chic at home

Kelly Hoppen house in Notting Hill

2009-06-24T13:48:00.000-07:00

What I adore in Kelly Hoppen interiors is her identifiable style. While others tend to create a mish-mash that can be best described as upmarket show home chic, Hoppen is known for a simple but opulent, East meets West style (see right) that appeals to the world’s super-rich globe trotters.

And although lesser mortals are able to buy her interiors productsincluding ceramics, rugs, carpets, paint, as well as fabrics, hiring Hoppen for a personal makeover is more expensive – she reportedly only gets out of her silk-sheeted bed for £300,000 and counting. Her firm Kelly Hoppen Interiors does well too, earning up to £20 million a year in consultation fees and product sales.Top interior designer, queen of cream, celebrity style guru. Which one do you pick when referring to Britain’s most high-profile cushions and curtains expert, Kelly HoppenAlmost as famous for her love life as she is her design talents, the 50-year old’s celebrity connections include flings with celebrity hairdresser Nicky Clarke, TV presenter Jamie Theakston, footballer Sol Campbell and a marriage to Sienna Miller’s father Ed Miller.Hoppen lives in an achingly fashionable road near Portobello Road and has just finished a five-month refurbishment of her Georgian townhouse. The designer, who is normally very tight-lipped about her private life, recently let a photographer capture the sumptuous upgrade of her home, the results of which you can see here and much of which, as you might expect, includes products from her interiors business.

Wedding cake ideas

2009-06-21T03:16:00.000-07:00

Great cake toppers can be hard to find. Get help finding them, or just create your own! Learn how to find the inspiration you need to top off your cake in style.A few ideas from Martha Stewart

Tip of the day

2009-06-21T03:09:00.000-07:00

Bits and pieces of material left over from sewing projects would come in handy for quilts, patches, and appliques if they weren't hidden away in a bag to languish, rumpled and forgotten. So keep your remnants neatly pressed and in plain sight by draping them over the rails of a standard slacks hanger. Display them near your workspace, where the colors and patterns can inspire you. picture from Martha Stewart

The Cote d'Azure's New Gem: La Réserve Ramatuelle

2009-06-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

French boutique luxury hotel group La Réserve has just opened its third property, an elegant, intimate getaway in St. Tropez with never-ending views of the Mediterranean. The 23-room luxury hotel and 10,000-sq.-ft. spa, called La Réserve Ramatuelle, also offers 12 beautifully-appointed villas on the property that are available per night, week, or longer. The hotels seven rooms and 16 suites each have a private terrace or garden and feature natural materials in a soft palette of ocher, white, and sandy beige.

Chef Eric Canino oversees La Réserve Ramatuelle's eatery, Le Restaurant, which features a sophisticated menu with a fresh Mediterranean influence and an overall focus on health and well-being. The spa features an indoor pool with a jet lane, an outdoor pool and pool house, a steam bath, and a fitness center. Superior rooms start at €400 and suites from €1,500; villas range from €4,000 to €5,000 for one night or €15,000 to €30,000 (or about $40,000) for seven nights.

Plates please..

2009-06-10T01:43:00.001-07:00

Dress-up your holiday table with gorgeous porcelain,plastic colored or not cutlery for an unforgettable dinner..be creative,there are no limits! your table decoration ideas don't have to be just functional..but decorative as well!Colors, patterns, candles, sprinkle flower petals.. Add that special personal touch to share it with your friends!!

Luxury living

2009-06-07T12:09:00.000-07:00

Luxury Living : New York, the latest volume in teNeues' luxury series, affords a rare inside peek at a truly privileged world. The book features some of the Big Apple and environs' finest architectureinterior design, from a glinting modern masterpiece in Manhattan to a solidly traditional structure set in the Hamptons. More than just the most expensive living spaces, however, the featured abodes all express opulence married to great taste, even on a small scale; one of the apartments included in the volume measures a mere 300-sq.-ft., while others are multimillion-dollar palaces. Dazzling photographs by Reto Guntli adorn every page.

