Starring Roles and Greek Urns

As this week has continued, I think we’re feeling such a shift, such momentum for much needed change in the world. It doesn’t feel like ‘business as usual,’ which must be a good thing. More than statues are toppling right about now…

Cheers, Arren

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Can we just make up a word here, please? I’m often taken by an interior and the couldntyoujustmovein-ness of how it looks.

This living room is by the fab Eneia White Interiors, and fits that word to a T. Is that a grasscloth ceiling? Be still my heart. Hello to of-the-moment reeded details. Yes! Can we take a gander at those chairs? By all means. And of course, all of those dark-hued accents ground it perfectly.

I don’t think I’d change a thing…

Below, I’m getting more of the feels with this dining room, part of a cool, calm and collected Upper East Side project by White. Check more or her work here.

Photo: Duke Renders

Photo: Nick Glimenakis

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Details, details, details! Hubert de Givenchy once said “Luxury is in each detail,” and it appears that designer Cheryl Luckett definitely knows that to be true.

As part of her One Room Challenge project, Luckett has not only upholstered doors in linen and finished them with antiqued brass nailheads, she has found hardware with the looks to take a starring role in a silver screen musical.

Sourced through Addison Weeks, the Charlotte-based designer mixed a Michelle Nussbaumer Enamel Star backplate with a Scallop Knob for major Art Deco vibes. In a brass and navy enamel finish the stylish result has left me completely gagged.

For even more style (and more nailheads) check out Cheryl’s upholstery collection for Sylvester Alexander here.

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While London-based ceramicist Freya Bramble-Carter imbues her work with a mix of forms and finishes inspired by nature, her recent project, a collab with interior design studio Krokalia, moves in a different direction. Described by Bramble-Carter as a ‘mish-mash’, the pieces combine her organic point of view with Classical Greek pottery. We’re talking inspo from 510-323 BCE.

The urns, vases and bowls, created by Bramble-Carter, and then playfully decorated by designer Pallas Kalamotusis of Krokalia, have such a fresh, handmade feel. Plus, there’s a definite nod to mid-century painted art pottery. More, please!

Freya Bramble-Carter is a member of the Black Artists + Designer’s Guild, a great organization worthy of your support, both financial and otherwise.

Photo: A finished urn and vase

Photo: Painting in process

Photo: Ready for the kiln

We all need a little inspo

Inspiration comes in all shapes and sizes, often completely out the blue. and in these difficult days - well - we could all use a little beauty to get us through…

So, here we go with an occasional series of things that have caught my eye. Yes, many will be via Insta, but who knows what else I can dig up? And of course, if you’d like to send me any recos, please drop me a line here.

Cheers, Arren

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@objectsdaffection aka O.D.A. Galerie is a space in storied Paris flea market Marché Paul Bert curated by stylists and set designer Eve Ducroq and Arnaud Dollinger. In the room sets they create, look for an eclectic selection of vintage pieces styled to give the sense that some very chic homeowners have just strolled off screen to live a fantastically creative life. And, speaking of life, the chalky lime and plum combo in this space is definitely giving it to me right now.

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@damienlangloismeurinne_studio aka interior architect Damien Langlois-Meurinne has an eye for sculpture within the architecture of an interior, ergo this stunner of a plaster fireplace. That, plus all of the softly curving furniture in this space have me completely swooning. Modern Parisian glamour at it’s best.

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Let’s finish with a pop of colour. I love a kitchen island that steps it up in something bright so here, in this flat in Marseille by Paris-based designers @novaobiecta, it’s all of that kelly green, plus those cobalt framed stools. Gah!

Guest blog / Jenn Hannotte: A tale of two tables

Jenn Hannotte: There are two types of Craigslist thrills: when you buy something for cheap and find out it's worth a lot more, and when you find something cheap and you make it worth a lot more - even if you only slap some paint on it. My front room has tried on a couple of coffee tables in the last few months that gave me both types of 'YES!' moments. 

My old coffee table was a $20 purchase that included two end tables. It's now sold since I try to follow a pretty strict 'something in, something out' regime. The shape was ornate and scalloped, and I thought that painting it with a matte finish and juxtaposing it with my otherwise modern furniture would look interesting. I used one of the end tables in my daughter's room as a side table and sold off the other at a garage sale. That's a lot of mileage out of $20! I was able to play with a trend without busting the bank, and that to me is what makes Craigslist and thrifting in general so worthwhile.

My latest find was an impulse buy - I saw it, loved it, and had to have it. I knew nothing about the coffee table, except at $150 was pretty cheap for the going rate of mid-century teak on Craigslist. Within a few hours of contacting the seller, I was on my way home with it, as well as armed with a new little bit of info: that it was manufactured by France and Son, Denmark. Off to Google and within minutes I realized I had a Peter Hvidt & Orla Mølgaard-Nielsen coffee table designed in 1955, and produced by France and Son for 2 years. Designers and manufacturer in hand - and more Googling - I discovered here that my little purchase was worth about $1000!! As you can imagine, I'm not likely to sell it any time soon - even if I could get that kind of return on my meager investment - it looks quite at home in my front room and knowing I won the 'Craigslist lottery' makes it that much more appealing!

You'll see the old scalloped coffee table and end table below, followed along by the shot from Craigslist that got me hot under the collar and, finally, the Danish table sitting pretty in the living room. 

For more of Jenn's take on style click here.