There is something about white pumpkins that I am loving this year which is funny since orange is my favorite color. I bought a few for my apartment and used them to decorate for the party last weekend. The smaller ones are especially cute and will look nice displayed until Thanksgiving. I wish I was as ambitious as Martha Stewart and could carve lacy designs into them but I don't see that ever happening. Bon Weekend!
I didn't really love the Sex and the City movie but I did love it when Miranda declared that they only costumes for women were witch or sexy kitten. I'm not dressing up this year. Mostly because I don't feel like going out to a bar and competing for attention with 21 year olds wearing little to no clothing. So tell me what you're dressing up as this year. Maybe it will inspire me for next year! Happy Halloween!
Leave it to the chicest woman to put together the chicest book and hold the launch party at the chicest store. Last week, Kelly Klein launched her new book Horse from Rizzoli at the Hermes store and it is seriously the most fabulous book of the season. Even if you haven't ridden a horse in your life, you'll drool over the photos by Bruce Weber, Helmut Newton, Annie Leibovitz, Robert Mapplethorpe and even Kelly Klein herself who took the beautiful photo above. Enjoy!
Cover photo: Equus Caballus by Wolfgang Ludes
Photographer unknown
Photo by Reinhard Hunger, styling by Chris Himmel
Photo by Yann-Arthus Bertrand
Photo by Peter Llewellyn/PMG Pictures
Photo by Loomis Dean/Time Life Pictures
Photo by Fabio Chizzola 
Photog by Fabio Chizzola
I have always wanted to go on a tour of the United Nations but have just never gotten around to it so when I discovered a book entitled The U.N. Building in my office last Thursday, I was beyond excited. Then I found out that October 24th of every year is United Nations Day. Talk about funny timing! The United Nations looks like a beautifully preserved time capsule of mid-century modernism! I love the fact that no one has ruined it by trying to update it since it looks so perfect just as it is. Now, I am even more determined than ever to go and see it for myself in person but until that happens, I will make due with pouring over the photographs in the book. Enjoy!
I wanted to show the other side of the bedroom of the bachelor pad and what it looked like before so you can get a look at the complete transformation. (Just ignore the rumpled sheets please!) The bachelor says it's his favorite part of the apartment and probably because there wasn't much in it before but the bed. Now it's a cozy and comfy refuge from the stress and strain of the city. I'm sure some negative nelly will say that blue was a cliche color for a bedroom but it is the most relaxing color and does help promote sleep. I also knew that I wanted it to be a little less masculine than the living room since he was said he was closer to settling down. (We all know now that was a little bit of wishful thinking.) I do owe a big thank you to his mother for generously buying all the new sheets and pillows! Of course, she said it was his Christmas present but if she's anything like my mother, she'll probably forget by then!
Bedroom Before
Now I remember why I only host one party a year. It's exhausting and it's never quite as much fun as being just a guest. I spent all day Friday running around and preparing and most of Saturday too. And then little things kept going wrong like my Blackberry stopped receiving emails and my computer decided to not recognize anything I plugged into the USB port. Weird timing. Luckily, I had made a party playlist on my iPod earlier in the week but I was unable to save the changes I made on Saturday. Of course, all the sudden it's working now. Even weirder.
It also happened to rain Saturday night. A few people cancelled but all in all it turned out to be a fun party. I thought we were going to have too much food but some girls who showed up ended up chowing down. I did order too much wine but that will definitely not go to waste.
A big thanks to my friend Tara who came over early with me to set everything up and wrapped more figs in prosciutto than she would have liked. More thanks to those who braved the rain including Eddie and Jaithan, Ron Marvin and Alejandro, Hollister and Porter Hovey, Michelle Adams and my colleague Kristen. My friend Kelly, who works with Carleton Varney, was too sweet and brought me a copy of Decorating is Fun! which I actually don't own and am excited to read! (I joked that I am going to write my own version entitled, Decorating is Exhausting!) I also made a new friend at the party, artist Lesny JN Felix who invited me on a tour of his studio. We also discussed a few other joint projects so check back later. 
The candles in this photo look like they are coming out of the wine bottles but I assure you that they are not! I had a good laugh when Eddie knew that the ceramic beverage container was from Tar-jay! He has a few himself! We also found out that our birthdays are two days apart! Can you say joint birthday party?!
This is how the dining area looked the next day after I cleaned. (Did I mention that I went over and cleaned while the bachelor was out golfing?!) His step mother hates the table but he already had it and we didn't exactly have a huge budget. Sometimes I think it's fun to work with what a person already has than going out and buying everything new. 
Someone mentioned last week that the television area didn't look finished and that's because it wasn't. There is also a lot going on next to it with the seating area so I think it's fine that it's not too over accessorized. Plus, it would distract you while you were trying to watch TV. I would have liked to have bought an area rug for under the dining table but as I mentioned previously, the bachelor works on Wall Street and so some finishing touches were put on hold. (The caterer and wait staff I also dreamed about for the party were also put on hold!) I also just painted out the existing dining area light fixture shades and took off the finials to save money. It would have been too expensive to have an electrician to come in and move the electrical box and install a new fixture. It's also a rental so it just made more sense to leave it since the bachelor probably wouldn't have had someone take the new one down before he moved anyway. Someone at the party actually said they liked it too which made me laugh. If they only new what it looked like before! 
The new chairs add much needed additional seating and are also much better than what he originally had there (see the before photos here). One of his friends thanked me for the improvement since he has a nicer place to hang out too!
