Inspired Impressions: Interior Paintings by Jeremiah Goodman

There are so many wonderful events on the calendar this fall but the one I am most excited about is Inspired Impressions: Interior Paintings by Jeremiah Goodman.  The New York School of Interior Design (170 East 70th Street, New York, NY 10021) will be exhibiting 38 original painting and Interior Design magazine covers from October 19th to December 20th from the illustrious illustrator.  Some of the painting on view will include the living room of Bill Blass, the sitting room and library of Greta Garbo, the living room of Sir John Gielgud, and the living and dining room of Carlos de Beistegui.  The exhibition not only includes a catalog of color plates but limited edition Giclée prints signed by Jeremiah Goodman through Dean Rhys Morgan.  They are printed on heavy watercolor paper and look just as good as the originals.  I can tell you this because I was able to not only see them but watch Jeremiah sign them when I visited his apartment recently.   Meeting him was a magical experience and I can't wait to share his beautiful work and life space with you in my next post!   



Visite Privée by François Halard

Photographer François Halard recently had an exhibition which was compiled into an accompanying book entitled Visite Privée.   The collection of photographs of artists and their studios include Cy Twombly, Julian Schnabel, Carlos Mollino, Ahn Duong, Richard Avedon, Paul Cezanne, Robert Rauschenberg, and others.  My favorite space is of course Mr. Hallard's own home in Arles, France.  There is a great story in Vogue Living: Houses, Gardens, People about how he wasn't intending to buy a home but fell in love with its "melancholy spell."  He spent years restoring the home and filled it with many pieces he already owned in storage including the Louis XVI lit a la polonaise canopy bed from the antiquaire Compoglio.  I've included photos from both books here but unfortunately Visite Privée seems to only be available in Europe.  A reason to hop on a plane to Paris if I ever saw one but if that's not possible, you can also check out the rest of the artists online.  À tout à l'heur‎e!

Photos by François Halard

Sick Day

We're taking a sick day.  Please check back Monday for our regularly scheduled post. 

Country Chic

It's going to be over 80 degrees today in New York today and that makes it a great weekend to getaway.  A perfect place to do so would be the country house in Connecticut owned by designers Richard Lambertson and John Truex.  The showhouse room in my last post reflected more of their city style while this home is clearly channeling country chic.  It was featured in the October 2008 issue of Elle Decor and you can read about all the details online but the photos pretty much speak for themselves.  I especially love the library and the office.  More importantly, I wonder if they have room for one more this weekend!

Photos by Pieter Estersohn for Elle Decor

Designers at The Aldyn: Lambertson Truex and Patrik Lonn

I could have spent all day in the room designed by Lambertson Truex and Patrik Lonn at the American Fashion: Designers at The Aldyn showhouse last week.  Not only was the room spectacular but Richard Lambertson and Patrik Lonn (above) were so nice.  I had a great time chatting with them both about design, travel, blogs, and fashion.  The Lambertson Truex design duo has created an accessories collection for Tiffany & Co. which inspired interior designer Patrick Lonn to design the room as a space for the "luxury lifestyle enthusiast."  It featured some of the pieces from Tiffany's as well as the same fabric used for the bags.  Patrik is Swedish so the room also includes modernist Scandinavian pieces in addition to custom made furniture.  The designers say in the program, "the result is a beautiful space inspired by classicism and timeless design - a space made for modern living." I couldn't agree more!  Enjoy!

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic

Designers at The Aldyn: Art de Triomphe

This small foyer sitting room in one of the apartments at the American Fashion: Designers at The Aldyn showhouse was designed by Felicia Zwebner of Art de Triomphe. Her inspiration was American fashion designer Bill Blass and I think the orange room is perfect for the first day of Autumn. The designer took "a playful interpretation of Bill Blass's classic design" and incorporated the materials Blass used in fashion for the room.  The leather cording on the sofa suggests black leather riding boots while the fox fur pillows are reminiscent of his fox fur stoles.  The grey wool sateen fabric on the sofa was chosen as a nod to the fabric he used for his ladylike shift dresses. 

I also want to applaud the designer for successfully hiding the HVAC unit in the corner of this room.  I don't know what man designed this monstrosity but I want to strangle him.  It is now found in every new building and I just had to deal with in one of my projects in Chelsea.  I am very surprised that people who purchase multi-million dollar apartments put up with this eyesore.  Here the designer painted out the metal parts to match the wallpaper color and then papered the center panel. Because the unit is metal, it has to be sent out to be specially sprayed which is annoying as well.  I would like to challenge developers, architects and design students to come up with a better and less obtrusive version of this HVAC unit.  There has to be a better option!

Felicia Zwebner said that both she and Bill Blass have "similar approaches to design, one which embodies an understated contemporary elegance" and that's evident in her room. 

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic