Happy Wednesday everyone!
Well, we’re off! Vacation has started! We will be arriving on the day of our anniversary, what a place to arrive to – Italy.
I will post pictures as often as I can, stay tuned.
I went to the bookstore on Monday and bought some gossip and home decor magazines to read on the plane. Curiosity got the better of me and I started browsing through Architectural Digest on Monday night. While doing so, I came across an article on fashion designer Oscar de la Renta. Of course, we all know about his contribution to fashion design, but did you know he is also passionate about architecture?
In fact, last December he celebrated the opening of a new shop in his native country, the Dominican Republic. Where did he get his inspiration?
“My inspiration came from a very small potting shed in the garden of our home,” he is quoted as saying.
This quaint little shop is located in the chic hexagonal emporium at Tortuga Bay; a boutique style hotel he co-developed seven years ago at the blue-chip Puntacana Resort & Club.
The exterior…
Here are some of the items you will find in his shop. I love the bright colors of his silver-plate bowls..very Islandy!
Picture frames and nesting tables clad in shimmering mother-of-pearl; I can picture this in a bathroom or used as bedside tables.
Celebrity fascination
It is a well know fact, we are all fascinated with celebrities. We live our lives vicariously through them, we follow some, more than others, we look to them for trends in fashion and attempt to copy it and we are fascinated with how and where they live.
I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite celebrity home interiors.
When I came across this picture of movie director, Michael Bay of the Transformers movie franchise, my immediate thought was; Wow! That’s a staircase! It’s a 40-foot nautilus stairwell. The pendants are composed of 37 hand-blown-crystal that seem suspended like a rain shower frozen in time. This is a perfect place to do your stair master exercise or to stroll down in an elegant ball gown. What an entrance!
The backlit wall of onyx in this bedroom partially conceals the bath; the walls are paneled in oak, and the custom-made bed is esquite. Can you just see yourself lying there? I know, I can!
This is Brooke Shields living room in Manhattan. Of course, my favorite piece is the Louis Vuitton trunk she uses as a coffee table. That would be the perfect piece of luggage for my vacation!
Her kitchen….the fireplace surrounding it is beautiful. I can see myself cooking here. I like the simplicity of it. The use of the topiary flowers placed around the room instead of the usual vase with flowers is a very nice touch. I also like that she continued the white color tiles and sizes into the backsplash. I especially love the rich color on the floor, it is a perfect compliment to the white color scheme of the kitchen.
I love the mobile and mother of pearl mirror in Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi’s bathroom…it has a very earthy look and feel.
This entrance is very unique…I think it reflects Ellen’s personality perfectly; playful and totally unexpected-especially with the wall plaque saying “Breed this Cow”. I like the sculpture of the woman, she brings some elegance to the room.
Angelica Huston’s fireplace is just breathtaking. This is such a great way to showcase the focal point in the room, not to mention what you can do with drywall.
The opulence of Lionel Ritchie’s living room! Wow! Check out the detailing on the ceiling and the columns beside the fireplace. Again, wow! I have to admit, I like it. The room has enough natural light to make it inviting. Can’t you see yourself having a cocktail party in this room?
Ahh! The lifestyle of the rich and famous! I love seeing pictures of celebrities homes. I like to see how they transfer their love of fashion into their homes. Some do it quite nicely, while others are way over the top.
Speaking of over the top, I am about to fly over the top of my home on a plane to Italy, have a wonderful rest of the day.
Do not forget to check back later this week to see my ongoing pictorial trip through the Amalfi Coast line.
Simone
