Vintage Scarf Chair

Hi Girlfriends,

Thanksgiving is behind us........but not the leftovers. The flavors just seem to get better and better too.

I was given the Chicago issue of LUXE Magazine, Vol 2 Issue 4 from our Kravet showroom and it shows the following chair done in vintage designer scarves. This chair can be seen at Susan Fellman Showroom, Los Angeles. Very unique concept.

Here is what Luxe has to say about Susan Fellman:

"For as long as she can remember, Los Angeles - based designer Susan Fellman has been collecting vintage desginer scarves. Evolving form a signature accessory to the creation of pllows, the idea has since taken on a life of its own, most recently in the form of her Reserved Seating collection. Each one-of-a-kind chair is engineered to fit three scarves -- which come form such labels as YSL, Channel and Hermes -- and is fitted with tapered Lucite legs."



Susan Fellman says: "In coordinating the scarves, I am playing with patterns, colors, and eras. Putting three scarves together--that's the magic."

It is understandable why Susan's Los Angeles showroom has become a style destination-!!

Talk again,
Denise & Gwen

Candice Olson On INTIMATE GATHERINGS

Hi Girlfriends, "One of North America's most well-known interior designers, Candice Olson, studied interior design at Ryerson University in Toronto. She worked with some of Canada's top interior design firms before opening her own residential and commercial design practice, Candice Olson Design, 1994. In the Fall 2002, she made her television debut with Divine Design, which is now one of the top-rated shows on cable television."

Imagine the "Before" picture being your own home.......as you can see, sparse furnishings make this large combination Living Room and Dining Room unwelcoming.


Candice Olson: "THIS ROOM SHOULD HAVE BEEN PARTY CENTRAL....with generous space for conversation and dining, it easily could accommodate a large crowd. But the sparse furnishings and bland color scheme made it feel cavernous and stark. The goal here is to make this space live up to its potential, to be both grand and intimate.....and personal."

Candice Olson: "To establish intimacy, I started with the shell of the room: Out went the broadloom carpeting, and in its place we installed dark, prefinished hardwood flooring. To shrink the room visually, I chose a metallic-blue striated finish for the walls. Dark floors and dark walls accented by crisp white woodwork successfully evoke a formal look that also feels warm and inviting"

Gwen: I love the color scheme and it introduces a rich mix of chocolate brown, blue, bronze and teal.

Denise: The new fabrics play up the scheme very nicely too-!! From the luxurious bronze draperies at the windows to the two blue upholstered French dining chair with that deep bronze glaze on the wood frames is very refreshing.

Gwen: And, these fabrics repeat themselves on throw pillows in the living room. Plus, the dark oval cocktail table with a stylish pendant fixture hung low over the table draws the eye to the center of the conversational grouping too.




Finished product-!!


Talk again,
Denise and Gwen

BOOK: Candice Olson on design
Photographs by Brandon Barre

Round Tablecloths

Hi Girlfriend,

NO home is ever finally, completely, finished.  The building may be done and the furniture bought, the color schemes set and the draperies hung, but all this is actually background.  The things you search for, discover and collect as long as you live give a home it's heart and its feeling.

What better way to display the pleasures you find in the objects you care for then to display them on a skirted round table. 

Denise: If you want a rich look to your room, remember to add interlining, then a lining.

Gwen:  Keeping this in mind, remember that their is a lot of waste to the fabric upon cutting, but so worth the completed look.

Denise: For a 54" fabric width most round tables will run you 5 to 6 yards.

Gwen: Yes, and if you want a 4" ruffle add extra yardage anywhere from 2 to 3 1/2 yards.

Denise:  Breakdown for  this 4" ruffle added extra yardage:

               Fabric width over 0" to 52" dia. is 2yds

                                               52" to 75" dia. is 2 1/2yds

                                               75" to 90" dia. is 3yds

                                               90" to 105" dia. is 3 1/2yds

Gwen: Now, for corded bottom, it less, but do add: 

               Fabric width over 0" to 52" dia. is 1yd

                                               52" to 90" dia. is 1 1/2yds

                                               90" to 105" dia. is 2yds

                     

      Summer Hill Ltd.

"...soft, rich, and luxurious to the touch." 

Colefax and Fowler

The Best In English Interior Decoration

Chester Jones

pg. 108

A striped round skirted tablecloth w/ square table topper.

