Update – Condo Is SOLD… Not quite a true interior design ‘inspiration’ post, but thought we would let everyone know that I’m listing my condo for sale.  It’s definitely a bittersweet moment.  Josh and I have loved living there, but alas, it is time for a move to get a bit more space.  Sad to [...]

Feminine, chic, glamorous, and intimate.  I’ve been loving photographs of Irving Penn’s for a long time, but recently I’ve been loving the depth and intimacy of his images.  I ran across a quote of Penn’s which speaks to the power of his images: “Sensitive people faced with the prospect of a camera portrait put on [...]

Slim Aarons lived by the mantra “attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places.” And it’s true, he photographed some of the world’s wealthiest celebrities, jet-setters, and royalty, but somehow with a feeling of approachability and closeness.  From his NYTimes obituary it seems as though Slim had become one of them.  He was actually close [...]

I was looking through some photos from our trip to Russia this past summer when I noticed these two photos of gold gilt details.  The first is gold gilding on moldings and the ceiling in the dining room at the Hotel Savoy in Moscow.  The second highlights gold gilded columns at The Hermitage in St. [...]

Exterior Ceiling at Sacre Coeur Recently I’ve been noticing and admiring decorative ceilings – the photos above are from trips to Paris, Italy, and Russia where I saw a more notable use of decorating ceilings in these historic palace interiors.  So after admiring the interior design of these palaces, I’m determined to use decorative ceilings [...]

Palm Beach Interior Design Palm Beach…ahhh, where it is always 80 degrees, sunny, and the beach is never more than a few block away!  Plus, it has gorgeous gardens, great architecture, and some tasty restaurants too – all in one small island.  It’s no wonder why so many people flock there during the season – [...]

Taxidermy in Interior Design One of the most visually arresting ways to add intrigue and character to a room is through the use of taxidermy.  It makes a statement as bold as the wildest wallpaper or furniture piece, as big as any super saturated color palette can do.  And what I find so interesting about [...]

This past summer we went on a tour of a few Moscow sites.  The oil tycoons and the nouveau riche of Russia have really changed the way luxury interiors in Moscow are designed.  Sure the palaces of Russian Czar’s were grand, but who would have thought that a grocery store could be this ornate.  In [...]

I’m a big fan of public artwork.  But in Chicago we usually see it in the forms of sculptures and installations.  While in Moscow this summer we ran across some installations of paintings placed atop building exteriors.  They took what was a simple cinder block building and gave it a punch of beauty.  They distracted [...]

As you know I’m a big fan of mixing styles and eras, but they’re rarely ‘uber-modern’.  Sure I’ll have modern touches here and there, but I’ve really come to appreciate a new (yet old) form of modernism called Cubism.  Oftentimes for me true modernism feels austere and cold, but cubism feels more visually stimulating, almost [...]

About a year and a half ago while at Art Chicago I ran across a new artist’s work that I fell in love with. Every few months her work comes back to mind, oftentimes when visiting a client with young children.  It’s the perfect blend of beauty, aesthetic intrigue, and yes, the perfect amount of [...]

        While normally I’m a fan of wildflowers, the un-kept, and overgrowth in landscaping…I’m also a huge fan of the formal hedge garden.  Perfectly manicured, groomed, and without a single leaf out of place, they’re an ode to elegance and a staff of royal gardeners. But what I really love, and what [...]

I’m not sure what it is, but in the last couple years I’ve really developed a passion and interest in exterior doors.  They’re like the front cover to a great book, or an amuse-bouche at a great restaurant – they clue you in to the experience you’re about to have.  To me, they set the [...]