This summer birthday is a big one for me. I’m celebrating one of those birthdays you try to keep private and then at the last minute decide just to embrace it with all of your nearest and dearest friends. Since this June has been so dreary and wet, we’ve chosen to celebrate my birthday outside. I’m excited already! One of our favorite ways to dress an outdoor table is with colorful oilcloths. The great thing about oilcloth is that it’s cheap, colorful, and you can cut it yourself to fit any flat surface. Oilcloth is great just to have around the house for DIY projects–we’ve seen outdoor pillows, purses, coasters, wrapping paper, drawer liners, and bibs all made out of this incredibly durable fabric. We’re just getting started on the party planning, so stay tuned for more tips!

Clockwise from top left: Yellow Fig, Mini Yellow Gingham, Mini Green Gingham, Red Hibiscus.
Above, designer Kristi Stratton’s kitchen table covered in a great orange oilcloth as featured in Country Living. Oilcloth is a great way to cover a precious table and is easy to wipe down with a little soap and water. We love it’s kitschy-chic vibe! – S

As an interior designer, every once in a while you are given the gift of a great project. And by great project, I mean a space with good bones, and a client who respects you and allows you to do what you are trained to do with very little interruption. This was exactly the case with a residential interior design project I recently completed. The apartment is a classic six in a turn of the century building. Prior to my client buying the space, a decorator had lived in the apartment for many, many years and had left the integrity of the place intact, including all of the original brass hardware and hinges (which we removed and re-polished), porcelain sinks, and doors. Every inch of the apartment was covered in some kind of wallpaper or wall-covering- from the late 1980′s (Click here for a look at the some of the original wallpaper we kept). She even wallpapered the shelves in the closets and decorated the edges of each shelf with custom Scalamandre trimmings and fringe. Seriously!Our goal was to make the space modern and comfortable, and suitable for entertaining a large family and their friends. We painted the walls in the main living room using Benjamin Moore Pale Oak. It’s such a soft color and blended well with everything in the room. The two Parisian club chairs at the back of the photo were the first purchases for the apartment. I still remember the day last summer when I brought them to the empty and pre-renovated apartment to show them to my client. This is often how projects begin, with good bones, and great pieces. You’ll recognize the two demilune tables on either side of the fireplace–they’re from our favorite Swedish furniture dealer, the Lone Ranger. The dining room (below) in the apartment is large and quite square, so a round table was required. This one is called the Kimball Dining Table from Thomas O’Brien’s Collection at Hickory Chair. It has wonderful legs and a very dark sable finish. The long rectangular serving table in the background is a copy of an old table from a French wine cellar. The chairs, upholstered in raffia, are from Oly Studio.
If you look closely, you’ll notice a very exuberant Gracie wallpaper in the foyer/entryway (far right). This wonderful hand-painted wall-covering was the only decorating remnant of the previous owner that we left as it was. It really is wonderful and makes quite an impression as you enter. The large black chest of drawers (below) is a Mariette Hines Gomez piece from Hickory Chair. You can’t see it too well, but there is the most amazing vintage silver tray on small claw legs on top of this piece–that was a great find.
The library (below) became everyone’s favorite room. The wall color is luscious Farrow and Ball Shaded White on the walls and Farrow and Ball Skimming Stone on the bookcases. The wall sconces are from Belgium, and the chocolate brown lacquered coffee tables came from Paris. You should have seen how carefully these were packaged in their container. The blue glass chandelier is one of my favorite pieces in the entire apartment; it also came from France.
The rug in this room is by Mark Inc. It’s actually made of 100% natural hemp in a classical Tibetan weave…heavenly to walk on. Many of the pillows in the apartment are custom made. I like to take tints and shades of muted colors and layer them mismatched back to back. It looks interesting–but not too bold. – S

Whenever possible, I like to take advantage of wearing sneakers with dresses and skirts. Vans, Superga, and Converse make the best “fashion sneakers.” (You would, of course, never be caught dead in a pair of running sneakers with anything other than exercise clothes). These are great too because they’re super light weight and don’t make your feet look big. I own all three of these pairs below and love to wear them on the weekends with shorts and a t-shirt, or to work with a flouncy mini skirt and a little boy blazer. A great way to look chic and still be comfortable! – L
1. Vans Authentic in White, 2. Superga Torino in Acid Green, 3. Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars in Charcoal.

