Nuts for Squirrels

"Royal Squirrel" letterpress cards (image from Domino Magazine).

Squirrel Key Chain from Kate Spade.

This stuffed squirrel in Domino caused an avalanche of hate mail. (Photo by Roland Bello).

Mercury glass acorns from Wisteria.

"Les Squirrel" design by iomoi.

Autumn is in the air and squirrels are in our homes. Really? Well, it seems every magazine editor, fashion designer and art director is jumping on the woodland creature train. I guess it has to do with fall in that acorny, oak leafy kind of way. I am not sure I get it, but one thing that makes this trend forgivable (for me at least) is that my favorite childhood book, Miss Suzy by Miriam Young was about a squirrel, who was coincidentally an interior designer of sorts. I wonder if other designers were inspired by this tale.

Pumpkins

Is it strange to have a fantasy where I impress the neighborhood with a display of these intricate, lace-carved pumpkins seen in Martha Stewart Living?

In real life, this project is honestly a bit more involved than anything I care to tackle. Instead I have compiled a few alternative projects that satisfy the creative side, while remaining considerably less complicated to execute.

Jack O' Lanterns with drilled holes from Good Housekeeping do not require special attachments or carving tools.

Glittered pumpkins from Martha Stewart look elegant paired with silver stands.

Pumpkins with nail head street numbers (from cottage living) satisfy the neutral palette.

Stacked gourds act as a pedestal for traditionally carved Jack O' Lanterns from Martha Stewart.

Happy October!

Lizzie Allen Wallpapers

October's British House and Garden takes us through the process of labor-intensive, hand printed wallpaper with designer Lizzie Allen. Only 26 years old, Allen used a grant given by the British Arts and Crafts Council to set up her own business, shortly after apprenticeships with Osborne & Little and Paul Smith.

Pictured above is one of her complex and charming designs, City Gents, depicting classic scenes in London and reminiscent of illustrators like Miroslav Sasek. A single 300 x 56 cm sheet takes three hours to produce and includes hand-ripped paper for texture. Since prints are fit specifically to the space, there is no leftover paper waste.


Because her initial offerings have been such a success, Allen is expanding her catalog to include other picturesque cities. Above is her latest design, "Jazz in Central Park". For more information and designs, Lizzie Allen's website. (Photos from British House and Garden by John Carey)

Courtney Giles

Photos by Erica George Dines

The Atlanta townhouse of Courtney Giles is an updated version of the usual edited, neutral interior style. Featured in Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles, Giles mixes inherited antiques, small doses of color and contemporary art to keep her home feeling young. Black walls in the bedroom with Greek-inspired window treatments add a bit of graphic appeal. The work in the den is by Ben Kay, the artist son of interior designer Carter Kay, for whom Giles has been an assistant.

The Darjeeling Limited

The Darjeeling Limited opens this weekend, introducing us to another fantastic world created by Wes Anderson, and promising to be a movie with style.

The story is of three brothers (played by Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman) traveling through India by train.
The film's arguable fourth character is the custom designed, Louis Vuitton luggage once belonging to their father.

Known for an obsessive attention to detail, Anderson commissioned Marc Jacobs to design the velvet lined, monogrammed suitcases. The jungle motif is based on drawings by Anderson's brother Eric, who illustrates many details in these films--including the wallpaper design for Richie's room in The Royal Tenenbaums.

From a recent article in New York Magazine, David Amsden says, "You need only watch a few frames of one of his movies to spot it as an Anderson production. Though he is originally from Texas, there is something distinctively European in his obsession with aesthetics: a belief that the way something looks is what dictates how it will make you feel."

The travel ensemble, which is currently on display at the Louis Vuitton store in New York, will be auctioned with proceeds benefitting UNICEF and the Rawal Mallinathji Foundation, a medical charity in India.

(Photos from Elle).

Inspired Red & Leopard

Charlotte Moss finds inspiration in Elsie de Wolfe's personal photo album, which she owns. I am inspired by the way she houses this treasure with red leather binding, lined in leopard print. More specifically, I am inspired to go shopping for accessories...

Brown Leopard patent leather Christian Louboutin heels with trademark red sole.

"Malawi Carla" handbag from Kate Spade.

Top photo from Design Inspirations, Vol. 1.

Lust, Caution

Director Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) has a new film opening this weekend. Winner of Best Picture at the Venice Film Festival, Lust, Caution is an espionage story set in 1940's Shanghai, and curiously rated NC-17.

