Better-Your-Best Interiors

Shop Talk - Wallpaper Murals

I have just looked on 1stdibs at a fabulous 19th century wallpaper panel "Vues d'Italie" (left top) and for once I didn't wish I had this particular fabulous offering. I could do with a reproduction (left bottom) - I'd rather have a reproduction, something that I wouldn't mourn over if my kids' games damaged it or if my cleaning lady decided to wash the dust off it. Pet peeve: while hand-painted wallpaper panels 100 - 200 years old are still being celebrated as the artisanal artworks that the... READ MORE Posted June 19, 2009 at 10:42 AM

GLAMOUR!

During the last few years, designers and their clients have rediscovered (and reinterpreted in many ways) the luminous opulence of the Hollywood Regency style. Crystal and lacquer, velvet, silk, sculpted carpets contrast with the daintiness of elegant little chairs almost fading into the background. And while any pieces from the great Dorothy Draper or William Haines are a wonderful to live with investment, pretty much anybody can recreate the look on a budget (think spray-painting a Queen An... READ MORE Posted June 17, 2009 at 02:37 PM

Deborah Buck's TABLEAU

Because my mom has been painting them all her life, I have always been fascinated by what Mrs. Buck calls "tableaux", complex still lives of pure decorative beauty. As an adult, I've been creating them myself in my homes and in my clients', and this book elevates them to art form. As you turn the pages from one amazing "tableau" to the next, you might eventually feel the urge to grab your kid's pastels or look for a long dried out box of water based paints and add bright spots of color to the... READ MORE Posted June 17, 2009 at 11:02 AM