Seaside Maximalism Out East

Posted on June 11, 2017 by Stacey Bewkes   •   9 Comments

Seaside Maximalism Out East

While many of us have long loved the timeless pattern-on-pattern richness of maximalist interiors, it is currently enjoying a more widespread appreciation. One of the two covers offered for the July issue of Architectural Digest, below, is on point with a marvelous example of seaside maximalism, written by Jennifer Ash Rudick from her upcoming book Out East with Vendome, shot on location throughout the Hamptons by photographer Tria Giovan. Look next month for my video with Susanna featuring another project from the book, Muriel Brandolini‘s chic weekend beach house.

In the meantime, you can get a peek at Out East through Woody House.…

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At Home and Around the World with Susan Walker and Ali MacGraw for Ibu

Posted on June 4, 2017 by Stacey Bewkes   •   30 Comments

At Home and Around the World with Susan Walker and Ali MacGraw for Ibu

Susan Walker has long walked the line between style and substance. With a spiritual soul, curious mind and educated eye she finally found what has become her true calling and three years ago, Ibu opened its doors in Charleston. In Indonesia, Ibu means woman of respect and Susan adopted the name for her company representing women artisans in 34 counties around the globe, using their time honored skills to create beautiful clothing and home decor. And now Ibu has launched Ali MacGraw for Ibu, a collaboration with the celebrated actress expressing her iconic style. Susanna and I were honored to visit Susan at her chic Charleston home and go behind the scenes with Ali to hear about the collection and attend the runway debut.…

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Posted in art, design, fashion, interior design, Quintessence video series, Stylish Shopping | Tagged , , , , , , , | 30 Comments  

Catching Up at Christies

Posted on June 2, 2017 by Stacey Bewkes   •   3 Comments

Catching Up at Christies

As I was catching up at Christies, I went down the rabbit hole and thought I’d share a few favorites from the many upcoming auctions. The decorative arts covers such an incredibly wide range of objets that reflect the history, tastes and lifestyles of their time. One such genre I have always found fascinating is boxes. And while this is a broad category, which the Metropolitan Museum covered with a charming exhibit several years ago, the upcoming Opulence sale at Christies in London offers an enormous selection in the singular category of snuff boxes, the required accessory du jour in fashionable 18th and 19th century circles.…

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Valextra x Dedar

Posted on May 30, 2017 by Stacey Bewkes   •   6 Comments

Valextra x Dedar

The long time love affair between fashion and interiors seems to only be getting hotter lately with more collaborations coming to the forefront of design. During a recent trip to Bergdorf’s, I noticed a very chic marriage of high style that has somehow stayed under the radar. It seems Valextra x Dedar, two of my favorite Italian luxury brands, were destined to tie the knot.

The result of their I-do’s are three mini versions of Valextra’s Spring ’17 Superbag. The limited edition Iside Mignons, clad in Dedar’s Serpentino, Funky Stripes and Viva, are reminiscent of Italian graphics and patterns from the 50’s, emphasizing the shape and geometry of the bag.…

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A Day to Celebrate and Remember

Posted on May 28, 2017 by Stacey Bewkes   •   8 Comments

A Day to Celebrate and Remember

Nothing quite says welcome to summer than Memorial Day weekend. While the official start to the season isn’t for almost another month, this is a day to celebrate the imminent sounds, smells and sights of warm weather living. And for me it’s now the count down until my departure for my annual summer destination of Nantucket.  As we all plot, plan and dream of our upcoming holidays, I pulled together a little visual inspiration from my photo files of recent summers on Nantucket.

all photos by Stacey Bewkes for Quintessence

But of course this is also a day to remember and honor those who have made sacrifices serving our country, which includes my father, a decorated officer and reconnaissance pilot in the WWII Army Air Corps.…

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Highlights of a Busy Week in Design

Posted on May 26, 2017 by Stacey Bewkes   •   3 Comments

Highlights of a Busy Week in Design

While there have been a plethora of industry events, I am catching up here with a few highlights from a very busy week in design. Monday evening was a reception for the most recent installation at the Carpenters Workshop Gallery. In their stunning Fifth Avenue space, select works from represented artists were paired with bold nature themed wallpapers from Pierre Frey for a beautiful and thoughtful intersection of art and design.

