{I N S P I R E D} Gorgeous Finds at NYCxDESIGN

Talk about being inspired. The makers who exhibited this year during NYCxDESIGN Week—at ICFF, WantedDesign and Sight Unseen's Offsite—were innovative, fresh and a welcome dose of creative energy. While there were so many spectacular finds, I wanted to share a few that especially stood out and planted seeds for my next interior design projects. Get ready for some design magic!

1/ Pulpites, Dear Human. 2/ Erich Ginder. Photo by Amanda Ringstad. 3/ Fauna Fantasía wallpaper in Habana, Grow House Grow. 4/ Aura Mirror in Fluorite, Another Human via Offsite. 5/ Anna Karlin. 6/ Fold Collection, Uhuru. 7/ Coexist Askew Marble and Brass Side Table, Slash Objects. 8/ Luvere Studio via WantedDesign. 9/ Sass Side Table by MPGMB for Souda Brooklyn. 10/ Black Marble Hex Mason Watch, Analog Watch Co.

{A R T} Organized Chaos

A few months ago, Beth and I popped into MoMA and of course had to stop into the museum gift store. I was so enamored by the Jackson Pollock Table Textiles—a collection of placemats and runners that feature the master painter's signature splattered look. I just knew that one day I'd have to post a blog about all the things that inspire me to take calculated risks, have fun and let loose.

Below, I've shared a video—"The Anthropologist," directed by Alistair Banks Griffin—that rethinks freestyle painting entirely. It's the work of Etsuko Ichikawa, an artist based in Seattle who uses molten glass to create freeform pyrography. Watching her work is completely entrancing. Take a look and enjoy! 

Slideshow image credits: 1/Drip Wallpaper, Jonathan Adler. 2/Yellow Brushstroke Lamp, Jana Bek. 3/The Medium Transport Tote: Splatter Paint Edition, Madewell. 4/Hinson Wallpaper, Photo by Maura McEvoy, House Beautiful. 5/Nesting Bowls, Chris Earl. 6/Hinson Wallpaper, Photo by Maura McEvoy, House Beautiful. 7/Suite One Studio. 8/Drip Wallpaper, Jonathan Adler. 9/Oyster Colored Velvet. 10/Jackson Pollock Table Textiles, Runner, MoMA. 11/Wing Chair painted by Kerry Irvine Fine Art for EKB Interiors.

{A R T} Up, Up and Away!

                                                                Image via Oh Happy Day

Floating into the weekend on this rainy Cinco de Mayo—I mean is there anything better than a happy balloon installation? I'm a huge fan of experiential artist Jihan Zencirli of Los Angeles balloon studio Geronimo Balloons. She's taken the art of balloons to a whole new level! I hope these inspired shots make you smile and kickstart your weekend.

Happy Friday! 

{A R T} The Writing's on the Wall

Gallery walls are like a visual puzzle that is so much fun to create. What makes them interesting is the scope of the images that you want to showcase. One recipe that I often use is a mix of different mediums, like we did in our Nantucket beach house (above): Line drawings, photography, oil paintings, sculpture, pastels, posters and collages. When I buy art, I buy it because I like it and then somehow make it fit into the tapestry of a collective. 

If you’re looking to make your own gallery wall, one common thread could be a similar color or a similar frame. Using various sizes of images make it feel more like that visual puzzle that gets worked and reworked until it fits just right. The advantage of a gallery wall is that you don’t have to commit to one arrangement; you can change your mind and shuffle the art around as you go, and that way there is no stress when putting holes in the walls. Think seasonal or have your own art show in your house! Make the artwork the pattern and color, and keep all the furniture monochromatic.

A well curated collection of an art or gallery wall can consist of art bought at a thrift shop, your child’s first painting and your great uncle’s watercolor masterpiece. The trick is having the confidence to put it all together. Here are a few of my favorite examples, starting with my very own home.

1/Patrick Cline. 2/Stephen Kent Johnson, Elle Decor. 3/Jonny Valiant, House Beautiful. 4/Jessica Klewicki Glynn. 5/Roland Bello, House Beautiful. 6/Victoria Pearson, House Beautiful. 7/Jessica Klewicki Glynn. 8/Simon Watson, Architectural Digest. 9/Simon Watson, Architectural Digest.

{A R T} April Showers Bring May Flowers

Spring has me revisiting one of my favorite artists: Meredith Wing of Moo Mooi. She combines two things I really love—fashion and flowers—so her work instantly puts a smile on my face every time I come across it. She's a fashion illustrator who lives in Australia and sketches the most adorable, dainty women in haute little dresses and skirts made from beautiful blooms and sometimes other fun things like produce, or even fringe, which makes me happy as a designer.  She's already collaborated with Tory Burch, Rebecca Minkoff and Pantone, so I can't wait to see what's next for her! Follow Meredith and her series #SomeFlowerGirls on Instagram at @moomooi! But first, check out some of her drawings here.  

Images via Moo Mooi

1/Bok Choy. 2/Deauville. 3/French Babes. 4/Swing Dress. 5/London Balloons. 6/Mandarin et Cabbage. 7/Marie Antoinette. 8/Magic in the Air. 9/Wildflower Frock.

