Bachelorette Pad Update

We interrupt our Hampton Designer Showhouse coverage to update you on what 's been going on with my bachelorette pad. I was there today to accept delivery of the new faux-bamboo etegere that I found last week at Elizabeth Bauer. The original plan was to replace her existing short bookcase with a taller one and we discussed the Oly Stella Shelf but this one was less expensive and works perfectly with the artwork. Sometimes it pays to wait until you find the right piece.

A few people have been asking me to post more about my work and I'm going to make more of an effort going forward but it's hard to show photos if you have any hope of getting a project published. Someone actually stopped by the bachelorette pad today to scout it for a photo shoot so hopefully you will be seeing the entire finished apartment published in a few months. I don't think this photo will ruin anything though because we still need to buy accessories and I will restyle the bookcase. A decorator's work is never done!

bachelorette pad before

Bachelorette Pad Project Update

A few readers and friends have asked me why I haven't posted any client project updates lately. Since I just spent the day at the bachelorette pad, I thought it would be the perfect time to address them. Interior designers don't just snap their fingers and make a pretty completed projects appear. A lot of hard work and time go into them and I chose to share with my blog readers all aspects of my projects and some of the "during" photos aren't always styled to perfection. Of course, the projects you see in magazines are perfect because there is an army of workers who are paid to create them and professional photographers to shoot them. I have real clients with real budgets who need real solutions to their design needs. It's very easy to create beautiful interiors with an unlimited budget but I think it's actually more rewarding to try to work with what a client already owns and to try not to spend all their money if possible. Unless a designer steals a client from their old firm or knows someone willing to take a chance on them, most designers start with smaller projects.

The reason I mention this is because an anonymous nasty blog took photos of my work out of context and made disparaging remarks about them so for a while I decided not to give them any more ammunition. But then I realized that I don't care what one petty clearly miserable person who hides behind a cloak of anonymity and doesn't share any photos of their home or projects says about me. My clients like my work and that's all that matters so here's your update.

I just spent the day working on some projects so we can get the place wrapped up in a few weeks. Matthew Haley of The Furniture Joint picked up the plaid arm chair that we are having reupholstered and I ordered the fabric for new pillows, all of which should be ready in about 4 weeks and will really finish off the living room. I also hung more art including the new pieces that were bought at the Trowbridge Gallery for the living room and bedroom. We decided to hang the embroidered piece above the television and two other works above the bed. They really look great pull the bedroom together.

I also hung some other works in the bedroom which I can't wait to share with you after the bachelorette gets back from her vacation. I don't want to ruin the surprise! I also picked out some great family photos for a gallery style composition on the entry wall. I think it might need one more frame to complete it so after it's finished, I'll take more photos to show you next week. I also hung the entry mirror and need to go back on Friday to hang some plates on the kitchen wall. We did end up painting the kitchen a very dark blue. Since it is open and right off the entry, it needed something to make it more special and the color is perfect. She's also having a lovely Asian work of art reframed for the entry.

All that's really left is to finish off the apartment with a few accessories. I would love to have two topiaries on the entry table. There is no outlet on that side of the room for lamps and it still needs something. The bachelorette happens to be in Italy right now so I suggested she stop by Il Papiro for some desk accessories and I can't wait to see what she bought. The apartment is really starting to come together and I'm happy that we were able to use much of what she already owned. It's also a testament to the fact that you don't have to spend a ton of money to create a lovely and inviting home. I'll have more updates from this project and my other client's baby room next week. Oh, and I have a really fun trip to tell you about soon! Take that nasty anonymous blogger!

Photo by moi that wasn't staged or styled!

Bachelorette Pad Update

Everyone has been asking me about the Bachelorette Pad lately so I guess it's time for an update. I don't have any new photos but the blue and white Asian pottery in this painting by James McNeill Whistler will make sense in a minute.

