Interiors Archives - Page 20 of 21

Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day – Set Decor

January 21, 2009 By Paola 1 Comment

Last Saturday evening, I lit the scented candles, cracked open a bottle of Baileys, got out my knitting and settled down to watch Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day. We like to live fast and die young round these parts.

The film itself is slighter than slight, though perfect Saturday night fodder, and utterly redeemed by Frances McDormand's perfectly judged comic performance, the incredible Art Deco costumes and interiors and lots of lovely shots of Art Deco London.

It's not really my taste, but there's something about the sophisticated colour palette; the handpainted wallpaper; the sheen and glamour; the fur and the padding; the satin and chandeliers which makes you want to spend all day lying in bed eating oysters, drinking champagne and receiving gentlemen callers.

Here's the trailer so you can see the sets in action.

Colour Therapy

January 12, 2009 By Paola 1 Comment

I just wanted to point you guys in the direction of this fabulous giveaway on Shelteriffic. This nifty Color Helper machine lets you scan colours in from walls, fabrics or magazines and then either tells you the closest match from its inbuilt palette of manufacturers’ paint colours or suggests complementary colours for you to use.

All you have to do is prove to Shelterrific how much you need one by sending them a photo of a room that needs help and the worst will win the prize.

Fortunately for you guys, I’m not going to be sending in this photo of our famously horrendous kitchen – yep, after living here nearly two years we still haven’t painted the house and the kitchen still looks like this, though considerably more cluttered. Luckily for me, Mary T from Shelterrific is going to lend me her one of these machines, so I’ll do an indepth review when I can. And yes, doing up the house is VERY high on the list of resolutions this year.

Ines de la Fressange Does Pink

January 10, 2009 By Paola 4 Comments

It’s a little bit cluttered for my taste and I don’t like the rug, but the most glamorous woman in the world and Karl Lagerfeld’s erstwhile muse Ines de la Fressange gives us all (and Betsey Johnson) a lesson in how to do pink walls – choose a great shade of pink, keep the rest neutral and add lots of dark brown accents.

How does one become a ‘muse’? It sounds like nice relaxing job. I wonder what job she’s got in her passport?

Go Fug Your Room? Matthew Williamson’s London House

December 9, 2008 By Paola 9 Comments

I've put a question mark here as I actually rather like the very funky, very London, house belonging to British fashion designer Matthew Williamson, which has been featured in both September's Domino and now in January's Elle Deco UK. However I can understand if it's not exactly other people's cup of tea and would love to know what you think.

Personally I love the way he mixes old and new, ethnic sensibilities, colours and patterns and the whole seems very much a reflection of his personality.

I'm not saying I would choose to live here – I'm not convinced I could cope with mirrored armchairs, spinal cord wallpaper, that bright a colour scheme and all the Indian stuff doesn't do much for me – but in the end this is a very personal space, doesn't feel 'try hard' unlike the Miles Redd space below and contains quite a lot of stuff I absolutely adore. It's probably closest in feel to the Betsey Johson apartment we ~~critiqued~~ pulled apart earlier this year, though it seems much less cluttered and the colour scheme isn't so execrable.

First up the two covers of the magazines provide an interesting Britain v America moment as both publications use exactly the same corner of the dining area on their covers.

Elle Deco's styling of the room is much less cluttered – no cushion on the chair, nothing on the tulip table, no globe in the corner and less junk on the console under the mirror. The chandelier also seems to have 'disappeared'. I like the pretty boxes they've added on the console and the Fornasetti plate over the mirror is inspired. Interestingly though, Elle Deco has put Williamson on the cover, which they hardly ever do, whereas Domino, which is usually no stranger to cheesey celeb shots for once doesn't have a person at all. Note that Elle Deco has made the room seem far less 'white' by punching up the colour, having the coloured wall reflect in the mirror, cropping away from the white window and er, 'painting' the ceiling. Which cover do you prefer?

