Oy Vey: New Design Books at Amazon.

A sampling of my design book library, spread out all over my house.

 

Last holiday season, there were so many new design books published that I almost went broke buying the titles I wanted.  So, I expected a long, long respite from Amazon and design books, I mean - how many new ones could possibly come out so soon after Christmas?   Lurking around on Amazon last week I got my answer.   Amazon is just too clever -  they somehow always know when I'm on their site - "Hello, Ms. Cote de Texas ! Welcome Back!"  their screen  screams at me  (they love me at Amazon!)  They even have a list of books they recommend for me,  and it's uncanny just how their recommendations are exactly the books I want.    Below, is the list of books I now have on order at Amazon.  Most of these books are not even released yet, but if you pre-order, Amazon tells you eagerly, you save lots of money.  So,  of course, I told Ben that I am saving him lots of  money.   He's not pleased, he's heard that song and dance before.   So, sit down and relax, my list of ordered books is sort of longish.

The Queen, Charlotte Moss - her new book is due out soon.   A fellow blogger has seen an advanced copy and says there are lots and lots of pictures, something that some of Charlotte's previous books don't have.  I can't wait for this one!

This is a DVD starring Charlotte Moss narrating the behind the scenes of the 2006 New York Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club show house.  Not sure if this is going to be good, but I'll let you know.

Charles Faudree's soon to be released book - I'm a little skeptical of this one.  Florals?  And the cover really doesn't excite me.  But Faudree's two other books are great French-American style reference books, so this is a must have for me.

Veteran author Suzanne Trocme's new one.  The cover looks intriguing.   Soon to be released.

Chinoiseries - soon to be released from Rizzoli House -- they always have the best books.  This one looks great.

Another Rizzoli book - If this cover is indicative of the contents, I'm ready!  Apparently, this is about houses and horses and the hunt, something middle-aged Jewish women know nothing about, but I'm willing to learn.

Another fabulous cover, another not yet released book. 

Any book that has the word French in its title, I usually buy.  But this cover is irresistible, regardless.

Prolific writer, Mary Emmerling's last book was a stinker.  But the one prior was fabulous.  This one will probably be fabulous too, I hope!  Not yet released, of course.

French in the title, but I'm a little leery of the "25 step by step projects" - not sure what that is about and I'm not exactly "crafty."

Magnolia Pearl's long awaited first book.  The title says it all.  She's not my favorite, but some things she does are interesting, to say the least.  To be released.

This was really looks great to me.  Cliff May and California Ranch Style homes are synonymous.  Not yet released.

Probably awful, but the pre released price is pretty cheap.

Lulu's long, very long, awaited book.  Almost as long awaited as Ruthie's L.A. House.  If either of these are ever published it will be a miracle.

A book written by bloggers Carrie and Danielle.  Have to support the bloggers!

New books already delivered:

A French book on opaline glass.  One of the prettiest books I've ever seen.  The opaline pieces in this book make my collection look like junk.  Gorgeous.

 

You know the rule:  French in the title.   Actually, this is pretty good for ideas.

 

Staub, the architect that developed Houston's toniest neighborhood River Oaks.  This book is gorgeous and a must have for any Houstonian interested in its architectural history. 

 

This is a wonderful book about all the other houses of Marie Antoinette's beside Versailles.  Beautiful little book.

 

And last but not least, a book on the history of mural style wallcoverings in the Gracie and de Gournay tradition.  Put out by the Cooper-Hewitt Museum.

There are some talented designers left who've yet to write a book.  Ones I'd love to see do so:  Dan Carithers, Suzanne Kasler, Bobby McAlpine, Gerrie Bremermann, David Easton, Tom Scheerer, Mary McDonald, and Suzanne Rheinstein to name a few.  Who else needs to write a book?  I'd love to know who you think should.

A Tale of Two Houses

One of Houston's more famous interior designers, Ginger Barber, is known for her spare, neutral interiors.  She eschews patterns and fussiness and prefers her designs to be calm and soothing with a sprinkling of pine, concrete, seagrass, stucco, iron, and linen.  Practicing in Houston for over 30 years, she has cultivated a "look" that  is very casual with  plushy down chairs and sofas covered in basic linens -  no silks for Ginger.  Her interiors have a decidedly English look crossed with a Texan sensibility.  Barber owns a small design store that sells English antiques and accessories, creamware and wicker baskets.  It's called The Sitting Room and it's styled exactly as she would her own living room, with  textures playing a major part of the design.  The laid back style would fit right in with a country home in the Cotswold's.  Two of Barber's publicized projects are actually for the same client.  Both houses are presented here for comparison.  Which do you prefer - the early English version or the new more Mediterranean, eclectic look?

