A Low Key New Year's Eve

Every year, about a million people crowd Times Square to watch the ball drop at midnight on New Year's Eve. And yes, I said a million. I looked it up. As you can imagine, that creates a bit of chaos in the city even beyond all the street closings. That's why my friends and I usually prefer to celebrate at someone's apartment for either drinks or a dinner party. If you plan on doing the same, here are a few ideas and images to help inspire you! Happy New Year!

When you think of New Year's celebrations, usually silver comes to mind but I think gold is a lovely alternative. It has a warmer feeling and the table designed by Carolyne Roehm above and top has a beautiful mix of colors that adds to that warmness. I found a set of gold rimmed wine and champagne glasses at Housing Works last year that would be perfect for this type of table.

Martha Stewart decorated this mantle with a collection of clocks to remind everyone of the passing of time. If you don't have enough to display this year, you can always plan for next year!

I feel in love with this image last year when I saw it on Style Court. What a beautiful way to greet your guests for the evening.

And don't fret if you don't have a set of matching champagne glasses. As you can see here, a tray full of mismatched glasses can be just a beautiful as a perfectly matched set.

This chic table belongs to one of the designers who works for Sarah Richardson and was seen in Canadian House & Home. The silver setting and pale blue chairs whisper winter and couldn't be more beautiful.

For those who prefer darker colors, this table from Ralph Lauren Home mixes gold, silver and black that would be perfect for a more masculine setting.

This table also doesn't worry about matching china or flatware and as you can see, there are actually two tables. A few smaller tables sometimes with less people make for a better party than one big long table. For fun, you can have people change seats between courses.

There is a simple elegance to this table setting that I absolutely love! It would also be perfect for a New Year's Day breakfast!

I think this table was intended for Christmas but would also work for New Year's Eve. If you are hosting a celebration, you can definitely leave up your Christmas tree but I would change out some of the other decorations around the house to reflect the party theme.

This table is set for a birthday celebration but could also inspire a beautiful New Year's Eve table and especially one in a warmer climate. I also think presents at each place setting is fun and they could be filled with inexpensive gifts or fun fortunes for the New Year!

I hope no matter where you are or what you do for New Year's Eve that you have a wonderful evening and don't forget to take a taxi or appoint a designated driver!

Pretty in Plum

I'm busy traveling back to New York today but I'm not leaving you without something to savor. I love the pretty plum color in all of these images regardless of whether it's a sofa, wall color, or just a little bouquet of flowers. Hope you enjoy them too!

Images: William Yeoward, Unknown, Steven Gambrel, Molly Sims, Unknown

Cozy Cabin

Right now, it's snowing and blowing and very cold and I'm still wishing I was someplace sunny and warm! But since that's not an option, I wouldn't mind be wrapped up in a buffalo plaid blanket in a cozy cabin, preferably one designed by Ralph Lauren! He really does know how to do warm and inviting. Now all I need is a hot toddy!

Photos from Ralph Lauren

Yes Please!

The clock hasn't even struck 2010 yet and I'm already thinking about where I want to go in the new year. I just ran across photos of the Uxua Casa Hotel in Brazil that are quickly pushing it to the top of the list. The property was developed by Wilbert Das, the creative director of Diesel, who bought it from a group of "Swiss hippies who'd been there since the 1970's." I love the rustic simplicity of the casas but since I don't love actually roughing it, it's nice to know that it offers 5-star amenities. They also give back to the area by maintaining a school for the locals whom they train and employ. The design was influenced by many of the different settlers who ended up in Brazil including the Portuguese. Maybe that's why it remind me a little of Jacques Grange's chic getaway in Portugal that I wrote about a few months ago. Since I don't see Mr. Grange inviting me to join him on holiday, I am happy I found Uxua Casa Hotel! So what's at the top of your travel list for 2010?

Merry Christmas!

Hope Santa brought you what you asked for and more!

Over the river and through the woods...

I'm off to Pennsylvania for the holiday! I will try to write a few posts while I'm away so check back later. Until then, I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

Oh, and try to pretend that's me in the car and not some strange guy. If my PhotoShop skills were a little better I would have tried to paste my head over his but you get the idea!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

I can't wait to get home for holidays and see our family Christmas tree this year! My father is the master tree decorator and always out does himself. We have a huge collection of vintage ornaments that will someday be mine (minus those lost in the cat vs. tree incident of 1983). But I don't think that I will ever be able to match my dad's skill at stringing the lights (the worst job ever!) or placing each precious ornament in just the right spot. Sigh. I guess I will have to fly him to town every year to do it for me. Looks like Alexa Hampton's father Mark was pretty good at decorating trees as well. The photo above was from Christmas 1976! The room has a little Miles Redd feeling too don't you think?! Merry Christmas!

Domino

Unknown

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart

Country Living

Martha Stewart

Mary McDonald

Country Living

Vote Early and Often!

