Image above: Illustration by Julia Rothman Happy March! Living in New York this winter has felt a bit like being caught inside a snow globe held by some angry child who just won’t stop shaking the darn thing. But now it’s March, and I’m feeling spring breathing down winter’s neck. I’m ready to eat outside,…
It’s easy to mark the beginning of a style obsession when you have a blog and a search feature. The design*sponge lust for ombré can be traced back to the 2008 “Mini Trend: Ombré “ and Grace revisited the trend just last week. Even in 2008, it seemed like ombré was already everywhere. So…
Image above: French Victorian white-painted wrought iron terrarium, $27,5000 Today, Grace and I are heading to Terrain, one of our favorite stores — we’ve honestly made the trip from Brooklyn to Philadelphia just to eat in the greenhouse cafe. The store is filled with some of the best terrarium accessories ever. The terrarium craze is…
A couple of years ago, these Polish paper chandeliers began popping up on design blogs. And a couple of years ago Grace asked me to write a Past & Present column on them. So two short years later, I finally decided to dig into the pajaki chandeliers. Luckily, they’re still as colorful and cheerful as…
Image above: Illustration by Julia Rothman The staple of college dorm rooms and office desks everywhere, the Anglepoise lamp was invented in the 1930s by an English automotive engineer who specialized in the design of vehicle suspension systems. George Carwardine owned a factory in Bath where he invented a spring that could be moved easily…
Image above: Various English sterling silver napkin rings, ca. 1883, 1910 and 1948, $150; Liberty head cuff links, $500; Destino cuff links, $300; 1920s Dragon’s Breath cuff links, $95; and 1920s Art Deco Greek key cuff links, $350 When Kate, Grace and I were in Brimfield last week, Kate and I found ourselves drawn to a boys’ club aesthetic….
Image above: Illustration by Julia Rothman After a six-hour drive from New York yesterday (with lots of laughing, gas-station coffee and music mixes), today is our first day at the Brimfield Antique show. While there’s always the serendipity factor when antiquing, I tend to keep a running list of things I’d like to find. This…
Image above: Illustration by Julia Rothman I was one of those kids with a pretty extensive collection of scratch-n-sniff and fuzzy stickers. So it’s not surprising that I’m a fan of the new flocked papers on the market. Flocking is the technique of applying small fiber particles to any surface coated with an adhesive. Applied…
Image above: illustration by Julia Rothman I feel as if I’ve been heralding the arrival of spring for eons. If you live somewhere with a mild climate (or are enjoying an Australian summer), you’re probably sick of hearing about our long, cold winter. But then, you live somewhere with a mild climate (or are enjoying…
Image above: illustration by Julia Rothman I have to confess that I’ve never thought much about window treatments in my own space. If I didn’t live on a highly trafficked street, I’d probably do without them all together. I compromise by having minimalist matchstick blinds that are left completely open throughout the day. (And I…
Image above: Illustration by Julia Rothman As all fainting Victorian ladies knew, there is nothing more romantic that a chaise longue. My mom and I had our own little struggle over the vintage chaise longue in her garage (and I’ll use this moment to say that if it doesn’t get recovered soon, I’m coming with…
Image above: Illustration by Julia Rothman, inspired by a 1920s photo of Syrie Maugham Syrie Maugham was the leading British interior decorator of the 1920s and ’30s, and yet she didn’t even launch her business until she was 42, a detail that I find inspiring. (My favorite late-life starter was Julia Child, who didn’t even…
Image above: Fireplace from Sneak Peek: Anne Lise Kjaer It has been cold in New York! And more snow is predicted for tomorrow! Not that I’m complaining (well, not totally complaining!) — it’s certainly pretty, but I’ve been chugging vats of tea and soup to try and stay warm. And I sure wouldn’t mind warming…
Image above: Illustration by Julia Rothman Madame de Pompadour once said, “Champagne is the only drink that leaves a woman still beautiful after drinking it.” As Louis XV’s royal mistress, she must have known a thing or two about beauty. So here’s to many a glass of champagne in the New Year and if you’re…
Image above: illustration by Julia Rothman When I emailed Grace and told her that I was thinking of devoting this week’s Past & Present to Vera Neumann, her response was (and I’m quoting here), “VVVVVEEEERRRRRAAA.” So yeah, we might have a wee Vera obsession and since Grace and I are heading to Atlanta on Friday for…
Illustration by Julia Rothman Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays — no gifts to worry about, just lots of good food. I love that the pieces on the table are just as traditional as the food they hold. Here’s a little tableware history — if there’s a lull in your dinner-table conversation, it might…
With Thanksgiving right around the corner here in the States, this seemed the perfect time to take a look at the original table for feasting: the trestle table. The trestle table was the medieval dining table form — simply a loose board placed over trestle legs. Your average medieval castle didn’t have a room dedicated…
Illustration by Julia Rothman If you look at the chair above and think “Thanksgiving” or “apple picking in New England,” there’s a good reason for that! While the Windsor chair may evoke a New England country B&B, as the name suggests, the form is actually English. In 18th-century England, the chairs were used in the…
At Brimfield in May, I was completely and unexpectedly blown away by the cameos sold by Michael Weinstein (of the Bundy Museum). One of the absolute best things about flea markets is finding things that you never knew existed and didn’t realize you needed. Cameos certainly weren’t on my shopping list, and while I may…
illustration by julia rothman If you’ve been to a wedding, chances are you’ve sat in a Chiavari chair. From White House events to weddings all over the country, this chair is the workhorse of event chairs. Light, easily stackable, yet elegant – there is a reason that these guys make the wedding rounds. [clockwise from…