A design I repeated have used for many of my clients 

A gathered tablecloth with a glass top makes for an inviting cleaning experience.

After all those legs showing in this room, the round silk tablecloth is pleasing to the eye.

With the right entrance, this quilted material and it's accent of trimming compliments the accented square table topper.

The richness in the interlining and lining is embellished with bottom fringe work so nicely together.

Talk again,

Denise and Gwen

Are living rooms slowly dying?

Hi Girlfriends,

Have you noticed more and more Interior Design books and upscale magazines are showing mostly dining rooms, family rooms, kitchens and bedrooms, but, not living rooms?  Do we need to begin writing an obituary for American living rooms?  O we hope not.  

Living Rooms can be adjusted to any lifestyle, but, they must not be written off in the future. A woman wearing a jeans paired with a white silk blouse are just as welcomed as one standing next to her wearing a Prada dress and pointy shoes.  Both chatting together by a welcome fire sipping a wine.  Living rooms hold heirlooms of our past......from casegoods, to a fine French loveseat, to decorative lamps, a wonderful accent chair, antique rugs to fine oil paintings..and so much more.  Let's not write off Living Rooms yet.  We seem to recall it was dining rooms about 25 years ago, so we believe designers like Cote De Texas, will still have her job of being a fabulous French designer for all concerns.........right down to Gwen and I who love to do homes in our area too.

Take a look at three living rooms that are all from "SPECTACULAR HOMES of Chicago."  This book is "an exclusive showcase of Chicago's finest designers" from a melding of people, culture and design.

Gwen:  From traditional decor, to clean lines of contemporary design, or a mixture of styles, these designers are dedicated to designing spaces that echo their clients and taste.

Denise: True, true, true.  We who live here know that there is a profusion of creativity and this book shows the "beautiful work of the designers" and through breathtaking photography.

Marsha Jones, Marsha Jones Interior Design LTD

Photograph by Jesse Walker

Two matching settees covered in taupe silk with wood accents invite conversation , while bamboo iron mirrors flank the fireplace to add light and depth to the room.

Molly McGinness, Molly McGinnes Interior Design

Photograph by Casey Sills

Molly McGinness infused this room's sunlight, with rich colors, and  custom draperies to accentuate the casually elegant living room's architecture.  The window seat, adorned with luxurious pillows, serves as a focal point while the "beautiful Oriental rug unites the space."

Lastly, 

I gush

 every time I see this designer's work.  

Tracy Hickman. 

Her layering techniques and exquisite application of texture 

reflects her ability

 to meet

 the unique needs of 

her clients.

Tracy Hickman, Hickman Design Associates, LTD

Photograph by Nathan Kirkman

"An antique Aubusson rug was the springboard for this living room.  The buttercream paneled walls highlight the massive chinoisserie secretary.  Silk striped goblet pleated draperies frame views to a parterre garden beyond."

Guess we can all agree..............living rooms aren't dead after all..........they are just going through an adjustment phase.

Talk again,

Denise & Gwen

Renovation Inspirations from Pros

Hi Girlfriends,

Did you know that both designers and architects seek websites for renovation inspirations for information, specs and shopping?

Cheryl Katz, designer

"I love hivemodern.com, which is a great siter classical modern, and I use eboniste.com for lighting.  Generally, I use the Web to order things from lines I have already seen in person, so there's no question about quality."

_____________________

Eric Cohler, designer

"1stdibs.com is the one resource that links us to almost every reputable antiques dealer in the trade.  We can do our research online and see the piece right there, and we can send the link to our clients, so that they can view the piece as well."

___________________________

John O'Connor, architect

"Inhabitat.com is about forward-thinking, sustainable design.  It promotes the substance behind the stylistic aspects of modern design."

_______________________________________

Darryl Carter, designer

" Rejunvenation.com is a fantastic website.  They carry antique lighting as well as reproductions, and on theor website, you can pick a fixture and move a different globe or shade or hurrican onto it, so you are basically designing your own fixture.  I also rely on homeannex.com.  they sell everything under the sun from plumbing fixtures and fittings to door hardware,.  Because a website can show you how something looks but not how it feels.  I often order just one faucet or fixture as a sample when I'm shopping online--especially if there is a reshelving fee on returns."

