Preppy Interiors Through the Years

August 24th, 2010

Carrying on from yesterday’s post I was inspired to research the “preppy” aesthetic in interiors, both current and of yesteryear.  It’s fabulous to see the trends and items that weave themselves from the past into modern versions of rooms and homes.  Here are some great images of designers that specialize in this look, which has many trademarks such as a mix of antiques and newer items, bold prints, classic details, animal prints, rich color, gilded details and luxurious upholstery.

Dorothy Draper and her masterful  Greenbrier Hotel:

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Sister Parish, designer to Jackie O:

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Miles Redd, who does modern glam preppy like no one else!

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Bunny Williams:

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Charlotte Moss:

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Markham Roberts:

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Palmer Weiss:

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Kemble Interiors (Celerie Kemble and her mother, Palm Beach fixture Mimi McMakin):

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Aerin Lauder’s home is a fabulous example of the preppy look:

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Badgley Mischka’s country house is equestrian preppy chic:

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A fabulous dorm room (yes, dorm room) of a student a Drew University:

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Here are some of my picks for adding a little old school preppy flair to your home:

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1) Leopard carpet

2) Chesterfield Sofa

3) Pendelton Blanket

4)Chandelier

5)Trunk

6)Painting

7) Faux Bamboo Chair

8) Bullseye Mirror

The New Preppy

August 23rd, 2010

As a proud product of a well known all girl’s boarding school I am well versed in all things preppy.  But it was not an aesthetic I was born into or naturally adapted. I will never forget my mother’s horror when on drop off day at Miss Porter’s School I refused to wear anything but a Ben & Jerry’s tie die shirt and denim cutoffs. I thought “this place can’t still be all ‘Jackie O’- this will be fine”.  Well, there I was in a sea of pearls and pink, mouth agape looking like a sloppy mess and feeling the urgent need to find my room so I could put on a polo shirt.  I quickly became fluent in prep-  J.Crew, cable knit, Lilly, seersucker, Nantucket reds, hair ribbons, tennis whites and monograms all became de riguer over the years. My style has evolved and changed since then many times over, but suddenly with fall approaching I’ve been feeling the pull of my preppy roots calling me back to turtleneck sweaters and Burberry trenchcoats.  And I’m not alone.

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The plaid-covered bible of prep “The Official Preppy Handbook” (a tattered copy of which I was passed down by my “old girl” while at Porter’s-naturally) is back this September with a new edition! This weekend, while very preppily reading about it in Vanity Fair while sipping some white wine on my parent’s porch next to my UBER-preppy Southern husband, I was reminded of the slightly dysfunctional, dusty charm of prep.m I feel like in one way or another i’ll be back in all it’s glory this year.  Not in the flashy 90’s “new money” way with huge Nantucket McMansions and 5 carat diamond studs, but on the old school terms. True preppy is not synonymous with wealth, but actually rather with being somewhat frugal, something that is especially in style lately.  Like driving cars for years and years, wearing staple favorites until threadbare, accessorizing with hand me down family pieces, living in classic older homes and not dressing in anything super trendy but rather classic items that will stay in style for years.

The new ad campaign for Tommy Hilfiger “Meet the Hilfigers” is a slightly comedic example of how the preppy aesthetic is back- camel coats, plaid, corduroy and cashmere and slight eccentricity. It’s very Royal Tenenbaums.

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Another great prppy ad campaign was that for Tory Burch shot in her own super preppy apartment by photographer Tina Barney. All those rich velvets, use of the same print on EVERYTHING, animal prints,  antiques and classic details all reign supreme in prep interiors:

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I had a great, long preppy interiors post but Wordpress has decided to make my life hell this morning with weird formatting and I have a meeting to go to so it’ll have to wait until later!!! Preppy Part 2 comin’ at ya.

Support a good cause…and have a cocktail.

August 20th, 2010

If you are in Boston and interested in supporting a great cause (that my husband volunteers with) please mark your calendars for this great event at the new W Hotel! Check out Summer Search’s website for more information on the amazing work they do and go here to buy tickets to the event!

