Emerald Elegance

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day and Pantone’s 2013 Color of the Year, we are celebrating Emerald this week with a look back at the ways 2012 Holiday House designers used this luscious color to enliven their spaces.  Pantone describes Emerald as “lively, radiant, lush…a color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well being, balance and harmony,” and we saw those attributes cleverly employed throughout Holiday House last fall.

Our designers certainly are trendsetters and several from the 2012 Holiday House – Geoffrey Bradfield, Suzanne Eason, Tobi Fairley, and Lee Robinson – were ahead of the curve, using Emerald evocatively before Pantone bestowed it with the “Color of the Year” accolade.

Geoffrey Bradfield’s “Remembrance of Things Past” room evoked the splendor of a bygone era with a sophisticated black and white color scheme.  A few strategically placed paintings with deep green hues, such as “Green Earth Deep” by Julie Hedrick (Nohra Haime Gallery), really brought the room to life.

The “Spring Forward” room by Tobi Fairley was also full of black and white elements mixed with fresh, pale pinks.  Commanding attention were two stunning vintage Murano emerald and gold lamps (Swank Lighting) that Fairley called the “jewelry” of her space.

Malachite Wallpaper, Cole and Son

Lee Robinson chose “Chinese New Year” as his theme since 2012 was the auspicious Year of the Dragon.  Robinson conveyed the energy of the dragon and nature’s abundance with rich Malachite wallpaper (Cole and Son) paired with chinoiserie and bountiful orchids.

Another 2012 Holiday House designer who took inspiration from earthly delights was Suzanne Eason with her “Origins of Life” Birthday Study.  Radiant emerald pieces included “Coins” table lamps in green glass (Lorin Marsh), a serpent rug (Fornasetti Rug Collection of Roubini Rugs) and inviting pillows (HB Home).

Hopefully these gorgeous greens have gotten you in the spirit for St. Patrick’s Day.  Here’s an idea for toasting both this inspiring color and the patron saint of the Emerald Isle…a Baccarat Vega flute in emerald green!

Wishing you the luck of the Irish!

Spring Forward

We lose an hour of sleep this weekend, but it’s a worthwhile sacrifice to gain lighter evenings for the next half year!  Spring Daylight Savings always feels like a sigh of relief as the winter is coming to an end and the beauty of Spring is upon us.  Tobi Fairley chose this day as inspiration for her 2012 Holiday House room and captured it perfectly.

Entering Fairley’s Holiday House sitting room felt like taking a breath of fresh Spring air.  It was light and feminine but also grounded by deep black elements, such as the Merida Meridian black wool and sisal rug.  One of the finishing touches, a bouquet of pale pink peonies, was so simple but made everyone forget that it was November!

The always clever and fun Fairley didn’t stop at one theme, but also connected the room to the idea of being “Fashion Forward.”  In her own words, “The inspiration is truly Spring Forward and Fashion Forward: the idea of couture details that you would see in Fashion paired with a Spring Palette for a soft, sophisticated and timeless look.”  The black and white design of the Phillip Jeffries wallpaper is reflected on the curtains with custom embroidery by Villa Savoia.  Additional stylish black and white elements include black grograin detailing on a white settee, expressive black and white artwork by Kansas City artist Jane Booth, and lovely black double sconces from Dunes and Duchess.

In addition to her interior design talent, Fairley is also the consummate hostess.  For our Holiday House Cookbook, she contributed a Kiwi Mango Mint cocktail recipe that “is screaming sunshine and freshness, making it perfect for Spring and Summer parties and patio brunches.”

Ingredients
1 part 42 Below Kiwi Vodka
5 parts mango nectar/juice
8 mint leaves

Preparation
Fill a highball glass with ice
Add mint leaves and vodka
Top with nectar/juice

Tobi’s tip: releasing the mint into a dash of the nectar via a short muddling is worth a little extra work!

Tobi Fairley was invited to participate in Holiday House by sponsor Traditional Home.  Most of the furniture in her room was from Hickory Chair with fabrics from Schumacher and Duralee.

Photography by Michael Rodenbush

More Birthdays, Less Cancer!

Holiday House is thrilled to celebrate our 5th birthday with an extraordinary showcase of the best in home design to benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation®.

In honor of this milestone, we are looking back to last year’s “Happy Birthday!” room by “Bring it to the Table” (BiTTT), an inspirational and forward-thinking networking group for women in the interior design and home furnishings industry. In the great spirit of collaboration, several talented BiTTT members teamed together, each bringing something of her own talents, and the result was a stunning and cohesive space that promoted the work of women in the field. The birthday theme was inspired by the American Cancer Society‘s goal to “make a world with less cancer and more birthdays.”

Caption: BiTTT’s founders Sherri Skov (l) and Lana Lawrence (r) with lead designer Bonnie Steves (m) on a custom Anthony Lawrence Belfair chaise with Laurie Klein photomural in background. Photography: Marisa Pellegrini.

