Interiors
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HAPPY 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY HUNTLEY & COMPANY!
Behind the scenes, spearheading a design firm is not all glamour and bon-bons. The photos below illustrate how often I shift gears and how drastic those shifts are. In a single day I may be generating spreadsheets, drawing in Autocad, conferencing with colleagues, hauling furnishings to a job site and attending an industry event in the evening. 9-5 and consistent this job is not. But it’s always interesting and always challenging. I exercise both my left brain and right brain on a daily basis (not to mention my biceps, quads and glutes!). Problem-solving, schlepping, creating, collaborating … it’s all in a day’s work and a gift to those who love to hustle! …
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Thanksgiving and the beauty of home
Like so many, I love Thanksgiving. So many wonderful things come together — decorating, family, food! — on one glorious, indulgent day. I’ve designed quite a few dining rooms for clients throughout the years and it’s always exciting to see these spaces come to life on Thanksgiving. Décor isn’t the reason for the season, but sharing beauty and joy with loved ones is. Eclectic, tailored and dramatic is just the right vibe in a dining room. For me, design is about expression. The dining spaces below are in Maryland, DC, New York and Arizona respectively. Each is a signature of a particular home, lifestyle and client. Details are a key part of the…
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Dark and Inky
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…
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mad for plaid
I was talking with a girlfriend recently about her upcoming wedding. “I’m thinking about incorporating tartan,” she said. “I know that’s probably not your thing as a designer.” Au contraire! I can’t get enough of checks and plaids. Everything about them appeals to me — the geometry, the endless color combinations, the nod to Midwest traditionalism. I have incorporated a check or plaid in nearly every Huntley & Co. project and have plenty of it in my closet as well. The evidence of my ongoing love affair can be seen below. You don’t have to be Scottish, traditional, Midwestern or preppy to love these patterns … fall is upon us, so…
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Shark!
Sharks are certainly newsworthy these days. Shark Week is in full swing on Discovery, JAWS just celebrated the 40th anniversary of its release, and on a less inviting note, Carcharhinus have made the Outer Banks their summer vacation destination. Yikes! Surprising as it may seem, I am loving every minute of it. Despite my lifelong fear of sharks, I am obsessed with the movie Jaws. I admit this seems a bit odd for a land lover, professional aesthete and enthusiast of all things cute and fuzzy. First, I love a good thriller. Second, the cast is perfection. Third, the cinematography (Spielberg, of course) is inventive yet convincing. And fourth, the…
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Time for Reflection
The end of the year is indeed a time of reflection for many. But rather than wax poetic about 2014 and all it meant and what we learned (blah, blah, blah), I choose to look back in a more literal and playful manner. Using mirrors, and the magic of reflection, is one of the most beautiful and effective tools in my designer bag-of-tricks. Regardless of shape, size, provenance or patina – mirrors bounce light, enlarge a space and add a hint of enchantment to any room. So let’s say goodbye to 2014 not with regret or melancholy, but with anticipation for the year ahead and all that 2015 has in store…
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Gifting
Shopping for Christmas (Hanukkah, etc.) can be a blast when you find just the right gift for your special someone. I’m sharing some of my best finds for those of you who are still on the hunt. Happy holidays! * Scroll to the bottom for LUXE & LUCID gifts that give back * | FOR THE AESTHETE | Male or female, the key to buying a gift for this type is finding a functional object that is executed beautifully. Shagreen matchstriker (L); custom knife from Rockin’ One Knives (C); UrbanEars headphones (R) | FOR YOUR MAN | He is no doubt handsome, but with these accessories, he will…
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Light it Up
I enjoyed some exceptional work days last week. I was in Charleston visiting The Urban Electric Company. Urban Electric is a lighting company with a distinctive vision, brilliant products and a stellar team. I have been using their light fixtures in my designs for nearly a decade. In recent years, I started to design custom fixtures for them to produce. In an exciting development last year, UECo chose to select one of those designs for their permanent collection. The “Huntley” was born as a sconce for a client’s Bethesda home and can now can be found in residential and commercial projects in the US and abroad. As part of their…
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The Alchemy of Opposites
I mentioned in my last post that I like a little “rock-n-roll with my ladylike”. That statement describes more than just my fashion sense – it’s a personal credo, a balancing act and the foundation for how I design. Contrasting modern with traditional, sexy with conventional and subtle with provocative allows me to enjoy all the world has to offer. More importantly, it’s the incongruity and tension that makes a room or collection [and even a relationship] sing. Huntley & Co. interiors. Mixing pieces that seem incompatible gives an ensemble just the right edge. (L) Dries Van Noten, (M) unknown (R) Christopher Kane It’s not…
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Garnet & Goats
Hmmm, January. This can be a challenging month. The holiday sparkle has worn off, a little too much winter lies ahead and we’re all a whiter shade of pale. I agree it’s tough to feel motivated when it’s cold and dreary outside and happiness is Haagen-Dazs and a Snuggie on Friday night. However, I’m a January baby and a Capricorn which means I believe from problems come opportunities and there is still reason to celebrate a month as gloomy as this. January can actually offer inspiration. Not in an obvious way, but beneath the surface and outside the box. As with so many things worthwhile, in January you have to…
