The above photo has made the rounds on instagram and pinterest for the past couple of years. and it is easy to see why.  It is the most adorable, traditional style house.   White picket fence, perfectly shaped hedges, white clapboard siding and a classic wood roof.  It's just perfect.  Well, I came to find out (also through instagram) that it is actually in Connecticut and for sale!  The house is great both inside and out but I am definitely partial to the exterior.  Take a look at the photos below:

I love that there seems to be so many additions added on over the years.  I love when houses expand out over time.  It creates so much character.  

Perfect new england barn.

The simplicity of the pool and the landscape of the yard is so beautiful.    

There seems to be an abundance of outbuildings on the property.  I love all of the windows in the white building and the classic new england stone walls.  

The way the stone wall wraps around and hugs the back of the building is perfect.  The lavender tucked into the stone wall and the potted trees just make the whole scene.  

The gravel surrounding this outbuilding is one of my favorite aspects of the property.  I love gravel in a landscape.  It looks so European!

If you want to see more photos you can view the listing here:

​https://www.sothebysrealty.com/eng/sales/detail/180-l-660-6tektx/2-selden-rd-lyme-ct-06371

Some of the bedrooms in our Adirondack house are finally ready for decorating!  It's so exciting.  I have been waiting soooo long.  
This first guest bedroom that I am working on first will have a queen bed.  We installed a pine board ceiling and drywall on the walls and the room had existing wood flooring.  We added a lot of windows to this room to bring in  light and also to highlight the view of the lake.  
This room was one of the original bedrooms when we bought the house but it was much smaller....hard to believe because it is still pretty small!....and the walls were all pine boards.  We made this room a little bit larger by moving one of the walls back and stealing space from what was another bedroom but has since been turned into a bathroom.  

 The pine ceiling is going to be whitewashed so that you can still see the grain and knots like this photo below:

3.  A vintage black dresser that we picked up at an antique shop in the Adirondacks similar to this one:

For the lighting I am going to skip bedside lamps and we are going to have sconces hung on the wall next to the bed.  
For the ceiling light I am going to do something in a dark bronze finish.   

 

So here is the first option.  For this version I selected a palm tree toile wallpaper.   It's kind of a tongue-in-cheek statement.....palm trees in the Adirondacks where it is cold for a large portion of the year!  I would be doing a very green palette with this design including a green gourd lamp on top of the dresser with a pleated patterned shade, simple white bedding with green banding and a piece of green and white abstract art.  The existing floors are wood and I will use a black and white striped area rug.  

Here is options 2.  The wallpaper in this design in a bit brighter and more contemporary with an oversized pattern but still green and white.  I would bring in a little bit more color in this design by using a blue and white lamp with a green and blue pleated shade, some colorful floral bedding and a piece of art that has a bright green and blue hues in it.  The rug would be the same black and white stripe.  

So what do you think?  Do you prefer option 1 or 2?  

It was a snow day here in New York last Thursday and Friday and since I was stuck in the house I decided to figure out my table setting for Thanksgiving.  I don't know about you but the day or two before a holiday is consumed with running around, making sure I have what I need for and cleaning my house.  If I don't think about my table in advance it will end up being the same old thing.  
There are only 4 of us this year at our house so I could use a few items that I only have a limited number of rather than having to have dishes for 8 or 12.  
So, here is what I came up with for this year.  

To start I used these Ralph Lauren tartan placemats.  They have a festive vibe and can be used throughout the holiday season.  
I then used my blue and white Spode plates.  I only have 4 of these so it was perfect.  I love blue and white and can find a way to mix it into any scheme!

Water glasses are simple cups placed in rattan cup holders for some texture.  The napkins are a nice bright green.  

For the centerpiece I placed a rosemary topiary that I have in my kitchen on the table.  It adds nice height.  

For the flatware I used brass bamboo forks and spoons and English horn handle knives.  

My Chinese Chippendale chairs are still one of my favorite items in my house.  My husband found them on craiglist and I had the seats are covered in Lee Jofa "Jag Trellis".  

All-in-all a table that is personal, festive and also fits the decor of my dining room!  And best of all; prepared in advance!