The original home:  typical Barber design:  large blanket chest doubles as a coffee table, plump slipcovered, down cushioned chairs and sofa, pine fireplace, seagrass rugs, and lots of wicker accessories in the shelves.  Notice the painted blue armoire to the right, it shows up in the new house!

 

Original home:  antique pine table and painted chairs, various English styled antiques scattered about.  The wood floors and antiques are honey colored  - a look Barber prefers.

 

Original home:  Dining room piece doubles as a buffet.  Wicker baskets, religious statues, painted woods, botanicals - all typical of what Barber loves and uses time and again.

Original Home:  converted light fixture, slipcovered French chairs, large hutch with a collection of brown and white transferware.  This muted, monotoned look with honey colored woods is typical of a Barber design.

Original home:  this picture is somewhat distorted, but upholstered headboard, muted bedding fabrics, and checks - Barber loves to use checks and Bennison, but who doesn't?

The New Home:  white limestone floors, iron banister, iron candelabra and light fixture set the tone in this client's new home.  The dark hardwoods on the stairs are covered in seagrass.  Immediately, the differences in the two houses are apparent just here in the entry.

The new home:  a three story townhouse designed by the fabulous Southampton Group brothers.  Here the look is more refined and elegant than the previous house, yet it still is very casual.  Blue and white dhurri rug, bold brown and cream check on recovered slipcover chair from previous home.  Lacquered coffee table replaces the blanket chest.  Small french antique chair comes from the older home.   English antique bamboo table, linen colored slipcovers, painted wood pieces, gold candlesticks - all are trademarks of Barber's.

Close up of living room in the new home.  Notice how she uses baskets and pots in the shelves.  Here Barber uses unmatched chairs as opposed to the former house.  The unmatched chairs look lighter and less bulky in this setting. 

Dining Room:  same chairs as the former home,  but they have been painted darker and wear new light blue slipcovers.  Blue armoire is now in the dining room as opposed to the family room in the former house.  New iron and limestone table.  This dining room is much more elegant than the former one, but still, retains the casual look.  Out of view is a crystal chandelier, replaced the former wood light fixture.

The new kitchen boasts gorgeous antique tiles with limestone tiled countertops.  Creamware pieces are typical of those sold at The Sitting Room, Barber's wonderful design shop.

Barber's usual tablescapes are heavy on concrete and large oversized pieces - nothing dainty or feminine about Barber's look.

Landing in the new home:  note how much darker the wood floors are stained compared to the older home. 

View of the hall with the cream linen drapes that are used throughout the home.  They are full and flowing and quietly lend a luxurious feel.  Pine bench with pillows made of Bennison fabric.

View from the other side of the hall.  Seagrass covers this walkway.  Note the interesting English bookcase on the right.  The large, overscaled hanging cabinet adds to the atmosphere of the hall.  Note how interesting Barber has made a space that could have been "just" a walkway.  Instead, it is a visual treat to take in when moving from one side of the house to the other.

 

The new home's master bedroom appears to have the same bed and bedding.  The toile pillows are Old World Weaver's famous oriental toile.  I love the casual sofa between the windows and the red tea canister lamps. The painting above the bed appears to be the same painting above the fireplace in the previous home.  As throughout the house, the walls are a sofa cream which match the linen drapes.  The wood floor is left bare - the dark provides a contrast against the light walls and drapes.

Which look do you like better?  The casual, English influenced first home, or the more elegant, slightly Mediterranean look of the new home?  Myself, I prefer the new home!

 

The Oscars!!!

The living room from my all-time favorite movie house:  "Something's Gotta Give."  The elements that make this house so successful:  dark wood floors & furniture, slipcovered upholstery, blue & white striped dhurri rug, white walls, the contrast between the light & dark.

