HABITUALLY CHIC DESIGN®

Cheers!

I'd like to raise a glass of champagne and wish you all a very Happy New Year! I hope you have a wonderful night no matter where you are or what you are doing. Just be careful and try not to fall in the bathtub at the end of the night! Cheers!

Photo by Pamela Hanson

Chic Cards

If you still have thank you cards to write for all the Christmas presents you received, then I suggest that you order these stunningly beautiful notecards featuring the artwork of Jeremiah Goodman. I received a lovely email yesterday from gallery owner Dean Rhys Morgan about the notecards after he found my blog post on Carolina Herrera and Jeremiah Goodman. Her sitting room (above) is one of the 16 different images included in the set that he sells on his site. I was also excited to discover that Mr. Rhys Morgan also sells prints by Jeremiah Goodman, Kenneth Paul Block and Jay Hyde Crawford among others. They would all make a chic present to yourself to start the New Year or to apologize to someone if your behavior gets out of hand tonight! Happy New Year!

A Low Key New Year's Eve

Every year, about a million people crowd Times Square to watch the ball drop at midnight on New Year's Eve. And yes, I said a million. I looked it up. As you can imagine, that creates a bit of chaos in the city even beyond all the street closings. That's why my friends and I usually prefer to celebrate at someone's apartment for either drinks or a dinner party. If you plan on doing the same, here are a few ideas and images to help inspire you! Happy New Year!

When you think of New Year's celebrations, usually silver comes to mind but I think gold is a lovely alternative. It has a warmer feeling and the table designed by Carolyne Roehm above and top has a beautiful mix of colors that adds to that warmness. I found a set of gold rimmed wine and champagne glasses at Housing Works last year that would be perfect for this type of table.

Martha Stewart decorated this mantle with a collection of clocks to remind everyone of the passing of time. If you don't have enough to display this year, you can always plan for next year!

I feel in love with this image last year when I saw it on Style Court. What a beautiful way to greet your guests for the evening.

And don't fret if you don't have a set of matching champagne glasses. As you can see here, a tray full of mismatched glasses can be just a beautiful as a perfectly matched set.

This chic table belongs to one of the designers who works for Sarah Richardson and was seen in Canadian House & Home. The silver setting and pale blue chairs whisper winter and couldn't be more beautiful.

For those who prefer darker colors, this table from Ralph Lauren Home mixes gold, silver and black that would be perfect for a more masculine setting.

This table also doesn't worry about matching china or flatware and as you can see, there are actually two tables. A few smaller tables sometimes with less people make for a better party than one big long table. For fun, you can have people change seats between courses.

There is a simple elegance to this table setting that I absolutely love! It would also be perfect for a New Year's Day breakfast!

I think this table was intended for Christmas but would also work for New Year's Eve. If you are hosting a celebration, you can definitely leave up your Christmas tree but I would change out some of the other decorations around the house to reflect the party theme.

This table is set for a birthday celebration but could also inspire a beautiful New Year's Eve table and especially one in a warmer climate. I also think presents at each place setting is fun and they could be filled with inexpensive gifts or fun fortunes for the New Year!

I hope no matter where you are or what you do for New Year's Eve that you have a wonderful evening and don't forget to take a taxi or appoint a designated driver!

Pretty in Plum

I'm busy traveling back to New York today but I'm not leaving you without something to savor. I love the pretty plum color in all of these images regardless of whether it's a sofa, wall color, or just a little bouquet of flowers. Hope you enjoy them too!

Images: William Yeoward, Unknown, Steven Gambrel, Molly Sims, Unknown

Cozy Cabin

Right now, it's snowing and blowing and very cold and I'm still wishing I was someplace sunny and warm! But since that's not an option, I wouldn't mind be wrapped up in a buffalo plaid blanket in a cozy cabin, preferably one designed by Ralph Lauren! He really does know how to do warm and inviting. Now all I need is a hot toddy!

Photos from Ralph Lauren

Yes Please!

The clock hasn't even struck 2010 yet and I'm already thinking about where I want to go in the new year. I just ran across photos of the Uxua Casa Hotel in Brazil that are quickly pushing it to the top of the list. The property was developed by Wilbert Das, the creative director of Diesel, who bought it from a group of "Swiss hippies who'd been there since the 1970's." I love the rustic simplicity of the casas but since I don't love actually roughing it, it's nice to know that it offers 5-star amenities. They also give back to the area by maintaining a school for the locals whom they train and employ. The design was influenced by many of the different settlers who ended up in Brazil including the Portuguese. Maybe that's why it remind me a little of Jacques Grange's chic getaway in Portugal that I wrote about a few months ago. Since I don't see Mr. Grange inviting me to join him on holiday, I am happy I found Uxua Casa Hotel! So what's at the top of your travel list for 2010?

Merry Christmas!

Hope Santa brought you what you asked for and more!

Over the river and through the woods...

I'm off to Pennsylvania for the holiday! I will try to write a few posts while I'm away so check back later. Until then, I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

Oh, and try to pretend that's me in the car and not some strange guy. If my PhotoShop skills were a little better I would have tried to paste my head over his but you get the idea!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

I can't wait to get home for holidays and see our family Christmas tree this year! My father is the master tree decorator and always out does himself. We have a huge collection of vintage ornaments that will someday be mine (minus those lost in the cat vs. tree incident of 1983). But I don't think that I will ever be able to match my dad's skill at stringing the lights (the worst job ever!) or placing each precious ornament in just the right spot. Sigh. I guess I will have to fly him to town every year to do it for me. Looks like Alexa Hampton's father Mark was pretty good at decorating trees as well. The photo above was from Christmas 1976! The room has a little Miles Redd feeling too don't you think?! Merry Christmas!