07/10/2019

Resist More – Edit Your Pieces for a Designed Result

Try going an entire day without buying something. While this is not a trendy celebrity challenge of the moment, the thought sheds light on our behavior as a consumer. During this East Hampton small cottage series, our team was confronted by an accumulation of so many belongings it had that overwhelming step-into-an amusement park feeling–and not in a good way–more like getting sick on your unfortunate neighbor scenario.

A few good pieces come together after an intense deliberation process.

 

A move is a therapeutic process that allows you to scale down to your basic needs. By evaluating what you want, editing out extraneous items that no longer hold value, you can effectively design a space that has a controlled theme and function.

The first area we tackled is a living room corner. Art is the key element to this home’s aesthetic, thus finding a place for so many important works is a worthy yet doable challenge.

A larger selection creates more of a challenge on choosing the best fit.

The Final Process

We chose “Doheny“, a large abstract painting because the wall could accommodate such a  piece and it looks less manic than a compilation of smaller works. The soft colors have enough touches of the seafoam green to compliment the vintage statement chair. Small accompanying accents like the blanket and stools offer both comfort and visual appeal.

If a lesson could be gleamed, avoid future impulse buys and choose something that will fit.

Resources:

Doheny painting: ducks goose

Stools: Serna & Lily

Blanket: Annie Selke

06/29/2019

Small Homes Are Trending, Here’s Why

Dissecting millennial traits has become popular sport for marketers, interpreting their love of Ubers and anathema to anything DIY, but this group can be quite practical despite the initiative. Take their preference for smaller homes, which maximizes square footage over superfluous space.

The modifications to this 1950s East Hampton clapboard and how to unearth its inherent character with modern updates will quell the desire to sling a wrecking ball to a period home. Where to spend, when to save and learning to embrace the appeal of a smaller home will all be explored in this series that will be profiled in real time.

Renewing the trend of a smaller home and its worthy traits, which capitalizes on shared time, charm and practicality.

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06/12/2019

How to Determine Quality Items

There’s good retro, like worn out Levi’s and malted milk shakes sipped with the swivel of a soda fountain chair. Then we have bad retro—sideburns and pine tree air fresheners that make you want to vomit in the back seat of a cab. Currently I am packing for a new home, a process that has reunited me with unopened boxes that didn’t make the cut from the last move.

A push-button phone in a statement color is too innovative to toss, making for a worthy accent for a styled vignette.

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06/05/2019

What Makes Art Legitimate? Three Expert Perspectives

When HomeGoods is selling abstract pieces with artist bios beneath the cellophane, art has officially become mainstream. There are works that prompt the I can do that reaction. Questioning whether the pictures have the kind of symbolism you learned in art history or do they just look really good above a sofa. Any shift in the art world is synonymous with controversy. How can you decide what signifies a good piece of work? Three different expert perspectives offer insight.

A grouping of current works show the direction the artist is channeling.

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05/16/2019

The Paradox of British Tabletop Style – To Fuss or Not to Fuss?

Whether it’s a new royal baby, becoming reacquainted with granny china or there were actually moments of sunshine this week to pick flowers without having to wear a coating of rubber from all of the biblical East Coast rain–British style reigns. The English may be known to be fussy with their hats and hundred pound draperies but they also have a loose quality, notably on the table.

An imprecise display of tea ware, garden-picked flowers and pastries create a casual yet welcoming table setting.

 

How to get the British look? Think layers and personalization:
  1. Layering: Formal place settings complete with butlers and finger bowls is all very manor house, but a more casual setting eliminates many of the rules. There is still rich detailing but lost is the precision of looking too matched. A variety of tea ware, pulled-from-the-garden flowers, and a lone textile create a setting like no other.
  2. Embellish Embellishments: Back to the no-rules mindset, add accoutrements to the unexpected, like flowers and powdered sugar to the pastries.
  3. Be Selective: Sometimes a basic teabag is just that, basic. Be adventurous with more high end teas, which are a great investment from the packaging alone.

 

04/25/2019

Spring Clean without Chemicals to Safeguard Your Home

If you need to break out a chem book when reading the ingredients on your cleaning products, it’s time for a toxin-free treatment. Detoxes aren’t just for socialites with couture ambition, the process can work on the home. Many of our household products contain enough harmful ingredients to spawn a sci-fi nemesis but it’s hard to pass up that insta-spray and clean result. Despite living in an efficiency-motivated culture, cleaning depends on attentive care. Now that I run a household that includes future generations, an awareness of the right household cleansers is essential.

Detox the home with chemical-free cleaners.

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03/19/2019

Inspired Spring Tablescapes for Easter

It starts with crocuses, the garden waif that’s aggressive enough to break through thawing winter soil. Colors soon burst onto the scene. Garish Easter items take over candy aisles. Open your doors and it sounds like an aviary from the wail of birds. These are the notes to take to your Easter tablescape.

Pastel trimmed dishware by Pip Studio directs the scheme. Accents and treats complete the look.

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03/12/2019

Dressing in Layers — Styling for the In Between Seasons

Every month has a theme. For March it’s a time of transition. Consider its adage, “In like a lion, out like the lamb.” Though, from the past March’s I’ve experienced, the lion essentially mauled the lamb and took over. In the spirit of unpredictable weather, layers allow you to dress for flighty elements while still looking pulled together.

Dubbed “Jane Eyre Dressing”, the layered look captures the needs of the cool and damp climate of the British Moors, which effectively keeps you warm with an attention to classic detailing. Furry dogs as accessories recommended.

 

Clothing that can be worn with other clothes add warmth while having that immigration to the New World appeal. While it may not be because travelers had to dress in their belongings to save room in their steamer trucks–yesteryear’s version of pricey baggage fees–it creates an elegant and tailored image. Look for pieces made of durable fabric, neutral colors and can be slipped on and off without looking like something prurient.

Shop Transitional Clothing
  1. Bogs Boots 2. Rebecca Taylor Dress 3. Vermont Country Store Leg Warmers 4. TopShop Dress 5. Brixton Hat 6. Sundance Hand Warmers 7. Aigle Jacket 8. Annie Selke Scarf

 

02/22/2019

No Recipe Healthy Banana Muffins – Yes, No Recipe!

Time to retire the measuring cups. When you have a home of baked goods enthusiasts, you can wing a recipe the way you do pasta and scrambled eggs. Banana muffins are always guaranteed to go straight from the pan to the tummy, so when you make them as much as we do you tend to improvise based on the number of people around while tweaking with more nutritional-dense ingredients like egg whites, low-fat milk, whole wheat flour and oats over white flour and maple syrup and apple sauce as a substitute for sugar.

Using all-natural ingredients that are kitchen staples, blend to your favorite consistency. By preparing without a set recipe, you are likely to bake more, which guarantees the fresh factor.

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12/18/2018

In a Christmas Decorating Slump? Look to the French!

In the bustle of holiday hoopla, let’s consider Charlie Brown and his timeless message, has Christmas become too commercial? Of course it has, this is why we need the French. Marketing the holiday commits a few offenses: It shrouds its intended biblical origin, ruffles environmentalists by cutting down trees while the fake ones inevitably retire in landfills, and consumptive behaviors escalate. Similar to those popular books on lessons learned from the French, like how to keep fit and avoid cosmetic surgery, France is also a model on how to celebrate the season. Noel is a time for family to come together. Meals are collectively prepared with an emphasis on traditional and natural recipes. Decor is understated and festive. By simplifying the season there is more time to enjoy its activities with family and friends.

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