It is a summer garden

2009-06-06T11:53:00.000-07:00

I love the summer for three things.

one: summer nights

two:garden, terrace

three: friends and good wine

This is the recipe.Blue is a great color to play with its shades, flowers are always a must..

Chic silver

2009-06-05T06:53:00.001-07:00

Details make the difference. Silver is always a trend as long as you don't overcharge it..I love the silver box on the kitchen table matching the cutlery and the discrete flower decoration for a dinner party..

Easy elegance

2009-06-04T01:18:00.001-07:00

Simple elegant style that Atlanta Bartlett has perfected so well. I picked out some of my favourite images from her website to go with this post, all of which are from Atlanta's home. This looks like a home where you could slip off your shoes and live the good life!

kitchen dreams

2009-06-04T01:00:00.000-07:00

Experiment with your kitchen. Add accessories that will make it unique. Go for things that feel 'rich',warm and inviting which would make you want to reach out and touch them.Use vintage water jars and place roses, or if you have an empty corner why not placing an old french wooden(white) victorian mirror.Be creative..and enjoy it!

Victorian style

2009-06-03T01:41:00.000-07:00

I love the large room proportions. This is a house in the British countryside, and the details are in some ways reminiscent of Italy- like the entryway's ornate stained glass and the bright pink sitting room with the raspberry damask setee and chandelier with drops of glass to match.

La belle Provence

2009-06-02T00:31:00.000-07:00

Nathalie Vingot Mei is an interior designer from la belle Provence . Her work has been featured in Art et décoration, Marie Claire Maison and Côté sud. One word - SERENITY. Inviting spaces bathed in white and creams, with pale accent colours and lots of textures in fabrics, all with a very raw quality. Absolutely fabulous french style..

Vignettes

2009-06-01T00:27:00.000-07:00

From left to right:Chloe, miu miu. repetto

Some people have a talent for creating vignettes of things that fit together visually. I look at these and wonder what ideas went into creating the scene and how the objects were chosen- for their similarities or maybe their dissimilarities,. Vignettes are often a really personal collection of things that create a mood, which is why they appeal to me. I love seeing an assemblage of little favorites, sentimental objects or family photographs in the home- on a desk, bedside table or shelf. (photos: top two from stylist Katie Sellers; UK Country Living; Country Home magazine; photos 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9 from stylist Stephanie Hanes)

Helena Christensen's boheme loft

2009-05-31T01:01:00.000-07:00

French Vogue featured an article on Helena Christiansen's loft in New York. To me the photographs are like one big inspiration board! Love the bohemian, collected feel to her furniture and sentimental objects. This is definitely one of my favorite interiors I've seen lately.

(photographs by Carole Sabas for The Selby)

Scandinavian interior

2009-05-31T00:53:00.000-07:00

Beautiful scandinavian interior seen through the eyes of photographer Anna Kern.

The Dog Pod

2009-05-31T00:14:00.000-07:00

Expensive and opulent pet accessories abound for those who wish to spoil their furry friends including where they rest their fluffy heads at night. The Dog Pod by designer Glenn Ross is no exception offering contemporary design with a comfort and utility. Constructed from bent ply wood which curves in a "C" shape holding a removable and washable faux fur pad, the Pod surrounds your pooch and comforts it into sweet slumber. Size wise I'm not sure if they only accommodate lap dogs or big beasts but I appreciate the sleek design which will easily blend into any home's surroundings. Choose from a variety of finishes including maple, cherry, wenge, and bamboo or aluminum for an extra $100 on top of the $730 price tag.

