Outdoor Entertaining with style Sell That House!
Make your home irresistible to buyers
Summer at Last! Deborah Lloyd:
Explore her serene lakeside retreat
INTRODUCING THE JOSIE SECTIONAL: a modular collection with curve appeal & the price to match.
featuring: Josie Sectional in a family-friendly chalky chenille.
furniture. lighting. rugs. accessories. photography. www.mgbwhome.com
Visit www.mgbwhome.com to become a fan, follower and to experience our new collection.
in every issue 10 Editor’s Letter 15 Contributors 30 Eco-Style
Letters of Yesteryear
Kacy Lubell brings her stationery to life through antique letter-pressing
40 How-To
Slow It Down Dominique Browning shares the secrets of her homemade verbena infusions
238 Blogger Style
Courtney Barnes of Style Court reveals her of-the-moment favorites
market 24 Treasure Trove The extensive Waylande Gregory ceramic collection has a new online home
25 Mom’s Included The bohemian aesthetic of Rikshaw Design is now available for adults
26 Savvy Supplies Everyday cleaning tools get a modern update by Alice Supply Co.
29 From the Trade Decorator Tag Sale brings designers’ carefully curated pieces to the masses
29 Fit to Travel Equestrian style finds a home in Oughton Limited’s durable luggage
store to home 32 Inside & Out
Chicago’s Jayson Home & Garden offers an eclectic charm ranging from lush plants to storied furnishings
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Island Retreat
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Model Design
Bunny Williams brings her iconic sensibility to a Sea Island residence
Lee Kleinhelter uses style secrets to make an Atlanta model condo irresistible to buyers
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start decorating now! click here to save 15%
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Pattern Play
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An Evolved Collection
Bold, playful patterns inspire the interiors of Elizabeth Bauer’s studio apartment
Ethan Feirstein and Ari Heckman share the distinguished decor of their West Village home
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144
Starting from Scratch
164
A Storied Locale
204
Lakeside Serenity
Lonny Editorial Assistant Ellie Somerville focuses on three key inspirations in the gracious renovation of a formerly humdrum apartment
With the help of designer David Cafiero, writers Tom Dolby and Drew Frist adorn their Hamptons home with storied elegance
kate spade new york Co-President and Creative Director Deborah Lloyd lends an elegant touch to her Highland Lake getaway
D E S I G N E R H O M E D ECO R , ACC E S SO R I E S & G I F T S
UP TO 70% OFF EVERY DAY Join now for access to our private daily sales W W W.O N E K I N G S L A N E .CO M
editor’s letter
W
hen I think about summer, my mind tends to wander. Images of childhood vacations spent learning to water ski on Indian Lake, lazy afternoons at the flea market hunting for vintage treasures, and nights in the city on a rooftop, drink in hand. Since moving to New York four years ago, however, it has dawned on me that my only real memories of my summers here are those where I’m capturing rays from behind my computer screen rather than in the sun! One look at Patrick suggested the same. So we packed our bags and headed south to Sea Island, photographing an oceanside home designed by the legendary Bunny Williams, and then north to Rhode Island,
where we learned how to make tea from fresh herbs grown in Dominique Browning’s garden. We took a road trip to the Hamptons and shot our longest story yet (36 rolls of film!) and even spent a day upstate shooting the lakeside home of Deborah Lloyd, CoPresident and Creative Director of kate spade new york. During our visit with Deborah, we partnered up with Patton Productions to bring you our first ever behind-the-scenes video! Click here to check it out. We’ve packed our issue with 239 pages of bold and breezy design and invite you to kick back, throw open your windows, and let summer in.
P.S. After our Bunny Williams shoot, Pat and I discovered that we could take a quick $17 ferry ride to nearby Cumberland Island, and look what we found....
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Thank you for your support! Michelle Adams Editor in Chief
beautiful fabrics at exceptional value
our team Michelle Adams
Patrick Cline
Co-Founder Editor in Chief
Co-Founder Director of Photography
Ellie Somerville
Michelle Roque
Shawn Gauthier
Caitlin McGauley
Editorial Assistant
Design Director
Writer
Illustrator
Michael Colangeo
Amber Lindros
Sales Director michael@lonnymag.com
Copy Editor
Robert Leleux Intern
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Caroline Long Intern
Sarah Shoemake Intern
Unleash your inner designer
Exclusive offer 15% Lonny Magazine Readers:
Announcing
our new upholsterede furnitur collection
bedding . décor. gifts.
inspirat ion.
Early Summer 2010
Browse
our online catalog for bedding, fabric, furniture and décor serena a n dl i ly. c o m
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It takes thousands of knots to make a beautiful rug. And another one to make sure a child didn’t weave it. Some 250,000 South Asian children are forced to weave rugs destined for our homes. Look for the human knot on the GoodWeave label and you can help stop this practice. Every GoodWeave certified rug is made on a loom that is independently monitored, ensuring that only adult artisans crafted it.Your GoodWeave purchase helps get children off looms and into schools. So when you are looking for a beautiful rug, look for the GoodWeave label. Learn more at www.GoodWeave.org.
GoodWeave by RugMark USA
contributors
...and contributors tori mellott
rumaan alam Freelance writer Rumaan Alam (“Starting from Scratch,” p. 144, and “A Storied Locale,” p. 164) has written for domino and O at Home magazines, and he is the author, with DwellStudio’s Christiane Lemieux, of an interiors book to be published by Clarkson Potter in 2011. He lives in Brooklyn with his husband and son, and spends a lot of time rearranging the furniture.
Hailing from past positions at House Beautiful, ELLE DECOR, domino, and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, contributor Tori Mellott lent her expert eye to this issue’s Market and Eco-Style sections. With a penchant for bespoke stationery, antique china, monogrammed bed linens, and velveteen loafers, Mellott claims she has an addiction to collecting everything and anything, living contentedly amongst basalt busts, intaglios, Blackamoors, and chintz.
Reuse & Reinvent
CHAIRLOOM.COM
market
2
angular perfection
3
Summer forecasts show a refreshingly edgy shape taking center stage
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the right angles 1 All
with angles 2 Bangles
Mirage Wallpaper in Key Lime: $300 per roll, Flavor Paper
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Multi argyle bangle: $65, Steven Shein
2010
in point 3 Case
Mike Perry Wallet: $20, Poketo
by nature 4 Geometric
Lisa Congdon “Where I End and You Begin” Print: $40, Poketo
silhouette 5 Shapely
Stone Stool by Marcel Wanders for Kartell: $245, Unicahome
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design 6 Directional
100% Cashmere Pillow: $340, Rani Arabella
underfoot 7 Order
Star Coral Silk Durrie: $1600, Vanderhurd
style 8 Top-notch
Black marble throw: $160, Suki Cheema
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a dip 9 Take
Exeter Cross Dip Bowls: $40 each, Jill Rosenwald
10 steps
Acute
Pour La Victoire Jilliana Lace Up Sandal: $312, endless.com
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market
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everyone is talking
We adore this glam piece, inspired by H. Stern’s design for the movie Sex and the City!
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Words are running off the page and onto new territory
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redefined 1 Wealth
“Nest Egg” hand-painted ostrich egg: $276, Olivia Song
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outlook 2 Sunny
“Hello Sunshine” necklace: $75, Available in kate spade new york stores, (866) 999-kate
sentiments 3 Sweet Sex and the City “Love” Keychain: $69.99, HBO Shop
favorites 4 Playing
“Things I Like” tray: $88, John Derian
reminder 5 Gentle
“Call Your Mother” felt pillow: $89, Alexandra Ferguson
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in cheek 6 Tongue
“Unattended Children” Paper Cocktail Napkins: $18 for 50, The Monogram Shop
Cathy 7 Chatty
“blah, blah, blah” Panama Notebook: $69, Smythson
your mark 8 Leave
Perforated Bookmark Paper: $6 for set of 8, JACK SPADE
words 9 Fighting
“WARPAINT” Makeup Bag: $75, The Monogram Shop
pals 10 Pen
“Hello Darling” Notecards: $15 for set of 3, Felt & Wire Shop
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market
Michelle
Tori
Ellie
We went
mad for...
Michelle Adams Editor in Chief
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Add a personal touch by customizing the writing in the box to whatever your heart desires!
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Blouse 1 Tie-front $192, Tucker by Gaby Basora Available at Dress 617-424-7125
Poster 2 Heart $34 (unframed), elastic co. Strapless 3 UNDREST Knitted One-Piece $210, Net-A-Porter
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and White Umbrella 4 Pink $22 (unframed), Simply Hue Pillow 5 Baubles $110, Kreme
Ellie Somerville Editorial Assistant
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I love the thought of storing your passport and travel documents in something this chic–flying should always be a special occasion!