Click here to view the (PG) trailer.

Update: I loved the music so much from the trailer, I decided to investigate further. The Lust, Caution is composed by Alexandre Desplat, who also did the original score for The Painted Veil.

Barbara Westbrook

And the color pendulum swings to the other end...Here is a sample of the work of Barbara Westbrook, one of the three featured designers of the upcoming, aforementioned Woodstock Showhouse. I often pass this house on my evening walk and it was fun to finally see the beautifully muted interiors published in Southern Accents last year. (Photography by Pieter Estersohn).

Westbrook is obviously as skilled at the art of picture hanging as she is with extraneous color removal (note the bound books in the living room). The framed sketches are by architect Keith Summerour who owns the 1930's Hentz, Reid and Adler home. If symmetry is the calling card of the classicist architect, Westbrook has followed the cue nicely.

Fun fact: Lee Boren, owner of Pieces, spent the early part of career as a design assistant to Westbrook.

Showhouse Showdown

Since Kendall Wilkinson's Dressing Room was such a hit, I thought I would post her attached bedroom for a San Francisco Showhouse. I am not sure if I could live in a room this bright, but I found the complimentary color scheme and chinoiserie elements intriguing. Notice the Lucite headboard? The practically invisible nature allows the hand painted wall to be the focal point behind the bed. Some items from the room, including the custom headboard are available now from 1st Dibs. (Photo from Traditional Home).

In other news, Traditional Home will unveil three versions of the 2007 Showhouse in Woodstock, Georgia on November 2nd (through the 16th). Designers involved are Barbara Westbrook, Laslie-Williams and Robert Brown, an impressive group with Buckhead cache. I have never been to the exurb of Woodstock, but the town has been garnering praise for it's "new urbanism" community, designed for live, work, and play within walking distance (a foreign concept to most Atlantans). I am curious to see how the project turns out.

Closet Lust III

And dressing rooms too...

Kendall Wilkinson designed this dressing area for a San Francisco showhouse. The chair is from the shop she created and owns, Threshold. Teal edging on the cabinetry matches the Alan Campbell for Quadrille fabrics. (Image from Traditional Home).


Cote de Texas posted this sophisticated dressing room by James Radin (photo for House Beautiful). If you have not yet seen her brilliant post on the set design for the movie, Something's Gotta Give, go now.


Have a wardrobe of solid, neutral clothes like I do? A block-print wallpaper by Farrow & Ball could add some color and pattern. (Image from Domino).


Swimwear designer Sylvie Cachay has a NYC dressing area which is home to a mirrored vanity and her collection of Christian Louboutins. (Photo from Elle Magazine).


Inspired by ballgowns and parties, designer Jamie Drake used silk moire to line the wall of this girlish dressing room for the 2007 Kips Bay Showhouse. Benjamin Moore "Lavender Mist" paint is used for the built-ins and fabrics are from his own line for F. Schumacher. (Photo from Traditional Home).

For more closet specific obsession, see Closet Lust I and Closet Lust II.

Travel Write

A 1962 Vogue Magazine jet-setter (photographed for Domino).

If it is possible, I am probably more obsessed with reading about travel than I am with art and design. Although I can't get away as much as I would like, I am constantly attempting to educate myself as to where I would go next, if I could. Here are a couple of new travel resources hitting the scene:

In October, Conde Nast is set to release Unforgettable Journeys: Great Writers on Great Places, a collection of travel essays by both fiction and non-fiction writers.


I am a big fan of The Hotel Book series. Available soon from the same group at Taschen is the lushly photographed, Great Escapes Around the World, which has a coordinating website when you are ready to make a reservation.


Town and Country Magazine added the Travel Issues in 2003, but they have also recently launched a new Travel Site which combines the magazine's quality with a broader spectrum.


And here is a photo from my own travels: Ravello, Italy 2005. I do my own "travel writing" of sorts on Trip Advisor. It is one of the best resources for unbiased reviews and candid hotel photographs.

I am curious, what are your favorite travel resources and sources of inspiration?

Room Revisited

The "lounge" above would normally be a bit bold for my taste, but I love the emerald walls with black, white and gold accents that designer, Sherrill Canet chose for the Kips Bay Showhouse.

The saturated wall color with white, piped drapes reminded me of this room by George Stacey that The Peak of Chic discovered in a 1948 issue of House and Garden. Elements of this space still look fresh almost 60 years later.