Another American Dream

Americans love a house. It's indispensable to the American dream. Of course, the houses in America are only, at the most, several hundred years old. Thus, Americans are quick to hire a decorator--arguably an American invention in itself--to make their new houses feel modern, "lived-in," fresh, or ancestral (to each his own) as soon (or often) as possible.

Making the client's house feel worn and familiar strikes me as one of the American designer's more difficult tasks.  The Badgley Mischka duo's Kentucky 1920s limestone-and-clapboard Dutch Colonial Revival qualifies, I think, as an "oldie but a goodie" in this regard. (The internet age has lowered the standards even further for admission to the American "oldie" category.) What's more? They are talented enough to decorate and develop the property themselves.

Photos taken by Roger Davies for Elle Decor

From Town to Country

Photo by Mary Bloom, The American Kennel Club, Inc.

 In the autumn, my thoughts turn toward the countryside. Habitually Chic found a gorgeous photo spread celebrating autumn on the Wall Street Journal's website this week. Lo and behold, the WSJ combined three of my favorite things--Peter Krause, Vizslas, and a country manor--with Ralph Lauren-like cleverness. Suspending cynical thoughts about the shoot's commercial nature, I relished it for a full ten minutes.

Countrification

Glenfeshie Lodge via Elle Decor

There is no feeling like this feeling. "Paging" through Elle Decor's online gallary this evening, I encountered a snapshot of the Glenfeshie Lodge, decorated by the talented Denton & Gardner team. Wham! With it I received enough validation and inspiration to keep me afloat for another year or so. Validation, because I recognize my own living room--its colors, its rug, its worn pink suede sofa--within this picture. Inspiration, because Denton & Gardner have pulled it together so expertly that I've hatched a dozen schemes for further beautification. Sigh. And I can't get enough of this Glenfeshie beauty.