been working on for this client.  It's a casual-feeling mix of modern & vintage pieces with a scultptural vibe.  The space itself is light & airy & interesting.  I can't wait to see it through!!

I'm off to work but have a great day!!

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

New Irregular Blog Series: "Love" Houses

If you've been following this blog for a while, you might have picked up that I'm not very good with doing regular blog series.  (And if you're new, well, I'm not good with doing regular blog series.)  I like to write about what floats my boat on any given day, so I'm better with irregular posts.  BUT in my mind I like to have some sort of organization so one of the new irregular series I'll be doing around here will be "Love" Houses.  These are the houses that have been featured in magazines or online that I just can't get over.  The articles I go back to for staring at time and time again.  The ones that I feel disappointed about when the text runs out.  The ones that get me dreaming & excited.  Some are old, some are new, but these houses are my favorite and go in the "love" pile and I thought it might be fun to share some of them on the blog.

My first favorite house/ estate is called Cherryfilelds (yes, it has a name :)  and belongs to John Dransfield and Geoffrey Ross (of Dransfield & Ross) and was featured in Elle Decor's July/ August 2010 issue.  Text is by Peter Tersian.  Photography is by Simon Upton & it was styled by Carlos Mota.

{I dream of having a massive living toom large enough for multiple interesting groupings.}

Dranfield & Ross actually traded for this house with its owner, Nancy Pine AKA "Princess" (an "outrageous" fabulous widow in her 80s.)   They foudn the house but it wasn't on the market.  They would stalk the house until they finally made an appointment to meet with Princess.  "They made a deal on the spot" and just needed to wait until Princess could find a house to move to.  They waited months while she searched and finally she asked them what type of house they had.  It was an 1806 farmhouse and they ended up swapping houses.  They think of her as their Auntie Mame and she visits when they're out, leaving notes.   My favorite part is that Princess says "The best time to visit someone is when they're not at home."   

"The building is long & rambling but it's only one room deep, so all the major rooms have light on both north and south sides."---- ummm, a-mazing. 

{You know I loooove these pools}

I love the conservatory-feel in some of the rooms:

{love their pup!}

...And find myself more & more drawn to black.

Light & airy yet dramatic at the same time:

I love that the house has a combination of airy rooms & moodier rooms. 

The kitchen is so charming.  Again, it's got that fresh-deep thing going on that I love.

I love this shot of the butler's pantry: 

{Heaven}

Everything feels so authentic & collected.  It feels carefree & relaxed yet elegant.  It's a laid-back formality that's really refreshing.  I just want to be there when Iook at the pictures.

You can view the article online at Elle Decor here and I'll be posting more "Love" houses every now & then!

I'm off for the day, but hope you had a great weekend!!  Only a couple more weeks until school's out for the summer & I can't wait!!! (my husband's a teacher)  I have the window open right now & have to be honest that I'm finding it harder & harder to buckle down in the office.  Outside's calling!!  eeeeeeeeeeek

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Brooke & Steve's Gilt Showhouse Room!

I'm so in love with this room by Brooke & Steve Giannetti for the Gilt Home/ Ashton Kutcher Showhouse.  The online sale of a select number of pieces from each room are on sale though tomorrow.  A portion of the proceeds will be donated to DNA, a charity started by Ashton Kutcher and his wife Demi Moore to combat human trafficking.  To shop and help the cause, go here.  (Can you believe the water paintings are Steve's?!!)

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Dream Home at La Dolce Vita

Today I'm guest blogging over at Paloma's La Dolce Vita about my dream home.  I've shared photos & magazine pages that I've saved for years and my ideas about what our dream house would be like. 

I used to dwell on it so much (when we lived in our small townhome and then in my parents' basement) that it honestly made my heart ache.  I literally yearned for my dream house.  (Living in a parent's basement and trying to save up for a house can do that to you.)  ... But I don't think of it as much these days. 
...I  do have to admit that taking a little stroll through my dream house file (errr binder.. it's kind of thick :) got my mind wandering there again.  But this time, it's a bit more fondly and with a little more patience.  Not very much aching at all ;) ;) 

{Design by Pheobe Howard...  this dining room could be in my dream home!!!}

But back to Paloma!  She's the editor-in-chief of the newest online magazine, High Gloss Magazine!  It came out yesterday and you will love it.  I'm so excited for Paloma & the High Gloss team and know it will be a huge success!!  I cannot believe the awesome things that this world of blogging has led to.  Check out the first issue here 

To read my "dream home" post at La Dolce Vita, click here.



If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

My Style Today: In a Picture

Alek of the new & super-stylish blog From the Right Bank to the Left Coast tagged me and a few other bloggers to do a post feauring 1 photo (only 1!!!) that sums up our style. [WARNING: I will use the word "love" way too much in this post!!!]

I chose this image of Chaffee Braithwaite's living room (featured in Cottage Living- I've posted on it before). But I love everything about it: It's light & airy, natural, textural, there's lots of white , gray & an ethereal quality to it... The room is focused on the outdoors & nature. The coffee table (not sure of the material) has a beautiful texture & I love its strong clean lines. Of course I love all the slipcovered white upholstery & my sofa at home is almost exactly like the sofa pictured. (LOVE shelter sofas for hanging. lounging & cuddling!)

The wheatgrass on the coffee table along with the branches on the desk over looking the window probably make this space for me. I'm working on some wheat grass for a client right now.

