I definitely have a little bit of staircase envy going on. I
always assumed that my future would be filled with staircases considering I
spent my youth on my grandmother’s magnificent staircase. My grandmother’s
staircase was the centerpiece of her house. Wide steps, mahogany with a green
runner, deep landing with massive stained-glass overhead, overlooking the foyer
with a banister that was perfect for decorating and sliding down. The staircase
was so remarkable that my mother even got married on it. I think her sisters
did as well. Little did I know that this staircase was basically my last. We
moved from Missouri to California when I was finishing the six grade and ever
since I have really never had a staircase. Well, I mean, I’ve had a staircase but
not a staircase! Isn’t it weird and don’t you feel bad for me?
If I were to ever build a house, my designs would start with
the staircase. If I were to ever shop for a château, my choices would revolve
around a staircase. A girl can dream can’t she! Second to a grand staircase, my
favorite staircase is a freestanding winding staircase. I have two favorites.
The first one is slightly hidden at the Louvre behind Napoleon’s dining room in
the butler’s hallway. The second is at my favorite perfume shop in the gardens
of the Palais Royale, Serge Lutens. Take a look…
Okay, now let’s take a look at some other remarkable staircases.…
Amazing, right? I don’t even know which one I would choose!
Another favorite staircase of mine is designer Timothy Corrigan’s at his
Château du Grand-Lucé. I love it because he put sisal/seagrass as the runner! A
little bit of California in France! Très chic. Take a look…
As always, I have put together a
Staircase/Stairs Pinterest board. Click HERE to see. Inspiration galore!
Okay, now that we have the foyer and staircase all figured
out… It’s time to get into the heart of the house. Where should we start? Let’s
go big and start with the living room, shall we? Stay tuned…
A toute!
*Something you don’t know about me? When Gracie was in
elementary school and before I had my own antique shop, I took interior design
classes at Santa Barbara City College. I took a drafting class, lighting design
class, space planning class and the very best class… The History of Furniture.
The History of Furniture class was the greatest year of my life. My professor
started the class with the first known piece of furniture up until the 1970s.
She taught her class as if she was telling a story and I was hooked. I was
definitely that annoying teacher’s pet who was genuinely interested in every
word she said. “Please Prof., tell me more about that French Empire daybed.”
I don’t care if you think that I’m a big fat snob, I’m going
to tell you the truth. The truth is that you can go to all of the interior
designing classes that you want but you will never be a good interior designer
unless you have good taste. At that, my friends, you cannot learn in school. If
I want to be a total brat I would say that one is born with good taste or shall
I say born with a good eye but I also think that with exposure good taste is
possible. Exposure to museums, historical sites, foreign cultures, brilliant
architecture, talented designers and individual homes is key. The best
education you can give yourself is to travel and keep your eyes open. You
cannot always trust shelter magazines to help you with your interior design
education because they are not always spot on. I’m still completely confused as
to which idiot at Architectural Digest gave the go-ahead for this one house
that was a complete joke. Nautical themed with patchwork quilts with lots of
yellow and pink and royal blue… And red. The thought of that house still upsets
me. You can educate yourself up to a certain point and then you either have it
or you don’t. Money doesn’t buy good taste either.
Do you want my advice? I think I heard a “yes.” Get yourself
to the Marché aux Puces, the flea market in Paris. It is better than anything a
school could offer.
Do you want some more advice? Here is a teeny tiny
preliminary list of my favorite designers for you to check out to give you some
inspiration…
Timothy Corrigan Miles
Redd Michael S. Smith Chahan Minassian Craig
Wright
Mary McDonnell Rose
Tarlow Jean-Louis Denoit Richard Shapiro Jessica
Vedel
Kelly Wearstler Kathryn
Ireland Jeffrey Allen
Marks Gilles et Boissier
Alex Papchristridis Dan
Marty Martin Lawrence Bullard Studio Ko
Jacques Garcia
Bunny Williams Charlotte
Moss Suzanne Rheinstein Roman and Williams
Joseph Dirand Christian
Liagre John Saladino Axel Vervoordt
Ready for some more advice? There are some excellent
interior design books that you should invest in as part of your education. Even
though basically everything I own is tucked away in storage in Los Angeles, if
I had to choose one thing as my “must have” it would be all of my decorating
books. For you, because I love all of you :-), I have put together a cohesive
compilation of must have interior design books through my Have Some Decorum
Bookstore. Click HERE. Start with The
Finest Houses of Paris as your first choice. My mother and I call it the
Bible.
My other guilty pleasure is to watch Suzanne Salk’s
Quintessence (phenomenal blog) video series. I binge watch it. Click HERE to
start your decorating video education.
Now that I have opened this interior decorating can of
worms… Forgive me if I get a bit obsessive. Interior design feeds my soul. Even
though I have ALS and should be “preparing for my demise” I just don’t feel
that way. You are going to laugh but the other day I actually felt like I
wanted to “go back to work.” I don’t have time for ALS. Next week I will tell
you what I really want to do… And yes, it involves decorating… and Paris.
