Introducing House Beautiful's new Guest Editors

HOUSE BEAUTIFUL ANNOUNCES “POP-UP” GUEST EDITOR SERIES

 Chesie Breen  & Charlotte Moss First in New Series

Beginning in October, House Beautiful will introduce a new series of “pop-up” guest editors this fall, all of them design industry notables and they will collaborate on select issues with Newell Turner and newly appointed House Beautiful Executive Editor Shax Riegler to develop content, from product coverage to design features". 

The first in the series will be edited by House Beautiful Editor at Large Chesie Breen who will spotlight Americans' homes abroad, taking readers to three major European cities along with a sojourn in the French countryside. 

Next, interior designer Charlotte Moss who will also be joining as an ongoing contributor beginning with the November entertaining issue, themed "The Arts of Living," which will include special sections on home fragrance, books, music, wine and more..
For more on Charlotte Moss' fantastic sense of style, head over to my feature post on her room at Holiday House ~ (still on the Top 10) ~ here.

“When Newell and Shax proposed this idea, I immediately and instinctively seized the theme of volupté—sensuality—for the home,” Moss said. “As designers, we go far beyond how rooms look and feel: we create atmosphere and that means creating beauty that affects all of our senses. I’m focusing on the arts of living, being surrounded by beauty, enveloped in fragrance, listening to good music, reading good books, enjoying good food and wine with friends. Basically, what we DO at home, how we LIVE.”

“Everyone loves the special, curated and one-of-a-kind feeling of a pop-up boutique and this series will have a similar effect—it is a fun, new way to collaborate with great talent, each with a unique personality and point of view, to give our readers something special and unexpected,” Riegler said.

In 2007, I was invited to be a Guest Editor for our top Portuguese Interior Design magazine - Maxima Interiores - with Bruno Viterbo (my partner, and husband for those of you that haven't met him yet!) and it was an incredible experience..

This was the issue, that we worked on as a complete collaboration with the editor - Cristina Belo, who was incredible..
Understanding the ins and outs of putting a magazine together was an important addition to understanding how we view our own interior design work.

These were some of the shots, of our working meetings..

On each section, there would appear a special caption from Bruno & I explaining why we chose this feature, special highlights from it and tips for the readers that they could take from each and every home.

Looking back, this was probably when I began to want to start my own design blog .. or at least, some type of newsletter that would share my thoughts as I discovered my own voice professionally.

I don't think I had any blogs on my radar just yet back then.. but it is fun to see how each experience prepares us for the next moment of our lives, even the ones we weren't aware were coming!

Turner added, “These issues will truly be collector’s editions, with the great American design that is House Beautiful’s hallmark and the distinctive imprint of the guest editor. We have some extraordinary projects in the works and we can’t wait to share them.”

“American design is our calling card at House Beautiful, so in this internationally-focused issue we are going to feature houses that combine the best of European tradition with American verve,” Breen said. “Each story will show how applying fresh American sensibility, love of color and can-do confidence immediately transforms a room or setting, giving it new life and creating a style that stands on its own."

Additional “pop-up” guest editors will be announced in the coming months.

Can't wait to see who will be up next in the lineup, who knows.. maybe even a few Designers / Bloggers might be invited to the party!? 

Follow House Beautiful on Twitter at @housebeautiful.

My Day with Traditional Home at Gerritsen Beach Community Garden with We Rebuild

If you visited yesterday, you would know that I spent the day on Thursday in Gerritsen Beach, a town devastated by Hurricane Sandy and still today feeling the pain from that event.

 



At the invitation of Traditional Home Magazine, Meredith Corporation and WeRebuild, I was able to take part in the rebuilding of the Gerritsen Beach Community Garden that flank the public library and partially open to the public.











Still, the public library for all those in this town, is a BookMobile as they still try and rebuild the space that was so badly damaged by the storm.
This touches my heart specifically, as our own town library was the only refuge my family and I had for nearly 2 weeks without power. Where we stayed warm, had a place to have a hot drink, see friends and neighbors and most importantly not sit in the dark.. which I can tell you is very difficult after days on end and when the sun sets so early.

The big problem with the gardens is that when the ocean waters came in, the salt water killed a lot of plants, trees, shrubs, etc... We had to pull out all the weeds (this may sound like an easy task, but I can assure you IT WAS NOT!) 

