Girls Day Out and A Visit with Kelly Wearstler

Is there anything better than playing hookie and spending the day with your girlfriends? 

My old friend and college roommate Diana was in NYC yesterday so three of us took the opportunity to have a real girls' day out.  Here we are at our fancy lunch at The Modern:

{ Erika patiently tolerates my constant camera action }

{ Me, hiding an emerging pregnant belly, and Diana on the right. Can you see how giddy we are? No kids, no work! Not today! }

After lunching, shopping and museum-ing, we ended our day with tea at Bergdorf's legendary rooftop lunch spot, BG Restaurant.

I've been wanting to come to BG's ever since I read that it had been overhauled by renowned interior designer Kelly Wearstler. 

{ just another day at the office... }

Wearstler has gotten a lot of attention over the past few years - her work is very out-of-this-world-over-the-top-Disco-Hollywood-chic.  Say what you will about her aesthetic, this lady really does have vision and flare. 

{ Via Design Crisis }

{ via Design Crisis }

{ Via Katrina Scott Design }

 { The Viceroy Hotel Miami, Via New York Times Travel }

I do admire her work, if only in a "how in the world did she come up with these ideas??" kind of way.  You can imagine how interested I was to see what she had done with the BG Restaurant, which is basically ground zero for New York's "Ladies Who Lunch".

Well, it was very nice!

{ via seeking decor }

I found BG's decor to be incredibly tasteful, and restrained. The baby blue and grass green colors and the chinoiserie wallpaper were very feminine.

{ Via moi }

{ via wonderland philosophy }

You could also see "pops of Wearstler" in the decor, most obviously in the sea urchin lights that were designed by Jean de Merry. And the gold and black lacquer details which really saved the whole place from looking too "fluffy". 

 { Via Wall Street Journal }

I don't know if Kelly Wearstler was the first designer to use the "French Hooded Chair" but this is certainly one of the more high profile uses.

 { Via Wonderland Philosophy }

Just as I thought to myself, "ohhh so pretty!" my friend Erika said without hesitation, "I just hate those chairs!  So ugly!".  Well, just goes to show you, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder!


A few extra design details... I just loved this 2-foot strip of black lacquer paint that ran along the ceiling, trimmed by heavy molding. It really set off the wallpaper and lent a sophisticated, polished feel.

I am also loving this BG monogram. It is so modern and chic: 

I spotted the monogram everywhere, even on the backs of the chairs and on the front door:

The entry hall on the way to the restaurant is covered in black and white photos of celebs and socialites that have visited BG over the years, hung on a wall covered in a buttery sea grass wallcovering.  Wonder where the wallcovering is from...it's exactly what I want for my new dining room!

What a terrific day with dear friends, topped off by gorgeous, world-class decor.  Wouldn't it be great if every Monday were so remarkable?

Aloha...

Dear readers -

"Return To Home" is taking a hiatus this week - my husband, son and I are jetting off to Hawaii.  My parents are turning 65 this year and they've always wanted to have the whole family take a vacation together in the land of Aloha!  

It will be fun - hopefully a lot of chilling out, grilling by the ocean, and plenty of mai tais (although they'll have to be virgin for me!).  And Charlie will be thrilled to spend time with his cousins.

~ Together is the happiest place to be ~

See you next week!

Favorite Store Alert - Elizabeth Bauer Design

If you find yourself in the West Village anytime soon, make sure you take a quick detour into Elizabeth Bauer Design, a lovely sliver of a shop that features a blend of antiques, flea market finds and upscale furniture and accessories. 

After my visit yesterday, I was trying to think of ways to describe Elizabeth herself - I think "effervescent and friendly with a kick" does the trick.  She was warm and welcoming and I loved her candor!  She is clearly a dynamo- I was so impressed that at 31 she has two stores and a thriving interior design business. 

A shot from Store No. 2 (in Nantucket):

{ Via Elle Decor }

Here are some of my "favorite finds" from the NYC store. This is the first thing I saw when entering the shop.  She had me at "orange lacquer boxes".

 

I always love a good foo dog.

