It’s My Party…

This week I should be celebrating my upcoming birthday, but instead I am feeling like my flu shot failed me. Since tomorrow is a day of celebration, I thought I would share one of my favorite birthday parties that was featured in Vogue. Hamish Bowles is a name synonymous with style, so it is no surprise that his birthday would be the chicest of them all.

The Great Gatsby celebration included guests from the elegance of Marina Rust to the island style of India Hicks to the fashion icon Tory Burch. Of course, when Anna Wintour is the host you can be certain that no detail will be left undone. From macaroons passed on fine china to a tented dinner under the sky, beauty was truly everywhere. The long day of celebration at the Long Island estate was surely an unforgettable party, as every birthday should be.

Aren’t birthdays fun? Even if getting older isn’t…

With late dinners this week, TPB will be back here Monday! I have some presents to open and an apparent flu to fight.

Pictures of Hamish Bowles 50th Birthday are via Vogue.

Anna Wintours Invitation to Hamish Bowles 50th Birthday

Simple invitations are always best. PS: That fabric on the chair…In love!!!

Beautifully displayed macaroons for the party via Vogue

Macaroons on beautiful china and serving trays.

Place setting at Hamish Bowles Birthday

I love how this isn’t overly formal or forced. A casual and relaxed setting with different heights for vases.

Table placesetting for Hmaish Bowles 50th Birthday via Vogue

A luncheon tablescape. Flowers, branches. and shades of blue.

The Long Island Estate of the Party

The Long Island estate.

Hamish Bowles with his portait

The man of the hour, Hamish Bowles with a portrait by Hugo Guinness.

Oscar de la Renta at Hamish Bowles Birthday via Vogue

Oscar de la Renta walking though the garden. May he rest In Peace.

H cake display for Hmaish Bowles 50th Birthday via Vogue

H croquembouche cake in honor of “H”amish.

Tory Burch and Marina Rust among the guest at Haish Bowles 50th Birthday via Vogue

Ivana Lowell, Tory Burch, Marina Rust, Ian Connor, and Bill Ford among some of the most stylish guests.

Evening gathering for Hamish Bowles 50th Birthday via Vogue

More beautiful people. You can just tell the atmosphere was enchanting.

Tented dinner for Hamish Bowles 50th brithday via Vogue

A picture perfect birthday soiree.

In The Tradition of Good Taste

Instagram is always an interesting outlet and way of meeting people with similar interests. As a blogger, I feel it is important not to get too elitist with whom you choose to follow (sounds crazy, but it is a thing). My phiosophy is simple. If you have a great eye, exceptional taste, and are a supportive follower, I want to connect and see what glorious decor ideas you share.

This sentiment holds true for the amazing Charleston project I am featuring today. Lisa Hilderbrand of Wehil Interiors is a Dallas- born, Connecticut interior designer whom I met on Instagram. Our likes and comments created an “insta-friendship,” so imagine my delight when one of her projects was featured in this month’s Traditional Home.

When Lisa’s good friend moved to Charleston to renovate a home formerly occupied by her grandmother, the two decided to make a fabulous retreat of old-meets-new, with a main thread of classic intertwined with more modern conversation pieces. The home is fresh for a family, but stays true to it’s traditionally superb architecture. As Lisa puts it best, “We wanted it to be current, but not trendy, and traditional but not old fashioned, and most importantly, we didn’t want it to look overly ‘decorated.'” I think Lisa succeeded in her mission to make this Charleston home perfectly charming.

Pictures by John Bessler in Traditional Home. Architecture by McAlpine Tankersley Architecture and Landscape Architecture by Mike Kaiser of Kaiser Trabue. For more pictures of this home, pick up a Traditional Home today!

Charleston Home by Lisa Hilderbrand via Tradtional Home 2

I love the chic paint tones of the shutters and painted brick. What classically magnificent architecture!

Charleston Home by Lisa Hilderbrand via Tradtional Home 4

I feel this room really showcases the eclectic mix of classic and modern. Bright light, modern art and classic furniture make for a superb combination.

