Halloween always inspires me. I relish the drama and suspense of the holiday, not to mention the excuse to go a little goth and watch scary movies. It’s always good to embrace one’s darker side, especially if you lean a little type A. So with all my clean and tailored design tendencies comes a need for what I call “dark and inky”. If you’ve worked with me or for me, you’ve heard me use this term. I am always on the quest for the perfect murky green, garnet or ebonized-blue (and of course black). Whether it’s a lacquered leather chair, a kick-ass pair of aubergine boots or a smokey eye for evening – it just doesn’t get any sexier than dark and inky.
Links and sources for these images and others can be found on the Luxe & Lucid Pinterest board. Happy Halloween!
Not exactly.
I actually have a fabulous post ready to go. I just can't seem to publish the damn thing. Too many photos, too many megabytes. I've tried to upload it about forty times over the last five days and nothing seems to work. I am more than a little suspicious that Verizon - and our ridiculously slow internet speed – is the culprit. That company is the devil! Unfortunately that means "Scenes from a Vacation – part II" won't be seen for a few more days … until I can make it over to my boyfriend's house and borrow his computer.
Sorry all. What can I say? Sometimes this side venture is a little less luxe & lucid and a lot more luxe & looney!
Tricia ; )
It’s been a big week for me. I moved into my own home.
As an interior designer and first-time home buyer, this is one of the
most thrilling endeavors of my adult life. I’ve had apartments and
condos and shared houses, but this is a real “grown up” house and a
place of my own. It has space and a yard and endless possibilities. There
are a multitude of projects on the horizon; in fact, I’ve already begun the
renovation process by refinishing the floors. It’s going to keep me busy
and I’m sure I’ll feel frustrated (and broke!) at times, but really, is there
anything more important and memorable than the lives we build at home?
“The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where
we can go as we are and not be questioned.”
– Maya Angelou
Tricia (and Nina) xo
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I love Thanksgiving. It's a time for entertaining, celebrating and opening our homes to family and friends.
We all want our interiors to be at their best during the holidays. For me it's about creating an environment
that is beautiful, relaxed and welcoming for guests – whether it's in my own home or one of my client's.
Below are my iphone shots from a Huntley & Co. photoshoot this past Friday in Virginia. I am in love with
these images right now; they convey everything I love about decorating and setting a scene. Often the
best way to find ideas for your own space is to look at the examples of others. Hopefully you'll find some
inspiration for your own home and Thanksgiving table amongst the shots below. Happy holidays!
FORMAL DINING ROOM
LIVING ROOM
POWDER ROOM
(don't forget to style this space as well)
“… Who's the fairest of them all?”
Snow White’s nasty stepmother definitely didn’t get the answer she wanted when she asked this question.
Maybe instead of looking for validation from a piece of glass, she should have consulted an interior designer.
In my decorator’s bag of tricks, mirror is often my go-to solution. It can make a space look bigger, improve
lighting and reflect the best assets of a room. It can even make the person looking into it appear to have a
smoother, rosier complexion. Too bad the evil Queen didn’t have my number ; )
A living room by Bunny Williams.
Mirror has been inserted into the paneling of this room for an elegant, formal look.
A Huntley & Co. client had a dark, constricted threshold in her DC apartment. I carved out an octagonal foyer and
added mirror to the walls to make the entrance of her home more spacious and more gracious.
Check out the “before” shot below.
Hard to believe it's the same space.
The mirrored ceiling at Sweetie Pie in New York adds to the magic of its delicious decor.
Doesn’t every woman dream of housing her wardrobe behind beautiful, mirrored doors?
Emma Jane Pilkington’s bedroom closet doors are absolute stunners.
I imagine the fashions within are pretty spectacular too.
This Kevin Haley vignette from House & Garden illustrates two of my favorite techniques
when applying mirror to walls: (1) Antique the glass and (2) Layer the surface with art or objects.
![KAP_9793_c[2]](http://luxeandlucid.typepad.com/.a/6a0120a5963ce8970c0128755f530e970c-500wi)
I love to hang an antique mirror on top of a mirrored wall at a bathroom’s vanity. It's a Huntley & Co. signature.
Adding a special piece – like this Venetian mirror – creates ambience without sacrificing functionality.
The mirrored stairhall of Coco Chanel's famous Paris apartment. Who knows better than Mme. Chanel?
And I couldn’t very well post a blog about mirrored walls without including Miles Redd’s
famous NYC bathroom. He just went for it and mirrored the s—t out of this room.
Glamorous, fun and over-the-top like the designer himself.
* Professional Huntley & Co. photos by Kevin Allen Photography *
There are some people who rise above the ordinary and show us what real talent is.
One of those rare finds is Bobbie Medlin. Bobbie’s eponymous shop in Georgetown is a treasure
trove of gorgeous goods from around the world. Her one-of-a-kind necklaces blur the line between
jewelry and art bringing a sense of mystery and allure to the woman who wears them.
She is a rock star!
Jewelry as décor.
I draped one of Bobbie’s pieces on a bust in a 2007 installation.
The turquoise beads were the perfect finishing touch.
Bobbie Medlin just relocated to the corner of M & 29th in Georgetown.
The perfect spot for this gorgeous gallery-style shop.
A beautiful vignette at the shop's foyer.
The rose quartz necklace features a 19th c. pendant
depicting the Hindu deity Ganesha.
A west African strand of yellow resin beads is accented by
an antique shell from Mauritania and silver bauble from Turkmenistan.
The black fireplace is a great backdrop for this colorful, dramatic piece.
One of the artfully arranged display cases.
