thanks Walter!

I've gotten some great press that I will be sharing here every now and again. If you want to skip ahead to the most current go to my web page here

The folks at WALTER, Liza and Jesma have been so supportive of my writing efforts. They published an excerpt from the book in their April issue and also hosted a book signing with Eatman's Carpets on April the 28th in Raleigh. Here's a link to the story

& another great cover!

gratitude

The date finally arrived and my book is out there breathing. It's good to get the public airing—and to get the press it's receiving. Vogue.com, Ist Dibs, the Cut, have featured the book online, and House Beautiful has used the book to teach their Master Class in the May issue. I'm chronicling it all along with a list of events as the come up.  the moment they are by invitation and "local." Check out my website here for Press and here for Events.

From across the pond, British House and Garden reviewed the book for their May issue and The Times also did a great review.

Sunday, April 23rd, I did a book signing at Currey and Company in High Point at the Spring Market on one of the rainiest days I've ever attended (I've been going fairly steadily for about 30 years–but maybe my memory's failing me). The atmosphere their showroom is out of this world. The lighting the company has developed and expanded since the late eighties is both modern and traditional and grounded in craftsmanship. Their chef prepared some of my particularly favorite finger food so if you didn't stop by to purchase a book you have me to thank for the delicious cheddar biscuits with delectable cured ham inside. I strayed way far from my vegetarian leanings to indulge and it was worth it. Petit fours with my initials on a silver platter, shrimp, wrapped asparagus, and other things I didn't even get to see were all on my request. Bethanne Mathari of Currey and Co. planned the entire event–including jaunty music British actress and singer Jessie Matthews could have kept up with.

On Friday the 28th, I spoke to a group of young women about the book at the new showroom of Eatman's Carpets in Raleigh. It's just the sort of group I hope will like the book and embrace the sixteen women I write about and find inspiration in how these women decorated. The sixty-year-old family owned company has just moved to a new showroom and it's beautiful. A perfect venue —with lunch catered by Irregardless Cafe, another Raleigh institution that has been serving farm to table for decades. Betty Nelson and her mother Gay were wonderful hosts along with Walter magazine's Liza Roberts and Jesma Reynolds.

WALTER has an excerpt from the book in their April issue here

I'll be signing books in Charlotte at Capitol, Laura Vinroot Poole's internationally recognized women's designer clothing store. Very excited to be participating in a Mother's Day Event she has planned on May 9th. 

Now what to wear? 

For sure I won't be blogging about my planned "outfits." Catch me if you can in person. I'll keep you posted on my website as more events come up.

RMH

In November I found myself an early riser to take in the Opening Day of the Red Mountain Hounds. The RMH ride just a dozen miles away from me and two good friends have been riding with them for many years.

The result of the day is published in WALTER'S Dec/Jan issue.

Read the story HERE

about time

Last week I was in New York,  working on my book... Yes, you've heard it before. The summer of 2015 saw the departure of my editor, to pursue other avenues, and the book stalled. With a new editor things are revved up again, and on target for a Spring 2017 release.

In the meanwhile, I've been writing for WALTER magazine, and in their May travel issue, along with my friend and Walter Art director Jesma Reynolds, we put together a STYLE editorial on North Carolina two travel destinations- Tryon Palace, and Biltmore Estates.

Biltmore Style Inspirations are legendary, and with Spring the Gardens there always come to mind:

Please visit WALTER, the link to the full pages is here 

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this month in WALTER

I had the pleasure of seeing a wonderful renovation-restoration of a pre-war Tudor Revival home in Raleigh this month for a Story of a House in Walter magazine.

photo by Catherine Nguyen

here's the link if you want to see and read more 

Heart's desire

Ben Williams paints in the sun filled upstairs hall of the house.

The current issue of WALTER magazine includes a story I wrote about a house... not just any house-but something like my heart's desire. I wrote in Walter's Contributor section, "This month's story about Clarendon Hall is one after my own heart. Old houses, a stellar art collection, and stories all are passions of mine. The Williams are a rare breed, both welcoming and erudite, and they have assembled a personal collection of art in a house alive with history."

CLARENDON HALL

The cover of October's WALTER was shot of the house by Catherine Nguyen.

Catherine was at my house early in the summer. Read her story here.

The eye is constantly moving and stimulated at the Hall. I was taken with several things-and these just a few of the photos I took at the interview.  Read the story and see Cat's beautiful photographs in Walter HERE.

Ben Williams wrote several articles for L'OEIL, Rosamond Bernier's art magazine created in France during the 1950's, beside it a Bertoia sculpture on a tatted doily.

I fell in love with this chair and the needlepoint Ben designed and worked. The colors are wonderful.

One of a pair of vases of Jugtown pottery by its founder- Juliana Busbee made for the Williams as a wedding present.

Read the story and see the photographs at WALTER here

how I decorate and how they decorated

it was a pleasure to welcome photographer Catherine Nyugen for a visit to chat a little about my book that's in the works. I met Cat on one of my assignments with Walter magazine and am working on a story for their October issue.

see the photographs and read her article here

a very good friend,

My recent profile on Walter's Story of A House is of my dear friend, Sterling. I've known him for about 25 years and every time I see him he is brimming with energy. It was a pleasure to visit with him and share his story. His eclectic collection is a mix of art and provenance, and in turn it tells the story of his métier. Read it in WALTER here, and I've added some of my own photographs of particulars not in the story for you here.

 photograph by Catherine Nguyen from WALTER

Over the many years I’ve known Sterling and spent afternoons in his company, I’m always the richer for it. His boundless energy is infectious and both his knowledge, and taste, impeccable. Many pieces in my collection were a once a part of his own. 


