Chic Design Reality Show Scoop

I really don't like design shows on television. If I see one more messy house or piece of painted plywood furniture, I'm going to go postal! That's why I was excited to hear that some of our favorite designing divas are currently shooting a pilot for what they are touting as a "chic design reality show." Former Domino editor Sara Ruffin Costello and former House & Garden editor Kim Gieske, who also do design work, will pull back the curtain on the design world of New York which will include appearances by their equally chic friends including Celerie Kemble, Cynthia Frank and Lucy Sykes. No word yet if their designer friend Miles Redd has agreed to be join the reality show realm but I am definitely keeping my fingers crossed! I bet he'd be fun to watch! I do know that they will be shooting at Sara's show stopping townhouse in the West Village, seen here, and at ICFF so if you see some chic design people being filmed, make sure you say hello!

Photos by Paul Costello and The New York Times

Slow Love

I had the pleasure of attending the book party last night for Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put On My Pajamas & Found Happiness by Dominique Browning and I suggest that you immediately buy this sweet read. For those of you who don't know, Ms. Browning was editor in chief of House & Garden magazine and in November 2007 she had four days to pack up her office when the publisher decided to close the beloved shelter magazine. As the title suggests, she had to come to terms with this sudden change to her life among others and I think this is something to which many of us can relate! I started reading the Prologue and was immediately hooked. I have a feeling that I'm going to make Slow Love a very quick read this weekend! Also make sure you check out Dominique's new blog Slow Life Love too! Happy Reading!

The Picture Taker's Paradise

I love going through my old magazines. Sometimes you discover something you missed the first time around. Other times you realize that you've met the person whose home you're looking at. While I've never met photographer Carter Smith, I do admire his photographs every month in Allure magazine and while looking through the January 2007 issue of House & Garden, I came across his townhouse (do you still miss H&G as much as I do?!). In the credits, I also noticed the article was produced by Kim Gieske, who I actually have met since the feature was published, and also Joe Zee, who is now the Creative Director at Elle magazine, and who you might have seen on The City. I also met Joe Zee once at a Marc Jacobs fashion show after party where I gushed to him about how much I loved Vitals, which he was the editor of at the time. (I miss that magazine too!) But I digress, even though Carter Smith has completely restored his townhouse, it still has that beautifully worn look that you would want in a building that is over 180 years old!

The English feeling living room is my favorite room in the townhouse. Can't you just imagine curling up with one of the books from the shelves?! A lot of the house is made of of salvaged pieces including the door that came from Olde Good Things. If you've never checked them out, I highly recommend it! You never know what you will find!

The unfinished looking chair from John Derian fits in perfectly. As I mentioned in The Inside Source piece, I think there is a shift towards anything that looks old, even if it's not a real antique.

This is the chicest kitchen pantry I've ever seen and that copper bench from Stephanie Odegard is to die for!

Carter, at the bottom of the stairs, had help from architect Jim Joseph of Hottenroth + Joseph. If you look closely at their website, you'll notice that they also did work for David Netto and Deborah Needleman!

I knew Carter Smith was a photographer, but I didn't realize that he was also a filmmaker until I reread the article. I look forward to checking out his films now!

As you can probably guess, photographers circle the globe for work so the house is also filled with treasures from his travels.

I can't even imagine having a kitchen this big in New York!

The elephant and owl are also from John Derian. I wish I lived closer so I could make weekly visits to his chic shop!

Carter Smith grew up in Maine and the kitchen has a great Maine farmhouse kind of feel to it.

A model ship looks perfectly at home in the bathroom.

Not only was the kitchen ginormous but so is the bathroom!

Most all the other rooms have brick walls but the bedroom is papered in Lily wallpaper by Cole & Son.

And to top it all off, there's a fabulous roof terrace. It's funny how I admire Carter Smith's home as much as his photography, but usually when one is creative and has a great eye, it transcends all mediums. And in no case is that more true than here!

Photos by Martyn Thompson

Cordelia Times Deux

When I first saw Cordelia de Castellane in her Paris apartment in the April 2009 issue of Elle Decor, I thought she looked familiar. She was featured in her old apartment in the March 2007 issue of House & Garden magazine. I remembered her because I posted some of the photos from that feature shortly after I started my blog in 2007! I have to say that I love her new apartment with it's "Louis XV Revival architecture." It looks a little more grown up than her last one but I guess a lot of has happened since 2007. She's gotten married again and her children's wear company, C de C, has expanded to include stores in Paris and other countries!

