section: amy azzarito
Billy Baldwin certainly loved his brown and his lacquer. Billy once said that every country house needs a dog so I couldn’t resist including a greyhound in homage to the painting in his own home. Billy abhorred leggy furniture saying it made the room feel restless, but I was just not into the box pleat slipper chairs – I hope he’ll forgive me.
[from left: rare books, vintage 1950s tulu carpet $1800, JF Herring Sr print $15 slipper chair $950, mirrored side table $89.99, greyhound, pouf $109-299, brass candlestick $50-65, oxford style heels $80.06]
For our goodbye to Billy Baldwin, here are a few of his favorite things – rattan, chinese wallpaper and moss covered terra cotta – nearly 40 years later, they still look pretty good!
[from left: faux tortoiseshell mirror $100.03, chinese wallpaper print $6.66 -133.14, rattan hamper set $495, x-stool $179, patent eco-leather clutch $145, terra cotta planters $38, 70 dendrobium orchid stems $128.88]
February 9th, 2010 - 12:00pm
illustration by julia rothman
I don’t have much of a fashion memory, but when I was looking at Billy Baldwin interiors all week, I kept thinking about Gwyneth Paltrow’s Oscar dress in 1996. I’ve always loved that dress – it was all white, and she just looked clean, casual and effortless. (She also had Brad Pitt on her arm so that helped). (This is the only good picture I can find of that dress.) Baldwin’s style was crisp, elegant and a little slick, but it was above all simple and practical. (He always said that the best way to update a room was to simplify.) Baldwin’s style became defined as the American style, and he decorated homes for Cole Porter, Jackie Kennedy Onassis, Diana Vreeland, and Greta Garbo as well as homes for your average millionaire. He was called the “dean of decorators” and was endlessly quotable.
billy in his mid-1970s new york city apartment via billy baldwin decorates
Nothing is interesting unless it is personal – Billy Baldwin
Baldwin believed that you should surround yourself with things that you love and he detested what he called, “the sterility of perfection” saying that if you think you can spot a Billy Baldwin room, then it wasn’t his.
on the bookshelves of this Baldwin-decorated dining room are little mushroom paintings – good reminder of the trend life cycle! via billy baldwin decorates
Stick to the things you really love. An honest room is always up to date.
- Billy Baldwin
He preferred a more casual personal look. He believed in breaking the rules of decoration and loved to see pattern against pattern. When decorating, he always believed in using some furniture that the client already possessed as a way to make sure the home retained their personality.
cole porter’s library with the famous bookcases via billy baldwin decorates
Nothing is in good taste unless it suits the way you live. – Billy Baldwin
Born in Baltimore in 1903, Baldwin briefly studied architecture at Princeton then worked with his father selling insurance before finally settling on interior decoration as a profession. He designed the homes of some Baltimore families before catching the eye of Ruby Ross Wood – a big name New York City decorator – who offered Baldwin a job in Manhattan in 1935. Once in New York, his career took off!
CLICK HERE for more Billy!
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February 9th, 2010 - 11:00am
if you’ve ever had dreams of backyard chickens, miniature goats or just becoming a better gardener, chances are you’ve picked up a storey publishing book (confession. i have two of their chicken books and i don’t even have a backyard!) three years ago, alethea morrison, now the creative director of storey publishing, her husband mars vilaubi and son xavier moved from san francisco to their own little plot of land in williamstown, ma. the couple had spent their entire lives in cities, but they’re all adjusting to life in the country just fine! and it’s giving alethea a chance to try out some of those storey books! {thanks alethea, mars and xavier! and special thanks to mars for the lovely photos!} -amy a
[Before we moved to Williamstown, I was desperate to get settled in a permanent home to ease the transition, but most of what we saw was a depressing assortment of dark houses with low ceilings that contrasted unfavorably to airy California spaces. The very last possible house we looked at was like a gift. Having just that day come on the market, we were the first to see it, and we bought it immediately. What I like most about the plan of our house is that the living room, dining area, and kitchen are all one big open area. It makes the space feel modern and is just plain convenient. I also love the exposed beams, the use of salvaged wood for architectural details, and the wide-plank pine
floors.
photo above: I have a longstanding design crush on Angela Adams, who designed the rug in my living room. My favorite piece of furniture in the whole house is the mid-century Scandinavian sideboard. Art on the walls is, from left, by Hatch Show Print, John Wischmann, Yee-Haw Industries, and decals by Blik. The pillow is by Crispina ffrench. I keep meaning to digitize my record collection, but I'll keep the vinyl all the same if for no other reason than loving the cover art. My dog Chico was born and raised in San Jose and can never get warm enough in this colder climate.]