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Travel Wallet, 1 Slim Mimosa Collection $545, Smythson
Pattern Mustard 2 Zebra Personalized Stationery $68 box of 20, iomoi
Chair 3 Conservatory $798, Anthropologie Fabric in Kiwi/ Grape 4 Pradish $25.99 a yard, Calico Corners Party Jumper in Violet 5 Tea $138, Zinke
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Tori Mellott Contributing Editor
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Quartz and 1 Pink Gold Bookends
$875, Eduardo Garza Designs
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Ostrich Cushion by Maison de Vacances
$255, Calypso Home
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3 $105, Lomography LIVING Neko 4 IMM Containers in Oceana
Diana F+ Mr. Pink Camera
$15, BurkeDecor.com
Facet Comb 5 Gold $68, Amanda Pearl
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A little ‘70s and a little ‘80s, this chic hair comb adds that extra sparkle to an outfit. 2010
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market
Summertime must-haves + + Santa Barbara Umbrella, $1725, Santa Barbara Designs
+ Walter Lamb Armchair $701, Design Within Reach
+
+ Armchair Galavanized Matte Finish $395, The Conran Shop
Pagoda Umbrella $169, Pier 1
+
+ Klismos Side Chair $319, Restoration Hardware
Outdoor Patio Beige/Black Round Crank Patio Umbrella $129, Target
+
+ Mid-Century Sunshade $849 & Tuuci Shade Platform Mobile Stand $425, Design Within Reach 22
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Igloo Chair $149, CB2
Distinctive designs = Alfresco bliss + Outdoor Throw Pillow $285, Trina Turk
=
Exotic locale
=
Parisian patio
=
Mod setup
Green Large Metal Lanterns $22, Pier 1
+ Palace Outdoor Pillow $32, Pottery Barn
Outdoor Metal Pagoda Lantern $12-18, Pier 1
+ Outdoor Napoleonic Bee Pillow from $29, Ballard Designs
Wood Base Hurricane in Polished Silver $975, Ralph Lauren Home
+ Outdoor Oasis Printed Pillow $11.99, JCPenney
=
Retro scene
DAMAST Lantern $24.99, IKEA
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market
T
he life’s work of Waylande Gregory—considered among the most important ceramists of the twentieth century—might still be gathering dust in a basement had his great-nephew, Bryan Downey, not discovered it after the artist’s death. Gregory, whose home had been a gathering place for leaders of the art world, was a child prodigy who created some of the world’s largest ceramic sculptures. Amazed by his basement find, Downey started Waylande Gregory Studios to showcase the stunning ceramics. Now, enthusiasts of Gregory’s work can browse this collection online, continuing the legacy of a modernist master. r
treasure trove Late artist Waylande Gregory’s influential ceramic collection goes from basement to online display
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Turquoise 1 Small and Gold Grid Tray
$145, Elements Chicago
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and Gold Mod 2 White Zebra Large Chubby Bowl $695, Elements Chicago
and 3 Turquoise Gold Lava Chubby Vase $745, Elements Chicago
and Gold 4 White Pindots Shallow Bowl $395, Elements Chicago
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Green Tray 5 Leopard $295, Elements Chicago Lava Tray 6 Abstract $185, Elements Chicago
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market
mom’s included Baby-focused bohemian brand Rikshaw Design introduces adult apparel and bedding
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atherine Fitzsimmons originally started Rikshaw Design to offer moms a unique option for their children’s nurseries. Drawn to the bohemian-inspired baby bedding and accessories—all brightly colored and block printed by hand in India on only the softest cotton voile—moms soon craved their babies’ pieces for their own beds and closets. Fitzsimmons listened: by reimagining several existing patterns, she created a line of adult apparel and bedding with the same impressive quality and unique aesthetic. With her evolved patterns and color combinations maintained in a fresh and 2 sophisticated palette, both mom and baby can now don the relaxed, boho-chic feel of Rikshaw Design. r Pillow 1 Camel in Booti Turquoise
Standard Sham 4 Taj $38 each, Rikshaw Design
Euro Shams 2 Taj $48 each, Rikshaw Design Kurta in 3 Adult Taj Paisley Raspberry
Duvet 5 Taj $198 for Full/Queen,
$80 each, Rikshaw Design
$70 each, Rikshaw Design
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Rikshaw Design
market
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o need to rely on a throw pillow to provide your home with a splash of color. Thanks to Alice Supply Co., everyday household items are now available in the brightest shades. Paying homage to TV’s quintessential maid, The Brady Bunch’s lovable Alice, best friends Maria Barnes and Raili Clasen created a hip line of playful housewares ranging from rainbow-striped dustpans to nautical trash bags. Bidding adieu to the days of drab domestic supplies, the duo injects hints of humor and fashionable fun into every piece, allowing chores to be completed with Alice Supply Co. applies a refreshing spin to lighthearted style. r
savvy supplies
Metal Dustpan 1 Striped $22, Alice Supply Co. Kink-Resistant Hose 2 Striped $42, Alice Supply Co. Plunger 3 Striped with Rubber Base $22, Alice Supply Co.
everyday housewares
Sweep 4 Striped Dreams Broom
$26, Alice Supply Co.
Wooden Brush 5 Camo $20, Alice Supply Co. Metal Dustpan 6 Camo $22, Alice Supply Co. 7 Woodgrain Metal Toolbox $66, Alice Supply Co.
Stripe 8 Nautical Hammer
$26, Alice Supply Co.
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Stripe 9 Nautical Trash Bag (Pack of 5) $12, Alice Supply Co.
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Stripe 10 Nautical Metal Bucket
$34, Alice Supply Co.
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from FASHION to FURNISHINGS
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market
A
from the trade
fter almost 30 years of working as an interior designer, Sandra Oster had maxed out her storage space with antiques and collectibles. Realizing others in her field were enduring the same problem, she launched Decorator Green Tag Sale, an online community that allows 1 Tuffted Chair designers to sell their amassed items directly $1,000 to consumers, who can purchase professionally selected pieces at a discount. When designers unload inventory for cash and consumers have the invaluable opportunity to buy Timothy Whealon discounted, carefully chosen items, everybody wins! r Gilt-metal Cassolettes 4 Desk Lamp
3 $850
$400
2 Hermes Tray Table $350
Amanda Nisbet
Dresser 5 Painted $800
fit to travel
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Duffle 1 Rolling $650, Oughton Limited
Bag II 2 Overnight $355, Oughton Limited
n equestrian herself, Daphne Markcrow needed a chic bag that could conveniently house a saddle, bridle, and brushes in an orderly manner. With the market void of such product, she launched Oughton Limited, a line featuring high-end, functional, equestrian-inspired luggage. Created with signature Waxwear canvas, top-grain leather, and a spot for everything, they’ve quickly become the instant go-to summer travel bag for anybody and everybody who loves a trip well-organized. r june • july
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eco-style
W
hile hunting for her wedding invitations, Kacy Lubell was disappointed by the selection of designs that she found. But after stumbling upon an old-fashioned printing press, she had a revelation that inspired her new stationery line, Letters Lubell. Although she was no novice to fine paper goods—Bubble Letters, her original line, specializes in digital printing—Lubell discovered that the vintage elegance of this antique press allowed her the opportunity to create truly unique custom-made invitations. “I wanted my invites to be tailored to my wedding and vision, and it just wasn’t out there,” says Lubell, who then began designing with letterpress in mind. “I think every bride or client should have that option.” And now they do, via Letters Lubell. Offering note cards, journals, recipe cards, gift tags, and message cards, she allows clients the option to choose one of her existing designs or work directly with Letters Lubell to create a specific vision. “All my pieces are feminine with a modern twist,” she says.
letters of yesteryear Kacy Lubell brings her second stationery line to life through antique letter-pressing
Journals 1 Letterpressed $7 each, Letters Lubell Owl Custom Note Cards 2 Little $400/100, Letters Lubell Blanket 3 Beach $16.00/pack of 6, Letters Lubell
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eco-style
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Chic 4 Tres Custom Notecards
$16.00/pack of 6, Letters Lubell
5 Mexicali $16.00/pack of 6, Letters Lubell Fly 6 So $16.00/pack of 6, Letters Lubell de Plume 7 Nom Custom Notecards $400/100 cards, Letters Lubell
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The printing process may differentiate Lubell’s two lines, but her approach to the environment remains the same. The designer is adamant about producing stationery that keeps trees rooted in their ecological place. “Being eco-friendly can be difficult if you truly examine everything you do, but with paper it’s a no-brainer,” she says. Her merchandise is created on luxurious 100% recycled cotton stock that doesn’t depreciate the forests and is packaged in a
mix of cotton and brown-bag recycled envelopes. Whenever possible, she presses with soy inks as a fitting finish to the romantic art. Lubell was an elementary school teacher before her designing hobby took off into a full-time gig. But she’s always harbored an affinity toward the entire spectrum of stationery, from creating it to writing on it to receiving it. “There is so much celebration involved in stationery, and being able to design historic pieces for families is so special,” she says. “I hope my work brings [my clients] happiness, a sense of satisfaction, and a little slice of style to send in the mail.” r
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store to home
inside & out
The innovative, sophisticated pieces at Chicago’s Jayson Home & Garden invigorate interiors and exteriors alike
C
aroline Scheeler, vice president and creative director of Jayson Home & Garden, has trouble nailing down one definitive aesthetic to describe the eclectic and varied personality of the Chicago-based store. The challenge isn’t surprising: the shop’s merchandise is composed of vintage, modern, and traditional pieces originating from North America, Europe, Asia and Africa, all beautifully laid out in a lush, eye-catching display. “We buy things that we love and that speak the language of the Jayson brand,” says Scheeler, a veteran of the store since 1993. “Whatever our aesthetic may be, it needs to have a quality that speaks to someone so they feel as though they always have their hands on a real find.” One thing is for sure: the diverse collection, ranging from home furnishings to lighting to floral design, represents a vivid sophistication and treasured charisma that can’t help but lure customers in for repeat visits. Scheeler seeks a sense of drama in products, pieces that unveil a story, whether it’s found in more obvious French antiques or in an American folk art piece that simply “sings.” “I want customers to always feel like the proverbial kid in a candy store, no matter how many times they’ve
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been here,” says Scheeler, who developed her eye at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, later studying interior architecture post-graduation. “I want it to feel warm and welcoming and unexpected, a place to expect the unexpected.” Originally opened and named Jayson Gallery by owner Jay Goltz, the art-gallery-and-gift-shop combo soon included furniture and antiques that Scheeler, empowered by Goltz’s trust in her creative ability, began bringing back from France and England. Goltz took note of the growing nesting trend and the idea of addressing one’s outdoor space as equally as one’s interiors and introduced the garden portion of the shop. Suddenly the store had transformed into a hybrid concept of home and garden furnishings, resulting in not only a new name, but a distinctive approach. “There has been a lot of trial and error to find the right mix,
“Our customers are so
design savvy; they don’t want a storebought pot of marigolds [when designing their gardens],” says Scheeler. “They want their outside living
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“‘Sophistication’ really is a dialogue between us and our customers,” says Scheeler. “It’s only sophisticated if someone is there to believe that it is.” june • july
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“I’m hugely
inspired by...how we can
live
with things from the
past in an honest and modern way,” Scheeler says.
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but slowly we have gathered a following,” says Scheeler, who helped with the shop’s 1996 relocation to a deserted factory building, which the Jayson Home & Garden team renovated largely themselves. Although awareness of their brand is growing and demand exists to expand to New York or Los Angeles, Goltz has decided to maintain only the shop’s Chicago location. “Jay realizes that what we have is really special, and to take it to a national-chain level would dramatically deter from the magic of what it is that we do and what people are so drawn to,” Scheeler explains, adding that being the “biggest” isn’t something found on their radar. Though Midwesterners are lucky enough to view Jayson Home & Garden in person, the shop also features a strong store website to allow out-of-towners easy access to its many treasures. r
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how--to
Slow It Down Dominique Browning, legendary editor of the now defunct House & Garden, teaches us how to sit back, relax, and enjoy a cup of tea
hen House & Garden suddenly folded in November of 2007, Dominique Browning saw herself go from Editor in Chief to unemployed in one chaotic, unexpected, and life-changing week. A woman with an impressive résumé, she’s authored three books, written and worked for varied prestigious newspapers and magazines, and was the first woman to be appointed to a managing role at Newsweek. Always on the go for the past 35 years, she entered an abrupt state of stillness that wore on her like uncomfortable clothing, feeling lost in a world without a work week to structure her days. With time, however, Browning began opening her eyes to this slower-paced life, adapting and eventually embracing it. “Rather than always feel like I must be rushing around from one thing to the next, I’m learning to give more attention to where I am now,” she says. Moving from the suburbs of New York to a tranquil coastal town in Rhode Island, she’s learned to modulate, silencing the inner critic who nagged her for being unemployed and instead taking solace in daily activities she’d missed while busy working.