The other apartment seen in House & Garden had less architectural details but a few of the furnishings and accessories made their way to the new one including the vases on the mantle. They can now been seen on the bookshelves in the new apartment (below). The mirror by Elisabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti above the fireplace also made the move but unfortunately, I don't see it in any of the photos in Elle Decor.

Those windows in the new apartment are to die for and make me want to move to Paris tomorrow! The little pink table that is visible on the right of the photo was also seen in the old living room (below).

The living room table look like they also might be reconfigured in the new apartment but only three of them. The colorful Andy Warhol Marilyn silkscreens also made their way into into her the television room (below).

Continuing the theme of black walls from a few days ago, the television room is painted in Down Pipe by Farrow & Ball. The bright blue stools and table are from Ikea and add more color and fun to the room.

Since business is booming, I assume Cordelia has a real office now instead of desk under the stairs which was the case in her old apartment.

Looks like she kept her ghost chairs from her old dining table that was seen in House & Garden too.

I think the plum little bench might have also been a holdover from the old space. It's just barely visible in one of the photos from House & Garden.

It's a grown up apartment but it's full of fun like the Takashi Murakami flower pillows which brings it down to earth. Kind of funny since she has such a fancy lineage that includes counts, an ex-husband who is a Lanvin, a decorator mother whose best friend who was Karl Lagerfeld's right had man at Chanel for 15 years, and a cousin, Victoire de Castellane, who is the jewelry designer for Christian Dior. And I'm sure I'm leaving some out! I love seeing how a person's style changes as they move or grow older and Cordelia de Castellane was no exception. And it looks like we might get another chance soon. Cordelia and her husband are moving to a larger apartment across the Seine. Can't wait to see what they do next!

Photos by Roger Davies for Elle Decor and Pascal Chevallier for House & Garden

Habitually Un-Chic Magazine: Architectural Digest

I have made it a point to try to always be positive on my blog but this week I'm having a hard time, especially after the news about House and Garden. While I would never negatively critique someone else's decorating style, I feel that in light of this week's discussion about shelter magazines in the comments section of my Say It Isn't So post, I am finally going to address my hatred of Architectural Digest.

Let me clarify that I only hate the American version. My firm has been featured in the German, French, and Spanish versions and they are all fantastic. So full of life and interesting interiors while the American version remains soulless and limpid. And what better place to illustrate this point than with the apartment of jeweler Nicholas Varney, Carleton Varney's son, that was featured in the December 2006 issue.

I've actually been inside this apartment for a party given by Nicholas' girlfriend at the time, who worked for gallery owner Larry Gagosian. My friend and I remember being very impressed with the color scheme and of course the art. It looks like it has changed a little since that night but what struck me about the Architectural Digest feature was how boring and flat they managed to make the place look. What's really weird is that I remember the main wall color in the photo below being bright green like the pole and not beige. They could have repainted it but I also wonder if they toned it down for the magazine.

I know it's very hard to shoot homes with so many windows due to lighting issues and the apartment does have amazing views of the Hudson River but it's almost like they focused on the view a little too much. There is so many wonderful works of art and interesting pieces in the apartment, it's such a shame that they didn't focus in on any of them or shoot any vignettes. Nicholas Varney is an amazing jewelry designer. Why is there not one shot of his designs anywhere? How about a few beaded necklaces in a pretty bowl? A ring on the nightstand? Anything, that would have added a lovely personal touch to the feature would have been a nice!

I know each shelter magazine has their own look and feel but I don't hear about anyone running out to the newsstand to look for the newest issue of Architectural Digest like they do with Domino, Elle Decor and the late House and Garden. There is nothing exciting about it. It doesn't teach you anything. They shoot homes the second they are finished being decorated and sometimes, right before the "for sale" sign goes up. Any sense of warmth or personality is wiped clean. We get a subscription delivered to the office but I've never seen anyone read it. The magazine goes straight to the bookshelf to die.

There have been rumors for a while that they were going to replace the editor-in-chief, Paige Rense, but so far no luck. Then it occurred to me today that not only does Architectural Digest desperately need a make over but I know exactly who they should hire to do it! Dominique Browning! She's available and if anyone has the ability to turn AD into an interesting and inspiring magazine, she does! Does anyone else second that idea???

Say It Isn't So!

