Silver and Sage

I'm not a huge fan of red and green for holiday decorations so when I saw the home of decorator Michelle Morgan Harrison's 1885 New Canaan Colonial in the new issue of Connecticut Cottages and Gardens, I was immediately smitten. There are a lot of great ideas that anyone take away and use in their own home.

The front door color looks more bright green than sage in this photo but I love the contrast of the pale color with the dark greenery.

Handmade stockings are hung with care along the stairs, a great idea for homes that don't have a fireplace.

The homeowner carries the silver and sage theme to the tree and presents. Mercury glass always reminds me of Christmas and sometimes be found at flea markets.

Vintage McCoy and Hager vases filled with paperwhites perfectly compliment the holiday color scheme and have inspired me to go pick some up this weekend.

Poinsettias usually come in not so pretty plastic containers covered in foil but here they are wrapped in what looks like fabric or burlap and wrapped with ribbon. A simple and easy idea that anyone can replicate. Even the books in the shelves were wrapped with paper and ribbon for the holidays.

A detail of the bookcase showcases glitter covered deer from Pimlico and Christmas village buildings from Christmas Traditions and HomeGoods. More proof that you don't have to spend a lot of money to decorate for the holidays.

Nothing says Christmas like sweet treats like these laid out on the dining table.

I love the color of the blue sideboard and the apothecary jars filled with meringues.

You can even decorate the kitchen for Christmas with a wreath and paperwhites.

Happy Holidays!

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Palm Springs Paradise

I know I should be posting about Christmas but I couldn't help but post the photos of my friend David Jimenez's Palm Springs mid-century paradise. He keeps suggesting that I come out for a little vacation and after seeing the photos, I just make have to book a flight. I love the pops of color and interesting details. David is great at layering and creating atmosphere and as I know first hand, a wonderful host and great shopping partner. Enjoy the photos. I'm off to check the airline schedules!

Maison 24's Casa B

It was freezing today in New York it had me wishing for warmer weather so what better time to showcase the fun Hampton house of Allison Julius and Louis Marra, the fabulous sibling owners of Maison 24. They both used to work for Jonathan Adler and you can definitely see his influence in the photos that were originally published in Hamptons Cottages and Gardens magazine this past summer. (Note to self: see if I can persuade them to send me a free subscription so I can stop stealing, I mean borrowing, them from work!)


The home is named Casa B after Allison and Louis's dogs, past and present, so everything is monogrammed with the letter B including the entry rug. The umbrella stand is from Maison 24.

I love the mirrored console and Chinoiserie stools in the living room paired with a large round vintage mirror.

The focal point of the living room is the 18-arm hand blown Italian glass chandelier and the interesting vintage chairs were found at Gustavo Olivieri Antiques in Wainscott in the Hamptons.

The table and chairs in the dining room are from Jonathan Adler, as is the Meurice chandelier which I thought was vintage. The dinnerware is from Versace.

Orange is my favorite color so of course I love the headboard in one of the two master bedrooms. The coverlet is from Jonathan Adler and the lamp, bedside table and funky phone can be found at Maison 24.

Classic Mies van der Rohe Barcelona chairs and ottoman create a chic seating arrangement in the office. The desk lamp is from Homenature, one of my other favorite stores in the Hamptons.

The other master bedroom has a West Elm headboard, Restoration Hardware bedding and Jonathan Adler pillows, oh and a Louis Vuitton suitcase. So jealous!

A Hamptons home wouldn't be complete with out a great backyard and pool. I absolutely love the cabana! Tres chic!

And who wouldn't want to sip a cocktail while lounging on an inflatable swan in the pool!

Even the exterior of the house is cool, just like Maison 24, but then again, I expected nothing less!

Habitually Chic Boutique: Maison 24

When we were in the Hamptons a few weeks ago on an installation we walked by the most amazing home boutique on our way to dinner, Maison 24. Of course it was closed so we pressed our noses against the glass trying to peek at all the amazing treasures inside. Luckily, we finally made to the shop a half hour before closing on our last night and it was even better than we imagined! The only way to describe the atmosphere is if Kelly Wearstler and Kanye West opened a store together. It's full of fabulous furnishings and accessories and it was so fun to meet one of the owners, Allison Julius. Allison opened Maison 24 with her brother Louis and when you read about their childhood on the website, you will realize that they were destined for stylish futures. (Their photos are cute too!)

Right now, you can't order online but you can call the shop to buy anything you see and you'll get an extra 15% off. Happy Shopping! I also hear they may be opening a store in Manhattan too! Oh, and be sure to check back tomorrow to see the fab home that the siblings and their families share.

Behind the Windows

David Hoey, Senior Director of Visual Presentation (the man behind the windows) of Bergdorf Goodman, was too busy to speak with me before I posted the photos of the gorgeous windows but last week he took time out of his exhausting schedule to give me the scoop on what it takes to put these amazing creations together! Enjoy!

"We have been insanely busy for three weeks installing five separate banks of holiday windows. We don't hire an outside company to design or install holiday windows for us, as most of the other big stores do (except Barneys). This is an in-house project through and through. We have only this store to worry about. No secondary stores or corporate rollouts. This allows us to attempt these "couture", one-of-a-kind installations and to work on them to the nth degree. I have a staff of five, but also many devoted freelancers, artists, and stylists who make all this happen. They take a year and half our resources to get ready."

"By now you may have already seen the windows. The theme on Fifth Avenue is "The Seasons" (aka "Calendar Girls"). This year I was going for a truly hallucinatory effect. Like a cross between a trip to a natural history museum and a trip down a rabbit hole. I hope we managed this. We also indulged our penchant for purposely over stuffing the windows with props, antiques, inside jokes, and incident. We love that this maximal effect startles people. The porcelain bird collection in the "Spring" window took more than two years to acquire piece by piece at antique shops, fleamarkets, and ebay."

Work in progress.

The first of many layers.

"There are banks of windows on other streets which are never mentioned by the press. We are very proud of the Men's store windows on 5th Avenue this year." I am definitely going to have to go back and take photos of the men's store soon and thank David and his team for their amazing creativity, hard work and dedication. Their windows are always my favorite for their over the top fantasy and I hope everyone who is able stops by to see their magic in person!

A window on 58th Street

A window on 57th Street

A window on 57th Street

A window on 57th Street

Holiday Sale Time!

Seems like every store in New York is having a huge sale and now there are fabulous holiday sample sales including Lulu DK. I might have to stop by and pick up some holiday gifts...for myself and others! See you there!