Best New Yorker Blog Ever

Here's something a little off the beaten path, but this morning I found a blog that almost meets all my criteria for best blog ever! If only Jeremiah posted something design related, architectural or interior, it would be perfect. Jeremiah's Vanishing New York, A.K.A The Book Of Lamentations: A Bitterly Nostalgic Look at a City Going Extinct is my perfect wake up blog when I need a good New Yorker laugh or gasp in amazement that he actually posted that! Not only does he post "Everyday Chatter" as it relates to NY, but his "Random Quote from Overheard in New York" is usually priceless. And, for anyone who has watched the charm that is so uniquely New York being sucked out of certain areas that should be left alone, look to Jeremiah's "Vanishing Glossary" to help you define exactly that feeling in your gut when you see another condo going up or a city becoming 'vongerichtified' by a swarm of 'yunnies.' Jeremiah is also a talented photographer who has captured some truly uniques images of New York and its equally unique inhabitants! Note: I've posted his more milder images. Enjoy!

Love "Pure Style Home" and Grisaille!

I was getting ready to do a post on grisaille, or monochromatic paintings, when I came across a new blog that I have fallen in love with! Lauren Liess, the author, is based out of my hometown, the Washington, DC/NOVA area and I love her style! Her blog is full of fun, beautiful things and her style, which she summarizes, is one I totally agree with as well. Lauren says; "My design philosphy, "pure style," is based on keeping things simple, beautiful & fun. Everyone has his or her own personal style & I believe our homes should embody us. The best way to do this is to clear out all the unnecessaries. Keep & seek only what you love, and your home will truly be yours." I totally agree. Lauren, as do so many designers now a days, also offers online design consultations through her firm Pure Style Interiors! Check it out! http://purestylehome.blogspot.com/. And, last but not least, if you want to know who did Martha Stewart's grisaille mural in the entryway of her former home (Turkey Hill in CT.), I did a little digging and found Eric Beare; http://www.ebeare.com/murals.php?img=0&ti=0. Oh, yes, to have Eric come out from Brooklyn and create one of his masterpieces in my entryway would be a dream! A few images from Eric's website highlighting his immense and varied talents. Enjoy!

To Murano or Not To Murano...

That is the question. I love Murano styled chandeliers, but wonder just how large a space you really need to incorporate one of the oversized pieces that I really love and not have it look ridiculous. When I say 'oversized,' I mean the really big pieces such as the image above with 18 lights and magnificence galore! This murano styled chandelier is H70" x D51" from Mediterraneo Lighting. While I do have the much smaller 5-light version of this exact chandelier in my library and love it, and my entryway is a 2-story foyer, I have a hard time imagining how this would look in my space. Cleaning this bad boy, motor or no motor, has got to be killer as well! Another beautiful website featuring Murano styled light fixtures is muranochandeliers.com and these craftsman advertise getting rid of the middleman by selling direct from Venice and have amazing pieces of art on display with their images. I love this one below and what a bargain for the amount of workmanship that goes into something like this! Also, regarding my earlier question about size and scale, Giuseppe from Murano Chandeliers is kind enough to offer this advice, "A venetian glass chandelier has to be the most decorative element in your room; it will be noticed, appreciated and admired by your guests, so please do not put a small chandelier in a big room or a long one on a low ceiling, 80 inches from the floor to the end of the chandelier will be ok, but if the chandelier is placed over a table, this space can be reduced. About width, to have an idea of how large your chandelier has to be, this formula is the right one: In a square room: One wall (cm.) : 6 = Width of the chandelier(cm.) or In a square room: One wall(feet) x 2.2 = Width of the chandelier(inches). If the place is rectangular, consider these formulas for the shorter wall, but if one wall is the double size of the other wall, we suggest to use two identical chandeliers. About the number of lights, let's consider first the fact that on our chandeliers you can fit bulbs from 15 to 60 watts of power, so also with 5 or 6 lights you can have a very bright place, on bigger chandeliers a good idea will be to install a double switch or a dimmer. If you are still not sure, please contact Giuseppe at :giuseppe.ber@virgilio.it." Perfect, now let's see if I can find space for my ideal Murano chandelier! Enjoy the many images below from Murano Chandeliers.com. While your looking, and some of you laughing aloud, just think 'Cinderella's castle' or better yet; an uber-chic condo in Dubai!