Charleston Home by Lisa Hilderbrand via Tradtional Home 11

I really admire how they incorporated the marble on the sides of the island and on the backsplash. Very smart looking!

Charleston Home by Lisa Hilderbrand via Tradtional Home 3

I love a dark den, and this is no exception. It has an intimate, yet approachable feel.

Charleston Home by Lisa Hilderbrand via Tradtional Home 10

How can you not just obsess over the draped walls. It adds so much warmth to this traditional dining room. The chandelier really inorporates that modern flair that is intertwined within the home, giving it the right amount of consistency and surprise.

Charleston Home by Lisa Hilderbrand via Tradtional Home 9

Kaiser Trabue really understood how to interplay the landscape with the architecture and interiors, which is very visible with the many windows.

Charleston Home by Lisa Hilderbrand via Tradtional Home 7

Again, Lisa and the homeowner used draped walls to give such plush texture to the room. I also adore that gallery wall!

Charleston Home by Lisa Hilderbrand via Tradtional Home 5

Wow. I don’t think I have ever seen the window go below the sink. I am in awe of just about everything in the master bathroom. Everything.

Charleston Home by Lisa Hilderbrand via Tradtional Home 6

A poolside retreat, perfect for a hot Charleston day. This home is elegant, classic , and very easy to love!

 

Homes Of Hampton

Alexa Hampton is a name that many know in the world of interiors. Many know her from her father, the late Mark Hampton, who was a celebrated and honored designer that created interiors from the likes of President Bush, Sr. to the most architecturally significant homes across the country. Continuing in her father’s legacy, Alexa is fearless in her application of pattern and contrast in her interiors.

Alexa understands that homes need dimension in order for the decor to thrive and subtly stand out. Her materials are luscious and intriguing, without being overly trendy or traditional. She is the perfect mix of eclecticism, yet still timeless in her execution of taste. I love her texture and transitions from space to space and interiors to exteriors. She is a genuine master of her craft, and living legacy of her name.

 

Alexa Hampton for Kips Bay 2012 by Jamie Meares

A true favorite room in the Kips Bay 2012 room designed by Alexa Hampton. So very luxe from the fur throw to the oriental screen. Photo by Jamie Meares

Home decorated by Alexa Hampton i

An exterior shot of a home designed by Alexa. Simple, yet effective landscaping.

The Louis XV oak paneling is beautifully carved.

A romantic and plush room fit for a stately home via The Language of Interior Design.

Alexa Hamtpton hom ein New Orleans via The NYT

A dining room of hand painted wallpaper and stylishly chic dining chairs in a New Orleans home. Via The New York Times

Alexa Hampton Kips Bay Showhouse via Quintessence

Kips Bay 2014 shophouse designed by Hampton is full of bold punches of pattern and prints. Via Quintessence

Alexa Hampton shelving design via Interior by Alexa Hampton

Smart shelving and clean living. I love when designers use framed pictures against the books.

Alexa Hampton via AD

More shelving and casual neutrality. Such an inviting room via AD.

Blue and White Vignette by Alexa Hampton

A blue and white vignette that is simply divine. I love the low placements of the framed mirrors and artwork.

Kitchen by Alexa Hampton

An incredible kitchen of contrast and light.

Serene dining area by Alexa Hampton

A serene dining room with the perfect compliments of blue and white pattern and neutrals. I love the artichokes on the dining table!

Alexa Hampton Kips Bay Show House

My idea of perfect. Now if only I could find a way to stay in this room all day…

Marvels Of Malachite

Malachite, a copper carbonate hydroxide mineral,  is constantly appearing in many design magazines. It is sleek, sharp, and bold when used in a home. As you know, I love the color green. I can’t get enough of it, and not only for the fact that it is the color of boxwood. It has a mysterious and natural appearance when it is an accent in a living room or wall covering in the dining room. Sometimes you need a good pop of contrast, and why use black when you can add a shot of green mineral stone!?

