collection images

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Designer to Watch: Courtney Giles

I have no doubt that if Domino was still around, they would name Atlanta interior designer Courtney Giles one of their designers to watch! You may remember Courtney from her feature in Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles and on Brilliant Asylum's chic blog and she just launched her new website, Courtney Giles Interiors, where you can check out her beautiful work. Her style can be traditional southern or glamorous and modern and always includes fabulous art which has led her to add art consulting to her repertoire. I got to know Courtney about a year ago when she was living in New York City and can honestly say that she is as nice as she is talented! I was sad to see her leave New York but it is clear that Atlanta is lucky to have her back where she belongs! She is definitely one to watch!

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

2009 Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse Designer: William T. Georgis

I always think it's a little weird when an interior designer doesn't have a website. How is anyone supposed to find them. In William T. Georgis's case, maybe that is the point. He is very exclusive and usually only works with a select clientele. But these days you can't afford to be that exclusive which may be why he is one of the participating designers for the 2009 Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse.

I first became of aware of William T. Georgis when the townhouse he designed for real estate mogul Abe Rosen and his wife Samantha Boardman was published in the now deceased Vogue Living. It was the perfect backdrop for their art collection which was put together with the help of their art advisor and Georgis's partner, Richard Marshall, who also helped put together the art in their own home seen here that was published in the March 2008 issue of Elle Decor.

The townhouse stands out on the Upper East Side due to it's modern facade and interior which also highlights their art collection which includes the large painting by Julian Schnabel above and works by Jean-Michel Basquiat and Ed Ruscha among others.

It's also a home that doesn't take itself too seriously and mixes a bunny from Deyrolle and a moose head among all the art.

In the dining room, vintage chairs by Dorothy Schindele are paired with a Jacobean Revival table and a Christopher Wool painting sits atop a neoclassical console.

The painting above is by Kim MacConnel.

A Jack Pierson word art piece hangs above the Venetian headboard in the guestroom.

The antique chair in the guestroom was upholstered in patent leather and shares space with a lucite bench and classical sculpture. I love the juxtaposition of objects. I am very excited to see what he will come up with his room for the 2009 Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse. I'm sure it's going to be very good! And after that, I hope he works on a website!

Photos by William Waldron

Monday, March 9, 2009

Flea Market Finds

Between the time change and a busy weekend, I got a late start Sunday but I decided to stop by the Antiques Garage on 25th Street anyway. The early bird may get the worm but the late bird gets the bargains! I found some really great things including a first edition of Colour in my Garden by Louise Beebe Wilder from 1918 with beautiful color plates of her garden, and large first editions of Van Gogh and the Paintings of Rembrandt for $5 each. They were actually from the booth were I found the fabulous Greek Key china but they were packing up early so they will be the first place I hit next week!

I love checking out all the costume jewelry and am always picking up long gold necklaces. The first one with the disks was only $10. Then I found another long gold chain necklace with two decorative accents on each side for $7. The chain is notched and matches the chain of a necklace I found at the Brooklyn Flea with turquoise disks. I also collect drip glaze pottery so I found a slightly ugly but pretty to me vase to add to my collection. It is marked 745 on the bottom and a little internet research revealed that it is a Brush-McCoy Pottery Onyx Bud Vase c. 1910-1930.

My favorite find was the Chinese blue and white lidded pot. I was told it was 19th-century and appears to be old but who knows if they were truthful. My research found that it is called a Kamcheng jar with lion dog (fu) finial and was used to store food. If anyone has any additional information, please feel free to share.

I went to the flea market to look for props for an up coming photo shoot and the Van Gogh and Rembrandt books will be perfect but it looks like I will have to go back next week to more objects for styling. Stay tuned in the coming weeks to hear all about it!

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Stephen Sills Associates

My internet research often leads me to interesting places. One was a very old New York magazine article about the perils of interior design business. It was as juicy as a soap opera. After that, I discovered that the interior design duo of Stephen Sills and James Huniford (Sills Huniford Associates)parted ways in summer of 2008. Did everyone else know about this? I hadn't heard anything about it until I found the fancy new website for Stephen Sills Associates. Going out on his own seems to agree with him. The website and portfolio look beautiful. Sills is known for his eye for antiques and I personally love that each design is tailored to it's environment and client. This is high end interior design at it's finest. Enjoy!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Oh Baby!

The fact that I, single girl in the city, am designing a baby's room right now makes everyone laugh. Considering that this is really not my department, I've had to do a lot of research online and in stores. I had no idea that a crib needed so many accessories and linens and after seeing the prices, I might have to think about getting into the business! Geez they are expensive! But it has been fun looking at all nurseries and children's rooms for inspiration. The couple isn't learning the sex of the baby before the birth so the color scheme will probably be green and yellow but the pink rooms are adorable!