I normally don't like to ask my readers to vote for Habitually Chic for anything but since every other blogger already has, I figured I might as well join in. Habitually Chic has been nominated on Apartment Therapy for The Homies 2009 in the Home Design category. If you'd like to give me a present this holiday season, please vote for Habitually Chic. Thanks!

Kindred Spirit Christmas!

Alaina of Live Creating Yourself was sweet enough to ask me to participate in her Kindred Spirtits Countdown to Christmas and today you can read my answers to her fun questions! You can also find out who owns that fancy white Christmas tree below! Merry Christmas!

Tabletop Tannenbaums

I always look at decorating for the holidays from the point of view of someone who doesn't live in an home that allows for a full size Christmas tree. So I've been collecting inspiring images of tabletop tannenbaums that are perfect for smaller spaces. Martha Stewart (above) is full of ideas for these types of trees but I have found a few more that are just as beautiful. Enjoy!

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart

Barry Dixon

Martha Stewart

Country Living

Country Living

A Carolyne Roehm Christmas

I came across an entertaining feature of Carolyne Roehm holiday tabletop designs in an old issue of House Beautiful that made me interested in seeing more. Unfortunately, there aren't that many images of her work online so I am hoping that her next book will be entirely devoted to Christmas decorating and entertaining. I know I would buy it for sure! Hint hint!

More Giveaway Winners!

I want to thank all the thousands of readers who entered the giveaways! I'm sorry you couldn't all be a winner but I hope you will join me in congratulating those who did!

The wonderful book New Classic Interiors by Alessandra Branca goes to Pat Bonamo from New York, NY!

The winner of the beautiful Diane James Home Amaryllis bouquet is Barbara Lindley from New London, NC! Barbara really got lucky because the first person chosen did not follow the directions so they were disqualified!

And last but not least, the winner of Hue, Kelly Wearstler's new technicolor tome is Kristin Geiger from San Francisco, CA!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Valentino: A Perfect Life

My favorite part of the Valentino: The Last Emperor DVD is the aptly titled special feature A Perfect Life: Around the World with Valentino. In it, we get a sneak peek at what it takes to run Mr. Valentino's life and homes including his gorgeous chalet in Gstaad, Switzerland.

The ultimate treat was getting to watch the uber talented photographer Francois Halard photograph Mr. Valentino and his ski chalet for British Vogue. Mr. Halard is one of my favorite photographers and it was a pleasure to watch him work and see the results which I've posted here.

I was lucky enough to speak the man behind the Valentino documentary, Matt Trynauer, about the film and it's instant sensation. Matt wrote a really fabulous article about Valentino for Vanity Fair for which he met them in Rome where he was able to look into their world and their life. It is the relationship between Valentino and his business partner Giancarlo Giammetti that captivated him and made him think that it should be on film. So he asked them and they said yes but it definitely wasn't that easy!

Matt and his crew would follow Valentino and his entourage for about two weeks per month for two years and always when they knew something important would be happening. I mentioned to Matt that you could easily hate Mr. Valentino for all his wealth and privilege but yet you don't and I think it's because you see how hard he works and that he gets upset just like everyone else. He said the final cut took a year to negotiate because Valentino wanted those outbursts cut out of the film but they definitely serve to show that his life isn't always perfect or without problems.

I had watched the Karl Lagerfeld documentary Lagerfeld Confidential shortly before seeing the Valentino documentary in the theatres and was struck by one major difference between the two legendary fashion designers. While Mr. Lagerfeld states that he needs his alone time to recharge his batteries, Mr. Valentino is never alone but constantly surrounded by an entourage of people! Giancarlo Giammetti says that they never spent more than two months apart total in the entire 50 years of their relationship.

It's no secret that Valentino lives like no other fashion designer but I guess when you've worked as hard as he has for so long, you're entitled to live so beautifully. Matt said that during times of economic despair such as the depression, the movies became more "diamond encrusted." The world needed a fantasy and Mr. Valentino definitely gave us a look into his diamond encrusted fantasy world!

I was surprised that quite a few of friends haven't seen the Valentino documentary yet and if you are among those who haven't, I highly recommend that you rent it today! And don't forget to watch the special features! He really does have the perfect life and perfect homes! Oh, and perfect pugs too!

Photos by Francois Halard

Snow Day!

The flakes have just begun to fall in New York but I've already assembled all my snow day supplies! Magazines, check. Books, check. Movies, check. Tea, check. Cookies, check. Candle, check. I am so looking forward to spending this day curled up on the sofa under my cashmere blanket watching movies and catching up on my reading. My only quandary is what movie to start with first! Any suggestions? What's your favorite snow day movie?

The Young Victoria: Part Deux

I normally don't like to write about the same thing twice but I just saw The Young Victoria tonight and it is amazing! I fell completely in love with Rupert Friend as Prince Albert and wished the film would never end! Emily Blunt is wonderful too! Julian Fellowes needs to make more movies because whatever he touches turns to gold and in this case I think it will be Oscar gold! It's supposed to be snowy up and down the East Coast this weekend but if you can safely drive to the theatre, you will not be disappointed! I give it two thumbs up!