We love these ready-to-plant natural pots! Instead of an eco-unfriendly plastic planter, these pots come complete with roots, instantly ready to stick in the ground!
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I have vivid memories of putting in pansies and having my mother explain to me that she loved them because they always turned their faces to the sun, says Browning. rowning has been gardening since she was a child, side by side with her father, and it’s one such activity she finds continued enrichment from. “I love the connection with the soil, and with the sun and the rain, and I love the miraculous cycle of dormancy and growth,” she says. From her Moroccan grandmother she learned how to use her grown herbs to make mint infusions, a homemade treat that allows for little competition with store-bought. “The ingredients are fresh and straight out of the garden, so you capture the flavor immediately,” she says. With tea in hand, Browning relaxes under the shadowed canopy of her backyard trees, content with yet another day. r
Steps to Making Homemade Infusions
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Pick fresh herbs from your garden. If you’d like to make tea during winter months, simply dry the herbs on a standard window screen while still in season and store in a glass jar.
If a fresh infusion is preferred, simply cut a few stalks from the plant. Browning used verbena in this instance, but mint or rosemary also work well.
Rinse off the dirt and put the herb stalk in a glass kettle—“because the colors are so lovely to see,” says Browning.
Prepare your glasses by putting a piece of crystallized ginger in each glass, along with a sprig of mint, a slice of lemon, and ice. (Omit the ice if you prefer a hot infusion.)
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(from your garden!)
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Boil water and pour over the verbena (or chosen stalk) in the pot and let it steep for several minutes. “For iced you want a superconcentrated liquid; otherwise it will be watered down,” Browning advises.
Slowly pour the herb infusion into each of the prepared glasses, and enjoy!
Browning’s latest memoir, Slow Love, describes the journey through the despair she experienced upon losing her job and the steps she took to subsequently overcome it and reach toward happiness. The book is now available for purchase.
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I
Island Retreat Designer Bunny Williams gave a Sea Island condo just what it needed: a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere perfect for its beach backdrop Written by Shawn Gauthier Photography by Patrick Cline Art Direction by Michelle Adams june • july
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ith five miles of private beach running along the Atlantic Coast, Sea Island, Georgia, is an escape to the quietude and casual atmosphere of long summer weekends and languid afternoons by the water. When designer Bunny Williams learned she’d be creating the décor of her client’s island condo, she knew exactly where to look for inspiration: outside. “The sun, the ocean, the sand—it all played a part,” says Williams of decorating the 4,000-square-foot seaside getaway. “I wanted a place you could walk in with a wet bathing suit, sit on a chair, and it would be OK.”
relaxed and airy, casual and friendly, and engagingly excitable in only the right places. “It’s a comfortable space that feels like a destination; it’s restful while being lively at the same time,” explains designer Elizabeth Swartz, who helped Williams tackle the condo in the tight three-month time frame. Designing the space to be a retreat home for a family of five, Williams wanted to create a noticeably contrasting environment with the family’s New York City and Connecticut homes, both of which Williams also designed. By utilizing slipcovers and sisal carpeting, and warm summer colors balanced by
Leave it to Williams, an influential name in the world of décor since the ‘60s, to pull off a beach house that is every bit as elegant in its precision as it is relaxed in its execution. Mirroring her classic traditionalism that never impedes on comfort, the condo moves like a boardwalk on Saturday night;
The condo came ready-made with marvelous hand-textured walls, which Williams left completely natural. “The entire condo appears bigger since the living room and hall are all one color,” she says. Blue cotton slipcovers accentuated by bright orange cushions anchor the room, although they don’t appear overly saturated because of the surrounding neutrality and the varying textures: a woven rug, printed fabrics, and the AngloIndian coffee table from Williams’s furniture line, BeeLine Home. june • july
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According to Williams, color starts with where you are; in this case, the beach. “You can do so much more with color in spaces where the sun is strong,” she says, explaining that it will absorb the intensity and not overpower a room. When designing in Manhattan, Williams often utilizes deeper, muted shades like gray because sunlight is often lost in tight apartments. “Use a hot pink in New York and it can be jarring,” she says. “There simply isn’t enough strong light.”
consistent neutrality, Williams derived a space freshly separate from the formal, sophisticated air of the family’s Manhattan home and the antiquesheavy, modern grace of their new Georgian home in Westport, Connecticut. It’s a place where the kids can kick back on the sofa, the family can gather around the dining table for a card game, and the chaos of everyday life washes away with the tide. “I love that the colors and décor blend with what’s outside,” says Swartz. “When the doors and windows are open, you can feel the breeze and hear the waves crashing on the beach, and it all feels seamless.” 50
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The home is filled with Williams’s signature touches: comfort, unique combinations, a sense of playfulness, and an expert eye for scale, functionality, and consideration of space. Yet Williams isn’t out to be identifiable; her work is about capturing the individual lifestyle of the client, not laying claim to her talent. Humble in her magnitude, she strives to create beautifully outfitted homes that, at the end of the day, her clients can live their best lives in. “Every space should have its own personality, different from the next,” she says. “It’s simply about creating a perfect fit for the people who live in it.” r
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Practice Restraint
Stop decorating well before it hits the limit. “Never overdecorate; you don’t want a room where you move one thing and everything falls apart,” says Williams. The key is to create spaces that feel evolved, never formulaic, by mixing materials, textures, and appropriate colors so it’s easy to alter a number of elements in the room. “You should be able to change a piece of art or add new cushions over time,” she says. Williams’s layout in the living area allows for flexible movement of the chairs so the family can be engaged wherever the activity may be.
A clever sisal upgrade: add artistic detail. Painted by Artgroove, the design is a 1940s altered pattern and the stars are a tribute to Williams’s former employer, Albert Hadley. Take heed: only a very flat-weave sisal carpet will allow for paint.
“I’d much rather have
walk into a space and feel comfortable someone
than walk in and think,
this design is drop-dead gorgeous
‘Wow,
—but it
doesn’t function.”
When Williams spotted these oversize standing storks, she knew they had to be incorporated into the dining room. “I wanted bigger, bolder objects; fewer things on a grander scale is much stronger,” she says. Plus, fewer objects mean less clutter, so the space is automatically more maintenance-free.
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The master bedroom’s color scheme of beiges and melons creates a calming atmosphere conducive to the room’s view of the beach.“We wanted the master bedroom to be a room to get away in, not just to sleep,” says Williams.
“From the
blue slipcovered
furniture in the living room to the
natural tones
in the master
bedroom, the feel continues to blend with the surroundings of
Sea Island
,”
says Swartz.
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Cost-Efficient
High-quality rugs, like these from ABC Carpet & Home, are beautiful options to anchor a room, although they can be a bit pricey. To balance the cost elsewhere, Williams cleverly sewed two inexpensive cotton rugs together to create one larger rug for the daughter’s bedroom, and utilized sisal carpeting in the living area. She also kept cash flow low by poring over catalogs to find affordable pieces. Nevertheless, don’t get too chain-store happy: “Make sure to add one older piece with genuine character so the entire space doesn’t feel like the catalog,” advises Williams.
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Williams sought a bed with both height and an upholstered headboard, and she found the perfect fit in this piece from Mrs. Howard. Since it’s not a typical fourposter bed, it still gives that dimension of height without feeling too heavy in the space.
Williams often looks to her furniture line, BeeLine Home, for great pieces to outfit a space, like this desk and the chicken feather lamps on the bedside tables.
Bunny’s
Tried & True Treillage NYC
Circa Interiors and Antiques Charlotte, NC
Paysage Cleveland Heights, OH
Mecox Gardens Multiple locations
Hollyhock Los Angeles june • july
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Williams believes in the beauty of great architecture cautions new homeowners not to jump the gun by immediately investing in elaborate home renovations. “If you’re just starting in a house, it makes much more sense to put money into things that you’ll have for a while and can take with you versus renovating the architecture, which you’ll inevitably leave behind,” she says. For example: invest in unique, interesting objects instead of expensive wall treatments.
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With a headboard covered in raffia and a floral cotton quilt from John Robshaw, the bedroom designated for the client’s daughter is feminine but not over the top. “Not going overly masculine or feminine in the bedrooms allows them to double as appropriate guest rooms,” says Williams.
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Bunny’s
Timeless Inspirations The Way We Live by Stafford Cliff
Vogue’s Book of Houses, Gardens, People by Valentine Lawford, Diana Vreeland, and Horst (1968 edition)
Albert Hadley: The Story of America’s Preeminent Interior Designer by Adam Lewis
Elle Décor by Francois Baudot and Jean Demachy
The Givenchy Style by Francoise Mohrt june • july
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This screen had taken up shop in Williams’s office stock, in limbo while waiting for the perfect home. When Williams saw this space, she knew she’d finally found it. “You get a lot of bang for your buck using this piece, so to say,” says Swartz. “It’s both a furniture piece and a work of art.” The corner comes alive with the addition of the chaise from Wisteria.
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Breaking It Down:
1
How Bunny Williams Brings the Beach Inside
Slipcover furniture in aqua-blue cotton.
2
3
4
5
Start an interesting shell collection and fill an antique cabinet.
Hang prints of fish or turtles in the powder room.
Mix decorative straw items with faded driftwoodcolored furniture.
Use a lot of sisal carpets to represent the color of sand.
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“It’s so much more luxurious to have a double bed versus a twin,” says Williams, who outfitted what is considered the boys’ room with a pair of full beds. Bathed in blues, browns, and silvers, the John Robshaw geometric duvets on the beds complement the striped rug, which Williams picked up from Wisteria. Across the walls hang several fish paintings inspired by none other than the backyard sea.
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Let There Be Light
When it comes to the overall scheme of things, Kleinhelter rates lighting to be as important as the perfect sofa. “I search and search for the unique,” she says, “that fixture that hasn’t been done over and over again.” In fact, she often creates lights herself by utilizing found objects. The living area features one of her favorites, a white-painted woven fixture. “The white makes it less rustic, and the fact that it’s woven gives it depth and texture,” she explains.
