Curbed: All Posts by Alexa StevensonLove where you live2013-02-01T10:15:00-05:00https://archive.curbed.com/authors/alexastevenson1012324/rss2013-02-01T10:15:00-05:002013-02-01T10:15:00-05:00Thom Filicia on Underground Parking Garages, Panic Rooms, and Working Around Picassos
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<p>Interior designer <strong>Thom Filicia</strong> opened his <a href="http://www.thomfilicia.com/home">Manhattan-based firm</a> in 1998 and has done quite a boatload since, launching a furniture collection with Vanguard, a line of rugs with Safavieh, artwork with Soicher Marin, textiles with Kravet, curtain hardware, and other such things. He's seen his own homes published more than once—<em>Elle Decor</em> ran his NYC condo in 2007, a few years before it <a href="http://curbed.com/archives/2010/11/09/thom-filicia-tires-of-his-hood-abandons-these-interiors-1.php">sold,</a> and <em>House Beautiful</em> <a href="http://curbed.com/archives/2012/10/16/inside-thom-filicias.php">featured</a> his country house, in New York State's Finger Lakes region, on its Nov. 2012 cover. The space so happens to the subject of <em><strong>American Beauty,</strong></em> a design and inspiration tome that he released in November. Here Filicia, once a star of the long-gone TV show <em>Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,</em> talks to Curbed about preferring vintage to antiques, small, oddly placed beer fridges, and what it's like to spend millions and millions of dollars on fine art. </p>
<p> <strong>Define luxury.</strong><br>Luxury is a word is a word that has lost some of its authenticity. You see the word thrown around everywhere. I would say to me luxury is really about living well in an authentic, unique, special way. I think the things have to feel unique and special and not typical and mass-produced. </p>
<p> <strong>If a house were to have only one truly high-end piece of furniture, what should folks invest in?</strong><br>When you are talking about a high-end, luxurious home, I think you really want to try to bring that philosophy to 80 percent of what's around you. You want it to feel good and look good, so the materials and finishes need to be fabulous. The surface AND what's underneath need to be incredible. I would say if you had to choose one high-end piece, I gravitate toward the sofa. When you sit on a sofa in someone's house and it's down filled, made well and hand sprung, you can feel the difference. If I had an empty home I would just do a fabulous sofa before anything else. It's like having great shoes you can pair with jeans and a T-shirt because the shoes elevate everything else. You can't hold off on the sofa.</p>
<p> <strong>Tell me about some outrageous sofas you've done for clients</strong>:<br>We've done a 25-foot long Chesterfield. We've done really great back-to-back sofas. There was a rocking sofa that we did all the legs as finials from curtain hardware—so beautiful and decorative. We did a Moroccan sofa that was all about mix of great pillows. <strong>It really more of a party barge than a sofa.</strong> Sofas to me are everything. Everything else can be anonymous but the sofa has to have style. </p>
<p> <strong>What would you say is the most luxurious item in your own house?</strong><br>My cashmere-and-suede down custom sofa is pretty great. It is horsehair and it's hand sprung. You can't get more luxurious than that.</p>
<p> <strong>At what point do you throw your hands up in the air and proclaim, "custom!"?</strong><br>I would say majority of things we do is a custom mix with vintage and antiques—more vintage than antique. I would say we do use things that are out there in the world of design—manufactured pieces in the high-end realm. We like to have a healthy balance of all of the above. </p>
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<p> <strong>Anything outrageous you've created?</strong><br>I would say the craziest thing is for a client with a large collection of cars. We were creating an <strong>underground parking garage,</strong> but outside looked like a three-car garage so it didn't overwhelm the property. We've done hatches in kids' rooms that go up to attics and almost hidden playrooms. Lot of time clients use leftover spaces in the eaves and turn them into play caves. We've also done panic rooms.</p>
<p> <strong>How do you design a panic room?</strong><br><strong>A comfy chair so you can wait for the police to get there I guess!</strong> They are panicking so they aren't really going to take it in. You are beyond whether it is a fabulous silk mohair chair. So maybe a really nice Japanese toilet that does everything is probably the best thing. And, I guess, all your cash. That seems like the most luxurious thing. Whoever is looking for you is not going to want your cashmere chair! Just a duffle bag full of cash.</p>
<p> <strong>They say money doesn't buy taste. Can you think of any examples of client interactions where that's most definitely been true? </strong><br>One client had a small refrigerator filled only with beer next to his bed. </p>
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<p> <strong>Did you keep it?</strong><br>We put a refrigerator in the master bathroom. It was still just filled with beer. I drank one of the beers with the client. It definitely came in handy during the walk-through.</p>
<p> <strong>Do you often but fridges in bathrooms?</strong><br>We have clients who get up very early, so we often get requests for a cabinet that has built-in coffeemaker and cold water in the master bath. A lot of my clients like to wake up and push a button to get coffee without going to the kitchen. If you get up at 5:30 in the morning, it's unappealing going all the way down to kitchen to get a coffee. </p>
<p> <strong>What would you say is the most expensive single piece you've ever included I a project</strong>?<br>I would say it's usually art. We've spent millions and millions on art. Maybe a rare beautiful antique rug that cost half a million dollars. Though artwork is generally the most expensive thing in our realm, <strong>usually Picassos.</strong> It's nice when you know something like that is going to be in a room—you have to take time to make sure that nothing else is going to overwhelm it visually. Pay respect to it without making it too self-conscious. </p>
