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Thursday, April 30, 2009
Junior League House Tour
If you need anything to do this weekend while it's raining, you can check out the New York Junior League House Tour on Saturday, May 2nd. Where else would you get the chance to snoop inside the homes of New York's chicest residents including interior designer Sara Story (above), antique dealer Todd Merrill, artist Hunt Slonem, and architect and designer Campion Platt among others. The tour is self guided so you can take your time and enjoy this glimpse into how the other half lives. Just make sure you wipe your feet at the door! Oh, and no peeking into the medicine cabinets!Announcing Harry Heissmann, Inc.
You know times are tough when even the top design firms are having problems. But everything happens for a reason and in the case of interior designer Harry Heissmann, it has led to the creation of Harry Heissmann, Inc. Harry is a beloved designer in New York who has spent the last nine years working for Albert Hadley, Inc. but soon he will be going to work in his own office! One that he has already started to mentally redecorate. 
His website isn't finished yet but you can get a sense of his personal style in the apartment he shares with his partner, Mark King, that was featured a year ago in New York magazine. Oh, and since Mark works for Mrs. John L. Strong, Harry's going to have the chicest business cards in the design world! The style of his home is just as fun and fresh as his mentor. One of Harry's favorite possessions is his Jeremiah Goodman drawing of his living room at night (below).
I am excited for Harry to embark on this new phase of his life because I know he is going to enjoy it, even if it does seem a little scary. As I told a friend, sometimes the baby bird has to be pushed out of the nest before they think they are ready to fly on their own. But I have no doubt that Harry is going to be flying high very soon! Blue and White
The design world converged on John Rosselli Antiques last night to celebrate BeeLine Home by Bunny Williams. (In case there is someone who doesn't know, John and Bunny are married.) You know it's going to be a good party when Presidential interior designer Michael Smith walks in! I heard he was touring the Kips Bay Decorator Show House earlier in the day too! Also on hand were textile designers John Robshaw and Carolina Irving. I even got to see what interior designer James Andrew was wearing in person and soon you'll be able to see it online. 
The best part of the evening was chatting with John Rosselli himself. My friend Megan commented on his wife's wonderful new line of furniture and he said that they have been in business for over 50 years so you have to reinvent yourself. He also mentioned that the limited edition collection looks fresh and new compared to some of what is on the market. I told him how much I loved all the blue and white porcelain in the shop and he said, "I was working with Babe Paley once" when he stopped and asked us, "do you know who Babe Paley is?" We nodded and replied that we did. He continued, "well, I was working with Babe Paley and I was showing her some porcelain and she says, 'you know John, you can never be too rich or too thin or have too much blue and white porcelain!'" I don't know which I loved more, the story itself or the twinkle in his eye as he told it! Great moments don't get much better than that!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
2009 Kips Bay Show House Designer: Bunny Williams
Since I started my Kips Bay Decorator Show House coverage with a photo of the beautiful room designed by Bunny Williams, I thought it would be fitting if I ended with her as well. Most designers have to borrow all the furniture for their rooms so it was lucky for Bunny that she could borrow from her own BeeLine Home collection of furniture and accessories. Each piece was inspired by something that Bunny either owned or wished to own and produced in limited editions. She's also debuting more products tonight at a little soiree!
Bunny also worked for Albert Hadley for whom this year's show house was dedicated and she was one of the only designers to make reference to the legendary designer. There were literal references such as the drawings on the mantle and "Don't Forget" notepads as well as a red egg chair and star motif on the rug. Bunny said she was thrilled to create a room that honored her friend and mentor!
What I loved was that the room was broken up with an area for seating around the fireplace and a dining area with large table. All of which worked together perfectly. 
Everything is a BeeLine piece in this photo but they all work perfectly together. The Bottoms-Up Drinks Table was my personal favorite and one that I might have to buy for myself!
This room was also a perfect breath of fresh air for spring. The walls were a pale blue and there were not only real flowers and plants but also large botanicals on the walls. 
The orange chairs also looked great against the blue walls! The Turquoise Glazed Ceramic Lamp is a bargain at $500 retail too! 
This reminds me that I need to create a little bar area in my own apartment!
Everywhere you look, there is something beautiful and interesting!
