Swedish Decor in the Hamptons

Here is a lovely home in Sagg Harbor designed by Heiberg Cummings Design. Known for their contemporary Swedish design mixed with old world antiques; they create interiors that are interesting and layered, as well as light and airy. This home is clearly influenced by the Swedish style but tempered with traditional beach house design, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere.

Heiberg Cummings is known for its combination of light, simplicity and subdued colors. Notice how the walls are lightly washed with white, but instead of harsh and stark, they seem luminous and soft. You can still see the knots of the wood peeking through. I love the addition of the old, worn rugs; notice the fraying ends. The rugs add an interesting layer of warmth against the white wood walls and painted floors. Also notice the sofa's interesting lines and use of linen slipcover.

Lets take a closer look at the details that warm up this space. Notice the texture all over the room. On the floors we have worn oriental rugs, a rope knot as a door stop. Rising up you notice Linen slipcovered furniture, old washed wood tables scattered around the room, a barn wood lamp with linen shade, and even the addition of worn leather books. The windows, take on a more modern feel; adorned only with shades. All these elements add layers of warmth and interesting texture to this space.

Moving into the bedroom we see an antique chair mixed with new slipcovered upholstery. Bed linens are all natural materials that look soft and inviting. Notice the obvious lack of color which creates a soothing subdued natural palette. Pull down shades in lieu of drapes on one wall look clean and contemporary.

The bathroom is a mix of old and new. Notice the sleek light fixture and the antique Swedish chair, both elements pop because of their juxtaposition.

Heiberg Cummings Designs has offices in New York and Norway; above Bernt Heiberg and Bill Cummings. They have designed some wonderful furniture with Norwegian company, Hodnebo. Below are just a few of their lovely new pieces.

Do visit Heiberg Cummings Design to see many more wonderful interiors and visit Hodnebo to see more of their collaborative efforts.

Home and Garden hosts Suzanne Kasler

What do you say about a store that is brimming with beautiful things?

That has the best selection of Julie Neill Chandeliers, Aidan Gray accessories, and Hickory Chair upholstery and case goods? A store that is full of edgy accessories, new ideas in garden decor, and lovely Swedish and French reproductions.A shop that tops it off with a talented in house staff, an excellent relationship and appreciation of local interior designers and owners with great business sense and even better taste? You call it Home and Garden in Covington, LA.

Just a short drive over the Pontchartrain bridge from New Orleans and you arrive at a mecca of fabulous home design all under one roof. Home and Garden is owned by: John, Kenny and Jennifer Rabalais. With their outstanding taste and excellent business acumen, they have a created a wonderful environment for designers and homeowners, alike, to create beautiful interiors.Home and Garden houses the largest display of Julie Neill lighting, outside of Julie's own shop, and the largest selection of Suzanne Kasler's line for Hickory Chair in LA. Above notice the Julie Neill Juliette chandelier and the Suzanne Kasler Choate Dining Table.

With so many wonderful lines available here, and so much inventory to choose from, Home and Garden creates some fabulous vignettes. Here is a wonderful dining room! Notice how the Julie Neill Ingrid Chandelier Pendants echo the lines of the dining chairs.

As promised in my previous post on New Orleans, meet Jeffrey McNeely, Director of Retail Development and the namesake of Julie Neill's new Jeffrey Chandelier above. Jeffrey works exclusively with designers to help them create the perfect look for their clients. Notice the Julie Neill Madeleine chandelier to the left and the Artemis toward the middle bottom, and the Jeffrey on the right- Suzanne Kasler Prado Bookcase in the background.
Home and Garden has literally hundreds of interesting accessories. Above is an impressive display of metalware by Beatriz Ball.

Here is a summer beach tablescape complete with Aidan Gray candlesticks.

Lovely slipcovered ottomans with incredible ribbon detailing and an Aidan Gray lamp.

They also carry several slipcovered lines. I loved this sweet chair with embroidery.

Home and Garden also has several vintage items and antiques - Here is an antique lantern, the patina on this piece was amazing.

Millie, Kenny, Suzanne, Gina

So imagine my excitement when Kenny Rabalais invited Millie and I to come to Home and Garden and meet famous designer, Suzanne Kasler! For my readers who may not know, Suzanne has been named by "House Beautiful" magazine, one of the top 100 designers for 2005 and one of the top 125 designers for 2004; "House & Garden" named her one of 50 Tastemakers in March of 2006; and Suzanne was the 2003 Southeastern Designer of the Year!

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Since her launch of her line for Hickory Chair last year, Suzanne has been visiting premier retail locations and sharing her visions of design. Home and Garden hosted a luncheon in Suzanne's honor and invited local designers meet her and learn more about her design inspiration and philosophy.

