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Coveted Crib: A Not-So-Traditional California Beauty

CasaSugar — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:00:57 -0700

When Jeffers Design Group redesigned this wine country getaway, the firm used a mix of traditional and modern elements to shape the space. Playful and classic textiles blend beautifully in living and bedrooms, while Moroccan lanterns add an unexpected element to a high-ceilinged room. Throughout the home, a mix of custom and antique furnishings keeps the feel of the space modern and welcoming.

Take a complete tour when you read more.

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Betsey Johnson to Design an Eloise-Inspired Suite at the Plaza

CasaSugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 16:27:56 -0700

Betsey Johnson is diving headfirst into her first hotel collaboration with a suite inspired by Kay Thompson's Eloise for New York's most prestigious address, The Plaza Hotel. Once the dust of New York Fashion Week settles, she is due to begin designing a two-bedroom suite in the character's signature pink-and-black palette. This shouldn't be much of a stretch for the designer, who dressed her own Manhattan penthouse in head-to-toe pink (shown left). The suite, as you might expect, will balance Johnson's notoriously wild style with the Plaza's brand of luxury, and should be a treat for adults and young guests alike. Of the collaboration, Johnson has said:

I'm tickled pink to be designing the Eloise Suite at the Plaza. When I recently moved uptown and my first granddaughter was born, I rediscovered Eloise and hoped that something magical would happen between me and my favorite hotel. This is the perfect pink combo!

Can't wait to see it! Would you like to stay in Johnson's Eloise-inspired suite?

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Guess What These Banisters Were Wrapped With?

CasaSugar — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:00:07 -0700

The banisters on the staircase in this San Francisco residence designed by Nicole Hollis were wrapped with a very affordable and common material, giving simple metal poles not only texture but also a graphic presence. Can you guess what they were wrapped with?

The New Yorker Profiles Kelly Wearstler

CasaSugar — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 09:00:06 -0700

The “presiding grande dame of West Coast interior design,” Kelly Wearstler, is featured in a six-page profile in the Sept. 14 issue of The New Yorker.

I've always considered Wearstler (pronounced "Worst-ler") an enigma - wife of a hotel mogul, author, Top Design judge, crimped-hair enthusiast, Southern belle, ex-Playboy model - but her design skill is irrefutable. So, it was interesting to read about how the girl who grew up in a cluttered Myrtle Beach home decorated in a "blowsy Provincial style" became the face of ornate, layered, over-the-top Hollywood Regency style.

"You don’t hire her for her subtlety, you hire her for what her critics call ‘muchness'," said a client. Her style, as it turns out, is governed more by instinct than intellect: "I don't have time to think things through a lot. I just do how it feels," she says. I was also intrigued to hear that she thinks of herself as having "a very European sensibility" that's "well travelled, collected." Pick up a copy to read the full text or read an abstract online.

Metropolitan Home's Showtime House Returns For Season Two

CasaSugar — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 05:30:00 -0700

The popularity of Showtime's original series is no secret - just ask BuzzSugar. But the opportunity for pulling design inspiration from the network's hot shows is something only Metropolitan Home has jumped on. Do you remember this morbidly chic Coveted Crib inspired by Dexter in last year's showhouse?Well, the modern decorating mag is at it again, teaming up with Showtime and a stable of over a dozen notable designers to give new meaning to the word "showhouse" with Metropolitan Home's Showtime House. This year, they've upped the ante with twice as much space in twin TriBeCa penthouses, allowing two rooms for each show. The featured shows will include Dexter, Californication, Nurse Jackie, The United States of Tara, The Tudors, and Weeds.

I've covered set design often in the past, and you'll note that many sets are influenced by the work of prominent interior designers. So what's interesting to me about this event is that the roles have flip-flopped, with designers finding inspiration in television instead. Better yet, we can all visit the home, which is open to the public on weekends between Sept. 19 and Oct. 18 in New York. Find more details here, and stay tuned for photos!

Coveted Crib: Julianne Moore's West Village Townhouse

CasaSugar — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:15:00 -0700

You may remember Julianne Moore's living room, which was featured in Domino, and which she actually designed herself. That's right: the girl's got talent that extends beyond the silver screen and into her silver sitting room! Proof of that design skill set is Moore's very own West Village townhouse, which is on the market for $12 million.

The late 1800s home has been meticulously renovated, retaining original architectural details like crown moldings and wide plank floors, but was updated with the latest modern amenities. Moore chose my favorite color as of late - gray - as a base for several rooms. Overall, the rooms look well-traveled (heavy on the Japanese designs), a bit rustic, and comfortably polished. Who knows where she's moving, but suspicion tells me she's looking for another design project. Prepare to salivate when you see photos . . .

Coveted Crib: A Bright and Beautiful West Hollywood Condo

CasaSugar — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:00:00 -0700

Blending modern and vintage décor, Hollywood, CA, interior designer Michelle Workman used a green and white color palette to create a bright, clean, and inspiring home look for her Connecticut transplant client. The client's traditional pieces were incorporated into the new design and given California flair.

Michelle explains,

[The client] wanted to change the look she had from back East. She wanted white walls and white furniture, but the rest was up to me! With all of the new furnishings, I went with a modern shape so that the only traditional shapes would be from her previous home. The result was bright, cool, and crisp, yet entirely welcoming. We also gutted the kitchen, which had been very traditional, but without any joie de vivre. The result was a simple, clean space with a splash of ornamentation in the hardware.

To see the sparkling results, read more.

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Coveted Crib: Hip in the Hollywood Hills

CasaSugar — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:56:00 -0700

Interior designer Peter Dunham, whose signature style is marked by casual sophistication, was the perfect person to bring this 1920s Hollywood Spanish house back to its former glory. Working with an architecture firm, the designer collaborated on finishes, architectural details, and room layouts. Emerging from this collaboration is a home that exuberantly mixes luxurious and playful elements. From a Nanna Ditzel hanging egg chair to a fireplace in the spa-like bathroom, this home is all about easy, beautiful living. Want to take the full tour? Then read more.

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Are You a Purple Person?

CasaSugar — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 09:00:00 -0700

I spotted this purple-centric photo in the portfolio of designer Anne Coyle, and I realized how rare the color is in interiors. Purple, as I see it, is not a color that you just use or end up with unintentionally. It's like cilantro: you either love it or you don't. Neutral colors, blues, and greens are more common. My mother is a purple fanatic - purple dining room, purple golf balls, countless purple cashmere sweaters - so, although I'm not a purple person, I never realized how unusual it is in interiors. How about you?

Before and After: A Bedroom Redo From '80s to Ladylike

CasaSugar — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:00:00 -0700

When you're a recent grad living at the 'rent's, it's hard to transition the décor of your high school days (likely handmedowns, anyways) to that of the sophisticated young woman you've become. Sometimes you just need the help of an expert to make the change.

Daniela was in luck when her older sister Camila, of High-Heeled Foot in the Door, a seasoned DIYer, came to the rescue. Her bedroom, as you can see, was plagued with '80s furniture - check out that gold-trimmed circular headboard - and a hodge-podge of colorless textiles. So while Daniela was away, Camila snuck in and redecorated her sister's bedroom for only $450, updating it with a sophisticated and cohesive color scheme, some of-the-moment accessories, and best of all, contemporary furniture that didn't evoke The Wedding Singer. To see the transformation, read more.

All grown-up and chic, n'est-ce pas? Head over to the High-Heeled Foot in the Door to see more photos and hear about this decorating project.