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Motivated by a mission to sell, Atlanta designer Lee Kleinhelter redesigned the Sovereign’s model condo with a rustic edge made modern by its chic sophistication
model design Written by Shawn Gauthier Photography by Patrick Cline Art Direction by Michelle Adams
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D
esigner Lee Kleinhelter’s direction for designing to sell is bare bones and straight to the point. “Keep it simple and be unique,” she says. “There is so much on the market and people have seen it all.” Consider her counsel sage advice; recently chosen to revamp the outdated model condo décor of Atlanta’s buzz-worthy high-rise the Sovereign, Kleinhelter is clearly well-versed in this arena. The owner of Atlanta’s home-goods store Pieces, which focuses on refurbished, vintage furniture and accessories, Kleinhelter has a clever yet comfortable comprehension of interiors that has not gone unnoticed. Features of both her shop and her own homes she’s designed throughout the years have been spread across the glossy pages of Cottage Living, InStyle, and ELLE DECOR. Working with her husband, contractor/builder Kevin Kleinhelter, she eagerly seeks new projects to renovate, decorate, and eventually turn over to one very lucky buyer. “All our homes are created to sell, but with that said, we can’t help but make them our own in the process,” she says. “I approach them all the same: clean lines, no fuss, purposefully organized with good flow.”
walls, and energizing the space with the flavorful shade of orange inspired by Hermès. “There are definitely hints of the ‘70s and ‘80s, but decorating isn’t about time periods or where pieces originated,” says Kleinhelter. “It’s about the lines, the materials, and the mix. That’s what I find exciting.”
For a woman who dreams about small-hotel design and boutique clothing store interiors, she was thrilled when approached with the opportunity to breathe new life into the model condo at the Sovereign, where she and her husband also reside. “Designing chic spots sends me over the edge,” says Kleinhelter, who hardly had the patience to pull her blonde tresses into a ponytail before ripping out the dull-blue carpet that went on “for miles.” With budget the primary restriction, Kleinhelter focused on making the biggest bang for her buck, centering her attention on creating depth through textures, accentuating the
The result is a space rich with a relaxed sophistication that complements the uniquely shaped building (each condo features severe angles and unusual nooks), and looks nothing like the average, staged model condo. By incorporating a flow with balanced elements in a casual yet refined fashion, she has successfully created a home that incorporates a modern propensity without sacrificing the warmth every buyer craves. “I want this home to make you feel great, chic, and super happy,” she says; according to Kleinhelter, it’s exactly the reaction the Sovereign is receiving from potential buyers. r june • july
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Kleinhelter switched the original floor plan layout of the dining room and the living room to create a more comfortable space not only to entertain, but to incorporate the cityscape into the interior. “Now you can live and lounge while enjoying the view!� she says.
Textured Feel
Besides focusing on the color orange as a thematic, Kleinhelter also brought a variety of textures into play. The dining area showcases a burl wood table with a rusted, antiquated clock keeping still time on the wall. The living room is home to faux-bamboo loveseats in conjunction with the cypress sculpture, all complemented by the nearby rattan and Lucite bar stools. Even the walls of the den and master bedroom pay homage to the theme, dressed in cork and woven wallpapers.
Creating a sell-worthy place is all about incorporating the elements you’d want in your own home, but keeping them clean, not too modern, and not too traditional,” says Kleinhelter. “Avoid designing around trends, and always enhance the positives of a space.”
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Pieces from Pieces
“This condo has Pieces written all over it!” says Kleinhelter, referring to her unique interiors store featuring refurbished items that consistently receives rave reviews. The living room includes vintage loveseats encased in faux bamboo; when one was longer than the other, Kleinhelter simply cut it down to match in scale. The Swedish deco lounge chairs in the master bedroom and den have a worn appeal that only enhances their personality. Sick of that musty drawer smell? Kleinhelter equipped the master bedroom with a chest containing burlap-upholstered drawers to keep clothes clean, adding an unexpected touch of luxury. “I never get sick of finding older pieces and turning them into something amazing,” she says. “I like that they can be cherished again.”
Eighty percent of the furniture in this project is refurbished or reused,” says Kleinhelter, who is a believer in giving antiques another shot at beautiful use, evident in her Atlanta store, Pieces.
“It’s so great to bring things back to life.
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Room with a View
It’s evident the condo features a spectacular sight, although Kleinhelter strategically chose to engage buyers with the décor first so the view could act as the ultimate selling point. Entering a foyer papered in a bold, scalloped cloth design accessorized with an antique sideboard, vintage cork lamps, and a root mirror, the buyer can’t help but be enamored before even noticing the Atlanta landscape. “The lighting, wallpaper, and mix of textures make up the first thing this home has to say,” says Kleinhelter. “And then it’s, ‘Oh wow, look at that view! Amazing!’”
In a room with several unusual angles, Kleinhelter turned the focus away from hard-tostyle sections of the space by camouflaging the walls with basket weave wallpaper.
Introduce flair and fun with a hanging rattan chair, like this vintage piece that also elevates the room’s texture. 80
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Masterfully Styled
With orange punctuating the rest of the condo, Kleinhelter enhanced the coloring of the master bedroom by including the complementary purple on the custom-made pillows. Vintage Asian-inspired end tables offer functionality beneath custom orange pendant lights, the entire look anchored by the handsome chocolate upholstered headboard and dust skirt. “You could lounge all day in this room, taking in the downtown view,” says Kleinhelter.
Kleinhelter created the custom pendant lamps by suspending a lampshade from a vintage chain—a simple DIY project for anyone!
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Keep the Personal Items Personal
Preparing to sell? Then it’s time to tuck away those outdated mementos cluttering your home. “Put away your personal items,” says Kleinhelter. “They’re distracting and make potential buyers feel like they’re invading someone’s space.”
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Luscious Lair
Kleinhelter stumbled unexpectedly upon the cork wallpaper she applied to the condo’s den, creating a perfectly cozy getaway. The furniture is outfitted in neutral upholstery and suede, with nailheads on the vintage armchairs adding a rustic flair. Orange-stripe pillows flounce the sofa; above, a wooden moose painted glossy white stands guard as an unexpected bold touch.
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Sell That House! Clean it!
Paint it!
Move everything Freshly paint out and clean. everything Be sure to edit. monochromatic throughout to make it feel bigger.
Rearrange it!
Move it!
Critique it!
Move pieces in different ways that you haven’t thought of.
People often have too much clutter; move as much as possible out.
Have someone else look at it. Make sure you get honest advice!
Transformation to Sell
Beware: no one said it’s an easy task. According to Kleinhelter, the first step in preparing to sell is moving everything out. “Sometimes it’s so hard to see past the way it already looks,” she says. Once clutter-free, paint everything the same color to visually expand the space. Lastly, when moving furniture back in, make sure to carefully edit by leaving out anything that isn’t necessary and keeping it in storage. “Remember, less is more,” says Kleinhelter.
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The paint color used for the dark stripes on the wall was Pratt & Lambert Obsidian 32-17. 86
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Horizontal Haven
Without any budget for wallpaper for the guest bedroom, Kleinhelter decided to apply a stripe detail, effectively manipulating an unusually long wall as well as awkward angles. “I wanted to go out with a bang,” she says, adding that it gives a textured feel broken only by the rustic round mirror above the Jonathan Adler burl wood desk. Headboards covered in Knoll Textiles fabric represent the orange thematic, and Victoria Hagan pillows enhance the geometry of the space against the walls. “Such a happy room!” says Kleinhelter.
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Combining sheepskin, matelassé bedding, a cork cube, and sisal carpeting, Kleinhelter pulled off a relaxed, earthy look that feels balanced, not overwhelming. “Different textures bring layers to a space,” she says.
A home needs to look like you could grab your things and move right in,” says Kleinhelter on designing to sell.
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Take a peek into Kleinhelter’s own home inside the Sovereign
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Before Kleinhelter worked her wonders on the calm sophistication of the model condo, she’d already infused a tale of vintage glam in her own unit. Knowing she’d also be designing the model down the road, she kicked off an exercise in the successful interpretation of two separate looks in one distinct space.
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I loved the idea of the view acting as our background and our furniture and pieces simply being aspects of the space, says Kleinhelter.
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Kleinhelter purposefully kept her bedroom calm and neutral so as not to distract from the incredible view, and she added subtle interest by painting the trim a slightly darker shade than the walls. “The trim doesn’t have any sort of ornate design, so coloring it darker details it in a different sort of way,” she says.
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“The view and being in such an incredible building made me want to create a glamorous, formal touch, downplayed by vintage pieces and the use of root,� says Kleinhelter, who created flow and cohesion between the living and dining vicinities by designating areas for each space and tying them together with similar porcelain chandeliers.
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Lee’s Hot Spots Barneys CO-OP Jeffrey J.Crew Scoop NYC Tory Burch
Simply because Kleinhelter’s condo took on a more sophisticated feel than her past home did not mean she couldn’t reinvent her rustic wooden dining table in her new space. “I don’t believe that certain pieces only belong in certain places,” she says, explaining that she often reinterprets her favorite pieces within the backdrop of new homes. In this condo, she added white Louis chairs to anchor a modern vibe around the cottage-like feel of the table.
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The floor plan indicated that this space was to be used as a den, but with a baby on the way, Kleinhelter had a different plan. By adding IKEA shelving to the walls to hang Holden’s onesies, she smoothly transitioned the space into a nursery, despite the lack of closet space.
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White is ultimately my favorite color, but it must be chic, fun, and sophisticated, says Kleinhelter, who punctuated her 11-year-old stepdaughter Madison’s bedroom with vintage yellow lamps and embroidered bird pillows.
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“He’s truly the most fun part of my day; he’s a little ham!” says Kleinhelter of her ninemonth-old son, Holden. “I’m excited for him to know about design and grow up around interesting pieces. It’s great to know who you are and what you want to do in life and be able to enjoy it with your kids.”
Lee’s Good Reading Mrs. Lilien Styling House
I love the colors and the ways she pulls home and fashion together.
T Magazine Travel
I’m always daydreaming about traveling to exotic places!
Dress, Design & Décor
Great tidbits of design and life.
GOOP
Always great!
Bravo
I’m obsessed with Bravo. It’s a bit embarrassing, but I do watch some of these shows. I’m sucked in!
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pattern A
t 16 years old, Elizabeth Bauer had little idea that her high school summer gig would pave the way for her future career. Insisting she get a job, her parents helped land her a role as an assistant at a Nantucket interior design firm, much to her initial dismay. “I wasn’t so sure about working full-time, Monday through Friday, while all my friends were at the pool,” says Bauer, laughing at the memory. “Then I ended up loving it; the experience was invaluable.”
play
Invigorated by pattern, fabric, and color, interior designer Elizabeth Bauer vividly infuses her Gramercy Park studio with the perfect mix of all three Written by Shawn Gauthier Photography by Patrick Cline Art Direction by Michelle Adams
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W
Parrot tulips are Bauer’s favorite flower, making this chandelier the irresistibly appropriate choice for her bedroom. She switched out light fixtures throughout the studio immediately upon moving in.
