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Charlotte Moss Townhouse – Part Deux

by habituallychic

08 . 13 . 07

The staircase in the back of the first floor leads directly into the dining room on the second floor. There was a main dining table above and the little breakfast table below. All set with the most exquisite china from France.

I love how everything was decorated for summer with light colors and patterns and seashells everywhere. I can’t wait to stop back in December and see how they decorate for the holidays. I’m sure it will be spectacular!

The dining room was where I was told not to take photos so I didn’t get any photos of the cute little dressing room on the other side. That’s where the fun jewelry and vintage silk blouses from Hermes were housed. I think there might have been pajamas but I can’t remember. I was too busy making up a story as to why I wanted the photos. I was afraid I was going to get kicked out! I said my friend in Atlanta was dying to see the store. You guys owe me!

Up we go to the third floor where you enter the library. It definitely had a warmer and more masculine feel to it. I loved all the ivory and collectibles in the cases below.

The piece de resistence for me was the collection of vintage books. I LOVE vintage book and have been collecting them and first editions for a while now so I felt like a kid in a candy store. They were all pretty expensive but fun to look through. Usually, I look for interesting books and then go home search eBay and online vintage book dealers for cheaper versions. Shhh! Don’t tell anyone! They had an original Tiffany’s Table Manners for Teenagers that was cute and some great Diana Vreeland books that were VERY expensive!

Behind the library was a little room where an amazing collection of Nymphenburg Porcelain was housed and on the other side was the bedroom below where you could buy sheets and more fun jewelry.

The fourth floor below houses the private offices of Charlotte Moss and the stairways and landings are lined with vintage prints and mirrors where draperies made from custom fabric with the townhouse logo hang.

The front room on the fifth floor pictured below is described online as an “ever changing background for a variety of uses.” Today it looked like it was set up for summer and had what I would descibe as a garden picnic theme.

Below is a bowl of plastic cutlery made to look like silver flatware. At $25 a set, it’s not a cheap picnic!

The walls of the room were hung with summery striped fabric and hung with vintage posters.

On the other side of the fifth floor, was the room with that’s described as the atelier and it had a little terrace on the back. This is where I found some fun little things to buy. You didn’t think I could go in there and not buy something did you?! I bought a little book called Design Inspirations by Charlotte Moss and some really cute little note pads that say CHIC IS WHERE YOU FIND IT by Bonnie Cashin. I couldn’t resist, although I really wanted the Diana Vreeland pads that said, YOU’VE GOT TO HAVE STYLE, IT HELPS YOU GET OUT OF BED IN THE MORNING, so I ended up buying the pencil set that contains pencils inscribed with all the quotes. So chic!

I hope you enjoyed the tour of the Charlotte Moss Townhouse and I really hope I don’t get in trouble for taking the photos. But hey, it’s free publicity for them so they shouldn’t get mad. And if you’re ever in New York, you should definitely stop by 20 East 63rd Street. It’s worth the trip…just make sure they’re open first!

15 Comments
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  1. The Peak of Chic August 13, 2007 | 8:45 pm

    I agree with you- it’s a fabulous store and so much fun to wander through it. Very inspiring too!
    I was wondering how you got to take photos!!! Unfortunately I couldn’t so I had to describe the store sans photos, which is not as much fun 🙂
    I purchased some of the mirrored Chinoiserie placemats that you showed below (on the first floor). When I was there they were in the dining room! Fun to see how they’ve switched it around.

  2. Habitually Chic August 13, 2007 | 8:51 pm

    Well, there really wasn’t anyone around half the time I was there so I just went for it. Sometimes being bad feels very good 😉

  3. ALL THE BEST August 13, 2007 | 9:18 pm

    Loved the photo tour!! Thanks for being bad.

  4. mariah August 13, 2007 | 11:51 pm

    Thank you so much for going out on a limb to post these. I’ve been wanting to get up to NYC from Philadelphia to see the store and just haven’t had a chance. Great photos!

  5. Brilliant Asylum August 14, 2007 | 1:01 pm

    I love a decorating stealth mission! Thanks for sharing your photos.

  6. Sarah Jennings August 14, 2007 | 1:58 pm

    Great post! I liked the 2nd through 5th floors more than the 1st. Also, I thought it was interesting how different the watercolor rendering of the store is different from the reality. The watercolor rendering makes the store look a bit more romantic with the arched window and waterboxes. The real thing looks more unadorned and contemporary. Interesting! I can’t wait to visit.

  7. Habitually Chic August 14, 2007 | 2:12 pm

    Thanks Sarah! I was noticing the same things about the exterior of the store. It might have been closer to the original when it first opened I can’t remember but a few weeks ago they had scaffolding up and were working on the front of the building so it might have been changed then. Not sure why though. Did you notice the pagoda door handles? I love those!

  8. Cote de Texas August 15, 2007 | 6:20 am

    Habit: The bedroom: to die for, I love the pink inside the blue and white and the green vanity, it reminds me so much of the bedroom she did this year for Kips with the same touch of green, blue and white, and touches of pink, I love that book, btw. That bedroom is the most gorgeous thing I have ever seen. Love your purchases, the pencils and all. so funny that they are so snobby as to not allow any photographs, LIKE it’s the WHITE HOUSE!!! It’s a frigging store!!! What a joke, how pretentious. Is that half the mystique, perhaps?? Thank you, thank you so much for getting by the secret service. Fabulous!

    Joni

  9. Cote de Texas August 15, 2007 | 6:27 am

    How were the prices? On the top floor, I notice the black chairs like in the Ballard catalogue – are they the same price or much more expensive? Do you know? You may need to do another reconoissance trip over there.

  10. Habitually Chic August 15, 2007 | 1:36 pm

    Joni, I love your comments! So funny. Everytime someone is rude in a store, I just want to scream “you work in a shop” but my good manners prevent me.

    I didn’t see the price of the black chairs but most everything is EXPENSIVE! I saw a lovely chest of drawers for $35,000. But everything does seem to be very high quality so you get what you pay for I guess.

    P.S. I think you should come to New York so we can take a walk through together!

  11. patriciagrayinc.com August 16, 2007 | 2:41 am

    Good photographing and so glad that you had a mission to show all us Bloggers. Thanks!

  12. patriciagrayinc.com August 16, 2007 | 2:43 am

    Just had another look at the black chairs and I think Joni is right – they are the same as the ones in the Ballard catologue. They are what I call CC – Cheap Chic.

  13. patriciagrayinc.com August 16, 2007 | 2:47 am

    BTW..the best thing I think is the gray and white color scheme on the 4th floor.

  14. Suzy August 18, 2007 | 1:54 am

    Beatiful, love the study. Thanks for sharing the photos – I think I would have gone crazy with all those vintage books too!

  15. teaorwine August 20, 2007 | 4:18 pm

    You are one brave girl!

    Oh my…while visiting the townhome recently, I would have been terrified to take photos, why with a guard at the door!

    Check out my review of CM’s flagship store on my blog. See if you agree.

    TorW