One wall in a small hall way is covered with works from the last days of the monarchy thru the reign of the Bonaparte family. Telling the story in engravings, and ephemera, Sterling's wall talks:A letter from a Voltaire relation, thanking its recipient for a basket of food while he was imprisoned during the Reign of Terror (not shown), Engravings of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, Marie, c. 1793 (not shown) , Engravings of Pauline Bonaparte lounging as Venus Victorious, and Daumier engravings from 1830.

Winged Victory on a console in the Entry, along with miniatures of Napoleon and his generals, and Josephine with her own intimates, signed DAVID, c 1810.

Years ago when Sterling was moving to a smaller digs, he had a private sale, and I like to think I got some of his best things-though it can’t be so-for Sterling every object-every work of art- is special-a particular favorite, evoking a memory, time, and place in his incredible life. 

On his many trips to Mexico City & Cuernavaca to visit his great aunt, he collected magnificent masks. One of these masks hangs in his living room- it's one I had purchased from him-years later, he insisted I sell it back to him. 

I did, and as a sort of student of the imminent Dr. Boyd, I sold it back at a tidy profit!

 

 “Thanks to art, instead of seeing one world only, our own, we see that world multiply itself and we have at our disposal as many worlds as there are original artists…” so said Marcel Proust, in Remembrances of Things Past, doubtless Sterling would say the same.

My friendship with Sterling has yielded so many gifts.I hope you have been half as blessed!

the WALTER story here, and a more in depth look at Sterling's home in the WALTER issue April 2015.

in WALTER...

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It's a pleasure to share the interview I did with Richard Jenrette for the May issue of Raleigh's WALTER. It's also a pleasure to say the issues of WALTER are getting fatter-and finer.
Kudos to editor Liza Roberts, and art director Jesma Reynolds.

You can read the article and interview, always traveling home Here, along with a trip to North Carolina's jewel Ayr Mount too.

photograph of Ayr Mount, my own.

DOG GONE

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this month I was asked to write a Reflections piece in Raleigh's WALTER magazine. In writing about the city-the memories I have after living there over 23 years are about A house, A dog and LOVE.

Read it here
 The story is illustrated by the wonderful artist Patricia van Essche who sent me this beautiful portrait of Moses. See more of her work here




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gingham

check.


I Love the cover of the newest issue of WALTER.

yes, I'm still crazy over checks.
see what I stashing away at Pinterest on Gingham Mine here

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SUMMER READS

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what are you going to read this Summer?
... ongoing research into the period just after the turn of the century to the First Great War will keep me occupied, but one must come up for air sometime. I love mysteries, any suggestions?

Here are some of my suggestions in the June issue of WALTER magazine for your reading pleasure. Let me know what you think about my suggestions-and about what I can read (and will not want to put down) this summer?


WALTER
be sure to LIKE the story at the end on Facebook---if you Like it.
image from Ulyana Sergeenko Haute Couture, Spring 2013.


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Books at WALTER

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I return to the pages of WALTER magazine to offer up SIX DESIGN BOOKS to add to your library-or to revisit if you haven't read them in a while.

Anne Dalsace, in her parents'house in Noisy-le-Grand around 1920.

image from La Maison de Verre: Pierre Chareau's Modernist Masterwork 

by Dominique Vellay and photographs by Francois Halard.

Let me know what you think of my picks.
Read the story here,
and LIKE it on Facebook!

what a story: Story of a House in WALTER

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my current story for WALTER magazine is here for you to read. It was a pleasure to visit with the owner, builder and the designer.
Join us for a tour of a house with a past and a perfect future.

Decorator of the house Margaret Nowell said "every house needs a great story" and this one in Raleigh happens to have a "once upon a time..." Every house is different-a new house needs help & with laughter, love and patience its' stories come to Life.

PAST PERFECT : A new house for a modern family

read it HERE

 

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the Story of a House in WALTER

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my current Story of A House in WALTER is about a Victorian Queen Anne that has been beautifully restored for use as offices for a growing church family.
go to WALTER and read it HERE.


& here is a before & after photograph of the exterior of Holy Trinity's Jordan House

The Jordan House was awarded with a 2012 Anthemion Award from Capital Area Preservation for “outstanding dedication and commitment to excellence in historic preservation.”

Read more here: http://www.waltermagazine.com/story-of-a-house-the-jordan-house/#storylink=cpy

You can share the story on twitter and facebook at end of the story.

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WALTER II: the back story

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I have a new story in the Raleigh magazine WALTER. The monthly stories I write there will always be about certain aspects of a particular house. This house has a back story to its WALTER story-it's also one of my client's houses.
Here are some additional pictures I took at the house and go to WALTER and read STORY here.

the Foyer, looking into the Dining Room

antiques and canvases dominate the house

Dining Room

chocolate brown walls and cut lacework curtains hang in the room off the Foyer, dining chairs are covered  in a rich apricot cut velvet

the painting is "The Dance Class” by Jody DePew McLaine

the Library

Artist Maud Gatewood's painting hangs over the forest green mohair sofa on deep "peanut butter"walls.

                  The table is by artist MaryLou Higgins and a striking piece of pottery by Mark Hewitt stands alongside an antique heirloom rocking chair.

Powder Room

(my favorite Brunschwig and Fils paper "Foret Foliage" )

The Living Room

 life-size portrait by Bill Sullivan

 

The Living Room curtains, french chairs and ottoman are covered in another of my favorites- Brunschwig and Fils  indienne print “La Portugaise." “Pressing On” by Raleigh native Herb Jackson hangs over the mantle.

The “Jewel Box” by Carol Bechtel  hangs over her desk in the Master Bedroom.

photographs are my own-apologies for some of the quality -I was rushing along with an iphone camera

Read the rest of the story in WALTER, with photographs by Juli Leonard here