Alexa Hampton: Talent & Personality!

Alexa Hampton is personality and talent all-in one. Funny, down-to-earth, genuine, and relaxed, here she is demonstrating how uber comfortable her sofa design for Hickory Chair is! I mean really, how fun is that! A huge thank you to Suzette Delay, Showroom Manager of Henredon, for hosting a tea and giving us a chance to meet Alexa in an informal setting and learn more about her work and approach to design and...have so much fun at the same time.
Alexa with some of my favorite DC Designers - Sally Steponkus, Laura Stifel and Heather Safferstone of Sally Steponkus Interiors.
Her furniture collection for Hickory Chair is impeccable. Above is the Susannah side table.
Love the Perlini mirror.
Chris Set of Four Trays - each tray can be moved to where needed.
Jennifer Sergent, Marketing Director of the Washington Design Center, enjoying the comfort of the Breck Chair.
I couldn't resist posting this pic of Suzette's personal collection of tea pots.
If you haven't had a chance to pick-up Alexa's book yet, definitely put it on your list. Here's just a few images of her designs to enjoy.

Concrete Books!

An unexpected package from Richard Taylor of Flat Earth Designs came the other week. At first glance, a box of vintage books. Only after picking them up did I realize they're made of concrete!
As usual, the detail is amazing - from binding cord to layers of "pages."

If you're wondering, they aren't heavy because, except for the smallest one, they're hollowed out to reduce the weight. Richard has also created them in various colors to even further simulate the appearance of leather. I'm guessing they're going to be popular at Round Top this coming spring. To see other books, go here.

On another note, keep your eye out for more of Richard's pieces in the next year. Where? At none other than Pottery Barn.

Meeting Darryl Carter

First off, a huge thank you to Lauren of Pure Style Home for letting me tag along with her to meet Darryl Carter and have our well-worn copies of The New Traditional signed. Here's a pic of her w/Darryl. (I would show you mine but will you understand if I said I was having a bad hair day...) Darryl couldn't have been more generous with his time or more enjoyable to talk to. It was really a highlight to meet him!

He recently joined Jura Koncius and Terri Sapienza of The Washington Post for their Home Front Q & A. Two things that impressed me so much: his willingness to give specific paint color suggestions and local design sources. Be sure to check out the complete discussion here. Here's just a bit of the advice from this talented designer:

- In response to a question about what to paint a repro Duncan Phyfe dining table: "Try Benjamin Moore Pashmina… Gesso the table white and then apply – probably will need a protective coat of matte finish to preserve for use. Ask the paint specialist how best to execute. Try a few colors in this family to execute to your taste."

- Request for a blue for a front door: "Benjamin Moore Wolf Gray or Gravel Gray - high gloss or satin finish."

- "My go to paint color is Benjamin Moore’s Moonlight White. It’s a white tone that is very rich with a good deal of depth. Being in an attached dwelling with limited natural light, Moonlight White will open the spaces and allow light to move with ease from the front of the home to the back and vice versa… The other unique aspect of this color is that it takes on different color tonality at different times of the day."

- Local Sources: Strasburg Emporium in Strasburg, VA; Deleplane Store & Antique Center, Deleplane, VA; Red Schoolhouse/Scottish Connection Antiques in Millwood, VA; US Marble & Granite in Beltsville, MD; Timothy Paul on 14th St. DC

If you're interested in more, Sonu Mathew, Sr. Interior Designer with Benjamin Moore & Co. has some great video interviews with Darryl posted on her blog, Living in Color with Sonu. The above paint picks are some of his favorite go-to colors via her blog.

I hope you have a great long weekend. I'll leave you with these beautiful, serene images of Darryl Carter's work.

Swoon-worthy Eye Candy

While making my dream list of new design books to purchase, I came across Scandinavian Design by Lars Bolander with Heather Smith MacIsaac. This is one of the most stunning book covers I've ever seen. Love the:

- vibrant green wall color

- juxtaposition of modern paintings and antique portraits

- the shared blue of the foot stool and lamp

- and of course, the furniture and the striped rug.

For more beautiful interiors, you can visit the designer's website here. (book photography by Ake Eson Lindman, Staffan Johanson, Lars Ranek)

Hope you had a great weekend. Back with a longer post tomorrow.

Has Anyone Read This?