I have been really into pattern on pattern.  I searched Pinterest and came across a ton of images some of which are below!  I have decided to do a version of pattern on pattern in one of the bedroom in my Adirondack House that we are renovating.  Some of the bedrooms are ready for paint and decor and I am sooo excited!  
I am looking to mix classic patterns with more modern art and accessories to update the look.  When I finalize the design I will share it here!

Love this bedroom by Charlotte Moss.  The Chinese lacquered four posted bed with the red and white wallpaper, bedding and upholstery. So cozy and classic!

Daniel Roumauldez- Tory Burch's decorator, did this bedroom above in La Manach- Tree of Life.  Love the pops of turquoise and the distressed green leather wingback.  

The bedroom of famous decorator for the Obama White House, Michael Smith.  Covered in Brunschwig and Fils Le Touche and mixed with modern elements like the abstract art and plaster side tables. 

The late Mario Bautta, "the prince of chintz" decorated this room for Patricia Altschul in Charleston.  It was featured in Architectural Digest and is swathed in Manuel Canvas  Pali Lin.  

Lee Radziwill's Paris apartment in a La Manach fabric on walls and upholstery.  

The iconic Hampton's bedroom of Estee Lauder wallpapered in Pierre Frey Toile de Nantes....one of my favorites!

A dressing room/office in the NYC apartment of Alex Pappachristidies done in a Manuel Canovas pattern.  Love it!  

How do you feel about pattern on pattern?  Is it too "granny" and old-fashioned or are you into the classic look of it?  

Chateau du Jonchet was the French country home of late Parisian courtier, Hubert De Givenchy.  It was originally built in the 1500's and was restored by Givenchy over the years.  It is an extraordinary home with extensive gardens and even includes a moat!  

The symmetrical exterior features a moat as well as three stags heads above the front entry which were sculpted by Alban Reybaz.  They are the same sculptures that are seen at the Cour des Cerfs at Versialles.  Givenchy paid for the restoration of the courtyard of Versailles where there were originally similar stags heads that were destroyed during the revolution.  This specific version of stag is now extinct in France but still survives in some parts of Eastern Europe.  Therefore, Alban Reybaz was sent to Hungary to study them before creating his sculptures.  Givenchy decided that he would have 3 additional stags head created for the front of Chateau du Jonchet.      

The salon at Le Jonchet.  The main areas of the home are all done in shades on white and cream and have a soft, relaxing vibe.  

Some of the more notable pieces of furniture in the Chateau include a number of custom pieces by 
Diego Giacometti, the brother of famous sculptor Alberto Giacometti, including this octagonal table and the surrounding benches seen above.  In 2017, Givenchy held an auction at Christie's auctioning off 21 of his Giacometti pieces as a tribute to the sculptor's work.  

A snippet of the dining room with the Chinese scenic wallpaper.  

A guest room done in Braquenie's tree of life.  

I love leopard.  In fashion, home decor, anywhere!  Here are a few leopard products I have been loving.  


1.  This tissue box.  If you asked me 5 years ago if I would have a tissue box I would have thought you were crazy.  But I bought a cute vintage rattan tissue box a few years ago and I love it.  Why have an ugly box of tissues sitting around when you can easily stick a cute tissue box over it.  

2.  Some cute leopard items at J Crew.  These wide leg pants are super cute and have great reviews.  
If you really want to splurge at J Crew I am loving this skirt.  

3.  Cutest little leopard calf hair box.  Perfect for styling a coffee table or console or placing on your nightstand to hold your jewelry at night.  

4.  Leopard shoes are always my fave and M. Gemi's are on my wish list.  I had ordered a pair of green snakeskin mules last year that didn't fit but the quality looked great!  I  am now looking at these leopard drivers.  
Or these are super cute!  

5.  Finally, how could I leave off one of my most favorite home decor accessories?  A leopard velvet pillow!  Love that this one comes with a feather/down insert which is a must for throw pillows.  

Any other leopard items you have seen lately that I might add to my wish list??  