Bobbie and I discussing her work in front of a protective amulet strung from faceted rock crystal beads.
This 19th c. example from the Yomud people is especially rare because the tribe was quite small.
It's made of gold, silver and cornelian and was meant to be worn on the back between braids. Awesome!
Ms. Medlin could teach us designers a thing or two about staging.
A 19th c. Naga headdress, silver serpentine neck chain from India and Yemen bangles.
The bracelets contain tiny pebbles that make a delicate sound when worn … magical.
A surprise in every corner.
Every piece tells a story.
Strung on Soo Chow beads is a carved pendant of a monkey on a peach. This Chinese
symbol represents longevity and success and makes for a beautiful good luck charm.
Great minds think alike ; )
This shaman necklace sits atop a mantle in the Huntley & Co. office.
Bobbie has a similar one for sale in her shop.
BOBBIE MEDLIN
2900 M STREET NW
WASHINGTON, DC 20007
202.333.2630
At least when it comes to jewelry … and a few other things ; )
Louis Vuitton cuffs stacked for impact.
Christmas list?
David Webb lion & ram bracelet and vintage gold, black enamel & rock crystal ring.
Armani Prive chandelier earrings for the girl with sturdy earlobes.
This necklace is heavy, but worth the weight.
I discovered this ring in Paris 10 years ago. My favorite find of all time.
The best red carpet moment of 2009.
Eva Mendes, white dress, vintage Van Cleef & Arpels turquoise necklace.
Just because bigger can be done, doesn’t mean it always should be.
The good and the bad of big below.
FOOTWEAR
Chanel thigh-high boots
Red patent ???
LIPS
Scarlett Johansson
Amanda Lepore
FOYER
Sledmere House in East Yorkshire
Celebrity residence
(Can you guess who?)
HAIR
Brigitte Bardot
Phil Spector – 'nuff said!
NEXT WEEK
A Luxe & Lucid feature on Bobbie Medlin, owner of the eponymous shop in Georgetown —
a woman who rocks "big" like no one else.
I was a holdout. I loved my daily planner and my stationary. I never thought I would do all
my writing via email and keep my schedule on a computer. But I do. To be honest, I couldn’t
live — professionally at least — without Outlook and my iphone. So although I’m highly organized,
I miss the days when embracing your type-A meant a little more beauty and a little less technology.
Remember when we used to sit at our desks and correspond?
I’m feeling so nostalgic — this is what my desk used to look like when
I was a jeune fille. Southern Accents Nov/Dec 2004.
I am IN LOVE with the new Malachite Collection from Smythson of Bond Street!
The classic stationer from London has taken a fashion-forward step and designed
a collection that looks like it just came off the Balenciaga runway.
The Hermes journal I keep at my bedside.
It’s available in several gorgeous colors. Mine is aubergine.
Two graphic, modern selections from Simplesong Design.
I picked up this notepad at Il Papiro in Florence. I like to keep it with me, so I can
jot down thoughts on the run — which is easy since it’s about as small as my eyeglass case.
I installed this buffet at a client’s penthouse in May and discovered the inside was lined with
hand-made paper! It was a magical detail and an amazing surprise.
What a great idea. Send Dempsey & Carroll your signature and they will
engrave their Classic Correspondence Card with your own personal John Hancock.
Paper goods (and memories) from my archives.
If I could, I would write long letters in calligraphy to friends and family. In another life.
The end of an era. Mrs. John L. Strong closed its doors in May after 80 years.
Nannette Brown said it best, “We don’t do trendy. We do good taste.”
A girl after my own heart.
I'm a gold girl. Bronze, silver, not even platinum gives me the rush that gold does.
It’s warm and sexy and adds a little magic to any material. I love gold fabric, furniture, lighting
and especially jewelry and hardware. I would plate everything in gold if I could. Now for you nay-sayers
who think gold is a finish that belongs in the 80s, take a look at the images below and get ready to swoon.
A few of my current favorite gold fabrics.
A glamorous gold face in Vogue Nippon.
At the Washington Design Center's spring 2007 design house I painted the walls
India Yellow by Farrow & Ball and added gold David Iatesta sconces.
A vintage Curtis Jere wall sculpture.
I'm saving this image in my inspiration file for a future project.
The layers of gold could inform an entire color scheme.
Vogue December ‘08
Some of the amazing metalwork at Grand Central Station.
![Klimt_Portrait_of_Adele_Bloch-Bauer%20I[1]](http://luxeandlucid.typepad.com/.a/6a0120a5963ce8970c0120a65f1eb9970b-500wi)
What artist celebrated the brilliance of gold more than Klimt?
![XXX_lead2[1]](http://luxeandlucid.typepad.com/.a/6a0120a5963ce8970c0120a5a6d4b0970b-500wi)
Sooo gorgeous … LOVE this gold and citrine pin! I would wear it with a [faux]
fur vest layered over a grey cashmere sweater, jeans and a sick pair of heels.
Some of my favorite jewelry piled in a gold tray.
I get a ton of compliments on this Chloe purse.
Nancy Lorenz added graffiti-esque gold accents to Jeffrey Bilhuber's scenic
paper-covered bedroom walls. A gutsy move by the interior design genius.
I'm seriously considering switching my flatware over to gold … so much sexier!
Columbina Flatware at The Moma Store.
I love this mug! The perfect glam/punk combo.
Where better to wear gold than on your toes? Louboutin heels from the 2005 collection.
Looking for a gift for the woman who has everything? Yes, there is a gold facial.
Gold paperclips – A Huntley & Co. office standard!
