Today I am Loving...Porter Chairs

One earthly possession that I have yet to get is a Porter chair.  And I want one...who wouldn't?

Kelly Wearstler's Porter Chairs in Bergdorf Goodman's Restaurant Via

Back in the 16th century Europe, Porter chairs used to serve a real purpose. They were originally made for well-to-do families' hall porters, who were the gatekeepers of the home. The porter would admit or refuse a visitor to the home.  The porters would stay in their chairs throughout the day and evening (some even took their meals and slept in the chairs).  Some of these chairs were equipped with drawers underneath - where supplies or even hot coals could be kept.  These chairs were usually in cold entrance halls, so the shape of the chair also kept the cold drafts at bay.

The chairs evolved over the years...

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This one is not as beautiful as Kelly Wearstler's Porter chairs, but this one is from 1827 and it's in the Bank of England's Museum. 

From Christie's Auction House, London

This chair from Christie's auction House fetched over $4200

1950s version of the Porter Chair.  From 1st Dibs

A 1960s Porter Chair for sale at Cannery Exchange for $2500

Furniture designers will always change the shape and alter the material used...

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They will even make one for your pooch...

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But this all just serves to keep the Porter Chair alive...& well in today's interiors!

Kelly Wearstler Via

The shape and the style of the Porter Chair is still so beautiful.  I just love them.  How do you feel about it?

Using Art as a Starting Point for Choosing a Color Palette for Your Rooms

I love to use artwork to inform a color scheme in rooms that I am working on. Artists use and combine colors in such unique and beautiful ways...so it's virtually foolproof letting a great piece of art be your guide to a beautiful color plan. 

Artist, Kathe Frage Via

This beautiful piece, available on canvas or paper, is very modestly priced and it can be the inspiration for a sweet room.  You could frame it in a faded gold - or a cream frame. I then might do a wainscoting and trim in Benjamin Moore's White Opulence (Classic Colors, 879) because it's a warm white that has a little touch of pink in it. Then for the wall color above it, I would think about Benjamin Moore's Love and Happiness (1191).  For a little extra texture, I might do a vertical stried finish on the wall with a creamy pink glaze. For the ceiling - I'd mix the two colors together to get a barely there pale pink - just for a blush color overhead.

Benjamin Moore's Love and Happiness (1191)

For a little girl's bedroom, I'd add a colorful floral, like Quadrille's Henriot Floral as an upholstered headboard. I'm partial to the name "Henriot" because it's the name most closely associated with Quimper pottery (which is such a favorite of mine).  

Quadrille's Henriot Floral in Pinks on Ecru

I'd add a cream or ecru duvet cover (that would match the background of the headboard).  I add a red and cream polka dot for the dust ruffle and for a pillow or two. Duralee offers this fabric - but I'm sure that this would be fairly easy to source less expensively.

Red and cream polka dots for the dust ruffle and a pillow or two.

Some extra pillows for the bed could be...

Robert Allen's Flower Prints in Poppy



A pink velevet - Kravet's Versailles



Robert Allen's Zinging Along in Poppy

I might do the Versailles pink velvet, edged with the Quadrille Henriot fabric as a throw at the bottom of the bed.

Window treatments: I could also see the red polka dot fabric as a Roman shade - with the Quadrille Henriot fabric as the draperies.

Carpet:  I would love to see something that's easy care - maybe a slight shag in a pink or slightly darker to help ground it.

Additional art could be something like these decals from Surface Inspired on Etsy. You can order them in just about any color.

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Just Another Idea for a Little Girl's Room:  I would do a vertical stripe with the Love and Happiness color and White Opulence by Benjamin Moore.  We did a pink and cream stripe in a little girl's room that came out so beautiful. My client and I (and her mom) went to the Kips Bay Showhouse in New York City several years ago - and my client went nuts over this room designed by Bograd Kids.  She wanted something similar for her little girl in their new home that they were renovating.



Inspiration Room



She so loved the Showhouse space that as soon as the room was ready, we were in there painting...stripes! A lot of them - it was a very big room!

We also revamped all of the furniture in the room (that was in the family for over 60 years) by painting it a soft cream and antiquing it. 

If you would love to have a Showhouse-inspired room in your home, give me a call at 631 793-1315

Carolyn Quartermaine's Fabric Collection and How to Get These Looks for Less

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“Color is fundamental, it’s beautiful.

