Taste Maker's Dinner

It was with great pleasure that I attended Standard Magazines' intimate Taste Maker's Dinner hosted by the ever so gracious, style maven Kelly La Plante last Thursday evening.

The evening was truly enchanting.

One of my favorite moments of the evening was when Kelly greeted us each individually at the top of the stairs and pointed to our spot at the breathtaking dining table setting which was elegantly compiled by an incredible collection of vintage finds. That was the perfect prelude to the rest of the night.

The company, conversations, laughter, music, food and drinks was delightful. What seemed like a 2-3 hour evening was actually 6 hours ! Time just flew by! Honestly lost track of time .

I am thrilled and honored to have been part of such an amazing group of people aka Taste makers.

Good Times.

REAL SIMPLE - Decorating with Gray 101

Love Magazine Day ! Especially when you see you've been "quoted" in one of them.

It was a great pleasure interviewing with REAL SIMPLE magazine for their article on Decorating with Gray. A great compliment to be asked to give design/color advice.

The article is in this months issue - October 2010.

Thank you Anna Jane Grossman! The entire article is fantastic !

More design tips for working with Gray :

Perfect Taupey Gray is Revere Pewter from Benjamin Moore- HC-172

This medium toned gray is also great for Trims and Moldings, it enhances architectural details in both a modern space and also a traditional space. It is soft and on the warmer side.

Chelsey Gray HC-168 from Benjamin Moore Is a much more Deeper tone Gray- it is sophisticated and very neutral. I love this for either a modern Living room or formal living room that has antiques such as Biedermeier furniture, or rich woods, It can easily be paired up with yellows, greens, oranges.

Gounlet Gray SW 7019 is another rich, sophisticated deep gray made by Sherwin-Williams. This could be a great color for a Media Room and work incredible with jewel toned colors such as Teal , or Aubergine or Navy.

The deeper Grays are also a Fantastic option for art walls – because it acts as a neutral, and it has depth.

Tip for working with Grays, keep contrast levels subtle and soft , for a sophisticated more tailored look. Don't forget ceilings..... Use lighter shade of gray on ceiling .

Gray can have a “reflective” metallic attribute, light shadows are incredible with Gray, so why not take this opportunity to play on that and bring in Golds, Silvers and Metallic finishes into room for a sophisticated elegant room.

Speaking of Metallics …….
Ralph Lauren has a Paint line called Regent Metallics- I love Silver Plated RM13 for Hallways – because it is metallic it has reflective qualities , and catches light beautifully and adds Drama to what would normally be a boring hallway.

Hope you'll pick up your October issue of RealSimple and see what the other experts across the country have to say about "Decorating with Gray".

Bookcases

Custom millwork is one of my favorites things to design as an interior designer , it's the only architectural element of the room sometimes !

Bookcases are exciting to design, especially if you have a client who is a world traveler and has an exquisite collection of art and sculpture. Lucky for me, that was the case here. This particular client has one of the most amazing collections of "stuff" I've ever seen.

We haven't photographed the completion of this room, but we custom designed and detailed this bookcase for my client who wanted a bookshelf built around the antique wood train featured here. Of course it's now filled with many books and great sculpture all perfectly stylized and very well lived in. It looks even better, now that it's all filled.

Here's a great link for inspiration of other AMAZING and UNUSUAL bookcases. Enjoy !
35 Really Unusual and Desirable Bookshelf Designs.

Launch of Standard Magazine

It is with great pleasure that I introduce you to Standard Magazine . An eco-magazine where sustainability is not touted as a special feature… it is bottom-baseline criteria. Standard was created by my very dear friend Kelly La Plante. She is an extrodinary interior designer who inspires me and is passionate about introducing us to new eco-product and design and more importantly educating the world that "Green is a Standard , Not a Style".

Before Kelly launched her magazine we had lunch at the SLS , as I wanted to go there to find inspiration (Phillip Starck) for my latest Big Bear cabin project. As we talked about my project and got deeper and deeper in conversation about it , she asked " are you going to make it eco-friendly?" nodding her head. And then it occured to me.......that I hadn't thought about it, and my answer was "Yes, why not? " Why not make the effort and make smarter choices in materials ? I wouldn't be compromising the design. Anyhow, to say the least, I was insprired as Kelly gave me some great tips and product info. It's not like I haven't done it before. I try to design with sustainable materials and often as I get the opportunity. Now with the launch of her magazine , I won't be the only one getting inspired . I hope you will enjoy the very first issue of standard Magazine, which is remarkable and first of its kind. I honestly couldn't get enough. Congratulations to Kelly and her incredible staff ! Your magazine Rocks !


Kelly La Plante and Erica Islas at the SLS

New Press : Nesting Newbies issue No. 4

Check out the wonderful press my colleagues and I just got
on Nesting Newbies Magazine Issue no. 4
for our ProBono Work at Upward Bound House.
page 176 - 179. Click on link to read.
Thank you Nesting Newbies Jodi Murphy, Vanessa Kogevinas, Laure Joliet and Vanessa De Vargas .