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ithout the summertime job, Bauer’s eyes may never have been opened to her most distinct talents: the transformation not only of interiors, but of the pieces that fill the interiors. After working with the Nantucket firm for several years, she had brief roles at Vogue and O at Home post-college before she was inevitably led back to home decor. On her own for the past three years, Bauer has a modern eye infused with the traditional that has spoken volumes to her name, landing her a notable repertoire of clients. “I love that each project is like reinventing the wheel, while incorporating both my style and the client’s style,” says Bauer of designing. “It’s one of the great things about having a store; the ability to experiment and exercise my creativity.” The store she speaks of is her very own shop, Elizabeth Bauer Design, which she opened in April 2007 after her parents grew tired of their garage being a storage ground for her many treasured flea market finds. With
radar for seeing the life in aged, tired pieces, Bauer now features her revamped collection inside her colorful, chic, one-of-a-kind Manhattan boutique, a venture she calls “the best thing I’ve ever done.” “The store is representative of my talent as a designer,” she says, adding that it encompasses anything and everything she loves. “My one rule of thumb is never to put anything in the store that I’d never put in my own home.” Her home, a prewar studio apartment in Gramercy Park, is everything that Bauer is as a designer: multihued, vibrant, modern, and anything but boring. With a penchant for pattern and an indulgence in color, her home is outfitted in a plethora of masterfully restyled antiques; intriguing, graphic artwork; and touches of wallpaper so engaging they infuse the space with Bauer’s eclectic, charismatic personality. She’s now been there eight years, and although the décor has experienced many a makeover, it’s never been void of Bauer’s bold signature style. “I’m not a beige person,” says Bauer, who’s a strong believer that there are no two colors that can’t work in harmony. “It’s simply about doing a room correctly and obeying the right weight and scale. Then everything becomes complementary.” r
“I always paper the ceiling whenever I can; it makes things that much more cozy,” says Bauer, referring to her blue-and-white zebra wallpaper, which happens to be her favorite on the market. The only items that might top the paper Rose Cumming “Zebrine” wallpaper
are her D. Porthault bed linens; she refers to the purchase as the “best money I could have ever spent.” “Not only are they beautiful, but they feel amazing,” she says. “It’s incredibly important to have comfortable linens.” june • july
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With an adamant passion for fabrics and color, Bauer created each individual space with inspiration from a distinct pattern and then expanded from there. “My starting points are always fabric or wallpaper,” she says. “The living room is defined by the Designers Guild sofa fabric, while the bedroom is defined by the zebra wallpaper.” Intrigued by the historical charm of the prewar
apartment but feeling initially hesitant about living in a studio, Bauer realized that she could easily break up the spaces into distinct areas through defining elements, selling her on the place. “The weight of all the patterns balance out against one another in the sense that there is only one main fabric or paper in each room, and everything else works as a complement,” she says.
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Recently, Bauer’s living room walls were a deep navy, a color she adored; however, as an avid art collector, she ran into a problem: one of her favorite pieces, an Andy Warhol of Jackie Kennedy in mourning, was lost against the dark shade. This instigated a switch to an offwhite color with an ever-so-slight pink hue, allowing the lavendercolored piece in its clear modern frame to pop with the haunting strength it represents.
M
ixing price points in the home is the way of the world today,” says Bauer. “It’s no different from pairing Gap jeans with a Chanel jacket.”
“
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According to Bauer, there is no better complement to spaces vivid with color and pattern than Lucite or glass pieces. “Because [Lucite and glass] are both translucent, their addition to a space will never take away from its surroundings,” she says, explaining that she often engages said pieces into the majority of spaces she creates (her bedroom includes a Lucite console). “No matter what shape they are, they will almost always fit in with the surrounding furniture scale.”
A lucky find at Vintage Thrift Shop on Third Avenue, the breakfront is a Dorothy Draper piece from her Viennese collection for Heritage Furniture Company. “It was really ugly when I found it, but I loved the scale and shape,” says Bauer, who immediately had it
relacquered. Even though it’s likely intended for china or crystal, it’s currently home to Bauer’s book collection, which she calls her favorite accessory. “You can basically learn everything about me by looking at the books inside this breakfront.”
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A standing feature of Bauer’s studio is a separate dressing room. The area is small— the dimensions are only 5’ x 6’—although Bauer still succeeded in giving it definition and personality with Lee Jofa wallpaper and various pieces of art. “It has a very 1940s French feel to it,” she says. “It’s tiny, but it’s one of my favorite spaces.”
Fabric to Die For (According to Liz)
Quadrille Designers Guild Manuel Canovas Ikat Toile
“
T
here’s no secret to finding great antiques; you simply have to buy what you like,” says Bauer. “By the time you build a collection, a common thread will appear since it’s your own eye that’s picked everything out, and you’ll know how to use it.” june • july
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Liz’s
Hot Spots JED
Sag Harbor
eBay Designers Guild London
kate spade Zatista
A devoted scavenger of antique shops and flea markets since her childhood, Bauer has consistently focused her eye on mid-century furniture due to its functionality, like this console where she stores her accessories.
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Liz scored these 1960s paint-bynumbers for $10!
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Bauer describes her store’s aesthetic as “modern with a traditional silhouette.” “There’s nothing contemporary about me,” she says. “I like layers, not sleek. I like comfortable and plush, and clean lines, not harsh.” Opening the doors of Elizabeth Bauer Design three years ago, Bauer finds her inspiration in everyday pieces that appear to be junk, seeing the life beyond their tattered exteriors. When asked what sets her shop apart from the competition, her answer is simple: “Because it’s been done with my eye—there isn’t another person with the exact same eye, or the exact same method of editing. This place is totally me.”
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W
hether it be my work, the store, or my own space, my designs are always a little preppy,” says Bauer. “At the end of the day, it always comes out.”
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Bauer’s year-old Norwich terrier, Lilly, came all the way from Vancouver, Canada. “People stop in the store just to visit her—it’s hilarious!” laughs Bauer. 2010
How to Maximize
Color in a Space… Without Going Overboard
1
2
3
Never be afraid If you are going Start with one of mixing colors. base color. That to mix several Any colors can way, if you paint colors, it’s eswork together color over it, it sential to keep it if used in the will only comple- up throughout a right saturation ment the base. space or home. levels with one Otherwise another. certain spaces may feel unfinished since color adds weight to spaces.
4
5
If you are going More is more. to use bright, heavy colors in your fabrics, use a lighter wall color in the same vein as the fabrics but much less saturated.
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Heckman, sitting, and Feirstein, holding the couple’s dog, Georgie, enjoy another beautiful Manhattan day on the stoop of their West Village apartment. 124
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An volved Collection After gutting their newly purchased West Village home, Ethan Feirstein and Ari Heckman created a masculine abode through combined treasures
Written by Shawn Gauthier Photography by Patrick Cline Art Direction by Michelle Adams
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t took Ethan Feirstein and Ari Heckman a year to call themselves official owners of New York City real estate, but it was well worth the wait. After making offers on six different places along the way, the couple closed on a promising West Village one-bedroom, which incidentally proved to be the least expensive apartment they’d seen, with an unusual added bonus: decent space. “We were so happy to find a bedroom whose bed we could actually maneuver around,” says Feirstein, a New Yorker by birth. “The place definitely needed to be fully gutted, but it appeared that the space had good bones.” Facing an apartment with vinyl kitchen tile, claustrophobic tan bathroom tile, and the dwelling’s only storage space protruding awkwardly into the living room, the two signed the dotted line with a signature based on faith and instinct. Their professional backgrounds worked in their favor; Heckman founded ASH New York City in 2009, and Feirstein often helps collaborate on the business’s endeavors, designing and staging model apartments as well as select interior design projects. “Ari drew up the designs for all the closets, shelves, kitchen cabinets, and the [living room] window seat,” also working closely with a contractor, Feirstein explains. “From there it was complete collaboration between the two of us on all design elements.” The marriage of articulately planned renovation and evolved décor produced what Feirstein refers to as a “versatile city home,” a “collection” of treasured entities they’ve acquired both separately and together. Elegant and masculine, eclectic and
personalized, the feel is derived from an assortment of storied objects at focus against a calming color story. According to Heckman, a basic, twinned philosophy emerged. First, he says, “If you buy pieces that you love, they will find a place in your home. And secondly, your home can be an extrasensory memory trigger, with each piece reminding you of a place you have visited and of the time in your life when it was acquired.”
Both from families with avid interests in collecting and displaying art, the couple couldn’t help but follow suit. “Our apartment ranges from signature pieces like a Childe Hassam lithograph and a Bemelmans portrait of Madeline to Italian geometric pop art and tons of small, interesting paintings we’ve collected at flea markets and in our travels,” says Heckman.
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Feirstein and Heckman created a neutral base in the living room to allow for the fabrics, art, and accessories to do the talking. “Pillows and rugs are a good opportunity to offset a more pale color scheme with some drama,” says Feirstein, who says the room’s cohesive look simply “evolved.” The tones they did utilize throughout the space were pulled from the chocolate brown Scalamandré window seat, an old malachite box, and the various colors in their art collection.
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After gladly removing the closet that jutted awkwardly into the space, Feirstein and Heckman installed floor-to-ceiling bookshelves to act as their library. This renovation allowed for a more distinct separation between the kitchen and living room, while still fostering a connection and flow between them through the widened hallway.
old initially on the West Village location, the couple feels contentedly at home in the company of Magnolia Bakery and Tartine restaurant on what they describe as one of Manhattan’s “indisputably most beautiful blocks.” Their home is a journey through varied collected items, from a white acrylic peacock and a 19th-century Tiffany griffin paperweight to Lucite and Italian geometric pop art from the ‘70s. Lush with character and personality, the space is a tribute to both Heckman’s and Feirstein’s expressive lives and interests. “Our apartment reminds us of the type of place you’re lucky to find on an extended stay in Rome or Paris,” says Heckman. “We could probably tell a story about every piece in our apartment. To us, that’s the richness of design.” r Renovation is not without surprises, occasionally to the owners’ delight. When Feirstein and Heckman noticed their ceilings had three different finish heights, they did some investigative demolition and removed the existing ceiling. The elimination of the drop yielded 11-feet-high ceilings with no mechanical obstructions, leaving the duo to enjoy amazing “parlor floor” ceiling height, which they accentuated with chunky crown molding throughout.
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The couple wanted the focus of their bedroom, which looks out over the neighboring townhouse’s lush gardens, to be the outdoor view. Concentrating on warm grays and whites for the room, they created a subtle haven peppered with spare color and depth through select pieces of art, limiting accessories to shades of gold to lend the bedroom a refined, masculine feel.
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e often describe our home as our conception of a deluxe hotel suite,” says Feirstein. “The feel is really an evolution of our favorite pieces.” Lonny
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Pages of
INSPIRATION for Ethan and Ari Domicilium Decoratus by Kelly Wearstler
domino: The Book of Decorating by Deborah Needleman, Sara Ruffin Costello, and Dara Caponigro
Orlando Diaz-Azcuy by Diane Dorrans Saeks
Paint and Paper: In Decoration by David Oliver
Domestic Art by Holly Moore, Rob Brinkley, and Laurann Claridge
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ur favorite accessories have a ‘Grand Tour’ feel, as if you’ve just unpacked a trunk of travel tokens,” june • july
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says Heckman.
