I'll Drink To That ~ Blogfest 2011

  

As the days are being counted down and the finishing touches are being put on the Blogfest 2011 activities, several exciting cocktail parties are planned.  A few top designers who have collections with Lee Jofa will be on hand for a meet and greet.


Atlanta based designer Suzanne Kasler says, "a room should be collected, not decorated."  She incorporates her clients' collections easily into the design, incorporating antiques, contemporary furniture, and beautiful textiles, often layering the same color in different tones.   The result is contemporary chic with a classic touch.  Suzanne has had a very busy few years expanding her company and introducing products to market.

Los Angeles based Suzanne Rheinstein finds inspiration for her Lee Jofa, Hollyhock II collection from the antique textiles she has collected.  Suzanne decorates with a Best of the West Coast luxuriousness meets casually elegant sophisticate by deftly melding antiques with linen and light colors.  I know she believes very strongly in the importance of an art history background as the basis for all good design.  I had the pleasure of hearing Suzanne speak and she does so with a passion and child like wonder that is infectious.

New York based and internationally recognized Hall of Fame architect and designer David Easton has long been known for his classic, elegantly proportioned English interiors, but he has recently shifted to a streamlined, less complicated, modern look in response to his clients' changing taste.  His versatility in his fabric collections is as varied as his projects, all will stand the test of time.

Part two will explore the remaining three designers with beautiful fabric collections thru Lee Jofa that will be wining and dining with us bloggers; what fun!

Would LOVE to hear your views on my new blog design!!

Sub-Zero & Wolf, A Perfect Pairing

Sub-Zero and Wolf will be hosting an event called Wine Down Art Live.  While we sample epicurean delights with wine pairings and watch artists create original works of art before our eyes (as I understand it), we will be educated on the superior performance and wise investment a Sub-Zero/Wolf product would be in a kitchen design.  A good designer already knows the value of the Sub-Zero/Wolf brand!  The striking commercial design is inspirational.  The beauty of the stainless steel is artistic and the range of products compliments any style.

The showroom in New York is a "hands on" resource center.  The companies' interactive tools help you every step of the way.  The showroom kitchen was designed by Mick DeGiulio, who I have long been a fan of.  Mick's work, just like Sub-Zero/Wolf's appliances is impeccable.  Mick's extensive travel has fueled his passion for not only designing unique kitchen furniture, but no doubt cooking too.

 A sample of Mick's projects:

Mick's award winning designs often feature the Sub-Zero and Wolf appliances.  Therefore, he must be a fan!  And since I am a fan of his, er go, I am a fan of Sub-Zero/Wolf!   I do know they are an industry leader and a top choice among top chefs.  I can't decide if I love the glass front refrigerator door or the furniture look it's hidden behind.  I'll have a chance to decide during the multi media experience.

all photos: via Mick DeGiulio

Barbara Barry ~ Tranquil & Calm

One of our many activities will be tea with Barbara Barry.  Barbara really is a lifestyle brand.  Her products run the gamut from furnishings and lighting to china and luggage. 

I love to see how designers live.  Town and Country allows us to take a peak into Barbara's pale, pearly Beverly Hill's home where the stress of the day must surely fall away once inside.  If Barbara Barry has a signature that would be it!  A neutral palette and symmetry create tranquility, and Barbara gets it right every time.  It is as refined and elegant as I imagine Ms. Barry is. 

                                10 Things I know For Sure


 1. Don't fight what you cannot change. Anything that's permanent has to become your best friend, so learn to love it and to play it up. If you have a brick wall outside your window, bring terra-cotta into the room through pillows or flooring. If your fireplace has a charred hearth, paint a door black to pick up on that color. Expand on what's there by extending it: That makes it seem intentional. 
2. Quality counts. Once you've slept on soft sheets or dried off with a fluffy white towel or sipped tea from a porcelain cup, you understand how the smallest details can have an enormous impact on your sense of well-being. The body knows quality. So I say buy less, but buy at the highest level you can afford. 
3. Windows shouldn't look like party dresses. Think of window treatments architecturally, as extensions of the wall. Treat them simply with a fabric that's the same color as the wall so that you enlarge rather than constrain the space. 
4. Make choices based on your gut, not your head.
5. Not every piece of furniture has to make a statement. A Louis XVI chair can be fabulous, but best to surround it with neutral, pared-down pieces that will complement and not compete with it. 
6. Restrained color palettes bring order to the chaos of life.
7. The best design strikes a balance between toughness and gentleness. I'm always looking to blend a line and a curve; if I make a chair with a straight leg, it will have a curved back. Geometry offset by sensuality inevitably stands the test of time, and resonates with every taste, both masculine and feminine. 
8. Different tasks require different lights. I put a 40- and a 60-watt bulb in a double cluster lamp so that I can have three choices: 40 for the party, 60 for reading, and both—100 watts—for cleanup. 
9. Go easy with patterns. I'm searching for calm all the time—that's why people come to me—and life is already a pattern. We create it with the shape of the furniture, the windows, the doors, the pillows, what we wear, and the stuff we have. Unless you have a sure hand, adding a print to that can just make for more visual noise. 
10. Live glamorously! Glamour is not about money, it's more a quality of character...but having elegant furnishings can certainly set the stage. I love how California was and still is the backdrop for a casually elegant lifestyle: palm trees and swimming pools, cocktails and pearls. Perfect.


10 things: reprinted from Oprah.com
photos: Victoria Pearson via Town & Country