Tonight, the world is watching The Oscars to see if their favorite movie wins.  The Fashionistas of the world watch The Oscars to see what dresses the stars are wearing.  So, where does that leave us fiends who love home decor?  While there is an award for set design, it's not one of the most popular award given out.  And more importantly, the award for Best Set Design doesn't mean:  Best House of the Year.   What if Oscar did give an award like that out?  What would be your pick, your favorite house in a movie?   Design bloggers like to discuss movie houses and we tend to do that often. We ask each other:  what movies are your favorite to "watch?"   This has nothing to do with whether the movie is actually "good."    You see, if you are a design fiend, you "watch" a movie in a different way than the typical movie goer does.  We look beyond the movie stars to see the set.  What is the house in the movie like?  Is it beautiful?  Is it contemporary or traditional?  What is the furniture like? What accessories did they use?    Would I like to live there?  How can I copy that room?   Design bloggers love to talk movie sets:    The blogger Katrina from "Room with Pretty Things" recently recommended the new movie "Defintely, Maybe" as a must see for it's movie set.   Courtney from Style Court wrote recently that the movie with the most "stylish interiors" was "Indescreet," starring Ingrid Bergman.    Later, Style Court and I were discussing good movie sets and she personally recommended I watch "Everyone Says I Love You," an obscure Woody Allen musical with a good movie set. And, of course everyone knows "Mrs. Blandings" claims "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House" as her all time favorite interiors movie.   

But, have you ever wondered what movies famous designers like to "watch" for their beautiful homes?  Recently, Maggie Galehouse with the Houston Chronicle posed just that question to a group of A-Lister designers:

Sherry Donghia, creative force behind the powerhouse company, Donghia,  listed  three movies as her favorite film sets:    Woody Allen's "Interiors" gets her vote for its set which is "interesting and seductive." Another favorite:  "Grand Hotel" starring Greta Garbo  - "totally luxurious" set in Berlin in the 1930's, "when Berlin was Berlin."    And last, she named "The Talented Mr. Ripley" starring Matt Damon - for it's stylish clothes, homes, accessories and beach scenes.

Woody Allen's "Interiors" is a favorite of Donghia's.  She loves the house the movie is set in.

The dining room from "Interiors"  - notice the gray mural over the wainscoting.  Large antique English buffet with silver accessories.  Woody Allen's films typically are filled with interesting houses and sets.

Donghia's pick:  "The Grand Hotel" - Berlin when it was Berlin.

Donghia's third choice:  "The Talented Mr. Ripley" - the stylish clothes and sets attracted Donghia to it.

"The Talented Mr. Ripley" - the European settings are as stylish as the wardrobes.

Bob Williams, partner of the successful furniture line Mitchell Gold+Bob Williams, cites "Practical Magic" as his favorite movie house.  "Practical Magic," starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman,  is often on blogger's favorite movie set lists too.  The movie is set in an old Victorian house  with a fabulous kitchen that gets decor lovers' attention.  Williams' other favorite decor movie is "Stepmom" - he adores Susan Sarandon's brown apartment in the movie.

"Practical Magic" and it's famous kitchen that everyone loves.

A cream, English AGA stove is at the center of the "Practical Magic" kitchen.

"Stepmom" - Sarandon in her brown apartment that Bob Williams loves.

 

Trend maker and all around decor guru, Thomas O'Brien names "Girl With a Pearl Earring" as his favorite movie:  "exquisitely gorgeous from first frame to last."  I couldn't agree more.

"Girl With a Pearl Earring" is Thomas O'Brien's favorite movie set.  Here Scarlett Johansson acts out the famous Vermeer painting. 

Vermeer's gorgeous "Girl with a Pearl Earring."

A scene from the movie - this set looks exactly like Vermeer's house where he painted most of his paintings.

Scarlett gets the pearl earring for the first time from Vermeer.  The blue of the scarf stands out from the movie's muted tones.

Here, Vermeer's wfe  - the owner of the stolen pearl earring.

 

Daughter of a famous designer, and a designer in her own right, Alexa Hampton loves "The Leopard" starring Burt Lancaster.  Filmed in 1963,  Hampton says "it's the whole glamorous world...in Italy" that she loves about the movie.   Another favorite of hers is the PBS series "Brideshead Revisited" which was filmed in England at Howard Castle.  If you love this movie set also, Howard Castle is open to visitors each summer. 

 

"The Leopard" a favorite of Alexa Hampton.

The period piece, Brideshead Revisted makes Hampton's list.

Here is Howard Castle, where many movies have been filmed.  The stately castle is open to visitors and approximately 200,000 come each year.

