House Beautiful articles from February 2008

House Beautiful archives from February 2008

The best!(bed)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... The dreamiest bed... It's like an enchanted forest, with all those delicate iron tendrils. With a bed like this, you really don't need much else in the room. Nightingale headboard, Queen, $798; King, $998. ANTHROPOLOGIE: Exclusively at...

1. Lamp.(the best!)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... These rustic terra-cotta luminaires are electric, so they can come inside and add a little mood lighting to a bookshelf or a mantel. With those butterflies, they'd make a charming nightlight. 13 inches high, $268. VIETRI: 800-277-5933;...

2. Coverlet.(Honeycomb Quilt )(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... On a bed, you want color, pattern, and--don't forget--texture. The Honeycomb Quilt is made from the softest cotton voile, hand-tacked in a hexagonal design and filled with pure cotton. From the Eileen Fisher Home collection, in soothing natural...

3. Side table.(fbrf)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Black marble and bronze--a classic design at an unbelievable price, $315. And it has those lovely branchlike legs. Twig Table, 22 inches high, 16-inch diameter. C.S. POST & CO.: 888-419-2399; cspost.com. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

4. Scented candle.(the best!)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... We're picky about our candle scents, but everyone flipped for this one, from the new home fragrance collection at Gump's. It conjures up redwood trees, salt air, eucalyptus, bay laurel and looks very Japanese in its black porcelain tea bowl....

5. Napkin ring.(the best!)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... So pretty! And when you take the napkin out, it's still standing there like a little Faberge jewel for your table. Cloisonne Ball Topiary napkin ring, $45. DRANSFIELD & ROSS: 212-741-7278; dransfieldandross.biz. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

6. Objet.(bottles)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Made from found bottles, bits of crystal, and semiprecious stones, these have the power of ancient reliquaries. Magical in a window where they refract the light into colors. Cross Bottles, from $130. Purely decorative (they're soldered shut)....

7. Curtain rings.(the best!)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Bamboo is beautiful, renewable, and we're thrilled with those clasps--you could turn any length of fabric into instant curtains, no sewing required. Bamboo Button Curtain Clip, set of 7 for $29 (matching rods available as well). WEST ELM:...

8. Chair.(Swedish Upholstered Fan chair from Lars Bolander)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... This piece could lift your room to a whole other level. Amazingly comfortable, and looks very' 40s Hollywood with that Venus-on-the-half-shell back. Swedish Upholstered Fan chair, $2,400. LARS BOLANDER: 212-924-1000; larsbolander.com. ...

9. Stool.(the best!)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Great gutsy scale. One man in the mountains of Guatemala weaves these Reed Stools one by one. 18 x 22 inches, $225. THE GARDENER: 888-509-8484; thegardener.com. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

10. Tray.(the best!)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... Can't even count how many ways we could use this acrylic tray--to collect mail, set up a bar, serve food, organize a desk. Monogram it with initials, an address, a house name. 20 x 30 inches, $125. THE MONOGRAM SHOP: 800-401-0806;...

Color dying to try ... what colors do designers really, really want to use, but haven't had the chance yet? They're just waiting for the right room.
February 1, 2008... "I'm aching to do pink. This particular shade is sort of an apparition, like something that used to be pink and this is all that's left of it. Very, very tender. I'd pair it with this nice stone color that would kindly allow the pink to step...

Instant room: Katie Ridder.(interior designer's home furnishing picks)
February 1, 2008... Layers of textures and patterns with a global sophistication [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 1. Curtains "I like the natural imperfections Of ELISE. It has a warm, handmade feeling that I love. You can use it anywhere, but I like it best...

Our favorite store: Circa Lighting, Houston, Texas: table lamps, floor lamps, sconces, pendants.... All the classics by some of America's most famous designers are here in this glorious lighting boutique.(light store owner, Gale Singer)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] How long have you been in the lighting business? GALE SINGER: My brother owns Visual Comfort, the company that manufactures most of the lights in my stores. I worked for him for ten years before opening my first...

Everywhere we look ... nailheads: always decorative, always functional, now unabashedly glamorous, nailheads are furniture's new jewelry.).(furnitures)(Buyers guide)
February 1, 2008... Wing Chair This 21st-century wing chair has 21st-century nailing: "air" has been left between the nails that trace the curl of the wing and arm but, atypically, there are no nails at all around the bottom edge. Carter Wing Chair,...

The makeover: part 8: the living room: it's all about scale, and where you place your furniture. T. Keller Donovan reshapes his living room ... and comes to the end of his house renovation.
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Did you ever think about keeping that orange wall? No. I know they do one-wall accents on all those TV shows, but I figure they're lazy and don't want to paint the whole space. It's just not in my design...

I'm looking for a wing chair: a classic comes back but in surprising new shapes and sizes ... talk about traditional with a twist!(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... 1. Hyde, mahogany, shown in leather, to the trade. Troscan Design: 312-733-0158; troscandesign.com. 2. Italian, alder wood, shown in linen/cotton, from $5,600. Suzanne Rheinstein for Hollyhock Home: 310-777-0100; hollyhockine.com. 3....

Tablescape garden party: Sue Fisher King is the tablesetting queen of San Francisco. Here, with pieces from her home design store, she sets one of her fabulously colorful tables.(tableware and table decorations)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Go all out for color! It makes the table come alive. To me, white says, so what?" "Napkins should be cotton or linen. You can't wipe your mouth on something that feels like a rug or upholstery." "One water...