Williams-Sonoma Home Cashmere Blanket Winners!

We're expecting a snow storm in New York tomorrow so I am sure I will be bundled up with my cashmere blanket watching movies! Soon the winners of the Williams-Sonoma Home Cashmere Blanket Giveaway will be wrapped in warm cashmere too! Out of 1276 entries, the three chosen from the random number generator were EJ M. from Stafford, CT; Kisha from Ontario, Canada; and Jennifer V. of Chicago, IL. Congratulations! You can also choose your color so email me back soon with your choices! Bon Weekend!

Happy Holidays from Habitually Chic!

I sent out almost all my holiday cards this week but I didn't want to forget about those of you who come to the blog everyday. Thanks again for your continued support and encouragement! I would like to wish you and yours a very happy and joyous holiday whether you celebrate Hannukah, Christmas, Kwanza or something completely different!

XOXO,
Habitually Chic

Card from R. Nichols

Day Four Giveaway: HUE by Kelly Wearstler

I know. I know. Not everyone loves Kelly Wearstler's over the top designs. That means those of you who do have a better chance of winning a copy of her new book HUE that AMMO Books was gracious enough to offer to one lucky Habitually Chic reader! I happen to love it and the color combinations in it are amazing!

To enter to win a copy of HUE by Kelly Wearstler, please send your name and address to the special giveaway email address habituallychiccontest@gmail.com. I won't use your address for any other purpose but to send you the book. Please write HUE in the subject line. You can enter each giveaway but only one entry per person per giveaway. Anyone who doesn't follow the rules will be disqualified. Entries may be received until 11:59pm EST on Sunday, December 20, 2009. Winner will be announced on Monday, December 21, 2009. Happy Holidays and Good Luck!

A Single Man Sofa

I had a reader email me a few days ago after seeing Tom Ford's new movie A Single Man asking if I knew where to find the sofa seen in the film. I hadn't even had a chance to try to find out before the answer came to me! (I love when I don't have to do any work!) I was chatting with Steven Stolman, the Creative Director of Jack Rogers, when he sent me an image of the sofa from the lobby of his famous apartment building, The Reef, in Palm Beach which has the exact same sofa, or at least one that looks just like it!

Steven describes The Reef as "one of Palm Beach's mid century modern treasures" and it is home to lots of notable people including Simon Doonan and Jonathan Adler, Richard Lambertson and John Truex and Stockard Channing. Above is a photo of the sofa in the lobby designed by Palm Beach interior designer Jack Young. Steven's apartment in The Reef was featured in the May 2004 issue of Elle Decor and you can see photos of it on the Studio Annetta blog here.
The sofa is the Eero sectional by Rowe Fine Furniture and would be a fun sofa for someone who liked to entertain. I have a feeling that A Single Man is going to bring back the sixties style in decorating and if you want a similar look, you now know where to find it! You can check out Cinema Style's blog for more on the film decor too!

Day Three Giveaway: Diane James Amaryllis Bouquet

The Amaryllis that I bought at the flower market already bloomed and died but if I had a bouquet of them from Diane James Home, they would have lasted forever! I know people poo poo faux flowers but Diane makes some of the most life like and they are a good choice for a lot of people and situations. Like those who are allergic, have children and pets who might try to eat them or knock them over, people who travel a lot or are too busy to remember to water their plants, and they are especially great for decorator showhouses and staging homes for sale. Diane and her team have been very generous and are giving away a beautiful bouquet of Amaryllis to one lucky Habitually Chic reader. This bouquet is sold out everywhere and is worth $465!

To enter to win the Amaryllis Bouquet from Diane James Home, please send your name and address to habituallychiccontest@gmail.com. Don't worry, I won't use for address for any other purpose. In the subject line, please write Amaryllis. To clarify, you can enter each contest but only one entry per giveaway is allowed. Anyone who doesn't follow the rules will be disqualified! Entries may be received until 11:59pm EST on Saturday, December 19, 2009. Winner will be announced on Sunday, December 20, 2009. Happy Holidays and Good Luck!

Andy's Fifteen Minutes

As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to live in New York. I was trying to figure out why recently and I am starting to think it might have had something to do with Andy Warhol. Andy was from Pittsburgh which was about an hour from where I grew up so he was often talked about in the media and his world sounded like so much fun to me. I always lamented the fact that I was born too late to have danced at Studio 54 and even more so that I would never be able to have my portrait done by Andy. (I liked to dream big even when I was little!) That's probably also part of the reason I always notice a Warhol when I see them in a magazine especially when someone is photographed under their own portrait! I supposed I could make do by buying someone else's portrait someday but it's just not the same so maybe I'll stick to the flowers! Enjoy!

Lucky Diane von Furstenberg has many Warhols of herself!

This one resides in her Paris apartment.

Carolina Herrera still looks exactly like her Warhol!