The ram’s head is a plaster mold from a store in Providence, Rhode Island; Feirstein and Heckman like incorporating animal elements here and there, like the elephant at the foot of the bed and the zebra rug in the living space. “The ram’s head is both playful and serene, and it keeps an eye on our bedroom at all times!” says Feirstein.
Out with the old, in with the new: when Feirstein and Heckman removed the hall closet from the living area, they built two new closets in their bedroom to recover the lost storage space. To maximize the closets’ interest, the couple scored eight-feet-tall doors at a lumber yard and painted them black, finishing them with simple round crystal knobs.
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Feirstein and Heckman had originally chosen a chinoiserie wallpaper for the bathroom, although the price pushed the limits of their budget. As fate would allow, they decided to paint the walls glossy black on an interim basis, quickly realizing it was just the solution they’d desired. “We wanted to re-create a sort of vintage New York bathroom, with the feel of a men’s club,” says Heckman. The room became home to their collection of 1940s and ‘50s photographs featuring characters engaging in elegant and humorous beach activities at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc. “We’ve found some pretty close resemblances to family and friends,” laughs Heckman.
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Because of the small window above the location where Feirstein and Heckman chose to install the sink, they had to be creative with the bathroom mirror. “This is a fortuitous example of how design problems can yield really great solutions,” says Feirstein. With a traditional above-the-sink mirror out of the question, they built a “hidden” medicine cabinet into the wall near the toilet and installed an extended vintage shaving mirror above the sink for both its inherent interest and its practicality. Still wanting to provide a larger mirror for guests, they placed an old walnut mirror found at a flea market above the towel rack. “The addition of deep, luxurious wood to the bathroom was exactly what we needed to enhance the feel of the men’s club,” says Feirstein.
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Be flexible; sometimes the best part of renovating just unfolds.
Utilize Craigslist and flea markets for great finds.
Subway tile is cheap and always looks great.
Splurge on nice paint and avoid expensive wallpaper.
Spend your money on things you can take with you to your next house.
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By building a new shower and reconfiguring the layout, the couple was able to open up the bathroom space, even scoring a few more inches by exposing pipes and removing soffits. Utilizing different types of tiles for the shower and floor elevates a contrasting visual interest, especially when paired with black grout. “The glossy black walls really make the cleanness of the subway-tile shower and hexagonal white tile floors explode,” says Feirstein.
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Loving Farrow & Ball’s Mouse’s Back paint color after noticing it at a Bridgehampton antique shop, Feirstein and Heckman decided to dabble in a small risk by applying the color to their kitchen cabinets. The successful result is more of a refined library or study feel versus a utilitarian “eating” space. “Kitchen cabinets are something that people often treat in one particular way, when in reality the opposite is much more fun,” says Heckman. To counterbalance the darker cabinetry, they installed white Carrera marble on the countertops.
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“Variety is the spice of bookshelves!” says Feirstein, referring to the floor-toceiling shelving they built to replace what had once been a rather useless mirrored alcove. Using it primarily as storage for entertaining essentials, including china, platters, candlesticks, and champagne buckets, they put the section at table height to work as their bar. “It’s a hybrid between a pantry and display case,” Feirstein adds.
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This summer, Feirstein will be launching his own line of men’s wallets, called Merchants Case Co! Stay tuned!
SHOPS
They Love Sage Street Antiques Sag Harbor
Heir Antiques Providence
The Upper Rust NYC
Portmanteau Brooklyn
Chelsea Flea Market NYC
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Lonny Editorial Assistant Ellie Somerville was inspired to trans-
Styling and Art Direction by Michelle Adams Written by Rumaan Alam
form a standard-issue New York
Photography by Patrick Cline
City rental into a gracious first
Makeup by Ashlee Glazer
Floral styling by Robert Leleux
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In the living room, a few touches—the rattan vase, the hide rug, the playful papier-mâché rhino head trophy—have an ersatz safari vibe. The West Elm table adds a jolt of color to the room’s understated palette and is a modern flourish next to the timeless lines of the weathered Wisteria chair. The table and chair fit together perfectly, should Somerville feel like a proper sit-down dinner.
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Looks like a million dollars... costs $89!
he movie version of New York City is full of astonishing apartments. But most people just starting out in this town soon discover that details like fireplaces, stained glass windows, and terraces are hard to come by. Ellie Somerville’s Upper Manhattan starter pad was like countless others: a cookiecutter layout, a bare minimum of closet space (not much space at all, in fact), and little of what might be summed up, simply, as charm. Not precisely the vision of city living one finds in Woody Allen films. But Somerville spends her 9-to-5 life on location in or poring over photographs of flawless homes. Swooning over
The oversize pendant lamp makes a huge impact for a minimal investment, adding sculptural interest to the room and casting beautiful shadows on the walls and ceiling.
Wall sconces provide light for reading without sacrificing floor space for a lamp. Somerville is a firm believer in playing with textures to create dynamic rooms; since light is simply another texture, one of the first things she did in the apartment was install dimmer switches.
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fabrics and wallpapers, paint colors, and light fixtures is all in a day’s work, and it’s been an incredible education, one that Somerville has put to good use, deftly and confidently transforming a humdrum apartment into a showpiece. “I wanted to add charm,” Somerville says. “It’s a small space, but I didn’t just want to make it seem bigger. I wanted to make the apartment feel alive.” She’s an editor by trade, so the first thing Somerville did was to edit, to home in on a handful of style inspirations and build a design around those. There were three specific starting points that informed the apartment’s three main spaces: the style of a St. Louis mansion—Somerville found the photo in the course of some online daydreaming—has been reinterpreted in the living room; the experience of
Somerville quickly (and cheaply) added charm to an unassuming IKEA bookcase by lining the back with simple graphic paper.
Mirrors are a classic smallspace quick fix; a pair of mirrored nesting tables from Williams-Sonoma Home is matched by a large mirror on the wall and a smaller one on the console table.
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Somerville wanted her bedroom to be a retreat from the real world, but apartment living involves some concessions, hence the workspace. The chair was a flea market find brought back to life with a crisp coat of white.
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Calypso Home Fishs Eddy Greatfindz Etsy Shop Urban Outfitters Print Shop Williams-Sonoma Home june • july
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The Williams-Sonoma Home Chinese garden stools work as occasional tables or overflow seating for guests. The rug is one of Somerville’s favorite IKEA finds.
Crisp shams from Williams-Sonoma Home add just a touch of color to the muted bedroom.
visiting Rachel Ashwell’s recently opened Shabby Chic Couture shop in SoHo influenced the decor of Somerville’s bedroom; and a particularly eyecatching wallpaper by Farrow & Ball was the key motif she used to design her kitchen. Since she’s a renter—and was working within a fairly humble budget—the only way to achieve the sense of grandeur and charm Somerville yearned for in the living room (which also doubles as the dining room) was through decorative sleight of hand. Somerville opted for an elegant, muted blue from Benjamin Moore. “I wanted this shade, but I didn’t want it to feel like a nursery,” she says. “So I painted the fake molding, and the whole room just came to life.” The trompe l’oeil architecture
emphasizes the generous height of the ceilings, as does the bold but playful IKEA chandelier. Counterintuitively, by filling up the room, Somerville has made it seem bigger than it is. She’s used all the classic small-space decorating techniques— mounting lights on the walls instead of sacrificing floor space, furnishing with pieces that pull double duty (the West Elm console that’s also a dining table, a nesting coffee table that’s truly two in one), and employing lots of mirrors to emphasize the light. But the living room doesn’t feel like a study in small-space problem solving; the effect is grand but welcoming, a room really designed for everyday life. A visitor would hardly notice its intimate scale, which is precisely the point. june • july
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And there are plenty of visitors. “I wanted to be able to entertain,” Somerville says. “I wanted a home that was beautiful, but where everyone could feel comfortable.” To that end, it’s the kitchen bar (a repurposed IKEA nightstand) that gets more use than the stove. Somerville has truly decorated what’s often thought of as a functional room, but this one space represents a hefty percentage of her overall floor plan. The main statement is the lavish Farrow & Ball wallpaper, which she fell in love with at first sight. The dark, elegant pattern and the subtle lighting give the room a sophisticated vibe that encourages guests to linger. Apartment life can mean that private space is at a premium, but Somerville was determined to make the bedroom a retreat all her own. There were practical considerations—she needed the room to include a workspace—but it’s the fanciful touches that make the biggest impression. “I wanted a peaceful room, and I’ve always wanted a canopy bed, but I tried to keep the room sophisticated, beautiful but not necessarily feminine.” A canopy bed always makes a big statement, but Somerville tempered it with simple linen/cotton drapery from Fabricut. A sheepskin on the bed adds lavish texture, which the cool color on the walls balances nicely. And sometimes there’s nothing more chic than restraint. “I had so much going in this room, I just used simple bamboo shades,” says Somerville. “And there’s no room for a nightstand, so I just use the windowsill. There’s nothing like a morning in bed with my cup of coffee, looking out at the Hudson River. It’s amazing—I call this my tree house.” r 154
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For easier access, Somerville replaced the unwieldy closet doors with elegant curtains custom made by Chelsea Workroom and completely remade the closet interior with the Container Store’s ever-popular Elfa system. “Now that it’s organized, I can’t believe how much room I have in my tiny New York City closet,” she marvels.
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Furniture isn’t medication— there’s no need to use as directed. This nightstand works wonders as a bar and offers extra storage for unsightly kitchen necessities.
A simple arrangement in a favorite piece from Fishs Eddy, one of Somerville’s go-to stores for chic and cheap tabletop pieces and entertaining essentials.
For Somerville, it was love at first sight with this Farrow & Ball wallpaper.
Most renters don’t consider wallpaper an option, but it is possible
to hang it in such a way that doesn’t jeopardize your security deposit and ensures you can use it again in your next pad. Somerville first marked off the bare walls with a grid of painter’s masking tape. She then affixed double-sided tape atop that. The doublesided tape keeps the paper in place, while the masking tape protects the wall underneath.
Ellie’s
Essential Reads A Cup of Jo Coco + Kelley Destined to Design This is Glamorous Well-Worn 158
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Ellie’s Resources Kitchen Foundational Pieces
Wisteria BP 2206 Wallpaper: $320 per double roll, Farrow & Ball
orite my fav f o e n O rches is Etsy sea rware” e Ba “Vintag
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Crisp Colored Glass Lamp in White: $195, Shades of Light
Extras
I love the smell of freshly baked Pecan Pie!