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<p> · <a href="http://www.thomfilicia.com/home">Thom Filicia Inc.</a> [official site]<br>· <a href="http://curbed.com/tags/whale-week-2013">All Whale Week 2013 posts</a> [Curbed National]<br>· <a href="http://curbed.com/tags/thom-filicia">All Thom Filicia coverage</a> [Curbed National]</p>
https://archive.curbed.com/2013/2/1/10283140/thom-filicia-on-underground-parking-garages-panic-rooms-and-workingAlexa Stevenson2013-01-31T10:15:00-05:002013-01-31T10:15:00-05:00Amanda Nisbet on de Gournay Wallpapers For Kids, Spotting Fake Louis Chairs, and Clients' Unreal Expectations
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<span class="credit">Photos courtesy of <a href="http://amandanisbetdesign.com/">Amanda Nisbet Design;</a> click to enlarge!</span><p> After honing her eye at Christie's for years—her first job was in the jewelry department of the auction house—<strong>Amanda Nisbet</strong> founded her <a href="http://amandanisbetdesign.com/">eponymous design firm</a> in 1998. Since then, she's launched a modern, colorful lighting collection with Urban Electric and a bold, geometric line of textiles, with a couple of rug collections currently in the works and due out this spring. Last fall, the Manhattan-based designer released her first book, <em>Dazzling Design,</em> which chronicles some of her most vibrant projects to date (including a buttoned-up Park Avenue apartment she daringly <a href="http://curbed.com/archives/2012/09/13/designer-amanda-nisbet-swathes-proper-park-ave-in-color.php">swathed</a> in fuchsia). Here Nisbet talks to Curbed about her love of custom work, achieving a balance between high-end and mass-market, and what it's like crafting a bed entirely from nickel. </p>
<p> <strong>Define luxury as what it means to you.</strong><br>Quite honestly, and this may sound like a Hallmark card, but it is to be with the people you love in a well-appointed home. I like comfort and well-lit room and beautiful things, but the most important thing is you to have people you love around you.</p>
<p> <strong>If a house were to have only one truly high-end piece of furniture/decor/lighting/fabrics/etc, do you have an opinion about which piece folks should invest in?</strong><br>To me it is different every time. Personally, I think it has to be the stand-out piece. A lot of people say upholstery, but I think it should be something that you really truly remember—say, where you were when you bought it and how fabulous it is. For me, it's these two side tables I found in London and broke the bank on, but I love them and they are unique.<br> <strong>When is custom the only way to go?</strong><br>I primarily do custom. I love doing custom. It's so fun. Especially in New York, because you have to really be creative. I love it because it is always a chance to be creative. I don't want one client to walk into a friend's house and see something she has. I don't want formula decorating.</p>
<p> <strong>Anything outrageous you've designed?</strong><br>Mostly it's just having to fit a myriad of needs into one room. For one client <strong>I installed aquariums along with a big roaring fire and a pool table—in case her kids wanted to play pool—all in the living room.</strong> It is a little bit like Disneyland. </p>
<p> <strong>What would you say is the most expensive single piece you've ever included in, and perhaps created for, a project</strong>? <br>I made a beautiful nickel bed that was quite expensive because it was <strong>all nickel and handcrafted with hammered scalloping.</strong> In this case, I was very blessed by a model client who gave me mostly free reign, so I really got to have fun.</p>
<p> <strong>What about technology? Are you often asked to incorporate it into your design?</strong><br>I'm completely old fashioned and I can't stand the technology. Everything goes out of date anyway. I really just want the basic on-and-off switch!</p>
<p> <strong>Any requests for iPad docking stations in the say the fridge door or the bathroom?</strong><br>Yes, and I defer to the architect or the contractor! I don't even believe those TVs that go up and down at the end of the bed. Keep it simple—at least in that respect.</p>
<p> <strong>What's the most ridiculous request, price wise, you've ever received from a client?</strong> <br>It's more likely to get a request to do a $500,000 dollar room for $50,000. All these HGTV-type shows have set an unreal precedent. Now it tends to be that clients want the most expensive thing but at half cost—even the wealthiest. Now, I can do expensive, that's not a problem.</p>
<p> <strong>With mass-market this and pre-fab that, cost-cutting measures both in terms of manufacturing and what the client pays, do you think the design industry is moving away from the high-end?</strong> <br>It's all a balance. I'm not saying every thing has to be a high-end piece, but I will fight for the pieces that will make the room, those the client will be happy to have for a lifetime. It's different in every situation. Not everyone can afford the best of the best. It does make it more interesting to mix it up a bit. As long as you educate your client and they know what they are getting. <strong>A Crate & Barrel table is not going to have resale value or last long. I don't like using it beyond children's room.</strong></p>
<p> <strong>Do you ever blanch at using extremely high-end finishes or furnishings in a child's room?</strong><br>I did do a de Gournay wallpaper for 7-year-old. One Sharpie on this, it's over, but it's a beautiful room. It's either they want the mass or they want this princess room. </p>
<p> <strong>Tell me about a really costly impulse buy, either for you or a client.</strong><br>Everything I buy is impulse! Though I like to say it in a little more friendly way: I have a very clear idea of what I like. Usually the client can't jump as fast as I can and wants to think about it, but I just know instantly it is the right piece. My husband calls it impulsive; I call it all knowing. </p>
<p> <strong>They say money doesn't buy taste. Can you think of any examples where that's most definitely been true? </strong><br>When they go for the bad fakes: that's the worst. A bad Louis XV is REALLY bad. I'll show a client something from Guy Regal and they'll go on to mirrors.com and find one that's the same, but it <em>so</em> not. They don't get it. It helps validate what I do. It's not about spending too much; it is about educating the client. All they see is gold and rectangular—they don't see gold and patina. I've had clients say to me, <strong>"But I got if for 100 dollars," and I'll say, "It looks like it."</strong></p>