Traditional Home's Instagram shot of Beth Brenner & I weeding 

Our GOAL: To create a beautiful space with low maintenance plants and to add a variety of trees, shrubs, and colorful perennials.. all low-maintenance. 
So much of the garden had an underlying tarp that made it very difficult to pull the weeds out (this tarp is meant to stop the weeds from growing, but was in pretty bad shape so it became intertwined with the weeds instead.



So throughout most of the day, the Garden Team made up of many different members from the Meredith Group, all pitched in to at least allow for the garden to be planted the following day. 
We did get to plant a few flowers and trees and what a difference that made..

BEFORE

AFTER

My Partners in Crime - Kari Costas and Clara Haneberg from Traditional Home .. these girls meant business! 

We pulled out trees, and plants that were not in great shape, ..

Mountains of mulch and soil..

all made it possible to begin the replanting..

Out with the OLD.. and in with the NEW

Please Support this Cause by REPINNING this image onto your pinterest boards.. or Facebook, Twitter .. whereever you are socially.. and use the Hashtag #WEREBUILD to help bring awareness to this event and cause. Thank You!

I am so thankful to Traditional Home for inviting me to take part in this event, helping others REBUILD.

The other teams were busy rebuilding homes, the town center and the Kiddie beach.. which are up on the blog next. So stay tuned for that as well as an exclusive chance encounter with a lovely lady that invited me into her home, to see how she is still trying to rebuild After Sandy.

Thank You Traditional Home - Helping Make a Difference in Gerritsen Beach post Hurricane Sandy

Rebuilding Together, Lowe’s and Meredith Corporation Revitalize Devastated Homes in Gerritsen Beach, Brooklyn

Today, June 6th, I will be taking part in a HUGE effort, as a guest of Traditional Home Magazine, with 500 other Volunteers to Rebuild Multi-Generational Neighborhood still suffering the wrath of Hurricane Sandy.

As you may remember, from my post at the time, my family and I were very lucky during the Hurricane with trees and downed cable lines littered our little Westchester town .. but even this very week, as crazy weather systems passed through New York, my children still feel the effects and get very nervous from each lighting and thunder strike. 

We can try and move on, but forgetting perhaps is not the easy... especially for those that are STILL  unable to live in their homes. This is why, when Traditional Home sent the invitation, I jumped at the chance to help!

GERRITSEN BEACH WHAT SANDY LEFT BEHIND

All I can say, is that it is heartbreaking that in a city so close to New York, NEW YORK .. , that families are still living in these conditions.. there are no words to describe it.

Rebuilding Together, a Safe and Healthy Housing organization that believes Community Starts at Home, with sponsors Lowe’s, Meredith Corporation and other key sponsors to renovate nearly a dozen homes and community areas devastated by Hurricane Sandy in the Gerritsen Beach section of Brooklyn, New York.

Rebuilding Together and its affiliates in New York and New Jersey along with national and local partners are committed to rebuilding at least 200 homes by 2014 and have already repaired and rehabilitated nearly 100 homes across the region.

In Gerritsen Beach, volunteers from Lowe’s, Meredith and other sponsors will:

• Replace flooring and sheetrock, paint, landscape, repair and replace kitchens and bathrooms, and complete many other renovations
• Provide upgrades to Vollies Memorial Hall, a local community center that supports the last remaining volunteer fire company in Brooklyn
• Revitalize the surrounding community, including the cleanup of Kiddie Beach and the renovation of the community garden

Other sponsoring organizations include Aleve, Assurant, Brooklyn Community Foundation, CBRE, Choice Hotels, Crate & Barrel, and Philips Electronics.

Gerritsen Beach, a close-knit community located on the southeastern side of Brooklyn, was devastated when Hurricane Sandy slammed into the neighborhood with close to 10 feet of raging waters,” said John L. Fiegel, Interim president and CEO of Rebuilding Together.   “Along with our partners, Rebuilding Together is committed to restoring nearly a dozen homes and community areas here.   “In addition to the important funding, Rebuilding Together appreciates the hands-on work that presenting sponsors Lowe’s and Meredith are contributing, as well as the ground work by our local New York affiliate and other partners.”

Meredith has a 12-year partnership with Rebuilding Together.  Eight of Meredith’s leading brands – Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, Family Circle, Traditional Home, EveryDay with Rachael Ray, Fitness, More, and Ladies Home Journal –  are supporting Rebuilding Together’s Gerritsen Beach Build Day through an extensive series of print and digital efforts that will reach more than 100 million Americans, including:

• Editorial coverage in Meredith’s leading magazine titles
• Broadcast coverage on Meredith’s nationally syndicated The Better Show
• Coverage on Meredith’s digital platforms including its leading websites and an extensive blogger network
• Creation of a customized digital destination (werebuild.com).