Probably the most interesting part of meeting Suzanne was learning about many of the pieces in her line and what inspired her to have them recreated by Hickory Chair. I learned that many of her pieces were recreated from antiques she had personally collected over many years, or had found for her elite clientele. She spent over a year and half working closely with the craftsmen at Hickory Chair to create what she believed were beautiful pieces that would fit in with both modern and traditional styles. Let's have a look:

The Frederica Bench is a beautifully proportioned, delicate, hand-carved reproduction of an antique French bench from Suzanne Kasler's home. Though beautiful, the original, like most antiques, was bit too narrow and uncomfortable. She deepened the seat and softened the cushioning and now, its the perfect marriage of beauty and comfort. She couldn't find a wide enough stripe for the bench, so she used solid fabric cut to width to create the wonderful striped effect. Anasthasia bench, Antoinette side table and Alexandra chair also pictured. Suzanne has known the Rabalais family for many years and helped decorate John's home in Rosemary Beach, Florida. The slipcovered Nanette chair was actually inspired by a chair Suzanne found for John. She fell love the oversized shape and scale and convinced him it was perfect for his home. Also pictured are the Auburn ottoman and Ainsley chairs.

The original Campaign Desk, actually sits in Suzanne's home office. It was a bit too narrow and also quite warped, as antiques tend to be over years of use. The Hickory Chair Campaign desk has a wider proportion for a laptop and of course no warping. The metal work on the original was painstakingly recreated. Suzanne commented that she was thinking of switching out her original desk with the new one, simply because it looked identical and lived much better! One of Suzanne's favorite pieces in the line is her Anasthasia bench, a Russian antique that she found in Paris. The original, above, sits in Suzanne's living room. She said she missed the bench, as Hickory Chair had several of her pieces for months and months, while they meticulously recreated them down to the most minute detail.


And here they are recreated at Home and Garden. I love Suzanne's signature stripe upholstery. Also shown is Suzanne's new Emory skirted sofa.
Here are the Anasthasia benches upholstered in plain linen.



Comfort is very important to Kasler. All her upholstered pieces were designed with comfort in mind. Here is the Emory chair.
But when we think comfort we so often think unattractive; not so with this line. Suzanne is famous for her dressmaker like details. Here is the Emory chair at Home and Garden. Notice the flange welting and pleated skirting.

She is inspired, she says, by the French antiques and French modern pieces she collects. This inspiration is then personalized by the addition of signature details like grosgrain ribbon trim and dressmaker skirts (blending dressmaker details into upholstery is a favorite Kasler technique).
The result is refreshing, a little witty, and versatile enough to work in environments that range from informal to elegant; evident again in the slipcovered Nanette chair

Other items recreated by Hickory Chair from Suzanne's home include:


The Choate Dining Table which was inspired by Suzanne Kasler's antique Regency table.
The Piedmont table, a great wooden, farm table inspired by the original which sits in Suzanne's kitchen. Also pictured is the new Carlisle Credenza, which Suzanne explained is better because the doors are not warped like her original. And the Chastain Chair, which comes slipcovered or with bare legs, which was inspired by a wicker chair Kasler slipcovered for her office.



She also has a wonderful line of lighting made by Visual Comfort.
This chandelier is a copy of the one that hangs over her kitchen table.


Here is her brand new Thornton lamp, just released at market. I love this!! It is modern and classic at the same time.
Her lights are available at Circa Lighting.



She also has the Suzanne Kasler rug line available from Safavieh. A wonderful collection of 10 to 12 hand-knotted wool or combination wool/silk rugs.
For more information about Suzanne Kasler see this wonderful post by Things That Inspire and this interesting and very comprehensive post by Cote de Texas.
Suzanne mentioned that as a designer she was so clear on what she wanted to create, but she did not know what to call her "signature style". Her publisher mentioned they were very inspired by her interiors and hence came the name for her new book: "Inspired Interiors" , which will be released in October 2009. I am sure it is going to be fabulous and chock full of wonderful information.

I had an unforgettable time in New Orleans, meeting Suzanne Kasler, and of course the Rabalais family, and their exceedingly talented staff. If you get to New Orleans, do not miss visiting Home and Garden. You will be thrilled and astounded, as I was. Oh, if only I could have stayed longer...

Swede Hill - Green on Block Island

I am taking a quick break from posting about my trip to New Orleans to give you a peek at what all my "green" friends in New England are buzzing about: Swede Hill. Swede Hill is a newly constructed LEED "Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design," registered home. It promises to be one of Southern New England’s truly “green” luxury homes. This stunning private hilltop retreat offers breath-taking southerly and westerly ocean views towards Montauk Point and Long Island Sound. The house is situated on a hill that faces both south and west, providing spectacular ocean views. The 3000-square-foot home will be located on four protected acres of Block Island, which is just off the coast of Rhode Island and east of Montauk Point.

The house itself has four bedrooms (plus a guest suite, on top of which solar panels will be installed) and is being offered as a single-family residence. Green design features include solar-heated domestic hot water and fifteen percent of all interior heat; the house’s swimming pool is also solar-powered. A graywater system will provide landscape irrigation (though the property does not have a lawn) and all shower heads and toilets are low-flow.

