sandr018

Most people here in DC know of the Willard : one of the grand dame hotels of the city which one assumes have been there forever. However what most probably don't know (I for one did not) is that the current hotel is actually mostly a recreation of the historic space! We recently hosted a tour of the hotel with our ICAA chapter and the hotel historian had some eye opening surprises for us. Many of the beautiful details which appear to date to the hotel's rebuilding in 1901 when the beaux arts style hotel was built actually date to 1986! Lets back up here. Yes the hotel is historic. Like many hotels however it has been renovated and rebuilt almost continuously since its founding in 1818 (the year is a stretch but is when a hotel was first built on this site). Above is the lobby as it appeared in 1950. One recognizes the overall space but decoration and mid-centuryisms are the focus. And above is how the lobby appeared in 1984! This area of Washington suffered greatly during the...

The great designer Suzanne Kasler is at it again with her 3rd book from Rizzoli, Sophisticated Simplicity, sharing more of her timeless projects. This new book looks at a number of her recent projects ranging from town to country, mixing high and low, and with a lot more modern than we're used to seeing from her! The project below in South Carolina had the homeowners taking Suzanne out of her comfort zone with their love of bold colors. Many of the projects however feature Kasler's signature of beautiful neutrals with light-filled interiors. The project in Maine, seen in these 2 photos, showcases the homeowners' love of blue &white and is what relaxed coastal living is all about! But the event I'm excited to share with you is a booksigning with Suzanne Kasler , Architect Jeffrey Dungan , and photographer William Abranowicz , that I'm hosting through our chapter of the ICAA in conjunction with Circa lighting with whom Kasler has a lighting line. Dungan is a tal...

While on the topic of the Met I wanted to share with you some of my pictures from the controversial exhibit, Heavenly Bodies ; Fashion and the Catholic Imagination. While my interest in fashion is only passing the clothes throughout the exhibit are remarkable. Most remarkable of all however are the actual papal vestments found in a (respectfully) separate gallery from the secular garments (no photos allowed).  Most extraordinary of all however is how excited people are for this exhibit; The crowds were immense. In all of my visits to the Met I have never seen crowds of people actually spending time in these medieval galleries.  People are excited for church stuff, in the 21st century,  that should be good right? Well a lot of people are complaining that an exhibit on fashion inspired by Catholicism is disrespectful.  Whatever happened to 'Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery ' or 'T here is no such thing as bad publicity '?  I found the exhibit thrill...

While at the Met to see the Versailles exhibit, this framed watercolor caught my eye. The presentation drawing by architect Ogden Codman Jr . was for the bedroom of Louise Vanderbuilt's bedroom at Hyde Park in 1898.  I wish we made such evocative drawings for our clients still today; sketch up models cannot compete with the artistry of watercolor.  Codman, of course, was the friend and co-author to Edith Wharton's 'The Decoration of Houses'. I think a monograph on this decorator's Architect is long overdue! as always - click on the image to see in greater detail

Ever since Louis XIV moved the seat of French government to Versailles  it has been a very public place full of visitors very unlike the original hunting lodge he inherited. You have your chance to see the chateau a little closer to home as Versailles has come to us.  Until July 29, 2018 the exhibit ' Visitors to Versailles ' is at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC. I visited the exhibit back in May and while it doesn't compare with the real thing it is a great introduction to the history of the storied chateaux. The palace, after the ransacking of the revolution, is still shockingly accurate to pre-revolutionary time (despite the touch of future generations). I spent a lovely day in Versailles last month and all of the historic images from the exhibit are instantly recognizable. The crowds may be rather more casually dressed these days but they still come to ogle the spectacle that is Versailles. Back in the 17th and 18th centuries your rank and dress could grant you varying ...