Women in Design

I had the pleasure of attending Elle Decor's annual salute to Women in Design and thought I would share a few of the highlights with you. After Charlotte Moss was presented with the Vision Award from Margaret Russell they joined interior designers Michelle Nussbaumer, Kelly Wearstler and Holly Hunt for a panel discussion. A few of my male friends joked that a women in design event seemed a bit sexist but design is very important in the world of women since it was one of the first places that it was not only acceptable for women to work but to own their own businesses. When I look around now and see so many of my female friends who own their own firms, it's really amazing. We owe a lot to those designing women who paved the way such as Elsie de Wolfe, Sister Parish and Dorothy Draper.

The first question to the panel was what advice they have for design students or those who want to work in design. All of the designers had similar suggestion, such as reading, traveling, visiting museums, interning, and working for someone who you admire. Kelly Wearstler also suggested visiting antique shops and art galleries, anything to "fuel your vision." She also suggested never following trends or buying something because it's the hot new style.

Getting out to be inspired is something that they all practice in their own life. Michelle Nussbaumer had just visited the MoMA and Kelly Wearstler is often inspired by art and also jewelry and fashion. Kelly also has a large library of vintage books that she often consults. They all agreed that it's sometimes good to get away from a design dilemma and come back to it and for Holly Hunt, that means going out into nature and taking a run. I actually took a walk through Central Park with a friend last week and we ended up at the Met where we viewed the new Vermeer exhibit and Roman sculptures. I can attest that it's good to leave your desk sometimes!

One of the biggest challenges for women in design is balancing their family life and work. Michelle Nussbaumer said she tries not to bring work home at night or work on weekends. Easier said than done as we all know but you need to make time for the important things in life. Charlotte Moss also talked about having to make hard decisions such as when she decided to close her store which was taking her away from her family and taking the joy out of her life.

Another interesting question that was posed was "what makes a timeless room?" Charlotte Moss said that it's not physical and not an object but what designers get paid to create which is ambiance and atmosphere. They all agrees it's nothing you can put your finger on but you know when you walk into a room and it just feels right. Kelly Wearstler compared it to a painting that you can go back to time and again and see new things and never get tired of looking at.

A question from the audience that resonated most with me was "how do you stay organized, especially with multiple clients?" I struggle with keeping on top of my paperwork and organizing my tear sheets so it was good to hear someone like Holly Hunt admit that she never quite feels organized and the sorting can take the most time! Like me, they all carry notebooks and write everything down and also take lots of photos. Unlike me, they have a staff of very organized people who work with them and keep them organized! I'm going to have to work on that!

One of the last audience questions was about how they present to a client and their best advice is that you really have to tailor your presentation to the client. Charlotte Moss stated that, "there is no formula because every client is different." Kelly Wearstler called it "an organic process" and I agree. Sometimes you buy something for one room and realize later that it belongs in another. You can't be so tied to the furniture plan and you need to be flexible.

All in all, it was a wonderful event and a very inspiring one! If you ever get the chance to hear any of these women in design speak, I highly recommend making the time to attend! And I can't think of a better way to end than with a quote from the original designing woman, Elsie de Wolfe, "I am going to make everything around me beautiful. That will be my life."

Merci beaucoup!

It's starting to feel a little like Christmas in July around here. Charlotte Moss really did inspire Stefan of Architect Design and me to book our trip to Versailles. Since she is traveling she hasn't heard yet that we are actually going so before she left she sent out a little package to further inspire us. It contained a set of postcards that she took at Versailles for each of us! That was beyond thoughtful of her and we will both treasure them!

As you can see, Ms. Moss could have a second career as a photographer! The photos are beautiful and make me even more excited to see Versailles for myself! Merci!

After my Bon Appetit post, I heard from one of my favorite people, Katie Levine. You might remember Katie from Domino but now she is the publicist for Bon Appetit magazine! Turns out that the August 2009 issue of Bon Appetit has a wonderful feature in honor of Julia Child! August 15th would have been her 97th birthday so they have published a party perfect menu that people all of the country will make that night in her honor! How sweet is that?! Katie was kind enough to send me a copy of the magazine along with the Mastering the Art of French Cooking! I am even more excited to get cooking and will have to plan a meal to celebrate all of these wonderfully influential and inspiring women! Merci beaucoup!

Tips for a Stylish Summer...

A big thank you goes out to Charlotte Moss for including me in her Dispatches from the Blogosphere: Tips for a Stylish Summer post on her blog Tete-a-Tete! Check it out and you can read what I'm wearing, reading, eating and doing this summer! Oh, and those are my photos from the Hamptons. Wish I was there right now!

Thank you!