As you might remember the sofa is a C&B Italia from 1973 (before the changed the name to B&B Italia) and the Italian glass and chrome coffee table is also from the 1970's and was designed by Giancarlo Frattini for Cassina. Both were from his step mother and are selling for crazy prices on 1stdibs. The bachelor bought the rug himself last year and it actually worked with the color scheme of browns and oranges.
I can't find the other photo of the bed but you do get a look at the Ralph Lauren dresser that we splurged on. Everyone who saw it fell in love with it. You can't tell here but the wood looks like it's part of an expensive yacht and the pulls are leather and silver. There is supposed to be a small flat screen tv sitting on it but someone hasn't gotten around to buying it which is why the art is hung the way that it is on the wall. By the way, can you tell which painting was bought on ebay for $60 and which one was bought at Flair for $1500???
All in all, it was a 6 month process from start to almost finish. There are still a few details left that need attending to but they might have to wait until things are little more under control financially. I will be forever grateful to my friend for giving me the opportunity to undertake a project all by myself. It was tough and he and I didn't always get along during it. Some people know and others guessed that he and I had at one time dated. It didn't work out but we remained friends. I will admit that I had hoped that the project might bring us closer and result in a happy ending but alas it did not. I may have created the grown up apartment he wanted but someone isn't quite ready to grow up himself. But I do have a great project to add to my portfolio and a lot more time on my hands! C'est fini!
I'll be out and about Friday preparing for a little soiree of my own! The Bachelor and I are are throwing a party to celebrate the end of his decorating project this Saturday night. I've been scouring the flea market and ebay for great party accessories including a fabulous Depression-era glass dish for candy or nuts (kind of fitting actually if you think about it) and anything silver from Sheffield (I thank Eddie Ross for that little obsession). Of course, the fact that Eddie is actually showing up has me a little nervous. Maybe we drink a lot no one will notice that we might not have any art above the sofa. I think considering what's been going on in New York lately, we can all use a drink...or two...or three...you get the idea. Check back later for photos!
Domino magazine hosted a private little soiree last night at the new J.Crew Collection boutique at 79th and Madison to honor their November 2008 cover girl and J.Crew Creative Director Jenna Lyons and the launch of their new Domino Book of Decorating. I can honestly say that it was bananas! (I already miss Rachel Zoe!) The store is beyond chic with vintage art and books mingled among the Collection clothes and accessories. The dressing rooms are painted grey and pink and the store even has an amazing Serge Mouille chandelier!
The guests were also chic and cool. Jenna Lyons set the tone in a fabulous gold dress and grey tights with multiple necklaces. She held court with the Chairman & CEO Mickey Drexler, who I am sad to say I didn't get to meet. I wanted to ask him if a home line is in the works! Katie Lee Joel caused quite a stir when she arrived in wool hot pants, tights and 5 inch heels...and on the coldest day of the year no less! She's makes me never want to eat again! Anyway, super sibling blogging duo Hollister and Porter Hovey were also in attendance, as was the always dapper John Derain. Fashion designer Chris Benz made an appearance too. He used to work for J.Crew and Marc Jacobs. Talk about talented! It was nice to finally meet Pierre Frey, the grandson of THE Pierre Frey, since I actually wrote about him in The Next Generaton story for Domino. And I'm so glad that I was able to catch up with uber-talented photographer Matt Albiani, who is really good friends with my old roommate from Boston. Small world! Hopefully, we can collaborate on a future blog post. Stay tuned! I also met Lauren Bush who couldn't be nicer! She has a new fashion line coming out called Lauren Pierce. 
And of course, the talented and lovely staff of Domino magazine were all in attendance. Deborah Needleman is one of the nicest editors I've ever met! The best part of the evening was that they actually gave each guest a copy of the Domino: The Book of Decorating! How chic is that?! I don't think I've ever been to a book party that actually gave away the book! Thanks to Domino and J. Crew for a fabulous party! And to my wonderful friend Kelly Reynolds of Carleton V and Dorothy Draper who is always the chicest party companion! XOXO!
I bought these little black urns last winter at Nancy Koltes Home in Soho even though I had no idea what I was going to do with them. They ended up sitting around until last weekend when I finally took them to Paradise Plant in the Flower District and had them plant little topiaries in them. They brighten up my window sill now and they weren't even that expensive. You can buy the same urns online now at Jayson Home & Garden and they can also be seen this week on MA Belle.
I'm so excited for the release of Todd Merrill and Julie Iovine's new book Modern Americana: Studio Furniture From High Craft to High Glam and it's launch party next week! There really isn't a good comprehensive guide to this period and since Todd is such an expert, I'm glad he was the one to put it together! “ With interest in this field at an all-time high among collectors, auction houses, museums, designers, and shelter magazines, I decided the time was ripe to write the definitive book about these modern masters,” he says. Enjoy!
There is a beautiful photo in the November 2008 issue of American Vogue and unlike usual spreads, they actually gave credit to the owner, London decorator Veere Grenney. I know he's already been profiled on other sites including one of my favorites, Studio Annetta, but I thought his work was too beautiful not to post again. I love how he incorporates the artwork into each room and on his site he mentions that many of his clients are collectors. Must be nice! He also has a lovely line of fabrics, lighting, rugs and furniture and will be featured in the November 2008 issue of Australian Vogue Living magazine. Enjoy!
