Welcome Beyond

Travelling is one of my passions in life.  I have found that there is nothing better to broaden ones design sensibility than exposure to different cultures and places. I recently stumbled upon a fantastic website called Welcome Beyond, a uniquely curated collection of beautiful home rentals and boutique hotels around the world.  Here is a small selection of the properties on my list.

IM SPYCHER-SWITZERLAND

A'JIA-TURKEY

FERME DU VIGERNON-FRANCE

TREEHOTEL-SWEDEN

VILLA MAYANA-COSTA RICA

Andrée Putman

I was saddened to hear that famed Parisian designer Andrée Putman,  past away at the age of 87 last Saturday. Over the course of her illustrious career she will be remembered for her numerous contributions to the design world. On a personal note, I will always remember her as the source of inspiration for my first project in design school.

Her self taught career started after a divorce, when she discovered a passion for 1930's French modernist furniture. She then went on to design everything from homes to furniture to movie sets. Her big break came in 1984 when she was selected by Ian Schrager to design the Morgans Hotel in Manhattan. Touted as the first boutique hotel she once said that "because I started working in New York, the French suddenly asked for me." Below is a small selection of her life's work.

" To not dare is to have already lost. We should seek out ambitions, even unrealsistic projects....because things only happen when we dream. "- Andrée Putman (1925-2013)

The office of the Minister of Culture and Communication in Paris, 1985

Gildo Pasto Center, Monaco, 1996

Ministry of National Education, 2002

Crescent Moon and Clair De Jour seating designed by Andrée Putman

Home in Spain, 2004

The House of Hermes

Hermes has launched its first collection of fabrics and wallpapers drawing inspiration from their trademark equestrian and travel themes. Since 1937, when the storied French house printed its first silk scarves, their name has been synonymous with luxury. It seems like a natural step that they would bring that same sensibility to the world of interiors. 

Graphic Floors & the Louis Cube

Using graphic patterns on the floor is a fabulous way of transforming an ordinary space into something extraordinary. I especially like using them in small spaces such as entries, dining rooms and bathrooms.

I am currently working on a powder room using a marble Louis cube. This pattern, which was named after King Louis XIV, has been around since the Greeks and Romans used it on their floors. It is amazing to me that is still feels modern and current centuries later.

Louis marble cube 

Design by Kelly Wearstler from AD

Wythe Hotel, NYC

Design by David Netto from Veranda

Design by Kelly Wearstler

The Great American House

There is something so tranquil and idyllic about a country house rooted in traditional American architecture. Nobody understands this better that Gil Schafer. His book The Great American House is not only filled with beautiful images of his work, it also explains how the rules of classic architecture fit with today's modern lifestyles. When asked how he can design homes that are based on classical precedents when he is a 21st century architect he explains, "classicism is a language, and you can speak it in a contemporary way."

Images from The Great American House and Architectural Digest