I owe a big thank you to interior designer Charlotte Moss for featuring me on her blog Tete-a-Tete last month! I was very excited to buy the neoclassical cachepot I spotted in her Chic Garden Shed at the Housing Works Design on a Dime event and one of her employees recognized me and snapped my photo. Ms. Moss also mentioned that she reads my blog daily and I couldn't be more humbled!

We have some great local television shows that focus on what's going on in New York including Cool in Your Code. They recently interviewed me for their online feature, Around the Blog, where you can read more about my favorite places in New York. Thanks!

2009 Kips Bay Show House Designer: Charlotte Moss

Maybe instead of separate bathrooms, the key to a happy marriage should be separate bedrooms but only if they look like the ones designed by Charlotte Moss. "Anything but pink in the bedroom," he said...this was the the inspiration for the The Master Suite designed by Ms. Moss for the Kips Bay Decorator Show House. Of course, the first room is really the Sitting Room but it does contain a bed so Madame could either take a nap or get away from a snoring husband!

A lot of thought went into this beautiful suite of rooms. According to the press packet, the King of Sweden gave Nancy Lancaster a fragment of Chinese painted paper that inspired John Fowler and George Oaks to paint a mural described as follows..."the colors ran the gamut of Fower's range. Against a grey-lavender ground, frosted green trees - with strange white flowers - bear clusters of purple berries and green...wiggly bouquets of mauve berries."

Apparently, "the color mauve was discovered in 1856 by the eighteen-year-old William Perkin." Ms. Moss suggested reading Mauve: How One Man Invented a Color that Changed the World by Simon Garfield for more about this fascinating color story. Ms. Moss also suggests using a "portiere in the entry foyer/vestibule or between two rooms to create a break, a sense of discovery, or just a little mystery." By the way, portiere is a fancy word for curtain.

When I visted the show house, the weather was grey and ready to rain and the light from large windows made the room feel as though it could have been in Paris. Considering what a Francophile Ms. Moss is, it seemed especially fitting. The color palette for her room is French blue, mauve, ivory, pale pink and celedon and even though there are a lot of colors, the room is quite soothing. "Drama is created with contrast - in the case of these rooms, a light blue is used in the sitting room and a dark blue in the bedroom. The depth of color suits the room's use - dark for sleeping, light for reading, relaxing and conversation."

I love the wicker coffee table and bamboo window shades that "add texture, a dash of informality, and create that essential contrast with the silk curtains." The Decorating Notes from the press packet have the best quotes!

"Hang your artwork salon style - by its nature it says add more whenever you want."

The Jansen desk is from the estate of Evangeline Bruce and would be perfect for writing thank you notes.

The Louis XV bed is dressed pink Les Violettes en Rose sheets from D. Porthault, a colorway made specially for Jacqueline Kennedy. Another decorating idea is to "divide a screen in half and anchor two corners."

"Slipcovers give you flexibility: a feeling of being more relaxed, informal...and can stretch a budget."

The darker walls of midnight blue DeGournay Teapaper and canopied bed definitely add drama in the bedroom.

The sheets in the bedroom are Rivages d'Asie by D. Porthault.

The artwork is a collection of Maria Sibylla Merian 18th century hand-colored engravings of exotic plants and butterflies.

The bright green draperies are a lovely contrast to the blue walls. I also love that Ms. Moss thinks of all the senses when designing a room. She created a playlist of music entitles Les Femmes Formidables, that is available as an iMix at iTunes, and the room fragrance wafting gently in the background is Left Bank by Charlotte Moss for Agraria. She didn't mention specifically for taste but I picture drinking a cup of tea and munching on Laduree macaroons in the sitting room. Even their colors would match!

I find it inspiring that Charlotte Moss thinks of everything when creating a room and of course she is still inspired by others. I asked her what it meant to be a part of this year's show house since it is dedicated to Albert Hadley. "We are always thrilled to participate in the Kips Bay Show House, this year particularly as we honor Albert Hadley and all the inspiration that he has provided to the design community and do design in such a beautiful and gracious space." And beautiful and gracious are the perfect words to describe Charlotte Moss's room!

Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse 2009 Update

As I mentioned recently, this year's Kips Bay Decorator Showhouse is a tribute to Albert Hadley and last week the participating designers were announced. Mario Buatta and Charlotte Moss will serve as honorary chairs and in addition, Ms. Moss and team will design a three-room Master Suite. Some of the other designers include Bunny Williams, Christopher Coleman, Jamie Drake, Joe Nye, Juan Montoya and Gloria Vanderbilt. Yes, I said Gloria Vanderbilt. I didn't realize she dabbled in design beyond jeans but a little research turned up an interesting post by An Aesthete's Lament about her decorating ability. Should be a very interesting showhouse this year!

