Dabney Lee at Home

Dabney Lee Stationary and products are my absolute favorites out there! I want everything she has, and I am obsessed with the lucite products. When you go to her website, you can customize anything with your favorite colors, patterns and you can even add your monogram. The lucite stationary box is such an amazing idea, and i would love to have a box of some of her patterns sitting on my desk. I know I would get a lot more letters out if I had some really sophisticated and fun stationary. Dabney Lee's line also includes items such as playing cards, lucite trays, salt and pepper shakers and my favorite; the wall decals! It would be so nice to have my initials "MOC" or even a large M on my wall in a navy blue. It would add such a personal element to any room. When hosting a party, the lucite ice buckets and coasters would be such a great addition and would be the perfect accessory! The patterns I like the best are the "Greek Key, Peacock, Coral Moderne, Bamboo, Petals, Happy Tile, Medallion, Zig Zag and Whale Tail." The monogram and name plates are named after streets in New York (Madison Ave, Park Ave) New York Parks (Central Park, Bryant Park), Neighborhoods (Nolita, Tribeca) and Boroughs (Brooklyn) and there are 12 different colors to choose from for monograms. There are so many combinations and colors that you can use to create your own look! Dabney Lee also has a blog that you can check out here!

*Images compliments of Dabney Lee, Design-Milk.com, Odietamoblog.blogspot.com and hostessblog.com.

Martha Angus

We are so excited to be able to introduce Cassandra's boss Martha Angus to our readers. Martha recently had photos taken of her Nob Hill apartment that Cassandra was part of, and we get to share them with you all! And without further ado, Martha Angus...

Here is a shot of Martha herself standing in front of one of the apartment's extra large windows. The windows are covered in cream silk drapery, that are beautiful without taking any attention away from the breathtaking views of Golden Gate Bridge from all window views in the apartment. And now we begin our tour.

We enter into the apartment through the gorgeous hallway that sets the tone for the wonderful interior. There are very light hardwood floors throughout the main living spaces, with cream painted walls to give way to the amazing art collection Martha has acquired.

This chair with its zebra seat shows the playfulness of Martha's design skills through the proportion and scale of this chair. The zebra chair also works very well with the artwork painted by Martha herself, of abstract images with the bold black and white running through this painting.
This fun and eclectic living room has its very own Roy Lichtenstein painting. Martha has designed and incorporated a rug to highlight this amazing painting. The silk pillows on the beautiful grey linen settee play up the colors in the painting and rug. The 3 mirror cocktail tables with different heights and sizes add a great reflective quality to the room . The antique Gustavian clock adds an element of history to the room. This room is a wonderful example of Martha's love of antiques and modern design, with a mix of outstanding art work.

This is Martha inviting dining room with her collection of beautiful Gustavian chairs. They are so beautiful in their light grey blue wash of color. The Greek key motif on the dining table shows a historical reference here as well.
The hallway then moves into the living room and dining area where light pours into the spaces. Mirrors on the walls reflect the gorgeous views as well as make the apartment seem larger. The furniture selection throughout the apartment is a great example of Martha’s style and interior design choice. Angus chooses modern catching pieces mixed perfectly with antiques from all around the word, especially Paris Flea Markets.

Even Martha’s son, Malcolm has an excellent eye for artwork. His room is filled with wonderful colorful pieces of art set against a black painted wall. Even the furniture is a fun eclectic mix for a teenage boy, with the “bubble” chair from Hedge and a steel locker dresser from Pottery Barn Teen.

The hallway outside the Master Bedroom features a beautiful antique Parrot painting as well as an antique leaf console that Martha purchased as a pair last year at the Paris Flea Markets.

Continuing on into the Master Suite is the gorgeous Master Bath on our right. The bathroom features intricate gold details in the floor in the shape of diamonds. The makeup table is the Parsons Table from West Elm which is set off by the antique side chair upholstered in Fortuny Fabric.

And now we find ourselves in the Master Bedroom. The bedroom has a simple luxurious feel, with a calm refreshing grey paint on the walls. The bed is a custom designed piece and the desk is an antique along with the rest of the furniture. Above the desk is a fantastic piece of artwork, a Chuck Close Self Portrait that adds a fun modern twist to the room; as well as the Mac computer. The bedding is a simple cream bedspread with a pop of color with the silk turquoise pillows from The Silk Trading Company.

Client projects from the wonderful portfolio of Martha Angus.

The Kimpton Hotel Group are fans of Martha's and asked her to totally renovate their Hotel Allegro in Chicago. It definitely should be at the top of your list on a visit to Chicago.

Thank you so much for visiting with me as I show off the wonderful work of the women I get to work and learn from every day. She is such an amazing teacher and Mentor. Martha is always hard at work and has a number of very exciting projects underway. This includes another show house, and some exciting features in a prestigious magazine. I hope to be posting more of her work soon. Thank you again for letting us post on your wonderful work and opening your beautiful home to us, Martha. You are the best!
*Images compliments of Martha Angus

Creative Wrapping Ideas

With the holiday season right around the corner, I thought it would be fun to have some new creative ideas for wrapping gifts! I love wrapping presents and these new fun ways will help spice up your gifts! All of the images are from Real Simple Magazine. I know my friend Elise will like these images because she loves wrapping presents and having new ideas for her gift wrapping. This first image is my favorite with the coral and the sand dollar attached to the ribbon.