________________________________________

Jamie Drake, designer

"One of my favorite sites now is flavorleague.com, site of Flavor wallpaper company, which has the pop-psychedelic papers we love to use, with custom capability and the whole swinging '70's vibe."

______________________________

Denise: Eve Robins, designer finds "one-stop shopping" at waterworks.com for bathroom renovation and erbutler.com for amazing hardware and door handles.

Gwen:  If you are planning a kitchen, Jordan Goldstein uses ikea.com.  Just drag and drop the different units into your layouts.  The really great feature is you can see things in 3-D-!!"

Denise: Here's another fabulous site the David Jameson, architect, speaks highly about if you are interested in "how materials that have been designed for one use can be rethought for other uses.  Materialconnection.com. shows products that were designed for the space shuttle......that can be used in home building and renovation." 

Gwen:  Finally, I would like to include a site Lisa Piper Gilbert, architect relies on......for all those into the field of green building, buildinggreen.com.

____________________________

 Information taken from Met Home September 2006

Talk again,

Denise & Gwen

ELEGANT HOMES Window Treatments #2

Hi Girlfriends,  

This is a test..........for it is my first attempt to try Adobe Elements in scanning a magazine photo, instead of scanning to Printmaster and uploading from there.  I am on a MAC and learning all the time.  

One EXTREMELY  helpful websites for 101 learning to blog, has been All Things Bright And Beautiful.  I highly recommend this website for learning the in's and out's from this A+ mentorship blogging.  If I feel this 'test' is what I am seeking, expect all my photos to be clearer in the future.

Elegant Homes

Fall/Winter 2008

Designers Jean Turcotte and Louis Pepin

Montreal

"Hospitality begins at the entry, where red Italian marble flooring glistens in the sunshine and red, pink, and gold striped silk-and-velvet draperies puddle theatrically a the base of golden pedestals with red antique vases."

Talk again,

Denise 

ELEGANT HOMES Window Treatments

Hi Girlfriends,

WE're baaaaaaaaack-!!  Vacations are wonderful distractions from day to day life of home, but.......there's no place like home.  Settling back into a routine is even welcoming.  One pleasure is pouring through all the newly arrived decorator magazines.  

This August edition of Elegant Homes,  I am excited about some creative methods on saving cost on rods, brackets and finials, but still have beautiful window treatments.  All three window treatments featured have the same concept from  the prestigious Pink Ribbon show house (built to raises money for breast cancer awareness and research at the Baylor College of Medicine) Houston, TX.  to Lexington, MA.  

If you have difficulty seeing how resourceful these interior designers were, please, pick up Elegant Homes the next time you are at your local Borders

Interior Designer, Tricia Dobson, decided upon "panels hung simply on iron backets.....thus, preventing a heavy look."  Still, it oozes all the charm and elegance of a traditional living room.

Interior Designer, Edwina Alexis, used decorative drapery tacks to hold flowing silk draperies...... which gives a hint of drama to this small intimate library area.  By using ivory fabric for this treatment,  the room remains quiet for reading, sipping wine or a game of chess.

The kitchen curtain, by designer Betsy Speert, was hung with decorative black ceiling hooks which can be purchased at any hardware store like a ma & pa, Home Depot or Lowes.  I really like this idea for its light and airy effect and without the hassle of cumbersome hardware in such a small area.

Talk again,

Denise & Gwen

discountdesignerfabricsonline.com

A CLASSIC TRASH TREASURE

Simplicity Sewing Book, 1957

Hi Girlfriends,

A client asked me to drive by a house she and family had just put a bid on............What luck-!!  There on the parkway was the current owners "Trash".  

When I spotted this "Simplicity Sewing Book" 1957, I had to have it.........and hoped no one knew me--as I went into my "Trash Picking" mode.

This cover speaks volumns of a classic look:  

From the hair style, to the circle pin, to the gold charm bracelet, 

big gold earrings and painted nails.  

So, what's new?

Talk again,

Denise and Gwen

Jackie O's Dining Room

Hi Girlfriends,

The following is what both Caroline and John Kennedy wrote in the Sotheby's, " The Estate of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis" catalog, April 1996.