In other news, I heard that the owners of the Charlotte Moss Townhouse will be leasing the space to designer Monique Lhuillier so it seems that Ms. Moss is in need of some new office space. With all the empty offices and store fronts in the city right now, I'm sure she won't have any trouble.

Charlotte Moss Townhouse Closing Sale!

Starting today, the Charlotte Moss Townhouse will prepare for it's November 25th closing by offering 50% off antiques and 70% off new pieces. Perfect timing for the holidays although, I will be sad to see them close. It's such a beautiful store! I just hope it doesn't become something depressing now like a BabyGap!

Say It Isn't So!

One of my readers just informed me that Charlotte Moss is closing The Townhouse and WWD confirms the story.

Almost a year and a half after opening her East 63rd Street flagship to much hype, interior designer Charlotte Moss is closing the shop at the end of next month. “This was a difficult decision based on personal considerations,” Moss said. “While the interest in the store was gratifying, the demands of running the boutique and at the same time maintaining my interior design practice, licensing product and other aspects of my business were crowding out all of the other facets of my life — time for myself, my family, and my philanthropic and community work.”

So sad that she has to close before Christmas. I was looking forward to heading over there to do some holiday shopping. I wonder what will become of the space...but what I really want to know is if there will be a closeout sale!

Left Bank

Charlotte Moss has a new luxury home fragrance for Agraria entitled Left Bank. According to her site, it "embodies the mystery, romance, and sophistication of the city’s Left Bank. Introduced with fresh top notes of crisp lemongrass and crushed pink peppercorn blossoms, the mid notes of frankincense and patchouli surround you as cashmere wood warms the background."The candle comes in a pretty glass jar with cute little pagoda inspired lid. I may have to stop by the Townhouse for a whiff. À tout à l'heure!

A Flair for Living

"The true spirit of hospitality is about sharing the pleasure that you derive from living with beauty." - Charlotte Moss

Charlotte Moss's eagerly anticipated new book A Flair for Living will be released in May and can be preordered on her website. It is touted as "her most elegant and personal design book to date, Moss will tempt you into the world of the refined by offering a lavish tour of every component of a home." I know I am very excited to own what looks to be a very beautiful book indeed!

Christmas at the Townhouse

It's beginning to look like Christmas everywhere including the fabulous Charlotte Moss Townhouse! I had the opportunity to photograph the wonderful decorations last week and I know you will be just as impressed as I was. I especially loved the use of blue and white Chinese pottery that I don't think most people would ever think to do themselves but they definitely should because it looks so beautiful against the greenery and red accents. I also loved the amaryllis in the silver pots and I know I will be copying them in my home this holiday! If you happen to be in New York, you should definitely stop by and pick up some gifts or to just be inspired!

Charlotte Moss Townhouse Happenings

I just received this interesting email from the fine folks over at The Charlotte Moss Townhouse. It's entirely too hot in New York for me to even think about Christmas shopping yet but it's never too hot to buy clothes. I may have to take a walk over and check out the new dresses!

Charlotte Moss Townhouse - Part III

So, I failed to mention earlier what I was doing with the rest of my Friday. Well, this morning I was touring the Charlotte Moss Townhouse with none other than Charlotte Moss herself and her wonderful assistant Cathy! Go ahead. Take a moment to hate me. I know you want to. I would hate me too. But let me tell you how it happened anyway.

I got home last Saturday after a day of shopping in the city to find an email from, I almost fell off my chair, Charlotte Moss. I had to look at it a few times to make sure no one was playing a trick on me but apparently, Ms. Moss had learned about the wonderful world of blogs! She was so gracious and flattered that I had included the shop on my blog and wanted to meet me! Me! Crazy! So we planned a little interview and meeting!

I thought I would be too nervous to ask questions and write down all the answers legibly and comprehensively at the townhouse so Ms. Moss was kind of enough to answer a few questions ahead of time with the help of her very sweet assistant Cathy. After the interview section, I'll get to the tour!

I mentioned to someone else I interviewed recently that creative types either know from the time they are little that they want to be an artist or designer or get sidetracked completely and end up working in finance or law until they can't take it anymore and finally make the switch. It seems to have been the latter in your case since I know you had a successful career on Wall Street before becoming an interior designer. I'd love to know if you were creative growing up and how you made the decision to finally open your own interior design business.
Yes, I was creative as a child but got sidetracked to Wall Street. In college, I wanted to major in interior design but was too intimidated to complete the portfolio required because I couldn't draw. So instead, I majored in English and took all my minor credits in art history... and as the story always goes on Wall Street...mergers. When the firm I worked for was acquired by a larger one, it was the perfect time for assessing the future. It just seemed like the right time to get a business plan together, take the bonus and go buy a container.

