House Beautiful articles from September 2006

House Beautiful archives from September 2006

The best! Its time for a modern cuckoo ...
September 1, 2006... Everybody loves a cuckoo clock, but not that it wakes you up hourly. Not only is this one modern--a gold-mirror silhouette--it's considerate. A light sensor disables the screech in the dark. Mirrored Cuckoo Clock in gold, $350. THE CONRAN...

1 Honey dipper.(THE BEST!)
September 1, 2006... A spoon for your honey would suffice, but this silver-handled wooden comb by Paloma Picasso is so much more gracious. And, of course, it comes in that little blue box. Honey Stick, $150. TIFFANY & CO.: 800-526-0649. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

2 Stool.(THE BEST!)
September 1, 2006... Extra seating doesn't get lighter or chicer. Easily moved where you need it, but flimsy it is not: the rattan is supported by a metal frame and bound with bamboo. Rattan garden seat, $240. LEXINGTON GARDENS: 212-861-4390. [ILLUSTRATION...

3 Plates.(THE BEST!)
September 1, 2006... The real thing in antique Wedgwood costs rather a lot. These are nice enough to hang on the wall, but at $15 apiece, there is no harm in pulling them down for dessert. Shell plate. WILLIAM-WAYNE: 800-318-3435. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

4 Tureen.(THE BEST!)
September 1, 2006... Bird prints seem to be everywhere these days. This is an 1860s pattern, hand-detailed with 24 karat gold... just the bird we were looking for. Rothschild Bird mini-tureen, $365. HEREND: 800-643-7363. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

5 Chest.(THE BEST!)
September 1, 2006... Empty, this is a tech-y steel chest of drawers. Filled, it pops with the colors of your wardrobe. Fabulous as is, and even better once you settle into it. Jason Dresser, $1,990. INTERIEURS: 212-343-0800. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

1 Mirror.(THE BEST!)
September 1, 2006... Why do starburst mirrors usually have thick awful gilding and a formal air? Thin rays of mellowed brass with those little circles in orbit... isn't that better? 36-inch-diameter Orion Convex Mirror, $459. ARTERIORS HOME: 877-488-8866. ...

2 Tiles.(THE BEST!)
September 1, 2006... Here's a whole new way to think of tile for your walls: mesquite wood, not only gorgeous but from a sustainable resource. 6-by-6 Diamond Mesquite tiles, $51 per square foot. ANN SACKS: 800-278-8453. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

3 Sink.(THE BEST!)
September 1, 2006... If you have ever dreamt of an outdoor kitchen, this sink is the purchase to build around. Hammered weathered copper with inlaid turquoise drain cover. Copper bucket sink, $900 and $130 for Quad cover. LINKASINK: 866-395-8377. [ILLUSTRATION...

4 Bed.(THE BEST!)
September 1, 2006... Country French style from JCPenney? Thank you, Chris Madden. This four-poster upholstered bed is $1,059: who else would sell it at this price (or make it look this good)? Knowlton 3-piece panel bed, $1,059 for queen-size. JCPENNEY:...

5 Napkin ring.(THE BEST!)
September 1, 2006... Want dinner guests to feel at ease? Frogs on their napkins will break the ice. Cloisonne frog napkin ring in pink, $36. DRANSFIELD & ROSS: 212-741-7278. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Color in the entrance hall: it's the first thing you see when you walk into a house, so how should it feel--soothing, or knock-your-socks-off? Designers pick the paints that make the best impression.
September 1, 2006... In this Palm Beach entrance hall, designed by Lee Bierly and Christopher Drake, the yellow is set off by moldings painted with Benjamin Moore's White Dove in semi-gloss enamel. CHRISTOPHER DRAKE BENJAMIN MOORE SHOWTIME (293) It's one...

Instant room crewels: we wouldn't blame you a bit for thinking crewel fabrics are too stuffy or fussy, but take another look. We guarantee these will change your mind--and your living room.
September 1, 2006... HOW WE'D DO IT Here's HB editor Eddie Ross's ideal living room: On two deep and comfortable sofas and for curtains with wooden rings and rods, ALINCOURT (1) in Red, Green/Beige from Travers. Walls are covered in CUBA in Jade (2) from Pierre...

I want to buy a cat painting: eagle-eyed Carol Prisant shows us what to look for.(COLLECTING)
September 1, 2006... A LITTLE BACKSTORY Cat paintings are adorable and kitten paintings are adorabler. So let's just get all those "Awwwww"s out of the way upfront, and then we'll be free to go on to the real point, which is: If you're going to spend your money on...

Weekend shopper/Eddie Ross.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... where: The Society of St. Vincent de Paul Thrift Store in Los Angeles what Eddie found: brass chandeliers what he did: silver-leafed them and added crystals THE FINISHING TOUCH Before installing his redesigned chandelier in a...

I want to buy a secretary with computers going wireless, the secretary is making a comeback. Is this all the home office you need?(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... 1 HUGO CABINET, $5,880. TOB COLLECTION BY THOMAS O'BRIEN FOR HICKORY CHAIR: 800-349-4579. Z PALAZZO SECRETARY, $15,550. PATINA: 800-635-4365. 3 DUCHESS SECRETARY, $12,135. RALPH LAUREN HOME: 888-475-7674; www.rlhome.polo.com. 4 QUEEN ANNE...