<p> <strong>As a young designer, what it is like working with older, perhaps more monied, clients?</strong><br>They tend to like a little more muddied colors, but they see what they do and love it. It seems when they get older they want to look younger. In your 30s you want to prove yourself and look sophisticated so you go for the more traditional look, so to speak. Whereas the older client who has been-there-done-that says, you know what, this may be my last go around, and I'm going to make it really fun. They also get it, which is so lovely. They've worked with a designer before, but they are still shocked by prices. Shocked. Because everything has gotten so much more expensive.</p>
<p> · <a href="http://amandanisbetdesign.com/">Amanda Nisbet Design</a> [official site]</p>
https://archive.curbed.com/2013/1/31/10282788/amanda-nisbet-on-de-gournay-wallpapers-for-kids-spotting-fake-louisAlexa Stevenson2013-01-29T10:15:00-05:002013-01-29T10:15:00-05:00Stephen Fanuka on $7,000 Hinges, Van Goghs That Flip to Monets, and Babysitting Clients' Cats
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<span class="credit">Photos courtesy of <a href="http://fanuka.com/html/">Fanuka Inc.;</a> click to expand!</span><p> Over the last two decades, <strong>Stephen Fanuka</strong> has built up a client list that includes Tony Bennett, Lindsay Lohan, and Beyoncé; coaxed his average project price to $350,000, according to a 2008 <em>New York Times</em> <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/07/garden/07shopping.html">piece</a> (that figure has likely grown since); landed a primetime reality TV show (<em>Million Dollar Contractor</em> on the DIY Network, which just kicked off its third season); and published the home-repair guide <em>What's a Homeowner to Do?</em> with <em>New York Times</em> contributor Edward Lewine. In turning a modest family business—where he crafted custom cabinets with his dad—into a gig where he regularly interacts with the wealthy and/or the famous, Fanuka, who's regularly referred to as the "contractor to the stars," has made the profession of general contracting—overseeing construction sites, organizing vendors, enforcing renovation timelines—seem as glamorous as, say, architecture or interior design. Here Fanuka talks to Curbed about the difference between luxury and excess, apartments with lazy rivers, and building a bank safe in a private home. </p>
<p> <strong>What does luxury mean to you?</strong><br>Luxury is excess. Some people will turn around and say excess is waste, but people are willing to pay for excess. Luxury could also mean comfort. You can take it both ways. It can be comfort and practicality, or excess. It really depends on how much is in your bank account. </p>
<p> <strong>What's more fun?</strong><br>By far excess. Now you are getting to do things possibly for the first time. I just did a job that had a bookcase with a door behind it. The client didn't want the door to open at 90 degrees; they wanted an 180-degree turn on the bookcase. I had to custom make and engineer a hinge that had never been made before. <strong>I actually invented a $7,000 hinge</strong> just to do the job. They didn't care what it cost and for the 90-degree difference—and obviously it cost a lot. </p>
<p> <strong>What other crazy things have you done in the name excess?</strong><br>I've seen <strong>apartments with lazy rivers.</strong> I've seen Van Goghs on the wall, then you push a button and a Monet flips around. I've seen people fly in someone from across the world just to do feng shui. That's excess. </p>
<p> <strong>What's the most ridiculous request you've ever had from a clieny?</strong><br>I had to hire a bodyguard a cat for an entire year. The clients had no kids and she didn't want to displace the cat, so she said she needed a team to protect the 17-year-old, diabetic cat around the clock during the renovations. I had one man follow that cat all day long and that's all he did the whole year. </p>
<p> <strong>What about construction related?</strong><br>I've done a listening room where I used <strong>bullet-proof material as the floor treatment.</strong> The room was 30-by-30 [feet] and we spent a million dollars on sound proofing, including modified electricity to actually take away sound. We probably spent about $3M on that room, and the entire furniture plan was just one chair to sit in and listen to the music. </p>
<p> <strong>Has anyone every spent an outrageous amount of the project's budget on one specific material? </strong> <br>You can spend a lot of money on stone. Bring the contractor to wherever you go to pick out material—like marble. You can fly your contractor to the mountain. You can go to the stone yard, or you can go to the actual mountain. </p>
<p> <strong>How far would you go for a client?</strong><br>I had a client who never once asked for a proposal. I just sent him a bill at the end. As long as I was on time, I was fine. I delivered a wooly mammoth tusk and I installed bomb detectors for their mail so they could screen their mail to detect for stuff like anthrax. They had a specific wine fridge they wanted and I couldn't find it. I knew I was going to get fired because I wouldn't be done on time. We had a team calling everybody in the country—this was 15 years ago before you could find everything online. We finally found it in Canada. I had three days left and I had to get in there. I sent a guy to Canada just to hand-deliver a wine fridge. Whatever they want, they get. </p>
<p> <strong>Do clients often want you to build secret rooms? Like S&M rooms?</strong><br>I've done a secret wine cellar. And we actually built a bank safe in someone's home behind a wall—literally a bank vault—I don't know what they were putting it in. We actually built a secret wall to hide the walk-in vault. </p>
