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Casa Hurtado by Busquet

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Along with the well known Gaudi, there were many other modernista architects working during the same time period, including Guillem Busquet. The Spanish architects working in the same vein as the more widely known Gaudi created houses in the city proper of Barcelona such as the Casa Battlo, the Casa Mila, the Palau Guell or the Casa Lleo Morera; but also a number of smaller residences around the city, such as this one I came across one day outside of Barcelona last year. You see so much of the modernista distinctive style here: the curved and unusually shaped facade, the inventive terra cotta work and his use of color through tile. So while traveling, I think this is a reminder(to me!) to always keep your eyes open because you never know what gem you might find even in a quiet suburb!

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Hamptons Designer Showhouse: Details

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To wrap up my coverage of the Hamptons Designer Showhouse, I thought I would share some of my favorite details found throughout the house which I hadn't shown.



The lower landing, which stopped most viewer's right in their tracks was completed by Welhil Interiors. They filled the space with a beautiful bar, a la 1950s and used this beautiful lucite chair at the base of the stair. The end wall was papered with an enormous blow up of a Long Island Map, charming!



The dining room off of the foyer was decorated by Robert Stilin. Robert created a contemporary space anchored by a great chandelier that I wanted to take home with me! Robert has been a fixture in showhouses for quite awhile; past Hamptons designer showhouses as well as Kips Bay (see coverage of his 2011 Kips Bay room on Habitually Chic).







The Mendelson Group created a modern stair landing (including this incredible lamp) on the 2nd floor. Notice the wallpaper with the great subtle details.Patricia Fisher designed a beautiful and feminine guest room which was a sea of blues. I loved this console table (notice the Hickory Chair stools which were found throughout the house used by a few designers.







Haus Interiors decorated the foyer and it was definitely an eye catching space. This console table and stools reminded me a lot of a Missoni print.Lillian August decorated the living room in a charming vintagey beach style. I loved the large scale landscape drawing on the wall.Meg Braff, never one to disappoint, turned a pokey butler's pantry and powder room into beautiful spaces through texture and color. This powder room is perfect for a beach house.







Eddie Lee turned the guest sitting room overlooking the pool into a sophisticated retreat. The colors of celedon green and beautiful blue seemed fresh and crisp. I loved the tufted sofa.



This seating area looked like a great place to sit down with a good book (and martini!)



Keith Baltimore decorated one of the bedrooms in a vintage style which was so fun: I loved the house of the Hickory Chair column in the corner.



The beautiful kitchen was completed by Bakes and Company. The carrara tile backsplash is what I would put into my own kitchen and I loved these old storage jars.Behind the house lies a beautiful pool and enormous poolhouse (the size of most houses which I preferred to the main house!)The main sitting room of the poolhouse was decorated by Eileen Kathryn Boyd. The windows facing the neighbor's yard are covered in gorgeous yellow curtains and enhanced by urn topped columns.

Even the changing area, also decorated by Eileen, left no detail untouched. I see a lot of cute pillows and totebags I'd want to take with me to the beach!


I hope you enjoyed my coverage of the Design Showhouse. You still have time to visit the house and see it for yourself for another week -it closes on September 4th.


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Hamptons Designer Showhouse: Ron Foire for Hickory Chair

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The enormous master suite at the Hamptons Designer Showhouse was designed by Ron Fiore for Hickory Chair. Using many of Hickory Chair's classic pieces, Ron wove together an elegant and airy bedroom with different zones for a hideaway within the house.





I loved the desk beneath a window facing the pool beside the fireplace; those large work areas are so useful for spreading out!





The tablescapes around the room were stunning, whats not to like with this collection of vases?Although a bit washed out in my photograph, the sitting area looked like the perfect little corner to cozy up into. I love having those 2 lamps side by side in the shelf for reading lights.









A virtual footboard for the bed was created with the backs of these timeless chairs (even Christian Dior would approve!).





If I had to find one fault with the room, and this is personal, I hate the trend to cover books with paper. While I agree it makes the room more serene perhaps, I just love books and hate to see them covered. A bookshelf is so much more interesting when there are titles to survey.The master bath was completed by Carole Reed Design and I loved the layered window treatments. Even I, a sworn shower taker, might be tempted by this tub (and my monogram is even included on that towel!).


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John Russell Pope: Temple of the Scottish Rite

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Yesterday I posted an image of a beautiful light fixture and it raised some interest in the building it came from: the Temple of the Scottish Rite.



I've been fascinated with this building since moving to DC, sitting so stately on 16th street. It is open for tours but I've never managed to make it on time during their limited hours.John Russell Pope, so often associated with the grandest monuments and houses in DC, actually got his start in the city on this Greek inspired building when he was selected in 1910 for its design. Five years later it was finished and became the headquarters for the Grand Council of the Masons.