You had a shop on Lexington Avenue from about the time you started your business until it closed in 1996. What made you decide that now was the right time to open another shop, especially one on such a grand scale?
When I started the business in 1985 it was done with a concept similar to an English decorating shop which was foreign in the US. A couple of years ago, I started to get the retail pang again because I felt that something was missing in the shopping experience. As an interior designer and after having done 13 decorator showhouses in my career, I've heard the oooos and aaaahhs from visitors to those rooms - hence I know the value of the finished product. The finished product more often than not isn’t only about the contents but about the atmosphere. I wanted to again create my own retail atmosphere as if I were inviting people in to my own home.

The one thing that everyone seemed to notice right away from the photos online was that the actual facade of the townhouse seems a bit more clean and modern than the rendering. Can you explain to everyone what happened?
Very simple - the restrictions imposed by being in a historic district as well as what the city of New York and the landmarks commission will and will not let you do - it's as simple as that.

I know you love to read, especially biographies about women. I'd love to know which is your favorite book and what are you reading now?
I couldn't possibly name a favorite book! I have 3 libraries so it would be like naming which is my favorite library. I've read too many books to only name one but let me just say if someone gave me a day off I would spend it locked in my library. I have 3 books I'm working right now, Hermoine Lee's biography on Edith Wharton; Istanbul and Deluxe by Dana Thomas. I usually read 3 or 4 books at the same time - all very different. I do that too but my problem is that I never finish half of them!

I think it's important to give back in this world and I know you are very philanthropically inclined. What are the causes that are most important to you?
Child welfare, literacy, immunological research…Unicef, Operation Smile, The Leukemia Society.

We all know now from Joni over at Cote de Texas that you recently sold your Aspen house otherwise known as Winter House and bought a new house. Will we see another book? Perhaps, A New Winter House?
Maybe sometime in the future (first I have to decorate the next Winterhouse - but that's after I merchandise the store for Christmas) but before that you will see "A Flair for Living", a lifestyle book being published by Assouline for Spring 2008. You heard it here first folks!

I've joked to friends that the Charlotte Moss Townhouse is like Mecca for Southerners. I've overheard mothers and daughters on Madison Avenue talking about going over there and the day I visited, there was another big group of Southern ladies shopping. Did you ever have any idea that the new Townhouse would be so well received and talked about online?
My previous store, lectures and books have always had a strong Southern following - after that all you can do is pray.

And finally, what can we expect from you next? What other fabulously chic ideas do you have up your sleeve? After the Townhouse, I can only imagine!
Well of course we won't let the whole cat out of the bag - BUT - as I mentioned above, my next book "A Flair for Living" will be published by Assouline next spring. We'll have a new fragrance at the same time and depending upon how much energy I have a great CD as well. We also have two new collections of bedding to launch in February, two new china patterns this fall, and of course lots of Christmas goodies so please come shopping! We’re going to have a great article in the October issue of O Home hitting the newsstand soon – check it out. We are soooo excited! And so are all of us!!!

I have to say, meeting Charlotte Moss today and having her show me around the shop was such a treat. She pointed out so many details that I would have otherwise missed and was so passionate about everything. She was very eager to point out that the shop was specifically designed to have a diverse array of points, not just so everyone can find something for their price range but because "that's the way we live". We now live in a culture that mixes their Manolos and vintage YSL with current J.Crew, just the way she does!

Charlotte Moss has so much going on, that I cannot understand how she is not exhausted! She is so passionate about the items she has chosen for her shop and she very much appreciates the craftspeople who continue traditions that are slowly dying out, it's hard not to get excited too. There is so much forward momentum with her that you get the feeling she must wake up in the middle of the night with an idea for her next project!

I was very honored that she would take the time out of her obviously busy day to take a little blogger like me on a personal tour. I think that speaks volumes about the graciousness of Charlotte Moss. She also assured me that I am welcome back any time and there will be no need to sneak around taking photos! So sweet! I definitely look forward to reporting back on what I can only imagine will be some spectacular holiday decorations and accessories! Many thanks to Charlotte and Cathy for such a special and memorable tour!

Oh, one piece of advice, if you want to buy anything online or in the shop at Charlotte Moss, I'd do it soon because you know the minute Oprah's O at Home magazine comes out, there will probably be a mad dash to buy up every fabulous item...but if that happens, I have a feeling Charlotte Moss already has a few new tricks up her haute couture sleeve to keep us coming back for more!