Renovating the Dining Room at Liberty Hall Museum

Color changes and new curtains are part of the dining room plan to update and revive this beautiful room.

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The butlers uniform helps bring the room alive to a former period.

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We will keep the antique cornices which add character and an excellent heading to each window.

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The Heriz carpet will provide our color palette and remain a striking feature of the room.

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The mantel brought in from New York by the Kean Family during the 20th Century will also remain in the room.

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This important Anerican sideboard scales nicely on the South wall.

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Watch for fabric choices in the near future.

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Renovating Tuxedo Park Library

The exterior main entrance. The interior renovations are beginning this week.

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The floor plans on display

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Colors we chose being added to the Adult reading room

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The shelves are filling up with books

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Painting beginning in the Resource Room- soon to be high tech.

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Media Cafe color up on the walls

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Coffee bar being installed

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Shelves being installed in the media cafe

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Media cafe chairs lined up and ready to go!

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Staging: The Seller’s Secret

Recently we were asked to stage a cottage that is for sale in Tuxedo Park. Adding a combination of fine antiques, modern upholstered furniture and paintings from the customer’s own collection, we significantly approved the curb appeal and saleability in a short time and for a very reasonable price.

Here is the master bedroom before and after:

Master Bedroom Before

 

Master Bedroom After

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a small bedroom before and after:

Small Bedroom Before

Small Bedroom After

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the main living room after:

Main Living Room After

Here is the listing from Sotheby’s Realty (click to link):

Here is our promotional card for staging:

Please keep us in mind if you are trying to sell your house and would like a staging consultation!

 

 

 

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Venice: St. Mark’s Basilica

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Amazing interior mosaic dome

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The Nave

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Detail of interior arches

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Sketch being done by a student

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Floor Detail

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Exterior Door detail

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Venice: The Fortuny Museum

Mariano Fortuny was an artist with many talents. He is most known to decorators and designers because of his ability to produce fabrics by way of a screening process that was revolutionary in the 19th century. These fabrics were used in the theatre productions he worked on. He is also known for inventing important lighting and dome systems in theaters including La Scala. He was an avid painter and often copied masters to refine his technique. He eventually was in high demand to furnish interiors. His clients include Consuelo Vanderbilt and Countess Bearn.

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Paintings set against the Fortuny textiles

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The walls of the Fortuny Palazzo(the Museum) are lined with textiles. Below are several examples. Many of his designs were inspired by Cretan motifs.

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Italian Architecture: Venice

View of the Ducal Palace from the water

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Church of San Zaccaria

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Door of the Church of San Zaccaria

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Fruit market in the street near San Marco

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Canal near San Marco

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The Ducal Palace

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Detail of the Ducal Palace

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The Bell Tower at St.Mark’s Square

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St. Moise Church

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Arch

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Italian Architecture: Padua

We walked through Padua this evening in amazement of the incredible buildings

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The Piazza

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Italian Gardens: The Boboli Gardens at the Pitti Palace

View leading up to the gardens

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Neptune in the Fishpond at Boboli Gardens complete with Heron

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Views of the back of the palace and the city of Florence

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Italian Fashion and Architecture: The Pitti Palace Costume Exhibit

We are about to enter the imposing Florentine Pitti Palace to view the Costume Exhibition and see the Boboli Gardens.

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A ceiling executed in trompe l’oeil as we enter the exhibition

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A glimpse of 18th and 19th century costumes

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Extraordinary Fortuny dresses including the “Delphos” and “Peplos.” Circa 1911 and 1934

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Another selection including a dress by Givenchy

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Several dresses including selections by Roberto Cavalli

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Schiaparelli along with other great Italian designers

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Brunelli

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Nina Ricci

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Fabulous shoes by Gianfranco Ferre

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Italian Architecture: Florence

The Duomo on a warm sunny morning in Florence. We are about to go up in the dome.

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The Nave

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The interior of the Dome -octagonal

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The Liturgical Clock

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The marble floors at the Duomo

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The Tower

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From the Ponte Vecchio

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Statue of David(the knock off) at the Accademia

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Pizza on the Piazza!