{Images from Elle Deco}

Funnily enough the globe and the table dolly return when Elle Deco shows some interior shots, suggesting that Domino stuck with the original styling. I quite like that Designer's Guild wallpaper and am a sucker for white vinyl floors. And I love the mix of the Eames chairs, the tulip table and that fabulous peacock chair. The mirror is a bit baroque for my taste, but has a nostalgia factor for me as it was apparently bought on the Golborne Road, just round the corner from where I used to live in Notting Hill.

I love what he's done with this sofa. That is all. Curtain treatment is strangely boring though.

{Above images from Domino}

Mirrored armchair does NOT look cosy. Still loving the white vinyl floor. Love the windows and orange paint, not sure about the mirror mosaic fireplace, don't like the mirror, though I see what he's trying to do. Those books sure move around a lot.

Light installation in the stairwell. Best thing in the house. As Rachel Zoe would say, I die.

Fuchsia pink kitchen bar area. Personally wouldn't have done it quite such a girly colour. But still rather fabulous.

Ha ha! You can tell we're in London from the pokey bathroom. Thought Venetian mirrors with modern had been done to death by now, but like the collage on the wall. I used to do things like that in my teens. Haven't we see these vases before?

Lovely floral wallpaper in bedroom. Except it's not a floral. Wallpaper design is made up of spinal cords and ribs. I love the effect, but am far too squeamish to have this in a bedroom.

Go Fug Your Room – Miles Redd

December 2, 2008 By Paola 6 Comments

Or, Miles Redd – WTF? So, another super fashionable decorator with whom Americans seem to be incredibly enamoured is Miles Redd. Domino describes him as the sultan of swank and his work is variously described as luxe, opulent, elegant, sumptuous, chic and glamorous, which all appear to be euphemisms for cluttered, ugly, muddled and like a dowager duchess on speed.

Like our dear friend Kelly Wearstler, he is another designer that I just do. not. get. So, in the words of Rachel Maddow, I need you to 'talk me down'. Tell me just what it is that makes this guy so amazing and so worshipped.

Here are pics of his latest photoshoot in Domino.

{All photos by Paul Costello from the Domino website}

I'm sorry, but this is ugly. The colour scheme of beige, grey, plum, pale blue, forest green and red is incoherent, dull and generally bleurgh and I don't like the over-emphasized symmetry; those lamps are pretty, but look all wrong here, and I'm really not keen on the arrangement of pictures of wall, which for some reason puts me in mind of space invaders.

{Photo by Paul Costello from Domino magazine}

I had to scan this picture in from the magazine as it wasn't on the Domino website, so you could see the far end of the room in all its ugly glory. That picture is HIDEOUS, surely? And I just find all the beige, grey and forest green deeply depressing; and no, it's not jazzed up by the 'witty' animal skin cushions, which just look try-hard and out of place here.

Inoffensive, dull, more 'witty' animal print, like a bad hotel bedroom. Move on, there's nothing to see here.

Well I suppose this is better. Not so cluttered with junk and I quite like the colours, though I'm not entirely sure about shiny red patent leather in a bedroom context (or in any context aside from little girls' party shoes). The lamp and bedside table arrangement is OK though.

I like this kitchen as a concept. I'm not sure I'd like it so much in the early morning while fumbling for a cup of coffee with a hangover, or indeed if I was actually going to attempt some cooking. The coffee maker is aces though.

And here's the man himself. The Husband walked past my computer as I was pulling these pictures together and said 'he looks like a twat'. Well, quite. (I believe the North American equivalent of twat is 'douchebag', which is one of my all time favourite Americanisms).

Livingetc.com

October 22, 2008 By Paola 5 Comments

Look, look, look!!!!!

mirrormirror is on the home page of Livingetc.com with a very wonderful little write up inside and the Creative Interiors Colouring Book prominently featured.

Just colour me tickled pink.

Dirty Sexy Money

October 14, 2008 By Paola 6 Comments

This post is by way of a plea. Please, please watch this show; tell your friends about it; blog about it and somehow get the word out about it. I love it to pieces but apparently the ratings aren’t good and it probably won’t see out a second season.