Vintage Shot Glasses with Rose Motif
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Edland Night stand: $149, IKEA
2010
DamGoodSweets: Desserts to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth, by Raqual Pelzel: $16.50, Amazon
Rope Mirror: $125, Haus Interior
Living Room Foundational Pieces
Louis XVI Chair: $379, Wisteria
Parsons Desk with Drawers in Polished Tumeric: $299, West Elm
Paint
Natura in Ice Blue: $49.99/ gallon, Benjamin Moore
Small White Hampstead Mirror in White: $595, Williams-Sonoma Home
Lighting and Accessories
Savannah Story Rhino Bust: $68, Anthropologie
Maskros Pendant Lamp: $89.99, IKEA
Greek Key Wall Sconce: $229, Shades of Light
Textiles and Rug
“Kalah” Fabric: $23.99/ yard, Calico Corners
Vala Gold Decorative Pillow Cover: $115, John Robshaw
Indigo Herringbone Bolster Pillow Cover: $165, John Robshaw
Brazilian Cowhide Rug: $250, World Market
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Bedroom Luxe Linens
Linen Box-Spring Cover: $79 for Queen, West Elm
Classic Greek Key Standard Sham in Coral: $98 each, Williams-Sonoma Home
White Hotel Bedding Queen Duvet Cover in White: $358, Williams-Sonoma Home
Ludde Sheepskin: $39.99, IKEA
Textiles
Gate Work in “Haze:” Suggested Retail $77.90/yard, Fabricut
Can’t sew? Luckily Chelsea Workroom can...
Habitat in “Taupe:” Suggested Retail $44/ yard, Fabricut
Framework
Cairo Canopy Bed: $999 for Queen, Charles P. Rogers
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Pavilion Gray Paint: $80/gallon, Farrow & Ball
Persisk Rug: $599, IKEA
Accents
Custom Elfa Storage System: Prices Vary, The Container Store
Mother of Pearl Table Lamp: $239, Shades of Light
These cr ysta a chic w l knobs were ay flea ma to restore a rket dre sser.
Traditional Clear Glass Knob in Satin Nickel: $11, Restoration Hardware
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Dolby and Frist’s weekend house in Wainscott, New York. “We wanted a house that had a human scale,” says Dolby. “This place was built in the 1930s, and it just feels so different from the houses that are being built today in the Hamptons.”
Writers Tom Dolby and Drew Frist have created an enchanting, storybook getaway in their Hamptons weekend house
Written by Rumaan Alam Photography by Patrick Cline Art Direction by Michelle Adams june • july
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“There’s a lot going on in this room,” explains Cafiero with a laugh. The lavishly patterned indigo wallpaper from Brunschwig & Fils commands the attention, cleverly disguising the room’s architectural quirks like slapdash crown molding and a sloped ceiling. The owners haven’t shied away from adding paintings and other patterns into the mix.
“We tell ourselves stories in order to live,” Joan Didion famously wrote, making a serious point that narrative can create order from chaos. But it might also be said that how we live is a story, too—especially in the home writers Tom Dolby and Drew Frist created in the Hamptons. Every room here is a story all its own. “Drew and I both love old films,” says Dolby. “We had a vision for the house that was somewhere between the beach house in Mildred Pierce and the house in High Society.” The couple were fortunate to find designer David Cafiero, who got behind their vision: “I kept thinking of Leave Her to Heaven,” Cafiero interjects, “but it really does look like Monte’s house in Mildred Pierce.” It’s the kind of banter one expects more among friends than between a professional and his client, and the trio’s easy rapport and simpatico point of view has created a showpiece home—a fantasy come to life.
The vintage Chinese plaster statues were a Christmas present from Frist’s brother Alex. “He spent hours lacquering them in my parents’ garage to get the perfect red finish,” says Frist. They’re stationed atop a 1940s secretary Cafiero found at Paris’s Clignancourt flea market.
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Dolby and Frist hunted down several of the home’s vintage Oriental rugs on eBay. “The colors and textures are wonderful,” Dolby says. “And, of course, they’re not expensive. You don’t have to worry about spilling anything on them, particularly in the kitchen.”
“There’s no shyness about color here,” says Cafiero. That’s a bit of an understatement. The living room greets visitors with pinkish walls set off by rich white molding. It’s a daring color choice, more Palm Beach than Mid-Atlantic, but it’s unexpectedly inviting. The room has a formal aspect, with its emphasis on symmetry (lamps, armchairs, benches, even works of art all paired up), but it’s offset with certain whimsical touches like exuberant fabrics and curiosities the couple has collected on their travels.
The graphic window treatments, as well as the headboard and foot bench, are made of sturdy Sunbrella fabric to protect against the high amounts of sun the guest room receives.
“We bought things from Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San Francisco, Sonoma, Palm Beach, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and of course locally in the Hamptons and in New York City,” Dolby says. “Each piece we found on vacation reminds us of that trip,” says Frist. “So those moments are also part of the larger story of the house.”
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The 1950s settee is clad in a discontinued Brunschwig & Fils fabric purchased on eBay. “It’s inspired by an ancient Japanese style of painting,” explains Dolby.
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A sculptural metal and glass chandelier casts gorgeous shadows in a corner of the stairwell. The Schumacher sea grass wallpaper appears throughout the house; it adds texture and color, while remaining neutral enough to show off the couple’s extensive art collection. “The fabulous thing about this wallpaper is that it’s very forgiving,” notes Frist. The couple can rearrange their art regularly without leaving noticeable unsightly holes in the walls.
The large cityscape on the master bedroom wall was the first piece Dolby and Frist purchased from Cafiero’s East Village shop. The three became friends, and eventually the couple enlisted Cafiero to decorate the entire house. “It’s wonderful to work with a designer like David,” says Dolby. “He’s open to leading the client through the process instead of keeping everything behind the curtain. We had a blast working with him, and we learned so much.”
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On the terrace just off the master bedroom, Dolby and Frist hung a ‘50s-era Danish painting. “We thought it looked like a window,” Dolby says. “We leave it up in the summer and take it down in the winter. That’s something we’ve learned from David: not to be too precious about things. Sometimes vintage furnishings are meant to be left out in the rain!”
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The couple put considerable care into the decor of their guests’ spaces. The downstairs guest room, with its startling green walls, is as carefully thought out as Dolby and Frist’s own bedroom. “The story we made up was that this is the room of a French prep-school girl,” explains Dolby. “She’s been off at school, but now she’s home.” Regardless of the backstory, the character they’ve really designed the room for is their guest; the furniture, the color, the other touches make the space, and any time spent there feels so special. The upstairs guest room is no less eye-catching. “We call this the blue room,” says Dolby. “It’s got this great kind of Cary Grant vibe.” Truly, it’s not a room for the faint of heart, but the effect of being surrounded by all that visual energy can be strangely welcoming—precisely the goal when creating a guest room. The gracious main living and dining areas were also designed with guests in mind. “We kind of live out of the kitchen and family room,” says Frist. “This is where we actually have most of our meals.” There’s a more casual dining area by the fireplace and plenty of comfy spots to lounge in the gorgeous Hamptons sunlight. Again, in these spaces, color is key, and the pleasant jumble of the couple’s many collected treasures adds to the inviting atmosphere. “We wanted a certain level of polish,” says Dolby. “But at the end of the day, it’s a beach house. You want to be able to walk through the back door with sandy feet.” r
Nautical bed linens are a muted and masculine counterpoint to the Burmese temple fragment hung overhead.
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A 19th-century chaise is a comfortable place to stretch out, even for the home’s tiniest resident, Woody.
Gray-blue insets add polish to the airy master bathroom, while an African stool lends just a bit of quirky character to the space.
“You can fit a lot of people in the kitchen,” says Frist, “which is great when there are eight people in the house and you need extra hands to do chopping and prep work.” There’s no upper cabinetry, only loads of windows, which afford great views to whoever is manning the stove or washing the dishes. “A lot of entertaining happens right here in the kitchen,” says Dolby.
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The vintage Italian ceramic owl was found on eBay; animal shapes and motifs pop up throughout the house.
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Looking for a good summer read? Check out Tom’s books!
The stuffed globe and giraffe from John Derian are a hint of what’s to come: this guest room will eventually be the nursery.
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The painting was commissioned by Dolby’s mother in 1980 from the artist known as Wolo, a caricaturist and painter in San Francisco. “I grew up with it in my childhood bedroom,” Dolby recalls. “We had it cleaned and framed and we hope our kids will enjoy it.”
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Tom and Drew’s
clicks Tony Duquette
Kelly Wearstler The Peak of Chic Curbed Hamptons The Beverly Hills Hotel
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Decorative touches abound, even in the bathroom. The Kartell chair is clad in a Missoni print and is paired with a ‘60s ceramic elephant found on eBay.
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A lithograph by the legendary Lee Krasner (a longtime Hamptons resident) occupies pride of place over the mantle. The jute rug is a simple foil to the armchairs’ exuberant upholstery and the room’s other bold decorative statements.
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The burled wood of the console table adds natural texture to the room.
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The graceful arcs of the pair of massive faux tusks soften the room’s angular lines.
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Cafiero custom designed the family room sofa—it’s extra long and ideal for naps. The artwork on the wall includes eBay and flea market finds as well as fine antiques and gifts from friends. Cafiero fashioned the coffee table from planks he found underwater while swimming in Cape Cod.
A stunning Moroccan cabinet serves as a tableside bar.
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The hot pink ottoman provides the jolt of color that keeps the fireside seating area more fun and fab than prim and proper.
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“When you’re decorating a whole house, you have to look at the continuity between every room,” says Cafiero.
The antique concierge chair is upholstered in Josef Frank fabric.
“We wanted a really unique green,” says Frist. “Not hunter, not lime, not apple. We went through a lot of colors before we found the one.” june • july
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Poolside, Dolby and Frist aimed for pure glamour, inspired by (among other influences) the storied Beverly Hills Hotel.
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“The cottage feels a world away, even though it’s just in the backyard,” says Frist. The building, used as an office during the summer months, is decorated in the same thoughtfully casual manner as the main house’s family room—with paintings found on eBay, antique rugs, and family heirlooms.
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Woody soaks up some sun poolside.
“We went with this whole Hemingway in Cuba thing,” says Frist, referring to the many nautical touches that bring the small space to life.
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picks Tom and Drew’s Cafiero Select NYC
Beall & Bell Greenport, NY
John Derian NYC
John Esty Fine Custom Framing NYC
Midland Arts & Antiques Market Indianapolis, IN
Artefact Design & Salvage Sonoma, CA
Frist, landscape designer Jack DeLashmet, Cafiero, and Dolby. The pergola was DeLashmet’s inspired brainchild.
