Does Your Furniture Talk?

How many times have you rearranged the furniture in a room? What makes you jump up from the couch and start to push it around? Does it whisper in your ear and say "move me"?

The after Christmas lull gets me moving on small projects, like rearranging furniture. I take my Christmas decorations down on January 7, the day after Three Kings Day. Moving the furniture is a prelude to the post-Christmas refresh.


I have a small living room, no family room, so the living room is well-used. There is not one clear wall in the space, that is, not one wall without doors or windows. It's a tricky little room to get just right.

Visual Vamp Living Room
Pattern chair, lime green silk drapes, drawing of Cholo by PVE
Walls are a softer version of Billy Baldwin brown

It's no secret that I was influenced by the interior decorator Mr. Billy Baldwin at a tender age. To me the rooms he created were the filled with things I loved: color, books, flowers, pictures, pattern, sophistication, a mix of high and low furnishings, furniture arranged for conversation, rooms filled with warmth and interest.



I never intended to slavishly copy a Baldwin room, yet somehow so many things I saw in those rooms have trickled down in a modest way into my decor choices, personally and professionally.



I rearranged the furniture in the living room so that furniture is "talking to one another".
The French settee is now placed facing the sofa, in front of the double doors that are at the entrance. At first I was concerned it would block the way. But with a little nudging and tweaking I managed to allow enough room to pass in and out of the room.



I love seeing the back of the settee. I also love bringing back the lime slip covered wing chair and ottoman. The chaise lounge is in the guest room now. Moving furniture from room to room really makes a room feel new again.

Visual Vamp Living Room
Portraits of Kenny, Michael Pelkey, and Audrey Hepburn

When you sit on the camel back sofa and look out, the new arrangement of furniture provides a cozy cocoon.

Visual Vamp Living Room
Portrait of Marilyn Monroe by Mario Ortiz

Mid Century In Old Louisiana

There are small pockets of mid (20th) century houses in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Quite a few were wiped out in the Lakeview neighborhood in New Orleans by Katrina. The few remaining are coming back in all their glory. But there are several intact mid century beauties to be found in Baton Rouge just one hour from Lakeview.

The wandering, asymmetrical nature of these homes was nothing short of an alien encounter in neighborhoods filled with antebellum and post civil war homes. Surely there is something special to behold, though most traditionalists typically regard these homes as outdated eyesores in an otherwise normal neighborhood.

Decades have since passed, and many have found themselves gravitating towards mid-century architecture. Does this phenomenon stem from the rebellious tendencies identifiable in each emerging generation or is there, in fact, some common thread that inexplicably and fundamentally connects us to minimal design? Do we subconsciously find solace in a unified, simplified, and well-organized environment?

The vintage 1967 hardwood GE turntable and stereo system—a prized musical artifact that fills the home with a distinctly sumptuous texture of warm sound.

The dining and living areas are furnished with vintage pieces, local artwork, and re-editioned classics like the 1956 pedestal table by Eero Saarinen. The elegant marble topped table is flanked by a set of 1958 Cherner chairs designed by Norman Cherner. The graceful lines of the dining furniture are anchored by an oversized painting on panel by Ashley Longshore.

Minus a few minor cosmetic upgrades, including the addition of ceramic tile flooring and the removal of a breakfast bar separating the kitchen from the dining area (another typical modernist feature), the authenticity of the structure circa the early 1950s remains utterly unchanged.

Miraculously, most of the organically formed kitchen, and the original chrome appliances including the Toastmaster hot food server (a built-in drawer system intended for thawing, heating, or reheating a variety of American classics like Apple Brown Betty, Frankfurter buns, and Harvard beets) survived the numerous technological upgrades of the last five decades. In addition, new home designs of this era repositioned the kitchen as the nucleus of an open living area by pulling it out of its previous walled-in confinement, a trend still popular today.

Another great feature of the home is the unification of interior and exterior spaces popularized by the famed German architect Mies van der Rohe in 1950. Post-war Modernism emphasized a feeling of openness and interaction between the two realms.

Hope you enjoyed this mid century gem in old Louisiana!

Click on images for a larger view

Excerpts and photos from Louisiana Homes and Gardens

Street Walking

Don't you just love to walk around your city or town and look at the Christmas windows?
My friend Gail Watson in New York sent me these photos of Bergdorf's windows, which she thought were bringing window display design back to refinement. Go HERE to the fabulous blog of The Paris Apartment to see a wonderful collection of photos of the Bergdorf Goodman windows.
All this beauty put me in the mood to do a little street walking.
So I sashayed up and down Magazine Street here in New Orleans the other day. The warm weather is back with the temperature reaching a near record high. Still I was feeling festive.
My first stop is Julie Neill. Julie's signature image is the crown. I haven't asked her why this is so, so maybe she'll leave a comment and tell us.
This holiday display shows all kinds of crowns! I'm sure you could find just the right one.

