Iron lighting fixtures and large scale fireplaces are hallmarks of this style.

Archways grace the interiors and exteriors.

There is an abundance of colorful and interesting tiles.

Vibrant reds, yellows, oranges, browns, greens and creams are the predominant colors.

White walls, white upholstery, open spaces, wooden furniture, carving, and large plants define outdoor spaces.

Authentic accessories and art enhance the rooms.

For a Mexican siesta, traditional and beautiful breezy canopies.

Now if only I were headed to Mexico…

Photo Credits: Casa San Miguel Photography by Tim Street Porter (1,2,4)  via La Dolce Vita (3), Mexican Style by Taschen (5,8) via House to Home (6,7), Karan Mann via Apartment Therapy (9,11) Kelly Wearstler

Last summer when I visited the Hamptons show house I saw this great looking one in a room by Brad Ford with thin white ropes at each corner,

and I have to say I am a bit smitten with the use of rope inside.

As fun as this looks, I can imagine my boys creating some kind of ropes course to get up and down…

or having fun bed “surfing”. I do love how this looks though!

Smart Amanda Nisbet using it in a great spot,

and a creative idea for a door knob.

Want to use it in a smaller dose? Towel Hooks,

small side stools,

and a jute door stop.

Roping it off? I am a fan.

Photo Credits: House to Home, Coastal Living, via The City Sage, Thom Filicia via Habitually Chic, via Urban Grace, Amanda Nisbet, Country Living, Pebbles to Sand, via Apartment Therapy,  via Cocomale

]]> http://www.lauracaseyinteriors.com/blog/2010/04/28/rope-it-off/feed/ 17 http://www.lauracaseyinteriors.com/blog/2010/04/16/bunny-williams-point-of-view/ http://www.lauracaseyinteriors.com/blog/2010/04/16/bunny-williams-point-of-view/#comments Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:00:28 +0000 laura http://www.lauracaseyinteriors.com/blog/?p=6238 What a treat it was to hear Bunny Williams speak at the Mint Museum Symposium here in Charlotte this week. She started off with a glimpse inside the 18th century Connecticut house, which her book An Affair With A House is about. She said bought this house with her ex-husband thirty years ago and when she went in the driveway she knew it was the house for her, but “like all love affairs you never see the bad parts in the beginning”. We all laughed, she is quite funny. She learned early on that the trees would take constant work and that there is considerable upkeep that comes with a house like this one. She truly loves this house and you could feel it.

She gave us a glimpse into her life, revealed her wonderful personality and spoke about how she met her husband John Rosselli. Twenty years ago they launched the store Treillage on East 75th Street in New York together, which I have mentioned was one of my favorite spots when we lived a few blocks away. On the property of this house was an old timber frame barn built in 1840. John took it on as a project, brought it to life and they really use it and entertain in it.

She also discussed how John wanted a pool at the house. She loved the idea of incorporating Greek Revival style architecture and they created a rusticated pavilion for the pool house.

She referenced Gil Schafer as the architect who really made sure the proportions were correct.

For most of her discussion she focused on her book Point of View and the design principles that she discusses in it.

By this point I was glued, and I was absorbing every single word that she said. She discussed the importance of mixing furniture, not being afraid to combines styles, colors and periods. The cover shot is her living room at her house in the Dominican Republic. Much of the furniture that is in the house she and John already owned and they wanted to use it. She had light blue linen slipcovers made for the furniture to pull it all together. In this house she also created a pantry for her china. (I am dreaming…)

In this dining room of a clients’ below she spoke about how the wheel back chairs give such visual interest and contrast. She encouraged us to “see each thing individually”. When I see this room I also see that the shapes in the chairs and the patterns in the rug are also reflected in the pattern on the ceiling. While they are different, all of the components of the room compliment each other.

