Heavenly Bodies

While on the topic of the Met I wanted to share with you some of my pictures from the controversial exhibit, Heavenly Bodies; Fashion and the Catholic Imagination.

While my interest in fashion is only passing the clothes throughout the exhibit are remarkable. Most remarkable of all however are the actual papal vestments found in a (respectfully) separate gallery from the secular garments (no photos allowed).

 Most extraordinary of all however is how excited people are for this exhibit; The crowds were immense. In all of my visits to the Met I have never seen crowds of people actually spending time in these medieval galleries.  People are excited for church stuff, in the 21st century,  that should be good right?

Well a lot of people are complaining that an exhibit on fashion inspired by Catholicism is disrespectful.  Whatever happened to 'Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery' or 'There is no such thing as bad publicity'?

 I found the exhibit thrilling, particularly the addition of chant'ish type music and great lighting.

I also thought it was incredibly respectful.  The actual papal vestments as I mentioned are in a separate gallery all to themselves, not mixed with other artwork.  These are works inspired by Catholicism, not copies or mocking in any way.

 This is an art museum:  we're looking at the artistry of the clothes both secular and religious.

Seeing these clothes up close and in person was truly astonishing, much better than in the pages of Vogue. The art is in the details.

 These glamorous gowns by Thiery Mugler were from his 'Winter of Angels' collection in 1984-85.

 Lame!  How I loved these.

 Also interesting were the 1991-92 evening tops by Versace inspired by Mosaics.

The exhibit Heavenly Bodies is on view at the Met and the Cloisters (which I sadly missed) through October 8, 2018, be sure to catch this!

Read More

The Artistic table at Hillwood

Now open at Hillwood is an exhibit I think most readers of this blog will enjoy, a tabletop exhibition by well known designers utilizing the museum's collections.  While the estate may be known for its amazing fresh flowers (found throughout the house and gardens), Marjorie Merriweather Post was also a passionate collector of porcelains and silver.

Six talented designers have been asked to create tabletop displays in the Dacha sourcing items from the collection. I was there Valentine's day for opening night to see the designers reveal their creations. Hopefully this little tour will whet your appetite to visit before June 10 when the exhibit closes!

The central table was actually created by museum staff exclusively with items from the collection down to historic placecards, matchbooks and ashtrays; A treat to see how Post entertained!

 As always one had to ask if the amazing fresh flowers were real they were so perfect.

The first table inside the door is done by friend of Hillwood, Timothy Corrigan. I saw Corrigan speak 3 years ago at Hillwood's fabulous spring lecture season (read that post HERE). Timothy sourced the silver, including those incredible candlesticks, from the Hillwood collection while everything else was brought in by him in order to create a Jardin Francais.  The porcelain, fabric, and wallpaper all come from collections he has designed for different companies.

Designer Charlotte Moss took inspiration from Post's summer home, Camp Topridge, and created a woodland picnic setting. Moss used china from the Hillwood collection and added silver and fabrics she had designed.  The lush picnic is situated under a lovely tent created from fabric from Charlotte's collection at Fabricut.

Noted author and designer (and blogger extraordinare) P. Gaye Tapp took inspiration from Le Style Pauline in creating her table setting which is a younger, fresher look at how to use fine tableware. Mixed in with precious china were more informal pieces that create a more approachable tabletop.

 Artist Jimmie Henslee, who created the lovely illustrations in her book How They Decorated, provided the backdrop creating a natural setting. Don't miss Gaye next month at Hillwood where she will discuss her book (Information HERE).

Designer Josh Hildreth teamed with Hutton Wilkinson to create a 'Tea for Tou-manova' I believe in reference to the famous ballerina, fitting considering Hillwood's connection with Russia. The Duquette inspired extravaganza is a feast for the eyes laid over a malachite printed tablecloth naturally.

Barry Dixon has created a beautifully serene tabletop for 'A Little Romance' with Post's beautiful purple crystal in front of a lovely screen by talented artist John Matthew Moore (who also created the most lovely painting you can imagine of Post's jewelry for the silent auction).

Lastly, Alex Papachristidis has created a very personal table for 'Le Diner Exotique' using Post's china with his own mother's silver and dining chairs lit by one of his favorite Christopher Spitzmiller lamps. The star of the table however is the lust-worthy faux lilac centerpiece by artist Vladimir Kanevsky (who coincidentally will have an exhibition at Hillwood next year which I'm VERY excited about).

I had the pleasure of hearing Papachristidis speak at Hillwood's lecture this past Tuesday and his passion for design is inspiring. Don't miss this creatively luscious display open in the Dacha at Hillwood until June 10, 2018.

