Grace & Blake lucite bench

I’m in love with Grace and Blake bench with burlap upholstered top and the best of all, rope handles!

At 30″ x 20″ it has small space impact but it’s huge on style! LOVE!

Cornelia Guest on Templeton's front lawn

Cornelia Guest. The entertaining icon.

Yes, she can throw a party for hundreds without blinking, but you can apply those two brilliant and simple entertaining rules to your gathering no matter how formal it is.

Here are my two favorite dinner party tips from Cornelia Guest:

NEVER LET COCKTAILS GO FOR LONGER THAN HALF AN HOUR.

NEVER PLATE. LET PEOPLE SERVE THEMSELVES FROM A PASSED PLATTER OR A BUFFER.

Brilliant! I’m starting this weekend!

Image via HarpersBazaar.com

Alexa Hampton Chest for Hickory

I had so much fun last night tweeting live from 2012 Innovation in Design Awards ceremony. In its 6th edition this year, 2012 IDAS honored the hugely talented Alexa Hampton who was the recipient of the Connecticut Cottages & Gardens Innovator Award. I was dying to show you the photo of the beautiful Alexa accepting the award but that’s when my iPhone failed me (am I the only one having problems with iPhone battery???).

Instead I am showing you beautiful pieces designed by Alexa Hampton for Hickory, Circa Lighting and Stark. Enjoy!

Above is a vignette designed for the event by a good friend and a brilliant stylist Elaine McCleary. Atop Alexa Hampton’s chest for Hickory there are floral arrangements by Diane James Home, chocolates by Lindt and champagne by Nicolas Feuillatte.

Sofa, tables and chairs by Alexa Hampton for Hickory, carpet by Alexa Hampton by Stark, accessories by Lillian August. Pretty!

This fireplace for Chesney’s is another Alexa Hampton design. Flanked by Alexa’s sconces for Circa Lighting. Classic!

 Love this idea! Votives wrapped in Alexa Hampton trim tape for Kravet.

 Gorgeous floral centerpieces by Diane James Home.

And the 2012 Innovator Award goes to… Alexa Hampton! Trophy by Juliska.

Thank you to 2012 Innovation in Design Awards sponsors: ABC Stone, Gault Stone, Ring’s End, RMS, Tischler und Son, Klaff’s, Stark, Hemingway Cabinetry and JWH Design & Cabinetry. And special thanks to the Tribute Sponsors: Kravet, Hickory and Chesney’s.

Which is why, I ask for your help- and I want to offer you something really great in return.

OK, here it goes. Each time you refer someone to us and they book a RENT MY EYE service with me in May (the booking has to happen in May 2012, the session has to take place by June 30, 2012), I will GIVE YOU a $50 Starbucks gift card. You can use it yourself or give it to anyone. How cool is that?

There are no strings attached. No need to buy anything. All I am asking is that if you know of anyone who could use some decorating help, to please tell them about RENT MY EYE.

RENT MY EYE is a revolutionary service that no other interior design firm offers. It’s even trade-marked. It goes perfectly with spring as it helps people get “unstuck” with their decorating and get their projects moving. It helps to avoid costly decorating mistakes. Fresh starts, new beginnings, all that good stuff. Learn more here (or download a brochure).

A new RENT MY EYE client from Manhattan told me the other day that she had been looking for something like RENT MY EYE for 10 years. Well, it is here and I’m asking you to please spread the word. 

Questions? Please call Lauren at (203) 438-4743 or email us and help us successfully meet our May challenge.

Pottery Barn Pool Table

I am not a pool player (by any means) but I have seen hundreds of them back in my London days. Once in a while I need to find a pool table for a client and I find it challenging. I don’t like how most of the mass produced tables look. Depending on the price point they are either overdone or cheap (and sometimes both!). You can pick your finish and felt color, and accessories, but even then, they kind of all look the same to me. I’m all for unique looks and so when I stumbled upon this table from Pottery Barn (of all places!) I was pleasantly surprised. How perfect for a lake cottage, antique farmhouse or a simple colonial home. Its look reminds me of an antique workbench. It’s simple, it’s rustic. It’s fun!

And another example of unlimited color! The car is mini but the color is large!

Continuing our series of “color. unlimited.” here is the Brights by OPI collection of brilliant nail colors.

Which one is your favorite bright?

Continuing with examples of product lines that offer almost unlimited color options, today we are looking at Moissonnier collection from Decorative Crafts. Gorgeous chests, cabinets and desk are available in both soft powdery hues and bold and juicy ones.

Yummy!

All Moissonnier pieces are available in any Moissonnier finish. Moissonnier finish choices are shown above.  If desired interior and exterior finishes can be different. You can also supply your own color for totally custom finish.

Since Moissonnier produces all their pieces by hand, one at a time, they can easily adapt their pieces to custom sizes if needed.

All Moissonnier pieces are available in a choice of six hardware finishes. Each piece is trimmed with hand-painted gold, silver or a color to complement the finish and the hardware.

No, you are not halucinating. That is a powder blue piano. And yes, it kind of looks like a whale emerging from the water.

Actually, I am not sure what is more striking, the color palette (yes, there is a whole palette) or the form and shape of Whaletone piano. This striking instrument was designed by Robert Majkut, one of the leading European designers, whose pioneering (hello!) ideas have brought him well-deserved recognition as a creator of unique (you think?) objects and spaces.

The story behind Whaletone, design of which was brought on by a dream, is so interesting, I can’t just summarize it for you. Go to Whaletone.com to find out more. Today, we just look:

Above is one of the duo-tone versions. Shown here: beige on beige

I only wish I could play!!!!

Just when you thought that selecting the right paint color is hard because there are so many great colors to choose from…it happened again. There are more still!

The Color Stories palette from Benjamin Moore was introduced last year but I only laid my hands on the fan deck last week and I’m reporting immediately! So, here is the scoop:

Most paint colors are created by tinting and shading, usually using 2-3 pure colors and adding white and black to create the desired hue. Where Color Stories differ from other paint palettes is how the colors are formulated. Every Color Stories color is made using 5-7 colorants and no white or black! They are full spectrum colors and it’s that unique formula that makes them so pure and saturated. It’s all pure pigment!

Color Stories colorants are water based (zero VOCs) and they can only be mixed using Benjamin Moore Aura or Aura Bath & Spa paint line.

Color Stories pigment is embeded in paint binder, which means that color becomes part of the paint film. What does that mean? You can use this paint in matte finish even in high traffic areas. Also, only two coats are required for good coverage (yay! no primer!), even on dark reds.

Because Color Stories were formulated to work only with Aura base, do not let your painter talk you into going the cheap way and “matching it” on another paint base. It won’t work! If he tells you otherwise, he does not know what he is talking about. Send him to me. I will explain.

Paint your color story this Spring!

Unmatched Color, literally!