I met the Bachelorette at Balthazar breakfast Saturday morning where there was so sign of a recession in sight! The place was packed at 10am so we ended up sitting at the bar where I spied John Derian also enjoying a petit déjeuner. Usually I'm not even out of bed that early on a Saturday! Actually that's not true, I'm usually awake but most likely sitting on my sofa in my nightgown watching E News or something else equally trashy. So I was surprised that so many other people were up and out so early. Hopefully, they were on their way to Fashion Week!

After breakfast we hit all the shops in Soho and got lucky at Penine Hart Antiques where we found a perfect gilt mirror for the entry for about $250! It will relate perfectly to the antique gilt nesting tables in the living room and has a beautiful patina. The shop is full of great finds and reminds me of the type of place you would stumble upon down a side street in Europe. I can't wait to go back again soon since the stock is constantly replenished.

We also stopped by one of my favorite stores in New York, Pearl River, to pick up blue and white Asian pottery (hence the painting above). We picked out a range of sizes and shapes for above the kitchen cabinets and also a new umbrella stand and a few random bowls for around the apartment. I'm still looking for a cheaper painter to paint the kitchen in Benjamin Moore Soot so if anyone has any recommendations, please let me know.

The lamps for the bedroom arrived and we bought a new floor lamp but I'm still looking for the perfect vintage lamps for the living room. We also need to finalize the last artwork placement and accessorize the apartment but it's really coming together. Stay tuned for the final reveal!


Painting by James McNeill Whitler, Purple and Rose: the Lange Leizen of the Six Marks, 1864. At the Guggenheim Museum exhibit, The Third Mind, through April 19, 2009.

The Bachelorette Pad: It's Coming Together

I spent most of yesterday and today at The Bachelorette Pad and we're definitely making progress. The bedroom is almost finished and is turning out to be my favorite room! The draperies have been hung and steamed and the headboard was attached so it's coming together. We just need to purchase the lamps for the bedside tables and finalize the art and then it will be done.

You can see better in this photo how the stripes of the draperies from Restoration Hardware pickup the colors of the rug from Pottery Barn. The Bachelorette said her friend thought the rug was custom and is excited that everyone does look custom even though so far, everything was purchased at retail stores or online. Some of the things that we have done would have been outrageously expensive if they had been custom so it is possible to get the look for less.

The Bachelorette has a very large family and I thought one of her nieces made the picture of the bunnies so I decided to hang it above the television. Not everything has to be serious when you decorate and The Bachelorette said that it makes her smile every time she looks at it, especially since she painted it when she was a child! So cute!

You can see in this before photo that the draperies really do make a difference and finish the design.

I just placed the embroidery that was made by her grandmother to see if it will work in the room. I will leave it up to The Bachelorette to decide if she would like it hung above the bed or in the living room. It would add some new colors to the room and I might think about adding a patterned boudoir pillow for a little more color. The lamps will also finish off the room.

I hung a few more pieces of artwork in the living room and sat her old mirror on top of the bookcase. Obviously, the wall is still unfinished. A reader suggested sconces which might be a good option or maybe there are some other artwork that could work on this wall. I also found some great fabric from Carelton V called Wykeham in Citrus (2800-14) that would make perfect throw pillows for the sofa.

I always joke that you need a degree in mathematics to hang artwork. Do you know why gallery walls of art are so popular? It's because you can hammer in a nail, hang up a painting and call it a day. No measuring is required for a gallery wall but you need to get out a pad of paper and pencil if you plan to hang art so it's evenly spaced and properly hung. (They look a little crooked here but it's because the photo is crooked. I need to invest in a tripod!) I think the middle two works might have to be moved up after depending on what lamp is chosen for the desk but for now they are staying put where they are. The desk also needs a few accessories so this area still needs a little work, as does the entry which is why there aren't any photos of it yet.

We are still discussing painting the kitchen in the darker color. The quote from the painter was a little high for such a small room so I offered to paint it myself but I'm not sure if that's such a great idea, especially if we decide to paint the ceiling. The kitchen is right off the entry and only has half walls to separate it so it might disappear more if it is dark. It's a tough call. It also needs a new light fixture which is on the list so don't worry. I wouldn't leave her with exposed light bulbs!