Read More

Making House: Designers at Home

Book publishing season is upon us and it feels like everyday a great new design book hits the stands to devour! Rizzoli is about to release "Making House: Designers at Home"  by Dominic Bradbury which is one of those great peaks into our favorite designer's own homes -many that will surprise you!

Kelly Wearstler's Malibu house definitely fits into her aesthetic with these highly refined marble built-ins in her living room which are astounding. Wait until you see the adjoining fireplace!!!

The London home of textile designer Neisha Crosland is highly undecorated, which I love to see, and reflects her fun personality. Those double oak leaf chandeliers I want so badly!! Such a fun idea to upholster all of the dining room chairs differently too.

Italian architect Piero Lissoni's minimal home in Tuscany will soothe and calm your senses.  This metal staircase may be my favorite thing I've seen in awhile: simple yet elegant.  I wish our codes in the USA would allow an open rail!

Many of the designer's homes pictured are familiar to us but I love to see how they evolve over time. Case in point are both Miles Redd's NYC townhouse and Stephen Sill's Westchester country house which have been published multiple times.  There is always something new to see as the spaces are constantly changing as the owner's grow; these are the design laboratories of great minds.

Making House from Rizzoli is a great look at some of our favorite top talent's private spaces - it's human nature to be nosey, right?  Time to dive right in and see how they're living!
Photography in the book by Richard Powers

Read More

Bunny Williams at the Southern Living Design house

I'm a bit late to the party but better late than never! You've already missed your chance to see the Southern Living ideahouse by Rosney Co architects and decorated by Bunny Williams but I hope you'll find this tour inspiring none the less.

The stone house is built in the (very) rolling hills outside of Charlottesville, Virginia, where these type of new "old" farm houses are in their native climate. 

The architects designed a house with a traditional floor-plan where an old house appears to have been added onto over time. I love the flow of this first floor; very open but still distinct spaces. No separate dining room but then again this is a country house for family living; you always have your formal dining room at your place in the city, right? hehe

While the master bedroom is on the first floor to take advantage of a beautiful porch, 3 more bedrooms are located upstairs with an additional guest suite above the garage.

Hands down my favorite room was the 'tavern'; a sort of cozy library space with knotty pine paneling.  I would happy live in this one room! Notice the comfy sofa, fireplace, and bar (hence 'tavern' on the floorplan).

This is where Bunny Williams excels. The showhouse felt very much like a family home;  Art collected during your travels, grandma's chair in the corner, etc.

The bookcases flank the window on the front of the house -instant library.  Never trust a house without books (even show houses).

 I loved the basket holding fire starter and a cozy bench from which to tend the fire.

Everyone lives in their kitchen today: parties gravitate there, families hang out there, so why not make it THE best space in the house.

This kitchen is literally at the very center of the plan, flooded with natural light and views of the entire property so you can't miss out on anything.

Great idea to have these corner cabinets for extra storage where it becomes difficult to seat people anyway (always bumping knees!).

The room is large enough to hold this elegant 'kitchen table'.  The dining area is grounded by a rug and still has the ubiquitous tv hung on the wall nearby.

 Where do all of your extra dishes go in such an open kitchen? In the pantry!  I love that in the pantry which is the only room in the house to lack natural light, it's taken dramatically opposite. It's never going to be light so embrace it and paint it DARK - charcoal in this case.

 A large sunny family room on the back of the house affords the best views, access to the screened porch (a necessity in this part of the world), and another beautiful fireplace.

 Always the problem -how do you hide those HVAC grilles? At least this one is high up enough that you barely notice it above the deep mirror frame.

 This cozy chair by the family room fireplace is the perfect place to curl up with a good book.

The master bedroom, opposite the library (sorry I can't call it a tavern, it's a ridiculous name), feels like a serene sanctuary from the house with its' own porch and fireplace.

The breezeway between the pantry and garage is the actual front door which anyone would naturally use. The bench is  a good idea - take off those muddy boots, set down your bag to find your keys, etc.

The 2 rocking chairs remind me of that Jerome Kern song I love 'the folks who live on the hill'.

That long bank of windows above to the right of the breezeway are above the kitchen sink,  with the library located to the far right.

 Not a bad looking house really - no?

A house like this is made for outdoor living and this one has plenty of entertaining areas for all types of weather.

 And you can't beat those views.

 Upstairs are 3 bedrooms off a cozy den.

 Each of the 3 bears has their room to choose.

 Notice a lot of Bunny William's furniture collection in the house, like her elegant 'star chair' above.

 I loved this charming art, a box of crayons was painted onto an antique (looking) metal ceiling tile.

The bunk room is a great space for kids - lots of play area, 2 built-in beds, and a desk for homework.

You've missed your chance to visit the idea house (I saw it before my recent visit to Monticello) but you can still read all about it, and Bundoran Farms, on their website HERE.

Read More