Holidays: why not dress your abode up, too?

Halloween is over and it's almost time to decorate for the Holidays - hurray!  I don't know about you, but my Christmas decorations go up in earnest the day after Thanksgiving - boxes and boxes emerge from storage and it takes me days to complete.  I've always loved this time of year:  dressing up, wrapping gifts, sharing seasonal cocktails with friends and reveling in how "accessorized" my home feels!  

Always on the lookout for unusual and beautiful approaches to table settings and interior & exterior decor for this celebratory time of year, I've found some wonderful examples:

Charlotte Moss, an A-list designer who is also November's pop-up editor for House Beautiful magazine, designed this beautiful table scape, above.  It could work equally well for Thanksgiving as Christmas. 

 Carolyne Roehm, the uber-talented designer, writer, gardener and much more has this take on a Holiday centerpiece that looks so modern but almost colonial, somehow.

 You can almost smell the turkey in this traditional, antique-filled room.

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Who says Holiday means red and green?  (I prefer copper, myself!)  Turquoise and shades of cream/gold looks so inviting!

 Charlotte Moss' take on overflowing mantel abundance....

Colin Cowie, party planner to the stars, uses one of my favorites:  a mountain of unique ornaments in a beautiful, simple bowl or piled in a large vase.  Determine a palette and shop for ornaments that complement at Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel or the wholesale florist (your designer can help you with that!). 

I love these 5 essential entertaining tips from Mr Cowie:

• Serve a signature cocktail (I like it simple: Champagne with some frozen cranberries dropped in the flute)
• Play great music; take your best cocktail playlist and add 20% Holiday tracks
• Set up food stations:  charcuterie (there's that Francophile, again!), smoked salmon rye bread (with Vodka cocktails), etc.
• Assemble a colorful guest list - mix it up
• There's no such thing as too many candles!

• And one from me:  be sure to have everything ready in plenty of time to sit down and have a glass of wine before the guests arrive.....

Designer Stephen Sills suggests metallic papers and Kraft paper-wrapped packages - with gorgeous ribbon, of course.

 An over-the-top mirror Christmas tree by David Stark - just, wow!

Copper antique glass, copper-painted feathers, glass cherry blossoms and twinkly lights. 
 

Luscious gold and kiwi green jazz op the table, again from Colin Cowie.

Beautiful pieces from Juliska, Calvin Klein Home, Barney's, etc.

Whatever your palette and however you decorate for the Holidays, have fun and hope that this doesn't happen! 

Spring Edition

Spring is a time for birth, renewal, freshness, and the amazing energy that comes from seeing bright green leaves unfurl and fragrant blossoms bursting with their tempting scents!  I have been so inspired lately by the lengthening and warming days - and it seems like there is a lot that's fresh and exciting on the design & fashion scene, too:

GR Home/University Village neighborhood

Brainchild of Graciela Rutkowski and overseen by the stellar Diana Paradis, this breathtakingly beautiful store is a necessary indulgence.

Not only does GR Home have gorgeous wares (found objects, the best furniture for all rooms in the home, unique accessories) but these women are obviously having fun.  Shopping here is a mini party - but all business, of course.

Many of the lines we designers have come to know and love are found here:  Lee, Hickory Chair, Rosanna, Arte Italica, and a bevy of stunning, one-of-a-kind pieces.

Gracious House to Home

Near GR Home is Gracious House to Home - wonderful "almost antique"furniture, jewelry, vintage table wear - there's a lot to decide among here.  Tracy and Deirdre are knowledgeable and friendly - great stuff!  Gracious House to Home, near U Village.

Altstadt Interiors


I've written before about this jam-packed consignment store and interior design firm, also near U Village (is there a trend here?) and their incredible finds.   But time to revisit!

I recently helped my son furnish his 100-year old studio apartment near downtown Seattle (more on that in a subsequent post) almost entirely from Altstadt Interiors:  this Deco bed frame, a vintage 9 x 12 Oriental rug (virtually wall-to-wall in his space), deco sofa, etc.  Budgets were spared and it was an adventure in shopping!

  
Inspiring Fashion

Not to rush things, since summer isn't even here yet, but I am head over heels in love with this look for fall 2012 from Dior: 

....and this current "Street Chic" item spotted on the streets of Paris by Elle Decor...

Details

For those who love innovative design as well as traveling abroad, some of the most fun pages to peruse are found at MODULE-R.com.  Are these the most exuberant dual voltage adapters, or what?  And they'd be easy to find in luggage.....

 Or, how about this Highland Court fabrics advertisement?  Stunning!

Books

I'm intrigued by a new design book called, "Be your own decorator", by Susanna Salk, published by Rizzoli.

My eye was initially caught by the cover because it's actually the same photo - of a Paris apartment, naturellement! - that I ripped from a magazine and pasted to my Vision Board a while back.

But this excerpt from Ms Salk drew me in:  "Unlike many artists in other mediums, interior designers never hoard their secrets.  They are a gloriously generous bunch, much more concerned with making the world a more beautiful and livable place than worrying about whose idea it was to put that vase over there."

Mais, oui!

Neighborhood Beat: Georgetown

I was in Designer heaven for about an hour last night!  First, there was a celebration at Dixie Stark Home to toast the boutique's grand opening.  What gorgeous things - it was a treat for the senses!  Custom designed furniture, lighting, accessories; deliriously scented candles; incredibly luxurious Loro Piana fabrics; handmade wallpaper -- really cool stuff and worth a trip.

Then we stopped in Susan Wheeler Home on Airport way......

She has amassed a glorious selection of vintage furniture, accessories, tableware, glass.....

....and even vintage clothing.  The store is right next door to Great Stuff Vintage Furnishings, home to way- cool industrial/re-purposed, chicness - and down the block from scrumptious Stellar Pizza .