• Tip deLuxe

    STEALING BEAUTY

    We’re embarking on a new year (a new decade actually!) and you’re ready to make some changes

    to chez vous.  Where to start?  Everyone, even professional interior designers, need a jumping off point,

    a focus, a raison d’être.  It’s called inspiration.  And without it, you’ll spend the next six months going around

    and around in circles trying to figure out “what’s my style???  So take a little time during this holiday break,

    grab a stack of magazines (remember those?) and start tearing.  Don’t think about it, just rip out what you like.

    Fashion layouts, jewelry ads, interiors, food features … whatever speaks to you.  When you’re done, pull aside

    the two or three that say “THIS IS ME!” and file the rest away.  Yes, steal some beauty and allons-y!

     

     

     

     

    d&g 2009

    payard macaroons nyc

     

    Dolce & Gabbana’s Fall ‘09 campaign and a beautiful Payard feature from Town & Country Travel magazine.

    Confectionary images to inspire the interiors of the girly-girls out there.

     

    ann coyle

    A room by designer Anne Coyle.

     

    gucci-gorusch

    If you could live inside the Fall Gucci campaign or the latest Gorsuch catalog then you

    respond to texture, layering and luxury and should book a trip to St. Moritz immediately.

    tom scheere showhouse

    Tom Scheerer’s Kip’s Bay Showhouse bedroom.

     

     

     

     

    saucy traditionalist

     

    Maybe you’re a traditionalist with a saucy side.  Like these ladies captured by Kate Spade and Slim Aarons. 

    Think vivid colors, floral prints and vintage accents with a little leather thrown in.

     

    Miles Redd Domino

     

    A Miles Redd bedroom from Domino.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Bowie70s 

     

    marni

    Are you drawn to sleek, sexy, fashionable images?

    Then let David Bowie and Marni’s 2008 collection be your inspiration.

    kara mann showhosue

    A Chicago installation by Kara Mann.

     

     

     

     

    goth

    Let the dark side of life be your muse.  Like these images from 1992's Dracula and the blog Tedore.

    The current vampire craze could inform a dark, dramatic space.

    anthony gianacakos

    Anthony Gianacakos’ East Harlem bedroom from Lonny magazine.

  • Mirror Mirror on the Wall

    “… 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  ; )

     

     

     

    Bunny williams 

    A living room by Bunny Williams.

    Mirror has been inserted into the paneling of this room for an elegant, formal look.

     

     

     

    Jones foyer
     

    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.  

    Copy of IMG_0846 

    Hard to believe it's the same space.
      

     

     

    Sweetie Pie Mirror and Walls 

    The mirrored ceiling at Sweetie Pie in New York adds to the magic of its delicious decor.

     

     

     

    Emma jane pinkerton 

    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.

     

     

     

    Kevin haley cropped 

    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] 

    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.

     

     

     

    Chanel mirrored stairway (shelterinteriordesign blog) 

    The mirrored stairhall of Coco Chanel's famous Paris apartment.  Who knows better than Mme. Chanel?

     

     

     

     

    Miles redd total 

    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 *