Europe Bound!

Thanks to the help of my world traveller friends, I am ready to jet set to Europe.  Stopping off in Madrid, Spain to warm up with a little paella, then over to Paris, France to enjoy delicious macaroons at Laduree!  If it weren't for all the fabulous bloggers of the world... how would I have filled up on so much information?! 

Habitually Chic blogged about her travels to Paris and staying in the Prince de Conti hotel making it easy for me to find a hotel quickly.   Charlotte Moss gave me an article from Town & Country that she did a few years ago about her travels to Paris and flea market shopping, along with a print out from Elle Decor listing all of the top spots including; Fashion Stores, Restaurants, Flea Markets, Antiques, Hotels, and more!  I can't wait to see all these wonderful places!

Also, I purchased some great books on Paris that are so small they fit in your purse.   I found them at Archivia bookstore on Lexington Avenue. (See books below)

Looking forward to catching up with you and sharing my adventures when I return!

Marie Antoinette and Versailles

I was revisiting the book Marie-Antoinette and the Last Garden at Versailles that was given to me over Christmas this past year. It really got me excited about my trip to Paris this upcoming week. Hopefully, there is still a little greenery left for me as it is the beginning of November. The book quotes that gardening “can become a devouring passion, transforming an ordinary piece of land into a sensitive portrait of an epoch and a major work of art.” See the work of art at Versailles above.

The life of Marie Antoine and how she became Her Royal Highness, the Dauphine of France and renamed Marie Antoinette at the age of only fourteen is pretty amazing! Suddenly at age 18 she became Her Majesty the Queen of France after Louis XV passed away. Having only spent four years in the castle watching and learning from her elders, she was all of a sudden in charge.  Marie Antoinette was given the Trianon as a gift from her husband Louis XVI since she had always had her eye on it as a "getaway" from her life in the castle.  She spent years working with landscape artists and builders to build the perfect garden and redecorate the Trianon along with the Petit Trianon.  Which was followed by, Belvedere, her small theater for entertaining.  Then, Le Temple de l'Amour which is pictured below.

Pictured here is the cover of the book about Marie Antoinette and her chateau at Versailles.

Maybe this will inspire some of you to get to work on preparing your garden this winter so that it is ready for Spring!

Elle Decor Women in Design Awards

Congratulations to Charlotte Moss for winning the Elle Decor Vision Award for 2009. Elle Decor held an event in Times Square for the top Women in Design for 2009. Charlotte Moss, Holly Hunt, Kelly Wearstler, Michelle Nussbaumer, and Josie Natori were all recognized for their inventive designs and incredible achievements over the past few years.

A view of the crowd attending the event to recognize these top designers.

Margaret Russell introduced Charlotte Moss for her wonderful talents and exquisite design vision comparing her to the likes of Nancy Lancaster, Sister Parish, Pauline de Rothschild and many other great designers with a vision.
The panel of women (left to right; Margaret Russell, Kelly Wearstler, Michelle Nussbaumer, Charlotte Moss, Holly Hunt) answering questions and discussing the aspects of becoming an entrepeneur in the field of interior design. I found it interesting that each fabulous designer started out in a different field other than interior design, yet have all become great designers. Kelly Wearstler started out in graphic design, Michelle Nussbaumer started in theater, while Charlotte Moss started out on Wall Street, Josie Natorie was an investment banker, and Holly Hunt started out in fashion sewing clothes for friends. Somehow, their design talents led them to the world of interior design.

Charlotte was quoted saying"seize the moment" to all of those who are interested in building their own empire and becoming a designer in the world of interior design today. While Kelly Wearstler was quoted saying "Fuel your vision" and read books from around the globe and travel and research to grow and become the best designer you can be.

Thanks to all of these designers for their wonderful advice!

Madeline Weinrib

Don't miss out on the Madeline Weinrib sale this week! I stopped in this morning before the crowd and took a few photos of what there is to offer.

They have rugs, fabrics, purses, pillows, silk shirts, etc....It's all 40-70% off!!!

Sample Sale

Carpets, Pillows, and Accessories

Oct.22 - Nov.1

Mon - Sat 10-7pm, Sun 11 - 6:30pm

ABC Carpet and Home

881 Broadway, Lower Level

GOOD LUCK!

Sister Parish Design on Decorating

Lifestyle, Personality, Taste, hidden desires - You have to analyze all these things before you can start designing in the correct way. We begin at the beginning. - Sister Parish

A wonderful new book has been published not only for the interior design industry, but also for those with an appreciation for a great artist. Written by Susan Bartlett Crater & Libby Cameron with watercolors exhibited in the book painted by artist Mita Corsini Bland. This book speaks the language from many of the world's top interior designers who have been influenced by Sister Parish, such as, Albert Hadley, Suzanne Rheinstein, Miles Redd, Todd Romano, Mario Buatta, and many many more!

Gerald Bland invited the design industry out on Tuesday night to his lovely store on Madison Avenue and 91st Street. You could purchase a copy of the book and have the authors autograph it for you.
An example of the wonderful watercolors painted by Mita Corsini Bland. They are all one of a kinds for sale at Gerald Bland.

Here is a photo of the extraordinarily talented, Bunny Williams and Cathy Kincaid, with her daughter Lindsay Kincaid who works at John Rosselli Antiques on 61st Street.

Stop by Archivia bookstore on Lexington Avenue and 72nd Street to pick up your copy today of Sister Parish Design on Decorating!

Divine Inspiration

"No one was ever great without some portion of divine inspiration" - Marcus Tullius Cicero (Ancient Roman Scholar)



Inspiration is something all great designers strive for in order to design a wonderful space. Here are some photos that I took for inspiration for a design project.

The arches and light fixtures in this bath would be great translated into an outdoor patio. This photo was taken at the newly renovated Sea Island Cloister and Lodge Resort in Georgia.

The pebbled stone pathway could work as a natural massage on your feet in a shower floor bathroom.

How fun is this bike? It reminds me of when I was a little girl biking to the beach with all of our gear. Why not use this color as inspiration for the little girl's room?

How beautiful is this bench with the arched carved stone legs? This would be perfect in a shadowed area to sit and admire the gardens.


This tasty bowl of eggplants made me think of how great these colors would be translated into a fabric scheme for the Study.

I would love to create a railing similar to this one on the treehouse for the children to have a small chalet in the woods up in the trees.

Let me know what inspires you to design. Your thoughts, ideas, and places to visit for inspiration!