All photos Luxuo
Given the high winds that sweep across Block Island, the structural design of the house considers those additional wind loads. As you can see in the images above, the house will benefit from those winds through a design that both maximizes cross-ventilation, as well as considers other passive solar and daylighting techniques. Building materials include locally-sourced stone and reclaimed wood. The architect estimates that construction costs should be around $650 per square foot.

Although the property itself is four acres, the Swede Hill House occupies a relatively small footprint by comparison. It is an exciting project for Block Island, as well as a beautiful design. Who says "green" building can't also be luxurious?

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addtl info from greenbuilidngsnyc

Visiting on Magazine Street

Blogging is an interesting business. We sit alone and write and our posts, we read other blogs and comment. And yet, what seems like such a solitary activity is actually very social. Over the past year, through Willow Decor, I have had an amazing opportunity to connect and make cyber friendships with several other bloggers. So what a thrill it was to meet two of them in New Orleans: Valorie Hart of Visual Vamp and Julie Neill of The Bayou Contessa. Valorie writes an great blog that keeps it all real. She has a great design sense and style. Her experience with design (and life) allows for her refreshing perspective! Visual Vamp is filled with interesting design ideas, as well as designer and artist profiles.

We met up at perch. - a fabulous must stop shop on Magazine Street. We only had time for a very quick visit, but I was able finally meet Valorie and to shoot some photos of the great items available at perch.

Entering perch. you are immediately impressed by the unique and beautiful inventory. Everywhere you turn in perch. you find another treasure.
I loved this zinc architectural piece - It would make such an interesting mirror. I also adore the antique door it was hanging on.

You know I love the Mora clock and the chair is so wonderful - I love its traditional lines with a contemporary twist! Isn't this a great little table? I like the way Valorie paired the more formal bust with the very contemporary mirror. Valorie called this the "girl-y room" - It really was! A gorgeous mix of watery blues and greens, and my amateur photos do not do this space justice. I wish Valorie and I would have had time for tea there! But, I was very late for a meeting with New Orleans' Bayou Contessa!
Julie was kind enough to spend some time and show me around her beautiful shop. It is housed a 120-year-old building with her showroom in the front and offices in the back. It is a wonderful old historic New Orleans building with 14-foot ceilings and separated into different rooms.When I walked in I nearly lost my breath. EVERYTHING was so beautiful.
And when I turned to the right, I was overwhelmed again by the beauty of another room.

This bed is a new item in Julie's furniture line. It is fit for king and queen and even has a crown on top! Notice the Hallie Chandelier hanging on the bed and the Arrow Sconce.Here is a collection of some of Julie's sconces and starburst mirrors. The patina on Julie's pieces can not be captured in photographs. There is a great depth and layering in the colors, creating a wonderful effect. Sconces pictured in the top photo are Danica and Michael; in bottom photo, Jodi.

Every one of Julie pieces was created for an individual client before they were added to the line. They are named after the person they were made for. If someone gets more than one piece, Julie names them after one of their friends or another member of their family. Of course Julie is best known for her chandeliers. Pictured above is the Madeleine.
Here is another favorite of mine - the Isabelle.

Look at this stunning chandelier named Juliette. I had to take a real close up so you could appreciate the workmanship and detailing.Julie also creates other beautiful furniture. Here is her Garland Vanity, complete with signature Julie Neill crown. Perhaps Julie's most interesting new development is her ability to cut metal into any shape she desires. This is allowing her unlimited options as to what she can create. Pictured above is Artemis Chandelier with crystal drops. The Meme Chandelier was stunning!
I was so taken with this brand new design that I forgot to write the name down. How about the Fabulous!
Here is another new design named Jeffery! And as luck would have it, you will meet Jeffery in my next post!
Another new item is the Chain Spiral. This is an innovative and decorative way to trail your Chandelier chain from the ceiling to your fixture. No more ribbon sleeves for me. So how does Julie ensure that her lights remain stunning? She makes them right in New Orleans. We had a chance to visit the studio and meet the artists, hard at work creating these custom pieces. They spend hours layering and layering to create the special finishes. Julie checks each and every one daily to make sure they all have her signature patina! We had such fun!! Here we all are chatting on the bed! From left to right: Me, Millie Gaines-Interior Designer, Julie Ponze-Director of Sales, and Julie Neill-The Bayou Contessa.
You may not be aware that Julie is also an accomplished artist and sells some of her work in her shop. Here is one of my favorites. The camera did not capture well the gold pattern or the watery teal blue color. I wish it had fit into my suitcase because it really spoke to me.

Finally, Julie does spectacular custom work. Here an entry way done by "Things that Inspire". Aren't Julie's custom sconces just perfect?!

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.For more personal information on Julie read the wonderful interview by Ornamental Design. And, to see even more of Julie's beautiful work be sure to visit Julie Neill Designs or The Bayou Contessa.

Thanks Valorie and Julie-it was great to finally meet you!