While malachite is on trend, it is one that will last a lifetime.

 

Dining room side table via Lonny

A stunning malachite side table in a light filled dining room via Lonny.

 

Gorgeous Malachite room via AD

A remarkable malachite wall covering with pops of orange and red. It really works and holds a traditional twist. Via AD

Malachite shades via AD

How divine are these malachite shades!?! A true focal point of the room. Via Elle Decor

Malachite side table and brass lamps via Elle Decor

Green and white are always striking. How incredible are those brass lamps too!?! Via Elle Decor

Malchite room via Elle Decor

A blue ceiling, whimsical peacock chairs, and a pop of malachite! Via Elle Decor

Tony Duquette and Hutton Wilkinson room via Lonny

Tony Duquette and Hutton Wilkinson do not disappoint in this living area. Superb and divine. Via Lonny

Wendy Schwartz via Lonny

The wallpaper, the table, the lamps. It is all quite perfection. Oh, and look at those floors! Via Lonny

Les Jardins

I’m not one to speak French. I know several words, and wish I knew more for the beauty of how it sounds, but Spanish is far more practical living in Texas (and in all of the U.S. for that matter). On a trip to Paris a few years ago, I purchased a beautiful coffee table book that I lugged home in my suitcase called Les Jardins de Russell Page. I didn’t know who he was at the time, but I knew I was entranced by his breathtaking landscapes. Jardin, meaning garden, is one french word that has stuck with me over the years.

From exploring the gardens of Versailles to the beauty of the city streets of Paris, it is clear that Parisians understand the importance of eye-pleasing landscape architecture. They embrace the ideology that design is not just something that needs to be applied to the interiors, but the exterior landscape as well. I have fallen in love with another landscape architect in France. Dominique Lafourcade is currently constructing gardens of dreams which are timeless and thoughtful with the right amount of unexpected beauty. She is masterful at her craft and is undoubtedly my current inspiration in the world of Les Jardins.

 

Dominique Lafourcade

Incredible landscape sketches full of fantastic details!

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A fascinating cityscape pool area.

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Phenomenal layout of hedges, pots, and boxwoods.

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Marvelous design.

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How idyllic is this property?! Dreamy.

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Lavender, cypress, and manicured grounds.

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Boxwoods with a dust of snow.

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Heavenly.

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I love the symmetry she uses in her design, yet somehow it doesn’t seem overly formal.

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Green is all you need.

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Happy Tuesday!

 

Welcome Weekend

Well, hello Friday! Nice to see you again.

Sadly, my “To Do” list has grown tremendously in the past weeks, but I had to leave you all with an inspiring image to go into this holiday weekend. Funny how stunning a white home can look with splashes of greenery and bountiful boxwoods. Anything but boring! I hope your weekend is the same.

XO- TPB

 

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Landscape architecture by Dominique Laforcade. More to come on her gifted garden talents Tuesday.

 

 

Parisian Pride

I can’t help but feel nostalgia for the City Of Lights, a city that has had to go through so much darkness in the past week. With all the news of Paris, I thought I would revisit some of my favorite Parisian apartments that are decked with the worldly elegance that the city embodies. What is so remarkable about Parisian design is the ability to take charming and architecturally significant buildings, and decorate them with timeless pieces, modern art, and surprising elements of texture.

The apartment I wanted to share with you today is a bold backdrop to a collectors paradise. It is slightly unexpected in it’s application. The coloring is regal, the fabric is rich, yet the layout of the space and the lack of symmetry make it an approachable and livable space. The apartment belongs to fashion designer Andrew GN, whose eye for texture and materials is beyond.

Keep shining the light Paris.

Photos by Simon Upton appeared in Elle Decor.

Feminine Aspect of Andrew GN Paris Apartment

The delicate and feminine room full of light in the apartment. I love the elegance of the herringbone floors.

Blue and Green contrast in Andrew GN Paris Apartment

A wide and bold royal blue velvet tufted chair against a striking green wall full of glorious oil paintings. How freshly collected.