"In deciding what to do with our mother's possessions, we were guided first and foremost by her deep knowledge and love of history.  She was proud to have played a part in the history of our country, and in accordance with her wishes, we have given objects and documents which help chronicle the Kennedy Administration and her role as First Lady to the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation which will make them available to the public.

Beyond that, our mother believed in individuals more than in institutions.  She was able to evoke the lives and people of other times and places, describing to us the ancient pharaohs, court society at Versailles, or life on a Nantucket whaling ship so vividly that we felt we had visited these wondrous places.  For our mother, history came alive through objects and paintings, as well as books.  Because the things she collected link her with history, and because she cared about them, they represent more than just a record of her life and travels.  As they go out into the world, we hope that they bring with them not only their own beauty and spirit, but some of hers as well."

"Caroline Kennedy                                                                                                         John Kennedy"

The Dining Room of

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis'

New York City Apartment

Item # 332

"A Set of Four Louis XVI Style 

- Grey and Blue -

Painted

Fauteuils en Cabriolet

"Each with a molded oval upholstered

backrest, the padded armrests, raised

on voluted supports, the bow-fronted

seat raised on circular tapered, fluted legs."

 The Red Room 

and one of four state reception rooms 

in the White House

 Jackie restored this room and loaned her own 

pair of French obelisks.

Item # 323

"A Pair of Louis XVI Ormolu Mounted 

Black and White Marble Obelisks

last Quarter 18th Century"

History note:

Surprisingly, or maybe not, at the time of Jackie "O's" estate sell, Sotheby's did not have a ".com" account in 1996-!!  Think of it, 12 years ago..............no internet for many, many, many.

Talk again,

Denise and Gwen

Designing Window Treatments With Shades

Blinds and Shades, Southern Accents, by Garrett Lane
Photography by Tria Giovan

Hi Girlfriends,

Our motto:

A room is never complete without window treatments.


IN THIS PHOTO, windows are decorated in yards of beautiful olive-brown chenille created by Stanley Ellis, Atlanta, and finished off with more yards of tassels. Alone, this treatment makes a statement in any bay window. But, when it comes to privacy, the added blinds give this look preference and practicality. Why? Because they provide light control, helps with the room proportions and screens out unwanted views.

Two of the best companies to keep in mind when you decide to buy shades made out of natural green materials; reeds, bamboo, rattan and grasses are:
high-end, high-end, high-end
Conrad Shades
and
more affordable
Hunter Douglas
Provenance line.

Architectural Digest

I love the light and graceful window treatment done for this room.
I am sure hidden under is a shade for privacy.

Talk again,
Denise and Gwen

Window Treatments by Dorothy Draper

Hi Girlfriends,

I am back with a few more of my own photos taken during one of our stays at 

The Greenbrier Resort, W. Va.

It was at The Greenbier that I first began taking photos of window treatments.  

Since then, I take photos of window treatments wherever I stay.

Dorothy Draper's talent extended beyond the raising of ceiling, large doorways and rococo scrolls.  Her drapery treatments are different in every room at The Greenbrier Resort.  This room is off the lawn croquet course and has had only one "add-on" since Draper designed it.

Draper just knew how to add the finish touches....discreetly.

This portrait needs no introduction.....grace always adorn this room......before this only

 added feature......when Princess Grace and her family visited the resort......

long after Draper did the room.

I feel like Dorothy Draper was thinking of Scarlet when she designed this window treatment.

The Greenbrier Resort

Dorothy Draper loved big scale.  Visually, nothing speaks more truth,  than my "GQ" husband, 6'3", posing in one of the resort's doorways.... leading off from an open porch (with his Davidoff cigar and Brandy........yes, a more recent photo taken while attending a Holland & Holland Sporting Clays Event).  Note how the window panes curve upwards to enhance the height even more.

Talk again,

Denise

discountdesignerfabricsonline.com

  

Where is Dorothy Draper?

Girlfriends,

Nothing speaks more of who Dorothy Draper was than 

The Greenbrier Resort, W. VA.  

Men may come here for

 golf, golf, golf, 

but, 

ladies get to experience 

the ambiance of

Dorothy Draper.......'

 interior designer whose ideas bloom like 

the true 

Southern hospitality

experience 

throughout one's stay.  

Forget Minimalism.  

