I have been slightly obsessed with Carolina Herrera for years - from investing my own meager funds in college to buy her eponymous perfume, to more recently ogling her at NY Fashion Week. So you can imagine my shock when I opened the New York Times 2 wks ago to find she is “stepping down” and handed the creative reigns over to a young designer, Wes Gordon. What??! I’m in a bit of withdrawl so I decided to create a post on her and sum up the things I admire about her so much...
Read MoreI have been slightly obsessed with Carolina Herrera for years - from investing my own meager funds in college to buy her eponymous perfume, to more recently ogling her at NY Fashion Week. So you can imagine my shock when I opened the New York Times 2 wks ago to find she is “stepping down” and handed the creative reigns over to a young designer, Wes Gordon. What??! I’m in a bit of withdrawl so I decided to create a post on her and sum up the things I admire about her so much...
Read MoreIt’s the time of year when we all need a boost to stay motivated, right? For me, that energy almost always comes from entertainment or infotainment — some way to get out of my own head & think about or LAUGH about something else. I’ve been lucky lately, finding all kinds of stuff to keep me engaged. Check these out & feel free to add your own favorites in the Comments so we can ALL enjoy!
Read MoreIf you missed the epic Bunny Mellon sale a couple years ago, here’s your chance to ogle another great American collection, which Christie’s and all experts agree could easily be the highest-grossing auction of all time. But much more important than the sheer size of the collection is how clearly personal it is, representing a lifetime of thoughtful collecting by the late David & Peggy Rockefeller who were married for over 50 years.
Read MoreA few weeks ago, I had the privilege and fun of going to London with friends and discovering neighborhoods I’d never seen before - Shoreditch, Clerkenwell, and Islington - which were full of young professionals, working artists, graffiti murals and amazing original boutiques.
Read MoreIf you enjoy feeling all the highs and lows of every emotion, why not move from a big house in the suburbs with 25 years of marital accumulation and squeeze into a tiny rowhouse downtown? Oh, and don’t forget to bring the husband, the 2 kids and a couple of dogs - it will be fun!
Read MoreI’m not a real estate professional, but thankfully I work with a great one, my longtime friend Hans Wydler of Wydler Brothers! Hans sold our previous home in record time and did so again this time around, with contracts submitted just 1 week after first listing. My husband & I were not “planning” to move from our house below this Fall after 12 happy years here, but the chance to try a different lifestyle (moving from Washington DC suburbs to closer downtown, in Georgetown) kind of fell into our lap & so our move is ON — officially set for 10 days from now (gulp!).
Read MoreLast week was my husband & my 21st anniversary, bittersweet because it was same day as a memorial fundraiser for our late friend & Best Man, Bob Miller. So there was no celebration exactly but there was some talk about our time together. “You’ve done some CRAZY stuff in the decades we’ve been together,” Ted said, "but THIS... is by FAR…. the craziest yet,” shaking his head. “This” is our decision to put our house on the market and move to this place….a 19th century row house in a historic part of DC, Georgetown.
Read MoreAs a transplanted New Yorker living in Washington DC, I love it when I find other people with similar background. Anna Matthews is a design crush of mine & although we haven’t worked together (yet!), I adore how she creates lovely LIVABLE spaces, especially for families and dogs! A Parsons grad, Anna has a beautiful sense of color and scale — making each of her projects somehow both cheerful and yet sophisticated. DC is lucky to have her:)
Read MoreToday I’m sharing with you one of my secret loves (now not so secret): design videos. You know I’m obsessed with art books, decorating magazines, auction catalogs, online sites (Chairish, Pinterest, 1st Dibs, on & on…)….but sometimes you just want those pictures to come alive — and thanks to a few sources, you’ll find they can!
Read MoreI was recently traveling with a friend who is always put together. When we stepped out for the evening, she had complete poise with a great soft gold pouch tucked under her arm, while I had huge bag that could have doubled as a suitcase. Not so cute. I realized that I had been missing an entire category of form & function in my wardrobe: the clutch!
Read MoreHappy official summer to everyone! The new season coincided with completion of a house project I’d been chipping away at all spring — a new look for our front hall. We’ve been in our house for 10 years now and it’s funny but I just stopped noticing the front hall. In a busy house full of kids & pets & seemingly constant Amazon Prime deliveries (why??), the front hall is often our favorite dumping ground for backpacks, packages & yes, suitcases.
Read More“To be original, one must be different” was the Coco Chanel motto I remember my grandmother quoting when I was very young. It stuck with me and as I get older it rings even more true! So it is a treat when I discover a whole new venue for home inspiration and today it is Bungalow Classic, a delightful store (with online shop) in Atlanta owned by stylish pair Courtney & Randy Tilinski.
Read More“To be original, one must be different” was the Coco Chanel motto I remember my grandmother quoting when I was very young. It stuck with me and as I get older it rings even more true! So it is a treat when I discover a whole new venue for home inspiration and today it is Bungalow Classic, a delightful store (with online shop) in Atlanta owned by stylish pair Courtney & Randy Tilinski.
Read MoreI’ll admit, I’m 99% motivated by the aesthetics vs. health/planet, but I feel that virtue should not be denied from me. THIS IS A LOT OF WORK & I’m looking for big satisfaction in the end!! I’m such a sucker for home makeover projects.
Read MoreI’ll admit, I’m 99% motivated by the aesthetics vs. health/planet, but I feel that virtue should not be denied from me. THIS IS A LOT OF WORK & I’m looking for big satisfaction in the end!! I’m such a sucker for home makeover projects.
Read MoreI’ll admit, I’m 99% motivated by the aesthetics vs. health/planet, but I feel that virtue should not be denied from me. THIS IS A LOT OF WORK & I’m looking for big satisfaction in the end!! I’m such a sucker for home makeover projects.
Read More“Do you have any wrapping paper?” Why yes, I thought so — afterall, I LOVE wrapping presents and finding new ways to put a package together. But in point of fact, my wrapping supplies were picked clean post-Christmas and I hadn’t replenished any supplies. Arghhh…
Read MoreThe first Mother’s Day after my mom died felt like one endless Hallmark holiday-tear jerker….what were once charming & poignant TV commercials about the mother-daughter bond suddenly felt like a conspiracy to play with my emotions!
Read MoreLoi & his partner Thomas Troeschel are the real deal when it comes to stylish living, as they renovate their own houses (in Maine and Washington DC), entertain friends & family & dogs beautifully, run an exquisite shop with an international network of clients, a massively popular blog & Instagram feed...and yet seem to truly take their time to appreciate nature, history, art & good design. To me, this is the recipe for a life well lived!!
Read More
