devil is in the details

Decorating, in a conventional sense, can be difficult.  The process itself can be (and should be) highly personal.  Everything in your home should explain to a visitor who you are.  My personal aesthetic is about creating warmth, and making people feel at home.  This would include making, what I call, "piles" throughout your home.  Piles can be construed as a negative thing, conjuring up visions of hoarding.  However, I use them differently.  Piles, in a simplified and organized fashion, in my home are small groupings of items that mean something to me.  On a coffee table there could be a pile of special books that have lived with me over the years, the story of each and how it came to live in my home varied and nostalgic.  Or it could be a pile of pictures: these would be 'layered' larger to small, front to back, to tell a story.  Below are pictures of some of my favorite piles in my home.

 Some special books, a commemorative candle, and a Herend sandwich tray warm up my living area.

The bookshelf behind my desk exists to hold a smattering of Sotheby's auction catalogues, special pictures, and books accumulated throughout the years.  It also holds my rehearsal bouquet, made by hand with only a paper plate and my shower gift ribbons by one of my dearest friends and bridesmaids. Makes me smile every time I look at the bookshelf!

A vintage ceramic horse head, our sterling chest, decorative vase, and Andrew Wyeth print add something interesting to look at when heading into our sleeping area.

A 19th-century Royal Crown Derby plate (left) adds some texture to the side table.  Top right, a potpourri bag is plunked by my Herend jewelry case, and bottom right an Italian candlestick I converted into a lamp lives with my Herend puppy and Boudin print.

ladies who lunch

In my book ladies who lunch actually means ladies who work really, really hard during the work week and like to relax on the weekend by having lunch with some friends.  Given that, on Saturday I asked a couple girlfriends to come over and catch up, and I made them lunch in the process.

To set the mood for such an occasion, I like to take a visual sweep of my home.  Everything should be put away, and all surfaces should be clean.  Next up is creating the mood.  I do this by grabbing a couple bunches of flowers and putting them in various spots.  Never underestimate how much ambiance something like a simple bunch of tulips can add to a room.  I also like to light a nice candle or two and keep them out of the way - they can go in the guest bathroom, or maybe in the kitchen.

Next up is the food.  I always like to have a half hour or so to catch up with the girls before serving the actual meal.  To tide people over, I arrange an appetizer tray.  Not only does it look great, but it tastes great, too.  In this circumstance, I arranged some cheese, hummus, and two types of crackers on a marble lazy susan I got from Boxwoods here in Buckhead.

When serving food to guests, I try and be aware that many people are trying to watch what they eat, so rather than serve a big casserole I like to go lighter and give people options.  I ended up serving a French Mache salad mix tossed simply with olive oil and strawberry balsamic vinegar.  I then gave the girls a choice of putting the chicken salad or quinoa on top.  As a side, I offered sliced fruit tossed with honey and a little bit of cinnamon.  Honey and cinnamon are two food items I like to use often.  Honey tastes great, and cinnamon has excellent health properties.

We ended the meal sipping mimosas (dash of orange juice and a bit of prosecco with a cherry for garnish) and catching up.  All in all, a great Saturday!

Balcony Part I

Bejeweled

Am digging this jewelry box from Reed & Barton that my adorable fiance gave to me recently.  Lining is in Christian Dior red velvet - so sumptuous!

The storage options are deceptively large.

Veuve Clicquot

There is a way to get champagne all over your sofa without actually spraying it all over the furniture...and that is to make pillows out of Veuve Clicquot fabric!  My mother Margaret and I love to scour antique markets in the hopes of finding a treasure or two.  In this case, mom found some fabulous Veuve Clicquot towels while out hunting one day.  We decided we wanted to showcase them so we had our favorite seamstress Marianne sew them into pillows with velvet beige backing.  As they say, the proof is in the pudding!  Gorgeous, no?

Other fabric shown here is Robert Allen "Bracelet" in Cobalt and a Laura Ashley yellow toile print, since discontinued

Drab to Fab

Sometimes there can be nothing more frustrating than an ugly, tired piece of furniture.  I know particularly as a 20-something year old that before you've "made it" you may think you have to compromise on furniture choices until you accumulate enough money to actually buy the pieces you like.  But with a little flexibility and creativity, you can get the furniture you've always wanted.

I have a very old bar tray in my apartment.  My puppy has chewed on the legs, things have been spilled on it.  It looks its age, to put it gently.  I was this close to throwing it out in a fit of spring cleaning when I actually stumbled on an epiphany.  Instead of focusing on what the cart lacked (expensive finishes, a sophisticated wood grain), I thought of what it embodied as an object.  The purpose of the bar tray is to facilitate good times!  That is what spurred me to paint it a cheerful, bright red.  I bought a quart of Sherwin-Williams "Real Red" in Semi-Gloss and got to work.  A couple coats of paint later, check out the complete transformation:

Albert Hadley, famed American Interior Design, loved symmetry.  However it's ok to not do things perfectly.  While the above set-up is linear, and focuses on the central part of the space, the items of varying shape, size, and category (flowers, bottles, framed crest) create a casual, relaxed vibe.  Add some fabulous PPD Silver Embossed Lace cocktail napkins and your bottle opener and you're ready for your party!