It’s Monday – what mood are you in?
Playful Seating
Game
Pronunciation: /ɡām/
Eager and willing to do something new or challenging… We’re looking forward to upping our game this holiday season – aren’t you?
Browsing Tag
Sara Gilbane Interiors
Country Charm
Design on a Dime, one of New York City’s most popular interior design benefits, opens tomorrow and we’re excited to be part of Sara Gilbane‘s vignette this year. For the past decade, designers have been creating unforgettable mini-rooms using new merchandise donated by vendors with proceeds from the sale of these items (at deep discounts!) benefiting Housing Works, an charity that betters the lives of individuals living with and affected by HIV/AIDS.
City Chic
We’ve been longtime fans of Sara’s (read our post here) and jumped at the chance to be involved with such a talented designer for such a wonderful cause. Sara’s classic modern-traditional style, which is equally at home in the city as it is in the country or by the sea, has graced the pages of Traditional Home, Elle Decor, Lonny and The New York Times. Her most recent feature in House Beautiful was one of our favorites so we thought we’d revisit the Tudor home in Rye, NY today!
Not So Traditional Tudor
Easy Being Green
Beautiful Breakfast Nook
Sunroom Blues
For more information, visit the Design on a Dime website and happy shopping!
Bedside Beauty
One of us gets to be a guest this Thanksgiving while the other is the “hostess with the mostest” with six family members descending upon her home for the holiday. So when we were asked to provide our tips for making visitors feel welcome for athome in Fairfield County, we knew exactly what we’d recommend (come late and leave early?!) Actually, a bedside bouquet and a winter-scented candle are all you need to make a guestroom comfy and warm; your guests will feel so at home, they may never leave!
Sweet Treats
Carolyne Roehm likes to keep holiday munchies on hand in a small pantry and refrigerator on the guestroom’s floor…
Drink and Be Merry!
while Cindy Rinfret wants her guests to get the party started with a mini bottle of Patrón Silver on a tray in the guestroom (his and her bottles – what a hoot!)
May We Have Some More?
Local architect Dinyar Wadia is lucky to have married the “best chef around” but he doesn’t let his guests take any turkey home (though she sneaks them some anyway)…
The Perfect Bath
and Barbara Sallick, Co-Founder and SVP of Design of Waterworks, stocks towels and a fragrant bar of soap in baskets for friends and family who spend the night (and makes sure a real clock on the nightstand is set to the right time.)
Lovely Lavender
A spritz of lavender linen spray gives the guestroom a fresh soft scent and New York designer Sara Gilbane swears by scented oval discs in the closet and drawers.
How about you, what do you do to make a guest feel welcomed?
P.S. Thank you, Ann, for including us among such talented tastemakers!
We were all dismayed when Domino folded last year, especially when the fabulous Sara Gilbane was to be featured on the cover and her interiors were the grace the pages of the April 2009 issue. Fortunately for us, Sara is a darling of the press (both print and online) and we were excited to read the article about her growing business in Lonny last month.
Sara Gilbane in Domino Magazine
It’s no big secret that we are huge fans of Sara’s (see our January post here after she was named one of House Beautiful ‘s “Next Wave of Designers to Watch”) so it was a thrill when she accepted our invitation to be part of our Q & A series.
Sara Gilbane in Lonny - Issue #3
Sara Gilbane in Lonny - Issue #3
1. What did you want to be when you were a child?
An actress.
2. What is your necessary luxury?
After travel, it would be flowers (real or faux!), baths, and bed-linens – I am a sucker for a high thread count.
3. What is your favorite decorating accessory?
Great cocktail table books, vintage or custom table linens, a cashmere throw for a sofa or chaise, something with personality or flair that makes the room playful and interesting – you never know where you will find the piece (whether it is on the walls, the sofa, or the rug). I will pull in lucite, metal, silk, linen, mohair, grasscloth and shagreen to keep a space feeling interesting and modern.
Sara Plays with Texture and Pattern
4. Where do you window shop?
In New York, you can take your pick of areas but I love all of the antique stores on East 10th and 11th Streets – Anthony Todd is a favorite. I also get inspiration from the antique stores on West 59th, 60th and 61st Streets.
5. What makes a house a home?
Books, photos, loved objects. Your friends should see your personality when they walk in.
6. What is the most enjoyable part of your day?
Now that this glorious weather has come along, I would have to say morning and late afternoon – walks on the Highline or Hudson River Path.
7. What is your favorite flower?
Oh, so hard to name just one… poppies, hyacinths, peonies, anemones and ranunculus to name a few. I love purples, reds, and pinks in my flowers.
8. If you were a cocktail, what would you be?
Champagne – Nicolas Feuillate Rose is my favorite.
9. If your life were made into a movie, what would be the title and who would play your part?
“A Night at The Design Center” directed by Tim Burton. I would be played by Eloise.
Eloise as "Sara Gilbane"
10. Name one thing from your “Bucket List”.
A beach house.
A big thank you to Sara for taking the time to answer our questions and share her divine design tips with us! For more on Sara and to read her blog, Travel for Design, click here.
Photos from Style Court and Lonny
It’s not surprising given her prestigious pedigree and youthful, yet very chic, aesthetic that Sara Gilbane was nominated one of the “Next Wave of Designers to Watch” in the latest issue of House Beautiful magazine.
Like many designers we know, Sara grew up with architecture and design as part of her life as the daughter of a nationally recognized real estate developer. After graduating from Brown University, Sara went on to study interior design at RISD and began her career with the fabulous firm of Celerie Kemble.
Over the years, Sara has worked on a number of commercial and residential projects, developing her signature style that is classic, eclectic, elegant and clean. We love how Sara creates beautiful interiors using her client’s prizes possessions and antiques and adding her innate sense of color and flair (especially when she uses lots of floral touches!)
On top of running her own design firm and working with clients from Newport to Palm Beach, Sara has found the time to launch a blog last week called Travel for Design, which will bring the best of travel, art, fashion, culture, real estate, cuisine, and design seen through her eyes. Her first post will be on An American Family in St. Barth’s and we can wait to see what she writes!
Photos from House Beautiful and Sara Gilbane