<p> <strong>What are some of the biggest mistakes in the contracting world?</strong><br>Colors can be a big mistake. I had a woman who was so convinced she wanted this historic color in the brown family; I said to her, "Colors can be funny. You should try it on different walls in different rooms." She didn't want to listen. I put the sample up and she liked it. I didn't, but she still wanted it. A couple of days later she calls me, saying, <strong>"You shitted all over my walls."</strong> It looked like diarrhea and she is looking at me like, "You aren't going to charge me for this, are you?" I had to repaint the fucking room another color. Colors can ruin a job. You have to educate the client.</p>
<p> · <a href="http://fanuka.com/html/">Fanuka Inc.</a> [official site]<br>· <a href="http://curbed.com/tags/whale-week-2013">All Whale Week 2013 posts</a> [Curbed National]</p>
https://archive.curbed.com/2013/1/29/10283270/stephen-fanuka-on-7000-hinges-van-goghs-that-flip-to-monets-andAlexa Stevenson2013-01-28T10:15:00-05:002013-01-28T10:15:00-05:00Martyn Lawrence Bullard on Building Drawbridges, Gold-Leafing Garages, and Designing Beds For Six
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<p>When <strong>Martyn Lawrence Bullard</strong> made his Bravo debut two years ago as one of the six stars of <em>Million Dollar Decorators,</em> things <a href="http://curbed.com/archives/2010/09/27/how-martyn-lawrencebullard-will-to-bring-bravado-to-bravo.php">promised</a> to be interesting. And quite a lot's happened since: Oct. 18 has officially been declared "Martyn Lawrence Bullard" day by the mayor of West Hollywood, the British-born, Los Angeles-based interior designer <a href="http://curbed.com/archives/2012/11/27/inside-martyn-lawrence-bullards-delicious-la-home.php">opened</a> his home for the pages of <em>Elle Decor,</em> and he published <em>Live, Love & Decorate,</em> a Rizzoli tome with a foreword written by <a href="http://curbed.com/archives/2011/02/10/designer-martyn-lawrencebullard-rocks-out-in-elton-johns-pad.php">longtime client</a> Elton John. In fact, Lawrence Bullard is one of the few designers who's never been shy about speaking grandly, and with specifics, about his ultra-famous clientele; he once <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/26/garden/qa-martyn-lawrence-bullard.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0"> described</a> for the <em>New York Times</em> how "Cher wanted to live in an Indian fantasy—she wanted to feel like she was the first wife of a maharajah" and how celebrities, more than regular folk, "want to live out their fantasies." With "a few hotels on the horizon," according to his firm, and a new line of wallpapers for Schumacher set to make its debut this spring, Lawrence Bullard talks to Curbed about Cher's "outrageous" bed, what it was like to step foot in Yves Saint Laurent's Paris apartment, and how <a href="http://curbed.com/archives/2012/11/14/million-dollar-decorators-ep-1-just-the-best-one-liners.php">hoisting</a> a 3,000-pound custom marble dining table by crane through a Manhattan townhouse window is really just another day on the job. </p>
<p> <strong>What's it like being the poster boy for high-end decorating? </strong><br>It's really fun actually. On of the great things with my career is that I work with extraordinary celebrities. Celebrities like to live out fantasies and be more adventurous and I get to make these things happen. That has been an incredible experience. It is amazing part of my career. Now that I am the poster boy that's really fun. </p>
<p> <strong>What kind of fantasies to you get to create?</strong><br>For example, Cher, when she bought her town apartment, said to me, "I want to be an Indian princess." So I got to make all these wild and eclectic pieces of Indian furniture and scour all over the world to build for her a mini Indian palace.<br> <strong>On the Season 2 premiere of </strong><em><strong>Million Dollar Decorators,</strong></em><strong> you hoisted a $50K custom marble dining table into the Manhattan brownstone of your longtime client Tamara Mellon. What other crazy things have you done to ensure the safe delivery and installation of high-end custom pieces into your clients' homes?</strong><br>Interior design: people think it looks glamorous, but at end of the day this is a service industry and I want to make sure that—however difficult it is—I can pull whatever it is the client wants off. I was installing at a castle, up a huge hill and there were major torrential rainstorms and it was a disaster. <strong>We had to build a drawbridge across just to bring furniture in.</strong> It was like being on a medieval crusade. I did a bed for a famous client that was wrapped in python. I ordered it and then found I couldn't get python into California. I had to make the piece in another state and have it flown in a private jet to California. </p>
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<p> <strong>If a home were to have only one truly high-end piece of furniture, decor, lighting, fabrics, etc. etc., what do you think it should be?</strong><br>The most important things in your house are the things you are going to use the most. That is your bed. Out of 10 years in your life you spend three years in bed. You need to have an amazing mattress that works just for you. You need good quality product. I love Vi-Spring—it's the number one organic bed. Really fabulous high-end mattress and put in a beautiful bed frame and it is everyone's sanctuary. And then secondly invest in your soft furnishings pieces. It is something you sit on and curl up on and make out in, and it's a really important to your home and how you live.</p>
<p> <strong>So what's the most outrageous bed you've ever done?</strong><br>Cher's bed is just incredible. A flat-screen comes out of the bed and sweeps off to the end of her bed. The whole thing was placed on a stone platform so she has complete views of the city. Another one was for Tamara Mellon. She and I went on a shopping trip to Istanbul and we found an early-19th-century—what we thought was a tapestry. It was embroidered with pure gold thread that depicted tree of life. I convinced her to buy it to use it as her headboard. I used these incredible silks from India to finish the rest of the bed. <strong>Later, we discovered the tapestry was actually a circumcision ceremonial cloth.</strong></p>
<p> <strong>What's the craziest custom piece you've ever designed?</strong><br>A notorious client of mine asked me to design a bed where he could sleep six. I am not sure it was exactly designed for sleeping.</p>