Princess Marie-Chantal and family stand in front of her two Warhols, which must have been done during her big hair days in the 80's!

Art collector Aby Rosen and his wife Samantha Boardman have bought up quite a few Warhol portraits!

Aby Rosen even keeps a few Warhols in his office.

A Marilyn hangs in Blair Voltz Clarke and Alister Clarke's home

Multiple Marilyns in Cordelia Castallone's old Paris apartment

In her new apartment, they have moved to her son's room.

Marilyn also hangs in a room designed by Todd Romano

While Elizabeth Taylor hangs in his apartment.

Judy Garland sits on his nightstand too!

Multiple Jackie in a foyer from House & Garden

Queen Elizabeth as seen in Living Etc.

Queen Elizabeth also hangs out in a child's room.

Hair guru Sally Hershberger gets to look at Mick Jagger everyday!

This Warhol portrait found a place in a home designed by Haynes Roberts.

Jed Johnson Associates hung two Warhols in their room at the Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse in 2007.

This one belongs to a former Paris Vogue editor.

Giancarlo Giammetti has two Lenins in his Paris apartment.

Two Maos in a home designed by architect Richard Perry.

There are a few more in the same home!

Interior designer Martha Angus hung a Mao and Flowers in the same bedroom.

Martha Angus also hung Andy's flowers in her room at the 2005 San Francisco Decorator's Showhouse.

Andy's flowers also hung in Cordelia Castallone's old apartment in Paris.

Rob Southern used them in one of his designs too.

Andy's flowers also hang in Mr. Valentino's London apartment along with a Damian Hirst.

And last but not least, Kayne West opted for Andy's soup cans in his dining room. Perfect place for them!

Day 2 Giveaway: New Classic Interiors

Don't worry, I'm working on a regular post for later today but until then, I wanted to tell you about my day two giveaway for this week. Alessandra Branca was gracious enough to sign a copy of her new book New Classic Interiors. It's also the fancy special slip covered version so it's extra special! I own a copy and can attest that it's fabulous!

To enter to win New Classic Interiors by Alessanda Branca, please send an email with your name and address to habituallychiccontest@gmail.com. Don't worry, your address will not be used for anything else. In the subject line, please write Branca Book so I know which giveaway you are entering. One entry per person. Anyone who doesn't follow the rules will be disqualified. Entry may be received until 11:59pm EST on Friday, December 18, 2009. Winner will be announced on Saturday, December 19, 2009. Good luck!

Habitually Chic Week of Giveaways!

I'm in the giving mood this week and my readers will be the lucky recipients of this holiday spirit! I will be posting a new item everyday through Thursday so you'll have lot of chances to win! Today's giveaway is the fabulous Williams-Sonoma Home cashmere throw blanket! Williams-Sonoma Home is generously offering three blankets to Habitually Chic readers just in time to curl up with this winter!

To enter the contest, please send your name and address to the special contest email address, habituallychiccontest@gmail.com so that Williams-Sonoma Home can send you the blanket directly. No one will be using your information for any other purpose but this giveaway. Please include the word blanket in the subject line. Anyone who emails me directly or does not include their mailing address will be disqualified. One entry per person. Entries will be accepted until 11:59pm EST on Thursday, December 17, 2009. Three winners will be randomly selected from the entries and will be announced on Friday, December 18, 2009.

Happy Holidays and Good Luck!

Christmas in the West Village

I had a fabulous lunch at Cafe Cluny yesterday with interior designer Courtney Giles and gallery owner Emily Amy who are in town from Atlanta for a few days of shopping. Afterward, I took a walk around the West Village to check out the holiday decorations. The neighborhood is full of beautiful brownstones and their owners who went all out this year but even the most humble of homes were dressed up with festive wreathes and greenery. Although, some of them maybe should have taken down their pumpkins first! Happy Holidays!

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic

The Young Victoria

I'm looking forward to having some time off at the holidays so I can see all the wonderful films that are being released this month. At the top of my list now is The Young Victoria which tells the story of Queen Victoria's accession to the thrown, her turbulent early reign and her enduring romance with Prince Albert. The film contains an all star cast including Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson, and Jim Broadbent. Julian Fellowes who also wrote one of my favorites, Gosford Park, wrote the screenplay so I can already tell that I am going to love this period piece! Cheers!

Lonny: Issue 2

The second issue of Lonny premiered today and I have to say that I think it's even better than the first and not just because I'm in it! I owe a big thanks to Michelle Adams for asking me to share my 10 favorite things and to Patrick Cline for taking my photo. And a big thank you goes out to my bachelorette client for letting us take it in her kitchen! Hope you enjoy it!

HUE by Kelly Wearstler

Camellia. Wisteria. Vermillion. When the first chapter of a book starts with these three words, you know it's going to be good but HUE is more than just good. It is a kaleidoscope of the most amazing color in some of the most awe inspiring interiors I have ever seen! Tonight was the book signing at Bergdorf Goodman and Ms. Wearstler could not have been nicer or more gracious to the crowd clamoring for her autograph and attention which included actresses Sarah Wynter and Stefanie March, and fashion designer Derek Lam. On sale was the limited edition slipcased book and I highly recommend that you splurge on this copy or ask Santa to bring it to you for Christmas because the outside is just as gorgeous as the photos inside.

