Saturday, March 31, 2012

Albert Hadley, the loss of a true design icon...


 "Once upon a time, and for a very long time indeed, Albert Hadley was the king of American decorating -- and his business partner, Mrs. Henry Parish 2nd, otherwise known as Sister, was the queen. For many people, Mr. Hadley, a shy Tennessean with huge, owlish glasses, still wears the crown. He continues to work at Albert Hadley Inc., the firm he founded in 1999 after he closed the doors of Parish-Hadley, the 33-year-old firm he ran with Mrs. Parish until her death in 1994. And he continues to be the designer for the rich and famous.

“Practicing a kind of decorating that prized subtlety over statement and gloss over glitz,” Julie Iovine of The New York Times wrote the week Parish-Hadley shut down, “Mr. Hadley, 79, has brought a knowing sophistication and a hint of modernism to his interiors without ever making his clients — among them Brooke Astor, Happy Rockefeller, Henry and Louise Grunwald, Al and Tipper Gore (in the Naval Observatory, the official vice presidential residence) and Oscar and Annette de la Renta — look like old-school snobs.”
Mr. Hadley’s first job with Mrs. Parish in the early 1960s was the White House breakfast room of Jacqueline and John F. Kennedy. “I really only did the curtains,” he told Ms. Iovine in 1999.

Albert Livingston Hadley Jr. was born in Nashville in 1921 and graduated from Peabody College there. After serving in World War II as a payroll clerk, he came to New York City in 1947 to study and teach at the Parsons School of Design. He worked first at Macmillan, another blue-chip decorating firm, and joined with Mrs. Parish in 1962, his spare modernist taste a counterpoint to her more English style. Their firm created beautiful interiors for the country’s elite and also became a training ground for the best in the interior design profession — part boot camp, part Ivy League university, with alumni like Bunny Williams, David Easton, Thomas Jayne, Mariette Himes Gomez and Mario Buatta, who went on to become design stars in their own right.

In 2005, on the occasion of Mr. Hadley’s 85th birthday, Mitchell Owens of The Times spoke with one of Mr. Hadley’s current clients, Diana Quasha, for whom he was designing the interior of a condominium in the Bloomberg tower at Lexington Avenue and 58th Street. “He's still the hippest thing out there," Ms. Quasha said. “I don't want it to be modern, and I don't want it to be traditional. I want it to look interesting. Who else would I ask?”

--Article courtesy of The New York Times





The essence of interior design will always be about people and how they live. It is about the realities of what makes for an attractive, civilized, meaningful environment, not about fashion or what's in or what's out. This is not an easy job.--Albert Hadley

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Choo Choo Chooses

immLiving... Have you heard of them? No, well let me tell you... They are a fun, youthful and useful line of chic home accessories. I think their aesthetic is just so on trend right now. Adorable items done in a playful application. I was asked to pick out a few of my favorite new items in their line up and show how I'd rock them out in my place; well here they are...

Shed Hunting Wall Hook
Deer & Moose
First two of my picks for favorites items are these decorative antlers... Cause you know I LOVE a good antler moment! Here are the Shed Hunting Wall Hooks in Deer and Moose. How much fun are they?!... The simple glossy white glaze finish will go in anyone's space, but then there's the added delight of the small colorful flowers at the base of each antler. This made them a perfect choice for my kitchen. Clean crisp but with a pop of color!

Black Forest Clock

To complete the nook in my kitchen I added the Black Forest Clock... It's a simple clock at heart, but then spiced up with a couple of pine cone and acorn embellishments... So cute! How snazzy does this look! I know, your jealous...

Ornamental Farm
Place Card Holder, Cow

Told you immLiving was all about fun! Check these Ornamental Farm Place Card Holders out, in the shape of cow's hooves! I will admit, I don't entertain that much, and I don't know that I would ever be formal enough to assign seating to anyone, but instead of place cards I'm rocking these as picture holders! I mean come on! Genius!

Royal Tine Jewelry Holder
Deer & Antelope

Saving the best for last!... immLiving's known for their uh-mazing jewelry stands, so there was no way I was not picking a couple of these! Here are the Royal Tine Jewelry Holders in Deer and Antelope. Can I just tell you how ridiculous these things are! Not only are they kitschy chic, but uber useful! That's ideally what I love, things that are beautiful and actually do something.

So are you completely dying to get your hands on a few or all of these goodies?... Well you can! Leave a comment as to which item(s) you're dying over, and where you think you'd rock it in your house, and I will pick six winners to receive the item they're coveting! I'm only going to give you till Wednesday, April 4th at midnight est to plead your case! Hehehe!

Would like some of the other amazing items from immLiving, one of their retail partners Burke Decor is extending a special discount to you lovely people! Simply use promo code IMMLIVING and get 15% off your order! How awesome is that?!... You NEED to check out the entire line of goodies! Seriously, there are some essentials everyone can use and LOVE!!!

