It's All About The Ottoman

Whenever I'm stopped dead in my tracks while flipping through a magazine it usually has to do with something textile related. Not surprising to you all, I know! The October issue of House Beautiful did just that as soon as I got to the piece about a Park Avenue apartment that Daniel Sachs* designed for Nancy Tilghman, a former CNN producer. If you don't have the issue in front of you, click here for some of the highlights. 

In particular, it was all about the ottoman for me. I think it's so incredibly unique with it's octagonal shape and lovely interpretation of a suzani textile. Don't get me wrong... the whole room speaks to me from the artwork on the walls to the eclectic mixture of colors and textures, but it was that ottoman had me swooning and yearning to learn more. So that's just what I did.

What I found out was that Robert Kime is the genius behind this lovely Octagonal Ottoman, which is constructed in a traditional manner from horsehair and cotton felt. It has a beech frame and sits on brass castors (slightly different than the one featured in Nancy's apartment). 

What I also found out is that I'm Robert Kime's newest fan. He needs a Facebook page so that I can Like him! Am I alone here or are you guys digging him too? Although he hardly needs appreciation from a commoner like me, seeing as he is decorator by Royal Appointment to the Prince of Wales! Very swanky, indeed. Let me know what you think. Here's just a few of my faves from his collection...

Oxus - Derived from a Zoroastrian Uzbek needlework found in the markets of Bokhara. 

Tashkent - A sophisticated interpretation of a central Asian needlework printed on noile silk.

Pali - A variant of a very ancient needlework design, the pattern of which is found in many forms throughout the Middle East.

Indian Pear White - Inspired by a woven Kashmiri shawl, a bold paisley medallion which lends itself to both traditional and contemporary environments.

And please don't even get me started on his collection to-die-for ikats. How amazing is the Peacock fabric?!

Ahal

Peacock

Andijan

*As an aside - does anyone know where I can find a website for Daniel Sachs? I want to learn more about him but my Google search turned up unsuccessful. Something that rarely happens. Please let me know if you have more information about where to find him online. Thanks!

I'm off to do some more ottoman shopping online since I'm so inspired. Good night and Happy Halloween.

Clothbound Classics

I've seen these stunningly beautiful clothbound classic books several times over the last few years, most recently in Anthropologie, and it finally dawned on me that I must know who designed these lovely pieces of art (answer: Coralie Bickford-Smith). 

If you're interested in learning more about Coralie and her ingenious design process, there are a couple of interesting interviews with her on the Penguin Blog and on Design*Sponge. I, for one, was quite happy to learn that she's working on a fabric line! If her book designs are any indication of what we can expect, we're in for something truly glamorous.

Her brand new F. Scott Fitzgerald series designs (due out Nov. 4) are stunning as well....I literally want to line my book shelves with ALL of her designs!

Most of the titles that Coralie has designed can be purchased on Amazon. 

So, my kids are tucked away in bed on this cold, rainy Sunday night and I'm off to make myself a cup of tea and then cuddle up with a good book. Just wishing I had something this well designed in my library to pick up. 

Heart Sampler

It just doesn't get much sweeter than these custom heart samplers from Etsy's MiniatureRhino.

Peter Dunham Day Dreaming

Mentally redecorating my house, room by room, is one of my favorite pastimes. Today I've been day dreaming about all of the places that I could use Peter Dunham's exotic textiles.

Samarkand for the drapes in my living room. And, by the way, how cool is it as a bedspread?....

Peterazzi & Mattress Ticking on the front/back of the duvet cover for my son Alex's room. He's about to transition from his toddler conversion bed to a full sized bed and he needs some bedding that's not so baby-ish! I also love how Mattress Ticking looks as a wall covering.....

Kashmir Paisley (I'm literally in LOVE the turquoise and bright pink) to reupholster that old rocking chair in my daughter Tahlia's room - just like below, and Janpath would be darling as her bed skirt. 

Can you tell how much I adore paisley from my choices above? Incidentally, did you know that the paisley motif originated in Kashmir in India? It is a fertility symbol based on the new shoot of a date palm. The motif is most well known for its use on Kashmiri shawls. It found its way to England in the 1760s where copies of the original Kashmiri shawls were made in the Scottish weaving center of Paisley. Hence the use of the Anglo-Saxon term paisley. I love knowing the history behind all of these beautiful old patterns and types of textiles - it makes them even more interesting to me.

OK, I have one more Peter Dunham choice...

Arabesque to reupholster that cool, modern parsons bench in my upstairs hallway.

Hmmm....I'm could come up so with many more ideas, but I need to get dinner started. Let me just leave you with a few more images to day dream about from Peter's retail store - Hollywood At Home. Note to self - must visit on next trip to LA!



Happy First Birthday, Lonny!

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Lonny, happy birthday to you! You've had an amazing first year and we're all so proud of you.

Bay Harbor, Perfectly Done by Soucie Horner

Since we're enjoying the most beautiful weather today, I'm reminded of our recent family vacation to Bay Harbor in northern Michigan. We went at the end of August and it felt like we caught the most ideal, tail end of summer. We had perfectly warm days to play at the beach and cool evenings to roast marshmallows and lay around in the hammock. We loved it so much that we plan on returning to the area for an annual trip. I can't wait to explore neighboring Petoskey and Charlevoix next summer. Have you been? If so, please share suggestions. I'm especially eager to do some antiquing up there.

Shortly after we got home, I was in touch with my favorite Chicago interior design firm, Soucie Horner, and learned that - ironically - they had recently completed a project in Bay Harbor! I'm so excited to show it to you. 

Isn't this bedroom just stunning? Pillows Textures by Lynda O’Connor, Chicago, IL. Wallpaper Baltic Fleurette 4107W-02 by Rose Tarlow.

I especially like the use of antiques throughout. Living Room: Antique American flag. Pillows Textures by Lynda O’Connor, Chicago, IL. Rocking Chairs, Pooter Olooms Antiques, Harbor Springs Michigan.

I really want this pine cone mirror!!!! Powder Room: Hand towels were found antique textiles that were then hand sewn onto to new towels. Wallpaper Horizons – Blue Skies 6015-02 by Jack Larsen, Rexford Mirror hand made of pine cones Downtown Classics Collection, Los Angeles, CA.

And a few more photos of this amazing home for you to drool over....

If you can take your eye off of the views, look at the incredible textiles on the sofas and the throw pillows. I could curl up with a good book and be perfectly content for an entire afternoon in that room. 

The curve of this small sitting area is graceful and I love all of the antique pieces in the bookshelf - mostly from Thailand, I'm told.

Gorgeous! Just like Bay Harbor.