I wanted to create a room that celebrated women and life, so the natural  holiday was Mother’s Day. I created old Hollywood glamour wrapped up in soft colors, soft and plush textures, and created an ambiance suited for comfortable elegance. I wanted the mother of the home to feel elegant and cushy comfort at the same time.

I used Ralph Lauren Home because honestly no one compares to Ralph Lauren’s elegant understated and glamorous sophistication. Ralph Lauren Home just gets it right. I loved incorporating my personal antiques and memorabilia to add the touches a real mother’s salon would have. If life was a movie and the mother was entertaining with a tea or a cocktail party, there is nothing more dreamy than a room twinkling in silver crystal creme silk and cashmere. Such a refined and comfy interior. Old Hollywood glamour American style brought to life!

The most important tips for Mothers Day are 1st: unconditional love!  Scented candles, a twinkling piano, pink flowers, silver, a beautiful card or poem.  Honor the woman who gave you life, celebrate women and love. Love is the only thing that brings you into this world and love is the only thing you take when you leave this world. Honor the woman who gave you life! Celebrate life and love!

Happy Mother’s Day!

At Holiday House 2010, Robin Wilson created a unique Easter table setting inside of a snow globe.

Photographs by Robin Wilson Home

“I was inspired by the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland who has a through-the-looking glass whimsical energy. The home has a central courtyard that looks into each room and we felt that this element carries through the home. ”

“Easter has different meanings to so many people – from the religious origins to the hopeful energy of children as they experience the commercialism of gifts, bunnies and a hunt for candy. Everyone who saw the snow globe had a smile, and many people peered through the glass…” – Robin Wilson

Designer Jennifer Duneier also took on Easter at Holiday House 2011 in the form of a feminine sitting room filled with bright and beautiful hot pinks and turquoises.

Photogaphs by Peter Dessel

Jennifer focused on colors and textures, to create a calming and relaxing environment. Jennifer says that Easter is all about making  things fun for the children of the house.  Baskets full of Easter eggs that are hand decorated make a great table centerpiece.  If you have a more formal room you can display the eggs in a crystal bowl to add a little sparkle.

Jennifer also suggests putting an Easter wreath of peonies and hydrangeas on the front door – it sets the tone for guests that are coming to participate in an Easter egg hunt or Easter brunch.  One of the best parts of Easter is the fresh flowers that are available for around the house and in the garden. Jennifer created a mini garden complete with an Easter rabbit and eggs outside the window of her Easter sitting room.

Jennifer also went a step further by being the only designer to take on a bathroom in addition to her room! Below are a couple shots of her clean, modern design.

Happy Easter everyone!

Photographs by Phillip Ennis and Norman & Cathy Yohay.

Marjorie and Cathy constructed large scenic panels to fit in the existing rectangular applied  moldings on the wall, giving the illusion of large windows through which the visitor sees the dramatic vista.

They created an elegant, Paris style apartment by selecting a mix of old and new furnishings that complimented each other and the space, such as the antique Art Deco console table from Antiquera Tribeca,  the whimsical wall sconce “Pop” from Boyd Lighting (available through Donghia), and lucite coffee table from Spectrum West.   The dominoes with rhinestones were a personal touch, and you can just imagine a couple playing with them while sipping champagne on a romantic evening.

The fuchsia chairs were found at an antiques fair in terrible condition and were lacquered and reupholstered in magenta leather and wool boucle for an elegant Chanel feeling. The sofa is a vintage piece as well, all the way from France. The jewel encrusted side table between the chairs is  from Hellman Chang, and the rug came from The Rug Company in New York.

Drapery cornice and period accessories were added, such as the Carl Springer torcheries and Tony Duquette Goddess  statue (from 41 Main Antiques).  The dessert cart was from Baker, Knapp and Tubbs.

The walls were painted with venetian plaster and then gold leaf was applied, (a play on words for April Fools Day). The color scheme was kept subtle since there was so much going on in such a small area.

Fun fact: On April Fools Day in France, children traditionally tack paper fish on each other’s back as a trick and shout “poisson d’avril!” (April fish!).

Happy April Fools Day!

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.