It's a nice feeling to see the place really coming together after so much planning and preparation. The Bachelorette is away until tomorrow on business and I know she is very excited to come home and see it. I would be excited to come home too if I had a bedroom that beautiful!

The Bachelorette Pad - First Phase

Those of us in the design field like to joke that "decorating is soooo glamorous!" (Meant to be read with sarcasm!) And installations are the least glamorous but most satisfying part of decorating! I spend the day at The Bachelorette Pad installing the new furnishings and moving other pieces around. Well, I didn't move the heavy stuff. The fabulous professionals at The Padded Wagon did the heavy lifting. I don't want to turn this into a commercial for them but I've used a lot of movers and they are the best for my needs. They are also handymen who will install draperies and chandeliers and even microwaves like they did today. If you ever need some professional help, they are your men.

Now, before I get some dumb comment that the place doesn't look finished, that's because it's not. We still need to install the artwork, bedroom draperies and headboard, among other things. This was just the first phase but I have to say that it really made a huge difference. The Bachelorette had a family funeral to attend today which was of course rough, so it was so nice to give her something to look forward to at the end of the day! And of course she had a good response and was kind enough to let me share it with you.

"I was so excited to get home today cause I thought you were going to do a great job. But this is truly amazing. I am so beyond thrilled you have no idea. You made me so happy. The best way I can describe is to say that it finally after five years feels like "home." But only that home belongs to a stylish friend of mine. I was having such a crappy day that I thought I needed to go for a run to feel better but now I don't want to leave. This place is so great. You should be so proud of yourself. I can't get over the bedroom. Its amazing. But I agree it needs art. Art will be like the frosting on an amazing cake! Thank you is not enough!"

I can't decide if I love the living room or bedroom best but as you can see below, the living room really did get a dramatic makeover. We had discussed buying a new larger bookcase for this wall and looked at several options but budgetary concerns took precedence. I love working with pieces that a client already owns so I thought maybe I could make it work if we moved it out of the corner (nobody puts baby in the corner...couldn't resist!) and flanked it by a pair of the amazing vintage chairs that The Bachelorette bought from Jayson while on a trip to Chicago. She actually bought a set of four and I wasn't sure what I was going to do with the extra two so this seemed like just the place! I also rearranged the shelves so now all of her mementos have a special place.

Living Room - Before

As I mentioned, the artwork still needs to be installed so that is why all the walls are empty. We also had plans to buy a new side table, but the blue and white Chinoiserie garden stool from her sister works so well that we may not need one. I may upgrade the floor lamp though. I knew I wanted a lighter tray on the brown leather ottoman from George Smith so The Bachelorette painted it herself with the left over White Dove paint from Benjamin Moore. I showed her a few wall colors but in the end, we used the same color as my living room, Benjamin Moore Cedar Key. If it ain't broke...

I also move the plaid arm chair to near the window and paired it with a new reading lamp and a brown drum table that she inherited from one of her sisters. We have picked out a new fabric to have the chair reupholstered but since you know that upholstery is expensive, we're holding off on actually having the work done for a little while. While I was there, I also restyled the area under the television so that the picture frames hides the paraphernalia behind them.

I spent a lot of the day ironing linens and creating a dreamy bedroom. Anyone who wants to become an interior designer needs to realize that there is no job that is too big or too small. You will be ironing and cleaning and on your hands knees plugging things in and getting dirty. Be prepared. We still need to find lamps for the bedroom which is my weekend project but even without them, the room looks so much pulled together as you can see from the before photo below. I might also find a patterened fabric for a boudoir pillow to add a little more color to the bed.

Bedroom - Before

We already bought the draperies but I need to buy new hardware before they can be hung. I'm not going to ruin the surprise and tell you what they look like but the will pull the whole room together perfectly! Now I just have to find a chandelier!

I also had the men switch the placement of the large armoire and the dresser. It really does look much better and now the draperies will have more room to drape. The Bachelorette also had some things on the floor so I moved one of her old garden chairs into the bedroom and now she has the perfect place to sit her gym bag.