Technophobia bulbs: get over your prejudice against fluorescence. Compact fluorescent bulbs don't blink, buzz, or cast a ghoulish green light.... (And you'll do your bit for the earth).(q&a)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "I keep noticing that more and more people are using those peculiar lightbulbs shaped like fusilli pasta. What are they?" JOSEPH REY-BARREAU (Director of Education for the American Lighting Association): Compact...

Ask the Barefoot Contessa: chocolate ganache cake: Ina's Valentine dessert is all heart (and chocolate). How much more romantic can you get?(chocolate cake)(Recipe)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Valentine's Day is on a Thursday this year. I want to make something special for my husband but I won't have a lot of time after work. Can you suggest a menu?" This is the time for my easiest menu: Indonesian...

Cookbook: 1080 recipes: for over 30 years, it's been Spain's favorite cookbook. Now there's an English version--revised, updated, but still as authentic as the original. And oh, those wondrous illustrations!
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE FIRST ENTRY IN 1080 Recipes, THE FIVE-AND-A-HALF-pound Spanish encyclopedia of cooking gorgeously reprinted in English by Phaidon, a publishing house perhaps better known for its art books, includes instructions...

Makeover with details: a timeless Los Angeles house that pays homage to Bill Blass: clean, classical, modern, and masculine.(Mary MacDonald's interior design work)
February 1, 2008... MIMI READ: What a great, evocative house. It conjures up someone with a distinct and full-blown identity: an aristocratic British male adventurer. Is your client like that? MARY McDONALD: Actually, he's kind of a casual dude--a rather...

Makeover with white: it all starts with white. Now add blue: Is there any other color combination so ageless, so ... right? Now add a punch of yellow, and you've got the happiest rooms you'll ever see.(MAKEOVERS)(Tom Stringer's interior design)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Designer Tom Stringer calls the rehab of this Northern Michigan lake cottage Renovation-Lite, because he consciously avoided overhauling its charming eccentricities. A coffee table designed by Stringer holds stacks...

Makeover with impact: curtains with the shimmer of fire, the shape of waves. Tables like vines. The colors of earth and sun. In this house, the elements rule.(Barry Dixon's interior design)
February 1, 2008... CAROL PRISANT: This Maryland house is so sophisticated, but it has such a powerful feeling of nature to it. How did you make that happen? BARRY DIXON: It's the colors and the casualness, which I began by treating the house as a kind of...

101 decorating makeovers: small changes that make a big difference.
February 1, 2008... 01 Buy something Lucite. (Like the tray on page 14.) One piece will make any style room tastier--it's like adding salt. 02 If a room has three or more pairs of anything, put one half of a pair away. Too many pairs, too stiff. 03 If you...

Off-the-rack art.(ready-to-hang art)(Buyers guide)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] There has never been so much wall space in American houses, but there have also never been so many choices in ready-to-hang art 1 Construction of the Eiffel Tower PHOTOGRAPH, 16" x 25", $395. THE NEW YORK...

Makeover with mood: if it looks like a fantasy of an elegant Parisian apartment, that's no coincidence. But it's Paris with an unimistakable American style: soft, tailored, and easygoing.(Carol Curtis and Sarah Norwood's interior design)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] CHRISTOPHER PETKANAS: I know we're in the heart of the Buckhead section of Atlanta, but your apartment seems much more Parisian to me. Is there a French connection? CAROL CURTIS: My Cuban grandmother lived in...

Makeover with color: a broad range of blues ties a big, traditional house together. Pink and coral make it pop. Green keeps it calm. And they all get along so well!(interior design by Ashley Whittaker)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] FRANCES SCHULTZ: It's amazing how many people today want to live with a summery, coastal style year-round. How did you make this Southampton house so light in summer and cozy in winter? ASHLEY WHITTAKER: The...

Kitchen of the month: Charlotte, North Carolina: what a beautiful room, with all that deep, dark paneling. Library? No, it's a stealth kitchen. The only thing that gives it away is the faucet.(kitchen design by Ken Pursley)
February 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CHRISTINE PITTEL: Wood paneling, oil paintings, a sofa, leather chairs--this looks more like a living room than a kitchen. Was that the idea? ARCHITECT KEN PURSLEY: In a sense. For along time, the trend has been...

The best! For the kitchen.(kitchen tools)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
February 1, 2008... A dishwasher even your finest china will love... jewel-toned drizzlers... a cute little gadget that keeps your food as fresh as can be [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] 1. Bowl Fill it to overflowing with lemons, limes, grapefruit. This...

Ask the dog shrink: he isn't out of control, he's just joyful--so no angry reprimands, please. (They won't work, anyway).... why is your elderly dog being aggressive with you? Ask your vet first.(q&a)
February 1, 2008... "When I wake up in the morning, and when t come home from work at night, my puppy is so hyper and wild that I can't control him. I'm trying to use training commands, but he just won't listen. Help!" Thanks to Disney movies and Norman...

The last words: what's the simplest makeover you ever did? Ten top designers share the secrets of their own quick-change acts.
February 1, 2008... "I was filming a reality show in England and had to live in a Winnebago for over a month! You don't find interiors more standard-issue blah than a mobile home. But I packed some of my collection of old quilts, colorful alpaca throws, pillows,...