Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission on all qualifying purchases. Thank you!
Happy Sunday, dear friends! I hope you’re safe, warm, and in good company, wherever you are! It’s been a while since our last Sunday chat and I’ve accumulated quite a few items I’d love to share with you. As usual, this week’s finds are a mixed bag of design stories, shopping finds, items I’ve been wearing or decorating with, recipes I’ve been obsessed with, paint colors I’ve tried, crafts I’ve enjoyed. First off, my favorite non interior design related purchase this year:
Freestanding Punching Bag (gloves included)
I was a biter as a child and, although the behavior was later corrected, the instinct never really went away. Every now and then, when someone pushes just the right buttons at just the right time, it’s back to the playground for me. At least on the inside. And while running has done a great job in making me a much nicer person to be around, boxing has done wonders for my overall mood, my skin, and latent biting instincts 😉
Take a video tour of Veere Grenney’s eighteen-century folly in Suffolk
New Release: Perfect English – Small and Beautiful – by Ros Byam Shaw
Classic English style is comfortable, timeless, and informal. But it can also be seen as rather grand—most appropriate for rambling rectories, manor houses, and country house hotels. This book sets out to show that Perfect English style can be scaled down to work in a home of any age, size or shape. Ros Byam Shaw visits 12 pint-sized homes that are perfect examples of this ever-popular look, including a terraced townhouse in Ludlow, a gardener’s cottage in Kent, a tiny London flat, and a perfect Cotswolds country cottage. At a time when sustainability and environmental concerns are at the top of the agenda, Perfect English style prioritises reuse, recycling, and upcycling, and happily accommodates objects that are worn, faded, and mended. As the inviting, characterful, and compact homes that fill these pages demonstrate, Perfect English Small and Beautiful reveals how to downscale with perfect English panache.
Lovely striped fabric – suited for window treatments and light upholstery.
For all of you fellow “armchair travelers” out there:
The Road to Little Dribbling – Adventures of an American in Britain, by Bill Bryson
Interiors for a Life in Good Taste, by Caroline Gidiere
A fresh perspective on classic American interior design and practical advice on living well in our modern world, in this much-anticipated work from a rising decorator.
Gidiere’s design aesthetic is a modern take on traditional interiors, using contemporary and antique furniture with backdrops of joyful color and pattern to create spaces that are both new and classical—florals, botanical prints, rush baskets, tailored stripes, well-stocked bars, books, and comfort abound. The decorator not only presents her decorating capabilities but also shares her talents as a hostess, giving ideas on how to live and entertain in her inviting rooms.
Gidiere’s style is sophisticated and charming, taking cues from such accomplished Southern-born designers as Charlotte Moss, Miles Redd, and Celerie Kemble. The book is organized by the ways in which a house is planned and utilized: “Social Life” is centered on entryways, living rooms, and dining rooms—spaces that are designed to receive and welcome others. “Family Life” reviews kitchens, breakfast rooms, dens, and playrooms—places that are the heart and soul of the house. “Private Life” focuses on bedrooms, libraries, and studies—the sanctuaries of our day-to-day existences. “Sweet Life” celebrates how a home can be used for hospitality and entertaining, inside and out. And, “My Life” shows how Gidiere interprets the art of living well in her own home. Each section offers in-depth information on topics that include setting the table, keeping houseplants, stocking the bar, outfitting a guest room, and being party-ready. Gidiere’s aesthetic salutes interior design of the past, while interpreting it for our lives today.
After seeing one too many Facebook ads, drawn by their promise of clean, non-toxic and certified organic ingredients, I decided to check out this relatively new brand of luxury makeup and skincare called OGEE. Have you tried it? I have, and am now obsessed! Their makeup feels scrumptious even on sensitive skin, smells delicious and, best of all, acts like protective skincare. A bit of a splurge, but if you find the right products for your skincare routine, it is so worth it!
Relaxed Elegance, by Brittany Bromley
The first book from interior designer Bromley, whose rooms brim with a welcoming sensibility that reveal her fresh, colorful, pattern-filled take on traditional design.
Known for a pretty and polished Palm Beach meets Park Avenue aesthetic, Bromley’s interiors are beloved. Often described as “classic with a kick,” her work is steeped in history but infused with a modernity that reflects how her clients want to live today. Bromley’s first book showcases her interiors from New York, St. Louis, and Palm Beach with the Hamptons and Connecticut between. Whether in a historic house in the country or a townhouse in the city, Bromley’s flair for pattern and color defines her interiors, which nevertheless remain true to their surroundings. She makes casual look chic and infuses each home she designs with a cheerfulness and tranquility that is rare. Walls lacquered in bright colors highlight a home’s architecture, while comfortable upholstered furnishings in bold, patterned fabric make it feel livable and fun.
Richly annotated with information on the tools needed to create Bromley’s classic, polished style, this book is the perfect inspiration for fans of pretty traditionalism.
Island Living: Amanda Lindroth Design
The undisputed master of tropical interior design, Amanda Lindroth, shares her airy, relaxed, indoor-outdoor aesthetic in this gorgeous volume. Island Dreaming features 20 recent projects from Amanda LIndroth, each more enticing than the next.
Lindroth brings her signature style of boldly colored fabrics, rattan and cane seating, canopied beds, and straw matting to homes ranging from cozy cottages to grand houses in Lyford Cay, on Nassau; Albany, on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas; Baker’s Bay, on the island of Great Guana Cay in the Abacos; Manhattan; and Palm Beach, Florida.
Though Lindroth’s style remains unmistakably hers, it’s now perceptibly richer, more sophisticated, and, at times, more whimsical. Illustrated by the lushly detailed photographs of Dylan Chandler, and featuring lovely illustrations by Carlisle Burch, Island Dreaming will be coveted by everyone who can’t get enough of Lindroth’s easy-breezy tropical vibe.
And finally, a masterclass many of us have been waiting for:
How to Make Handsewn Lampshades, with Chloe Jonason and Create Academy