It enriches our lives.” - Carolyn Quartermaine

I have been head-over-heels in love with French Script fabrics for ages - ever since I saw this type of fabric on a French chair in a design magazine many years ago.  It was Carolyn Quartermaine's fabric - love at first sight. It's not just the French aspect - it's her use of color and pattern with the script that is so engaging.  Her clear, beautiful hues make whatever they are covering the star of the room. The script also lends a textural quality to the fabrics. 

I was probably drawn to her fabrics because I see "artist" written all over her work (pardon the pun).  In fact, she is an artist and she started out using 17th century French calligraphy, that she found and was attracted to, in her artwork that she exhibited in galleries.  You can read a great interview with her on Haute Home

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Above you'll see her "Flowers" collection.  It's feminine, colorful and romantic - it makes me want to start on my Master Bedroom right away.  We can all use a little extra romance in our lives, right?

How can you bring this feeling into your home - without the large pricetag?

While there's nothing like the real thing, you can bring the feeling of her fabrics into your home without spending an arm and a leg.  I've purchased several pillows and chairs with some lovely French Script fabric at HomeGoods and other discount stores.  So, be on the lookout.  You can score some beautiful finds without breaking the bank.

I used these French Script chairs I found in Home Goods recently in a home in Belle Terre NY

I've seen some great pillows with French Script in the Ballard catalogue - and they also sell the fabric there as well.  It's a bit pricey - but I did find a less expensive version (I think it's $19.98 per yard) at Lewis & Sheron fabrics.  A big Thank You to Joni Webb of Cote de Texas for introducing me to this store. 

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Put this beautiful, but more budget-friendly fabric, on a painted chair or splash it on your dining room table - with a vase of red roses, antique candlesticks and set the table with gold chargers and colorful dinnerware - and you'll have the recipe for a colorful room...for less.

Let me know if you have used any French Script fabrics in your home. Would love to see your photos. If you would like some help in getting this look, call me at 631 793-1315. 

Live your best "Colorful Life!"

Mood Boards and How They Help You Learn Your Style and Your Loves in Life

This is a mood board that I made to help me figure out some of my passions in life...

& some topics that I'd like to cover on this blog. 

I made a list of my top 10 passions...

1) Love is number one - hence the heart and the word "love" on the small tin cover that I've had for many years that my husband gave me.

2) I love beautiful and colorful fabrics, trims, tassels - so they would naturally play a role in this mood board.

3) Nature is a big part of my life, so I included the seed packet, sand dollar, coral fan (you can see a little bit of it in the right side of the board), the dried lavender and hydrangea.

4) I adore Paris - and just about anything French.

5) I love a little "bling" in my life - hence the glitter on the heart and the Fleur de Lis.  Oh...that's bling and French!

6) I made those little ornaments - so my love of craft is represented also.

7) Texture plays a big role in my life - the backdrop of the right side of the board is a multi-layered texture that I created with a metallic plaster.

8) I love to paint and antique furniture, so images of these needed to be here. You can also see my love of texture in the antiqued furniture on the right side - plus the antiqued blue cabinet face has great texture and color to it.

9) The colored pencils are there to remind me to sketch more often because it relaxes me and it helps me to be more creative. They also represent my love of color.

10) Finally, the paint swatches are two of my favorite colors - green and blue.

I know that I could have kept (and soon will be!) adding to this...but keeping it simple helps me to zero in on the things that are most important to me that I want to cover in this blog.

Use Mood Boards to Help Your Put a Room Together. Creating a mood board is a great exercise to do also when you are creating a design plan for a room.  On a board (or in this case - on a file folder) you can  gather your fabrics, wall and trim color, carpet swatch, wood swatch - plus furniture and accessories that you would like to have in the room.  When placed in close proximity - you can tell right away if your colors blend and you can gain a better sense of what the "feel" of your room will be.

Try this at home. I think you'll have a lot of fun and I know you will learn something about yourself also.  You may just come up with something wonderful that will evolve into a room design that will be more "you."  Feel free to email me some of your mood boards - would love to see them!

I did my mood board by hand (as I suggest you do), but you can also try an online mood board by visiting Olioboard and also Pinterest - which are online collections of mood boards and images that members collect and share.

On a slightly different note, there's also a great site called Wishpot that's a great tool that will help you organize items that you'd like to buy online.  So, if you're re-doing a room you can collect items from all over the web and keep them in this repository for future use.  It's also a great tool to use if you're doing your Christmas shopping or anytime you're shopping for gifts.  It will keep you organized (as in you'll be able to find the links to items you've saved) & inspired.

I am thinking of making Mood Boards a regular feature of this blog.  What do you think?