Add a fresh flower to any gift and you have a classy, feminine look!

These are lavender velvet bows that would look really cute in a color combination of red and green for those who celebrate Christmas!

Make use of some left over color chips which will add a pop of color and save you some money

*Images compliments of Real Simple Magazine

Sundays Apples

In our post yesterday, we spoke about apple crisps and thought we would do a post on some delicious apple recipes. Take a look here at BonAppetit. I would eat anything with apples, and my favorite is apple pie with cranberries. There is a yummy picture of apple and cranberry crisp with polenta streusel topping that is to die for. Hope you can get out to an apple orchard to pick some apples and try a delicious apple recipe! Make sure to check out The Naptime Chef for an "Apple Mania Recipe."

Tones of Fall

The country side is so beautiful this time of year with all the tress turning from green to beautiful oranges and yellows and reds, with brown accents. There are gorgeous colored mums, cabbages and pumpkins on door steps. The warmth of this time of year can be seen in all of these colors. Even the color of a warm burning fire in the fireplace gives off tones of red, orange and yellow. We hope everyone enjoys the weekend with some warm apple cider and some delicious apple crisp.

Pull up a Chair

Pull up a chair is a collection of wonderful and cozy wing chairs. These chairs are great for snuggling up with a great book. They also work really well in spaces with tight floor plans. They do not have the width or the depth of a club chair. They also ad great height and style to an interior. They can be used in a living room, den, and bedroom. We have chosen a collection of images that mainly use solid material on the wing chairs.

Last fall, I had a staging job in Darien and needed some traditional furniture. When I need something I usually make the rounds to all the wonderful resources in the area. One of these is Braswell's auction house. They has a warehouse full of traditional furniture. Bingo! I was so happy! I lined up my moving company and away we went to go and stage to sell the traditional house project in Darien. I had purchased two wing chairs in a traditional navy fabric. The furniture had come from New York City. The Pierre Hotel was undergoing a complete top to bottom renovation and were giving the hotel a little more modern feel. They were auctioning the older furniture at Braswells. While there, I was giving the furniture a once-over, opening extra drawers and making sure everything was perfect. This is always a little habit of mine. Well, the furniture was from Henrendon, which I had been selling for years at Lillian August, so I knew the value. (side note: I had my first Eddie Ross sighting at Braswells! A girl never forgets!) I would love to slipcover the two chairs I bought like two images below. I was thinking just the cool white linen that I just purchased. But now I am thinking that I could also have them slip covered in an oatmeal linen too. Ok, Melissa and Cassandra, I know you are probably freaking out, and you both have some school bills to cover before I go and slipcover two different wing chairs in two different fabrics, four slipcovers may be a little bit much at the moment, but it is just a future dream. Hope you enjoy the images and have a cozy weekend!

Cole Designs - A billowy Hallway

This first photo has been cropping up here and there around the blog-sphere now and again and we wanted to do a post on the rest of the house. It really is just stunning. Cole Design had the pleasure of working on this project. It is a historical house in Darien, CT. right on the water, overlooking the beach. We wanted to point out some of the elements used in the house. All of the wide plank floors are original ad have been restored to their former beauty. The interior of the house has been opened up to accommodate a modern family room. All fireplaces have been salvaged and saved and also brought back to their former glory. So lets walk through the house:

These drapes are custom made from Malabar. The beautiful linen is style name "Pasha" in color way "Zinc." The panels are single width with Parisian pleats on rings with hardware from Restoration Hardware. They puddle on the floor beautifully.

This Hallway with the benches has walls that are painted Farrow and Ball "Borrowed Light" number 235. The double garden benches bring an outdoor feel into the space accented by garden urns filled with beautiful coral. The Imperial Trellis pillows in the color way "Parchment Midnight" are on the benches.

This is a photo of the family room and kitchen. The family room has triple Mitchell Gold Sofas flanking and yet another spectacular fireplace. It opens up to the kitchen with Carrara Marble counter tops.
The den's walls are in Farrow and Ball "Mouse's Back" number 40. This color gives the room a warm and cozy feel. The fireplace and custom book shelves help to enhance the feel. Fiddle head fig trees add symmetry to the room. The simple but classic lines of the reclaimed wood of the coffee table works so well and gives a rustic element to the room. Again Imperial Trellis pillows on the sofa. This room has a gorgeous chest with a black marble top. The design elements in this room are heavy and warm giving it a great den feel.

This dining room is subtle and understated with the dupioni silk drapes, slip covered William Sonoma chairs and the spectacular restored fire place. The Chandelier was later changed out for a more modern one with chrome and simple arms.

This is the master bedroom. The bed is a sleigh bed by Ralph Lauren by Hendredon and the Mercury Lamps are by Jamie Young. The Throwbridge Octopus print over the bed is just stunning.

This is a photo of the sun room, with a Bobo Chandelier, which the client also wanted in the master bedroom. However, Bobo does not make one small enough that could be used on either side of the bed. This beaded chandelier looks great in the sun room.

*Interior by ColeDesign