Gala Invite

Fashion Friday: The Romantics

August 20th, 2010

I love movies. It gives me an excuse to escape for a bit and relish in other worlds, other times and other lives.  There are a few films coming out that I’m excited to see, one of them being The Romantics.  Anything with Josh Duhamel AND Adrien Brody is time well spent, in my opinion.  And it’ll be nice to see Anna Paquin not covered in blood and vampire guts for once.  J.Crew did a little partnership with the film and this adorable photo shoot of the cast in their clothes is up on their site! Brilliant marketing on the studio’s part since the average J.Crew shopper is the film’s exact target audience. I bet we’ll be seeing a lot more partnerships like this in the near future.

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My own little The Romantics meets J.Crew outfit:

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And here’s the trailer:

Product Junkies: Erika of Urban Grace

August 19th, 2010

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This week’s Product Junkie is one of my favorite bloggers and interior designers Erika of Urban Grace. Most of you who read this blog read hers too so I’m sure you are familiar with her amazing work and her adorable new baby!  This busy lady has some great products to recommend to all of us other busy ladies!

I’m about as low maintenance as they come.  BUT I do love products… not sure if “low-maintenance” and “product-junkie” can go hand-in-hand… but maybe I am proof they can!?  Here are a few low-maintenance loves of mine…
product junkies for erin I’ve always loved L’Oreal mascara… recently a friend recommended Double Extend.  It’s not extraordinary in lengthening lashes or anything (because I don’t believe any mascara really makes lashes look longer, just thicker) but the beauty of it – it goes on and creates “tubes” around your lashes so when you wash your face (or go to the beach or pool) it doesn’t turn to black paste under your eyes!  The mascara washes off your lashes in tubes – it’s really amazing.  No scrubbing your eyes to get that black residue off!  And if you are lazy or in a hurry you don’t have to use both the clear base coat + the black mascara, you can just use the black and it works the same!  Love it!!! (Trish McEvoy makes a mascara like this too, if you are one of those who likes to pay more ;) )

Quick Slip by Paul Mitchell.  LOVE.  These last few years my hair has gotten a little wavy, and it’s not that cute wave you see in magazines.  This product goes on wet hair before blow-drying and helps my hair lay flat.  Fewer waves, fewer frizzies.  It is a great product!  On super humid days I’ve even used it after my hair is dry for extra taming.

A friend recently let me try her Bobbi Brown Cream Concealer. The Bobbi Brown website has the tagline “award winning” attached to this concealer… and for good reason! It’s fantastic!  As good as photoshop!  :)

Thanks Erika!

Boston Cynthia Rowley Party

August 19th, 2010

Erin Gates Shopping Party

Magnificent Morrocco…

August 19th, 2010

I am currently really loving the textile wares for sale on the site Sheherazade.  I know there has been ikat ad nauseum in decor in the past two years, but I just am not sick of it yet.  I think it’s because it’s such a great pattern to mix with other patterns or a simple way to add a punch of color to any style interior. I’m sure at some point I’ll want ikat as much as I want a root canal but for now I’m still on board.

How ’bout these embroidered poufs???

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A Seaside Breakfast Nook

August 18th, 2010

I found these chairs on Empiric yesterday and I absolutely LOVED the unique way they were painted.  To me they looked so perfectly nautical I was inspired to create a little breakfast nook using them! Paired with a tulip table, indoor outdoor rug, nautical woven light fixture and a fabulous modern over-scale photographic print it would be the perfect place to have toast, coffee and read the paper before heading out to the beach.

Breakfast Nook

Designer Fabric for Sale

August 17th, 2010

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I have 1.5 yards of this great charcoal Kravet fabric for sale.  Retails for $97.00 a yard, selling for $65 for the whole 1.5 yard piece.  great to make pillows! Email me at erin@element-interiors.com if you are interested!

Meow.

August 17th, 2010

Remember these Alexander Wang beauties I coveted so fiercely months ago? Well, I never had the guts (nor the cash flow) to pony up the $600 for them…

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And thanks to reader Brooke I was alerted to these way more affordable knock-offs from Nina.  Not as fabulous, but oh-so-similar.  Just not sure how good they’d look on my feet since I’m cursed with the dreaded overly long second toe ( “World Trade Toe” according to Andrew).  And these babies would put that little freak show on display pretty prominently!

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