Since opening, the building has always garnered attention; winning many architectural awards and being listed in 'top buildings' lists for close to a century now. This is not surprising given its' historic precedent, one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world, the tomb of Mausolus at the Greek city of Halicarnassus. Yes you read that correctly, this tomb was so well respected that it soon became the word used for all great burial chambers: mausoleum.While choosing a tomb as the basis for the design of a great civic building may seem strange (the temple housed the first public library started in 1917 for the city, thus making it civic), one cannot deny the sheer elegance and respect that it commands on so important a street.







Many of the details of this grand building bring the awesome scale down to be appreciated at human scale, such as the light fixtures I showed yesterday and these amazing door knockers on the tall bronze entry doors. Hopefully I'll be able to tour the interiors shortly and try to share them with you all.


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Pope's lanterns

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Nothing much, just an exquisite bronze light fixture outside of John Russell Pope's Temple of the Scottish Rite here on 16th street in Washington, DC. A patina'd fixture, proving that quality lasts the test of time.

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Hamptons Designer Showhouse: Donald Schermerhorn

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The best laid out room at the Hamptons Designer Showhouse was the family room by New York designer Donald Schermerhorn. Bucking convention, Donald laid out the furniture diagonally in the room which not only was interesting but aided traffic flow. Similarly, his room at the Kips Bay showhouse in 2009 also had an interesting furniture arrangement and garnered a lot of attention. See that room HERE on Habitually Chic. I love examples of thinking outside of the box like this!

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Hamptons Designer Showhouse: Keith Carroll

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My favorite bedroom at the Hamptons Designer Showhouse was a 1st floor guest room that was just so charming I could have moved right in.Decorated by Keith Carroll, the room highlighted Scalamandre wallpaper with dogs in a yellow and gray colorway, which was then repeated through the colors found throughout the room. It certainly didn't hurt that the room was styled as if someone was living there, down to the NYtimes and oreos on the breakfast tray!



While small, the room still had space for a small seating area; always good for a guest so they can have somewhere to lounge privately other than in bed. The en-suite bathroom continued the yellow and gray theme but in a different wallpaper. Classic white bath fixtures finished off the space in a timeless manner.







As I said, the room was styled so well, down to the products; always my favorite part of any show house!





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Hamptons Designer Showhouse: Raji RM & Associates

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Another of my favorite rooms at the Hamptons Designer Showhouse, I'm proud to say, was done by a good friend of mine here in DC, Raji Radhakrishnan.



Raji, smiling here as always, composed a room very much in line with her work; Eclectic but edited, a fascinating collection of the most beautiful and interesting pieces which make the room feel to me as if an interesting person lived there rather than being 'decorated'. To my mind, isn't this the goal of high-style interior design?



Raji explained that the room she started with was basically bare bones, a staff bedroom on the lower level. The first task she assigned herself was to bring some architecture into the space through a painted wood chair rail and moldings. They MAKE the room. Raji interpreted the space as a ladies lounge for the mistress of the house. She wanted the room to tell the story of an accomplished woman who needed a stylish office to conduct her own business away from the family. Imaginary client: Hillary Clinton. The pieces throughout the space are all amazing -you could spend all day here just admiring each one. I loved these vintage pottery jugs.No inch of the room was forgotten with beautiful details throughout.Even the light fixture was incredible!I think we can all agree this is a room we would want to spend time in; especially this tufted leather chair!The most show-stopping item in the room is the glass rod encased cabinet in the corner. Created by a French artist that Raji and her husband discovered wandering around Paris, the borrowed piece has an asking price of over 50k! Look but don't touch!One of the most personal and asked-about spaces in the space, believe it or not, was the bathroom. Raji's talented daughter, Shruti Narasimhan spent countless hours painting a beautiful coral decoration on the walls with coordinating shower curtain. It's no surprise however that the apple didn't fall far from the tree; Shruti currently is studying interior design in NYC.For better pictures of the space than my own, go to My Notting Hill to see professional photographs.


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Carpenter's Gothic

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I'm back from a week in Provincetown, Mass. and while there on one of my many bike rides I came across a charming house. Designed in the vernacular "Carpenter's Gothic", part of the Gothic Revival Movement of the 19th century, the house and 2 side cottages have been little changed over the past century.



The influence is subtle but guides every footstep of this charming cottage perched on a hill overlooking the harbor. The steep gables, intricate woodwork mass-produced details and the arched windows on the side cottage all speak of the genre.



You can nearly see the couple from Grant Wood's American Gothic standing in front!


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