Chicago Design Blog | Material Girls | Chicago Interior Design

A beautiful coffee table book is like a fantastic piece of art…for the fraction of the price.  For typically under $100, you can get decor for your yes, coffee table, but also for a desk, dresser, ottoman, mantle, even stacked artfully on the floor.

I spent a few minutes the other night browsing the “Home and Garden” section on Amazon, and here are some of my latest picks.  With the holidays rapidly approaching, coffee table books never fail as a go-to gift.

I am so excited to say that I recently have been featured in a coffee table book myself, entitled “Chicago Spaces,” by the editors of Chicago Home + Garden and with a forward by Nate Berkus.  There are some truly fabulous spaces from all over Chi-City…definitely worth checking out!

Upon entering this Manhattan apartment, decorated by Timothy Whealon, guests are greeted by a theatrical mural of flowering vines.

Boy would they have a lot to say!  Florence de Dampierre’s aptly named new book, “Walls” takes the reader on a pictorial tour of some of the most exquisite walls throughout history that you have ever seen.  If you think walls are merely for framing artwork, hanging mirrors or supporting light fixtures, think again.  These walls certainly defy the laws of conventional decor!  Although walls are often the most underrated elements of a space (how many times have you pondered for days over that vase or rug and hastily picked a paint color out of a stack of paint chips?), this fascinating read makes abundantly clear that walls can be just as important a statement piece as any other feature of the room, if you give them the opportunity to speak up

Text and images courtesy of Architectural Digest.

{Florence de Dampierre’s “Walls”)

For this bedroom design, decorator Jean-Louis Deniot selected a warm toile de Jouy wallpaper to frame twin blue-and-white-striped beds draped with orange-trimmed canopies.

The faux pilasters and hazy landscape painted on the wood entrance walls of the 17th-century Sandemar Manor in Sweden recall the lapsed beauty of an abandoned folly.

Catherine Grenier chose a striped Osborne and Little wallpaper to enliven a room she designed in Cadiz, Spain.

France’s Château de Chantilly boasts a marvelous example of painted singerie, a fanciful style of 18th- and 19th-century French decor that incorporates playful monkey imagery.

Hydrangea-blue faux molding adds a touch of painted serenity to a bedroom in a Christian Bérard–inspired Manhattan townhouse, designed by John Barman.

The living room of Paris-based designer Jacques Garcia’s home in the Château du Champ de Bataille glows with luxurious paneling and gold-framed portraiture.

Neoclassical motifs border lavender faux marble walls at the Pavlovsk Palace, a former country residence of the Russian Imperial family.

A vibrant kaleidoscope pattern brightens a wall of Mexico’s Hacienda San Diego de Jaral de Berrio.

The Hall of Mirrors in Amalienburg, a hunting lodge in Munich, Germany’s Nymphenburg Park, is an exquisite example of the highly ornate boiserie popular in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Restore. Recycle. Repurpose: Create A Beautiful Home, Randy Florke

Never too early to start your own holiday gift list or poke around for presents for friends, family coworkers…whoever!  For the design junkies in your life, home interior and design books are a tried and true option.  And there’s no shortage of them either!  I was browsing Amazon today and there are 5,847 books listed under the decorating category!  You will no doubt find one to fit your recipient’s taste (eh hem, or maybe your own )  Here are some of the “best sellers” that might be good options…and I only got through page 3!

My Passion For Design, Barbra Streisand

Bunny Williams, Scrapbook For Living

At Home: A Style for Today with Things from the Past, Suzanee Rheinstein, Pieter Estersohn, Margaret Russell

Domino: The Book of Decorating: A Room By Room Guide to Creating a Home That Makes You Happy, Deborah Needleman, Sarah Ruffin Costello, Dara Caponigro

New York Parties: Private Views, Jamee Gregory and Eric Striffler

Downtown Chic: Designing Your Dream Home: From Wreck to Ravishing, Robert Novogratz, Cortney Novogratz, and Elizabeth Novogratz

Jonathan Adler on Happy Chic Colors, Jonathan Adler

Perfectly Kept House is a Sign of a Misspent Life: How to Live Creatively With Collections, Clutter, Work, Kids, Pets, Art, etc…And Stop Worrying About Everything Being Perfectly in Place

by: Mary Randolph Carter

Apartment Therapy’s Big Book on Small, Cool Spaces, Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan

At Home With Town & Country, Sarah Medford and the Editors of Town & Country

The Color Scheme Bible: Inspirational Palettes for Designing Home Interiors, Anna Starmer

{Absalom Boston House…epitome of Nantucket style}

I recently just got back from a trip to Nantucket to put the final touches on the vacation home of a client that I have been working on (from my Chicago office) for quite some time.  I have to say…I am in love.  So quaint, charming and beautiful, Nantucket really takes your breath away.  One gets the sense that not much has changed on this island in generations, taking comfort in the tradition and steadfast dedication to its way of life as a simple retreat. Furthermore, the homes in this intimate community have retained the classic look so associated with the island….shingled structures of muted grays, blues whites and soft neutrals.  While I was adding a modern spin on my client’s 1800’s classic charmer, many of the homes still retain that rustic,old world feel that so many of the beach getaways of the East Coast (Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod….) are known for.  Take a look at some of the images from Lisa McGee’s book, “A Home in Nantucket” and feel the instant comfort and ease of the Nantucket life.

