the crosby hotel

hard to say whether i would love the crosby hotel as much as i do if they didn't choose to work with lewis miller.  this exemplifies what i love about floral design- it has the power to complete a story with live and always changing accents.  in this instance, the flowers and foliage make sense of the property's entire design direction.
lmd takes a "just picked" approach- loose arrangements, herbs, greens, garden roses and sporadic pops of color to harmonize the eccentric furniture and artwork.  also, this addition of key organic elements (such as succulents, vibernum, cephalaphora, green trick dianthus, japanese maple- to name a few) makes the humorous interior feel more grounded.

 

french classic meets contempo

famed editor, angelika taschen, pulls us into current takes on legendary parisian architecture and design resulting in an understated glamor that no one can pull off quite like the french.  
paris style volume II by taschen.

out of africa

unleashed in kenya, keira knightley's 2007 vogue feature story brought about an upheaval of protests citing false representation of the country (mainly "over romanticizing" a very poor african state with no real perspective).  also, the final photo below, which shows keira feeding a baby elephant wearing a louis vuitton blanket, is thought ridiculous by some (mainly because it makes a mockery of a very serious shelter- the david sheldrick wildlife trust in mbagathi, which is the only successful program in the world sending orphaned elephants back into the wild).  

on the other side, one could argue that taking readers to these remote places promotes an overall awareness which could increase tourism and donations and in the end help the country and its people.  controversies aside this spread is my favorite to date, aesthetically speaking, of course. 

love.

flowers in full bloom, even when there is snow on the ground.

cabin fever

at the heart of winter in new england is an amber glow that kindles easy living and tenderness.  this fusion of fashion and function proves that like fire and ice, some design enigmas breath genius when well executed. 

via wood logs and natural stones, the wild outdoors is translated into a tame interior to the likes of a modernized thomas kinkade.  unfinished edges and weathered beams balance clean lines and earth tones for a conservatively rugged look.  

special shout out to m.elle design whose work celebrates "the peak of rustic chic" in their elle decor magazine spread (bottom three photos).

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slight digression with final photo but couldn't resist this variation on the theme.

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live free or die

channel chic travel with these essentials from free people.  whether your adventures this holiday season are taking you to the beach, mountains, or third world streets- these clothes turn every flight into a runway.
(www.freepeople.com)

nyc- love it or hate it, it's still on your mind

the first snowfall here in manhattan got me feeling nostalgic about leaving.  sure the streets are dirty, it's a rat race, and every line (even for a single paper towel roll) is like trying to get into the hottest new bunker in town.  but isn't that part of the charm? 

the energy of people clad in black, all with somewhere to go, someone to meet, something to become is contagious.  right now is too late, and today is so yesterday.  no one moves to manhattan without a dream and you can't truly find yourself here without getting lost in the grid first.

if you are lucky enough to make it to the other side of the rainbow- broadway, history, architecture, food, fashion, culture and every sub-culture is right at your fingertips.  one needn't look any further for inspiration when shacked up on this island.  it really is bittersweet to pack up my gold and  take a break.