<p> <strong>Anything else?</strong><br>I have been asked to design a 20-foot outdoor circular sofa that was to look exactly like a piece in the inside of the house, except it was to live in the middle of the lawn. We had it custom built out of teak and wrapped in outdoor fabric. </p>
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<p> <strong>What's the most ridiculous request, price wise, you've ever received from a client?</strong><br>I had a request to <strong>gold leaf the interior of a garage.</strong> To waste so much money on such bizarre thing—there are certain limits that I abide by and use my own judgment of what is right and what's wrong.</p>
<p> <strong>So with that in mind, what are your thoughts on mass-market furnishings and decor, in otherwise, </strong><em><strong>not</strong></em><strong> custom pieces?</strong><br>The American public is very educated to design these days and in some cases it is being done incredibly well. It's incredible that place even stores like Marshalls or Target have incredible home goods. That still comes back to the world of interior design because not everybody knows how to put it together. You can walk into Restoration Hardware and you can point to things and bring them home, but it doesn't fit in your space or you can't put it together. You have to be able to understand scale, color coordination, and how to group furniture in a room. There is always going to be a market for interior design. </p>
<p> <strong>What's the most beautiful house you've ever stepped foot in?</strong><br>To be honest there are many different houses that I have been lucky enough to be in. I was lucky enough to visit Yves Saint Laurent's Paris apartment before everything was auctioned off. The way the things were put together and the way things were mixed high and low. I will never forget that apartment. I've just come back from Hawaii, where I had a private tour of Doris Duke's house, Shangri-La. It's filled with the most amazing art and unbelievable rooms and tile. So very sexy, with low-slung sofas—you can imagine her wondering around. It conjures absolute fantasy and it's absolutely breathtaking.</p>
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<p> · <a href="http://martynlawrencebullard.com/">Martyn Lawrence Bullard Design</a> [official site]<br>· <a href="http://curbed.com/tags/martyn-lawrence-bullard">All Martyn Lawrence Bullard coverage</a> [Curbed National]<br>· <a href="http://curbed.com/tags/whale-week-2013">All Whale Week 2013 posts</a> [Curbed National]</p>
https://archive.curbed.com/2013/1/28/10283182/martyn-lawrence-bullard-on-building-drawbridges-gold-leafing-garagesAlexa Stevenson2012-12-20T15:30:00-05:002012-12-20T15:30:00-05:00Mabley Handler's 'Sophisticated Beach' Great Room
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<p><em>In </em><em><strong>Why This Works,</strong></em><em> decorator and former shelter-magazine editor </em><a href="http://alexastevensonid.com/"><em>Alexa Stevenson</em></a><em> looks point-blank at professionally decorated rooms and breaks down the elements that make it work. Have a suggestion for someone whose work should be showcased? </em><a href="mailto:national@curbed.com"><em>Do let us know.</em></a></p>
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<p> Jennifer Mabley and Austin Handler, the duo behind Hamptons-based firm <strong>Mabley Handler Interior Design,</strong> know just how to do up homes by the sea. For a great room in a house in Amagansett, N.Y., the designers' concept was "sophisticated beach." "The client loved all of our frosty grayish-blues tones, and she didn't want any yellow or brown in the house," explains Handler. "She also wanted the house to have a transitional feel, so we didn't use any traditional-style molding in the house, which made bringing character into the interior architecture a challenge." Break it down point by point, below.</p>
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<p> <strong>1.</strong> "To give this room character that fit our design concept, we wrapped the double-sided fireplace with poplar wood," says Handler. "We used 12-inch V-groove boards stacked horizontally to keep the transitional feel, and we gave the boards a <strong>cool blue-gray paint wash</strong> to tone down the yellow in the poplar wood. We created faux-ridge beams, and wrapped them in the same washed poplar wood to help break up the ceiling and bring the wood design further into the room."<br><strong>2.</strong> The coffee table has a rustic, cerused-wood top that evokes the look and feel of driftwood: "We used this material to <strong>subtly reference the beach.</strong> We didn't want anything to in your face."<br><strong>3.</strong> "Many of our clients use their houses in the Hamptons to relax and escape the stress of the city," says Handler. "We often use a very soft color palette to create a calming environment. For the paint and fabrics throughout this house, we used soothing tones of gray and blue that are evocative of the beach on a foggy day."<br><strong>4.</strong> A custom rug brings the room together and makes a quiet statement. "To bring in the suggestion of the ocean, we used a custom-designed linen rug with a <strong>semi-abstract coral pattern</strong> in our signature gray-blue color. The style of the rug says 'sophisticated,' the pattern of the rug says 'beach.' Perfect!"<br><strong>5.</strong> "Instead of using a traditional mantel," says Handler, "we left the fireplace clean to give it a more transitional look. The blue Lagos stone for the fireplace surround continues with our soft beach palette, and we used birch logs in the fire to keep the look fresh."</p>
<p> · <a href="http://www.mableyhandler.com/">Mabley Handler Interior Design</a> [official site]<br>· <a href="http://curbed.com/tags/why-this-works">All Why This Works columns</a> [Curbed National]</p>
https://archive.curbed.com/2012/12/20/10293318/mabley-handlers-sophisticated-beach-great-roomAlexa Stevenson2012-11-29T11:15:00-05:002012-11-29T11:15:00-05:00Elaine Griffin's Budget-Friendly Bedroom Redo in New Jersey
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<p><em>In </em><em><strong>Why This Works,</strong></em><em> decorator and former shelter-magazine editor </em><a href="http://alexastevensonid.com/"><em>Alexa Stevenson</em></a><em> looks point-blank at professionally decorated rooms and breaks down the elements that make it work. Have a suggestion for someone whose work should be showcased? </em><a href="mailto:national@curbed.com"><em>Do let us know.</em></a></p>
