C'est Inspiré is simply that - what is inspiring. Where the words end, images continue to speak. Seeing all that is around us, we seek some aspect of something that is life enhancing... something that you would like to be reminded of - to revisit. Something to capture and bring into your world, not leave behind... . That is why I take a camera everywhere; have spent countless hours organizing images in scrapbooks and pouring over them later to revisit the place, the people, the memory.
So, C'est Inspiré may be a single photo - or it may be 50, it may mean one thing to me, another to you - the meaning isn't important. Did it inspire? Did it make you smile? Did it bring back a pleasant memory? One or all of the above will do.
During a brief period of his life, the legendary art historian Bernard Berenson kept diaries where he wrote about how to see - and what he saw. These diaries were published under the title The Passionate Sightseer and edited by Raymund Mortimer.
Anyone, anywhere, anytime can be a passionate sightseer - just look.
I am always glad to see a fresh take on something ordinary, especially when under my tutelage! The dorm room of my decorating protégé, Max Sinsteden, was just featured in New York Magazine – and it is anything but the usual dorm room. With all the trappings of a gentleman bachelor’s apartment, Max has proven that one need not lower their standards, no matter what their square footage might be. Bravo, Max! See below for some of his decorating tips….
MAX’S TIPS FOR DECORATING SMALL SPACES…
1. Small should not be underrated!
2. For someone like me, who is immaculate but not necessarily tidy, a small space is the perfect answer! Everything has its place – making it easy to whisk away the day’s mess in five minutes.
3. STUDIO – By its very meaning, it begs for someone with creative juices to make something of it quickly and instinctively, without a lot of planning. It’s an opportunity to try something you might not attempt on a gigantic scale! Practice, practice, practice.
4. One lives in a dorm room, usually, for five months to a year. Show up with the basics!
- One can of paint, in a color you love (Thanks, Charlotte!).
- A carpet is essential. I had to cover the linoleum floor!
- Some art you like. In my case some great vintage prints, and one enormous painting by my friend Stephanie.
5. A college town thrift shop can be all you need! I bought a great chest of drawers, a mirror, and fabulous gilt frame (for my bulletin board).
6. Call in some favors. Not everyone has access to Charlotte’s leftover tid-bits, but surely you have a friend who can sew! My friend Margaret’s mother, upholsterer M.L. Glover, made the tartan cloth for me and the whole room came together!
LESSONS I HAVE LEARNED…
- Be bold.
- Observe everything.
- Find what you love, and do it ithe best you can.
- Multitasking is key.
- Edit, edit, edit.
- Learn to appreciate “decorating serendipity,” not everything is planned!
- Spontaneity is a good thing.
- Be true to yourself.
THE TWO GREATEST THINGS I HAVE LEARNED FROM CHARLOTTE MOSS…
- Appreciate everything and everyone around you.
- Realize and appreciate that inspiration is everywhere.
May 29, 2009
Of all the celebrity-studded, glamorous New York benefits and charity galas, this one is always the most fun! Benefiting Housing Works, the largest community-based AIDS service organization in the United States, this event raised over $650,000 last year alone!
Created by my good friend James Huniford, of Huniford Design Studio, Design on a Dime invites decorators, design firms, shops, stylists, manufacturers and even your favorite magazines (Country Living) to set up a 10 foot by 8 foot room showcasing their wares, their ideas, and their supreme generosity! Here’s a link to my interview with David Boyer on the Housing Works website.
Of course, the best part of all of this is that EVERYTHING on display is for sale, at unbeatable Housing Works prices!! If you missed it this year, you can still try and catch a few great finds at a Housing Works shop, but put it on the “To Do” list for next year. I got a snap of fellow blogger, Heather Clawson of Habitually Chic, buying a fabulous neoclassical cachepot from my booth. A feather in both our caps!
This year’s event, Design on a Dime 2009, will benefit Housing Works 874 Jefferson Avenue Residence Project. A new Housing Development project consisting of 12 permanent units of supportive housing for single, formerly homeless adults living with HIV/AIDS, the Jefferson Avenue Residence Project will consist of the substantial renovation of a three-story brick building in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
May 20, 2009
Spring is here and nothing compares to a walk in the park – and for New Yorkers, one of the most beautiful places to stroll is the Conservatory Garden in Central Park.
Tulips and daffodils, French lilacs and crabapples in perfect bloom – every color and shape imaginable, a palette of pure inspiration!
May 7, 2009
This has been a great season for show houses. Charlotte has seen gorgeous rooms from Palm Beach to Charlotte, Chicago to New York City – and what better way to end the spring than in Rumson, NJ at the Stately Homes by the Sea Encore Designer Show House.
This year’s show house benefited the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey and took place at Sheep’s Run, a beautiful estate built in 1915 for Thomas F. Vietor and his wife, the former Elizabeth Allen. The house evokes the romantic charm of a Cotswold cottage, featuring extensive, ornamental metalwork, twenty-seven rooms and ten tiled baths.
May 4, 2009
This has been a great season for show houses. Charlotte has seen gorgeous rooms from Palm Beach to Charlotte, Chicago to New York City – and what better way to end the spring than in Rumson, NJ at the Stately Homes by the Sea Encore Designer Show House.
This year’s show house benefited the Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey and took place at Sheep’s Run, a beautiful estate built in 1915 for Thomas F. Vietor and his wife, the former Elizabeth Allen. The house evokes the romantic charm of a Cotswold cottage, featuring extensive, ornamental metalwork, twenty-seven rooms and ten tiled baths.
