They're Finally Here!

Indulge me if you will and I'll release a less self serving post tomorrow.

I promise!

Remember those Elkin's chairs I was obsessing about here? And then, struck in a moment of my own genius, I came up with the idea of having a few made as barstools for my kitchen counter possibly covering them in pen shell to simulate the horn covered chairs I so coveted?

Well, I ended up taking that idea further and they finally arrived last night. I'm ecstatic!

Aren't they gorgeous?

They came out exactly as I had imagined. Thank you Gerly and Daniel for all your efforts and to everyone else at Skyshine Designs.

And a last note for those of you who may be concerned, tiger pen shells, which are indigenous to the Philippine waters, are not endangered species . This was something I verified before ordering them.

What do you think?

A Spot of Tea and a Good Book

A spot of tea and a good book.

This is how I have been spending most of my my time recently...

and I love it!

I have just finished this beautiful story, The Help. If you haven't read it, run don't walk , and get yourself a copy. I absolutely adored this book by Kathryn Stockett.

With it, my selection of tea would be anything from my my absolute favorite purveyor, Mariage Freres. Bourbon, Casablanca, Vert Provence and Buddha Bleu are my preferred blends of choice. All green or red teas with fruit, flowers or spices to give them distinctive flavors of fantasy!

A great book must be accompanied by a great tea after all.

While waiting for my husband to finish the next book on my list, I thought I would read Ash in the interim. My 10 year old recently finished it and declared it to be one of her "best" books ever. Will be interesting to see what she defines as an entertaining read .

With a fresh young novel by the promising and highly acclaimed Malinda Lo, I will enjoy sips of Paris-Singapore and Magic Flute from the equally promising newcomer, TWG.

Next up is The Little Stranger.

" The number 1 book of 2009... several sleepless nights are guaranteed!"

- Stephen King for Entertainment Weekly

I can't wait to start devouring it!

Sounds perfect for one of the many rainy afternoons we've been having . You'll find me absorbed in it on the porch this weekend, enjoying a a pot of a smokey Lapsang Souchong from Dammann Freres .

Bon Weekend!

I Just Love, Love, Love It!

Tell me, is there a little girl out there who has never dreamed about living like Eloise at the tippy top of The Plaza Hotel?

Lucky for all the precious women in Tommy Hilfiger's life, our dreams are their reality.

Feast your eyes on this!

Mr. Hilfiger's grand new apartment that sits atop the newly restored Private and Pied- a- Terre Plaza Residences. Click here to read the full article and see more pictures of the Hilfiger family's exquisite new home on one of the highest floors of the iconic Plaza Hotel in NYC.

There are Warhols and Basquiats adorning the walls of the Hilfiger residence, but this Eloise mural by Hilary Knight, painted on an original French Renaissance style turret would have to be my favorite work of art in this home.

And yet another black bistro kitchen for me to drool over!

Oh to be wickedly wealthy certainly has its perks!

I'll be in New York this September and while I don't think an invitation to see this apartment is in the cards, I am very excited to go to the new Todd English Food Hall at the concourse level of The Plaza.

Be tempted by this slide show on Zagat Buzz.

Searching For The Perfect Pair of Wings

You think it would be easy. Need a chair. Go out and buy a chair.

When did I allow everything to get so complicated?

Yes, I need a chair. Actually I need two. Ok, so maybe need is not exactly the right word . Let's just leave it as I have a strong desire to purchase a pair of wing backs for my living room. Once decided upon, these will eventually become the best seats in the house so of course comprehensive research is of vital importance!

Why do I sound moostruck over a chair you ask? Read on and see for yourself.

I find that the mood a wing back chair creates in a room is unique and unparalleled. Comfort and warmth, elegance and refinement, a wing back exudes all of these distinguished characteristics and more .

That gorgeous gold gilded tea paper on the walls , the soft ambient light and that velvet upholstery, tell me, could there be a better chair out there to curl up in with a good book?

I think not.

Any chair more elegant than this baby ?

Love that lamp and the pouf on the right, have been seeing a lot of these lately.

Note to self, must add more gold furnishings to my home .

A dusting of gold adds a layer of luxury and a final polish to any room.

Personally I like my gold matte and I adore most anything that has been gold leafed.

So many superb styles and interpretations. What to do?

Should I go classic and elegant?

Or maybe something with a subtle twist on the traditional like this Grosfeld House wing chair available at Aero and as seen on 1stdibs.