What I love about Kelly Wearstler is that she is always blazing a new trail. You may not like it but you have to give her credit for thinking outside the box and creating designs that are uniquely her own. I also highly admire that her ambition was always to own her own design firm and that she made her dream a reality, and then some! I hear her that one of her new ventures will be jewelry and I can already imagine that it will be like nothing we've seen before and just as fabulous as her new book! I think I will be inspired by it for years to come and I think you will be too!

Thank you!

I was very honored to be asked by the editor of Amica magazine in Singapore to write a first person account of how blogging has changed my life. I was even more honored when I found out that past contributors to the column have included Diane von Furstenberg, Barbara Tfank, Fiona Kotur, and Temple St. Clair. Diane von Furstenberg has inspired me tremendously over the years with her life story and fabulous positive attitude so I find it extremely humbling to now be inspiring others myself. Blogging has been one of the best things to happen to my life and I will always be thankful for everything it has brought into my life including my loyal readers like you! More importantly, I really hope that everyone finds what it is that will change their world for the better and make them happy!

Shhh...we're eating!

I had already been working on a post about library dining rooms before I spoke to Dick Bories and James Shearron of Bories and Shearron about the room I posted yesterday which was perfect timing! They mentioned that combining the library and dining room was more of a European tradition but it looks like it's starting to catch on here in American from these examples. I think it's a great idea for New York apartments since space is at a premium and most people do not sit down to eat their dining rooms except on holidays. I know that I would love to not only have that much room for books but a table to spread them out on to work and some of these rooms look they also serve as an office. And as one of my readers pointed out in a comment, how lovely would it be at a dinner party if someone pulled a book off a shelf when the conversation turned literary. I guess you just have to make sure you don't spill anything on them!

James Andrew Design

Carolina Irving Apartment

Eliza Redd Bolen via Peak of Chic

Miles Redd in House Beautiful

Bagley Mischka in Elle Decor

Nathan Turner in Domino

Diane von Furstenberg

Nate Berkus in Elle Decor

Tim Clarke

Ryan Korban

Jonathan Adler in Domino

Peter Dunham in Domino

Alberto Pinto

Unknown

Design Inspiration

I had no idea that my Blue Christmas post would lead to a little chat with Dick Bories and James Shearron of Bories and Shearron, the architecture firm behind the renovation of the Fifth Avenue apartment that Miles Redd decorated. The entire apartment is featured in the December 2009 issue of Elle Decor but it was the library dining room that intrigued me most since the paneling was copied from Marie Antoinette's private mirrored Boudoir at the Petit Trianon since I had just visited this very place and room in September! (I took over 900 photos so I am still working on posting some of them.)

The couple who owns this apartment both have European connections and the wife specifically asked "that there be books in the dining room since it reminded her of the manor houses in France where she spent a lot of her childhood," according to Dick Bories. "We were thrilled to combine the two because there is no better wallpaper than books. I also lived in France for a time and found that they do, in fact, often eat in their libraries which create an amazing sound quality as the books absorb much of the sound." I wish this would become the new American tradition since many families don't even use their dining rooms and maybe if they served a dual purpose more would actually use them!

Bories mentioned that he was given a first edition of the book "The Petit Trianon Versailles" by James A. Arnott and John Wilson from 1929 by his firm partner James Shearron. "The two architects completely documented the inside, outside and gardens of this amazing pavilion. While flipping through, I noticed that the proportions of the Fifth Avenue dining room and the Boudoir were almost exactly the same! The room heights are within an inch of each other."

You can in my photo from the Boudoir or "cabinet des glaces mouvantes" that the mirrors can be lowered into the basement to completely block out the light and create a private area for Marie Antoinette to "nap" or have complete privacy. If you travel to Paris, I highly recommend a visit to Versailles! It was an amazing place and I can see how the architects could be very inspired by it's design!

Bories goes on to say, "I literally copied the scaled details of the mouldings and applied them to our room, without all the carving and gesso appliques of course. The mill worker simply imported my CAD drawings into their computer and had the knives cut from my details! Amazing technology today!" I love that the advanced technology can help to create architectural details that match those of the past since there aren't many artisans and craftsmen left to do it by hand!

"We copied the finish from original rooms that James saw as a child growing up in Lake Forest, Illinois in a couple of the beautiful David Adler houses from the 1930's. The finisher used bleach, a wire brush, light stain, and hand rubbed wax to get that dry 'thirsty' finish on the quarter sawn white oak. It's truly gorgeous in person." I can imagine! Especially since Dick says that the clients decided to forgo a chandelier instead opting for dinner by candlelight! It must be even more spectacular at Christmas too! Above is a detail of the door in the library and below is one of my photos from the Petit Trianon and you can see the detail.s are very similar, although the hardware is less opulent now!