BiTTT’s creation, led by interior designer Bonnie J. Steves of BJS Assoc, was a dressing room and elegant retreat for a strong and beautiful woman—a woman who works hard but also honors each day and each coming year with joy and appreciation. This celebration and love of life is expressed with a luscious palette of chocolate brown and raspberry, sparkling details, decadent furnishings and artwork.

Photography: Jonas Gustavsson.

A focal point of the space was a chic Maison Jansen desk for a sophisticated woman to write to work, read, and be inspired.  She would be seated on a bronze thrown-like chair from Bergdorf Goodman with a regal looking ceremonial head dress from VW Home by Vicente Wolf hovering behind and elegant custom Anthony Lawrence Belfair window treatments draping around her.

Photography: Jonas Gustavsson

The tone for the room was set by three magnificent pieces of artwork: “Contours of a Woman,” a Laurie Klein photomural, celebrating the female form; “Brown Branches,” delicate stenciled pigmented hand-made linen papers by Donald Baechler at Pace Prints; “Cake for Disney,” a birthday cake sculpture by famed artist Will Cotton, who is known for decadent, pleasure-inducing imagery.

For more inspiration, please join us at Holiday House 2012, October 25 – November 18, where we will celebrate interior design, women’s health, breast cancer awareness and, of course, MORE BIRTHDAYS!

“Cake for Disney” by Will Cotton. Photography: Jonas Gustavsson.

And thank you to companies who supported the BiTTT room and helped make last year’s Holiday House a success: Anthony Lawrence Belfair, CL Sterling, Carlisle Collection, Nina Helms, S.A. Baxter, A/V Consulting, NY Stone Manhattan, Cristol Glass, Karl Kemp Antiques, 1stDibs and many more.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

This year Holiday House is opening in October to commemorate Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an important time to raise critical funds and awareness for breast cancer prevention and treatment.

We are so proud that this year ‘s Holiday House beneficiary is The Breast Cancer Research Foundation^®, a leader in the fight against this disease that touches too many lives.  It’s with great admiration that we are honoring Evelyn Lauder, the brilliant and courageous founder of BCRF who passed away in November 2011.

Photograph by Evelyn H. Lauder

Acting Chairman of BCRF, Leonard Lauder, is thrilled that Holiday House is dedicated to BCRF this year. “My wife, Evelyn, with her wonderful eye for beauty, would have been delighted by this event. We look forward to a very successful showhouse which will fuel BCRF’s ability to continue to fund the most promising research around the world.”

The passionate and committed Mrs. Lauder not only brought global awareness to women’s health issues but was also a style icon and artist.  As a dedicated photographer with a keen eye for beauty, she focused her camera on views of nature, both grand and minute with an exquisite eye for detail.

Holiday House, which combats breast cancer through a celebration of beauty and style, is honored to exhibit Mrs. Lauder’s work at our October 3 Kick Off party and throughout the Showhouse, which will begin with an Opening Night Preview Party on October 24 and is open to the public October 24 – November 18.

Photograph by Evelyn H. Lauder

Select works will be sold at the Showhouse, and in keeping with Mrs. Lauder’s belief in the healing power of beauty, all proceeds from the sale of her photographs will continue to benefit BCRF.

Please mark your calendars for our events and be awed by gorgeous interior design while helping fight breast cancer and raise awareness about early detection, which truly saves lives.

Geralyn Lucas, author of “How I Wore Lipstick To My Mastectomy” and great friend of BCRF and Holiday House, asks all women to take her “I Am” pledge and “spend as much time, effort and money getting screened for breast cancer as on other beauty treatments.”

As Evelyn Lauder reminded us, “health is the most wonderful of all gifts.”

Mother’s Day

In honor of Mother’s Day we are featuring designer Ally Coulter‘s gorgeous room from Holiday House 2011, guest written by Ms. Coulter herself!

Continue reading →

April Fools!

For April Fools Day we take you back to Holiday House 2010, where Marjorie Sobiloff and Cathy Yohay of SY Interior Designs transported visitors to a Paris apartment with views of the gardens at Chateau de Villandry.

Photographs by Phillip Ennis and Norman & Cathy Yohay. Continue reading →

Snow days and Sundays at home

Well we were saving a snow day post for March, but the weather gods have decided to bring us spring early! We still couldn’t resist sharing designer Irwin Feld‘s Snow Day room from Holiday House 2010.

Irwin wanted to take a departure from calendar holidays and create a day where visitors could celebrate nature and the simple things we’re surrounded by but often take for granted. Irwin created a sense of intimacy and a place where you could cuddle up, have some hot chocolate, play a board game, or simply take a nap on a winter day.

Photographs by Marcy Feld. Continue reading →