More Design TV ~

There's a new crop of design shows coming to TV.  Don't think DIY, don't think Design on a Dime.  This is design voyerism at it's best.  Multi-million dollar properties, realistic design dilemmas being solved, huge competition wars to be waged.  They're drawing back the curtains on the drama and design decisions that enthrall us again and again.

Two of my favorite "Bravolebrities," Jeff Lewis and Mary McDonald star in a new show, 

Property Envy, a la Fashion Police.  Along with super realtor Brandie Malay and arbiter of style Stephen Collins, they dish about design and decor, and critique merits and mishaps of multi-million dollar homes.  I love when they throw open the doors of drool worthy homes we regular people are never privy to, until now.

I am really looking forward to The Real Designing Women.  Premiering on HGTV, it follows four designers busy doing what they do best, the real life drama behind the scenes (there is ALWAYS drama), and problem solving design dilemmas (with realistic budgets), then the big reveal!  The four ladies are LA's Lori Dennis, Toronto's Dee Dee Taylor Eustance, along with NY's Jennifer Flanders and Nina Freudenberger (remember I mentioned Nina in the last story?)

Hmmm,  I have mixed feelings about this next one.  Coming this fall, America's Dream Builders is a giant, splashy competition show hosted by Nate Berkus.  Teams will be competing against each other in different cities creating huge transformations with an interactive component we haven't seen before.  I'm thinking The Great Amazing Race meets The Apprentice.  Of course it will be must see tv!

I'll let you in on a little secret... 2 years ago I made it through 5 rounds of casting for this very show.  At the time the working title was Home Transformers.  The details were sketchy, but I was over the moon with the anticipation of possibly being involved.  Alas, they went in a slightly different direction without me.  Oh well it was fun while it lasted!

A Walk with Traditional Home

The window of Haus Interiors

Traditional Home magazine and Hunter Douglas sponsored a little walk around Nolita and Soho to gather some design inspiration and acquaint ourselves (well me anyway) with some design stores we may not have been familiar with.  With a possible opportunity to shop, I was all in.

We began with breakfast at Haus Interiors where Nina Freudenberger curates the small store cleverly.  From it comes big design ideas.  Remember Nina's name as you'll be hearing it come up again in the not too distant future.

Note to self:  great for gift giving

From there we headed to Elizabeth Street Gallery with Holland and Sherry.  This store/gallery/showroom was an interesting, eclectic mix of bespoke and bemused.  The front of the store has an array of antiques; unusual and the mix unfiltered.  This antique shooting gallery from Coney Island is sure to be a conversation starter in any environment.

The back of the store transports you to Seville Row, where Holland and Sherry Bespoke show off their customizable merchandise created from their luxurious textiles.  Outfit your home, outfit yourself.

The outdoor garden is one of New York's "little neighborhood gems."  You can peruse or party among the statues

Allan Reiver owns Elizabeth Street and lives upstairs.  An added bonus on our little tour was seeing his apartment.  Eclectic to say the least; a fascinating mix of new and old, many of the pieces tell a story.  The collection of trucks on the shelves in his kitchen is made by a prison inmate, and Allan buys each as it is completed.

Michele Varian is a Soho favorite.  Her store is filled with many of her popular self designed pillows, wallpaper, and textiles layered with accessories that seem to tell a story of a singular vision.

Sachin of Ankasa entertained us in her beautiful store.  The brocades, embroideries and appliqués are applied to more than the up scale pillows.

Thomas O'Brien is a very busy man!  At AERO we discovered not only the beauty of his home decor store, but his bustling design business.  Selling his own designs as well as others, AERO can be a one stop shop to outfit any abode.  With collections for waterworks, Lee Jofa fabrics, Circa lighting, tabletop for Reed and Barton, etc., etc., Thomas doesn't seem to be slowing down.

The board room is filled with prototypes of all kinds

What does it say about me that my favorite part of our stop there was the in store chef who creates healthy culinary creations daily to keep creative minds creating.

There are so many projects in the pipeline.  AERO studios have dozens of retail/hospitality jobs as well as their residential jobs.  Denzel Washington's project on the mood board was one of the sneak peeks there to be seen.

Ochre comes to us from across the pond with modern, contemporary custom designs expressed with individually and respect for craftsmanship in mind.  Their lighting is sublime.

John Houshman, in his second floor atelier, fuses the organic and contemporary.  The yin and yang of materials creates my favorite rough luxe look.  On 950 arces in the Catskills, the team harvests and makes furniture infused with wit and irony.

I fell hard for this mirror with it's live edge base.

After an exhausting morning of inspiration and insight, we ended with a lovely lunch at  The Butcher's Daughter juice bar and cafe.  A kale smoothie and quinoa was exactly what I needed before jumping on the train heading home (insert SIGH).

Thank you Traditional Home and Hunter Douglas.  A good time was had by all!

Spotlight On ~ West Chin

I was thrilled to meet West Chin at the Kips Bay Show house.  I was already a big fan of his architecture because I have the pleasure of spending time in one of his magnificent, minimalist creations.  Full disclosure ~ this apartment belongs to my friends.  West came in and did a total gut remodel and I am telling you, it's like being in a cloud.  Everything looks very purposefully placed.  It's restful, elegant, soothing and quiet.

The walls appear to float above the floor because there is a small gap between the wall and the floor.   There are plenty of built ins with almost no hardware.  It's a minimalist's dream home. West is always in pursuit of merging functionality with style.  It's also a smart home, apparently smarter than me, I couldn't figure out how to open a door or turn on a light.  Speaking of lights, an incrediable lighting design plan makes the apartment feel other worldly.  

West and his designer wife, Roseanne, who comes from a high profile fashion background, do have a few signature moves.  The curved ceilings, low profile furniture, and contemporary lighting fixtures are looks we see often in their interiors.

The kids quarters downstairs are certainly no less fashionable.  There is a mini kitchen under those stairs!
                 "A place for everything and everything in its place" comes to mind.

To see more great examples of West's work:  check out Houzz