I want to thank Dick Bories and James Shearron for this glimpse into this amazing project. I told James earlier that sometimes readers have no idea how much work goes into those pretty photos that they see in a magazine and this project took about a year from start to finish. It was such a pleasure to speak with them both since their passion for architecture and design is as inspiring to me as the Petit Trianon was to their design!

Photos: Miguel Flores-Viana for Elle Decor, Randall Bachner for Bories and Shearron, and Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic

Blue Christmas: Part Deux

It was the photos of the blue entry decorated for Christmas in the December 2009 issue of Elle Decor that had me thinking back to Aerin Lauder's blue Christmas. I love blue and white porcelain any time of year but I think it looks especially festive at the holidays.

Miles Redd, who can do not wrong in my opinion, designed the apartment and lacquered the walls in the entry Yves Klein blue. I couldn't help but also post a photo of the bar below. Cheers!

Photos by Miguel Flores-Vianna

Blue Christmas

One of the most famous holiday spreads has to be Aerin Lauder's East Hampton house from the December 2007 issue of House & Garden magazine. I have been seeing a lot of blue backdrops to holiday decorations this year and it had me thinking about Lauder's blue dining room. The table was beautifully set for Christmas breakfast and I especially love the mix of gold and blue which is an elegant alternative to the usual blue and silver. And of course the greenery and pops of red add the finishing touch. I wonder if Aerin has room for one more this year! I would love to wake up in this chic house Christmas morning!

The blue walls are a custom color created by Donald Kaufman and the gilt mirror belonged to Estee Lauder who was the original owner of the house. The chandelier reflected in the mirror is by Waterford.

The Indian marble table from 1840 is set with Estee's English cut crystal, gold flatware and vintage lace napkins.

Aerin always orders her gingerbread houses from William Poll in New York. I can also attest that they make the best dips and hor d'oeuvres for holiday parties! It's an Upper East Side institution!

The hanging lights in the kitchen are from Ann Morris Antiques in New York. There is no website but the address is 239 East 60th Street or call 212-755-3308.

I love the vintage Chinese urns that line the fireplace mantle but you can find similar blue and white pieces at Pearl River Mart in New York. Biscuit gets friendly in front of the fire with Teddy Robertson who sits on sisal carpet from Stark.

The walls in Estee's old bedroom which is now a guest room is Toiles de Nantes by Pierre Frey. I think this fabric is a nice alternative to traditional ikat fabrics since they only come in small widths. A photo of Estee and Joseph Lauder in Bermuda in the 70's sits on the vanity among her perfume and objects. Playing with my grandmother's jewelry was one of my memories from growing up and Aerin has many of Estee's old pieces. Hope she realizes how lucky she is to have had such a pioneering and chic grandmother! Happy Holidays!

Photos by Francois Halard

Christmas at Ralph Lauren

The holiday windows at the Ralph Lauren mansion this year are glamorous and elegant with a Hollywood movie star feeling. They also have a great bar which I wish I had seen before my post last week! Cheers!

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic

Holiday House 2009

I had the pleasure of attending the 2009 Holiday House Designer Tabletop Showcase to benefit the Greater New York City Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure and blown away by the creativity of the participating designers. Holiday House consists of 18 table settings that celebrate some of life's special occasions. Even though only one specifically celebrates Christmas, I think many of them offer wonderful inspiration for the setting the table this year. Enjoy!

I'm posting the designers and table settings in the order they appeared in the house and the first is the Fourth of July designed by antiques dealer Irwin Feld. It was such a pleasure to finally meet Irwin since I purchased chairs from his great shop in Stamford for the bachelor pad!

Irwin decided to forgo the usual red, white and blue usually associated with the Fourth of July in favor of a more sophisticated celebration with a few elegant nods to summer. It was a really beautiful design and one of my favorites.

The coordinating table that also celebrated the Fourth of July was designed by Jolie Korek using many of Irwin's great vintage furniture.

I really liked the designers who created rooms and not just a table setting. It added a lot to the overall design.

A detail of the beautiful table setting.

Valentine's Day was celebrated by glassblower Abby Modell of LLe-Dom Contemporary Art Glass.

Valentine's Day wasn't a table but a bed that included sweet treats to celebrate the holiday.

A tray set for eating in bed.

At first I thought this was the Christmas table but it actually celebrates the Festival of the Stag and was created by Barbara Ostrom.

The table was beautiful and reminded me of something you might see in Aspen or a country house for the holidays.

This was one of two table settings that used beautiful feather place mats.

This is a perfect table setting for dinner on cold winter nights!

Another beautiful and elegant table setting was the New Year's Eve or "Tempus Fugit" by Timothy & Associates Interior Design in Pearl River.

I loved all the references to time and clocks incorporated into the design.

I can't think of anything more chic than a white peacock!