{A R T} Fashion Illustrations by Artist Kelly Beeman

I've been an admirer of artist Kelly Beeman's work ever since I discovered her on Instagram. Her Picasso-like figures, saturated color combinations and use of shapes and negative space is wildly interesting. And, I'm always very intrigued by the environments she places her stylish characters in—the details are exquisite and seemingly simplified. Kelly portrays looks for brands like Dior, J.W. Anderson, Mara Hoffman and Tory Burch, and her ethereal approach reveals fashionable illustrations with true feeling and depth behind them. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

{F A S H I O N} The Geometry of Design

All Images via Shihara

A few weeks ago, I posted about wandering into Tomorrowland NYC while shopping for a client in SoHo. Ever since then, I can't get the Shihara jewelry I saw there off my mind! Their geometric shapes immediately grab your attention. For this Japanese atelier, form doesn't just follow function. Rather, the function is designed as part of the form. They're one and the same. Their 3D earrings, for example, integrate the post into the overall aesthetic of the earring instead of being an afterthought. It's such a pure and simple philosophy, yet not everyone gets it quite like they do. Here are some of my favorite pieces of theirs; I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. 

{A R T} How To Kill Yourself With Chocolate

As if chocolate needed a reason to be any more alluring—now the London-based duo of photographer Martina Lang and graphic designer Valentine Ammeux have created a surreal cookbook on the subject: How To Kill Yourself With Chocolate. If the heavy-hued images and intensely striking compositions are not enough to entice you, then perhaps their findings—indulging in 7.8kg (or approx. 17lbs) of dark chocolate within 24 hours is actually a lethal dose—will catch your attention. 

I don't know about you, but I'm still willing to take the risk!

Purchase your copy here.

{I N S P I R E D} Nocturnal Animals: Fashion Meets Film Meets Interior Design

Photography by Merrick Morton/Focus Features

With Paris Design Week just recently in our rear view, I'm thinking back fondly on my time studying in Paris alongside my studio-mate Tom Ford. I'm so happy for him and his film Nocturnal Animals. (If you haven't seen it yet, you really must!) 

The film itself is truly a work of art, from the writing and storytelling to the directing to the cinematography and especially the acting. But it's important to note a main character aside from the ones played by Amy Adams, Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon. And that is the interior design. Shane Valentino reworked the interiors of a Scott Mitchell-designed house to include art, furnishings and materials that are as fashion-minded as Tom himself but austere enough to underscore the emotional, hauntingly beautiful storyline.     

{H O R I Z O N} Kinetic Energy: Mobiles + Pendants

                                                                           Image via Hotchkiss Mobiles     

I have always been attracted to kinetic sculptures—to their movement, their energy, their artistic nature. I fell in love with the art of Joel Hotchkiss after buying one of his mobiles from the Guggenheim Store in NYC. After researching more of his work, calling him and getting to know him on the phone, he made several custom pieces for me. I then had him make eight pink sculptures for a Pink Aid fundraiser two years ago, and they were a huge hit. Today, I still love his work just as much, if not more, and I’m happy to say I can now call him a friend.

Here are a few swoon-worthy light fixtures whose grace and sculptural quality remind me of mobiles.

1. I love everything Bec Brittain does, but her Themis 68 sconce in brushed brass with white marble and ivory glass is extra special, and the arch gives it that mobile-like movement. Image via

2. Talk about kinetic energy. Naama Hofman's Tube Pendant Collection has so much flexibility, with brass arms and LED-lit acrylic tubes that can be reconfigured into different arrangements. Image by Uri Grun via

3. The OTTO Double fixture from David Weeks Studio might be a bit more linear than the traditional mobile, but the delicateness and arc in its form still conjure the same visions. Image via 

4. Örsjö gives the best description of its Decostick pendant: "a modern chandelier flirting with the 1930s." JV Arkitekter designed the fixture as part of a renovation of the Hotel Riviera Strand in Båstad, Sweden. It allows for different strengths of luminosity to emit from the spheres verses the spotlight, so there's movement even in the light itself. Image via 

5. Jean-Pascal Gauthier. An instant favorite when I discovered his sculptural, mobile-like lights. They're minimalist and avant-garde at the same time, and the inspiration he draws from Calder is clear. Image via

6. Workstead certainly knows how to create a light fixture as an art piece. Its Bent Wall Lamp is the perfect example. The composition of steel, cast iron and brass keep it industrial and debonair. Image via

7. No mobile-esque post would be complete without including Apparatus. These Trapeze lights are inspired by the dynamics of a circus act, and their seriously fun demeanor comes across especially in Trapeze 1 & 2. Image via

8. And finally, the Hely light by Katriina Nuutinen for Klong, made of colored glass, stainless steel, plastic and LEDs. It looks like a piece of jewelry more than anything else, but the shapely form brings me back to the geometry of a mobile structure suspended in midair. Image via

{I N S P I R E D} The Magic Of Fonts

I always say that design is a choice. Even when you nonchalantly select a font to use, every letter tells a story about your choices, whether straight or script, chunky or thin, serif or sans serif. Fonts are always catching my eye, so I'm naturally drawn to artists who have captured the art of calligraphy and hand lettering so effortlessly—like Seb Lester, an artist and designer living in England. All videos of him showcasing his talents are worth watching, but here's one of him drawing water calligraphy using water and colored ink. It's mesmerizing! 

And here are a few brands that I love who know just how important it is to choose fonts that speak to their company philosophies. Take the serif font Hermès uses for example—it's classic, timeless, and instantly recognizable, just like the brand itself.

1/ Sakara | 2/ Hannah Hart for Telavera Tequila | 3/ Herbivore | 4/ Pinky Up | 5/ Five | 6/ Hermès | 7/ Lollia by Margot Elena | 8/ Musq | 9/ Milk Makeup | 10/ Anthropologie | 11/ Leif | 12/ Mistral