In New York she and John so frequently eat out that they used their dining room for an additional reading room. At one end is a seating area with a TV for John to watch the Yankees, at the other end is a desk where she can work and they can be in the same room together. All rooms need to be used, and she encouraged us to use rooms in your house as you need them. One point that I thought was super was if you have a very long dining room table, but are only seating four, to put such things as flowers, books and serving pieces on the end of the tables and use just the center. In a different dining room, she had slipcovers made for these chairs so sometimes the room feels a little less formal, and she can take them off to dress up the room when she wants to. She offered lots of great ideas and alternatives.

Some other key points she made were to be sure to consider the scale of a room and to fill it appropriately, use the corners of the rooms with game tables and small conversation areas, use old materials in a new house that give a sense of patina and most importantly enjoy the process. She also jokingly said that if you use marble in the kitchen the first spill is the worst.

How do I keep up with her? Straight into my email. Click here to sign up at the bottom of the green column on the left side of her page .

What I will forever remember her saying about her work and process is that it is “like scrambled eggs. You mix it all up and hopefully it comes out soufflé”.

I’d say soufflé indeed.

The Rug Company website shows a range of their rugs designed by some of the world’s top designers.

A life in full color, right up my alley.

click here for the Vogue Article and click here for the Rug Company site.

Photo Credits: Francoid Halard for Vogue (1-5), the Rug Company

Charlotte Moss features it over a fireplace with traditional sconces flanking it.

Eric Cohler combines a more transitional and different look with the mirror and a photograph.

updated: Thanks to Style Court for bringing this Miles Redd one against lacquered walls to my attention.

Which one is your favorite?

photo credits: Albert Hadley, House Beautiful April 2009, photographed by Christopher Baker; Charlotte Moss in A Flair for Living; Eric Cohler in Inspired Styles. All photographs scanned from my copies.

Updated Post 4th image: Miles Redd photograph via Style Court

Some other good stops for Swedish furniture and great blogs

Do you like it simply Swedish?

Photo Credits: Swedish Interior Design Group and Country Swedish

A red coral mirror is a great color choice to add to a pink accented bathroom.

Accessories bringing art and a console together through interesting shapes and colors.

I love the choice to paint the floor and the banister.

There are no distractions from the floor with everything else being painted white and the subtle chrome hardware.

The always popular Miles Redd dine-in library would be completely different without the color block painting by Leona Armstrong and the additional hints of pink throughout the bookshelves and on the lamp.

One of my favorite choices is those that are done in this room by Suzanne Kasler. The all white room with varying throw pillows matching in their spots on different sofas. The stools and lucite tables all work well together. The vase on the mantle says it all. I love all of her small choices.

The best thing about small choices is they don’t have to be expensive. Even a small vase of flowers can do wonders to a kitchen counter. What small choices have you made lately?

Photo Credits: Emily Followill via Things That Inspire, via VT Interiors Library, via Verdigrisvie, via HB, via Domino, Thomas Loof for HB, Suzanne Kasler

The cupboard and farmhouse table seem genuine and possibly passed through a family.

An overflowing garden,

a spot of tea,

an child’s old wooden bed,

the English countryside,

a comfortable chair with a vintage radio,

and of course some floral fabric in the bedroom all bring together the English country house look.

I am a big tennis fan and in the spirit of the English country house, I will watching the Wimbledon finals this weekend.

Photo Credits: The English Home

]]> http://www.lauracaseyinteriors.com/blog/2009/07/01/the-english-home/feed/ 10 http://www.lauracaseyinteriors.com/blog/2009/06/08/test-of-time/ http://www.lauracaseyinteriors.com/blog/2009/06/08/test-of-time/#comments Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:00:19 +0000 laura http://www.lauracaseyinteriors.com/blog/?p=3784 There are a few key pieces when furnishing a home that you can count on to last a very long time if you pick the right ones. Often people say that their styles have changed or that they have grown tired of their furnishings. Here are a few key pieces that I feel will stand the test of time. 

A tight back sofa. Clean lines with not too oversized arms.

A durable fabric and some throw pillows and you are set for a long time.

A beautiful lightly tufted Jansen sofa with just the right proportions.