Lee Radziwill is the younger sister of Jackie Kennedy.  While famous in her own right for many reasons what I like best about Lee Radziwill is her home decor, of course!  Her homes have been published in many magazines over the years but what first got me hooked on her is the "famous sofa"!  
The famous sofa is a tiger silk velvet sofa that she had custom made back in the 60's.  I first found out about the sofa when Carole Radziwill was on the Real Housewives of New York and it was featured in her apartment.  Carole was married to Lee's late son Anthony Radziwill.  When Anthony moved into his own apartment years ago, his mother gifted him the sofa which ended up in Carole's current apartment.  

Apparently, the sofa finally saw its last days after 50 years of use and finding out it would be $50,000 to reupholster.  It has since been replaced but here it is below in an older version of Carole's apartment:

If I owned that sofa I too would keep it for years and years until it literally fell apart!  

But the sofa is not the piece only piece of decor greatness from Lee Radziwill.  She has had many, many amazing interiors.

One look that she has seemed to favor over the years is pattern on pattern.  Below is one of her former bedrooms decorated by Mark Hampton in her English country house.  I could happily live in this room.  The details are insane.  Notice the trim work on the fabric covered walls and the painted wood floor.  I have been into pink lately and this room is pink done right!

The photos above and below are of one of her New York libraries.  The room is wrapped in a La Manach fabric which was also used to upholster the sofa.  Below is a detail shot showing a really cute Decalcomania lamp.  I am dying to do a room using the same fabric on walls and upholstery.  

Below is a photo of Lee and her daughter in their ottoman inspired London drawing room decorated  by Renzo Mongiardino which was said to have made waves at the time that it was published.  Another example of a pattern on pattern room filled with Indian printed cottons that were used as wall coverings, curtains and lampshades causing it all to meld together.  It was said by Lee that the room had never made sense and the proportions perplexed other decorators but treating the room as Mongiardino did seemed to enlarge the space  and dissolve the boundaries.   

This room above may very well be one of my favorites!  This is Lee's Paris apartment living room again covered in another La Manach fabric on both the walls, windows and upholstery.  This particular pattern is Tree of Life. I love this fabric so much I have another blog post being cooked up all about it!  I really, really want to do this in a room.  I can imagine how cozy and enveloping it might feel to be in a room with the same fabric repeated throughout!  I also really love that Zebra photo!

Another great room was the bird cage room at Turville Grange, her country house an hour outside of London.  Pattern on pattern is again used here.  You can see a small part of the sofa poking out in the corner of the photo showing that it is also upholstered in the same fabric as the wallpaper and the lampshades.
What I love most about this room is the birdcages!  I remember reading years ago about the late decorator, Charles Faudree and an antique French birdcage that he had in his dining room with 2 love birds that sang during dinner parties.   Ever since then I have had this fantasy of an antique bird cage with some small birds in it!  I don't actually want birds...... but I love how idea of having them singing at dinner.  
My only experience with birds are my chickens (which I like because they live outside!), a bird that my parents "bird-sat" for when I was a child that died in our care and a really expensive exotic bird my grandmother bought years ago that was constantly squawking and was so nasty that you couldn't even put your finger by the cage without fear of having your skin ripped off!  So....birds are not realistically my idea of an ideal pet but in a fantasy world having two sweet little love-birds in an antique bird cage sounds lovely!
Anyway......Lee decided that she wanted her country house to be the opposite of the typical gray English weather so they chose this floral paper and filled the room with bright, happy objects and singing birds!  

Finally, above is a photo of her latest Paris apartment which was recently sold.  It seems as she gets older her interiors are becoming more clean and calming.  But the part of this room and the rest of the apartment that I love the most is that you can see that when you buy things you love they often travel with you and outlast trends.  Obviously, the tiger velvet sofa was a true winner but in the photo above there are a number of pieces that have been recycled.  The chairs covered in the La Manach fabric are reused from another iteration of her Parisian apartment.  The botanicals on the wall were used in the bird room at Turville Grange, one of her New York dining rooms and also in one of the her other bedrooms.  The lamps flanking the couch were previously also used in another space in the apartment and those are just a few of the things that are obvious.  Her style has grown and changed as everyones does throughout the years but what she really loves has stood the test of time.  If you are interested in seeing more of her interiors there are many, many photos to be dug up online!  

