End of an Era – Madeline Weinrib is Closing Shop

Posted on April 17, 2018 by Stacey Bewkes   •   4 Comments

End of an Era – Madeline Weinrib is Closing Shop

So many of us involved in the world of design were saddened to learn that Madeline Weinrib is closing shop. Her iconic designs were some of the very first to promote a global view and celebrate the work of artisans around the globe. She put pink rugs on the map and made ethnic polka dots chic. And along the way, she has collaborated with a variety of creative people and places such as the Neue Galerie, BAM, Manolo Blahnik, the IFPDA Print Fair, Soledad Twombly, Sebastian + Barquet, Barneys and many more. I’m sure it was not an easy decision for her, but in an age of commercial copycats, I so respect Madeline’s decision to stay true to her mission.…

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Spring 2018 Tabletop Market

Posted on April 16, 2018 by Stacey Bewkes   •   11 Comments

Spring 2018 Tabletop Market

While the Lenox Hill gala has provided inspiration for warmer weather entertaining, the Spring 2018 Tabletop Market offers a glimpse of what will be available in the coming months as we start to think about entertaining later in the year. Market always starts for me at Lalique, where they are celebrating the 130th anniversary of the Maison. The latest collection, Hirondelles, honors the swallow, a harbinger of spring and a motif often referenced in Lalique’s work – the limited edition (130 pieces) vase below.

The swallow is also celebrated on many other works including medium sized vases in four colors (clear and sapphire not shown)

lamps

paperweights (also occasionally used as car ornaments)

as a beautiful gold stamped stopper on the Hirondelles decanter

and small sculptures, which, with a clever double-sided magnetic attachment, can be used as a decorative element on walls, in floral arrangements etc.…

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Lenox Hill Gala 2018

Posted on April 14, 2018 by Stacey Bewkes   •   8 Comments

Lenox Hill Gala 2018

Today we’ll take a last look at more of the tables from the Lenox Hill Gala 2018 before we move on to see what was new at Tabletop Market. A hint of spring was seen at Cathy Kincaid‘s table where a centerpiece by Sebastian Li set the tone

with a tablecloth in Sister Parish Design‘s Titania, Ginori plates and Charmajesty  monogrammed napkins completing the pretty picture.

Designer Kristin McCory worked with Stellar Style Events to create her amazing centerpiece.

A tablecloth of Schumacher’s Brighton Pavillion by Miles Redd mixed beautifully with Pottery Barn chinoiserie dinnerware (sadly no longer available).…

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2018 Lenox Hill Neighborhood House Gala

Posted on April 12, 2018 by Stacey Bewkes   •   5 Comments

2018 Lenox Hill Neighborhood House Gala

It’s that time of year, and even though the weather hasn’t been particularly springlike, we are having the usual spate of seasonal design events. Monday evening was the wonderful Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club Presidents Dinner, honoring NYC’s five interior design education institutions and the lifetime achievement award going to David Easton. Stay tuned for sneak peeks of the showhouse at the end of next week! And then this week has also been tabletop market – those who follow along on Instagram got a glimpse – full post coming soon.

And then last night was the 2018 Lenox Hill Neighborhood House Gala. …

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Setting the Table with Charlotte Moss

Posted on April 8, 2018 by Stacey Bewkes   •   27 Comments

Setting the Table with Charlotte Moss

Charlotte Moss is not only a celebrated decorator and prolific author but a consummate and creative hostess. And although the title of her tenth book, out this week, may be Charlotte Moss Entertains, she actually eschews the term in favor of something less formal, less intimidating and definitely more fun. For what is more pleasurable and satisfying than hosting a meal or party for friends and family. As Charlotte espouses, “setting the table is everyday decorating” and we heartily agree! So please join Susanna and me for a behind the scenes video visit with the accomplished, wise and always resourceful author in her beautiful NYC home, as she shows us how, with minimal effort, we can make every day an occasion.…

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Posted in books, entertainment, interior design, Setting the Table, Stylish Shopping, video | Tagged , , , , , | 27 Comments  

The Timeless Appeal of Plain English

Posted on April 6, 2018 by Stacey Bewkes   •   10 Comments

The Timeless Appeal of Plain English

Plain English is appealing in any form. Whether language, or in this case traditional bespoke kitchens, we like it straight forward with proper and enduring construction, gracious yet utilitarian style and a certain personal flair. Plain English kitchens checks all the boxes with the debut of their beautiful new Greenwich Village, NY showroom.