Has anyone read this book from Margaret Bach? This is one of the best book covers I've seen in a long time. Of course, love the shock of fuschia color in those flowers. Are they bougainvillea?
(photography by Melba Lewick)

22 Years Later - An Interior I Couldn't Forget

22 years ago I fell in love with this apartment interior - it was on the cover of Conran's Living in Small Spaces. Very apropos at the time as my husband and I lived in a one bedroom 1930's 4th floor apartment in Cambridge, MA and Conran's had just opened up a US store down the street on Mass Ave. The store was short lived but I've held on to this book ever since.
Just this past weekend I was google searching Bruce Budd, a designer featured in April's The World of Interiors, and came across pictures of the apartment via a post by The Blue Remembered Hills. It was a thrilling find as the post included the rest of the apartment - images I had never seen!
I learned that this was the Greenwich apartment of architect Lee Mindel of Shelton, Mindel & Associates, and was featured in The World of Interiors, July/Aug 1987, among other magazines. It was considered "fresh and new at the time." 22 years later it still is.
Thank you to the blogger, The Blue Remembered Hills - your post felt like finding a little present. Now I'm off to track down a copy of the July/Aug 1987 World of Interiors...
Do you have any interiors you still think about after many years?
(photography by Dan Cornish)

Room(s) Envy

Love everything about this living room. My snapshot doesn't quite represent the pretty, bleached palette of this room. (Original photography by Lisa Romerein, designer not known)
More room envy. A reproduction dining table was refinished to look much older. One of my favorite parts of this open dining area is the large urn in front of the window, off to the right. (Original photography by Simon Upton, designer not known)
The pics above are from House Beautiful 500 Makeovers - a book that I really enjoy referring back to often. The only thing is that the designers aren't listed; not sure why that is.
You probably already know this, but just in case, Katie Denham of KatieDid is posting wonderful pictures from her visit to the very impressive San Francisco Decorator Showcase 2010. This dining room was created by Suzanne Tucker of Tucker and Marks Design. Go here to see more -so far it's a five part series!

Thomas O'Brien's New Book

Has anyone had a chance to read Thomas O'Brien's new book, American Modern? I just ordered a copy and am hoping it arrives by Saturday's mail. Canadian House and Home featured O'Brien's apartment in their April 2010 issue and some of those images are available on their web site. Go here for more.

Hope you have a great weekend!



(Images from American Modern via Canadian House and Home)

New Design Books (to me at least)

Always on the look out for design books I haven't seen before, I've added two to my collection that I really like - Dream Homes and More Dream Homes. Written by Andreas von Einsiedel and Johanna Thornycraft, each book contains over 800 photographs of interiors, mostly from Europe. A far range of styles are featured, from classic, eclectic, country, contemporary and opulent, so as long as you're not wedded to one aesthetic you're likely to find many interiors that appeal to you. The photos in this post are ones I've taken from the first book, Dream Homes. All photography by Andreas von Einsiedel. They also have a new book coming out, Dream Rooms, release date not published yet.

Usé Opulence

I received a wonderful book as a gift this weekend, The Way We Live by Stafford Cliff, and came across the concept of usé opulence. The opulent, abundance of this type of interior is comprised of well used and even slightly worn furnishings, and the accessories are not merely for decoration but also have a purposeful use. It's the luxury of being surrounded by many things that are well loved and frequently enjoyed.
It seems that usé opulent interiors can't help but be personal and revealing of their owners.
Here Fortuny fabric serves as the backdrop - not for the expected portrait or antique mirror - but for a framed collection of locusts and grasshoppers. (first three images from At Home with Pattern by Sally Conran and Katherine Sorrell, photography by Claire Richardson)

This library is in London, of course. English style and usé opulence seem to go hand-in-hand. The furniture is certainly worn but still seems to retain its dignity. It must be the classic form that allows one to view the worn and sagging leather as rather charming. On a less classic piece, it would just be old and tired. (Image from The Way We live by Stafford Cliff, photography by the late Gilles de Chabaneix)

This room is from the book Living in Flanders by Piet Swimberghe and Jan Verlinde. A bit more organized in its abundance and with furnishings that have been well cared for, I think it could also be considered usé opulent or, maybe not...what do you think? (image via Habitually Chic)

Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams Book Signing

Last night there was a fun event at DC's Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams - a book signing for their new book, The Comfortable Home. Here's the talented Leah Moss of Apartment Therapy having her book signed. Standing between Beth of Chinoiserie Chic and Stefan of Architect Design is co-author Mindy Drucker. It was great to meet her! Mindy had been quite thoughtful to make sure local bloggers were included on the invite list.
Here's Leah with her sister Nicole. Nicole's coat was the hit of the night - a vintage 70's piece from Ireland.
The store did a great job with the event - the red velvet and lemon bundt cakes (for those of us who tried both) were delicious.
Here's color guru Annie of Bossy Color. Annie has the best dresses - love this black and green one.

I'm really looking forward to reading this book cover to cover. A quick look at it last night revealed alot of practial tips and how-to instructions, along with inspiring pictures. One section of the book focused on gallery-style montages. The pic below is a gallery wall from the DC store.

One of my favorite pieces in the store is the Lillian Console in white lacquer. With a depth of 14", it would be a great solution for a small space.
Vintage bottles; love the dark green one. This weekend I'm taking my daughter to Williamsburg for a ballet weekend and am very excited that we will be stopping in Richmond to visit Linda of Haven on Hanover. Have a great weekend!