Everybody in New Orleans has a little altar in their home. It's not really religious or voo-doo (which is Voudon and a recognized religion here), but rather a collection of good luck objects, a gris- gris altar.
I love this one in Julie Neill's store - I call it Mary and her back up singers. I spy some crystal finials in the bowl with the shells. Large Mary is $35. Each back up Mary is $25.
A little silver tree glistens in the window, flanked by two stunning lamps using a silver coral form. Lamps are around $200. each. Don't you love the hand painted table top. Julie Neill has a great line of hand painted furniture.
The table is set with white pottery from Italy, featuring a Fleur di Lis, which is the symbol of New Orleans. The new Julie Neill design of the metal drum shade over a chandelier is one of a zillion beautiful lighting fixtures in this shop.
Don't you just love this pale palette? The silver tea light candles on the plate look like pastries!
A study in texture at Julie Neill. Even the pastel Christmas balls have glitter crowns on them.
Julie Neill's signature colors are pale, but she has a grand collection of things in deep jewel tones. I love the lush curtains in her store.
Walking a few blocks more, I came upon Top Drawer Antiques. Aaron Jarabica is the lovely owner and his windows are filled with hundreds of vintage dolls that he recently acquired from the estate of a major doll collector.
What could be more Christmasy than a gift of a doll? The dolls from the countries of the world are $75.
Madame Alexander dolls range from $80.- $150. depending on size. There are baby dolls of every description. If you're a doll collector it would be worthwhile to get in contact with him. And right now there is a sale of 25% off. I have never seen such an impressive collection (and in the original boxes too)!
Switching gears to something super glam, I stop in at Hazelnut.
Hazelnut is chockful of great things all year around.
But holiday time is super glam. Just peek through the front door at all that eye candy!
Co-owner Tom Cianfichi dreamt up the Christmas windows a year ago: LOVE and PEACE.
He is so sweet and good looking! Sigh. And he is so humble about the major talent that he is.
The windows he designed are just spectacular! I think they are the smartest windows in town.
Two women were talking while I was snapping photos, and one said the windows reminded her of the Hippie Holiday windows at Barney's in New York, and the other one said that she thought that Tom's were better!
It's the 50th anniversary of the peace symbol, and I think Eddie Ross would love the one Tom fashioned for his eye popping display.
The little penguins make a plea to save their pole.
Moseying down the street to another wonderful place on Magazine Street is the gallery of Ashley Longshore.
She's a painter and I love her painting of a Christmas tree out front.

Her pop art paintings are fabulous, and she even did some special Christmas subjects.
But this is my favorite Santa! Lots of houses in New Orleans have these, but I have not found out where they sell them. I would love to have one!
As I walked along, I just had to take a picture of this gas station sign to record the cheap price of gas! It is down to $1.44 today! It seems like a good thing, but for the state of Louisiana it's not that hot. This state produces oil, and the price of oil is way down. Just recently Congress finally granted royalties on oil production to this poor state, and now they're pretty much worthless, and the state's budget is in a shambles since it counted on those royalties. But for us real folks, filling up the tank is a pleasure!
There are a ton of doggie daycare places doing a brisk business. Is this the future business for all of us out of work interior designers?
I couldn't resit snapping a couple of photos through the front window of this place.
I wanted to bring Cholo here so he could play with other dogs, but they won't accept him because he isn't neutered. I would like for him to sire some puppies, more than going to daycare ha ha.
This jewelry store, Kathy Beh, has one of the most fun decorations.
It reminds of Cartier in New York.
Now I'm nearly home, and I stop in to say hello to Caroline and Jack at Perch. They did up a huge live tree in their center hall. I like the way the Sputnik chandilier looks like a tree topper!
Another wreath for Eddie Ross! This would take a ginormous wire hanger! Has anyone of you actually made Eddie's wreath yet? This beauty at Perch looks lovely hanging on the antique doors.
I like this little tree in this little hallway - the Kartell chair is to die for.
These desk top smalls are so pretty at Perch.
And this stack of kiddie Kartell chairs looks like candy!!!
Perch has a new line from a fantastic Canadian potter named Laura McKibbon, AND the pieces are very affordable, starting at $33.
I love the way they look displayed on two demi lune tables ($950. each) pushed together to make one table.
This mirror at Perch is just spectacular!
And the chorus line of white pointsettias couldn't be prettier.
Unless of course you saw this bevy of white reindeer! How cute is this grouping?!
And of course I love this holiday (or any day!) red couch at Perch. And isn't the linen covered bench just too perfect?!
The couch at Perch reminds me of a Ruthie Sommers couch.
So that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed street walking with me. Ta ta for now!
PS My cold hit the road too, and I'm ready for this week's festivites! Thanks for all your get well wishes. They did the trick!