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Quintessence

Quintessence

Lifestyle blog | Living Well with Style and Substance

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    • Books that I have collaborated on, as photographer, with design author Susanna Salk
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    • At Home with Dogs and Their Designers: Sharing a Stylish Life
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    • At Home with Designers and Tastemakers: Creating Beautiful and Personal Interiors
    • Making a House a Home: Designing Your Interiors from the Floor Up
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Design

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Books, Fashion, Travel

Traveling Companions

For those of you who romanticize travel and long for the days of civilized airports, airlines with glamorous stewardesses, ocean… Read More

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Art & Antiques, Fashion, Jewelry

Notorious & Notable

One of the events I am eagerly awaiting this fall starts during Fashion Week on September 14th but extends through… Read More

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Art & Antiques, Beauty, Entertainment, Fashion, Food and drink

Fashion Week Frenzy

This year there seems to be a new level of excitement leading up to this season’s Fashion Week. Not just with… Read More

hollywood_hills
Architecture, Interior design

Put to Good Use

Recently the editor’s pick at Jayson Home & Garden, the wonderful Chicago based source for unique modern and vintage furniture and accessories,… Read More

Back to School
Art & Antiques, Entertainment, Video

Back to School

Even though many children have already started school, I don’t think of the back to school season as officially starting… Read More

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Art & Antiques, Entertainment

The Mona Lisa Curse

I would imagine most of you are familiar with Robert Hughes. The Australian art critic wrote for TIME magazine for… Read More

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Architecture, Design, Interior design

The Fab Fifty

New York Spaces, the contemporary home design magazine, has just announced its annual (this is the third year) picks for… Read More

hermes-kelly-so-black-bag-profile
Fashion, Interior design

Happy at Hermes

They must indeed be very happy at Hermes since they just reported a 55.2% jump in first-half net profit and… Read More

its-complicated-6-remodelista
Architecture, Interior design

Wish list

I have decided to start a wish list here. It will be recurring and perhaps at some point I will… Read More

buffalo-book-jcrew-1040-madison
Art & Antiques, Books, Design, Fashion

J. Crew U.

I was in my local J. Crew in New Canaan over the weekend doing a little back to school shopping… Read More

destination paris
Entertaining, Food and drink, Gifts, Interior design, Tabletop

Tabletop Tips

I’ll admit it – I have a slight obsession with tabletop. I love it all – placemats, napkins, china, flatware,… Read More

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Art & Antiques

Vive La France

Today marks the 66th anniversary of the liberation of Paris after WWII. Ralph Morse was a photographer for LIFE for… Read More

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Charleston has a way of drawing people back again Charleston has a way of drawing people back again and again—and homes like this remind us why.
Tag along as designer @michaelmitchelldesigner welcomes us inside his gracious home, where layers of history, thoughtful collecting, and a deeply personal approach to design make every room a reflection of both its owner and the city itself.
LINK IN PROFILE.
One of my favorite things about setting a table is One of my favorite things about setting a table is that it never has to begin from scratch.

The most beautiful tables are collected over time—mixing old favorites with new discoveries, heirlooms with contemporary pieces, and the things you’ve loved for years with something that brings fresh perspective.

For this table, I’ve paired PeterDunham + Hudson Grace’s (@peterdunhamdesign @hudsongracesf ) beautiful salad and bread plates and napkins with Blue Carnation dinner plates, table linens, glassware, and flatware from my shop, alongside a few favorite pieces from my personal collection.

I hope this table is a reminder that you don’t need everything to match—or come from one place. The magic is in the mix. Every new piece should make you fall in love with the pieces you already own all over again.

That’s the joy of collecting—and the beauty of a table that reflects your own story.

Shop the table through link in profile
Very excited to be returning to @eleishvanbreems o Very excited to be returning to @eleishvanbreems on Nantucket for a 2 day trunk show next Thursday and Friday! If on island, do stop by! There will be many new introductions you will be the first to see!!
Some homes are beautiful. Others tell a story. Th Some homes are beautiful. Others tell a story. 
The Yucatán home of interior designer @laurakirar and architect Richard Frazier @rwf333 is both -  a masterful reflection of its surroundings, where architecture, landscape, light, and craftsmanship come together in perfect harmony.
Tag along for a visit to this extraordinary retreat and discover how years of collecting, collaboration, and creative vision shaped a house that feels deeply connected to its place. LINK IN PROFILE
Wishing everyone a very happy Mother’s Day! 🌸 Flow Wishing everyone a very happy Mother’s Day! 🌸 Flowers from my thoughtful husband - all else from my shop (plates coming soon - DM to be notified).
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