I remember being blown away (pun intended) when first seeing an incarnation of Studio Drift’s amazing Fragile Future dandelion chandelier several years ago in their Paris gallery. Exploring “the relationship between nature, technology and mankind,” the light sculptures are made of bronze electrical circuits enhanced by light emitting dandelions, all hand picked and individually glued to LED lights (detail below).…

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Join Me with Marshall Watson at D&D Spring Market

Posted on May 22, 2017 by Stacey Bewkes   •   3 Comments

Join Me with Marshall Watson at D&D Spring Market

This Wednesday, May 24, is Spring Market at the D&D Building. Marketing Director Liz Nightingale has lined up a blockbuster day of keynotes, showroom events, cocktail receptions and open houses around the theme ART x DESIGN. I am delighted to be a part of this informative and inspiring day where designer Marshall Watson and I will be having a conversation, “Enduring Elegance” in the Ferrell Mittman showroom.

Known for his classic approach to elegant, light-filled interiors, Marshall has always embraced the time honored principals of design to create interiors that are balanced, comfortable,  liveable and suited specifically to each client.…

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Historic Charleston by Bike

Posted on May 20, 2017 by Stacey Bewkes   •   12 Comments

Historic Charleston by Bike

Concluding this week’s look at Charleston, I am bringing you a pictorial peek (since I don’t have the back story on most of these residences) at historic Charleston seen by bike as Susanna and I did a quick tour of the central historic district. Not only do we brake for Instagram, we sometimes actually disembark!

For those of you not familiar with the city, there are several neighborhoods defining historic Charleston with South of Broad (“below” Broad Street, at the southern end of the peninsula) generally considered the most exclusive residential neighborhood, including prime examples of historic Charleston’s glorious residential architecture.…

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48 Hours in Charleston

Posted on May 17, 2017 by Stacey Bewkes   •   10 Comments

48 Hours in Charleston

On the heels of our latest video with Carolyne Roehm, I thought I would finally share some glimpses of Susanna’s and my trip to Charleston last month. We were honored to visit Ibu founder Susan Walker at her beautiful home and to document the debut of her collaboration with Ali McGraw (look for that video coming very soon!). With the new Dewberry Hotel as our base – their brasserie Henrietta, below,

we had a little time to explore, mostly via bike which the hotel generously supplies. My first call was to friend Olivia Brock. Originally from Connecticut, she designs at Torrance Mitchell, blogs and (more often) instagrams at Lacquered Life and with a masters in Historic Preservation, is in the know about all of Charleston’s great architectural heritage and design folks.…

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Setting the Table With Carolyne Roehm in Charleston

Posted on May 14, 2017 by Stacey Bewkes   •   14 Comments

Setting the Table With Carolyne Roehm in Charleston

When Susanna and I decided to launch our new Setting the Table With video series, filming Carolyne Roehm in Charleston at her historic home was at the top of our list. Among her endless list of accomplishments, her talent and passion for entertaining and setting a beautiful table is legendary. From flowers to flatware, no matter the season nor locale, her tablescapes have filled books, inspiration folders and Pinterest boards the world over. Please tag along behind the scenes as Carolyne shares her tips and advice for setting a stylish table.

On our recent visit to Charleston, Susanna and I were lucky enough to be welcomed into Carolyne’s new home (look for a full video visit this fall) where, when not at her beloved Weatherstone in Connecticut, she is now spending much of her time.…

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Posted in design, entertainment, interior design, Quintessence video series, Setting the Table, Stylish Shopping, travel | Tagged , , , , , , , | 14 Comments