[The ladderback chair and basket of pine cones at the foot of the stairs are from my grandparents. They were dyed-in-the-wool Yankees, and it greatly relieved my grandfather that I moved back east before he passed away. There's another Angela Adams mini rug. On the windowsill I keep a little nature shelf of pretty stones, driftwood,et al that I find here and there.]
[photo above: I bought this teak table and eight chairs for $100 at a tag sale my first summer here. Mars and I reupholstered all the chairs ourselves with Maine Cottage fabric, which taught us that we don't like to upholster furniture. It took us almost nine months to complete. What I do like is vivid color and bold patterns - vintage Harlequin dishes, workaday Fiesta, and Orla Kiely for Target fit the bill. I bought the enameled milk jug and wire egg basket at Brimfield. I can't say enough good things about these Modern-Twist silicone placemats: they are easy to clean, feel silky to the touch, and are beautifully designed. The ceramic fish trivet is something my grandparents bought when they visited Norway. I treasure it beyond reason. The art on the wall is a vintage Scandinavian plate and a print by artist Jen Skelley.]
[photo above: For our bedroom, I made portraits of Mars and me out of vintage wallpaper and housed them in Victorian frames. We have a lot of sock monkeys that we've rescued from flea markets and adopted. I had to put the kibosh on getting any more. There are only so many mouths you can feed. These two are named Gypsy and Harpo.]
CLICK HERE for the rest of alethea’s sneak peek after the jump!
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February 8th, 2010 - 01:00pm
we were saddened to learn of the death of illustrator nick dewar. we felt so privileged to get a little peek into his life last year. our thoughts are with his friends and family.
February 1st, 2010 - 12:30pm
living in 700- square foot bungalow in northeast los angeles, prop stylist and decorator emily henson has had to be particularly clever to create a space that can accommodate all 8 bodies who call it home: emily and husband erick, a tv editor; 2 little people – johnny, 7 and ella, 10; 2 french bulldogs – gracie and steve; and 2 cats – betty and cub. emily’s planning on adding to their ranks – soon there will be laying hens in the backyard! a big believer in the importance of personal touches, nearly every inch of the home has seen emily’s paintbrush or been customized in someway. emily’s motto is “creativity before consumption” – and it’s a philosophy she extends to her professional work with clients. working to find ways to use paint or reupholstering before hitting the shops. when it is time to shop, emily prefers thrift store and flea market finds – nothing too precious though. after all in this home, there are two dogs and two cats! and occasionally, the kids will strap on roller-skates and sail through the house! (for more of emily’s house, check out the flickr set!) {thanks emily and family – both human and furry! and thanks to john vicent talay for the photos!} -amy a.
[photo above: I used to work as a Display Coordinator for Anthropologie. For a window display I spent about two weeks hand-making these birdhouses – cutting cardboard, painting them, and gluing fabric on about 100 of them. I was reluctant to throw them away when the display came down so, with permission, I took them home. I am not a painter! But I gave it a shot with this tree just so the birdhouses could have a home. The colors in the room are drawn from the bedding, which I made from a vintage sheet and the pillows from an Ikea sheet. The bed itself is a mini-bunk made by my brilliant husband from good old 2’ x 4’ ‘s and plywood! They started as side-by-side beds, then after a few months we made them into bunks to get a bit of floor space back.]
[photo above left: My son is a prolific artist and is literally always making something from morning to night. He occasionally sits at this desk (although mostly we trip over his projects all around the house). I borrowed the idea of books in a birdcage from my very creative mother-in-law. I was going to hang it from the ceiling, but for now it sits on a stool with the current favorites inside. photo above right: My kids love to collect stuff, so it gathers on this dresser. I’m a fan of a bit of kid clutter if it’s sort of orderly. Johnny collects tiny buildings for his vast family of imaginary friends to live in (Apparently there are hundreds of them and they all have names). Ella and I thought it was funny to put the dolls in the birdcage. Sensitive Johnny is not so amused, because they have feelings you know. And of course, more birdhouses!]
[Photo above: our living room changed dramatically about 6 months ago when I painted my wood floors white. Some people think it’s crazy, but for me it’s a million times better than our ebony stained floors before. Yes, they never look perfect, but the amount of light that is reflected throughout is so uplifting, I don’t care about scuffs here and there. The sofa is from Urban Outfitters found on craigslist, the mirror is from Revival, this great vintage place in LA. In the course of a week, I found the trash can (to hold magazines), tissue box, tray, and flower candle holders at different thrift stores – they all look like they were meant to be together!]
