Feeling Hamish

Hamish Bowles' New York and Paris apartments have been gushed over for quite some time on the blogsphere, and for good reason!  These images of his homes in NYC and Paris provide loads of inspiration.  The free use of colorful fabrics, antique artwork, unusual lighting pieces, tailored furniture and well-curated accessories is wonderfully stimulating.  Recently, I've been freelancing with an architecture firm whose work is deliberately restrained with very quiet décor.  Revelling in these images of Bowles' homes today feels like a happy punch in the face to quiet décor!

via Vogue

via Vogue

via World of Interiors

via World of Interiors

via World of Interiors

via World of Interiors

via World of Interiors

Hamish Bowles, European Editor at Large for Vogue.  Isn't he dapper?

Happy Friday!
Cheers,
Whitney

Sketch Much?

I was chatting with friends this weekend about school supplies.  Truly it was the only good part about going back to school after a long and fun summer.  The art supplies were always my favorite, and a new box of crayolas could seduce me into even excitedly waiting for the looming school year.  Peechee folders, a clean new pencil case, and new fancy scissors were a hypnotic force of awesomeness.  Like 1stdibs for my 8-year-old self. 

So imagine my delight when I come across 500 Colored Pencils?  A colored pencil subscription service, for 20 months, awards you with 25 colored pencils each month packaged by hues with truly original names.

And while your collection of pencils grows, you may want to invest in their signature storage solutions, wherein your ever-growing collection can become an art installation.  Brilliant!

Fantastic.  Found on Elle Decor za via La Isla Blogita

Cheers,
Whitney

Show Your Colors

via Tumblr

via Houzz

via My Home Ideas (notice that this is a Christmas-styled shot!)



via from Domino



via House Beautiful

via House Beautiful

via M Design Interiors



via House Beautiful

 

via Hooked on Houses

The Red/WhiteBlue theme doesn't have to be blatant Americana kitsch.  Of course, around national holidays the flag motif plays out quite well, but the color combo of  Whites/Neutrals with Red and Blue is classic and virtually error proof.  On the color wheel there's a Triad created with Yellow in the mix, which you'll often see added to stylized shots by means of flowers and vases or by means of a yellow/oragne-y wood element. 

Try it out.  Even with a throw and some toss pillows on a neutral sofa.  It's fresh.  A little preppy and a little nostalgic.  But be careful, because in no time you'll start humming The Star Bangled Banner, and no one can sing it like Whitney.  Not me, the other Whitney!

Happy Birthday America!

Cheers,

Whitney

Feeling Red White & Blue

Getting ready for your Independence Day?  My Pinterest account is overflowing with red, white and blue images, evoking the charming spirit of this summer holiday.  I love this land of mine!

via Emmersonmade

Victorian painted ladies

All images via Pinterest.  Check out my pins here.

Feeling patriotic, and lovin' it.

Cheers,
Whitney

Happy Friday

Towards the end of each week, I get Apartment Therapy's Weekend Sales list in my inbox.  Do you?  It's super helpful for weekend shopping plans!  And I usually run over to their site to see what they're covering a few times a week.  The homepage today shows this image with a blurb about the color combination of pink and yellow.  This living room by designer Liz Caan got me thinking a little bit... 

via Apartment Therapy

Thinking about the impact of a lifesize statue in mid-handstand.  About the charm of a gilded apple as a side tables.  And about exposed beams -- and you know how much I love exposed beams.

Happy Friday everyone.  Let's go do handstands on the hearth.
Cheers,
Whitney

A Very Versatile Cabinet

I have been eyeing this Cerulean Display Case from Gump's for a few months.  I've always loved Gump's.  As a kid, my parents would take me there on holiday shopping excursions in SF and I'd oogle at all the treasures until they dragged me out of there.  A shopper from the start!

This case is super versatile, don't you see?  Use it as a china hutch in your dining room, a cabinet for cookbooks in the kitchen, a display case on the living room or a toy & book cabinet in the nursery.  The drawers can hold anything that you need to stash.

The foundation of the style is Asian, but I might tweak it a little bit with new hardware (perhaps crystal knobs instead of aged brass pulls?), if the room called for such a tweak.  The rubbed black lacquer is so warm and lovely, but its the cerulean inside the cabinet that's the star of this piece. 

