panton chair

Born in 1960 by designer Verner Panton, the Panton chair is as fresh today as it was 50 years ago…its curvaceous form lends a graceful touch to any style decor…fun, versatile, comfortable, stackable and extremely durable, the Panton chair is a timeless piece worthy of a closer look!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

photos from Vicente Wolf, The Brooklyn Home Company, Elle Decor, Veranda and Flickr

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balance and composition

Think of today as an encore performance ~ one that features yet another breathtaking NYC home designed by Vicente Wolf…his eye for balance and composition is that of a painter and his canvas…light and dark, soft and hard, rough and smooth, linear and curved…he creates a living work of art

“I believe you can find your own style simply by becoming conscious of the things that bring you pleasure. The path to wisdom, it has been said, is self-knowledge. You can cultivate your own likes and experiences – the colors in a favorite painting, the textures of shells discovered on a beach – and translate these pleasures into the design of your own home. I am encouraging not imitation, but independence.” ~ an excerpt from Learning to See by Vicente Wolf

photos from Vicente Wolf

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the luxury of minimalism

Hats off to Margaret Russell and the entire team at Architectural Digest for enhancing their web presence with larger photos, personal interviews, and wonderful video content! After reading my July 2012 issue of AD, I was thrilled to discover some delicious extras on the AD site! To supplement the Vicente Wolf article and photos, archdigest.com added a Q & A along with a brilliant video interview! I was lifted to new heights! The video offered me a priceless look into the eyes of the designer…seeing his expressive face and hearing his thoughtful voice was a more powerful and memorable experience than I could have imagined…thank you AD! I can’t wait to see what else you have up your sleeve!

The photos in today’s post are from the July 2012 issue of AD and feature a glorious 3,200 square foot apartment in downtown Manhattan overlooking the Hudson River…designer Vicente Wolf worked closely with his clients to create a space that is both luxurious and minimal ~ custom-made sofas, upholstered in a VW Home mohair, mingle with a pair of 18th century Chinese horseshoe-back armchairs…a soothing palette of gray, beige and taupe unify the space and echo the natural hues of sky and water…floating arrangements of seating create a sense of openness and calm…worn textures play with pristine new finishes…

Wolf’s masterful approach transformed this high rise apartment into a one-of-a-kind oasis…balanced, beautiful, inviting and luxurious, it embodies all that his clients hoped for and so much more…please enjoy!

photography by Pieter Estersohn for AD

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well read ~ part two

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” ~ Charles W. Eliot

Wishing you a lovely weekend!

Hallberg & Wisely

Haynes-Roberts

J. Randall Powers

Jacques Grange

James Huniford

John Minshaw

John Saladino

Juan Pablo Molyneux

Kara Mann

Karin Blake

Lars Bolander

Lauren Gold

Luis Bustamante

Magnus Lundgren

Mary McDonald

Meichi Peng

Michael Smith

Michele Bonan

Miles Redd

Nina Griscom

Richard Shapiro

Robert Couturier

Sheila Harley

Steven Volpe

Suzanne Rheinstein

Ted Tuttle

Thomas Jayne

Thomas O’Brien

Tricia Huntley

Vicente Wolf

William Frawley

Windsor Smith

Yves Saint Laurent

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the art of editing

the art of editing…

chefs, composers, architects, poets, filmmakers, designers, painters…

all who create, edit…it is an integral part of the artistic process…

sometimes it is the silent pause or the blank space that creates a masterpiece

above ~ Antony Todd

above ~ Betsy Brown

above ~ Charles Spada

above ~ C|S Architecture

above ~ Darryl Carter

above ~ Haynes-Roberts

above ~ Henrik Busk

above ~ John Minshaw

above ~ Kara Mann

above ~ Mar Silver

above ~ Meichi Peng

above ~ Stephen Sills

above ~ Steven Volpe

above ~ Studio Ko

above ~ Vicente Wolf

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living with photography ~ 15 inspired interiors

above, Kara Mann

Today’s post features fifteen of my favorite interiors…they are memorable for many reasons but today, they have one common thread…their artful use of photography…in each space, the designer thoughtfully incorporates photography into the environment…some with a bold gesture, (as with the Kara Mann designed dining room above) others with a small gem, that bring you closer for a more intimate look…whether a virtuosic solo or a large symphonic grouping, these interiors lovingly highlight the beauty of photography…

below, Steven Volpe

below, Windsor Smith

below, Vicente Wolf

below, Steven Gambrel

below, Darryl Carter

below, Thomas O’Brien

below, Meichi Peng

below, Susan Chalom

below, Richard Avedon

below, Todd Romano

below, Jacques Grange

below, Antony Todd

below, John Chrestia

below, Thom Filicia

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living with photography ~ vicente wolf

The first person that comes to mind when I think of interior design and photography is Vicente Wolf…his passion for art, interior design and travel translates effortlessly to photography…I’m so inspired by his Manhattan home and his vacation home in Montauk…both are filled with his vast collection of art and photography displayed as only Vicente Wolf could…propped on a beloved chair, lovingly placed as part of a shelved grouping, maybe given the royal treatment on a mantel…no matter the placement, he has an impeccable eye for display and clearly loves living with photography…please enjoy the master at work

above and below, photos from Veranda, Manhattan home

Vicente Wolf talking about his love of photography in an interview with New York Social Diary

Your photography collection alone is incredible. You are photographer yourself. Are you self-taught?