The  8’ Edward Wormley black mohair sofa paired with the low black cerused coffee table by TH Robsjohn Gibbings offers everything one would need to cozy up indoors.  The massive ten-arm chandelier was truly the room’s centerpiece.  Its arms, reminiscent of tree branches, subtly illuminated and enhanced the hand painted gunmetal metallic ceiling.  The faux fur bench, which Irwin designed specifically for the space, added yet another element of luxury.

Marcy, Irwin’s wife and a candid portrait and landscape photographer, had gone to Central Park the previous winter during a blizzard and had taken a multitude of photos over the course of several hours during and after the storm. Those photos served as the foundation and inspiration for Snow Day. The photo truly captures the elegance that snow creates in a natural setting.

There is very little color on a snowy day and that was reflected in the neutral palette of greys, blacks and taupes that Irwin selected, while the room was given dimension from the abundance of textures.  Irwin chose charcoal for the flooring to mimic city streets and sprinkled faux snow around to give the illusion of being outdoors.  Although the palatte was fairly neutral the colors were saturated and luxurious.

March is also about enjoying Sundays with nothing to do – just relaxing and reading your paper. Designer Eileen Kathryn Boyd’s favorite thing to do on a Sunday is to sip coffee, nibble all day long, cat nap and read the NY times front to back.  Eileen created a room perfect for doing all this at Holiday House 2011.

Eileen chose her favorite color story of smoky purples, lavenders and greys. The wall covering is a modern interpretation of the classic Zuber creating a misty artistic surround. The wallpaper is actually “peel and stick” wallpaper by Black Crow Studios – self adhesive and removable! It is technically a hybrid of a textile and paper which is tightly woven and produces an extremely high print quality. Cool right?

The furnishings are a combination of current and traditional that reflect the way young couples easily mix family treasures along with newer acquisitions.

Among the great representation of fabric companies are Sunbrella, Schumacher, Romo, and Kravet. Also featured in the room are some of the fabrics from Eileen’s newly launched collection with Duralee.

Holiday House 2010 featured a dazzling Grammy celebration room by designer Jolie Korek.

Photographs by Ted Astor.

Jolie’s rock star Grammy room featured a shag rug, electric guitar, and sparkling geometric shapes in the fabric from Romo.

Platinum records and portraits of musicians finished off the room.

This Sunday is another awards show deserving of a glitzy viewing party: the Oscars. At Holiday House 2011, Deb Landis designed the perfect ”Night at the Oscars” media room, complete with a 130 inch screen from Audio Command Systems.

Photographs by Mark Kiely.

Deb based her design on a chic Hollywood party,  and the room evokes a sense of old world Hollywood charm, with varying shades of light shimmery gray in the rug from Stark Carpet, to a dark charcoal couch from Weiman furniture.

Life size vintage black and white posters of famous actors and actresses also added to the glamor of the room.

Different sensual textures, such as a silk carpet, long mohair fabric on the sofa, and shiny glass beads on the pillows were used.

A touch of gold and sparkle were added with the Oscar sconces and coffee table and fireplace accessories from Interlude Home.

If you’re planning on hosting your own Oscar watching party, you can easily add in some decorative gold tableware and accessories. Happy viewing!

Handing out Valentine’s Day cards as a child, making chocolate heart lollipops with my daughters, and now setting the perfect romantic table for my husband and me. Whether it’s the perfect breakfast tray or the ultimate champagne glasses to compliment the romantic table for dinner, every detail should be perfect – and filled with love!

Yes, I am a true romantic at heart…what’s better than chocolate and champagne?! As James Rixner said about his room at Holiday House 2011: “It’s all about chocolate!”

-Iris Dankner, Holiday House Founder

James Rixner photos by Nick Johnson.

James chose Benjamin Moore’s “Dark Chocolate” #CSP-270 to cover his walls, and chocolate brown was everywhere, from the lush silk carpet to the artisanal MarieBelle chocolate squares on the plates!

We stopped by MarieBelle’s chocolate shop in Soho to check out what treats and ideas they had for Valentine’s Day.

We were treated to three delicious chocolate and alcohol tastings: Rasberry vodka with wildberry ganache chocolate, Grand Marnier paired with Madagascar chocolate, and Chambord with ginger chocolate.

Each pairing was carefully selected, and the berry flavors indeed lingered back and forth between the wildberry chocolate and rasberry vodka, while the Madagascar brought out the tangy citrus flavor of Grand Mariner, and the ginger balanced the sweetness of the Chambord.