London's Heathrow stylish lounge

2009-05-31T00:10:00.000-07:00

London's Heathrow Airport seems to be the spot if you want to wile away a layover in a luxury airport lounge. The latest comes from an alliance between Delta Air Lines and the Air France KLM group. The two-level minimalist styled lounge features a spa, restaurant, wine bar, oxygen bar and entertainment hub. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution also reports that the lounge has an indoor "living wall" made up of over 60 types of plants which is located near various seating areas. Weary travelers can sit in full-body massage chairs, use personal computers, take a shower or grab a nap in a daybed.
Heathrow Airport also has a lavish British Airways airport lounge and Virgin's Heathrow clubhouse is more like a resort with a Cowshed spa that includes tanning booths, a Bumble and bumble hair salon, a pool, cinema, cocktail bar and a business center. The airport boasts a variety of restaurants including one by Gordon Ramsay and shopping that includes Burberry, Versace, Hermes and Cartier.

Bring the summer on your table

2009-05-30T01:38:00.000-07:00

Thick or thin, multicolor or monochromatic, nothing brings a crisp edge to a room like a stylish array of parallel lines.Transat flatware by Sabre;laterrinedirect.com.

Wall Decor

2009-05-30T01:20:00.000-07:00

Even covered in fabric and crisscrossed with ribbons, a bulletin board is still a bulletin board. But in graceful golden wire, this message board is more like a decorative accent than anything else. We love how the wire crisscrosses down the rows, twisting whimsically all the way. And the curlicue accent on the top gives this piece presence. It’s a great way to display post cards, photos, or anything else that deserves more than just a magnet on the fridge.

Gold Leaf Wall Photo & Memo Holder, $35; BurkeDecor.com

Hotel Missoni opening

2009-05-29T15:37:00.000-07:00

After many years of planning, Hotel Missoni Edinburgh is set to open in June, and is now accepting online bookings. The 136-room hotel is a collaboration of Rosita Missoni,one of the brand's founders, and The Rezidor Hotel Group. The hotel's palette is officially described as black and white, with splashes of color throughout, but as you'd expect from Missoni, the overall effect is more exuberant rather than restrained -- it's about layers of patterns and textures, in rich colors and in black and white too.(See lobby photo above.)
If this sounds chaotic, overall, design lines are kept modern and simple, which should balance out the effusive use of pattern and color.
In any event, black wardrobe works just fine to attend Edinburgh's Fringe Festival, the largest arts festival in the world which goes off August 7th-31st-- always a late summer highlight. With its central location, Hotel Missoni should make a fine base of operations for the festival, and as of now, still has rooms available.
Next up for the Hotel Missoni brand? A property in Kuwait, slated to open in Fall 2009.

Nautical red..

2009-05-29T02:18:00.000-07:00

Colors of the sea and the sky can surely turn a house into a cheerful and dazzling home. Not only that, it is also very easy to find these kinds of home décor and you do not have to spend a lot.
Let us start with the free items, which you can commonly find outdoors. When you go on vacations and have a chance to visit seashore, it is a good idea to gather pieces of decorative items that you can use to incorporate in your nautical home decor.
Sea treasures such as seashells, sand, driftwood, corals and so on, can add priceless beauty to your home. For instance, you can hang on the wall the driftwood you collected from the shore. Voila, an instant nautical wall décor. You can place small shells of different colors in a clear vase or use corals to form a coral sculpture that can be a focal point of interest in your living room.
For buying pieces of nautical home decors, you have a wide array of options of places to choose from. For one, you can choose to buy these pieces in the local department store or furniture shop, which usually sell nautical home décor all year round. You can also find wonderful ornaments in collectible shops or antique stores.
What is great about buying nautical home décor is that they hardly ever get out of style. This means that the ornaments you buy today will still be highly appreciated even in the years to come.

Nautical blue..

2009-05-29T02:08:00.000-07:00

No beach house? No problem. Evoke the spirit of the ocean with this season's new nautical accessories

beautiful details..

2009-05-28T04:33:00.000-07:00

Both from Gemma Comas website(photographer). Details is everything, be inspired and you can create lovely handmade objects for your interior!

Ethnic chic

2009-05-28T02:06:00.001-07:00

Add a bit of color in your summer holidays, combining ethnic style and simplicity is one way to achieve the holiday home of your dreams.