“Meredith has a long and rewarding 12-year history of community service and commitment to supporting the mission of Rebuilding Together,” says Steve Lacy, CEO, Meredith Corporation. “We believe the incredible response by our employees to help the homeowners and community of Gerritsen Beach reflects the high value we place on volunteerism at all levels of our organization.”

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post, where I will share our day in Gerritsen and the plans for the Garden rebuild!

For more information about Rebuilding After Sandy and Gerritsen Beach, visit http://rebuildingtogether.org/sandy/gerritsen/

Follow the Rebuilding Together efforts on Twitter at @WeRebuild2013 and @RebldgTogthr using the hashtag #WeRebuild or #RTSandy

Follow me @decaporter as well, on Pinterest, Instagram and on Facebook

Kips Bay Decorator Show House - Part 5

I shared the view from up above through to the Atrium / Lounge by Huniford Design Studio through the window in Kristen McGinnis' room yesterday as part of the continued coverage of Kips Bay Decorator Show House this year.

A White, natural light filled room with Reclaimed leather floors, shares a main feature wall with the only pop of color coming from a bright chartreuse Schumacher velvet Wing Back custom sofa.

Reclaimed leather floors in "Ebony Crocodile" Pattern - Eco Domo

Looking up

Jack Pierson Artwork - Cheim & Read Gallery

Several period pieces counter balance the modern upholstered piece, such as the Josef Hoffman wingback chair via Kimcherova with nailhead trim..

bone/brass tables with sliding tiers by Enrique Garcel, Colombia, ca. 1970s via Mondo Cane a pair of lacquered wood and silk upholstered arm chairs by Jacques Quinet, France, 1949 via Magen Gallery paired with Statuary bronze tables with three sculptural dog legs, Austrian, 19th c. through Newel Antiques.

Love the use of this oversized Maison Jansen octagonal mirror with polished brass frame hanging via Bernd Goeckler Antiques hanging proudly placed in front of the large 2 story wall of windows...

Pat Steir Artwork - Cheim & Read Gallery

Size and scale, quite frankly have been mastered by James Huniford in this design.

The room then flows into the a dream kitchen - the heart of every home, brought to us by Christopher Peacock  and Kitchen Aid. 

Paris Ceramics Castile Gray semi-polished flooring, Ceaserstone in Pietra Grey counter tops and Benjamin Moore Aura Wet Clay paint finish all remain in the same color family and act as a very soft backdrop to the darker finish in this kitchen.

I was immediately drawn to the checkerboard corner butcher block, that I will have in my own kitchen some day..

Peacock Contemporary Collection in quarter sawn oak with a semi-light brown stain cabinets, with amazing custom hardware with small Edelman leather inserts - could you possibly choose a more luxurious kitchen?

For those animal lovers out there, why not have custom feeding bowls incorporated as part of the design of the kitchen? They are part of the family after all?

Nievera Williams is a comprehensive landscape design-build company that created an oasis
as you exit out to the lower interior garden. Simplicity here is key, and simply allowing the visitor to take it all in as they pause for a moment.. listening to the noise from the busy Manhattan streets in the distance.

Judy King brought the corridors throughout each floor to life, through artwork and great lighting..

Photography: Peter Rymwid

Even though each floor, with its own distinct design and wallcovering, they are tied together from floor to floor through a continuous Tufted Wool Runner from the Rug Company in neutral tones.

On each landing there is a highlight through a small seating area which in this case has a console from Stephanie Odegard, and a pair of Antique French Chairs from Profiles with a Triptych by Richard Bettinger - his Modern Aquatics Series of trees in Central Park hanging proudly on the Phillip Jeffries wallpaper.

Photography: Peter Rymwid

On the floor below, the gallery wall collection of art and relief sculpture wall hangings such as these Botanical Fossils from Holly Hunt are a welcome change and exciting treatment for a stairway area.

Photography: Peter Rymwid

The railing, although existing to the house, is a very sophisticated architectural detail that was highlighted in the finish of the Circa light fixture and Osborne and Little "Le Voyage" wallcovering.

Photography: Peter Rymwid

Andrew Suvalsky in his space

Lastly, the final goodbye comes from Andrew Suvalsky Designs, as he welcomes and leaves us with our final impressions of the home tour.