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<p> A generously proportioned New Jersey bedroom with an awkward mix of matchy-matchy pine furniture was in desperate need of a makeover, so NYC-based decorator and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Design-Rules-Insiders-Becoming-Decorator/dp/1592405061?tag=curbed-20" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">author</a> <strong>Elaine Griffin,</strong> whom one may recognize from her guest appearances on <em>The Today Show,</em> took it to task for <em>Better Homes & Gardens</em> magazine, where she's the contributing design editor. On first sight, Griffon observed "a pair of windows that were darkly dressed with sad, poufy scarves that did little to highlight their beauty, and a headboard-less king-size bed, flanked by diminutive nightstands, floating anchor-less on the wall." <em>Ooof!</em> So she created a warm, inviting space that's as functional as it is stylish—and it's budget-friendly, too. </p>
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<p> <strong>1.</strong> Delightful a problem as it is, a bed wall that's too long—this one clocks in at almost 18 feet—can make traditional nightstands look dinky. Griffin substituted wider accent chests for more heft. "At 42 inches, chests this size are typically destined for foyers and living rooms, but they look great as nightstands in this space. A pair of comparably scaled mirrors commands the wall above them and are a chic alternative to art. Their walnut finish complements the painted chests <strong>without veering into the matchy-matchy."</strong><br><strong>2.</strong> "Hang your curtains high!" says Griffin. "I'm going to have that engraved on my tombstone. It's the one thing I want DIY decorators to always remember. Curtains hung as close to the ceiling as possible, and extending at least four to six inches past the window trim on either side, visually raise the ceiling height, enlarge the window, and look divine. It's the same thing stilettos do for legs." She adds, "You need dress curtains for style and warmth, plus a blind or a shade behind them, typically mounted inside the window box to control light and privacy." <br><strong>3.</strong> "Many clients opt for wall-to-wall carpet in bedrooms to sink their toes into with the first step out of bed every morning, but trade secret: <strong>over-sized area rugs can work just as well.</strong> You want one that extends well beyond the perimeter of your bed, whatever size that is. The jute cutie here is 10 by almost 14 feet."<br><strong>4.</strong> Stationing a telephone table or garden stool with a plant or books in front of an otherwise bare window zone creates visual interest to otherwise bare spaces. "This little gold-leafed vintage French number here takes up just enough visual real estate to add both warmth and personality without clutter."<br><strong>5.</strong>"In a bedroom, pay attention to the unused spaces to <strong>create a room that truly multitasks,"</strong> says Griffin. "A 48-inch wide student desk daintily scoots between the windows, and I paired it with a discreet, low-backed dining chair that doesn't tower over the desk or try to steal the show. Oh, and more multitasking: "There's an armchair in the corner, and the TV lives in an armoire across from the bed."</p>
<p> · <a href="http://www.elainegriffin.com">Elaine Griffin Interior Design</a> [official site]<br>· <a href="http://curbed.com/tags/why-this-works">All Why This Works columns</a> [Curbed National]</p>
https://archive.curbed.com/2012/11/29/10301534/elaine-griffins-budget-friendly-bedroom-redo-in-new-jerseyAlexa Stevenson2012-11-15T16:15:00-05:002012-11-15T16:15:00-05:00Michelle Workman's Elegant, Pared-Down Showhouse Space
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<p><em>In </em><em><strong>Why This Works,</strong></em><em> decorator and former shelter-magazine editor </em><a href="http://alexastevensonid.com/"><em>Alexa Stevenson</em></a><em> looks point-blank at professionally decorated rooms and breaks down the elements that make it work. Have a suggestion for someone whose work should be showcased? </em><a href="mailto:national@curbed.com"><em>Do let us know.</em></a></p>
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<p> Los Angeles-<a href="http://www.michelleworkman.com/">based</a> interior designer <strong>Michelle Workman</strong> is no stranger to glamour—she did <a href="http://curbed.com/archives/2010/12/22/jennifer-lopez-proves-yet-again-that-shes-no-jenny-from-the-block.php">decorate</a> Jennifer Lopez's <a href="http://www.veranda.com/room-decorating/jennifer-lopez-home-0111#slide-1">house,</a> after all—but when she took on a living room for the Santa Barbara Design House & Garden show house this spring, she pared down the glitz to create an unfussy and simply appointed space. "I didn't want transitional," Workman says. "I wanted traditional and wanted it to look like a family had lived there for 30 years instead of a room in a brand-new home."</p>
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<p> <strong>1.</strong> "This is a remarkably small living room for the size of the house," says Workman. "When you're doing a showhouse there's a tendency to overstuff to make it look more lived in. I really tried hard not to do that and it made it feel bigger than it actually was. The juxtaposition of a gray (neutral) ground and a bright color allows it to be bright and cheery but doesn't overwhelm."<br><strong>2.</strong> "The space had an awkward corner. This one is right next to a door so you can't really do much with it—I probably would have done small seating on either side of that window—but because of the door, which is a major entrance and exit, it didn't make sense," says Workman. <strong>"I had to find something that would fit close in that would grab the eye but wouldn't be distracting.</strong> It made since to do a classic piece of art."<br><strong>3.</strong> To open up the small space even more, Workman used a gray wool-and-silk rug. "There is a huge window and the light reflects from the silk beautifully, keeping the room well lit." <br><strong>4.</strong> "Pops of turquoise are used in the accessories and in the artwork," explains Workman. "Using a single bright color for the accessories rather than keeping it in the same yellow, gray, cream palette adds spice to the design and keeps it from going flat."<br><strong>5.</strong> "I always say <strong>you can mix any period as long as you love the piece."</strong> Here, Workman combined new and old, modern and vintage; the bench by the fireplace is from the 40s, two armchairs are new but done in an Art Deco style, and the sofa is vintage Baker done in Louis XVI style. "This works because it is all in the <strong>proper scale and there is no strong sense of period with any one piece.</strong>The room is simple and not overstuffed. It has a carefully curated look."</p>
