Art Imitates Life

While I was sitting on the beach in Southampton this weekend, I was struck by how much the scene and my photos reminded me of the art of Isca Greenfield-Sanders, especially Cloud Beach, mixed media watercolor with colored pencil, from 2005.

Isca is the daughter of famed photographer Timothy Greefield-Sanders but she sticks to painting and not photography, although her art is derived from photography, namely a box of vintage photographs she found.

On her website, there is a very interesting conversation between the artist and Chuck Close where she describes her study, inspiration, process and theory of art.

Thank you!

I want to thank All the Best for her recent profile of Habitually Chic! If she didn't live so far away, I'd send her flowers but since she does, a photo of flowers will have to suffice.

What a nice surprise to come back from a weekend away to so many lovely messages from so many wonderful bloggers. I look forward to checking out of all your sites and hopefully continuing to bring you fun and exciting posts from the design world and New York!

Chic at the Beach

I'm off to Southampton! Bon Weekend!

Orange You Glad It's Friday!

I couldn't resist the pun! As you might know from reading my blog, I'm obsessed with many things, including the color orange and vintage cars. Add in the West Village and that pretty much covers the photo above of a carriage house downtown that was completely overhauled by 1100 Architect.

The clean modern lines are the perfect backdrop for the owner's art collection, while the study is warm and cozy, as all studies should be. While it's a bit too modern for my taste, you probably wouldn't have to twist my arm too hard to convince me to live there since it's such a chic building. But I might make them throw in the car!

Photos by Francoise Dischinger

Show Stopping Stairs

I think studying art history has left me with a photographic memory. Whenever I see something, I can almost always think of something I've seen before that is reminiscent. Such was the case with these two staircases. It might be because that pale robin's egg blue color is my favorite or maybe it is the composition but whatever the reason, I think they are both very chic and stylish.

The two are similar but illustrate variations on modern design. Tom Filicia's take above is more streamlined and modern while the Minneapolis home of Matt Murphy and Charlie Gallup retains a bit more ornamentation. Of course, Tom's modern approach doesn't surprise me since his design is in a Manhattan apartment. Regardless, I love them both!

Photo by Francois Dischinger

Slim Chic

Anyone who's obsessed with chic people is keenly aware of photographer Slim Aarons. He takes the most delicious photographs and his vintage books and photographs are highly collectible. He made a career out of what he called "photographing attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places." And boy did he ever.

The above photo of CZ Guest and her son in front of their Grecian Temple pool on the ocean front estate, Villa Artemis, in Palm Beach was taken in 1955. I ran across the photo below in the August issue of House & Garden magazine. The article was about a summer house in the south of France that had in a previous life hosted Hollywood stars, nobility, and scores of socialites.

So, I wonder then if the photographer, Melanie Acevedo, planned the photograph to be reminiscent of Slim Aarons or if it's just a coincidence. Either way, I think it's a fantastic and chic photograph! It makes me wish I was in the south of France right now. Sigh.

Circular Chic

The September issue of H&G is out today but I thought I would post a few more images from the August issue.

I think the vintage hubs turned into modern sculpture by Tom Filicia in this Hamptons home he designed are so cool and original. I love the idea of found objects as art.

I'm not sure I love the freize but I definitely love the cobalt blue front door. Tres chic!!!

Photos by Thomas Loof