He uses sheer drapery as the wall finish along the wall in the corridor, as you enter the breeze slightly moves the fabric and creates this very harmonious welcome into the space..

Pattern and colors abound.

The custom bar and all carpentry built for the space, by Eurocraft Woodworking Designs are all inlaid with

while the main pieces, the Sofa, Stools, Sconces, Wing Chair, & Powder Room Artwork come from Gaspare Asaro - Millenovecento the hanging pendant Chandelier is from Kerson 20th Century Design and is very cleverly used low, almost as a table lamp in support of the sitting area.

An eclectic Coffee Table Base from the Stephanie Odegard Collection, with glass top sits comfortably above the textured shag rug from Mark Nelson Designs and brings another layer of texture and pattern into the scheme.



No holding back at all from Andrew in this space, which has transformed the entrance foyer into a room all on its own.

So as I wrap up the review from the Kips Bay show house, from parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 I did not want to leave without one final reminder of what the show house is all about - the Kips Bay Boys & Girls club and the support that this event brings to the children that depend on it.

Each year, the photographer Monica Rich Kosann participates in the event by taking candid images of some of the many children that are benefiting from all that the club has to offer.. and let me just say that they are all incredibly beautiful and moving in their great looking J. Pocker frames.

"I spent the afternoon photographing the children of Kips Bay .. and I asked all of them.."what does the house mean to all of you?"

As you look at these photographs, you will see the answers..." - Monica Rich Kosann

So that is it .. thank you for visiting and supporting Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club, and the designers that participated in this year's Decorator Showhouse.

*all images are my own unless otherwise indicated. feel free to share but don't forget to mention where they came from. thanks.

About Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club

Since 1915, Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club has focused on improving and enhancing the lives of New York City’s children who are economically, socially or recreationally disadvantaged. Each year, Kips Bay offers innovative programs to more than 12,000 young people between the ages of 6 and 18 at ten locations throughout the Bronx, with essential after school programs aimed to help them recognize their potential for growth and success. Today, the club is proudly one of the most prominent and responsive youth development agencies in New York City and a “flagship” of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. For more information, please visit www.kipsbaydecoratorshowhouse.org

The Show House receives as many as 20,000 guests annually from across the nation. Since its inception, the Show House has raised over $17 million for the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club.

All Proceeds benefit the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club.

Designers and architects participating in this year’s Decorator Show House include:

Andrew Suvalsky Designs

Barbara Ostrom Associates

Christopher Peacock

Dineen Architecture + Design PC

Eve Robinson Associates

Felicia Zwebner Design

Garcia / Maldonado, Inc.

Gomez Associates

Huniford Design Studio

Jack Levy Design

Judy King Interiors

Kathryn M. Ireland Textiles & Design

Kristen McGinnis Design Inc.

Monica Rich Kosann Photography

Nievera Williams Design

Robert Brown Interior Design

Sara Story Design

Stephen Mooney Interiors

West Chin Architect, PLLC

Kips Bay Decorator Show House - Rooms that Wow - Part 4

Kips Bay Decorator Show House closes it's doors today, however the rooms and designs by these amazing professionals will stay with us as a source of inspiration for all that love great interior design.


Designers Mariette Himes Gomez & Brooke Gomez, have given me a moment of nostalgia with their "English Drawing Room" and made me miss my days spent in London.. and inspired by Mariette's own flat in London for over 15 years.

I can say, sadly, my flat in London was not quite as grand.

Incorporating pieces from the Hickory Chair line of their own design within the soft vanilla color palette that we associate with the Gomez brand, this room is elegant and timeless.

An original English Carrera mantel, high ceilings that are finished off with a stunning dental crown molding, as well as the original wrought iron and brass railing from the home are all details within the interior architecture of the space that add the layer of sophistication and attention to detail that marks the work of a great designer.

The use of modern art, mixed in with the old, such as Large watercolor “New light”
Joseph Raffael via by Nancy Hoffman Gallery, Painting “Kern River/22 by Rupert Deese and the Pair of Silkscreens by the famed Sol LeWitt among others, establishes the balance and harmony between the classic and contemporary lives of those I imagine would live in this home.

The soft pattern that pulls the entire scheme together comes from the Lotos Chinese Carpet 20th Century Turkish Carpet by Doris Leslie Blau, in the otherwise soft very neutral color palette.

the "pups"

Regency Rosewood Round Tilt Top Table and Pair of George IV Mahogany Bergeres from Hyde Park Antiques, are the two antique stars in the scheme, that one would imagine was part of the travels and careful consideration that the owner placed when selecting the few and special pieces within the room.