What’s not to love? This everyday story of America’s favourite dysfunctional billionaires features tons of soapy over-the-top melodrama; a fabulously witty script; great acting performances from the likes of Donald Sutherland, Peter Krause and Jill Clayburgh; a vast array of male eye-candy; drop-dead gorgeous fashions; sex, murder and big business aplenty; a huge cast of deliciously amoral characters; the incredibly wonderful Natalie Zea; a banging soundtrack and the sort of interiors that only multi-billions (or a very happy set designer) can buy.

If you can imagine Dynasty meets Sex and the City with good acting then that’s DSM. Episodes 1 and 2 are currently available to view online here. You don’t need to have watched season 1 to follow season 2. Season 1 DVD is available to buy here (season 1 got a bit stymied by the writers’ strike but was still aces). Please watch it for my sake, because I’ll be DISTRAUGHT if it goes off air.

Gwyneth Obnoxiously Opinionated Paltrow?

September 29, 2008 By Paola 13 Comments

So Gwyneth Paltrow is apparently starting up her own ‘lifestyle’ website, entitled, somewhat peculiarly, GOOP.

At the moment, it’s a strange little two-paged affair – click on any one of the icons above and you get a vacuous and somewhat patronising little essay about how Gwyneth has created her own very lovely life – the very loveliness of which I’m sure has NOTHING to do with the many millions of pounds she and her husband earn. The site is currently as content-free as its owner, though it does promise that in due course it will be full of fabulous hints and tips so that we too can lead lives as fabulous as hers.

I’m sure Gwynnie is hoping to become the next Martha Stewart and I don’t fundamentally have a problem with that. After all, isn’t that what all of us ‘lifestyle’ bloggers are secretly hoping might happen to us? And it’s not just that I find her profoundly irritating as a person – as you know I’m not overly keen on Martha or Nigella as people, but blimey, do they have some great ideas.

And that, I’m afraid is my problem with GOOP. I just don’t believe that Gwynnie will have anything to say that will interest me.

After all, would you take fashion advice from someone who, with all the money and stylists in the world, manages to look like she forgot her trousers on the red carpet?

Or take interiors advice from someone who, with all the money and interior designers in the world, has a house that looks like a somewhat soulless collaboration with the Sugar Plum Fairy?

Or indeed, take foodie advice from someone with a concave chest?

And anyway how can we trust her taste when she is married to HIM?

Will you be taking lifestyle advice from Gwynnie? Or are there any other celebs who you wish would put together a lifestyle website? (Personally I can’t wait for Sarah Palin’s).

Go Fug Your Room (and Yourself) – Kelly Wearstler

September 23, 2008 By Paola 43 Comments

Or, Kelly Wearstler – WTF?

I know that American design sensibilities are different from European ones. Americans seem to like more fuss, clutter and ornamentation than Europeans are used to. I think this is because minimalism was a European thing and its philosophy of clean lines, simple shapes and less clutter seems to have permeated our culture a lot more, even if we wouldn’t consider ourselves minimalists.

Having said all that, I just can’t understand the American adoration of interior designer Kelly Wearstler. An ex-topless model, champion of Hollywood Regency style, author of many books, and judge on interior design reality pogramme Top Design, she’s probably the equivalent in status to a Kelly Hoppen or Tricia Guild in the UK (though with very different design sensibilities) and very much admired.

But I. just. don’t. get. it.

Here are pictures from her recent spread in Domino magazine. Am I really the only person who thinks this looks like a wealthy Arab just ran amok in an early 80s motel? (With apologies to all wealthy Arabs with taste). Isn’t all the gold and shiny stuff and horrendous layered pattern and blocks of marble and overstuffed leather and fussy knickknackery just, well, hideous? Can someone please explain what I’m missing here?

All images from Domino

By the way, these are the ways she chooses to wear her hair, in public, nay, even on telly. There doesn’t appear to be any coercion involved. Thank goodness she’s beautiful.