With our house on the market, I’ve indulged my enthusiasm for winning the home-selling game by filling small vases with inexpensive flowers throughout the house. But as we’re heading off for a family vacation this weekend, and the possibility of hot summer days lie ahead, I decided I’d see what I could find in the way of artificial flowers. Don’t get me wrong, I love fresh flowers, but you would not believe what’s out there in the world of flower fakery! Below, a festive little 4th of July arrangement I think I’ll use as the center piece on my dining room table.

I found all of these flowers at our local Michael’s Craft Store. I was completely taken back by the rows and rows of fake flowers for sale. They even had some really unusual ones! A typical stem cost about .99 cents. I also found some adorable paper pin wheels ($2.99 each) and a mini flag to throw in the mix. The faux ironstone vase is a Target find from last year.

This ended up being a quick, easy, and inexpensive way to keep the house looking fresh and vibrant while we’re away. I feel pretty confident that this arrangement will please anyone who walks through our home in the next two weekends. In any event, Happy (early) Independence Day to all! Check out some images of Michael’s flower selection after the jump. – S

I’m going to let you in on a little secret that my friend Jo and I recently pinkie swore we’d never tell (sorry, Jo!).  Jo, one of the best bargain shoppers I know, recently stumbled upon a website selling outrageously discounted Christian Louboutin shoes (we’re talking $150 down from $800). When she first showed me the site, I was ready with my credit card to buy ten pairs. But then I thought better of it: how could they be selling all of the latest styles at such low prices? I’d seen knock-offs before by brands like Oh Deer!, but nothing as precise as these (shape, logo, and red colored sole). Jo agreed to be the guinea pig, and ordered the classic nude heel for us to inspect. As someone who has spent a fair amount of time at the Louboutin store (yearning for, not buying), I can tell pretty well what’s real and what’s not. After seeing these in the flesh, it’s safe to say they are not—the quality of the leather is a dead giveaway. However, if you’re not morally opposed to ripping off the great Christian, and you’re looking for a cheap way to get your feet into one of the sexiest shoes out there, check out louboutinstain.com. We’re still deciding if we’re going to cross over to the fake side. – L

Images above are from Louboutinsatin.com. Each shoe comes in a replica Louboutin box and signature red shoe bag.

Friends often come to me for decorating ideas for kids rooms.  During my years producing TV segments for Martha Stewart, I worked closely with the editors of the Kids and Baby issues of the magazine.  Many of us were having babies at the time (young Jack was born in 2000), and I remember how much fun we had coming up with ideas for how to make kid’s rooms colorful and fun.  One of my favorite ideas was to use a ready-made plate rack to store books on a wall in a little boy or girl’s room.

From an very early age, Jack would listen intently to the books we would read to him, and whenever I look at this plate rack, I remember his tiny fingers reaching as high as they could to grab on to whichever book he had selected for bed time reading.  Today he LOVES to read, and perhaps it is in part because he was always surrounded by books at home. You can try this idea too.  I remember finding this plate rack (pictured above) at a ready made/unfinished furniture store in New Canaan, Connecticut,  but I’m sure you can find one near where you live. I painted this one Benjamin Moore Dove White, hung it on the wall, and it has lived there happily ever sense.  Doesn’t it look great?  It’s practical, too.

I found the photo above from a special issue of Martha Stewart Baby in 2000 (The year Jack was born!). I must have been inspired by my colleagues- a very talented group indeed. You can also find plate racks online. One great antique plate rack dealer is Pennsylvania Folk. They craft their plate racks from old and new wood using traditional dovetail joinery and finishing with authentic milk paint. The plate racks range in price from $175 to $500, depending on size and finish. JC Penney has one too, and it’s a little more affordable. (Plate racks also look great in an office or media room displaying magazines or your favorite art books). Happy reading! -S