Q: My son just went off to college, and I'm left with his high-energy dog. She drives crazy, bugging me all the time now to play ball or walk with her. Should I get another dog to give her a playmate?(ASK THE DOG SHRINK: Guests arrive, and the sofa is mistaken for a fire hydrant ... are two better than one?)
September 1, 2006... A BEFORE I ANSWER, please re-read your statement, "She drives me crazy." If one dog is driving you crazy, does doubling your dog count sound like a solution to or an escalation of your problem? You're not alone in thinking that a second dog is...

Technophobia refrigerators: just keep your food cold? So yesterday. Terry Trucco finds out from Alex Piligian of P.C. Richard & Son how smart, stylish, and--hold on--entertaining our fridges are becoming.
September 1, 2006... Are refrigerators really going high-tech these days? What's the latest news? The newest one is the LG Side-by-Side TV refrigerator with a weather plus information center. On the refrigerator door, it has an FM radio and 15-inch LCD TV with...

Cookbook/Devon S. Fredericks: what's not to love about Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison's Kitchen? These seasonal recipes make great first courses or one-bowl meals--hot, cold, hearty, or light.(Recipe)
September 1, 2006... I LOVE SOUP. And I found Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison's Kitchen to be just the cookbook for me. Madison is one of America's most distinguished and reliable vegetarian cookbook authors, and the recipes in this book demonstrate why. They...

I wasn't always a fabric person.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... I WASN'T ALWAYS A FABRIC PERSON. I used to like neutrals and solids; more sophisticated, I told myself. privately, though, I envied rooms full of color and pattern, and my taste for neutrals was really all about fear. Finally I decided to go...

Blue + white.(Interview)(Cover story)
September 1, 2006... PENELOPE GREEN: These rooms are filled with strong colors and bold, global, or ethnic prints. It's a spirited 'conversation,' as well as a sort of tutorial on the 'world beat' aspect of fabric design. PHOEBE HOWARD: I'm more attracted to...

+ Green.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Capiz shell place mats, French porcelain plates, clear-handled flatware, and monogrammed lines are part of a wardrobe of mix-and-match table settings Howard assembled-at least 3 choices each. Opposite: The mosaic is by Gail Spratt;...

Silk + wool + linen + calf + boucle.(Interview)
September 1, 2006... MIMI READ: Your work has been called everything from 'elegant' and 'urbane' to 'minimal' to 'global'. All of these are accurate, but most of all, your places strike me as sexy. VICENTE WOLF: Sexy? I think that what they are is sensual,...

Bling!
September 1, 2006... #979-34051-1 FROM SAMUEL SONS; 212-704-8000. KANTO BEADED BRAID FROM OSBORNE & LITTLE; 877-322-7420 KANTO BEADED FRINGE BY OSBORNE & LITTLE; 877-322-7420. LARKSFIELD BEADED TASSEL IN RED BY JANE CHURCHILL THROUGH COWTAN & TOUT;...

Taffeta + chintz.(Interview)
September 1, 2006... CAROL PRISANT: You know, this doesn't feel like a New York apartment at all. DAVID KLEINBERG: That's good. I thought I could make it feel like a French manor house because--though it's not a giant apartment--there are lovely aspects to it,...

101 pillows: pillow are to decorating as handbags are to fashion. You can never have too many.
September 1, 2006... REGINA, TO THE TRADE; NANCY CORZINE: 212-223-8340. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ELAN, FROM $84; PINE CONE HILL: 413-496-9700. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] VINTAGE FABRIC, $95: ABC CARPET & HOME: 212-473-3000. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Pattern + pattern + pattern: fearless is the world for William Diamond and Anthony Baratta. Fabulous is the word for this peek at their new book, Diamond Baratta Design (Bulfinch).(Interview)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... "Curtains can go places other than windows. We love portieres, which dress up a doorway, and there's no use doing it unless you do it in stripes. The outer layer is Ralph Lauren's Centerville ticking stripe, and the inner, like the walls and...

Kitchen of the month/Piedmont, California: this kitchen has it all--acres of counter space, a table where the whole family can sit down and eat, and a big stone fireplace with a couple of easy chairs. No wonder no one wants to leave.(Interview)(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... CHRISTINE PITTEL: There's something so inviting about a fireplace in the kitchen. It seems like a new idea, opening up the kitchen and turning it into a room, but in those old farmhouses, everything happened around the hearth--you would cook...

The look kitchen of the month.(Brief article)
September 1, 2006... Bet you can't resist this rakish buffalo print, or what about those everlasting, couture-quality silk flowers? Here's how to get a piece of our kitchen 1. Back in 1918, the subway had style--and softly glowing ceiling fixtures like the NY...

The last words: Frances Schultz asks the experts: what's your all-time favorite fabric?
September 1, 2006... MURRAY DOUGLAS, VERRIERES GLAZED CHINTZ IN BLUE/WHITE (75922-04), BRUNSCHWIG & FILS I fell in love with it when I first saw it in a drawing room in France. It was on almost everything, and I was speechless. I couldn't have spoken even if I...