Monday, May 7, 2012

Albert Hadley on One Kings Lane

Last year I was in the art gallery Gerald Bland on the Upper East Side. They had just acquired the sketches of the iconic interior designer Albert Hadley. Seeing that Hadley was born in my hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, and I had learned all about him in interior design school; I knew I just had to have a piece of his work. I purchased Hadley's watercolor, pencil and ink interior of the Trellis Room at The Colony Club, which was designed by the first interior designer Elsie De Wolfe. I also purchased the black and white pencil sketch version of the Trellis Room and gave it to my mentor Amanda Nisbet for Christmas.

Sadly, we lost Mr. Hadley in March at the age of 91. His work will be studied years to come and I am so glad to have my own piece of interior design history.

If you want to purchase your own Albert Hadley sketch, you only have until noon tomorrow, May 8th to buy one from One Kings Lane....

Here are a few of my favorites that are still for sale...
 1950s Room with Chinese Cabinet ($1,799)

74th Street, set of 2, ($2,199)

960 5th Avenue ($1,599)


B. Samuel Living Room ($1,499) 





Some of my favorites that have already sold...



Getty Interior, New York, 1984

 Hawks House
 Library with Two Pedestal Tables
Sitting Room with Convex Mirror
 Library with Daybed
 Library with Mounted Trophies
 Room with Bust and Pedestal

Canopy Bed for Jeanne Lawrence
 Blue Room Presentation Drawing
 The Powder Room at Cheekwood
 Gracie Mansion

Lady Mendl, New York

 Elsie De Wolfe Tent Room

 Parish Hadley, Presentation Bedroom One

The Dining Room







Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Calling Cards

My new calling cards arrived today, yippee! After weeks of research on Pinterest, I finally came up with a design and color scheme. I splurged a little and went for the letterpress and edge painting and I am so glad that I did!









Monday, April 16, 2012

Niece's Room

A few months ago, my niece Maddy convinced my brother and his wife that she was too old to be sharing a room with her two younger sisters.

We were iChatting one day when Maddy asked me, "Aunt Maggie, aren't you like a fashion designer for rooms?" (Wow, I was floored that she actually knew what I did for a living!) I told her that was a great way to describe what an interior designer does and asked her what sparked her interest in my profession. She explained that while she was excited to finally have a room of her own, she absolutely hated the color pink and wanted to know if I could help her  make her room less "girly" and "babyish". I was so tickled that she asked for my help.

I discussed with my brother and sister-in-law what their budget was and what they felt were the essential items needed in Maddy's room.

The three of us came to the conclusion that the Cole and Sons blue and pink magnolia print wallpaper in the bathroom along with the Raoul Textiles, custom made roman shades would have to stay for the time being as they were both very nice designer materials and were costly to fabricate and install.



The items we decided would be of highest importance for Maddy's bedroom makeover....
1. A New Color Scheme: I would incorporate other colors via fabrics and the paint color of the wall to offset the two existing pink patterns in the bathroom and bedroom.

2. A New Bed: I would design a new upholstered headboard in a neutral fabric that can be used again and again as Maddy grows up and her taste changes and matures.

2. A Desk and Desk Chair: As Maddy embarks on her "Tween" years, her homework load is increasing and she needs a desk in her room so that she can study in her room and not be distracted by her 3 younger siblings


Here is my first attempt at the first item on my task list for Maddy's Room:

A New Color Scheme 
via 
Paint + Textiles



(a.)Existing bathroom wallpaper, Cole & Sons 
(b.)Periwinkle and white fabric for desk chair throw pillow, Quadrille
(c.) Navy desk chair fabric, Stark Fabric
(d.) Navy, white and blue euro sham cord, Samuel & Sons
(e.) Periwinkle and white striped euro sham fabric, Holland & Sherry
(f.) Headboard fabric, Amanda Nisbet 
(g.)Navy grosgrain inset throw pillow tape for accent pillow on the bed bed, Samuel and Sons
(h.) Periwinkle blue inset ric-rac tape for accent pillow on the bed, Samuel and Sons
(i.) Red and white seersucker  bed throw pillow fabric,  Holland and Sherry
(j.) Existing roman shade fabric, Raoul Textiles
(k.) Wall paint color, Benjamin Moore, "Summer Blue" #2067-50


Typically, when I present a scheme to a client I will put up one entire scheme on a presentation board. I then set aside a few "alternates" in the event that the client absolutely hates a particular pattern or color in the first scheme, so that I can quickly switch the item(s) out and proceed on without a hiccup. 



*****Alternate options to create a similar but completely different scheme....

(a.)Existing bathroom wallpaperCole & Sons 
(b.)Periwinkle and white fabric for desk chair throw pillowQuadrille
(c.) Navy desk chair fabricStark Fabric
(d.) Periwinkle and white striped euro sham fabricHolland & Sherry
*****(e.) Charcoal embroidered euro sham inset tape, Samuel and Sons
(f.) Headboard fabricAmanda Nisbet 
(g.)Navy grosgrain inset throw pillow tape for accent pillow on the bed bed, Samuel and Sons
(h.) Periwinkle blue inset ric-rac tape for accent pillow on the bed, Samuel and Sons
(i.) Red and white seersucker  bed throw pillow fabric,  Holland and Sherry
(j.) Existing roman shade fabricRaoul Textiles
*****(k.) Wall paint colorBenjamin Moore, "Silver Spring" #2120-50




Stay tuned for the next stages of "Maddy's Tween Bedroom Re-Design"...











Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Bubble Bath

My day started off with a drive out to the Hamptons through the largest brush fire on Long Island since 1998 for a site visit to review paint colors with my client, contractor, and painter. When I returned home late in the evening, my eyes burned from the dusty construction site, my mouth was dry and parched, and my skin felt as if I had been riding bareback on a horse through a desolate desert. Needless to say, wine dominated the food pyramid for my dinner and my lust for a bubbly bath to relax in after an exhausting day inspired me to cultivate images of some of my favorite bathtubs.

So go grab your Rubber Ducky and imagine yourself relaxing in one of these lovely bathtubs...

nature loving bathtub

 bold bathtub

bright and fresh bathtub

botanical bathtub

eclectic bathtub 

 handsome bathtub

warm bathtub

 Southern bathtub

zen bathtub

sophisticated bathtub

 en suite bathtub

tropical bathtub

 graphic bathtub

 naked bathtub

budget bathtub

 greenhouse bathtub

studio bathtub

 combo bathtub

 artistic bathtub

images available via Pinterest
 







Sunday, March 25, 2012

Make your cake and eat it too




A couple of weeks ago I celebrated another year of my vibrant and chaotic life. In honor of my birthday and my love of all things crafty, I decided to give cake decorating a try. I had heard about this place in NYC called Make Meaning where you can do the traditional arts and crafts activities, like making jewelry and painting pottery, as well as making soaps, candles, and even fondant adorned cakes!

I did some inspiration research on Pinterest (of course) and went into the studio with a slew of ideas.


Once they sat the cake in front of me and I browsed the fondant color options, cookie cutter shapes, and various other cake toppers.




 I decided on a simple hexagon theme.




I am extremely thankful for my best friends, who scored the best table at The Lion and treated me to a fabulous dinner amongst some very beautiful people. After dinner we ventured down the street to the private dining area at Bell Book and Candle, which is covered in some very cool hot pink pin up girl wallpaper. There we popped open some champagne and dove right into my DIY birthday cake!


If 2012 is filled with evenings as memorable as this one was, I am in for an unbelieveable year!