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Italian Architecture: Verona Street Scenes

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Austrian Architecture: The Cathedral of Saints Rupert and Vergilius in Salzburg

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Marble exterior shown with the Papal flag
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The nave leading up to the extraordinary dome
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The main organ in the back of the Cathedral. There are five organs in total, not surprising given the importance of music is Salzburg.
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The dome shown with sepia and colored frescos show scenes from the Old Testament.
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The sanctuary. The frescos in this area depict post Easter scenes.
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A view of the Dome straight up.
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An area of dedication to the newly elected Pope Francis
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One of the five organs at a smaller scale.
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Detailed photographs of destruction to the Cathedral during the War.
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The original baptismal font from 774. It is the only surviving object from the original Cathedral. It was used to baptize Mozart.
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Austrian Architecture: Street Scenes of Salzburg

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Austrian Architecture: The Vienna Opera House

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Austrian Architecture- St. Stephan’s Cathedral in Vienna

Facade of the Cathedral

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Exterior views

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Detail

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The Nave

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Staircase to the pulpit

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Austria: Schonbrunn Palace, The Summer Home of the Habsburgs–1400 Rooms to Decorate!

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Ceiling Fresco by Guglielmi
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Blue Chinese Salon-Detail of chinoiserie acquired by Maria Theresa(mother of Marie Antoinette) during the 18th century. She was a big fan of using Asian elements to decorate with.
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The Great Gallery which was perfect for big parties! She often celebrated family name days here with a big ball and theatre performances given by her own children. In 1961 the room hosted President Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev in a historic meeting.
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The Vieux-Laque Room below is done in lacquer panels from Peking. The same panels would be used to make free standing screens. In this room they were built into the walnut panelling by Maria Theresa as a memorial for her husband Franz Stephan.
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Close up detail of the amazing inlaid hard wood floors in the Vieux-Laque room.
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Classic green shutters used for light filtering and decoration. Wood blinds and shutters have been used since the 18th century.

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The Porcelain Room below was used for playing cards and as the study of Maria Theresa. The elaborate garlands, flowers and framework was designed to highlight blue ink drawings done by her husband Franz Stephan and her children. This is a wonderful example of a blue and white room!
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New friends!!!
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The Red Shutters Radio Show: “Old and New!”

We hope you enjoy our new radio program, The Style Show. In this episode, Marina explains many ways to blend antiques and new furnishings to tell the story of your life in your home. We have enhanced the show with hundreds of pictures for your listening AND viewing pleasure. The Style Show airs every Thursday morning at 11:30 on WTBQ 93.5 FM/1110 AM. This episode aired on Feb. 21, 2013.

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Before and After at Liberty Hall Museum!

Recently, The Red Shutters had the privilege of participating in the historic restoration and decoration of the Peter Kean Bedroom at Liberty Hall Museum in Union, NJ. This entry tells the story of our work in collaboration with our clients and caretakers there.

Background. Beginning with its construction in 1772 and continuing through its life as a museum beginning in 1949, Liberty Hall has served as the real and symbolic home of two of New Jersey’s most esteemed and successful political families, the Livingstons and the Keans. Liberty Hall housed the first Governor of New Jersey, William Livingston—who served from 1776 through 1790and his wife Susannah French. In 1811, Livingston’s niece Susan Livingston Kean purchased the property with her son Peter Kean, and it has remained under the auspices of the Kean family ever since.

 

Before. The challenge was to update the Peter Kean Bedroom, making it at once more appealing to visitors and more true to history. The picture below shows the room in its “before” stage, the result of a prior restoration completed approximately 50 years ago.

The Peter Kean Bedroom, before The Red Shutters restoration.

Inspirations. There are many sources of design and decorating inspiration in the home and on the property. First, there is an impressive collection of 18th century American furniture resident in the home. Second, there is the dashing figure of Peter Kean himself, embodied in the display of his original Navy uniform from the War of 1812. Third, there is a majestic Horse Chestnut tree situated directly outside the bedroom window. Planted in the 1760′s before the house was built, the tree impressed us as a visual echo of the proud Livingston and Kean family trees.

 

The Livingston and Kean “Family Tree.”

An Eighteenth Century Chest.

Process. To guide the restoration and decoration, we first prepared a concept board including our inspirations, Peter Kean’s belongings, and other essential pieces of historical reference. We presented this board to our client and other interested parties several times, each time fine-tuning the board to their comments and opinions. Once the board was approved, we executed all of the pieces and assembled them into the finished room.

Table filled with inspirations and ideas.

Concept board with Kean uniform at center.


Elements. The following three pairs of photographs show key features of the room in before and after modes. The first pair of photos below showcases the bed, with historically appropriate fabric by Lee Joffa. The fabric features a tree pattern, reminding us of the family genealogy.

 

Peter Kean’s bed before restoration.

Peter Kean’s bed after restoration.

The second pair of photos presents Peter Kean’s lolling chair, now upholstered with classic green Schumacher fabric. In addition, beautiful Farrow & Ball paper now adorns the walls above the chair rail.

The third pair of photos shows the fireplace in the Peter Kean Bedroom before and after our restoration.

Peter Kean’s lolling chair before restoration.

