It feels like there have been so many auctions of exquisite collections in the last few years. It makes me feel sad to see them be broken up but hopefully the furniture and objects end up going to good homes. Susan Gutfreund sold her Henri Samuel decorated duplex apartment at 834 Fifth Avenue last year […]
I’ve been struggling with posts lately since I can’t travel and there are only a few places I can visit in New York. It’s hard to keep going when inspiration is in short supply, especially for design posts. So I’ve decided to go through my camera roll and try to post some historic houses from […]
I wrote about philanthropist and art collector Jayne Wrightsman who died April 2019 at the age of 99 and her home at 820 Fifth Avenue last fall. Mrs. Wrightman was a scholar of 18th-century art and furniture and had an eye for the best pieces. Now many of her furnishings and art will be sold at Christie’s October […]
I came across some new photos of fashion designer Michael Bastian‘s downtown apartment recently and I was reminded how much I love his living room. It reminds me of the male equivalent of my art filled space except I don’t have a fireplace. There is something about it that always reminded me of autumn so […]
Sir John Richardson, the “renowned Picasso scholar, curator and bon vivant” was an inveterate collector as seen by the rooms in his lower Fifth Avenue loft and Connecticut house. He also had exquisite taste and now some of his fabulous finds can be yours when they come up for auction at Stair Galleries and Sotheby’s […]
Even though I have a very small kitchen and no separate dining room in my New York apartment, I obsessively collect antique china and silver. So when Sotheby’s asked if I’d like to collaborate with them on their Dining IN online auction happening now, I jumped at the chance. Since everyone is spending so much […]
If you don’t subscribe to The Bulletin from Schumacher, you are missing out. Luckily, some stories can be found online like the wonderful feature on the chic garden and guest house of designer Stephen Sills in Bedford, New York. I forgot how much I appreciate the elegant and impeccable style of Stephen Sills. His work […]
As I’ve mentioned before, it’s hard to feel inspired to blog when you can’t go anywhere or do anything. New York just cancelled all large events that require a permit through September which means no fashion week or design events that make autumn in the city so exciting. I’m going to try to plan a […]
As most of us finish up our second month of home confinement, I wonder how many people are currently reevaluating the decor of their houses. I certainly wouldn’t want to live with anything that I truly didn’t love. One person who looks quite happy with his living arrangements is legendary decorator Robert Kime. House & […]
In 2012, Andy Cohen asked Meryl Streep on Watch What Happens Live, “Name one bad film that you have made.” Her answer was, “Still of the Night” a film in 1982 in which she co-stared with Roy Schieder and re-teamed her with her Kramer vs. Kramer director Robert Benton. It wasn’t an Oscar contender but I enjoy the […]
While quarantine has been hard for everyone, there are some bright spots. Photographer François Halard is holed up at his house in Arles and posts a photo of a room or a vignette every day. He’s on day 27 now and I look forward to each and every one of his images. His house is […]
My tolerance for certain Instagram accounts during quarantine is very low. I’ve already had to unfollow or mute many accounts. One of the accounts I will never unfollow belongs to antiques dealer Gerald Bland. I love his unpretentious approach to social media. Most of his posts are his house upstate and very few even include […]
My Instagram friend Remy Renzullo is definitely an old soul with a fun personality. Anyone who hasn’t met him might think he was a middle aged decorator instead of twenty-something interior designer. I think that’s what makes him so special. He’s extremely knowledgeable about historic design and antiques but doesn’t take it all so seriously. […]
I didn’t realize that interior designer Mario Buatta was such a hoarder. I was going to call him a collector but after I read that the first floor of his Gothic Revival home in Thompson, Connecticut collapsed under the weight of the furniture stored inside, he was upgraded to hoarder status. Although, he was definitely […]
After writing this blog for 12.5 years, I’ve seen a lot of amazing properties but I don’t think any of them have blown me away as much as Mount Algidus featured in the October 2015 issue of House and Garden magazine. The beautiful home is located on a spectacularly isolated 53,000-acre cattle station on New […]
We’ve made it through January. It was the longest month ever but I have a feeling February will fly by so I’ve pulled together a few things happening now and later in the month to give you time to plan ahead. Don’t forget that The Winter Show will be close on Sunday, February 2, 2020. […]
I was first seated next to interior designer Mario Buatta at an event over ten years ago. He couldn’t have been more excited to have a fresh person to surprise with his fake cockroach prank. Decorating should be fun and it was refreshing that he didn’t take it all so seriously even though he worked […]