<p> · <a href="http://www.michelleworkman.com/">Michelle Workman Interiors</a> [official site]<br>· <a href="http://curbed.com/tags/why-this-works">All Why This Works columns</a> [Curbed National]</p>
https://archive.curbed.com/2012/11/15/10307054/michelle-workmans-elegant-pared-down-showhouse-spaceAlexa Stevenson2012-11-01T18:00:00-04:002012-11-01T18:00:00-04:00Tamara Eaton's Reno'd Kitchen on Brooklyn's Prospect Park
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<p><em>In </em><em><strong>Why This Works,</strong></em><em> decorator and former shelter-magazine editor </em><a href="http://alexastevensonid.com/"><em>Alexa Stevenson</em></a><em> looks point-blank at professionally decorated rooms and breaks down the elements that make it work. Have a suggestion for someone whose work should be showcased? </em><a href="mailto:national@curbed.com"><em>Do let us know.</em></a></p>
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<p> This 19th-century mansion in Brooklyn has a bit of a celebrity backstory: in 2009, actors Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany <a href="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2009/07/13/it_happened_one_weekend_no_sex_in_the_slope_brangelina_thinking_apthorp_developer_fights_back_more.php">sold it</a> to a Google engineer who was looking to move to a "family-friendly" neighborhood. He, in turn, renovated the $8.45M pile with the help of Brooklyn-based architect <a href="http://www.davidhowell.net/index.php/company-profile/">Ben Fuqua</a> of DHD and designer <strong>Tamara Eaton,</strong> who, as Curbed NY <a href="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2010/12/30/inside_park_slopes_renovated_845_million_mansion.php">put it</a> at the time, helped "eliminate some of the '80s vibe behind that stunning facade." Here now, Eaton talks in more in depth about the kitchen, which, unlike the rest of the project, was completely gutted. "The townhouse is slightly kooky," she says. "And it's not a typical kitchen. The upstairs is quite grand wanted and we wanted to keep elegance and modernize it a little bit. It's a nice blend of the old and the new. "</p>
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<p><strong>1.</strong> The kitchen island is topped with thick white marble. "At about 15 feet long, the kitchen island feels more substantial with a thicker countertop and is one of the main features of the space," Eaton says. "The thick marble is supported by dark structural steel that blends into the barstool legs, <strong>creating the appearance of a floating countertop."</strong><br><strong>2.</strong> "This 1880 townhouse was in good condition and most of the work was restoration," says Eaton. "However, the kitchen was entirely new so I wanted to retain the historical aspect of the house in this newly constructed space. At the back of the kitchen, there's an antique tobacco cabinet I had refinished. This piece brings detail and warmth in the space and feels like an original built-in to match the upper floors."<br><strong>3.</strong> "Located on the ground floor of the townhouse, the ceilings on this floor are not particularly high," Eaton says. "The <strong>barrel-vaulted ceiling creates height and add softness to the space."</strong><br><strong>4.</strong> Kitchen lighting usually consists of downlights or under-cabinet fixtures. Here, though, Eaton commissioned two Lindsey Adelman glass bubble chandeliers to illuminate the space. "The decorative fixtures with <strong>gold leaf and brass armature</strong> cast a warmer glow, and they provide excellent lighting for all the work surfaces."<br><strong>5.</strong> Eaton installed oak herringbone flooring, which "gives an instant warmth and texture to the space," she explains. "Kitchens can often feel clinical and cold, but I took great care to select materials and textures that create a comfortable family kitchen. Every finish was selected to <strong>create a look that was a little more historic."</strong></p>
<p> · <a href="http://www.tamaratoday.com">Tamara Eaton Design</a> [official site]<br>· <a href="http://curbed.com/tags/why-this-works">All Why This Works columns</a> [Curbed National]</p>
https://archive.curbed.com/2012/11/1/10310990/tamara-eatons-renod-kitchen-on-brooklyns-prospect-parkAlexa Stevenson2012-10-18T13:45:00-04:002012-10-18T13:45:00-04:00Tricia Huntley's Not-Too-Precious Living Room in Virginia
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<p><em>In </em><em><strong>Why This Works,</strong></em><em> decorator and former shelter-magazine editor </em><a href="http://alexastevensonid.com/"><em>Alexa Stevenson</em></a><em> looks point-blank at professionally decorated rooms and breaks down the elements that make it work. Have a suggestion for someone whose work should be showcased? </em><a href="mailto:national@curbed.com"><em>Do let us know.</em></a></p>
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<p> Sure, having a central fireplace and ample windows in a custom-built house doesn't necessarily sound like a problem. But, this living room, in Arlington, Va., is one of those tricky spaces that could be a clunker of a design disaster if left in the wrong hands. So the homeowners brought on <strong>Tricia Huntley,</strong> a DC-based decorator (and participant in this year's <a href="http://www.holidayhousenyc.com/">Holiday House</a> showhouse in Manhattan) known for marrying sophistication with warmth to turn their space into an elegant, easy-flowing room. "There are a lot of openings and windows in this room," explains Huntley, "and it can be tricky to figure out a furniture arrangement in a room like this. The clients like the traditional, but they have young kids and so there couldn't be anything too precious. It had to be comfortable and liveable but also interesting while maintaining the traditional vibe." </p>