From the Drawing Room, we move past the Dineen Design Custom Dani Leather Bar into the private reading and lounge area high above the the city..

Almost, a private hideaway that has shown us how a great designer can turn what for many would be a forgotten space into a haven.

 Contemporary Barware “Harcourt” series - Baccarat - Shell Mask by Thomas Boog through Maison Gerard

SCOTT PATT. Trix 5, no.2, General Mills,
Yellow acrylic and resin on panel/Winston Wächter Fine Art

Blackened Steel Bench Lucca & Co., a Pair of Slipper Chairs from Duane Modern and a Cocktail Table by Jules Leleu Bernd Goeckler Antiques are all you need - and voila, a fantastic seating arrangement!

Love using venetian plaster done by Eva Buchmuller, and was so happy once again that this finish was being used in such a modern space... if you remember from my post on the room in the Westchester Decorator Showhouse, with pink venetian plastered walls. In that instance, the walls were inlaid with mother of pearl as well!

It adds a smooth texture to any wall, and long gone are the days of Salmon "sponged" walls, these are uber-chic and highly resistant as well.

 MARGEAUX WALTER's "General Admission" photographic lenticular, 2009-2010 keeps you company as you walk through and into the room, changing and moving from every angle.

The Ceiling Pendant by Angelo Lelii Bernd Goeckler Antiques floats overhead in front of the Sheer Window Panels by Donghia, with Calvin Fabrics Drapery which are very cleverly applied on these windows while allowing the light to seep through they add privacy and pattern, comfortable and not at all cramped in this tight space.

Pair of Regency Convex Mirrors, English. Circa 1810. Carlton Hobbs help reflect the light, and add some symmetry to the space against the textured modern walls...

and from this room, we end today with a Dining Room by Kristen McGinnis who could not be sweeter...

Kristen Mcginnis

The Maya Romanoff textured ceiling with the Ivan da Silva Bruhns are rug below via Beauvais Carpets

Both the dining table and chairs by Joaquim Tenreiro - R 20th century

As Kristen said - "negative space is so important" .. and in this case, the walls themselves transform into part of the artwork with the reflections from the light sculpture by Elliott Hundley above dancing across the perfectly finished high glossed walls by Gotham Painting.

Two AL HELD paintings, Courtesy of the Al Held Foundation and Cheim & Read in New York are the symmetrical anchors one the opposing wall from the console or should I say sculpture by Vincent Dubourg- Bronze Double Buffet Nouvelle Zeland - Collection of Chum Langhorne which a little birdy told me needed to be .. should we say, airlifted into the space!

and we end with Faille Hamilton Chartreuse draperies at the end of the dining room by Claremont Fabrics frame the indoor window to the floor below

providing a little sneak peak of the rooms to come tomorrow...

Last post from Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse still coming up tomorrow, but today IS THE LAST DAY, so if you are in New York, make sure to head there quick.

*all images are my own. feel free to share but don't forget to mention where they came from. thanks.

About Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club

Since 1915, Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club has focused on improving and enhancing the lives of New York City’s children who are economically, socially or recreationally disadvantaged. Each year, Kips Bay offers innovative programs to more than 12,000 young people between the ages of 6 and 18 at ten locations throughout the Bronx, with essential after school programs aimed to help them recognize their potential for growth and success. Today, the club is proudly one of the most prominent and responsive youth development agencies in New York City and a “flagship” of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. For more information, please visit www.kipsbaydecoratorshowhouse.org

The Show House receives as many as 20,000 guests annually from across the nation. Since its inception, the Show House has raised over $17 million for the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club.

Show House Dates ends June 4, 2013  - 161 East 64th Street. New York, NY

Mon- Sat - 11am-5pm. Children under 6, pets and infants are not permitted. Admission: $35, incl. book. All Proceeds benefit the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club.

Designers and architects participating in this year’s Decorator Show House include:

Andrew Suvalsky Designs

Barbara Ostrom Associates

Christopher Peacock

Dineen Architecture + Design PC

Eve Robinson Associates

Felicia Zwebner Design

Garcia / Maldonado, Inc.

Gomez Associates

Huniford Design Studio

Jack Levy Design

Judy King Interiors

Kathryn M. Ireland Textiles & Design

Kristen McGinnis Design Inc.

Monica Rich Kosann Photography

Nievera Williams Design

Robert Brown Interior Design

Sara Story Design

Stephen Mooney Interiors

West Chin Architect, PLLC