Andrew GN Blue and White via Elle Decor

Blue and white shines against this muted red. It really works well since there is a great deal of brown hues in this red paint.

Andrew GN Paris living room via

Phenomenal use of color and placement, without being overly rehearsed.

Andrew Gn Paris Apartment via Elle Decor

I. just. can’t. Love the chic elegance of this vignette. Would look timeless in any style home.

Andrew GN Paris Apartment

Not very often we get to see tapestry, especially one so perfectly sized for the wall.

China on the wall of Andrew GN Paris apartment

The sweet simplicity of white china against milky gray walls.

Worldly texture via Andrew GN Paris apartment via Elle Decor

A more earthy and worldly room full of eclectic patterns and discovery.

 

 

A Wall Of Roar

Taxidermy. I’ll admit, I never heard the word prior to moving to Texas. It sounds like a disease caused by paying too many taxes. Read my lips, no new Taxidermy!  However, living in Texas for almost nine years has made me quite aware of it’s actual meaning. While I do not care for the process of how it is created, I do notice the frequent use of it in decor.

I am a big fan of the dimension that antlers, feathers, and fur have when used in a room. For now, I’ll stick with the faux, but here is a daring mix of all types of taxidermy that will clearly turn heads.

 

Antlers in design by Nina Freudenberger via Lonny

A dramatic wall and contrasting space by Nina Fruedenberger. Via Lonny

Blue and White and a pop of an animal via The Enchanted Home

How can you not love a vignette of blue and white?! A rustic and traditional approach. Via The Enchanted Home

Natural Kitchen witha fish above the stove via Elle Decor

Why not add a fish above the oven? I love the classic and warm personality of this kitchen. Via Elle Decor

Butterflies in a bathroom by Jean Louis Deniot via AD

One of my favorite Parisian bathrooms by Jean Louis Deniot. How enchanting are the framed butterflies? Via AD

Charles de Ganay via Elle Decor

Charles DeGanay’s Chateau strikes boldly and beautifully in green with a dimension of antlers. Via Elle Decor

Creel and Gow Boutique cia AD

A chic wall of deep chocolate brown and wall of collectibles. Via AD

Eclectic wall of photos and taxidermy via Elle Decor

Marvelously collected gallery wall with antlers to impress. Via Elle Decor

Barbara and Rene Stoeltie via AD

This is a bit much for me…imagine this room at night. Also, how does no one bang their head?! I mean, you were thinking that too! Design by  Rene Stoeltie via AD

Emily Proctors living room via Lonny

A casually chic room full of light. I like how the antlers are placed on top of the coffee table books to add height. Via Lonny

Faux Taxidermy via AD

A contrasting faux taxidermy on the wall of this incredibly glamorous apartment. Via AD

Jeffrey Bilhuber Peacock via Elle Decor

Jeffrey Bilhuber always creates remarkable spaces. I love the timeless tradition of this room along with the burst of color of the peacock. Via Elle Decor

Madeline Weinrib via Elle Decor

Madeline Weinrib inspires with this room full of drama and texture. Via Elle Decor

No Coffee Here

My mornings are pretty routine. Alarm goes off, press snooze for ten more minutes. Once my second annoying alarm sounds go off, I grab the phone and scroll through emails, followed by Instagram, Facebook, and occasionally Twitter (mainly for any breaking news overnight). Within the first fifteen minutes of waking, I feel informed and inspired, and yet I am barely awake. After a shower soon comes coffee. It is not coffee that I want to talk about here today, but the art of coffee tables.

This is a universal question, dilemma, and component every home has to face: what to put on the coffee table? If you have a rambunctious puppy as I do, you may be limited. If not, you can truly have some fun with this focal point that you live with daily. A pretty display of flowers, a nice leather tray, some favorite coffee table books, and some chic collectibles can all find a home on a coffee table, whether it be glass or an ottoman or a beautiful piece of woodwork.

Here are some inspiring displays of the essential coffee table.