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<p> <strong>1.</strong> Cafe curtains don't automatically come to mind when addressing windows in a room with a formal edge, but Huntley says they "solve a lot of problems. They create privacy without sacrificing the light or the view. We used Isadora in Phylo from Gretchen Bellinger, a vanilla-tinted sheer Fortuny Pleat, and hung the curtains on small rods aligned with the highest mullion. Stunning and practical."<br><strong>2.</strong> The ceiling is treated with a <strong>beautiful printed damask paper.</strong> "It has a subtle metallic quality to it, but it's not glitzy. There are very few walls in this room so the two planes that dominate—the floor and ceiling—needed to be addressed. The damask mirrors the floor covering and creates a nice sing-song moment in the room."<br><strong>3</strong>. Locating furniture in this room was tricky, as it has two very large doorways, floor-to-ceiling windows on two walls, and a prominent fireplace at one end. "It was important to <strong>create multiple seating arrangements</strong> since the space is used as a receiving room for parties and special occasions," says Huntley. "There are three subtle seating groups: the sofa and slipper chair, the slipper chair and club chair at the fireplace, and the curved settee near the entrance of the room. The triangulation of the furniture layout creates the opportunity for both intimate and collective conversations during both social and family gatherings."<br><strong>4.</strong> The sofa was actually something the clients brought with them, but, as Huntley explains, <strong>"Everything curvilinear becomes one note.</strong> Clean lines play off of the curves and you notice them. The structure keeps it from getting too saccharine. You need a breath of fresh air with all those curves."<br><strong>5.</strong> "Patterned fabrics are everywhere these days, but sometimes I find it's more interesting to layer them in subtle, unexpected ways than knock my clients over the head with them," says Huntley. Upon first glance, this living room is subdued and somewhat neutral. But ther are actually numerous patterns at play: the Oriental motif in the rug, the damask on the ceiling, pastel tribal and cut velvet dragon-print pillows on the white sofa, a modernized rose pattern on the slipper chair, and a stripe on the curved loveseat. <strong>"These particular patterns lend a dynamic vibe to the space,</strong> but one that's soft and refined thanks to the scale and tone of the fabrics."</p>
<p> · <a href="http://www.huntleyandcompany.com/">Huntley & Co. Interior Design</a> [official site]<br>· <a href="http://curbed.com/tags/why-this-works">All Why This Works columns</a> [Curbed National]</p>
https://archive.curbed.com/2012/10/18/10316388/tricia-huntleys-not-too-precious-living-room-in-virginiaAlexa Stevenson2012-10-04T11:15:00-04:002012-10-04T11:15:00-04:00Nick Olsen's 300-Square-Foot Studio Apartment in Brooklyn
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<p><em>In </em><em><strong>Why This Works,</strong></em><em> decorator and former shelter-magazine editor </em><a href="http://alexastevensonid.com/"><em>Alexa Stevenson</em></a><em> looks point-blank at professionally decorated rooms and breaks down the elements that make it work. Have a suggestion for someone whose work should be showcased? </em><a href="mailto:national@curbed.com"><em>Do let us know.</em></a></p>
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<p> NYC-<a href="http://nickolsenstyle.blogspot.com/">based</a> designer <strong>Nick Olsen</strong> may just be made of magic. Evidence: his transformation of a studio apartment that's just shy of 300 square feet (hello, <a href="http://ny.curbed.com/archives/2012/07/09/nyc_apartments_about_to_become_smaller_than_ever_before.php">micro apartment!</a>) into a sophisticated space that utilizes every single inch. For the home, which was once <a href="http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/ideas/nick-olsen-studio-apartment-video-0711">featured</a> in <em>House Beautiful,</em> the challenge for Olsen was obviously the sense of feeling constrained, so he used color, prints, an inventive floor plan, and even a daring sense of scale to make the room come together.</p>
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<p> <strong>1.</strong> "Since this is a studio apartment with fairly little wall space (the kitchen sits in the corner behind this photo), we floated the desk at the foot of the bed in the center of the room," Olsen explains. "So much better than shoving it into a corner. This way my client gets to face two windows and admire her pretty bed, not the bare wall."<br><strong>2.</strong> <strong>"I often find folks are too respectful of scale,"</strong> says Olsen. "Especially when working in a small space." These big mercury glass gourd lamps and their black paper shades aren't traditional bedside lamps, but they keep other pieces from looking fit for a dollhouse.<br><strong>3.</strong> Fashion honcho Karl Lagerfeld draws a black line around all of his fashion sketches and Olsen applies this notion to decorating. "The emerald-green binding on the curtain ruffle, the contrast piping on the headboard and the black accents in an otherwise very colorful space have the same effect: grounding but also heightening the gestures within the space."<br><strong>4.</strong> "Texture contrast is so key," the designer explains. "Mercury glass sits next to red lacquer, which is next to rough seagrass and matte walls. <strong>If everything had a high sheen this would look like a hall of mirrors;</strong> the opposite an adobe hut."<br><strong>5.</strong> "It's already a cliché, but I think every room does need a touch of red. These bamboo nightstands were originally a hideous shade of brown, but a coat of Fine Paints of Europe's Tulip Red makes them (and the room) so much more cheerful. Look closely and you'll see a tiny red butterfly in the Schumacher print. All the colors of our scheme can be found there, even purple!"</p>
<p> · <a href="http://nickolsenstyle.blogspot.com//">Nick Olsen</a> [official site]<br>· <a href="http://curbed.com/tags/why-this-works">All Why This Works columns</a> [Curbed National]</p>
https://archive.curbed.com/2012/10/4/10321746/nick-olsens-300-square-foot-studio-apartment-in-brooklynAlexa Stevenson