Peter Kean’s lolling chair after restoration.

Peter Kean’s fireplace before restoration.

Peter Kean’s fireplace after restoration.

Finally, below is the window treatment and the chest corner after the restoration of the Peter Kean Bedroom was completed.

Window treatment after restoration.

Chest corner after restoration.

After! And here it is, a panorama of the finished Peter Kean Bedroom, historically restored and decorated by The Red Shutters:

 

The Peter Kean Bedroom at Liberty Hall, after historic restoration and decoration.

Thank You! The funding for this room’s restoration was made possible by the 2011 Ladies of Liberty Hall fundraiser. The Red Shutters would like to thank The Ladies, our clients Bill Schroh and Rachael Goldberg, and most especially the Kean family for the privilege of working on this historic and fun restoration at beautiful Liberty Hall!

Thanks to The Ladies of Liberty Hall!

 

Thanks to the wonderful Kean family and Director, William Schroh.

 

The beautiful gardens of Liberty Hall.

Please visit the Liberty Hall Museum website and the Museum itself!

Marina


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Highlights of High Point, Spring 2011!

This entry summarizes my trip to the April High Point Market, the nation’s most important home furnishings expo. I opened about twenty new accounts for The Red Shutters and other designers in our network, and saw a lot of great things, many of which appear in the photos below. I hope you enjoy, and would love to hear your comments!

I took a very focused approach this trip, seeking new sources in three specific categories: upholstered furniture, outdoor furniture, and accessories.

First, I am happy to announce our new relationship with C. R. Laine, one of my favorite makers of high-quality furniture in America. Their workmanship is excellent, their fabrics are phenomenal, their taste level is perfect and their comfort is unsurpassed!

Tufted-back coral club chair from C. R. Laine.

Sweet orange armchair from C. R. Laine.

Graphic fabric and chair from C. R. Laine.

Seeing C. R. Laine's quality for myself.

A popular modern sectional with integral chaise from C. R. Laine.

C. R. Laine's selection of high-quality upholstery fabrics is wide and deep.

With Holly Blalock, the very fun marketing exec from C. R. Laine.

I also visited another of my favorite suppliers—New York’s own Harden—to see all the new and special items in their line.

Small armchairs like Harden's are scarce!

Traditional and modern at once, from Harden.

Harden's modern sofa is one of my best sellers!

In addition, I filled a gap in our line by opening up conversations with Barcalounger, the world’s most famous maker of recliners. Like all manufacturers, they’re becoming more designer-friendly. This is because so many important consumers (like you!) now buy from decorators, not furniture stores.

Sleek modern lines from Barcalounger.

Not your father's Barcalounger!

Since a decorator can never have too many  nice, affordable chairs in her line, I opened up new relationships with Selemat, Sunpan and Safavieh.

A great selection of chairs from Sunpan.

Small table and chairs from Sunpan.

On the outdoor furniture front, I am proud to welcome Summer Classics, Barlow Tyrie and Whitecraft to the Red Shutters family of preferred suppliers!

Classic, genuine teak set from Summer Classics.

Beautiful and durable, from Summer Classics.

Incredible Barlow Tyrie outdoor chaise.

Excellent lines on this bamboo outdoor set from Whitecraft!

I love this U-shaped outdoor sectional from Whitecraft.

There was an abundance of great accessories available, and I renewed our relationships with great firms like Global Views, Barbara Cosgrove, Mottega, Visual Comfort, Made Goods, Vintage Prints, NDI Floral Arrangements, Port 68, Carvers’ Guild, ChinaWind, and many others!

Great French-style tables at Global Views.

I love these orange accents from Global Views.

Chinese Chippendale for your spa towels!

A beautiful play on rustic style with this Global Views "twig" table.

Silhouette wallpaper from Julian Chichester.

Great new lamps at Barbara Cosgrove.

Nice red lamps from Mottega.

Mottega allows you to choose shapes, colors and shades!

I can never get enough blue & white lamps!

Loving all this B&W from Port 68.

I love this Asian chest!

Great candy-colored ceramics from Asian Loft.

New theatrical lighting from Barbara Cosgrove.

Stacking cases from Studio Globe Wernicke.

Sweet ferns in any size for any room!

One of the many important mirror shapes preserved by the geniuses at Carvers' Guild.

Nice lattice pattern from Safavieh rugs.

Hermes-style mirror at Made Goods.

ChinaWind is my new source for handwoven tapestries and tapestry pillows.

Full and fun silk flower arrangement at NDI.

Well, that’s the recap for my trip to the High Point market. If these pictures (or words!) have inspired any ideas for your home, office, hotel, museum or spa, please e-mail me at Marina@TheRedShutters.com, or click the Shop Now! link near the top of this page to visit www.TheRedShutters.com.