Coffee table area by Elizabeth Bauer via Lonny

I love, love, love this coffee table by Elizabeth Bauer. Reminds me of a Jonathan Adler bookshelf I want to purchase. Via Lonny

Coffee Table by David Keinberg via AD

Simple black and white coffee table with an array of books and a splash of greenery by David Keinberg. Via AD

Coffee table by Mary Nelson Sinclair via Lonny

I love the simplicity of this living area by Mary Nelson Sinclair. Look how they displayed the pieces of artwork on the bottom table. A tray is a great way to display a book , candle, and plant in an organized manner. Via Lonny

Feeling woodsy with this coffee table area

Wooden table on wood floors. A fabulous natural display of texture and tones.

Large upholstered coffee table bu Windsor Smith via Veranda

Incredible how Windsor Smith uses a printed fabric as a coffee table to compliment the neutral palette of the room. Via Veranda

Lauren Santo Domingo via AD

An exquisite block of burled wood is unexpected on the gray and white striped rug in the office of Lauren Santo Domingo. A fabulous mix of patterns. Via AD

Lee Radziwill Paris Apartment via T Magazine

Two side by side coffee tables of simplicity in the Paris apartment of Lee Radziwill. A beautiful arrangement and a splash of books. Via T Magazine

Orchid and moss ball on thecoffee table

I adore the large mossy ball and three tiered orchid. Simply chic.

Ottoman as coffee table via Elle Decor

Ottomans are excellent alternatives to coffee tables. Trays are a must for drink placements. Via Elle Decor

Rattan coffee table via AD

A casual rattan or wicker chest makes for a fantastic coffee table solution. I love the preppy and care-free design of this room. Via AD

Coffee table of pink tulips via Lonny

A circular coffee table surrounded by a fabulous mix of coffee table books. Via Lonny

Red and glass coffee table via AD

A remarkable wide glass coffee table with red trim. Love the display of objects and the placement of books. A very pretty use of rocks on the table below. Via AD

Robsjohn Gibbings coffee table

A rather narrow coffee table by Robsjohn Gibbings  perfectly fits this casually livable sitting area.

Two parsons tables byDarryl Carter via Elle Decor

A set of different shaped white box tables. Look at the great height of the branches despite the low lying height of the table by the talented Darryl Carter.  Via Elle Decor

 

 

Daniel C. Cuevas

I love hearing names that I don’t instantly recognize, it means that I am about to get inspired (or un-inspired) by someone new. Daniel C. Cuevas is a L.A. designer whose name I did not know until recently. His work is slightly more minimal than what I usually post, but it is still awe-inspiring and full of details that are intricately simplified.

His design compliments the architecture of the home.  Every component within his work is finished out with great thought and immaculate application. It makes you feel you could get away with wearing all white yoga clothes year round (my kind of home!). Fresh, bold, and undeniably divine. Maybe less is more…at least for Today.

Happy Monday!

 

Daniel C. Cuevas architecture via Veranda

The backyard of a stunning L.A. home. The landscaping at many of the homes he designs is just remarkable.  Via Veranda

 

Daniel C. Cuevas architecture

Cuevas really does do an excellent job at complimenting the architecture

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That large industrial picture window is phenomenal. Cuevas clearly kept that the focal point with his shades of gray and hints of soft yellow.

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Daniel C. Cuevas architecture4

He uses modern art and mixes periods of design. Never to be overdone.

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I love the dining room (not just because of the well displayed boxwoods). The skirted end chair and french style chairs add a softer element to the modern art and cool neutrals.

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Beautiful mix of black and blue. A chic and sleek display of books.

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This is perfection. Love the floor and the round table within the bathroom.

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A loggia off of the pool area. Gorgeous mirrored arches reflect the indoor/outdoor space.

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The architecture of this home is beyond. Enjoy some exterior images!

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What a fantastic gray color. The whole home has a courtyard type feel. The home really reflects the outdoors through the use of windows and doors.

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Daniel C. Cuevas via AD

Sweet arched french doors off of a well landscaped pool area. Via AD Russia