payard rises again in nyc!

As many of you know, I was very disheartened when Payard Patisserie closed its doors last year due to the loss of its lease.  How very sad it was that I could no longer bring those pastries, which I considered works of art, home to my friends and family from my day trips to the great city.  Well,  good news!  François Payard has not only opened a chocolate bar, but is also due to open a bakery this Summer!  He has been very busy! François Chocolate Bar is located at 714 Madison Avenue on the 4th floor of Mauboussin. You must enter through Mauboussin and take the elevator to the 4th floor.  And, by the looks of what Chef Payard has created, it is well worth the trip!  Described as “a chocolate jewelry shop,” the store is devoted to Chef Payard’s chocolate creations.  And, of course, can I say I love the interiors?  Simple, elegant, and the hues of browns are lucious enough to match Chef Payard's creations.  Chef Payard's bakery is due to open on West Houston Street this Summer and I hope they keep to their schedule so that I have yet another reason to go downtown.  Enjoy!

All Images Courtesy of http://www.fcchocolatebar.com/gallery.htm.

The Hampton Designer Showhouse 2010

What better place to be on a hot, steamy Long Island night than in Sag Harbor for the Hampton Designer Showhouse 2010 Gala Preview Party presented by Traditional Home.  With a full moon and a slight breeze, hundreds of design enthusiasts, and many others, took in the beautiful interiors, and exteriors for that matter, of the 2010 showhouse.  And can I say wallcoverings, wallcoverings, and more wallcoverings?!  This seemed to be the highlight of the evening for many of the rooms we enjoyed!  Grasscloth, linens, crushed granites with shimmer, and beautiful strie lacquered walls, coupled with 3d venetian plasters by Boris Abromovich of Couture Interiors made for a sensory lover's dream.  Couture Interiors has been doing showhouses since 1998 and they seem to have it down pat!  Purple reigned surpreme in many of the spaces as well!  Wonderfully muted shades of lavender and eggplant were used so beautifully that it has me rethinking purples once again! Lillian August stole my heart in the master bedroom with their mirrored four poster bed and a design that was "envisioned as a serene getaway for a jet set couple...from the cool, chic color palette to the gleaming decadence of the antique mirrored decor." So relaxing, I can't wait till they open their new store in NYC!  Shimmering venetian plasters, gilt ceilings, combined with simple wood finishes and a classic kitchen by Bakes and Company makes this home a wonderful place for anyone to move into pronto!  The exteriors were equally beautiful and enjoyed, if not more so, by all in attendance due to the entertainment and cool beverages.  The side porch by diSalvo Interiors of Oyster Bay was beautifully done in Trina Turk Peacock Sunbrella fabric and Keith Mazzei's shower space was wonderfully inviting on this hot night.  Thanks also to Traditional Home for sending me their Weekly Update Newsletter highlighting how "Showhouses are chock full of ideas. Steal shamelessly from two showhouse beach homes—one with European flair, the other color-drenched. Plus tour an Atlanta family home and a gallery of wallscapes!"  Definitely a Weekly Update worth getting and they couldn't be more correct!  As many of us showhouse lovers know, they are wonderful places to get new ideas and see up and coming design trends!  For video of the Showhouse during construction visit this site.  This video is courtesy of Design 2 Share and gives you a good idea of the beautiful millwork that went into making this Hamptons house special.  This is video of the completed showhouse courtesy of Newsday.com.  One of my favorite internet journalists was there as well on Saturday night to capture the fun. New York Social Diary got some great shots of the designers and their rooms and you can see by a couple of the pictures, just how hot it really was!  Yes, that is a very wet shirt on Mark Copeland!   Here's to another great showhouse!  Enjoy!

Image Courtesy of http://www.traditionalhome.com/.

The Hampton Designer Showhouse 2010

129 Stoney Hill Road

Sag Harbor, NY

Open Daily Monday to Sunday

July 25 to September 5

11AM to 5PM

Admission is $30 and includes a Journal.

Tickets may be purchased at the door or may be purchased in advance (click here).

No admission 30 minutes before closing.

No strollers, infants, children under 6, or pets are admitted.

House built by Frank Bodenchak of Edge Real Estate

Loving Long Island NY Facebook Page!

This FB page maintained by the Long Island Convention & Visitors Bureau (LICVB) -the OFFICIAL tourism promotion agency for Long Island, NY. is a wealth of information!  Visit http://www.discoverlongisland.com/ for more information.  I just love being able to find out what's happening on my island, even if I don't have enough time in the day to do it all!  Enjoy!