This one from The New Traditionalists. The animal hide back and trim are just so nyc bobo (bourgeois bohemian) chic!

Have been enchanted for some time with these tasteful chairs from Victoria Hagan Home.

Am a big fan of nail heads as you can see.

Or something completely mood changing- perhaps some mid century modern flair with the Papa Bear Chair designed in 1951 by Hans Wegner?
Here is another chair caught my eye particularly , because I can't make out if its a vintage design or of a modern interpretation of a classic wing. Either way, I am drawn to it's silhouette.

And any chair that sparks that much curiosity deserves consideration.

Here are a few more interesting takes on the wing back.

Not necessarily my taste for our current home but possibly for another time and place.

Another mid modernist take on the Wing chair.

Can't you just see this chair below in Dan Draper's office?

And then to add new depth to my confusion, there is the allure of canopied porter's chairs I have to contend with. I have been enamored with these for a while now. Ever since I was reintroduced to these beauties at BG, (decorated by none other than the fabulous Kelly Wearstler), I was captivated by their form and grace not to mention their sense of drama and mystery.

While their origins may be humble, (these guerites were literally porter's chairs in 16th Century France ) they will always be the epitome of chic to me!

Below is a photo of the chairs as seen in BG. I don't know what I love more, the chairs or the

de Gournay wall paper! Ooh La La!

Decisions, decisions.

Which ones would you choose?

Oh My Sweet, sweet paul!

It's been a while. Anyone still out there?

I've been away, but mostly I've been procrastinating. Deferring action is definitely something that I do better than most, it's a fine art after all . I like to to think of it as time served as a "springboard for the imagination". Whatever works , right?

During my hours of restless inaction, I did come across this new gem of an on line magazine , so all was not lost and procrastination came to flourish. From the man who brought us the widely enjoyed Sweet Paul blog comes the first issue of sweet paul digital magazine!

To my friends and family , expect to see lot's of sweet paul influence in my cooking and entertaining. I am so excited for the next issue! It's my Lonny for the kitchen!

Take a look at all these fantastic ideas!

Better than bowl of chips.

Isn't this a great snack tray for playdates and impromptu afternoon guests?

Breakfast is my favorite meal, anytime of day.

And plenty of party ideas!

I do so love the internet and all that it brings!

A Peek Into My Pantry

When we first began to think about our new home and the rooms that we wanted within , not once had it dawned on me to create a separate space for the storage of our better china, linen and silver or to have a designated preparation area for large dinner parties. I mean all of this was supposed to happen inside the kitchen, right? But once the suggestion of adding a Butler's pantry had been made by our architect, I was smitten with the idea!

Of course I googled like crazy to come up with a design scheme that would suit and I came across several wonderful images and ideas to guide me on my pursuit of the Ultimate Butler's Pantry- well ultimate to me at least! One of the most enjoyable and informative sources of inspiration came in the form of the refreshing blog Willow Decor. The posts on the author's Butler's pantry and Kitchen renovation are just incredible , robust with information. Please do check them out here and here.

So here it is!

My penchant for black kitchens lives on in my new Butler's Pantry! I really am happy with the decision to use black to add to the room's sophistication and to transition the space from kitchen to dining room. I do hope that you all like it.

A view from the dining room looking in.

The countertops and backsplash is the same polished Arabescato marble that we used in the kitchen. Bin pulls and knobs courtesy of Restoration Hardware and cupboard latches from Cliffside Industries as recommended on Willow Decor.

This shot taken from my kitchen. It's a very narrow space so with my low tech camera it's very hard to get a good wide shot.

On the top, the hanging shelves have glass windows and shelves. One day when I buy a better

camera (and learn how to use it!) I hope to be able to take better shots.

Almost There... My Kitchen Preview

One week in and it almost feels like home!

A few of you have been sending me messages asking for pictures of the new "crib". Everything else is still a mess but I have sorted through the 40 boxes or so that belong to the kitchen . Please excuse the pictures as I took them on my iphone but here's a glimpse of our favorite room!

The butler's pantry is the room off the top right. I can't seem to get a good shot of it just yet.

Another angle taken in the evening. The door on the right leads to the service area.

And the other side , our breakfast nook. It looks really bare, I know. It will take some time to adorn. I have three bar stools on the way for the center island and some blinds for the windows, but I'll still need some more accessories. All in good time I suppose.

Hope you enjoy this sneak peak.

I promise to take some better pictures soon and describe everything in more detail.

Meanwhile, the rest of my house beckons for immediate attention!