Love those Silk Flowers?!

We've all heard of Diane James, NDI and scores of other wonderful faux floral designers, but one that is new to me (courtesy of Verdigrisvie.blogspot.com) is Sophie Dahy Designs. Yes, I know the words 'silk flowers' conjures up images of older ladies and an overabundance of chintz to some people, or dust to people like myself, but these designs are making me rethink my whole dust phobia issue. What immediately strikes me about Jeanne Hyatt's and Linda Raulston's designs are their unique vases. They have found some beautiful crystal, china and whimsical vases that make their arrangements truly stand out. They have also specialized in finding "classic blue and white china containers."
As their website states, "our search for the perfect container soon became a passion. We think we've been very successful in finding wonderful containers for our faux flowers, since our clients love the various types of pottery and other containers we provide." I love this holiday roses design using a William Yeoward inspired cut crystal vase. The roses are so creamy, I just want to rub the petals to feel the soft texture! How perfect would this be on a sideboard or foyer table with tons of mercury glass and other colored crystal? Lucious! Visit Sophie Dahy's website and enjoy!

School is Cool, but Wow!

I had no idea how hard it would be to return to the classroom as a student of interior design. Reading, vocabulary, mid-terms, projects! The mere technicalities of color that I had no idea existed! Whew, to say the least. While our class numbers have dropped from roughly 24, down to 10, the payoff has been tremendous. To say that I have learned an enormous amount in 9 weeks is putting it lightly. We are lucky to have an amazing professor from FIT in NYC, Susan Slotkis (her book image at top) who is on the board of the ASID, IDEC and other interior design organizations and brings with her other life experiences invaluable in the classroom. I am already looking foward to next semester and cultivating all the many friendships and acquaintances that I have made on my trips to Stark, Duralee and other fun places I've been this semester! Seven more weeks left and then part II next semester. :)

Here's to Another Great Designers' Showcase

La Selva - Upper Brookville, Long Island; October 3 thru November 15th. This showcase promises to be very exciting as over 35 designers take to La Selva; a forty (40) room private mansion not open to the public on a regular basis. This home is set on its original 24 acres, which were landscaped by the Olmstead Bros. firm and was originally intended to serve as a family 'country home.' It has amazing architectural features, to say the least, and the fact that it still sits on its original land without having been subdivided makes it all the worth while to visit.
La Selva is a 1915 Italian Renaissance-style mansion of 15,000 square feet with a domed three-story rotunda, a loggia, a winding staircase, a library, two dining rooms, seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms. There is also a three-bedroom cottage and a walled carriage house with six bedrooms, a workshop and a heated garage or space for five stables on the grounds.
It has passed through several owners since being built and was once used by the Roman Catholic Church as the St. Francis Retreat House, as well as having the distinction of being the former home of Computer Associates CEO Sanjay Kumar who was found guilty of and jailed in 2007 for securities fraud and ordered to repay $798 million dollars in restitution to shareholders.
As always, this Mansions & Millionaires® showcase benefits an organization, and in this case, it is The Mentoring Partnership of Long Island.
La Selva is located at 187 Oyster Bay Road, Mill Neck, Long Island. Tickets are $30 at the door. For more info. call 1.516.624.2300. The home is also listed for sale by Daniel Gale/Sotheby's.

Update 11/5/09: Well, I've now been twice to visit La Selva, translation; the woods; and how truly amazing, shall I say glorious this place is!!!! My first visit was for pure pleasure, my second visit for studying all those intricacies I missed the first time in my absolute awe. Not only were the designer rooms of such a quality and consistency that I've never seen before in a show house, but the home and the grounds themselves were so amazing, I cannot describe them to you other than to say, if you cannot get here before the 15th of November, you are missing out on something so special. Walk the grounds if you can on a beautiful Fall day, and pay attention to the small details of the home, such as the lighting that the architect had the foresight to install in the dining hall, the built-in scales in the bathrooms and the heating grates in the ballroom! Some of the garden artifacts are reported to be from the first century AD.  Hopefully, Sotheby's will be able to sell the home and grounds to someone who will keep them intact and gently restore La Selva to its previous and existing glory.  I've attached a few of the pictures that I captured on my Blackberry, so I apologize for the blurriness and not so great quality.  But, they are still so great to look at and enjoy!