Other suggestions from MarieBelle expert Rodolfo Martinez include Cognac with any type of spiced chocolate, and champagne with passion fruit ganache. When drinking champagne, always make sure to go with a milk or white based chocolate. Rodolfo’s rule of thumb when pairing chocolates is: “The lighter the liquor, the lighter the chocolate.”

James Rixner suggests creating visual drama by serving champagne in Baccarat’s Mille Nuits flutes, which come in an array of colors.

When entertaining, James says that a bar or server is important in a dining area.  A simple folding cart can be set up as a bar with an elegant tray, ice bucket and barware, as James did in his room.  When not functioning as a bar, this piece can also tempt your guests with a display of decadent desserts.

The dark and neutral rooms tones of this room were accented with the cinnabar chairs, pillows, artwork, and flowers. This creates dramatic impact and relates to the Valentine’s Day theme without using the more expected true red.  For your own Valentine’s Day setting, this can be done with flowers or serving items such as table cloths and napkins.

Valentine’s Day, just like great interior design, should be a feast for the senses.  Timothy Miller, who designed a gorgeous Valentine’s Day room for Holiday House 2008, advises: “Excite all the five senses! Sight – visual excitement such as color or playing with scale and proportions; touch – textural excitement such as velvet, tweed, chenille and linen fabrics; smell – captivating fragrances (aroma therapy); hearing – mood music sets the tone; and taste – when possible, candies in a dish or fresh fruits in the kitchen. When you excite all the senses it involves the full person! You want to be in the room…it just “feels” right! Be creative!”

Photos by Phillip Ennis.

And finally, we’re giving away a 16 piece box of MarieBelle’s Valentine’s Day chocolates.

To win just do 2 out of the 3 (although all 3 won’t hurt!):

• Leave a comment below
• Like us on Facebook
• Follow us on Twitter

Good luck and Happy Valentine’s Day!

We’re kicking off with Chinese New Year (January 23rd), which is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays and marks the end of winter (apparently New York City missed that memo!).

Everything associated with the Chinese New Year should represent good fortune, and the tradition is to reconcile, forget all grudges and sincerely wish peace and happiness for everyone.

2012 is the year of the Dragon, which represents luck. At Holiday House 2011, designer Inson Wood’s Chinese New Year room featured a sculpted Great Dragon from Lladró’s High Porcelain collection.

Inson’s room also featured lots of red, the predominant color of the holiday, and an emblem of joy, virtue, truth and sincerity. During celebrations, it is customary to wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children lucky money in red envelopes.

Inson painted the room’s walls with Benjamin Moore‘s “Moroccan Red” #1309, and as is custom on the holiday, the room’s doors and windows were also painted red for luck.

Photos by Peter Rymwid.

The room featured art by Jeff Koons, Ron Ehrlich, Larry Zox, Jeff Zimmerman and Michael Dickey, and furniture by Ruhlmann, Herve VanderStraeten and Paul Mathieu. The table below was artfully set for tea with white porcelain pieces from Lladró’s Equus Collection.

The dining table is from Pollaro and the chairs are by Ico Parisi circa 1955 from Van Den Akker Antiques.

Luscious red window treatments are in silk taffeta with custom trim from Christopher Hyland.

The room is anchored by a stunning Sultanbad silk rug from Orley Shabahang.  A Herve van der Straeten chandelier from Maison Gerard floats elegantly overhead Moura Starr’s luxurious sofas.

Designer Inson Wood of Inson Dubois Wood LLC. Photo by Alexa Hoyer for PMc.

The year before, at Holiday House 2010, designer Barbara Ostrom also incorporated dragon themes and plenty of red into her Chinese New Year table setting.

Photos by Philip Ennis.

When planning your Chinese New Year menu, there are several symbolic foods to be served: fish is served whole with the head and tail to symbolize a good beginning and end to the year, eggs represent fertility, noodles bring longevity, tangerines for luck and spring rolls for wealth!

And with that we’ll leave you with a Chinese New Year dessert recipe: jien duy, sesame seed balls. They’re a perfect recipe for the New Year as they swell when cooked and are said to represent your luck expanding. May your 2012 be happy, healthy and prosperous!

Jien Duy

Recipe from About.com, cooking compliments of us!