VW ~ “Self-taught in everything I do. I photograph for all the different magazines, two books…”

If you had to choose, which would it be – interior design or photography?

VW ~ “The photography. I like the immediacy of it. I like the sense that it’s your vision. When you’re doing interior design, you’re doing somebody else’s vision.”

The way you have them displayed, propped on shelves and chairs, gives these photographs an air of impermanence. Is that deliberate?

VW ~ “I think when you nail something to the wall, there’s no longer a choice. When things are hanging in one place too long, you stop seeing it. This way I can change things around.”

“I never graduated high school, I never studied design. I’m dyslexic. I have no short-term memory, and I can’t spell. I am visual, though, and I’ve always had the power of my convictions.” ~ Vicente Wolf from an interview with NY Daily News

“I travel and I consume. Travel equals growth. I seek life-altering experiences and I translate them into my work and how I live at home. You have to step out of your daily experience. New York can be toxic. This is not reality. No one here wants to come in third. The jungle is reality. Life is simplistic there. That’s why I go there – to find things that give me pleasure to look at and let my spirit fly.” ~ Vicente Wolf, NY Daily News

“I change everything all the time. Sometimes this chair looks better over there, this photo here, this statuette by the window. I move things to see them in a different way.” ~ Vicente Wolf, NY Daily News

below, photos from Lonny, Montauk home

below, photos from New York Social Diary, Manhattan Home

below, photos from Vicente Wolf, Manhattan home

below, Montauk home

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one hundred posts!

above, Alex Papachristidis

I made it! Today is my 100th post! When I started “a thoughtful eye” back in September, one of my goals was to write one hundred posts before the end of the calendar year and happily I achieved that goal with a few days to spare! To celebrate, I’m sharing with you my top twenty favorite interiors! Each and every one of these images brings a smile to my face along with a vivid memory of the first time I experienced their beauty.

This is my special gift to you, my loyal readers…thank you for taking time out of your busy lives to join me on this personal journey…I can’t thank you enough…there is so much I have yet to discover and explore about our visual world…I hope you continue to join me, it wouldn’t be the same without you…

below, Antony Todd

below, Bobby McAlpine

below, Bunny Williams

below, Charles Spada

below, Darryl Carter

below, Jacques Grange

below, John Saladino

below, Kelly Wearstler

below, Miles Redd

below, Richard Shapiro

below, Robert Couturier

below, Stephen Sills

below, Studio Ko

below, Susan Ferrier

below, Thomas O’Brien

below, Veere Grenney

below, Vicente Wolf

below, Windsor Smith

below, Yves Saint Laurent

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framed groupings

above, my living room

A few years ago, my husband and I purchased a small sectional sofa for our living room. Positioned in the corner opposite our main entry, I knew we needed a strong statement on the walls. After many weeks of research I decided on a large grid of square frames. Mathematically, they echo the “L” shape of the sofa and draw the eye up, creating the illusion of increased ceiling height. Initially I had intended to frame some of my black and white photographs but I ended up falling in love with the brown MDF backing and white mat! The high contrast and exact repetition turned out to be the dramatic statement I was looking for!

I’m excited to share with you some of my favorite framed groupings. Whether the same size or different shapes and sizes, many or few, colorful or monochromatic, framed groupings have the power to transform a space!

below, Alex Papachristidis

below, Steven Gambrel

below, Charles Spada

below, Darryl Carter

below, Jacques Grange

below, James Huniford

below, Richard Shapiro

below, Susan Ferrier

below, Thomas O’Brien

below, Veere Grenney

below, Vicente Wolf

below, Yves Saint Laurent

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mirrors

Yesterday’s post featured the ultra chic Miles Redd and his iconic mirrored master bathroom. I couldn’t help but think about mirrors and the important role they play in architecture and interior design. From grand to petite, circular to linear, simple to ornate, they have the power to transform a space from dull to dazzling. I’m excited to share with you some of my favorite mirrored interiors! Enjoy!

above and below, Miles Redd NYC master bathroom from David Adler’s Armour Estate in Chicago ~ photos from New York Social Diary

below, Yves Saint Laurent ~ photo by Pascal Chevallier for Vanity Fair

“A pair of undulating lily-motif mirrors, crafted in bronze and copper by Claude Lalanne for the upstairs music room, led, between 1974 and 1985, to the proliferation of over a dozen more, floor to ceiling. “I can’t live in a room without mirrors,” Saint Laurent said. “If there aren’t any, the room is dead.” The effect in the music room of their multiplying reflections was vertiginous—a touch of Mad Ludwig of Bavaria, as seen through the lens of Luchino Visconti.” ~ Amy Fine Collins for Vanity Fair

below, photo from Yves Saint Laurent: 5 Avenue Marceau, 75116 Paris

below, Bobby McAlpine

below, Vicente Wolf

below, Veere Grenney

below, Susan Ferrier ~ photo from House Beautiful

below, photos by danielle boudrot for Spero Home

below, Richard Shapiro

below, Paul Corrie

below, Lisa Luby Ryan

below, John Minshaw

below, Jacques Grange ~ photography by Vincent Thibert for Architectural Digest

below, Darryl Carter

below, Antony Todd

below, John Saladino

below, Michael Kors ~ photo by Douglas Friedman

below, Miles Redd

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