I snuck out of the office on Thursday afternoon to get an early start to the Fourth of July weekend. My girls are in Holland with my parents for two weeks, so my husband and I are whooping it up this weekend with our friends Brian and Kristina (and Bob and Brian L) at their beach house at the Jersey Shore.



But to keep you all inspired, on your design toes for this long weekend, and not to lose sight of this patriotic holiday I share with you some creations in red, white, and blue.



P.S. Just in case you think I have gone nuts, please refer back to my ...Read More

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“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.” -Cicero

Paris is the Mecca of romance where everyone dreams of visiting at least once in life, preferably with a romantically linked partner. Fortunately, I have visited Paris more than a couple of times, and experienced its perfected atmosphere and beautiful landmarks. This includes my visits to Musee d’Orsay where I discover wonderful surprises, Impressionist paintings, and the stunning architecture of the building, itself.

Musee d’Orsay was originally built for the Chemin de Fer de Paris a Orleans as a railway station for Southwestern France, by three architects: Lucien Magne, Emile Benard, and...Read More

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When talking about a subject one doesn’t know much about, better not to talk much about it. Hence, this blog will be more pictoral than usual. I find myself without the vocabulary to discuss what it is I want “decorating” the outside of my house. With landscaping, as with decorating, less is more, more or less. I don’t want to overdo it; start simple, put in the basics and let it evolve. Let nature take its course. Given my age, that course can’t be too long. Budget permitting, I will help nature along, adding tree by tree, bush by bush, shrub by shrub.

Cost and maintenance are two big considerations in my landscape planning. Gravel might be the way to approach this. I love its practicality. It can be plante...Read More

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One of my favorite odd volumes is a 1914 self published book by Ernest Chandler titled “Awnings and Tents - Construction and Design.”

With the advent of modern energy conservation, there has been a minor revival of canvas awnings.  At the same time, the elegant tent has been sadly replaced by plastic and aluminum shelters of little form or style. This book reminds us that the sight of a house with elegant awnings or a tent with a beautiful silhouette is a buoyant and uplifting one.

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I hope you read the story in this month's Interior Design about the exhibit at the Zuiderzee museum. Two of the close-up shots were taken by my wonderful, talented, sweet husband Jaime. When I came back from Holland a couple of months ago, I couldn't wait to share the images of this exhibit with Cindy Allen. It turns out, she was already working on a story about this fabulous project.

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A couple of months ago, when I was in Holland visiting my family, my husband and I took a trip to the Zuiderzee Museum. Jaime, my husband, had seen posters in Amsterdam advertising the museum's sixtieth anniversary with a comprehensive event showing the new course for the museum. We were blown away by this beautiful fishing village which has been immaculately preserved to show how life might have been hundreds of years ago.

What really made this visit for us is that this museum also has a exhibition that shows off the work of a large number of renowned dutch artists and designers....Read More

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There are lots of things I love about what I do, but one of my favorites has to be working on custom installations with creative, talented artists. This week, my client Paige and I went to visit Sue Etkin and Brenden Fitzgerald of Suzan Etkin Enterprises at their studio in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. We are lucky enough to be working together on a large light fixture that is going to hang over the living room coffee table. Sue and Brenden are not only a pleasure to work with but are seriously talented when in comes to custom glass work. One of their first impressive installations was the silver branches on the ceiling at the Mandarin Oriental restaurant ...Read More

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“A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown.” -Denis Waltley

Many of us recognize that Jonathan Adler has created his own distinguished décor style in his successful young career. He has created comfortable, unique Americana chic, reminding me of the 1960’s—a great sense of optimism and humor. Much of the details and color palettes make me think of the flea markets in both Pasadena, California and in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan.

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“Somehow, Yeohlee continues to fuse both timeliness—what women need and want now—with timelessness. She continues to hone her long-time interest in elemental forms of clothing…These garments offer pragmatic solutions to a universal problem: how to be comfortable, forceful, and elegant all at once.” - Sidlauskas, from "Yeohlee: Work"

Interior Design magazine crossed over into the world of high fashion Tuesday evening with an event at the Yeohlee showroom on West 35th Street called “Cocktails, Conversation, Fall Preview.” The private studio party was conceived by Cindy Allen, editor-...Read More

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As promised, I will not talk about windows or the lack of them. I did go to the house on Saturday and it was there as I had left it, covered with plastic sheathing. In fairness to Contractor Mitch, there was some progress with the w-----s, but hardly enough to blog about.


Probably in my budget, but not what I want...

I am adjusting to life ­­NOT on the yacht, a struggle, but I am doing it. I am getting back to reality—like having to get my own breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Why are my clothes not magically appearing clean and folded in my closet when I return at the end of the day? Where is that someone to ask if I would like a drink in the evening before dinning? And how come nobody asks what I would l...Read More

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Last week, I wrote about weighing the merits and value of conserving and restoring iconic structures such as the city core of Dresden or the Bauhaus in Dessau. This week in Germany, I learned that classic Airstream trailers are being restored and rented to hip European "holiday makers." Hence, Airstreams are also iconic structures (albeit mobile ones) being restored and, in some cases, retrofitted.

Featured in GT, a trendy Dutch magazine, the enticing ad copy reads, “With their sleek silver retro curves and owned by American Hollywood s...Read More

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