We recently had the pleasure of attending the Kip’s Bay Decorator Show House in NYC. It’s an annual pilgrimage that we never miss, and this year’s house was just as wonderful as past years!

A picture may paint a thousand words, but a well-decorated room will paint infinite more, especially when there are infinite details to look at. Looking back at my favorite room at the Kips Bay Decorator Show, I did not walk into just a room; I walked into a story curated by Ken Fulk!

 

We loved how Ken told a story with this room! 

He sets a scene he sets is the Upper East Side circa 1968. Madame F., the lady of the house, and Mikhail, the butler/pianist are the main players in his story. Known for her innate grace, colorful couture and even more colorful dinner parties, Madame F. had outlived three husbands, and was now enjoying her solitude in a well-appointed house with a lovely garden. The lush foliage and enticing menus attracted the escaped animals of the zoo. Never wanting to go back, they chose Madame F.’s house as their refugee. From that day forward, her dinner parties became infinitely more colorful – they had become legendary.

 

 

 

We would have loved to have been invited to one of her parties! 

The Kips Bay Decorator Show House is located at 125 East 65th Street. It opens to the public from May 2 through June 1, 2017. All proceeds from the house benefit the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club. If you are in the NYC area, you must attend! 

 

Credits from the room… 

Hand-Painted Wallpaper: de Gournay

Rug: Stark Carpet

China: Hermès

Linen Napkins: Leotine Linens

 

Enjoy your visit!! 

You don’t always have to purchase matching ottomans to your chair. Have fun and do something different! Try a different color, pattern, or style. When shopping, take a look at poufs and smaller ottomans for chairs. But also consider larger ones as coffee tables in front of sofas. It’s another great way to prop your feet up! 

Here are a few  links to some of my favorite ottomans that you can purchase at retail stores or online. Happy shopping! 

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Over the past several weeks, I have been approached by several new and existing clients asking to redo their mudrooms. Spring cleaning must be in the air!

You are truly lucky if you have the space in your home for a mudroom. It’s the one area in your home where everyone in your family can be a mess, from kids to dogs to even husbands! But outfitting your mudroom and making it fit your needs is key, and no two mudrooms need to be the same. It’s all about what space you have to work with and designing for your everyday needs.  

Let’s take a look at some of the essentials for a mudroom.

First and foremost, you don’t need a big space to organize your clutter.  All you need is a place to drop your keys and bag and store your shoes in a (somewhat!) orderly fashion. Hopefully, you have a front hall closet to hang your coats, so all you really need to purchase is a console table, some hooks, and great baskets. 

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But if you want to showcase all your coats, go right ahead! 

 

 

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If you have a large enough foyer, try building in a console table with some areas for storage. I love how the foyer table below also acts as a bench. 

 

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Living in Chicago with limited space, many of my clients want their clutter hidden away. It used to be all about benches with open cubbies that they would then decorate with baskets. Times are changing, and it seems that everyone wants their clutter hidden away behind closed doors. One recent client did not have room for a dedicate mudroom, so we took a wall of their family room and created something that looked like the opposite of a mudroom. 

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Can’t find the mudroom cabinetry?!? Look at the cabinets on the left side of the room! 

Another great photo of how they hid their mudroom clutter…

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For you are truly lucky and have space for an actual mudroom, go all out! Install a bench, use flooring that can get beat up. Make it a dream room! 

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I hope that this gives you inspiration for creating your own mudroom. And again, you really don’t need a whole lot of space for one. Just somewhere to hang coats, drop keys, and hide a few items in a basket. 

Good luck! 

 

I can’t tell you how much I love dhurrie rugs! They are the most versatile, easy to maintain rugs out there. And I love the fun patterns and colors that they come in. 

What exactly is a dhurrie, you ask? Well, it’s a flat woven rug that you can usually find in cotton or wool,  typically hailing from India. Having dhurries in my own home, I can attest that these are not plush carpets by any means. They really are utilitarian…but a very fun utilitarian rug because of the colors and styles! I typically clean my cotton dhurries with just a little soap and water. I would maybe suggest sending out the wool ones for dry cleaning. 

One famous designer of dhurrie rugs is Madeline Weinrib. Here are some of my favorite patterns from her collection… 

 

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Another great source for dhurrie rugs are Serena & Lily and West Elm. Price points are a bit more reasonable. Some favorites… 

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I recently found a woman out of Dubai that makes custom dhurries in India, From Jaipur With Love. You pick the pattern, colors, and size…and voila! Your very own custom dhurrie delivered to you in about 6-8 weeks. You should really explore her Facebook page- there are so many patterns that I am absolutely in love with. But to point out a few…

 

 

Next time that you are in the market for a new area rug, don’t forget to check out dhurries. They are a lot of fun and typically less costly than other area rugs. 

 

One of the most beloved tiles out there is the 3″x6″ “subway” tile in a crisp, clean white. Subway tiles got their name because this was the shape and size found in NYC subway stations. Many people think that all ceramic tiles are technically a subway tile. Not the case! Ceramic tiles come in all shapes and sizes, but to really call one a subway tile, it needs to fit these dimensions.  

Let’s explore the classic subway tile a bit further….

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Subway tile is probably the easiest tile to find, and you can pretty much get in stock at your local tile supplier. But not all subway are created equal! You can get machine-made (straight edges and most affordable), hand-made (most expensive, plus might not have straight lines or be completely flat on the face), or you might come across a hybrid version (has the straight edges but a bit of “wave” to make it look hand-made). 

The most common pattern for a subway tile is installing it in a running bond-pattern, which means that the joint lines are offset from one another, similar to the installation above as well as this image: 

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Here are some different layouts and their names:

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If everyone has subway tile in their home in the classic running-bond pattern, why not try something different!?! Here are some designs that I think are really interesting and gives a fresh take on an old school tile! 

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While you can get the standard subway tile shape in any color, as you can see, white will always be the most classic option around. But why not change it up a bit! 

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One of my new favorite concepts to spruce up a tired old bookcase or cabinet is to wallpaper the interior. It adds a quick punch of color and can instantly update a room. Over the past few years, the trend was color coordinating books. While that’s fun and I would still recommend, let’s face it, who really has that many books! You would be amazed at how many times I try to style a client’s home to find out that they have zero books!

This is a fairly simple project that you could try on your own or hire someone to do. And what’s great is that if you don’t want to spend the money to wallpaper an entire room, you can still indulge in your love of paper without spending a fortune. Plus, if you move, so does the wallpaper! 

Here are some of my favorite images of wallpapered cabinetry. I hope that you enjoy! 

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And a little grasscloth can go a long way….

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And don’t forget that wallpaper behind floating shelves can create a dramatic effect! 

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