Happy Halloween

In the midst of all the hubbub in New York, I forgot that it's Halloween.  I hope those of you in areas not affected by the hurricane can enjoy this usually happy holiday. 

Helene Rochas in a Bat Mask

Creativity at Work

It's hard to be excited about the publication of my book Creativity at Work today when some people don't have homes or electricity right now. But I just saw a photo of my publisher powerHouse Books.  Their combined book store and offices in Dumbo, Brooklyn sustained extensive flood damage.  Maybe the best way to help them them and others affected is to resume our daily activities and get back to business.

I also want to thank Preston from Keep it Chic for her interview with me.  I worry that she had to flee her home that was in the path of tidal flooding.  My thoughts and prayers are with her and her family. 

Thank you as well to Patricia Sheridan who profiled me this week for my hometown newspaper, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 

Many of you also received an invitation to a private book party at Flair Home on Thursday, November 1st.  I haven't been in contact with them yet but the lack of electricity and public transportation leads me to believe that the event will probably have to be rescheduled.  I will keep you posted. 

Thank you again to everyone who checked in with me and remember that you can help residents affected by  the hurricane by donating to the Red Cross.  

The Aftermath

Thank you to everyone who checked in with me yesterday and this morning.  I live on the Upper East Side and did not lose power or experience flooding. The wind was intense though and the tree on my street was not so lucky.  There were some rumors that all of New York lost power.  ConEd preemptively shut off the power to most of lower Manhattan and areas in flood Zone A to prevent transformer explosions and electrical fires. The storm surge has flooded many areas and the clean up is going to take days.  If you would like to assist with the relief efforts, you can make a much needed donation to the Red Cross. 

Hearst Designer Visions: Antony Todd

Getting down to Tribeca from the Upper East Side is always a struggle.  None more so than on Friday when  there were no taxis on the road due to a Muslim holiday and no downtown 6 subway trains due to an investigation.  But the Hearst Designer Visions show house was worth the travel effort. It's always one of my favorite show houses and this year instead of being inspired by a movie, the apartments located in 250 West Street served as sets for the 48 Hour Film Project. The designers involved include Antony Todd for Veranda who I'm featuring first in this post, Matthew Patrick Smythe for Elle Decor, and David Rockwell for House Beautiful.  You may have already seen David's design in the November 2012 issue of House Beautiful on stands now.  The others will be published soon. 

The most amazing part of these spaces are the "muses" that are created to inspire each space.  Hearst starts the story off but works in conjunction with each designer so that each space is designed for a very specific "client". 

The Veranda apartment designed by Antony Todd is "the only family residence, with the family having recently relocated from the Upper East Side to Tribeca. The high school aged son loves to hang out in his new neighborhood, which his friends think is much cooler than uptown. His mother works in finance and secures funding for luxury brands. She has taken over the master bedroom closet with her collection of Badgley Mischka, one of her top clients. Her loving husband, who is in marketing, keeps his clothes in another closet elsewhere in the apartment." 

The closet which is sometimes dead space in a show house was personally styled by Mark Badgley and James Mischka of Badgley Mischka. Talk about chic! 

Antony Todd

Antony Todd said as soon as he saw the apartment he thought "downtown loft". It's filled with new pieces he designed and vintage treasures from his shop on East 11th Street. Once I post the other two apartments, you'll be surprised how they each chose a similar color palette of grey tones punctuated by a pop of color.  In Antony's case, it was fuchsia and raspberry. The darker walls are Night Shade by Benjamin Moore.

Armless sofa is by Lee Industries. 

The French chairs and stools are upholstered in fabric by Dedar. 

I always love art leaning against walls on the floor. 

The Pattaya Summer jute rug from Merida anchors the sitting area. 

Large scale paintings by artist Thomas Fougeirol are featured throughout the apartment.

Antony Todd said that he wanted a space that looked collected from travels abroad not decorated. 

The building at 250 West Street has amazing windows and views of the Hudson River.  Unfortunately, there was still scaffolding outside on Friday. 

The telescope was a nice touch. 

You know I don't love open kitchens but the Jenn-Air kitchen works in this downtown loft. 

I thought they had used antiqued mirror on the back wall of the kitchen but they are actually tiles from Ann Sacks. 

Antony Todd used mirrors around the main living area and they reflect the light and river views beautifully. 

This room could have been a third bedroom or guestroom but here it serves as a cozy media room.  

The wall color is Silver Fox by Benjamin Moore. 

The son's bedroom is painted in Blue Danube by Benjamin Moore. 

The master bedroom is a serene oasis. 

The wall color is Silver Fox by Benjamin Moore. 

The drapery fabric is from Dedar. 

The closet was designed by California Closets and features a lovely finish called Italian Pietra and features leather lined drawers. 

Love the display for a gorgeous Badgley Mischka gown. 

It's actually the Circa 1970 Lighted Easel from Restoration Hardware.  I would never have thought of using it for a dress but it's perfect for displaying anything beautiful.

Badgley Mischka accessories. 

Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic

(click to enlarge)