The july palette

2009-05-28T01:58:00.001-07:00

These are pictures from photographer Debi Treloar's portfolio. Debi has worked on publications ranging from Elle DÃ©cor UK, Italy, Germany, France and Japan to Red, Olive and IDFX Magazine. The color combination, the furniture , the cutlery.. exquisite.

Elle Interior Sweden

2009-05-28T01:32:00.000-07:00

Ethnic vibe, I love it. Combine opulent turqoise with purple and white, textures and patterns that work well together.Go to markets and look for old wooden tables, chairs paint them in white and scratch them in order to give a faded look! for the markets have a look in Spitafields market, Camden market, brighton station sunday market, and for accessories have a look in car boot sales!

W-Plate..

2009-05-27T05:32:00.000-07:00

Platter to serve canapés and cold cuts in stainless steel. The particular structure of a succession of inclined planes allows one to select a partly upward-projecting tartine, without touching the next one. Design: Alessandro Loschiavo

domino coffee table

2009-05-27T05:28:00.001-07:00

A concept in motion, the Domino table lends new elegance to a classic exercise in physics and play. The table is made from Canadian Birch Hardwood Ply combined with a tempered glass tabletop. Dimensions: 122 x 56 x 48 cm.

Marc Jacobs for Waterford

2009-05-26T00:47:00.000-07:00

Internationally acclaimed designer Marc Jacobs shares his signature style and vision with Waterford to create the Marc Jacobs Waterford Collection. This exclusive collection features crystal stemware, giftware and fine china, crafted in the finest and most opulent materials.

He has taken his design inspiration from the french traditions of uncomplicated entertaining without sacrificing the elegance or style.

Simple idea.. gorgeous result..

2009-05-25T15:37:00.000-07:00

“White Roses Table Centre”

Ingredients:
20cm round glass bowl > 30cm round mirror > 12 - 15 white roses

Lay glass bowl on to the mirror plate in the
centre of your table.
Fill bowl with 2.5cm of water.
Place twisted willow around the internal edge
of the vase.
Cut all flower heads from the rose stems all
at the same length.
Pack tightly the rose heads in the glass bowl-
working from the outside of the bowl inwards.
Add simple votive candles around the edge of
the bowl to add the extra drama and interest.

recommended books..

2009-05-25T14:59:00.000-07:00

Domino: The Book of Decorating: A Room-by-Room Guide to Creating a Home That Makes You Happy

by Deborah Needleman (Author), Sara Ruffin Costello (Author), Dara Caponigro (Author)

A girl's guide to decorating,Abigail Ahern

Design Boutiques,Alessandra Antonini

Spectacular Homes of London,Panache Partners

cozy chic..

2009-05-25T10:34:00.000-07:00

Abigail Ahern..

I still can’t get over how natural abigail ahern looks in her ahhhh-mazing home. doesn’t she just look like she belongs in the photo above? this british stylist and interior designer (and author) seriously knows what she’s doing and how to bring her own personal style to her projects. i’m loving her ability to mix eclectic elements while having fun, but not going overboard - very modern, but still so livable.

a flower toilet world from Pressalit..

2009-05-24T00:58:00.000-07:00

Why not having a makeover for your toilet seat. Spice up your lavatory with roses to give a unique effect in your bathroom. Visit Pressalit website and you will find even more.. ingenious ideas to remake your old toilet seat..

Don't miss..

2009-05-23T00:22:00.000-07:00

From the 14th of July-18th of October 2009 at the V&A.

At a time of heightened interest in works of so-called 'design art', made in small editions for the collector's market, Telling Tales will feature work by a generation of internationally regarded designers. The exhibition will focus on work by designers who explore the narrative potential of objects, connecting the past with the present. The exhibition will be structured in three sections - In The Forest Glade - design that evokes the innocence of fairy-stories will be on display, notably the work of Tord Boontje. The Enchanted Castle is inspired by the rise of the novel and prints in the 18th century, and features design that parodies and questions decorative taste, exemplified by the work of Studio Job and Maarten Baas. Heaven and Hell is informed by psycho-analysis and the work reflects anxieties about our mortality. Designers in this section will include Dunne & Raby and Miriam van der Lubbe and Niels van Eijk.

look of the day..

