The Prettiest Paper

Designers
April 16, 2014

Walking in the door on Church Street, one of the first things people ever ask me about is the wallpaper in the front hall. And I am often surprised when I tell people that it is Meg Braff Designs, and they had no idea that the designer had a line of wallpaper. Launched in 2011, Meg Braff Designs includes both wallpaper and fabrics. When midcentury wallpaper company Philip Graf put their archives up for sale, which included paper from the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s, Braff purchased every single roll. These timeless patterns have now been updated in new color ways, and look as fresh today as they did in the ’60s. The wallpaper in our front hall is called “Ferns.” The wallpaper in the powder room is called “Grille of Kells”I visited Meg Braff’s shop in Locust Valley, NY last summer, and felt like a kid in a candy store standing at a table covered in beautiful wallpaper samples. One of the best things about Meg Braff Designs wallpaper is that you can customize the colors. So if you like a certain pattern, but wish it could be blue instead of green, you can have it in blue.Meg Braff Designs just put some new patterns up on their website and I am already in love with a number of them. There are so many beautiful papers to choose from, it is almost impossible to pick just one … which is why the two wallpapers in my house are both Meg Braff Designs.

Visit Meg Braff Designs online here, or if you’re in the NYC/Long Island area I would highly recommend a trip to her shop in Locust Valley.

Front hall and close up photos by Francesco Lagnese all other photos by the author

Talking with Tom

Designers
April 14, 2014

Have you checked out the Tom Scheerer interview on 1st dibs? You all know the huge Scheerer fan that I am, so this is obviously right up my alley. In the interview, Scheerer refers to his style as “No nonsense American decorating;” and discusses the inspiration of Hicks and Baldwin, his love of the Saarinen table, and spending time at his home in Paris perfecting “the art of doing nothing.”

Interiors of Tom Scheerer for Book — Sag Harbor

In the interview, Scheerer goes on to give his opinions on entertaining, tell us about his new favorite app (instagram), what music he is listening to, his favorite restaurants, and even what types of gifts he likes to give. At the end of the interview, Scheerer also gives us his quick picks of things he likes that are for sale on 1st dibs right now … so essentially if you purchase one of those items, it is as if Scheerer was helping you decorate your home. So head on over to 1st dibs and check out the interview with Tom Scheerer. Also, if you still have yet to purchase Scheerer’s book, Tom Scheerer Decorates, read my review here, I highly recommend it.

photos by Francesco Lagnese

Axel’s Kastel

Architecture
April 7, 2014

I have always been a great admirer of Axel Vervoordt – designer, antiques dealer, and aesthetician extraordinaire. While our tastes don’t always line up exactly, I appreciate his understanding of space, and the way that he often lets the architecture of a space speak for itself. It seems when looking through work he has done, he always has the opportunity to decorate extraordinary spaces, and his spartan sense of style lends itself to that. This is Kastel de ‘s-Gravenwezel, a Belgian chateau dating to the 13th century, which is owned by the designer. Clearly Vervoordt and I are on the same page when it comes to historic preservation. I am especially drawn to the Orangerie, and to the bathtub that is tucked away behind some beautifully detailed paneling. Luckily for us, if in fact you want to visit the Kastel, the Vervoordt family opens it up to the public for tours three weekends a month for the bargain price of 10 euro.

Images via Marie Claire Maison