Stay tuned for photos of my spin on the Nantucket home!

Woohoo! The 1st edition CRAVE Chicago guide has gone to-print.
CRAVE guides connect urban gals to the sassiest, gutsiest, most inspiring people they need to know in town. This is Chicago’s first edition, and it is only reproduced every two years! The first edition CRAVE Chicago guide features a great variety of renowned entrepreneurs from an orthodontist to a dry cleaner to a dance instructor, and every fabulous entrepreness inbetween! I am happy to announce that our Interior Design firm, Buckingham ID, is a part of this dynamic group.
Other cities that offer CRAVE guides can be found at Crave Headquarters and the following cities have just begun their CRAVE orientation: LA, Washington DC and New York City!

Inspired by Inspiring Women in business…Sound like you could be a part of the magic?

And here’s another one…”So Chic: Glamorous Lives, Stylish Spaces,” written by Margaret Russell and the editors of Elle Decor.  I had actually been meaning to pick this one up, and checking out the virtual preview on 1STDIBS.COM reminded me once again to do so!  Just made that trip to Barnes & Noble this afternoon and picked up both books-”un” (from my previous post) and “deux!” Now just have to find some time to dig in and enjoy….Anyone finished both and have a favorite?

I haven’t heard the term “Required Reading” since I was about in the 10th grade and had to suffer through 1,000 pages of Crime and Punishment.  (Ok, I actually did enjoy the over-the-top Russian violence and romance during my  later teenage years.)  But on 1STDIBS.COM, “Required Reading” refers to that which anyone who loves fashion, design or anything beautiful must read.  Or at least check out the digital preview online.  I have been doing just that for quite some time this morning, and look at these glorious interiors I found in “Domino The Book of Decorating: A Room by Room Guide to Creating a Home That Makes You Happy.”  Although I only got a six page preview, I am thinking about heading to Barnes & Noble this afternoon to check out the rest of what this book has in store…having anything to do with any of these rooms surely would make me one happy designer!

The other day I had the pleasure of meeting the fabulous Clodagh, the Irish-born designer and now author!  Not only does Clodagh have a new book out, “Your Home, Your Sanctuary,” but she also has an amazing new line of indoor-outdoor fabrics for Perennials.  With Clodagh’s unmistakable look that blends the exotic with the familiar and Perennials’ technology and functionality, the fabric line is a celebration of harmony, pleasure and indulgence.  I will  definitely  be  suggesting some of these fabrics for the  homes of  my clients!  Here are some of my favorites.

Amazed in Cape Cod

Katanga in Seagull

Raffia in Chestnut

Kuba in Vellum

So beautiful on their own, AND so great when paired together!  These fabrics really would help you turn your home, both indoor and out, into a sanctuary. Clodaghs fabrics are represented by the David Sutherland Showroom at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago,  Ask for Bryce, the Showroom Manager  Tell him that we sent you!

In the fickle world of design, a designer’s worst fear is that he or she will become irrelevant and that their legacy will be forgotten.  The transient nature of the field makes those who have created successful, internationally renowned brands even more admirable, respected and revered.  Tony Duquette exemplifies the designer who is in that “iconic strata,” whose work remains timeless and influential.  The Tony Duquette Studios were founded in 1941, and Tony’s illustrious career included costume and set design for Fred Astaire musicals, jewelery design for Tom Ford at Gucci, a Tony Award for Costume Design for the musical “Camelot,” and elite residential and commercial interiors throughout the world.  Although he passed away in 1999, Tony’s legacy is carried on under the direction of Hutton Wilkinson, his business partner since 1972.

The other week I had the pleasure of meeting Hutton Wilkinson at a book signing at the Baker Showroom in Chicago, where they were not only selling the Tony Duquette book but were also showcasing the Tony Duquette collection at Baker.  Baker’s recreation of some of Tony’s most renowned furniture and accessories is exquisite.  His exuberant style has been meticulously represented in these recreations, and they as much inspire fantasy and stir the imagination today as they did when were created as much as 60 years ago.  It is exciting to view these pieces in their original setting, (Tony never duplicated any of his work; everything was custom created for the individual client, architecture and his own distinct vision!) but one can also imagine transferring these pieces into a fabulous 21st century home.

Here is the Biomorphic Console in its original setting, the 1960’s Charles and Palmer Ducommun Bel Air estate.

And here is the Biomorphic Console recreated from Baker that now you can have in your own home!

The Dining Room of the Charles and Palmer Ducommun Estate.

The Palmer Chair from Baker, recreated from the Charles and Palmer Ducommun Estate.

Another view of Duquette designs in the Charles and Palmer Ducommun Bel Air Estate.

The Abalone Chandelier from Baker.  Although it was hung (as seen above) in the Drawing Room of the Ducommun Estate, the chandelier was originally part of Duquette’s one-man show at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

With the Tony Duquette Collection at Baker, you can now own your own piece inspired directly by one of the design world’s design greats.  What are your thoughts on this unique collection?

I am working on the winner of the March Material Girls Design Challenge as I post.  The winner will get a shelving  ”facelift.”  Bookshelves are not just for books….or are they?  Tune in on Wednesday of this week for more!