The Winter Solstice table setting by Diane Durocher perfectly complimented the New Year's table next to it with it's white, silver and icy blue palette.

I can imagine this table in an elegant Park Avenue apartment.

A close up of the Winter Solstice table setting.

This tablescape could also work perfectly for Christmas!

It was such a pleasure to see Bunny Williams and photographer her in front of her Summer Solstice table set with items from her shop Treillage.

I was just shopping in the Treillage on Lexington Avenue last week and it's the best store to visit for tablescape inspiration!

Her table setting makes me long for summer!

One of my favorite items in the shop are the faux trees and plants that are perfect for busy New Yorkers who might not have time to water their plants! They look amazingly real!

Hanukkah is coming up soon and Greenbaum Interiors created a beautiful table and seating areas to celebrate the holiday.

The table was set with the Sufganiyot or jelly filled donuts that are fried in oil to symbolize the miracle of the oil that lasted eight days instead of one.

The elegant Hanukkah table setting.

The sitting area with Hanukkah gelt.

The Tudor window area created the perfect setting for the Halloween table setting by SY Interior Designs by Marjorie Sobiloff and Cathy Yohay.

It was a more elegant and adult table setting to celebrate Halloween

The photograph is by Steven Klein and is available through the Vered Gallery in East Hampton while the spider fabric is a little creepy yet absolutely perfect for Halloween!

The Halloween table setting.

Another part of the Halloween setting with a witches broom and another spider web.

The Christmas table was set by the venerable interior designer Charles Pavarini.

The Table was set for six of the most well behaved Americans of 2009 which included Bernadette Peters, Derek Jeter, Brad Pitt, Michelle Obama, Elle DeGeneres, and Chesley B. Sullenberger.

My favorite part was that Charles placed lighted trees outside of the window that really did make it feel like a winter wonderland ready for Christmas!

The Crystal Anniversary table was designed by Stedila Design and was fill of silver, mirror and glass.

The beaded place mats and smokey glass accents added to the elegant table setting.

I especially loved the look of the crystal chandelier hanging in the mirror lined fireplace.

This rug is another fun decorating idea for New Year's Eve.

Designer Jamie Drake created a very fun table celebrating Single Awareness Day (SAD) which apparently was created for singles to celebrate on or near Valentine's Day.

The table was set with a game of solitaire and and included a frog sculpture that I hope turned into a prince!

My fabulous friend Harry Heissmann also created a fun yet elegant table to celebrate Groundhog Day. He said he chose it since it was the only non-commercial holiday.

The chairs were mushroom stools and the lighting is part of the Tony Duquette Collection at Remains Lighting. The fabric for the tablecloth is also by Tony Duquette.

I really want Harry to teach me how he created the napkin rosettes!

Did you know Punxsutawney Phil had official souvenirs? Harry did and he bought them to add to his table setting!

Gale Sitomer and Sandy Rosenthal of G. Sitomer Design (no website) created the Wedding table setting in a small room on the second floor.

The furry carpet is from Stark.

The wedding table setting was of course set for a very elegant bride and groom!

I thought that the Kwanza table set by Jennifer Garrigues and Diane El Daher for Jennifer Garrigues Interior Design was especially lovely.

Here is the example of the second feather placemat. The table was set with place cards for the Obama family who seemed to be a popular guests!

The tablecloth was made from fabric from Quadrille.

Clara's Birthday Tea Party was created by Zoya Bograd for Bograd Kids.

The linens were custom embroidered by Casa del Bianco.

This is one children's table that even the grown ups would want to sit at!

The beautiful needlepoint pictures were created by Renee Glicklich-Abraham and can be found on her website! They would make great gifts for the holidays!

Since the Holiday House benefits Susan G. Komen for the Cure, it was fitting that one of the table settings celebrated Breast Cancer Awareness Day which was designed by Harry Danielle.

Harry created a beautiful pink and green garden party with real flowers and a flowery chandelier.

A detail of the Breast Cancer Awareness Day table setting.

Sharing the same room and pink backdrop is the Birthday celebration table by MH Sudio.

MH Studio is made up of designers Shari Markbreiter and Benjamin Hunntington who created the birthday celebration in honor of Shar's friend, the 86 year old Robin Chadler Duke who was once the Ambassador to Norway!

The very elegant table setting for a very elegant lady!

The blue lamps pop against the pale pink walls.

A bar cart on the right holds the birthday cake.

Pretty presents waiting to be opened.

A great surprise was meeting Maribel Lieberman, the creator of the most delicious chocolate, MarieBelle! She had created a Chocolate Bar on the second floor of the Holiday House.

Hope you enjoyed this look inside the 2009 Holiday House. I very much enjoyed seeing all the tables and meeting many of the designers. There is nothing I love more than great design that benefits a great cause! I hope you will all stop by this weekend!