Monday, March 26, 2012

DIFFA's Dining by Design

DIFFA is one of those wonderful organizations that just helps people out in remarkable ways, helping those living with HIV/Aids and promoting education through the creative arts community! One of their biggest events is the annual "Dining by Design" event which utilizes the most intriguing, interesting, innovative and hot designers to create dining table vignettes, coinciding with the Architectural Digest Home Show in NYC. Here are just a few of the beautiful dining tables brought to life from of Interior Designs elite...

No commentary on my part, just enjoy the creativity and loveliness...

Ralph Lauren
Mark Cunningham Inc.
Marimekko with Studios
Hayneedle by Evete Rios
Hayneedle by Evette Rios


Liebherr by Libby Langdon
David Rockwell/Rockwell Group
David Rockwell/Rockwell Group
Marchesa for Lenox
Marchesa for Lenox
Marchesa for Lenox
echodesign
La Crema by Marc Blackwell
Tilton Fenwick LLC.
Benjamin Moore by David Stark
Dufner Heighes
Dufner Heighes
Dufner Heighes

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Spring Essentials...

Well the warmer weather is finally here... The world is awakening, the flowers are blooming, the sunlight is spending a few extra hours with us everyday, and I'm super excited by things I'm dying over this season!


White pants or jeans are just a staple item in anyone's closet really... Or at least it should, but with the way that I have to run around with a young son, it normally only last me a year even with the power of Oxy Clean and Clorox...


Loving the colorful khakis this season! So much fun, such a great way to inject color into an outfit, without really having to alter anything else... They are just as basic as a great pair of blue jeans, they'll just fit with anything you put them with...


A wonderful tailored grey blazer will take you from day to night effortlessly. I especially like the shorter lengths and the elbow patch detail on this one!


A chic knit tie will keep everything fresh and youthful. Seen here paired with a great plaid shirt and colorful patterned pocket square is just adorable.


Bright colored soles on shoes is one of my favorite trends happening right now! These grey wing tips are awesome!


A great pair of swimming trunks is always needed, and these are fun ones from Parke and Ronen.


The quiff is everything right now... Short on the sides and back, and length on top... LOVE a good quiff!


At the end of the day though the item most needed to complete any Spring look is a SMILE! It's infectious and always chic!

Happy Spring!!!

All the images are pins on my Blog Images Pinterest Board, come follow me!

Monday, March 19, 2012

Canary Yellow Touches...

 

A client recently proclaimed she needed to have super lush canary yellow drapery panels, puddling on the floor, looking uber-chic, just like the suite she stayed at in Paris... Okay, well, I'm all for a pop of color, so here are a few idea of how this vibrant yellow hue can just radiate!






Such a statement color without being too much! I also love another type of gorgeous Canary Yellow accessory!


Could you imagine? Just saying... I'm totally dying!

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Embracing color and pattern...

Bright neon colors can be very intimidating, couple that with bold and graphic patterns, and you've already lost most people mid-conversation as it's like an immediate sensory overload. I get it, I do, it's quite daring to implement and to find that happy medium between chic and utterly hideous. The key to using it properly is really about proportions, scale and balance... Here are a few furniture pieces that are knockout statements, that can be paired with any number of simple companion pieces for a phenomenal look!

Lizz Chairs by Kartell

These are the Lizz Chairs by Kartell, and are sort of the perfect introductory colorful piece, if you've got commitment issues... It comes in 6 awesome hues, that'll give an bland room that pop, without a huge disruption in most people's comfort zone.

Mademoiselle Chair by Kartell

Also from Kartell comes their Mademoiselle Chair.  This is sort of the second rung in the ladder of color. The Mademoiselle gives dozens of frame color and fabric combinations, making it an easy way to incorporate into already existing room decors.

Roche Bobois, Maj Jong Sectional

If you're willing to just jump into, and embrace color and pattern then this is the sectional for you! It's so beautiful because it's just mixing patterns and colors in such a haphazard way, it just becomes perfection. The Maj Jong Sectional from Roche Bobois is a favorite of mine!

Oswald Squint Sofa from The Conran Shop

Like the look of a patchwork quilt? You will die over this sofa from The Conran Shop... The Oswald Squint sofa is just fun. It's actually not a big sofa, just over 6 feet, making it an ideal size for many small dwellings.

Multicolor Rive Droite Chair by Cappellini

Bring out the kid in you, with this limited edition Multicolor Rive Droite chair as a collaboration between Cappellini and Walt Disney Signature. If you look closely, that pattern is actually everyone's favorite mouse overlapping in various colors! Adorbs!

Proust Geometrica from Cappellini

If a statement chair is what you desire then the Proust Geometrica Armchair from Cappellini should satisfy that want... A classic chair form taken to another level in color and geometry. There is no need to be shy if you place this in any room! 

Are you still intimidated? Well, here are a few images from the Byblos Art Hotel in Verona, that proves color in all its splendor can be an amazing beautiful and inspiring thing! Dying!