[Photo above: the kitchen was the first room we worked on when we bought the house and it was pretty grotty. A very tight budget meant getting creative. Someone gave us the subway tile (you can see we still have some finishing to do!), the butcher block countertop was Ikea, the cabinet doors came off and everything got a coat of paint. I like to collect interesting glassware and dishes so the open cabinets serve as display as well as storage. We’ve got some molding to replace around the door, but I actually like the way it looks unfinished.]
CLICK HERE for the rest of Emily’s sneak peek after the jump!
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February 1st, 2010 - 12:00pm
from the windows of the cottage where rosie brown lives with her husband ewan and little baby girl, verity belle (isn’t that the sweetest name), she can look out over the garden and watch the sea foretell the changing weather. the family just moved into this cottage in pittenweem, a small fishing village with one of the last working harbors in the area , just 7 months ago. the couple had wanted to move from edinburgh (see rosie’s edinburgh home here) and the tiny artist community seemed like the perfect choice for the owner of papa stour. each august the artists in the town throw open their doors to welcome visitors and show their work. rosie’s cottage is located just opposite a 7th century cave on a wynd (doesn’t that word just make you want to buy a ticket to scotland?) leading up from the harbor and is inaccessible by car. (see all of rosie’s home on flickr) {thanks rosie, ewan and verity belle!} -amy a.
[photo above: The house was originally 2 cottage that were made into one in the 70's by the National Trust so it's a very quirky shape. Most of the windows are south facing which is where the garden is too which makes it a lovely sunny place. I wanted to give it a more spacious feel so painted most of the house white except for our studio and bedroom. There was a big red check carpet running throughout the hall and curtains with pelmets which took away a lot of the light. We re-carpeted the hall in a thin stripe of duck egg and off white which gives it a more beachy light look. We used white blinds instead of curtains to give it a more modern and light feel.]
[photo above: The nursery is located in a lovely little room at the top of the house with amazing views out the sea. The cot was mine when I was little and the blankets are by Nicola Mcghee, our newest Papa Stour artist, she does beautiful wool blankets that all come in vintage bags. The Chinese lantern was a find from New York many years ago. The quilted blankets were bought in India from one of the hotel owners who had a small hand block print studio in one of the rooms they were beautiful and cost next to nothing.]
[photo above: This is the spare room. The map is an old map of the Kingdom of Fife (where we now live) that my husband has had for 15 or odd years, so amazing that we are now there!)]
CLICK HERE for more of Rosie’s Brown’s Scotland home!
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February 1st, 2010 - 11:00am
Tartan Round-Up
With all this tartan talk, I’ve begun noticing tartan everywhere! And although a little plaid goes a long way, here are a few of my favorites!
[image above: long plaid chain necklace $19.99, tartan tape shade $128, audrey wallpaper £35. antique tartan print $120, henning sofa $3,998, ralph lauren chair $649, set of 6 coasters $14. 95, converse sneakers $44.80, brockhampton knob $2.95, laugharne blanket £71.00]
[image above: vintage plaid stamp sign $75]
[image above: tartan dessert plates $48, computer case $107.50, plates memo tray $9.99, tartan baubles bracelet $28 matteo scarf $60, tartan playing cards £5.99, plaid steamer truck $84.59, plaid locket $26.00 throw blanket $70]
 [image above: throw pillows £34.00]
January 27th, 2010 - 11:00am
image above by julia rothman
If you’re thinking of a Scottish textile, chances are you’re thinking about tartan. The design was originally based on a simple two-color check, but today you can find an enormous variety of tartan patterns. So pour yourself a glass of scotch (OK – so it’s only 10am and we don’t live on the Mad Men set – but a girl can dream.), and let’s delve into tartan! (And many thanks to the ever-brilliant Amy Merrick- who just did a tartan project – for the idea! If you have a suggestion for a future column, please leave it in the comments!)
Difference between plaid and tartan?
