{style chronicle in new york: elliot erwitt exhibit}

I am back from New York and what a noteworthy trip it was! We visited many stunning antique shops, shopped for spring clothes and indulged in fabulous food. One of the highlights of my trip was seeing iconic photographer Elliot Erwitt's project for Italian leather goods company Tod's. On display along the halls of Berdgorf Goodman's 8th floor, the images are a visual treat, capturing the essence of the simple, elegant lifestyle of Tod's clientele. The exhibition aptly named "Icons by and Icon," the collection consists of 40 black and white photographs of chic families from the US and Europe, donning their own classic Tod's pieces.

Elliot Erwitt was born in Paris and raised in Los Angeles and New York City. He has endured a glorious career in photojournalism capturing some of the most beautiful, humane, and humorous moments of the last century. Since the 1950's Erwitt has been represented by the prestigious Magnum agency. His work has been on display in many prestigious art institutions including the MOMA and Smithsonian.

If you are in the New York area be sure to pop into Bergdorf's to see this elegant exhibit. The photos are on display through May 3rd. Also, check out the fun video from the photo shoot on the Tod's website.

{top 5 images are from tod's "icons by and icon" exhibit. all others from ellioterwitt.com}

{new york city bound}

Sorry for the lack of posts as of late. I have been oh so busy! Tomorrow morning I am off on a girls trip to NYC. I will be back later in the week with fun new posts from our trip. Have a great week!

{well said}

"What is the use of a house
if you haven't got a tolerable planet to put it on?"
Henry David Thoreau

Happy Earth Day!

{image via vogue: people parties places}

{framing wallpaper}

I recently had remnants of some modern striped wallpaper framed to hang in my living room. The room is filled with mostly traditional furnishings so I wanted to add some contemporary touches to keep the space fresh. The color scheme for the room is green, blue, white, and gold so this abstract blue stripe from Larsen was perfect. I have yet to pick the exact location where I want hang these new pieces but I am sure they will find a home on an empty wall soon enough!

Framing or wallpaper is an inexpensive alternative to costly fine art. The key is to find a wallpaper you love and either have it mounted on canvas or framed simply so as not to compete with the paper itself. If you choose a scenic paper it is best to frame or mount an entire repeat. In the case of an all over pattern such as a stripe, damask, or geometric, you can frame as large or as small a piece as your wall space requires.

L.A. based designer Suzanne Rheinstein framed two pieces of chinoiserie paper in her timeless living room.

Domino Magazine featured many beautiful examples of framed wallpaper throughout its years of publication. This large panel of chinoiserie paper used in the dining room Laura Vinroot Poole still looks fresh as a backdrop to the modern dining room furnishings.

Dining rooms are great spaces to use framed wallpaper panels. They are one of the most often wallpapered rooms in a house. If you cannot afford or do not want to commit to a certain print, framed panels are a great solution.

Bunny Williams used colorful, framed scenic Chinese wallpaper to unify this dining room showcased in her book Point of View.

Like Williams, Steven Gambrel used a pair of scenic panels as the focal point in this eclectic dining space. The wallpaper incorporates and makes sense of the varied colors used in this happy room.

{images: 1 & 2 author's own, 3- via mrs. blandings, 4 & 5 domino magazine, 6- via bunny williams' point of view, 7- via stylecourt}

{dreaming in green}

With spring well underway, I have been giving a lot of thought to landscaping. While the landscaping we inherited isn't bad I would love give the yard a makeover. I think I will have to settle for a few tweaks and a bit of manicuring but I have been saving images of landscapes I love. My dream garden would be simple, streamlined and elegantly chic. There would plenty of manicured grass, boxwoods, both potted and planted, and white perennial flowers such as roses, peonies and hydrangeas. Oh, and a simply lined pool with an open pool house, some stone terraces, and a pergola would be lovely as well. A girl can always dream, right?