Chinoiseriehas never gone out of style and it never will. I can’t resist papers by de Gournay. 

Even with contemporary furnishings and accessories the wallpaper still looks great.

A wing chair is also a good investment. There are many updated versions of the wing chair so it doesn’t have to look like your great-grandmothers. Williams Sonoma Home makes a nice looking with great looking nickel or brass nail heads.

A few good table lamps are key investments. A Bouillette Lamp has a more traditional look but when paired with some eclectic accessories or a more muted palette it doesn’t look too dated. Daryl Carter did this nicely, though I am not into the Georgia O’Keefe style accessories…

Beautiful Venetian glass lamps from John Salibello Antiques. 

A great four-poster bed from Ralph Lauren. I love the caning at the headboard.

A great kitchen table is essential to family meals. Whether your style is a little more traditional or transitional you can’t go wrong with a basic farmhouse table that will only get better with age. I would be especially happy if the farmhouse table was made with reclaimed wood.

Iconic fabrics should get their own post because there are too many to pick from. What I will say though is there are some trendy ones today and there are some classics. Many of the ones today are based on those from the master himself. If you know the history of a fabric it will never be dated. Thank you Mr. Hicks. 

When choosing coffee table books pick ones that you are genuinely interested in. They can make for great conversation topics. When working with a client I try to remember things that they like as we go through the process. A client might mention that he or she  loves Cy Twombly artwork or the style  of Bunny Williams. What never goes out of style is books that you are interested in and enjoy discussing.

A simple arrangement of peonies or hydrangea from your local farmers market is always classic.

The list could go on….A Billy Baldwin  étagère, a hand-knotted rug in beautiful colors, a klismos chair.  I think soon I will do a post on what I think is trendy today and what I doubt we will see in 25 years from now. 

In your eyes, what will stand the test of time?

Photo Credits: Baker Furniture (1), Jansen Sofa (2,Pigtown Design), de Gournay (3,4), Williams-Sonoma Home (5,6), Daryl Carter, John Salibello, RL Home, David Hicks, Ursus Books, Bunny Williams, Google images

Some of his projects from the David Hicks Archives

Feeling quite 1970’s…

and into the 1980’s

He is also famous for his “tablescapes”

He has been influential to many interior designers, notibly Mark Hampton who started his career with Hicks, Billy Baldwin and Victoria Hagan. The sitting room of Hicks’s London apartment, circa 1963, featured dark, “Coca-Cola-colored” walls offset by abstract art. “The graphic quality of that interior has always inspired me,” says Hagan (image below), “the use of color as a backdrop for more interesting elements”.

Architechtural Digest January, 2002

 India Hicks, the youngest of David and Pamela Hicks three children, has had a successful career as a fashion model (often to be considered as one of Ralph Lauren’s top muses) interior designer, stylist and currently the host of the hit design show on Bravo Top Design. She is a second cousin of Prince Charles and was a bridesmaid for Princess Diana.  In 2003, Hicks and her partner David Flint Wood published an interior design book entitled, Island Life: Inspirational Living and in 2005 Hicks published the sequel, Island Beauty.

They currently live on a small island in the Bahamas, where they built two plantation style guesthouses. They renovated a historic house The Landing, which now serves as a restaurant and hotel. Hicks is a creative partner to Crabtree and Evely and she has a successful shop where she sells clothes, linens and items she finds on her worldly travels. She is also very involved in several charities.

Her island home featured in Domino’s June/July 2007.

A reintroduced David Hicks original fabric on her headboard

Her tablescape

Their hotel in the Bahamas The Landing.

Ashley Hicks  (son) designs fabric, wallpaper and furniture  

has written many books on design,  his fathers influences are very apparent. 

His interior design and furniture lines are very impressive,

but what I really love are his fabrics for Groundworks carried by Lee Jofa.

The always popular La Fiorentina

The third Hicks child is Edwina Brudenell. I can’t find much about her but given her genes she has

got to be doing something creative. That’s one talented family!