Here’s the million dollar question. And it seems like nothing gets historians arguing quite like tartan! Here’s the basics: historically – plaid referred to a material/garment, while tartan was that checked pattern that we all know and love. A plaid was actually a large long shawl – usually 10 x 5 feet – the kilt was known as the belted plaid. Later the word ‘plaid’ came to mean any fabric that had a tartan pattern.
sir james macdonald (1741 – 1765) and sir alexander macdonald (1744 – 1810) by william mosman in about 1749, national galleries of scotland
Clan Tartans
The 18th century painting above of the Macdonald boys is often used to illustrate the point that the association of tartan patterns with a particular family was a 19th century invention rather than an ancient tradition. The boys are wearing three different tartan patterns. (By the way, note the date of 1749 on the painting, we’re coming back to that!) Historians believe that tartans had an association with the location in which they were produced rather than the particular family who chose to wear them. But because the tartans with similar color ranges would have been found in the same location (due to the use of local dyes) those living in close proximity would have worn the same colors and patterns. (So for example, tartans in the west of Scotland were produced in blue, black and green and worn by the MacLeod, MacNeil, and the MacDonalds, while tartans in the north-east used blue or black and green stripe on a red ground and were worn by the local families such as Macintosh, Robertson, and MacGillivary.)
an incident in the rebellion of 1745, david morier
Tartan and Rebellion
In 1746 the English defeated the tartan-clad Scots at the Battle of Culloden. As part of an effort to assimilate the Scottish Highlands and thwart their ability to revolt, the Act of Proscription made the wearing of tartan illegal. (This section was referred to as The Dress Act) Remember I told you to note the date of the MacDonald boys painting? It was painted in 1749, during the time that wearing tartan in Scotland was prohibited by the Parliament.)
CLICK HERE for more Tartan history after the jump!
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January 27th, 2010 - 10:00am
when designing this take- your-breath-away clinton corners, ny country house nina gotlieb strove to create a relationship between the house and its forest setting. a residential and hospitality designer, nina finds that she works best when she thinks about telling a story in a space rather than sticking closely to a particular style. the house was built from the ground up, and nina used the simple barn structures in the area for inspiration. she wanted the home to be open, airy and simple with modern, crisp detailing. but so that everything didn’t look too new, nina choose her materials carefully. Everything needed to have character and soul. for example, the siding is a knotty western red cedar, which was stained rather than painted so that the knots and grain showed through. and inside – it’s all about objects with history – industrial antiques and warm leathers and wood. {thanks nina! and many thanks to miha matei for the lovely photographs!} -amy a
[photo above: the dining room table was made by my millworker - jay brennan, who i wish had a website, but is too much of a luddite. he did all the millwork in the house, including the fireplace cabinetry (you can see a peek of it behind the couch), and did such an amazing job. i had found a similar antique farm table that was insanely expensive, so i asked jay if he could build something similar but cheaper. he had a pile of reclaimed oak in his shop that i think had just been sitting around since the 70's, which he burnished and fumed and "aged" to the point where he had made almost an exact replica of the antique table. there's even spots of old red overspray from other projects on the legs that he just left there, and i love. the sheepskin is from ikea, and i have it all over the house. i had just returned from visiting friends in copenhagen, and loved how they just threw sheepskin all over everything as instant coziness.]
[photo above: the strategy for the layout of the house was pretty simple - we spend most of the time entertaining on the main floor, and bedrooms are just for sleeping, so they were all upstairs, and relatively small. the kitchen / dining room / living room is one large space. oddly enough, we still hardly ever hung out in the living room - always around the kitchen! it ended up just being a place to read when you need some alone time by the fireplace. the awesome rose pillow is from a détacher on mott street.]
[photo above: this is one of the two guest rooms. the composition on the wall is actually woodblock prints of plants from an old french botanical dictionary that i found on ebay. the smaller frames are shadow boxes that i filled with moss, sticks and stones i gathered from the property. the beds are actually children's beds from notNeutral. the metal cart is from a company in ohio called american furnishings. and of course, more sheepskin.]
[photo above: this is the same guest room. i just like the idea of using crates here as shelves. and i was obsessed with the idea of suitcase racks in a guest room. the books are all about dutchess county, the hudson valley, or barn architecture. i scoured ebay and other bookstores for these, but ran out of steam before all the crates were filled, which had been the original goal.]
CLICK HERE for the rest of Nina’s post! (and all 19 images on one page!)
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January 25th, 2010 - 01:00pm
since we began the week with love letters, it seems only fitting to close out with the ultimate love letter – this illustrated book marriage proposal! illustrator joel kimmel proposed to his girlfriend of five years, chantal bennett, on new year’s eve 2010 by writing and illustrating a short story – the final page revealed an antique brass ring with a coral art nouveau design that was hidden inside the book! my favorite part of the story is that chantal, also an illustrator, and joel work side-by-side every day – so joel was working on the 20+ illustrations for the proposal while sitting right next to her! isn’t that sweet? (read the whole story) {congratulations joel and chantal!} – amy a.
grace will be back from salt lake city on monday! so have a wonderful fun-filled weekend and we’ll see you next week! below is a summary of this week’s highlights:
 
 January 22nd, 2010 - 11:00am
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