Here is a throwback to House Beautiful 2015!  I recently came across an image on Pinterest of the living room of Eliza Dyson from the House Beautiful feature.  It reminded me of how much I loved her apartment so I went back and pulled up the original article.  One of my favorite parts of her apartment was this entryway below.  I tore this photo out of the magazine and have it saved in my stack of tear sheets for inspiration.   I thought it was the perfect mix of pieces.  Bright blue wall color mixed with the moody art.  The gold Spitzmiller lamps placed on an old metal and wood cabinet.  Such great juxtaposition and interest.  I still love it!
The rest of the apartment is just as good!  

Walls are Benjamin Moore Palladian Blue. 

I love the variety of textiles used in the living room along with the flexible arrangement of the furniture.  There are so many eastern inspired fabrics used that give the somewhat formal pieces a relaxed vibe.  I also really like how there are so many chairs placed throughout the room creating a space that feels like you easily move things around as needed when entertaining.  The arrangement  feels very comfortable.  

Drinks tables next to chairs are a must!

I love the painting above the sofa which was said to set the tone for the room.  Also note the mattress style seat cushion on the couch.  No detail was overlooked!

Dining rooms set up as a library are fast becoming a favorite of mine.  The urchin light fixture above the table is a great piece!

The casual farmhouse feel of this kitchen would never seem like it is in New York City.  The mix of finishes creates a really homey feel.  

I am really into the fabric used for these drapes in the bedroom.  Block prints mixed with antique furniture.  

How adorable is this little boys room?  

I love monograms.  A monogram is defined as a motif made by overlapping or combining two or more letters to form one symbol.  

Reese Witherspoon said, If it's not moving, monogram it!  

Monograms bring a sense of style and personality, particularly custom monograms.  I just had my logo designed and I love the way the "c" and "b" in my name are intertwined and have a greek key feel.  

There are so many things that can be monogrammed and it is actually somewhat easy.  So many retailers offer monogramming on items for usually just a small fee.  

Here are some great monogrammed personal and home decor items that I am loving:

1.  This commute clutch from Mark and Graham.  I have this and use it as an organizer in my purse.  It is great if you just need to run quickly into a store and don't want to lug your whole bag.  It has slots for credit cards and also perfectly fits an iPad mini.  

2.  Another item I have and love is this diamond pique Matouk monogrammed shower curtain.  My monogram technically came out wrong on this one.  I somehow filled the form incorrectly and according to traditional monogram standards the wife's initial should always come first.  Oh well....I still love it!

3.  Totally a classic that never goes out of style....the LL Bean Boat and Tote.  I have multiples of these and they are my go to for both visiting clients as well as weekend away bags.  We also travel up to the Adirondacks so frequently that I even got one for my dogs so that we no longer forget leashes, collars, etc.  I love the option of making a custom bag where you can choose more color combinations.  

4.  Monogrammed note pads are such a special little treat.  You can use them to write an old fashioned note to a friend or for a stylish grocery list!  

5.  Another item from Mark & Graham (they have the cutest things!) is this adorable plaid lucite tray.  It would be so cute for a drinks tray for the holidays!

Woody House in the Hampton was featured in Architectural Digest last summer.  It was decorated by celebrated Architect Peter Marino and looks nothing like his biker persona!

It's filled to the brim to fabrics, wall coverings, patterns and decor and I LOVE it!

The chippendale railings are perfect and I am always a fan of painted floors!

The console table and mirror....yes!

This whole home looks like it is a combination of items the owners brought back from world travels....I'm not sure if that is that case but the collection of interesting furniture and objects is amazing!  

Almost every square inch of wall is covered with art or decoration.  But it doesn't look crammed or forced.  It feels like it all belongs and has organically grown over time.  Rather than chaotic it makes me feel like being in this room would be cocoon like and calming.  

Perfect library!  Great side table and interesting mix of furniture again here.  

A jib door.  How perfect!

I ADORE this bedroom.  This is red done right!  The combination of multiple block prints mixed with trim and details is insane.  

The ocean views from this porch are so gorgeous.  I love the lattice woodwork on the porch windows and those pagoda style chairs around the table are fantastic!