XOXO,

Marina

!It was great

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Highlights of the NY Architectural Digest Show!

This entry is a summary of my visit to the Architectural Digest Home Design Show on March 19, 2011. It’s New York’s largest and most important design expo. I attended workshops on style and color, and saw a lot of great things, many of which appear in the photos below. Hope you enjoy, and would love to hear your comments!

I attended on Saturday, when the show is open to the public. I like to see how people react to everything!

My first stop was the color seminar hosted by Amy Lau, Jamie Drake and James Rixon.

I love how Amy Lau does her color concept boards.

Jamie Drake uses color to create lines and angles that move your eye around a room.

In this city flat, James Rixson used low furniture and wide steps to create the illusion of a high ceiling.

I opened an account for customers of The Red Shutters with Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams.

Welcome to The Red Shutters, Mitchell + Bob!

As usual, I had my eyes open for chairs in great taste of all shapes and kinds.

This cool red lucite chair makes great fun of an ancient Chinese design.

This leather club chair from Willem Smith was the most comfortable at the show.

I loved Grange's easy chair in this incredible plush pink upholstery.

Dorothy Draper fabric on a classic Chippendale-style lolling chair at Kindel!

These architectural forms in resin-stone and metal added outdoorsy flair to an indoorsy show.

Lighter than stone, but just as tasteful.

Hard to beat this Eiffel arch for impact!

Truly distinctive textiles and natural woods that could serve as the central statement in a space were present, too.

This hand-knotted Persian carpet features the colors of sand and sea.

This strip-woven Persian carpet reminds me of a first-phase Navajo.

This Suzani-inspired embroidery is tribal and modern at the same time.

This sauna-inspired natural wood planking would look great on a wall or a floor.

Art, including glass and mosaic treatments was in abundance at the show.

This beautiful mosaic pattern reminds me of the way the Aegean sparkles.

Silver glass forms give this wall energy.

Hand-blown glass from Kanik Chung.

Nice water hues in this acrylic artwork!

Classic images meet modern colors.

Finally, I saw great hardware and fixtures of many different kinds, all in great taste.

Beautiful bronze hardware.

Compact stainless set from Miele.

Sorry, I couldn't resist this Lefroy Brooks tub!

E-mail me at Marina@TheRedShutters.com for more information about anything you have seen here or elsewhere, or click the Shop Now! link near the top of this page to visit www.TheRedShutters.com.

XOXO,

Marina

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Highlights of High Point!

This entry is a summary of my trip to the October High Point Market, the nation’s most important home furnishings expo. I opened a lot of key new accounts for customers of The Red Shutters and other designers in our network, and saw a lot of great things, many of which appear in the photos below. Hope you enjoy, and would love to hear your comments!

It was great to chat with Mariette Himes Gomez about our mutual friend artist Daniel Mack, and Mariette’s new designer line at Hickory Chair.  As you may know, I love chairs, chairs, chairs!

With Mariette Himes Gomez.

Great color from E J Victor.

From Mariette's collection at Hickory Chair.

Going Tribal at Lee Furniture!

At Duralee Fine Furniture, one of my favorite fabric sources expands its adventure in the wild world of furniture.

Modern in white!

Nice tight classic lines (on the chair!).

A nice lean Parsons dining chair.

Think Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

A great sofa or sectional is one of the key starters in a room, be it Traditional, Tribal, Modern or Fun.

Fashionable wide stripes make this loveseat Fun!

This Modern sectional can really cozy up a room.

This flame-stitch fabric conveys a cool Tribal flair.

My favorite saddle color on a Traditional leather sofa from Ferguson Copeland.

Great pillows can bring any style of sofa to life.

In the true spirit of blogging I sneaked into the very Fun press conference and luncheon announcing the launch of Lilly Pulitzer’s new furniture collection from HFI Brands!

Fun sofa and Fun fish!

I love these big slipper chairs!

Palm Beach Princess bed!

Press pass? What press pass?!

At Visual Comfort: Great Hinson-style lamps and a new table from the John Rosselli Studio Collection, plus it was nice to see Alexa Hampton!

Hinson-Style Lamps at Visual Comfort

Alexa Hampton at Visual Comfort

A gilt metal table from John Rosselli at Visual Comfort.

These framed botanical plates and ornament prints from Soicher Marin add classic elegance to any sort of sort of setting!

Botanical prints at Soicher Marin

Ornament Prints at Soicher Marin

In addition to my usual rounds through the furniture showrooms, I made a point this time of visiting new stores specializing in neat accessories for indoors and out.