{images: 1, 2, 6, & 8- via gil schafer landscape design by page duke landscape architects, image 2 & 5 via page duke landscape architects, 4 & 7 via elle decor: photographed by simon upton, 9- oscar de la renta via vogue.com; 10- kelly wearstler via vogue.com; 11 via- miranda brooks}

{cheap and chic}

West Elm has recently given their ever popular Parson's Table a makeover with a chic dose of rattan. Its clean lines, chic woven texture, and unmatchable versatility has won me over.

Doesn't it remind you of the console that graced one of the most popular covers of Elle Decor?

{treillage}

There is nothing like trellis on walls to bring the outdoors in, which is exactly what I want to do this time of year. It is fresh, airy and chic, giving a space a classic flair without being to serious or heavy.

Trellis work has been used throughout history to keep light out but to allow air to flow freely. In the early 1900's, legendary designer, Elsie de Wolfe introduced the use of trellis as a decorative wall treatment when she covered a room at the Colony Club in New York with panels of garden trellis. In the 1930's trellis work was used to add whimsical glamour to celebrity homes decorated in the Hollywood Regency style.

{colony club decorated by Elsie de Wolfe}

Trellis works best in sun rooms, eating areas, solariums and other well lit spaces. I prefer when the trellis and the walls are white but as you can see from the images below, it can be applied to interiors in a multitude of ways.

{home of style icon c.z.guest}

{images: 1 and 2 via lonny magazine, 4- via ashley whittaker, 5- unknown, 6- vesta forte via domino; 7- via southern accents; 8- via house beautiful, 9- home of c.z. guest via home and garden}

{well said}

Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.

-- Confucius

{image via vogue: people, parties, places}

{trophy for tots}

I am loving these fun, regal looking papier mache busts from Anthropologie. They are the perfect wall decor for a nursery, boy's room or play area. Each bust has been hand made in Haiti from recycled cement bags and discarded french books which gives these beautifully made pieces a bit more meaning.

{success at scott's}

On our way to the Masters Golf Tournament, I convinced my husband to make a quick stop in Atlanta at the Scott Antique Market. It is one of my favorite places to find reasonably priced antiques and decorative items. Held once a month in two large expo centers, it is certainly a place you must visit at sometime or another if you live anywhere in the Southeastern United States.

I found six of the Jansen style chairs (seen in the photo above) at last month's market. They are small in scale, but oh so pretty so I will be using them in my living room and entry as accent chairs. It is hard to tell in the picture but they are painted in cream and gold, a favorite color combo of mine. Their shape reminded me of these chairs seen in Aerin Lauder's New York apartment.

Several months ago, I found these beautiful ceramic lamps decorated with ornate flowers and birds. When I purchased them, I thought I would use them in my bedroom, but they are just to amazing not to be seen by all, so for now they are finding their home on our dining room buffet.

I had little hope of finding chairs for the dining room anytime soon that would fit the budget so I was more than ecstatic to find these 1940's french dining chairs at a great price. They are a modern take on Louis XVI chairs and they fill in the room beautifully.

This bright yellow lamp with a crystal base was found this month as well. With a pleated linen shade, I think it will be the perfect bright addition to my paneled family room. Now I just need to find a table to set it upon!

Last month, I picked up this wooden coffee table with a parquet inlay for my living room. It was quite a steal. I have yet to accessorize it properly but I will get to it soon enough.

I am constantly on the hunt for affordable and chic accessories for my many built in bookshelves. This chinoiserie horse fit the bill. He looks happy in his new home, doesn't he?

I have been searching for a pair of blue and white vases to put on either side of my living room mantel. I found several great looking ones at Pearl River Mart in New york but none would fit on my shallow mantle. I needed something tall but not too deep. Two of these fit perfectly.

I was not alone while doing all of this damage. My friend Betsy found these great looking Barcelona stools. I think they will end up finding their home in her boy's room.

She also picked up this elegant brass lamp to put on a chest in her living room.

These handsome Staffordshire lions make a fun statement on the mantle in her library.

And she also found this neoclassical desk to put in her office. It will be getting a makeover with some black lacquer paint and will become home base for a busy designer and mother to three boys!