Call Your Dealer

ambling feels a bit like burning money and when you earn my sort of salary it just doesn't make sense. Ok, fine! If you SHOP the way I do there's never anything left to gamble, I hated Vegas (except I do love me a good tacky Vegas decor) and what sort of parent would I be to my two precious kitties if I squandered away their cat food money at the Craps table or over a game of 21? Not a very good one. I never really got that into card games anyway. That said, I'd turn them both into house slippers for the chance to own one of these card tables from Soane. The steampunk-like legs in a variety of finishes can be paired with your fabric of choice or in hand-stitched goatskin. I love the navy Moiré version. And, hey, now that I'm settling in to a lovely relationship I need to start thinking about entertaining more at home to keep the man under a watchful eye. Bridge party anyone? I actually think a card table is quite a practical idea in a small space and I have fond memories of my grandmother's card table altho' it did take an hour to struggle with the rusted legs that nobody ever thought to oil. Course, these little English lovelies must be significant in cost given the "contact dealer" notation under pricing. I suppose this now means I shouldn't place my order of four Moser tumblers and Hermes playing cards anytime soon.

Ped-ophilia

t's not what you think! While I do admire a youthful exterior this posting is not about underage boys. This is about an outdoor furniture line by PEDRALI, the makers of some wonderful and hose-down-able (made this word up) versions of a French wingback chair. Manufactured in 3 great color options, the Pasha chair and stool combo (my fav is the jet black) is what I imagine Darth Vader would have had on his Death Star terrace - sipping a dirty martini watching yet another unsuspecting planet go "boom."

Lick Me Good

oy Lichtenstein is without hesitation my reigning "King of Pop" far more than that white dude with the initials, M.J.  So, imagine my titillation as I walk into the Paula Cooper Gallery this past weekend to find some stunning examples from Roy's Entablatures series. I see many things thru the lens of interior design and immediately envisioned a wonderful headboard for my first New York client (he's actually just a good friend who is letting me treat him so). I bet I could recreate these on IKEA's Malm bed quite nicely. And, speaking of wonderful mouldings, I snapped the last little picture from my Sunday's visit to the Sewyn Theatre. Both interiors and performances were stunning.

 

La La Land

elicious agony is the only way to describe my experience this weekend and my trip to the newly opened 
Ladurée on Madison Avenue. One of my favorite excursions in Paris has come to the UES. Same lovely interiors, same colorful macaroons on display and the same long-ass lines. But well worth every second. What's the agony you ask? The fact that I'm on a strict diet starting this very instant! I will limit myself to one macaroon a day. Impossible? Time will tell.
And every trip to this macaroon heaven reignites my passion for Jasperware. Something about the creme medallions and various hand-painted accents on the walls & ceilings against that lovely shade of muted green is soooooo yummy and happens to be my favorite color combo of the Wedgewood classic. And French is never more French than pastels with accents of black. Je Meurs!

Marbelous!

roclaiming that I hate Mondays seems redundant. My mood on this day, the day after a lovely weekend no less, is just what it always has been. Try to change this mood and you risk decapitation (or at least a snarky comment). Is there nothing that can lift my spirits? Why, yes!!! The remedy: Marsotto Edizioni. Showcased at the 2011 Salone Mobile this italian company produces the most uplifting designs that one could imagine and all done in marble. White Carrara marble. Minimalism and extreme simplicity matched with precision to craft are what makes these pieces so equisite. Still, even a few of them evoke a very industrial feel to me. Monday blues gone!

Tuft Love

 

lease don't ask me to explain my various and sundry obsessions. For, some of them have just been an evolution of my taste level and make no real sense. And, the more I am introduced to quality designs, the higher that bar is raised. Case in point - tufting. I adore it. I want it. I covet it. I want to lie naked on it so as to leave a pattern of tufting all over my body. Yes, I realize this is crazy and someday I will end up in a padded (and hopefully tufted) cell. And yet, it's not so absurd to have such feelings I think. Especially when this technique is applied with a level of perfection as is in this sofa by Italian designers Alessandro Castello and Maria Antonietta Lagravinese of Castello Lagravinese Studio. Many of their designs marry the art of tailoring with the sensuality of draping. I love how modern and crisp these looks can achieve and yet feel so causal and comfortable. Adding in some architectural elements like nail-heads lend a more masculine touch to another of their designs I love. I'm also completely bonkers for the birdcage-like low slipper chair - in gilded gold no less. I will happily succumb to the men in the white coats as long as I know these pieces will be waiting for me once I get to the asylum. Hopefully, that nasty Nurse Ratched will have retired.

Giving Me A Boner

eems many designers are hip to the chevron pattern of late. And, while I love a good trend, this one is becoming somewhat too obvious for my taste.  So, I send my energy out to the universe to put an end to my visual boredom and before long the Gods answer these prayers and present me with another classic re-envisioned in a modern way - HERRINGBONE (sister of sorts to the chevron). Longtime fan of Czech crystal, the company Artel has created a variety of colored glassware and barware. My favorite, of course, being the Herringbone tumblers (in Aqua and Olive, please). I don't drink and these are quite expensive for glassware, but I venture to think you could buy just one and be in possession of a beautiful vase. With my birthday looming in the near future readers of this blog should take special note. Cheers!