 

Bill Stubbs, Houstonian interior designer and author of "I Hate Red, You're Fired!" cites "The Philadelphia Story" as his top choice for best movie set.  "The whole Main Line, Pennsylvania lifestyle.  The clothes, the preparation for a big party...everything just seemed to be the way you wanted your life to look."  For a newer film set, he likes  "Casino Royale" a recent James Bond film partly shot  in northern Italy on the lake in a fantasy villa and at the Hotel de Paris in Monaco.  

This MainLine residence attracts Bill Stubbs to "The Philadelphia Story."  What a cast!

Suave James Bond in Casino Royale - Bill Stubbs favorite newer movie set.

 

And what did Cote de Texas name as her favorite movie houses?   "Well, of course, I love 'Something's Gotta Give.'  by Nancy Meyers - that house set in the Hamptons with its blue and white stripe dhurri rug, the slipcovered furniture, the dark wood floors, the dining room, the ironstone in the breakfront, the wicker chairs in the library area - it's just fabulous.   I had so many clients come to me after that movie was released and say - I want that house!  I would love to actually copy it for someone one day.  It's timeless."  Another favorite  movie set of Cote's is "Hannah and Her Sisters" by Woody Allen.   It was partly filmed in Mia Farrow's own apartment where she grew up and eventually lived in as an adult with all her children.  The dining room with it's red walls is a wonderful space, and there's a great  loft in the movie.  But, the Dakota apartment steals the show.   Another great movie house is in "Spanglish"- the main house is in L.A.  and  their Malibu beach house is pretty wonderful too.   The movie, "Doctor Zhivago" is a favorite from Cote's childhood:   the snow, the frozen, icy, old mansion in Siberia, the wonderful little cottage with the horse drawn carriage with bells, the beautiful scenes from pre-revolutionary Russia - it is a gorgeous movie filled with gorgeous sets.    Another favorite of Cote's was made before her time:  "Rebecca," the Oscar winning, Alfred Hitchcock thriller with its fabulous Cornwall estate, Manderlay.  Manderlay steals the show from the actors.  And lastly, like any good Southern girl, Cote cites "Gone With The Wind" with its great houses.  "I loved Tara and it was a fantasy house of mine for years and Scarlett and Rhett's beautiful Atlanta home is  the epitome of the nouveau riche."  Thanks Cote for your list of good movie sets!

The dining room from Something's Gotta Give:  I love the slipcovers here and the white ironstone collection.

Here's how the dining room looked while being filmed.  Notice how the seagrass rug fits only under the chair!  The table is on a dolley that turns the set around. Director Nancy Meyers is on the right in an orange t-shirt.

Here is a vignette in the library area of the living room:  black wicker chairs with striped fabric.  The fabric appears to me to be a Rogers and Goffigon linen.

Here's the famous bedroom scene between Keaton and Nicholson.  Nancy Meyers sits on the bed.  The table next to Keaton appears to be an Oly mirrored table.

I love this overhead shot which I've never seen before.  You can really see great detail here:  There's light blue piping on the sofas' slipcovers. The coffee table is a striped fabric ottoman.  The pillows are made out of three different patterns.  The sofa table holds shells, books and candles. 

From "Hannah and her Sisters" - Thanksgiving is celebrated in Mia Farrow's personal apartment in the Dakota in NYC. 

"Spanglish" has two great houses:  here the family summers in a beachfront house in Malibu.

I loved the master bedroom in "Spanglish."    I would love to know what line this print fabric is from.

Mom and daughter in "Spanglish"   all I notice is the couch and it's English style fabric.

"Doctor Zhivago" - a childhood favorite of mine:  I loved the fantasy of this frozen, old Russian country house.  Notice the typical Russian turrets on the rooftop.

The three star crossed lovers in pre-revolutionary Russia.

The poor, ignored Tonya, Zhivago's first wife.

The second Mrs. de Winter is terrorized by Mrs. Danvers in a beautiful English country home, Manderlay.

The second Mrs. de Winters faces the first Mrs. de Winter's portrait - in the same dress, orchestrated by the evil Mrs. Danvers.

The beautiful Tara from "Gone With the Wind."  Every southern girl longs for a home like this!

The famous bbq scene.  Notice the garden folly in the upper right corner.  I never saw that before, either!

Mammie  laces up Scarlett's waist as she leans on her rice bed with its colonial style bedspread.

 

What movie houses are your favorite?  Please recommend something with a beautiful set for us to rent this weekend!  And to read the Houston Chronicle article in its entirety, please go here.