Cute little side table. Would be so terrific for a girl's room. So preppy Palm Beach! 

Sorry for the dark, sad photo below. Times like these I think "maybe I should ditch the iPhone and invest in a real camera".  Please bear with me!  Love this Chinoiserie mirror:

More Chinoiserie!  I just can't get enough.

Her space is full of 'rustic' finds that feel beachy and preppy and fresh.

Total disco flavor. Love it.

To give you a better feel for her aesthetic, here are some design projects of Elizabeth's:

{ Elizabeth's studio in Gramercy Park; Via Lonny }

{ Via Lonny }

{ Via Lonny }

{ Via Lonny }



{ Via Elizabeth Bauer Design }

I love the countless preppy-chinoiserie details in her work:

{ Via Stylebeat }

You have to admit she really has an incredible flair. I tried to get Elizabeth to hire me as her intern. I'm not kidding! I'll let you know if she takes me up on the offer!


Sounds like Elizabeth is considering shuttering her NYC shop in order to focus on her interior design projects. Hurry up and get yourself over there!

Elizabeth Bauer Design                                      Store No. 2
43 Greenwich Ave.                                             44 Center Street
New York, NY                                                     Nantucket, MA 02554
+1.212.255.8625                                                 +1.508.228.4460



You Can't Go Wrong With a Bamboo Shade

I sometimes hear from friends that they want to "complete" a look in their living room or bedroom by using a window treatment, but they don't know how to even begin - curtains? blinds?  The choices are endless, and what if we make a mistake??

Why not make it easy on yourself and just pick a nice bamboo shade? I'm serious when I say you basically can not go wrong with a bamboo shade! Here are the top three reasons I am a HUGE fan:

1) Bamboo shades have a designer look (interior designers use them ALL the time!).

2) Bamboo shades go with almost ANY style in almost ANY room.

3) Bamboo shades can be very inexpensive!


Let's take the following room as our first example of bamboo shade fabulous. One of my favorite blogs is Cote de Texas. Look at the blogger-designer's family room BEFORE:

{ via Cote de Texas }

And then AFTER:

Doesn't the room look so much cozier and well-proportioned after having added those bamboo shades? (And of course those neutral curtain panels too!). 

Once you notice the bamboo shade, you'll see it everywhere. It really does make decorating so much easier knowing you can rely on the bamboo standby.

{ Via House Beautiful's Dec 2011/Jan 2012 issue }

{ Via Pinterest }

{ Via Pinterest }

Another variation is the matchstick blind. Let's take a look at the windows below. Now, imagine they were covered with white metal blinds or something similar. The "matchstick" shades & the curtain panel really take this room to the next level.

{ via Oak Ridge Revivals }

Here's a darker version of the bamboo shade - designer Lauren Liess' kitchen. It adds a nice natural wood element to the room:

{ Via Pure Style Home }

I have to give a shout-out to my sister-in-law Emily who helped to inspire this post! I noticed a while ago that my nephew's room has these great, dark bamboo shades hanging on the windows - they give off a light-hearted, surfer vibe in his room.

Another shot:

It's hard to see with the sun in the background, but between the beadboard ceiling, the bamboo shades and the teal blue walls, this room really does feel like a cute little surfer shack.


Here are some more examples of the bamboo shade "done right":

{via Pure Style Home }

{via Pure Style Home }

{Via the inspired room }

{via thedecorologist.com }

{Via Pinterest }

Of course, like anything home decor, a bamboo shade can cost you a pretty penny. But you don't have to go super high end with a bamboo shade - that's the beauty of the whole thing. You can choose something that's "budget" and the effect will essentially be the same. I just checked out Home Depot's website and found that their Bamboo Roman Shade in a standard window size is less than $20!

{ via Homedepot.com }

In my next home, I fully intend to put the bamboo shade to good use.  It's such a relief to know that no matter how I decorate my new living room, those bamboo shades will fit right in...

Decorating is not about making stage sets, it's not about making pretty pictures for the magazines; it's really about creating a quality of life, a beauty that nourishes the soul.

~Albert Hadley