So, as if my weekend wasn't bad enough, I just learned today from two different sources that House and Garden magazine is folding! Conde Nast is closing the magazine due to the departure of the editor and chief, Dominique Browning, and poor ad sales . I'm really sad. House and Garden has improved so much recently and is such a wonderful design resource and such a beautiful magazine. They always featured the best interiors and photography. If any magazine should close, it's the boring House Beautiful! House and Garden has closed before and been brought back to life so maybe if we all complain they might change their minds. If not, rest in peace House and Garden. Sniff, sniff.

Chic at Aquavit

After I posted about Stockholm last week, it was funny to open my November issue of House and Garden magazine and see a profile of Marcus Samuelsson, the chef and co-owner of the fabulous Scandinavian restaurant in New York, Aquavit.

Marcus' life story is almost as interesting as his cuisine. He was born in Ethiopia but was adopted by a Swedish couple. Samuelsson describes his childhood on the West Coast of Sweden as an idyllic time spent with family and close friends. At a young age, he also discovered his passion for cooking alongside his grandmother, who was a professional cook. Passionate about his studies at the Culinary Institute in Göteborg, Samuelsson attended classes by day and cooked in local restaurants late each night.

Following graduation, Samuelsson apprenticed first in Switzerland and later in Austria. Later, Aquavit owner Håkan Swahn selected the young Swedish chef for an eight-month apprenticeship at his restaurant. This was a great honor for Samuelsson, considering the restaurant’s international reputation. Following his stint at Aquavit, Samuelsson returned to Europe to take a position at the world-renowned and three-star Michelin restaurant, Georges Blanc in Lyon, France. In 1994, Håkan Swahn asked Samuelsson to return to Aquavit to work under the restaurant’s new executive chef. He worked diligently and in May of 1995, he was formally appointed Executive Chef of Aquavit.

At work, chef Marcus Samuelsson strives for seamless presentation. You see it at Aquavit "with it's sleek teak interiors and simply yet beautifully plated food" below while at home, it's another story. The decor of his sun-drenched West Harlem apartment is another great example of mixing things up. Louis XV-style furniture shares space with Edwardian and modernist pieces and a mix of personal treasures including a prayer chair from Singapore, decorative art from Africa, a scattering of flea market finds and a high school locker from a shop in Soho.

Samuelsson life just keeps getting more interesting too. He recently met with his birth father and also just wrote an African cookbook, The Soul of a New Cuisine, and this month is supposed to open the companion restaurant, Merkato 55, in the Meatpacking District to showcase the continent’s diverse cuisine. I couldn't find a photo so I can't wait to see what it looks like! "It's great to have so many creative outlets," he says. "It's in the mix that things get interesting." I agree.

I greatly admire anyone who has passion for something they love but I admire them even more when they get out of their comfort zone and try new things. It's the only way you grow and without growth, how else could we have a successful Ethiopian born Swedish raised chef who lives in Harlem and simultaneously runs a Scandinavian and an African restaurant! I think that's the finest example of "only in New York" stories I have ever heard! Hope it inspires you to get out of your comfort zone today too!

Gwyneth Paltrow Chandelier Update

I'm so glad everyone enjoyed the behind the scenes look at the Gwyneth Paltrow photo shoot for House and Garden. I don't want to beat a dead horse but there was a lot of interest in and questions about the Tord Boontje for Swarovski Crystal Palace Blossom Chandelier that hung in Gwyneth's dining room that I thought I would take a second to answer everyone.

House and Garden has Gwyneth Paltrow's Decorating Notebook posted online today but they failed to mention the chandelier, probably because they knew you would fall over from shock when you found out how much it costs! The large Blossom Chandelier which is what Gwyneth has costs $37,500! And in case that's too much for you, the small Blossom Chandelier costs only $22,500. A veritable bargain! Just kidding. I think it's actually quite ridiculous for something that was designed in 2002 to cost so much. An 18th-century antique is understandable to me but Swarovski chandelier kind of boggles my mind. But then again, I'm not a movie star with an unlimited budget. In case you aren't either, then I suggest the Garland Light suspension lamp below also from Tord Boontje at a must more reasonable $90. It comes in brass or silver and would be fun in a kid's room or a modern apartment. Or you could always find something cheap and vintage and spruce it up. That's usually my first inclination but I'm curious as to what you all think.

I also thought you might want to see another photo Eric Cahan sent me of Gwyneth during the photo shoot. I guess we can add stylist to her new list of job titles. I thought it was a cute photo. Of course, if they were shooting my home, I would probably be obsessing just like her! And I promise no more Gwyneth Paltrow posts this week!

Photos courtesy of Eric Cahan and Moss