I read this quote from interior designer Veere Grenney in the November/December 2008 issue of Australian Vogue Living and it really resonated with me. "If I am doing a room for someone, I really care about them and not how it will look in a photograph. I want to make them feel safe, to make them feel important. I really want people to have a happy time when they're in that space Otherwise, what's the point?" I feel exactly the same way. Making people happy is the glamorous part even if the installations aren't!

The Bachelorette Pad: Before Photos

It's a new year and I have a new project to share with you! Well, it's not that new but I'll get to that part in a minute. When I asked my client if I could post about her apartment on the blog she was very excited and before I even had a chance to ask her what to call her project she asked if it could be called "The Bachelorette Pad!" Perfect! Unlike The Bachelor, she actually wanted to get involved and be a part of the process including adding her side of the story to the blog.

"I am not sure what exactly prompted me to overhaul my apartment. It might have been a bad breakup, a Nate Berkus episode on Oprah, or the twentieth time I tripped over the badly tattered area rug. I had owned my apartment for about four years but I was still living with remnants from my first rental or hand me downs from family members (and we aren't talking nice heirloom hand me downs, more like, "we were going to donate it anyway furniture")."

"I had been reading Heather's blog for some time and thought she was just like me in that we were both young single girls living in New York City. But she had one thing going for her that I did not have: style (seriously, I buy more shoes at SuperRunners than I do at Bergdorf's). I decided to email her out of the blue and see if she would help me - lucky for me she was up for the challenge."

"So here we are a few months later getting ready to set our plans in motion. Since that first email I sent her until now things have not gone according to plan. I work in finance and the budget was well, "compromised." But I have complete faith that even with a slashed budget Heather will bring some of the style all of her loyal readers have come to know and love to my bachelorette pad."

Besides working in finance, The Bachelorette runs marathons and participates in triathlons (something that we all know is not my department) so we have to make room for lots of sports equipment and paraphernalia. She also asked if we could incorporate her race bibs into the design somewhere so we're going to frame them and hang them as art. She worked very hard for each and every one and they deserve to be proudly displayed! She also has a lot of wonderful furniture that we are keeping like the entry table above.

There are also some pieces that will be going such as the dining table and wicker chair, as well as the metal shelves that were the first thing you saw when you walked into the apartment. The Bachelorette never used the table so she was the one to suggest getting rid of it. I plan to move her desk from another corner of the living room to this wall so it will serves as another entry table of sorts and will allow her to look out the window while she works on her laptop instead of at the wall.

The navy blue sofa was a custom piece and was very expensive so of course it is staying. The pillows however will not. She also has some wonderful family art pieces including the needlepoint above the sofa that was made by her grandmother that will definitely be staying. It's those elements that make a home so personal and interesting. The one thing she shared with The Bachelor was a lack of lighting which was a top priority.

I'm not sure if you can tell but the chair is plaid. I joked with The Bachelorette that unlike The Bachelor whose apartment needed to become more adult, hers needed to become less adult. Another tag line could read, " from Greenwich to Glam!" She's a young and single girl and needs an apartment that reflects that a bit more but still remain her style. We're also looking at larger bookcases and shelving units for that wall and will move the small bookcase to another area.

The bedroom is a good size but didn't really have much going on. We've already ordered a headboard, draperies, new side tables and a new area rug. While I am still searching for the perfect bedside lamps. She also wanted new bedding so I think this room will see the biggest change.

We've already had the apartment painted (check back for a paint post) and it's made a dramatic difference. New York apartments tend to be painted a matte or eggshell finish which works well for some but in apartments without much light, it doesn't. We chose to paint most rooms in a satin finish for a little sheen.

I'll be at The Bachelorette Pad this week to start installing some of the furniture, moving things around and working on some projects. The project was delayed a little due to the economy. No one wants to be buying furniture when they could be layed off tomorrow but it looks like she is in the clear so it's full steam ahead, although we're not going crazy! She is very excited to see the apartment coming together and I can't wait to give her the glam apartment that she deserves! Check back for more updates!