Fun colors on these tables, pillows and mirror!

Love this Modern gothic lantern!

Frames of all types to show off your gorgeous kids!

Traditional acorn urns bring architectural pop to any fireplace mantel.

This antler mirror from Halo is the fairest of them all.

Celtic shapes make great mirrors!

The designer's private cork collection makes this old tub a Fun table!

There's nothing like evergreen planters to spruce up your outdoor space.

A creative outdoor version of the Traditional Chippendale bench!

Email me at Marina@TheRedShutters.com for more information about anything you have seen here or elsewhere, or click the Shop Now! link near the top of this page to visit www.TheRedShutters.com.

XOXO,

Marina

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Your Home Is The Story of Your Life

This entry is a summary of our new style workshop entitled “Your Home: The Story of Your Life,” first presented on Wednesday, October 6, 2010 in Tuxedo Park, NY. Enjoy!

Traditional style is classic.

The Red Shutters takes a unique approach to decorating. While most designers use your home to tell their own story, we believe it should tell your story. So, our mission is to understand each client’s story, then articulate it with excellent taste. This approach results in highly personal interiors that our clients love.

Our design team is fluent in all four iconic decorating styles: Traditional, Tribal, Modern and Fun. Each client of The Red Shutters is a unique individual, and each room we create is a unique blend of elements drawn from one or more of these styles. To pull it all together, we use the art and science of color. As a result, the stories we tell are rich, deep and appealing on many levels.

Tribal style uses ancient patterns and materials.

Our approach offers great advantages for clients. First, it makes your interior highly personal, and therefore most comfortable. Second, it helps you to connect with a wider circle of people, because it allows any visitor to find something they love about your environment. Third, it’s “green,” because it welcomes the many good pieces you already own. And fourth, it’s cost effective, because it offers a wider range of choices for each key element.

The five sample boards shown here illustrate the four iconic styles, plus one possible synthesis. We’d love to hear your story, and to help you articulate it with great taste!

The Red Shutters, a third-generation design firm founded in 1950, serves clients throughout the United States and abroad. Our specialties include decorating, design, weddings, parties, colors, lighting, upholstery, blinds, draperies, carpets, antiques and custom furniture.

Modern means “form follows function.”

Fun style is fresh and unexpected.

Skillful use of color can connect many styles.

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The House in Good Taste, 2010 Edition

Neo-English Living in New York

The cover story of a recent issue of New York magazine featured interior design in a wonderful way. Entitled “The New Old,” the story is a series of segments on Neo-Country, Neo-Versailles, Neo-English, and several other interesting new-old iterations. The article is a perfect foil for this first blog post, because it neatly frames my own inclusive approach to design.

In the first fifty years of our existence, The Red Shutters (www.TheRedShutters.com) purveyed classic English-themed décor to the exclusion of other styles. But in the past decade, as our client base grew and became more diverse, I have revised our business strategy. Today, The Red Shutters adapts to our customer’s style without imposing any personal style of our own—all in good taste, of course. This means that while we remain experts in classic English décor, we also follow, understand and incorporate new trends and ideas every day, and in beautiful ways.

The best thing about a classic English interior is its purpose: to tell the story of a person’s life. Traditionally, the home’s furniture, rugs, objets d’art and other elements were things collected by the owner from beloved destinations and adventures, resulting in a grand yet very personal look. While my approach has grown ever more flexible, my goal has never wavered: to tell the story of my clients’ lives through the interiors I create with them.

In the May, 10, 2010 New York magazine article, I was particularly intrigued by an interior shot that ran within the article entitled “Neo-English.” (p. 74). The room is the creation of Rita Konig, designer and daughter of Nina Campbell, the grande dame of English decorating.

The room is noteworthy for its excellent balance of old and new. The possessions in the room have a “collected” Old World aura, but they are displayed in a modern white box. The fluffy, fussy too-often floral wallpaper integral to old school English living is blissfully waived. The colors are clean and solid, and the upholstery fabrics too. The light wood floors celebrate the older pieces. International touches flare here and there, elegantly: a Turkish Kilim, a French chair, an old European poster. The sleek Lars Bolander coffee table is mercifully uncluttered, in stark defiance of the olde tradition. The clean lines of the fireplace justify even the owner’s bitsiest collectibles. The Grand Tour clearly happened, it’s just impossible to say when.

In a word, the room is timeless. Even heavy elements such as the stacked books on the floor and the antlers on the wall dance and delight.

I applaud Ms. Konig’s accomplishments. It’s refreshing to see the old and the new get along so well, even in the city that never sleeps.

[Thanks to New York May 10, 2010 for the picture!]

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