Design Post Update

Do you think a magazine cover such as these would sell well today? No 'celebrity' Kardashians or overly air-brushed photographs of interiors; rather a well rendered image by an artist on a topic covered in the issue.
Imagine a special issue of Architectural Digest or Elle Decor on which Jeremiah Goodman produced the cover. Am I crazy or would this be a wonderful thing and have the design world abuzz? I'm not talking inside the magazine, just the cover; don't take away my pretty photographs!  If magazines are always looking for something new, isn't doing something this 'old' the latest thing?
Another 'old' thing I would love to see in a design magazine spread; Detailed floorplans (oh how a boy can dream.......). Everyone loves a floorplan! Yes or no, am I crazy (I realize thats a whole other question!)?

Lampshades don't always have to be white (or my much preferred black with gold foil interior).  These sconce shades in a house decorated by talented Katie Ridder are a reminder of that fact and add such a nice detail, or layer, to the room in question.  Ridder is wife to architect Peter Pennoyer; talk about the designing duo of talent!

Just in time for Christmas this upcoming weekend (Dec 6 & 7, 2014) are 2 great housetours benefiting great causes in both my old and new neighborhoods in Washington, Cleveland Park and Logan Circle (home to our new design center). The first tour (Dec 5 & 6) benefits the St. Albans school and features 6 amazing homes in historic Cleveland Park. One of these houses was recently featured in Elle Decor magazine decorated by local talent Darryl Carter. Tickets are $40 and information on picking them up is HERE.
The second house tour takes place in my former neighborhood of Logan Circle. This tour always features a fascinating variety of city living from modern loft-like apartments to historic townhouses.Tickets are $30 and benefit the neighborhood historical society and walking trail. Information on purchasing tickets is HERE.  Hope to see you at both of these great events this weekend!

Today I bring you Oheka Castle through a music video by Taylor Swift.  Oheka Castle on Long Island was designed by Delano and Aldrich in 1914 for Otto Kahn. The structure happens to be the 2nd largest private house in the United States after the Biltmore estate. The house is gorgeous and the song is really fun; I'll admit to being a big Taylor Swift fan!  If you're not into the music I still encourage you to watch the video on mute for the images of Oheka Castle alone. Enjoy!

On a note different from what I normally feature on this blog, I thought I would share some images from the recent exhibition on Hubert Givenchy at one of my favorite museums, El Museo de arte Thyssen-Bornemisza, in Madrid which my penpal kindly sent me.
Givenchy will forever be known for his relationship with celebrities, primary amongst them Audrey Hepburn, but also Jackie Kennedy Onassis, the Duchess of Windsor, and the list goes on.
I think these clothes appeal to me not only for the obvious reason, their beauty, but their architectural qualities and attention to detailing are astounding.
 The use of vivid color and black together also is architecturally appealing.
 Recognize Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany's above?
 Or Wallis Simpson, aka the Duchess of Windsor, in mourning here.
Or the Duchess again here in a striped gown. These clothes are iconic and a part of our culture; instantly recognizable.
Seeing some of these famous gowns in color, such as Jackie Kennedy's gown from the Paris opera, is a delightful surprise; cream and soft colors.
 Bridal beyond boring white....
 The details of this non-white wedding dress (emphasis on NO BORING WHITE) are amazing.
 I don't even know how one makes something such as this!
 Clothes make the woman or so one would believe based on the models below in the room entitled elegance and simplicity.
 Who needs jewelry with clothes as beautiful as these?
While many of these gowns are surely dated would 'Fashion Police' mock them on the red carpet I wonder? Does style such as this date?  Maybe the jackets.....
 but what jackets they are!
Givenchy is a master of color - unusual colors - and pairings that give life to one another.
 I'm sure the yellow/orange dress is difficult to wear but on the right woman....amazing.





 And don't forget the hats!
Thanks to Neil for sharing his images with us all. See more on the exhibit at the museum website HERE, which includes the program and an interactive video walk-through of the exhibition.

These images are from their website showing 'before' and 'afters'.  Above you can see 2 typical outlets flanking a fireplace mantel. These would never be used, right?
Here is the 'after' - the outlets are hidden!  Basically the outlet sits in a little box with a paintable plastic cover that can even have your wallpaper applied to it.
Another spot outlets are required and rarely if ever used are in powder rooms. Above you can see the unsightly GFI outlet.
 And here it is with Covered Components - the cover is painted to blend in with the wall.
Here are some pictures I took of a sample board shown in the presentation -on the left is a typical outlet and on the right, the covered Component - practically invisible.  For $13 each this is a real find and I expect to be seeing a lot of these! Now in all fairness, I can't imagine using this in high-use spots.  The large transformers that are on many low-voltage lights and chargers for our laptops won't easily fit within these recessed boxes (although you could use an adapter). I also can't imagine them in a kitchen honestly because you would constantly be opening and closing the cover.   I think these are great for hallways, powder rooms, low-use spots, etc and you can't beat the price!
So what do you think of covered components? They are available for sale on their website HERE.
As stated, I received no compensation for this post, I just wanted to share a cool new product!