Almost Heaven, Huntington, New York

Upon a recent visit to one of my favorite Huntington Village restaurants, Prime, my father-in-law stood next to me on the dock, and commented "when I die and go to Heaven, I want to come back here...."  Looking out over the beautiful harbor, filled with sailboats, as the sun set into shades of pink, blue, and gray, I thought, he could not be more right.  Yes, we have our problems, like any other community.  And yes, those problems seem insurmountable at times, but it is a place worth saving, worth keeping, worth staying.  Oh, and by the way, my father-in-law lives year-round in Bermuda.  And, that, I believe is saying a lot for our little town.

Image Courtesy of http://www.restaurantprime.com/.

For more of my favorite Huntington restaurants, check out the DineHuntington FB page!  DH always has the most up to date info on where to dine, as well as all the great news about Huntington's hot spots! Look for Restaurant Week in Huntington, October 10-17. 

Upcoming Events for LI Style

Hampton Designer Show House
July 25 - September 5, 2010, 11AM to 5PM
129 Stoney Hill Road
Sag Harbor, NY
Gala Preview Party
Saturday, July 24

Nantucket Garden Club 55th Annual House & Garden Tour
August 11, 2010, 11 AM - 4:30 PM
Cliff Road - Sherburne Turnpike, Nantucket

HOUSE Magazine
Sept/Oct 2010 Issue
Exciting Article for LI Style in This Upcoming Issue. TBA.

EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival
Presented by Vanity Fair, October 27-October 31st
Walt Disney World, FL

Colonial Williamsburg...Truly Classic

I was recently in heaven.  Colonial Williamsburg to be exact.  Don't laugh! I really believe this is a period of architecture and design that is more often than not, given a bad rap!  I've found people often think of traditional design as lacking in color or creativity, and they couldn't be more wrong in this case.  The homes of Colonial Williamsburg, which have been painstakingly recreated to be extremely accurate to their original state, are awash in brilliant, lush colors and textiles, and long on beautiful millwork, the quality and quantity of which I rarely see in newly built, million dollar homes.  If you've visited, you know the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has worked long and hard to take the historic homes back to how they were originally used and designed in the 1770's, and they've done an amazing job.  As a student of design, it has always fascinated me how certain stereotypes are associated with design of the18th C., the period in which Williamsburg flourished.  The association with drab colors and a look that we tend to think of as boring, antiquated, can I say somewhat dismal, could not be further from the truth. Yes, I realize I am referring primarily to the homes whose owners could well afford to use beautiful shades of green and gold, and lapis as well. And, let's not forget, the most amazing wall and floor coverings I've ever seen replicated.  But, even in those homes of the lowest worker in Colonial Williamsburg, they strove for quality of craftsmanship and a sense of creativity. Well, enough personal commentary.  You get my point, Colonial Williamsburg is a study in how creative and extraordinary design was utilized during the 1770's.  I hope you get to visit one day. Oh, and you know what amazed me the most?  The fact that the wooden blinds with fabric tapes throughout all the homes, including the Governor's Palace, are historically accurate to the period!  I never knew!  (Patents were taken out in England by Gowin Knight in 1760 and Edward Beran on 11 December 1769, but Venetian blinds were known to the French long before then). That is truly a labor of love to have had to make those blinds almost 300 years ago!  And, many of the blinds are stained the most exquisite shades of green and many other unexpected colors! Enjoy!

So Much Talent, So Little Time

I must apologize for my lack of entries these past few months.  I've been overwhelmingly busy with drafting projects and design projects, and well, life in general!  And, as I always say, 'it's all good!'  What I've come to realize over the past few months, while absent from my own blog, is that there is soooo much blogger talent out there, that I am continually finding amazing designers and artists in the most amazing places!  As you can see, I have a list of my favorite blogs.  But, in no way does it include my new favorites I've discovered since creating my original list.  Which is a shame.  I find myself reading my favorites each day and getting re-directed to other, ever more fascinating new blogs that become my 'new' favorites, and my list grows each and every day.  My husband keeps telling me (or is that yelling to me) that I cannot have so many shortcuts on my desktop to all my favorite blogs.  But, they are so informative and so fun.  To see all the talent and creativity out there is truly motivating and enjoyable.  Thanks to all my fellow bloggers for keeping me so distracted and letting me see things that I would never otherwise enjoy or to which I would never be exposed.  Here's to the blogging world and more hours in the day to explore all my favorites!
P.S. My new favorite blogs for this week are At Home In Arkansas and Gramercy Fine Linens & Furnishings. I love the inaugural blog of The Traveling Designer with Tobi Fairley from At Home and the beautiful images from Gramercy make me want to redo every space in my home.  So much fun and who would have thought? Enjoy!