Thinking about cerulean now.  Makes me think of this scene, which was quite funny... I love the way she says "stuff" as if it hurts her mouth.
Cheers,
Whitney

Behind the Scenes: An Interiors Photoshoot

I recently finished a project in Cambridge, Mass.  A lovely Victorian home on one of the most historic streets in the city.  The homeowners lean towards a Colonial aesthetic, and it's been a wonderfully challenging project to settle their decades-worth of furniture, art and collectibles into this architectural masterpiece of a home. 

When it was time to photograph the house, I sought out the services of Lara Kimmerer, who is seriously the most delightful woman in Massachusetts.  We met at the house last Monday, and we shot nearly 20 different vignettes in 5 hours. Lara was so calm & thorough and I enjoyed working with her immensely.  She was open to all my wacky ideas and never balked at my nitpicky styling issues.

So, at 8am on this rainy Monday morning I went to good ol' Whole Foods for my floral sourcing.  Whole Foods always has fresh, highly-seasonal flowers at pretty reasonable prices. 

Despite the date stamp on my photos, it was the 13th. I stink with cameras. Hence, hiring a professional.



Loaded up with fresh flowers and one very perfect orchid. 

Flowers in the house and into many different vessels. Yep, that's a Gurgling Cod pitcher.

Once we started shooting, I stood back and watched Lara do her crazy camera magic.  Our shot in the kitchen was fun.  The family had left the kitchen table earlier that morning with a newspaper, a teapot and some honeydew on a plate, so I used their leftovers as styling pieces!  How authentic!  I even boiled another pot of water so that the teacup would have some 'steam action.'  Fun.



Lara setting up the shot.  I stood behind the island and gawked at all the fancy equipment.

 

My attempt at shooting this space

Lara's final result*

Just following our shot in the kitchen, there was a mishap.  The family's wonderful & lovely babysitter was about to run out for an errand when her car wouldn't start.  But wonderful Lara had jumper cables [thankfully, since I didn't] and the problem was fixed in less than 5 minutes!  Lara FTW!



Drama averted.


The home's Dining Room is an homage to fabric. A historic toile, to be exact.  The walls are padded and upholstered and we shot 3 very specific spaces in the room.

Lara sets up a shot on one of the tall buffets



Final result*

In the Living Room, we shot a corner featuring some of the beautiful fine art and artifacts collected by my clients on their worldwide travels.  Setting up for this shot, Lara and I moved the rug underfoot because the fringe strip was distracting to the composition of the shot.  As much as I love my client's antique rugs, we saw that by pulling the rug out of the shot we were highlighting the house's flooring.  Hardwood floors FTW!



Setting it up



Final result*

It was a long day, but Lara and I (well, mostly Lara) worked tirelessly and cheerfully. Lara's a blogger, too! Check out her photography adventures HERE.    

I drove back to NYC late that afternoon, and stopped at a gas station along the Mass Pike where I saw this weird but funny set of stickers on a trash can.  The 'corrupt NY' sticker made me laugh out loud, as this was 2 weeks into the texting scandal with NY Congressman Weiner (ick).  The Chicken/Rat one, I'm not sure (ew).
 

Nevertheless, it was a great and productive trip to Cambridge and a funny & weird ride back home to NY.  Corrupt as it might be ; )

All photos with * by Lara Kimmerer. All images in this post property Whitney Interior Design.  There will be more photos from our shoot of this lovely house posted to my website in the coming days. 

If you're in the market for a photographer, check out Lara's site and her services.  She does beautiful interiors photography and, since she is so delightfully personable, is a genius people photog.  Weddings, engagements, fmaily portraits, etc.

Cheers,

Whitney

Real Love for Red Lacquer

Do you remember when I posted about that awesome One Kings lane sale featuring this red lacquer settee and armchair by Alessandra Branca?  Good news, friends, it's still available!

Contact me [whitney@whitneyinteriordesign.com] if you're interested in purchasing this gorgeous set!  

Lacquer, especially in red, like this chinoiserie set,  just screams for attention.  Don't you think?  It's like applying a vampy red lipstick to a room.

Put a little shiny red into your space and watch what happens!

Cheers!
Whitney