Draper favored exuberant colors and bold patterns.  Even today (Schumacher has kept all of Draper's fabric designs specifically for The Greenbrier), with her eye-popping colors, oversize prints, and her touch for flamboyance still flourishes from draperies, walls, furnishings, floors and rococo scrollwork.  Draper defined The Greenbrier with sophistication.  Her designs also include slipcovers, house plants and black and white marble floors.

What is so adorable to watch are the little Greenbrier camp guests 

 following their camp leader 

who is telling them not to step on the huge 24 " x  24" white tiles.  

Oooooh, their little legs can't help

 but

 touch those huge white marble squares 

no matter how hard they try to avoid them.

These photos I took before the Internet was created-!!  Each time I return, I never need to take photos of these rooms, because nothing has change since 

Dorothy Draper decorating days.

I will feature more of Dorothy Draper at The Greenbrier, once I figure out from my 

unbeknown blog-mentor,

All Things Bright And Beautiful

how to move and place pictures where 

Denise want them to go. 

Talk again, 

Denise 

discountdesignerfabricsonline.com

                        

                                              

                      

Jackie O's Living Room

The Living Room of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

New York City apartment

Hi Girlfriends,

Back in '96, I bought a birthday present for myself in March.  Do you ever do that?  I called Sotheby's in New York and requested a catalog from "THE ESTATE OF JACQUELINE KENNEDY ONASSIS".  The auction sale was to take place on April 23 - 26 1996.  Upon opening the catalog, it gave me the opportunity to--instantly--feel like a "guest" in her New York City apartment. The above photo is one of my favorites.  Sorry for the poor quality of scanning, but, what I loved the most and have 'copied' every year, is the hydrangea arrangement to the right of her mantle.  

Right now, I have my white hydrangea in full bloom.  Once they begin to turn a tinge of green, I know it's time to cut.  I learned a trick along the way.  Forget turning them upside down and hanging them to dry.  If you do, you get the ones touching each other distorted in shape.  I simply cut them long, put dry oasis in the bottom of a vase and begin stuffing them while they are still fresh.  They keep their shape (most importantly) and as they begin to dry their coloring begins to look fabulous too.  At Thanksgiving time, I put pheasant feathers in the arrangement.......carefully.  At Christmas, I add glizzzzzzzzz to them out of Michael's craft store.

Talk again,

Denise 

Prairie Style Oasis In The Sky

Hi Girlfriends,

Summertime
in
Chicago
is
escapable
with the lucky ones
sitting pretty......high above it all.....
on this 1/2 A. roof top garden.

This getaway
is
on the trendy
Chicago's
Magnificent Mile,
900 N. Michigan Ave.

A real winner-!!




Designed by Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects
Archetype chaise lounge chairs
Designed by Michael Vanderbyl for McGuire
CS Interiors by Thomas Connors
August 2008


TALK AGAIN,
Denise and Gwen
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A SUMMER GARDEN DINNER

Tracy Hickman

hickman design associates, Ltd.

Spectacular Homes of Chicago

Photograph by Nathan Kirkman

Hi Girlfriends,

I LOVE THIS-!!

What a fabulous concept...

"An outdoor 

dining area

contained

within a

walled garden

in

Adrian, Michigan

illustrates

how 

important

a 

common

vocabulary

becomes between

the architect,

landscaper

and

interior designer."

Dinner for 10

@

8P

Enjoy.

Talk again,

Denise

Vanity Flair Plays Out...........

Girlfriends,  I love this funky painted and decal vanity paired with an antique pink vanity chair.... it's captivating and charming  for any little girl  

I thought I would share with you one of my own painting projects I did--while a humble addition was being added on last winter.  This alcove is an "Invitation-waiting-to-happen" for 4 little girls when they come to visit.  The girls love to open the drawers in hopes of finding glizzie new jewels........I find at my neighborhood Garage Sales.

The vanity was purchased at Past Basket about 10 years ago.  The chair was family from the late 1920's from, no-longer, Marshall Field & Co., Chicago.  The vanity mirror w/drawer was found in an antique shop in WI.  The decals on the legs and around the mirror were purchased from Michael's and the knobs are from Pottery Barn For Kids.  The really funky part came into play when I stapled-gunned the crystal beads that hang from

dresser and chair.

This was a fun project. A project that can be used over and over with each visit.

Talk again,

Denise

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