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kate spade new york Co-President and Creative Director Deborah Lloyd escapes from everyday life in the calm, quiet respite of her Highland Lake home
Written by Shawn Gauthier Photography by Patrick Cline Art Direction by Michelle Adams
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Deborah Lloyd has been said to have a “house angel”: an uncanny ability to fish through a sea of homes until she spots that single one with great bones. So when she and her husband, Simon, set out on a weeklong vacation in upstate New York to uncover the perfect getaway, it came at little surprise when the mission proved successful. “I knew right when I saw the house it was the one,” Lloyd says of their Highland Lake home. “It had personality and a friendly, welcoming, very beautiful feel.” It’s no secret that Lloyd knows a good thing when she sees it; stepping in as Co-President and Creative Director of kate spade new york when Kate and Andy Spade stepped down from their empire, she’s built on the Spades’ initial vision while exercising and defining her own vitality on the expressive brand. “It’s my job to remain true to the original DNA while evolving the brand and making it feel modern and beautiful,” she says. “So many elements that the brand stands for inspire me: color, humor, wit, and whimsy.” It’s a challenge she expertly takes on, guided by an innate sense of fashion she’s harbored since adolescence. She learned to sew when, as a child, she decided to make a new dress for her Barbie doll, resulting in her first prototype as a designer. “I had an aunt who traveled the world and always looked so chic,” says Lloyd. “I remember her coming back from her travels with all these beautiful things and being simply mesmerized.”
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“We really wanted the living room to be a neutral haven with hits of color,” says Lloyd, who injected color with this Vivienne Westwood rug as well as the rich hues of the ABC Carpet & Home rug in front of the couch.
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Aspects of Style That Inspire Deborah
Color Especially finding new ways of combining colors.
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Everyday Fashion
Personal Expression
kate spade new york
History
I am constantly on the lookout for inspiration, whether it’s a passerby I spot on the subway in jeans or the way someone is dressed in a Paris café.
It’s so interesting to see how people express themselves in their homes and decorating styles.
It’s hugely inspiring to visit our stores around the world and see how women wear kate spade new york in their own unique ways.
I love hunting through vintage shops and flea markets to find things with a past.
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“Everything in the living room relates to our lives in the country; the vintage owls, the wooden ducks, the birdcage, and our swan,” says Lloyd.
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Down to earth, warm, and impressively chic herself, Lloyd has created a country home that proves her ability to effortlessly translate design from fashion to interiors. “I like to be a bit adventurous with mixing colors and styles, like adding pops of color in the home in the same manner as I would wear a bright-pink shoe,” she says, defining her own style as “feminine and elegant with a bit of quirkiness.” The house is evidence of this approach, with its neutral base articulated by aptly placed splashes of color. Lloyd’s personality shines through the vintage finds and storied accessories ranging from owl collections to British memorabilia, reminiscent of her cherished hometown of Plymouth, England.
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Lloyd had one mission in mind when decorating her living room: comfort. After years of living with an uncomfortable sofa, she and Simon craved a cozy couch for sinking in. “We chose the gray color so even our dog could enjoy it without wrecking it!” she says. The paintings come from friend Bertrand Delacroix at Axelle Fine Arts Gallery in New York; the smaller still life of the flower is by artist Laurent Dauptain, while the larger piece on the right is by Albert Hadjiganev.
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Lloyd hadn’t intended to capture a sense of the rustic in the home, but the feeling is evident regardless.
“I think the character that comes with age adds an elegance to things,” she says.
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“The master bedroom gets beautiful sunlight, so I chose the spring green for the walls to enhance that,” says Lloyd, who sought a calm and serene look with a hint of personality. To bring in additional color, she created pillows from a Designers Guild floral fabric she bought in London. The walls are adorned with vintage fern prints (Lloyd loves botanical prints), which in turn inspired the choice of the Pottery Barn bedding.
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Ultimately, the Highland Lake home emanates the ease of a relaxed cottage feel, a quiet and calming getaway where worries seemingly evaporate. Tucked back on the fresh soil of country ground, perhaps the greatest advantage is its spotty cell reception; constantly on the go in her professional career, Lloyd takes this as a welcome reprieve from the accessibility of the couple’s additional home in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. “It truly is an escape, a haven of respite from my very hectic life,” says Lloyd, who takes advantage of the many cozy nooks for afternoon reads. “This home is set up for relaxing.” r
Lloyd credits her collection of vintage metal owls, which she’s been acquiring for years from vintage shops and flea markets, as some of her most prized possessions.
“I think owls are incredibly intelligent birds,” says Lloyd, who remembers her father pointing them out to her as a child. “I’ve been fascinated with them ever since.”
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The mirror above Lloyd’s bedroom dresser was originally gold; she painted it white after scooping it up during a shopping trip in London with her mother. The dresser is also home to a framed photo of her and Simon from a Harper’s Bazaar shoot, playfully spraying each other with water from a hose despite their polished outfits. “I love this photo because it really captures the essence of us as a couple,” Lloyd says. “We’re like two kids! We’re always laughing. The picture really shows the spirit of our relationship.” 220
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“I’m an avid flea market shopper and I love vintage stores— I’ve been known to go missing for hours in them!” laughs Lloyd.
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Deborah’s
Favorite Shops ABC Home & Carpet Ikram Chicago
Didier Ludot Paris
Lanvin Paris
Marni and Prada for splurges
The shelves of Lloyd’s old-fashioned, classic bathroom instantly became the perfect home for her sea glass and shell collection. “I can never sit still on holiday,” she says, explaining that she often spends her free time hunting for gems to add to her collections. “I use them for inspiration for jewelry or new color palettes.” She and Simon refinished the tub to capture that “classic elegance” that vintage claw-foot tubs exude, and they finished off the bathroom’s appeal by placing an antique mirror from a local Highland Lake shop above the sink.
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Inspiration can certainly come out of anywhere: the design of this dinnerware collection was inspired by Lloyd’s own kitchen.
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Tips from Deborah:
How to Create a Relaxed Home 1 Have fun and don’t take anything too seriously!
2 Mix different styles, eras, and fabrics.
3 Find fabrics that work for your lifestyle. For instance, we chose the gray color for the living room couch so our dog can lay on it and not ruin it!
4 Find spaces in your home that are perfect for the activities you love and design around them. I placed my bedroom sofa in the sunniest spot for afternoon reading.
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Deborah and Simon remodeled the kitchen after the house weathered the first of two floods. The couple wanted the space to feel open and social, allowing them to enjoy cooking, chatting, and a glass of wine while taking in the view of the back of the house. They installed a “great new stove!” as Lloyd enthusiastically explains, as well as expansive surfaces for cooking and preparing meals. Lloyd, who grew up on the southwest coast of England, chose colors inspired by the British flag.
“The kitchen is very reminiscent of my grandma’s kitchen with all the personal pieces of British memorabilia,”
says Lloyd.
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The dining table is close to Lloyd’s heart; its sturdy wooden frame survived both of the home’s two seperate floods. In the back corner of the dining room is another of her favorite finds: Paddington Bear, which she brought home from London.
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The floral fabric on the pillows— one of Lloyd’s “all-time favorite fabrics”—was actually first used on a dress from kate spade new york’s Spring 2010 collection; Lloyd couldn’t help but save some extra yardage to use in her own home.
To add a touch of sophistication to the room, she picked up the velvet-upholstered chair at a Brooklyn flea market.
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“My favorite color growing up was purple, but I had a really bad purple bedroom as a child,” remembers Lloyd. “This room was my chance to design a purple bedroom in a beautiful way. It’s a ‘do-over’!” june • july
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“We really see the deck and the front terrace as extended living areas,” says Lloyd. “We often have breakfast on the front terrace, watching the sunrise, and dinner on the back deck.”
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Tired of lugging belongings back and forth from the lake, the couple acquired this new Polaris, which arrived the day before our Lonny shoot. “It’s Simon’s new toy—you know how boys are with their toys!” laughs Deborah.
Want more? Check out our behind-thescenes video tour! june • july
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Style Court’s
omberg Steve P
blogger style
Atlanta-based jewelry designer Mark Edge has a wonderful line of eco-vintage pieces made with reclaimed materials. I really love his color sense and use of texture. N-1533 Necklace: $129, Mark Edge Jewelry
T
here’s so much in life we can’t control, but usually we can choose what colors we’d like to be surrounded by, or how we’d like to arrange the furniture,” says blogger Courtney Barnes, who created Style Court in May of 2006. With a focus on style that ranges from fabric and furniture to architecture and pottery, Barnes began her blog while writing professionally, seeking an opportunity for complete creative freedom. Drawing from her extensive background in art history, she includes nuggets of décor’s past while exploring design, art, and style in an approachable fashion. “My hope is people find Style Court to be a helpful resource, even discovering something they didn’t know before visiting,” says Barnes. “Mostly, I hope they sense the sincerity behind it.”
Based on an African art form brought to the coastal areas of South Carolina and Georgia by enslaved Africans in the 17th century, this sweetgrass basket from Lillie Howard’s shop is a favorite. 11” Elephant Ear Basket: $340, Sweet Grass Baskets by Lillie 238
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The best bourbon balls I’ve ever had in my life! Handmade in Kentucky with nine-year-old singlebarrel bourbon and based on an old recipe from the owner’s Aunt Happy. Handmade Kentucky Bourbon Balls: $9 for a box of 4, Happy Balls!
Pimento cheese is a Southern classic. Charleston-based Callie’s, best known for swoon-worthy handmade biscuits, recently branched out with its own take on the savory staple, with small batches available for online ordering. Pimento Cheese: $9.95 for 15 oz, Callie’s
Savannah-related drawings and watercolors by SCAD grad Heather Young; her renderings of houses and parks are super. Through Etsy she offers affordable prints and she also takes commissions for weddings, housewarmings, and anniversaries.
The exquisitely made Lylian little girl’s dress is, in my mind, the perfectly charming gift that a grandmother might give. A very old Louisiana tradition, the dresses originated in the early 1920s.
Custom pen and ink drawing of your home or garden by Heather L. Young: $250, The Ink Lab Etsy Shop
Lylian C602 Dress: $195, Taigan
I’m still obsessed with that battered leather sofa seen in the film “Bright Star,” directed by Jane Campion, and I think Ruby Beets’s version is quite similar. Tufted Leather Settee: $xx, Ruby Beets
I collect elephants and particularly love inlays like my vintage wood-withbone-inlay elephant from an Etsy shop. Blogger’s own Vintage Wooden Elephant with Bone Inlay; for similar pieces she suggests the High Street Market Etsy Shop
Decorator Melissa Rufty had scraps of Fortuny and other special textiles and trims recycled into a little goodluck talisman inspired by traditional New Orleans gris-gris. His tassel belt rocks!
Based in North Carolina, Parlor Textiles offers sophisticated, eco-friendly hemp/certified-organic cotton prints inspired by Indian design traditions. I love that retail customers can simply click and buy! Winter Floral fabric in Marine: $95 per yard, Parlor Textiles
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