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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
    • At Home in the English Countryside: Designers and Their Dogs
    • 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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Travel

Design Video Update
Garden, Interior design, Travel

Design Video Update

I’ve been so busy trying to keep you up to date with my latest inspiration and finds, that I hadn’t realized… Read More

A Day in Venice
Art & Antiques, Fashion, Food and drink, Interior design, Travel

A Day in Venice

Nobody knows how to give good travel recommendations better than a local. And when that local is the head of a… Read More

Summer Travel Inspiration from Italy
Fashion, Food and drink, Interior design, Travel

Summer Travel Inspiration from Italy

While it isn’t even officially summer, the Memorial Day weekend has clearly marked the onset of summer travel. Already I’ve been… Read More

Inspirations from Italy
Architecture, Art & Antiques, Design, Garden, Interior design, Travel

Inspirations from Italy

What a whirlwind of a week! With not a moment to write a proper post, I wanted to at least… Read More

Greetings From Lecco, Italy
Design, Interior design, Travel

Greetings From Lecco, Italy

Greetings from Lecco, Italy! This charming town on the shores of beautiful Lake Como is where Susanna and I are calling… Read More

Los Angeles collage
Interior design, Travel

Report from Los Angeles

It’s been a very busy few days here in Los Angeles (did I tell you I was coming?). From filming… Read More

A Video Visit to Mercanteinfiera | the Parma Antiques Fair
Art & Antiques, Gifts, Interior design, Travel

A Video Visit to Mercanteinfiera | the Parma Antiques Fair

Twice a year, in spring and fall, Italy’s largest antiques fair, the Mercanteinfiera, takes place in the historic and gastronomic… Read More

Weekend Update
Art & Antiques, Fashion, Interior design, Jewelry, Travel

Weekend Update

Sometimes, I’ve put something on the back burner for whatever reason and a nudge from my wanderings online and elsewhere… Read More

Hotel Splendido Portofino
Architecture, Travel

A Walk from Santa Margherita to Portofino

After enjoying our hotel‘s bountiful buffet breakfast on our one full day in Santa Margherita, we approached the always helpful concierge to… Read More

Grand Hotel Miramare in Santa Margherita Italy
Style, Travel

(Not Quite) 48 Hours in Santa Margherita and Portofino

While less than 48 hours on the lovely Ligurian coast seems impossibly short, it was just long enough to get a… Read More

Cornucopia Magazine
Architecture, Art & Antiques, Design, Food and drink, Interior design, Travel

Cornucopia Magazine

I can still remember seeing Mica and Ahmet Ertegun’s Bodrum villa for the first time. It was decades ago in a publication… Read More

Italian Riviera collage
Travel

A Respite on the Italian Riviera

After Susanna and I wrapped up our shoot of the antiques show in Parma, we scurried over to the coast… Read More

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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).
Great day at this year’s @thetickingtent with a fa Great day at this year’s @thetickingtent with a fabulous selection of new and repeat vendors in a spacious new tent ! A few of my faves - some of which didn’t make it in only because I couldn’t get good shots with the crowds! Wonderful to see so many design friends and congrats to @christinajuarezandco and @aspoonfulofbenjamin on an even bigger and better event at the beautiful @springhillvineyards !
Nantucket’s Daffodil Festival turns 50 this weeken Nantucket’s Daffodil Festival turns 50 this weekend — half a century of decorated antique car parades, legendary tailgate picnics, and armloads of the island’s most cheerful bloom. The Daffodil Flower Show, organized by the @nantucketgardenclub is worth the trip. Today the island is at its most glorious, and this golden table, along with some festive shots from past Daffy days, is our small celebration of a very big milestone. (The flowers may not be daffodils, but the spirit is entirely there.)
Comment DAFFODIL for links to shop everything on the table — all from Q Worthy.
Our latest video visit is here! Tag along as we st Our latest video visit is here! Tag along as we step inside the Paris apartment of French product and interior designer @pierregonalons where his home serves as a living laboratory for his ideas! LINK IN PROFILE (latest video).
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