Having a Ball

I am too exhausted to finish my other post but I know everyone loves opening their Habitually Chic email in the morning so I am leaving you with this beautiful photo of Jacqueline Bouvier and her sister Caroline Lee Bouvier as a debutantes that I saw on Vogue.com. The Hotel de Crillon Bal des Debutantes was recently held in Paris and the Junior League Cotillion takes place this weekend at The Plaza. They both harken back to a bygone era where girls behaved like ladies and wore organza dresses to match. Oh, those were the days!

I'm ready for my close up!

I've been busy all day working on my client projects which included shopping for carpets at Paul H. Lee. If you haven't checked him out in the D&D, I highly recommend that you do. I found exactly what I needed and he couldn't be nicer! And now I have to prepare for a photo shoot at one of my other projects in the morning. Too bad I don't think it will look like the one in the photo above! Anyway, I am sorry to say that I have no time to write a proper post tonight. I hope that you will forgive me and check back later for a fabulous holiday themed post! Ciao!

UPDATE: Thanks for all the warm wishes. The photo shoot went very well and you can see the results in the next issue of Lonny magazine on December 10th!

Make mine a double!

Now that I'm almost finished decorating my apartment for the holidays, I was thinking that I should invite my friends over. Only problem is that I don't have a bar so I've been pouring through my files for inspiration. The holy grail of bars of course belonged to designer David Hicks. When I attended his son Ashley's recent lecture on his work, he posted the photo above and quoted his father who declared, "I like rows and rows of tonic bottles, apple, tomato juice, two or three syphons of spirits lined up behind each other; it gives a generous, welcoming atmosphere, and if a bus-load of friends descend upon you, you are ready for them." Looks like I have some shopping to do!

Designer Miles Redd has my second most favorite bar that takes it cue from David Hicks. He also outlines a list of essential items for a well stocked bar in House Beautiful here. It's a perfect list for me to take shopping!

Miles' bar and a few of the others include tortoise shell glassware that I think I will be adding to my list. I love the look!

One of my other favorite bar looks was from Eddie Ross' old apartment featured in Domino. Eddie collected all of his silver from the flea markets so looks like I will be making a few trips there myself!

In Eddie's new house in the country featured in Lonny, he has his bar on the cart he found when we went to the flea market together!

Domino

Paco Munoz in Spanish AD

Ron Marvin in Lonny

Deborah Needleman in Lonny

Lindsey Coral Harper

Tori Mellott in Domino

Thom Filicia Designer Visions Showhouse

Veranda

Carolina Irving in Lonny

Rita Konig

Mike Thompson

Markham Roberts

Domino

Thom Filicia in Domino

Joe Nye in House Beautiful

Miles Redd in House

Steven Gambrel

Steven Gambrel

de Menil bar in a closet

Francisco Costa bar in a closet

Changes in Latitudes.Changes in Attitudes

Every year, I say that I want to spend New Year's somewhere warm and sunny and every year, I spend it in cold New York. Except for the year I spent it in even colder Stockholm but that's a story for another day. After seeing Oscar and Annette de la Renta's Punta Cana house in the Dominican Republic, I feel like trying to finally make this dream a reality! While I can't stay at their not so humble abode seen in these photos, I could make do at the also chic Puntacana Resort. Anyone else want to come?

Photos by Francois Halard

Holiday Traditions

I started decorating for Christmas this weekend and one of my favorite traditions is making pomanders. Pomanders are clove studded oranges, or in this case clementines since they looked better than the oranges at the store. They fill the house with a wonderful holiday scent and look pretty displayed with greenery and pine cones. I used to make these with my mother growing up and I've continued the tradition since moving away. What are the holiday traditions that you grew up with that you carry on today? Is there anything you've changed? Anything that you would never do again? I'd love to hear your stories!

Photo by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic

Holiday Cards

I've already started writing out my holiday cards this year so I can get them out earlier than I did last year! I've also had a few readers ask me where I buy my cards so I thought I would share a few suggestions.

For custom holiday cards, you can try Crane's, Dempsey & Carroll, and William Arthur. Personalized cards are obviously more expensive so you have to think about how much you want to spend. Even though they are preprinted, you should still personalize them by writing the recipients name, a quick message and handwriting your name.

I usually pick a few cards each year so I can send the right style to the right person. I am also lucky since there are always great cards available with a New York theme or photo. The cards from R. Nichols are always fun and cheerfully reflect Christmas in New York. I also bought an assortment of holiday cards with black and white photos of a snowy New York that are perfect for friends who don't celebrate Christmas. Kate's Paperie always has a great assortment to choose from each year.

There are also a lot of smaller printers for letterpress cards and even hand made options on Etsy. My original idea this year was to have my cards printed using a photo that I took but I ran out of time so that will have to wait until next year. Family photo cards are obviously good options for families with children or cute pets.

One of the best ideas for holiday cards are those that benefit a worthy cause. UNICEF, Robin Hood Foundation, and the ASPCA are just a few charities with their own cards.

I'm sure your friends and family will be happy to receive which ever holiday card you choose because really, it's the thought that counts! Happy Holidays!