The difference between good home design and average is all in the details. I was reminded of this recently by a book released by House Beautiful appropriately entitled 'It's all in the details'. The little bed nook seen at the top took a lot of care in detail drawings and planning -reminicent of the bed nooks seen in Europe so often in the 18th century. Don't you just want to curl up there, I do?! A detail like this is what probably made the home owners love their house!This beautiful staircase with a chippendale style banister, photographed by Grey Crawford, graces the cover and is what really drew me into the book. So much more interesting to a minimalist room like this than if the architect had chosen an equally simple railing.This room also features some beautifully minimal wood bookcases that match the craftsmanship of the staircase. (That is a mirrored fireplace screen in the lower right hand corner -I had to stare at it for about a minute to realize what it was!) The finishes in this house, designed by Barnes Vanze Architects, are the details that count here. The beautiful wood french doors and casements (from MQ windows) also are an important detail as all of their muntins align.
A modern day version of a french country house, the classic proportions are there, along with the wood and stone finishes but done in a more simple style that lets you appreciate the good bones.This graceful stair would not seem half as grand without the bronze railing. The space is further amplified through the traditional use of stone and classical furnishings. What details initially drew you to your home?

Since I'm away at the beach, I figured it was a good time to show some seaside cottages. Not the Newport variety, but actual cottages. The book 'Cottages by the Sea' by Linda Leigh Paul features a number of amazing cottages in Carmel, California. I had 2 favorites that I want to share with you.

Recently while reading through my daily bloglist, I saw a post on Matters of Style mention a local etsy crafter who did custom stamps in calligraphy. I thought this would be a great idea to do a small stamp of my name on the front page of the books in my library. It came in the mail yesterday and I couldn't be happier with it!

Recently, I was asked to review a copy of The Season of Second Chances by Diane Meier which just came out in paperback. I wasn't really sure what to expect but the premise from her PR group really sounded up my alley. A middle aged college professor decides to take a chance by moving to a small town from NYC to begin a new chapter in her career and renovating an old Victorian house. I figured if I didn't like the book, I wouldn't be out on much, right?

I've been eying this book as a potential gift for my Dad for a really long time, but it had only been released in a limited edition of 1000 (read: the price tag was $700). Now this superb collection of 1960s and 1970s baseball images via the lens of legendary sports photographer Neil Leifer is available in an unlimited edition (read: the price tag is $40). I've flipped through the pages of this tome in the Tachen store in New York, and it is really great, baseball fan or not.

While reading 'The private world of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor' by Hugo Vickers, recently, I was struck by the lush details in their stair hall in the Bois de Boulogne, Paris. I know a lot of people dislike the Duke and Duchess (and let me know why every time I post on them!), but they were incredible tastemakers in the mid 20th century, hiring the best of the best. This house was primarily decorated by Jansen and I think we can all agree to admiring them if not these particular clients! They supplied the sconces seen above, which incorporate the Royal Arms of the Stuarts.The incredible faux marble walls caught my attention first. I think I like them more than the real marble floors! The Louis XV desk in the entry hall is very useful, especially for hosts who keep a guest book, such as the Windsors.The faux marble commode was probably made for the couple in the 30s by another 'great' of the 20th century, Syrie Maugham. Isn't the stair railing gorgeous?

My friend Lisa Wyatt, a photographer who's shot for Esquire, The Los Angeles Times Magazine, Outside, Fortune, ESPN, and I.D. (to name just a few) kindly offered to write a guest blog giving recommendations about three up-and-comers in the photo world. Thanks Lisa!

Fine art Photography to invest in now.
by Lisa Wyatt

RYAN McGINLEY

He's the current darling of the fine-art photo world. In fact, he was the youngest artist to have a solo show at the Whitney. His series “I Know Where The Summer Goes” captures the raw sensibilities of youth, free spirit and rebellion. If I absolutely had to choose (but please never make me), I would have “Ann (Slingshot), 2007,” “Running Field, 2007,” and “Hysteric Fireworks, 2007” (shown above) hanging on my living room wall. Also check out "The Breakout Performances” series he shot for NYT Magazine. You can see more of his work here.


KATHERINE WOLKOFF

Her photographs are sopping with color and texture and are simply beautiful in execution, especially the series “Deer Beds" which was exhibited at the New York Photo Festival in Dumbo, Brooklyn last Spring. Wolkoff has also been gaining recognition for her evocative, faintly lit portraits and her work chronicling the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

TODD HIDO

His landscapes undoubtedly speak for themselves. There's a certain eeriness to them that mesmerizes me each time I look at his work.


For those of us not ready to start collecting we can focus first on creating a photo book library. Here are Lisa's recs:

Go-Sees by Jeurgen Teller
Tokyo Suburbia by Takashi Homma
Passing Though Eden by Tod Papageorge
Subway by Bruce Davidson
Niagra by Alec Soth
Room with a View by Andrew Hetherington

Dashwood Books in NYC is arguably the best photo bookstore in the country, stop in if you can.

If I would have known how effective Facebook would be of reuniting people I thought I'd never ever see again from boarding school, I probably wouldn't have filled up empty trash cans with water and leaned them against freshman doors and knocked and ran away. Last week, through the magic of online social networking, I found that one out the hard way. Hopefully this post will help Danie Bubenik, the talent behind Boone Books forgive the water I spilled all over her CD burner (how late 90s is that?). I'm loving her Etsy shop for its Anatomy series of cards like the below heart notecards ($10). But what I'm really loving from her store are the blank notebooks she binds with old book covers, like the above Along Friendly Roads notebook ($30), perfect for summer traveling. Thanks Danie!

I was looking at India Hick's book Island Life: Inspirational Interiors yesterday evening for a little, well, inspiration. And now all I want to do is live in a house with white walls. I love the above photo and the wall of black and white family photos in the dining room. Below is a photo of one of the book shelves, which is actually inspired by David Hick's (the late design icon and India's father) library in England, in which all the books were rebound in red leather. After a long Hurricane season one year a similar approach had to be taken to salvage their books. All the hardbacks were rebound in manila paper bought from a local hardware store—I love the color and the sepia backdrop it creates. Pick up the book right here ($27).

How badly do you want this book!? Imagine all the early 70s goodness in there. And what a great color of purple on the hardcover? Get it here ($125).

Have you read this month's Vanity Fair (they have a great website btw!)? Featured is a book called 'Mad World: Evelyn Waugh and the Secrets of Brideshead' by Paula Byrne and I can't wait to read it. As most of us know, Brideshead Revisited was highly autobiographical for Waugh and this book digs into the details. I can't wait to read it!

Phil Frost is a self-taught artist who is part of a greater coalition of New York street artists who have broken into the art world in the past ten years. His signature style is a sort of a tiki modern-tribalism, some have called it "Hawaii by way of New York City". In the 90s, Frost gained recognition by painting walls, using found objects and organic matter with his "intricate, compulsive and highly evolved form of tagging." Above is Frost's first monograph which chronicles his work from 1992-2004, you can pick it up right here ($30). Tomorrow (Wed April 9th) he will be at the New York design shop Auto for a book signing from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Below is an example of one of his paintings exhibited by the Jack Shainman Gallery in New York.