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

Navid Baraty-NYC

I am looking forward to spending some time in NYC over the holidays.

New York has always been one of my favorite cities and the place I feel most at home. I love these images of the city from renown photographer Navid Baraty. These seem to capture both the beauty and chaos that are the essence of The Big Apple.

Enjoy the holidays wherever you might be spending them!

Pantone 2013

It looks like Pantone and I are on the same page, as they recently named Emerald Green the color of the year for 2013. They describe the hue as "a color of elegance and beauty that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony,"

Here are some more inspiring emerald images from the world of fashion, art & interiors:

Image via SR Gambrel

Colored Paper Image II (Dark Green Curves) by Ellsworth Kelly

Image via Harper's Bazaar

Image via Sartorialist

Image via SR Gambrel

Miserden Park, England 2000 by Lynn Geesaman

Alpina Gstaad

The Alpina, a $337 million dollar luxury hotel, just opened last weekend in the famous Swiss ski village of Gstaad. It is the first five start hotel to open there in over a century. The hotel will feature a 20,000 square foot spa, two pools, a movie theater, wine room, three restaurants and 56 rooms. Strict building codes required the hotel to fit in with the nearby chalets so it was constructed out of wood salvaged from old farmhouses and limestone mined locally. The rustic chic interiors seem a perfect pairing to the picturesque views that surround it. 

The Fabulous Fireplace

There are not many things that I enjoy about the weather getting colder but one of them is a nice warm fire. One of my favorite sources for beautiful fireplace accessories is John Lyle Design.  All of their pieces are custom made of solid bronze and are available in a variety of different finishes.

Lafayette

Opening next month in NoHo, is a new French restaurant called Lafayette from Daniel Boulud's protege Andrew Carmellini.  The interiors, which were designed by Roman and Williams, will feature blue leather banquettes, a zinc hooded rotisserie, and a huge bar clock lit in Musee d'Orsay-esque lighting. The menu will focus on rustic dishes from the south of France, instead of traditional brasserie fare. They will also have an in-house bakery making classics like pain de noix. Lafayette 380 Lafayette Street, NYC.

Rendering by Roman and Williams

Popham Design Factory

One of the highlights of my trip was going to the Popham Design factory in Marrakesh to meet with the lovely owners Caitlin and Samuel. I am currently using their Hex Target tile on a project so it was fascinating to go to source and see how they were made. Cement tiles are traditionally used in Morocco for both interior and exterior applications. Popham Design uses the same century old process to make the tiles but they have a modern design sensibility that makes them fresh and unique.