I also can't think of a place I've ever seen a ghost chair where it made more sense than this: You can see that beautiful view straight on through the chair. (My opinion on ghost chairs is that there should be a reason for using them, like in this case.)

I also love the casual vibe in the room: The books piled next to the chair, the throw "tossed" on the chair... I like that the throw on the chair could be replaced with virtually any color and it could change the feel of the room. (I'd probably have some pillows on the sofa too)

I also love the draperies right up there under the crown molding with the small rings on a white rod. They blend right into the walls [color: Benjamin Moore "Revere Pewter"] and it works perfectly here because the focus is on the gardens outside, not the draperies. The lamp is prefection to me & reminds me of my own glass lamps. And finally, I love the sisal carpet. [Fiberworks Island's Color Collection from Jobson's Carpet ] It brings in more of that natural feeling I love.

SO- now I'm tagging YOU to choose just 1 picture that sums up your style. You can either put a link to it in the comments section or you can put a link to your post. Can't wait to see what you come up with!! :)

I'm off to one of my best friend's wedding in NY this weekend so I'll be back Monday!!! Have a great weekend & I also wanted to let you know that the house people came back & might be considering our offer now!!! So we'll see!!! :)

xoxo,

lauren

Nina Griscom

Ok, deep breath. Here are some gorgeous images of Nina Griscom's country home featured in Elle Decor. I fell in love with this house when I saw it. Her style in this house is perfect to me: a natural mix of traditional & modern... lots of sculptural elements, interesting things, whites & naturals... just love it. Below is the living room:

Below is the sitting area at the back of the living room. Nina admits that the gorgeous wooden chaise is not comfortable & it's there purely for its looks. How gorgeous is this part of the room?!! I checked out the price on her horned chair ($5000 eesh!!- sold at her store) and decided I could live without it.

Here's a view of the living room from the dininig room:

Below is the dining room. It's full of my favorite things: the huge urns, the wine rack... I'm on and off about the chandlier- love it for the photo & for certain seasons but am not sure I could live with it all the time. How beautiful is the table setting?!! The horn candlesticks?!!! LOVE. And check out the chalk board placeholders. Such a whimsical mix of nature & luxury.

The halways in this home are treated as beautifully as the rooms. This is something that can be tough to do in small spaces & lucky for Nina, this was not an issue. They're just so airy & interesting. LOVE the shelves below. Cheaper versions are definitely on my shopping list. (Endless seasonal accessorizing opportunities!!!)

Below, the sphere on the slavaged pedestal makes this study. Picture reading a book on the windows seat in there on a lazy afternoon...

How great are these floating shelves (below)?
The walls in her library are made from dried tobacco leaves applied by hand to wood panels. Amazing, huh?!
Below, the master bedroom is simple & luxurious. How pretty are the Greek key benches at the bottom of the bed?
Below, the guest bedroom. I really love this room: the seagrass rug, the mini zebra hide, the facing geese, the caning = so perfect. And the color on the walls?!!! Anyone have any ideas (Maria, if you're reading?!!! you usually know!!)

Well, have a beautiful day. I have a house to get over. :(
xoxo,
lauren

Atlant Bartlett: El Molino

Just back from a crazy weekend in NY (and a long day of flight delays) and I miss my little guy like crazy, so here's some quick eye candy from Atlanta Bartlett's Beach Studios (where I would love to be right now!!):

i'm behind on my blog reading & will try to catch up with everyone this week!!!
have a beautiful day!!!

xoxo,

lauren

Atlanta Bartlett: Adelaide Road

I'm totally caught up in house-hunting right now & my mind's going in a million different directions but I desperately wanted to give you something pretty to look at (and since all of my options are so not pretty) so here are some photos of one of Atlanta Bartlett's Beach Studios Locations, Adelaide Road. It's described as a "large period property in south London" and is available to decorate. I love all of the simple aged & painted finishes, the huge doses of white & the relaxed elegance in this house.

All the way up on the third floor (below) there is an artist's studio which is so perfectly messy:

They have this great industrial-looking storage piece. I'm not sure what was used for... anyone?

This living room (below) is so relaxed yet elegant. I love the bookshelves & could you imagine how much fun it would be to style them all the time??

Of course I'm loving all the linen & sisal rug too. There's just this great patina about everything in this house. It feels like it's been here for ages.

Check out the finishes below!!

I love how "undecorated" this place feels. I don't like it as much when rooms are super put-together & there's such a realness to these rooms.

The hallways always seem to be so pretty too. In my own homes I've always tried to do this but it's not as easy as it looks because of space constraints.

We don't actually get to see into this bedroom (below) --- someone must've been taing a nap ;) ;) but this little glimpse is so pretty and fresh!

LOVE LOVE LOVE flung open french doors in any room but especially a kitchen:

Below is another view into the kitchen which looks like it's practically outside. gorgeous!!

And on the main level there's also a living room and a little multi-purpose room with a piano & and a writing desk.

The floors are painted white on this level & just make the place so airy & light. Love the mini crystal chandelier below:

Below is a view into the living room. The modern print on the pillows make it for me. They add such a a nice pop of pattern:

The floorplan & scale of some of the pieces (below) looks a little rough & I'd probably do a rearrange & swap out some pieces, but I still love the feeling in this room & it would be great to hang in:

Anyway, I'll keep you posted on the house-hunt & hope you enjoyed another of Atlanta Barlett's amazing locations!!!

xoxo,

lauren