2009-05-22T01:13:00.001-07:00

It is spring time..

A bed of rose petals has often been associated with romance, luxury and femininity. Although the act of sprinkling flowers on a surface is lovely for a day or two the scene will quickly fade. Not so with Tokujin Yoshioka's 'Bouquet Chair' which envelops the same sentiments but preserves the moment in a piece of furniture. Hand-folded Alcantara fabric petals cover a simple egg-shaped shell with a lacquered steel base creating this fanciful seat. Even after the chair has been sat in the petals resume their original shape. ($7,830) (from www.luxist.com)

spoil yourself..

2009-05-21T02:27:00.000-07:00

I went for a lovely walk yesterday around Sloane square, and I always have a look in the White Company. Absolutely gorgeous, the furniture, linen, candles you want to buy everything!It is so tempting..

So..what about your jewellery?where are you going to put your fabulous pearls?Have a look in Zara there is a romantic Jewellery box in wood, lined in cotton and lace with a tassel on the clasp and only for 26£!!Make your self a nice organised corner with your perfume, jewellery, make up..

accessories..

2009-05-20T07:02:00.000-07:00

Accessories are always a must.. either for fashion of for interiors. Not to much though, we don't want to end up like a circus..I have spotted a few nice ideas to fill your space in a very nice 'white way' ..

ma belle fleure..

2009-05-20T06:51:00.000-07:00

What about flowers? If you have an empty corner place a vase with flowers that you love.There is no better feeling than walking up in the morning with something so beautiful..

If you have a spare glass vase ,you can put on the bottom of it small stones (white,grey,pink) believe me it looks great!!

fabric palette..

2009-05-20T06:06:00.000-07:00

continue with bed stories.. Why not making your own bed covers, bed sheet, pillows,curtain..?Embroidered or not,silk,linen with stripes or check?Apart from numerous shops that sell a variety of fabrics (such as John Lewis, Volga linen, Libertys, White Company, Peter Jones e.tc) In Soho there are loads fabric shops that have a fantastic variety of fabrics.Have a look at Cloth House on Berwick street (W1F 8SJ) .

white bedroom..

2009-05-20T02:07:00.000-07:00

It is a bed thing..

And why not throwing a bedspread on top?Zara home has such a variety of lovely blankets and throws for all tastes!

about the bed linen..a nice combination matching the pillows..use a simple plain white top sheet and match it with this gorgeous Volga linen white and beige stripe duvet cover.

Today I will make a combination of bed linen and accesories.I have always loved when a bed has loads of pillows(even if they are just for decorative purpose).Let's start with pillows then!

Zara Home,Volga linen,Victoria Jill.

Anna Wolf

Zara Home

..for the lovers of romantic white.. I have a few tips to give you for the ultimate white bedroom..

White is really tricky..why?well 1: its very easy to get it dirty and 2:it can look like a bedroom for a front cover photoshoot for Elle Decoration.( fake)

What I will do is to combine white with a few shades of beige/creme for details,pillows lamps e.tc.

I took two examples of bedrooms which I find exquisite.

Today I will make a combination of bed linen and accesories.I have always loved when a bed has loads of pillows(even if they are just for decorative purpose).Let's start with pillows then!!

white is always chic..

2009-05-19T02:37:00.000-07:00

A bit of inspiration..white interiors..

I love interiors..

2009-05-19T02:15:00.000-07:00

It is absolutely a must having a nice interior..remember its your own space..You don't need to put yourself in huge expenses..The only thing you need is inspiration from magazines,and then..DO IT YOUR SELF!how?Dont worry that's why I am here..Let's get started!!