I loved all the vintage looking art. Bunny even thought to create a little area with trays for her press materials that is very chic!
This room has everything including a flat screen television tucked into the bookcase!
This concludes our coverage of the 2009 Kips Bay Decorator Show House! I hope you enjoyed this peek into just some of the 32 rooms. I want to thank everyone who helped to put it all together and all the designers who took the time to speak with me. It was such a pleasure attending and meeting them all! I hope that more of you will make an effort to visit this beautiful home that benefits the Kips Bay Girls and Boys Club! 2009 Kips Bay Show House: English Basement
By the time I got down to the English Basement at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House, I was exhausted but I'm glad I didn't skip it. There are some great rooms down there! The kitchen that was designed by St. Charles of New York, is directly under Juan Montoya's room and is the same size. As you can imagine, most New York kitchens are pretty small so to have this much room would be amazing. It's actually almost too big! I'm not sure if you can tell in these photos but the cabinetry is a beautiful pale blue. The kitchen island also opens to reveal seating.
For a basement room, the kitchen was light and airy. Which probably has something to do with the outdoor area beyond. According to Karen Williams and Robert Schwartz of St. Charles the "goal was to design a fluid space with four multi-tasking lifestyle vignettes - a continuous breakfast bar featuring concealed appliance center, a cooking hearth, a 12-foot kitchen island that cleverly converts to a banquet for extra seating, and a designated wine area complete with fireplace and tasting table."
"The spectacular architecture of the mansion's limestone exteriors is echoed in the kitchen's cooking hearth and fireplace elevations, as well as the large floor-to-ceiling tiles."
My favorite area was the breakfast bar where you can conceal the appliances when they are not in use. There was also a large pull out drawer for cereal in special containers!
While you are waiting for something to cook or bake, you could go out and enjoy the greenery created by Plant Specialists including the huge palm trees!
As any New Yorker what they dream about and one of them would be a washer and dryer in their apartment! Of course, a house as large as the show house would require multiple laundry rooms but I'd gladly settle for one! It even includes the Kelly Ripa and Electrolux new limited edition 'kelly green' energy-saving washer and dryer.
Now, before you start leaving nasty comments about this final basement safe room designed by William T. Georgis, let me explain that it falls in the "fantasy room" category. A safe room could never contain a fireplace or windows or would ever look this chic! William T. Georgis designed the Safe Room as a "safe haven in a time of potential global wars, economic meltdown, ecological devastation, paranoia, and questionable human behavior."
" The room contains a combination of art, furniture and weapons. George Condo's Jesus on the Cross, a 19th-century Danish Eqyptian revival chaise, and Richard Dupont's haunting sculpture of distorted figures, Untitled (Lever House Study), animate a lair upholstered in gray ultrasuede, lined with weapons, and stocked with survival supplies. An Empire bureau plat allows for writing, while the surveillance camera and stainless steel commode provide comfort and accommodate relief. The disco ball spins to the endless party tracks." If you have to been cooped up in a safe room, you might as well be comfy and cozy!
William T. Georgis's partner, Richard Marshall, is the art advisor to art collector and real estate titan Aby Rosen who owns this building and generously donated it's use as the show house. Aby Rosen also owns Lever House where artist Richard Dupont recently showed his work. And his sister-in-law Serena Boardman works for Sotheby's International Real Estate and working on the sale of the $75 Million townhouse. Any takers? 
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Pardon me while I lean out the window and cut some flowers!
I was trying to work on my last two Kips Bay Decorator Show House posts but quite frankly, I'm too tired to finish them. But I know how much everyone loves opening their Habitually Chic email in the morning so I am leaving you with this amazing townhouse that I walked by today. The beautiful floral smell was wafting down the street and I was in awe that they were climbing up to the roof! I have never seen anything like it! At first I thought they were lilacs but further research has led me to think that it's wisteria. I definitely think I will picking up a bouquet of flowers for my apartment tomorrow. Albeit on a much smaller scale! Enjoy!
Stunning Pieces of Art
These pieces are truly stunning! So creative and unique...
Please view BellaJoy Pottery's entire collection here!
It's Systematic; It's Automatic; It's Fordomatic!!!
1956 Ford Truck 5x7 Print
How great is this photo? I love it...
How great is this photo? I love it...Monday, April 27, 2009
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