Over 25 years ago, Plain English was founded, like many of the best firms, to fulfill its owners unmet needs and desires. Tony Niblock and Katie Fontana wanted a traditional, painted kitchen for their house in Suffolk, England. When they couldn’t find what they envisioned, they hired a local carpenter to make it, painted it themselves and then of course Plain English was born.…

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Putting on the Ritz

Posted on April 3, 2018 by Stacey Bewkes   •   4 Comments

Putting on the Ritz

There are so many wonderful upcoming auctions, it’s difficult to keep up. First on my calendar is French house Artcurial‘s mammoth sale from the Ritz Paris. Since 1898, the beautiful Place Vendôme has been home to this iconic hotel.

Founded by César Ritz, the hotel became “the ambassador of French luxury.” The entrance to one of the old Ritz suites below.

photo Pascal Chevallier:Gamma-Rapha

Everyone from the Duke and Duchess of Windsor (the original Windsor Suite, below) to Coco Chanel to F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald were regular guests, not to mention throngs of international royalty, Hollywood stars, world leaders, designers and artists.…

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DIFFA Dining by Design 2018

Posted on March 29, 2018 by Stacey Bewkes   •   1 Comment

DIFFA Dining by Design 2018

Continuing our look at DIFFA’s Dining by Design 2018, we start with the beautiful Ralph Lauren Home table. Inspired by the courtyard of Ralph’s restaurant in Paris, the romantic setting under their Evalina chandelier included chairs brought in for the occasion from Ralph Lauren’s Bedford estate.

Blue and white has been a longstanding theme with their collections and here Cote d’Azure, Mason and Casey stoneware create a charming painterly mix. Underneath, the new white Belcourt porcelain, produced in collaboration with Bernardaud, adds a crisp and refined touch.

The Dagny hand-cut crystal has long been one of my favorite patterns

The new Bailey wine tote in wicker and leather with wine opener, cheese knives and four porcelain plates

also echoes the Paris store with its signature insignia and ticking stripe interior.…

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Peter Pennoyer at DIFFA Dining by Design

Posted on March 27, 2018 by Stacey Bewkes   •   5 Comments

Peter Pennoyer at DIFFA Dining by Design

DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS) is a cause close to the design community’s heart and their annual Dining by Design gala is always an inspiring event, where brands and designers come together with creative installations. I was delighted this year to be sitting at architect Peter Pennoyer’s table, where he and his interiors team, led by Alice Engel, partnered with Sunbrella.

Imagining a fantasy dinner party including luminaries of literature and design, they created tasseled chair covers (expertly executed by Anthony Lawrence Belfair, the firm who beautifully reimagined my borne settee) with the names of such legends as Frederick Law Olmsted, Virginia Wolf and Rosario Candela (Peter will be designing the upcoming exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York on the iconic NYC architect).…

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Out and About in Florida and Around the World

Posted on March 25, 2018 by Stacey Bewkes   •   6 Comments

Out and About in Florida and Around the World

This past week I was happily out and about in Florida, visiting family and escaping the unseasonable weather. It was refreshing to see green and color in both nature

and the tropical exteriors.

And while I was away, there was also an abundance of inspiration online from some favorite publications, reinforcing an oft-favored theme in these parts of looking back to move forward. As Hanya Yanagihara espoused in her editor letter for this week’s inspiring T Magazine Design Issue, “None of us can resist announcing our presence, no matter how temporal or humble our dwelling might be; we write ourselves into walls as a way of protesting the relentlessness, the uncaringness, of time.” Tom Delvan’s wonderful piece on Schloss Hollenegg is a particularly striking example.…

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Posted in architecture, art, furniture, interior design, travel | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments