Archive for March, 2012
Monday, March 26th, 2012
Here I am standing upon the famous Bund that runs along the Huangpu River in the heart of Shanghai. The Shanghai skyline is incredible--especially at night when the buildings are lit up Blade Runner-style.
Gang:
Hello!
John and I are lapping up Shanghai like it’s a tea-infused cocktail. We love this city!
But, sadly, in China you cannot access Facebook or Twitter, so I can’t push my blog posts out through the social media portals…
Hence, I am taking a break for a few days to get out and about and experience this crazy, but wonderful country.
So, more anon.
Tags: China, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, Shanghai
Posted in Color, Design, Design Guru, Hotel design, Interior Design, New York Interior Designer, Tastemaker | No Comments »
Friday, March 23rd, 2012
John lolls about in the decadent soaking tub in our room at The Grove, a country-estate hotel not far from London. I love how the tub sits upon rustic wood struts that add an organic quality to the bath.
Gang:
Happy Friday!
John and I are en route to Shanghai… But more on that later!
En route to China, we decided to spend a night near London’s Heathrow Airport to catch our breath and decompress a tad. Hence, we booked a stay at The Grove, the charming former country home of the Earls of Clarendon and now a wonderful hotel with sculpture-dotted gardens, a golf course, and a fabulous restaurant, Colette’s.
After flying into Heathrow yesterday and hightailing it to The Grove, John and I slept and read and slept some more, and then I sampled an amazing massage at The Grove’s modern-chic Sequoia Spa. Sublime
This morning we wandered around The Grove’s verdant grounds… The English countryside is just pushing forth with spring blossoms…
And now we are back at the airport and ready for our jaunt to Shanghai.
China, here we come! The Madcap Cottage boys are ready to paint the country, er, red.
Here's the brick-clad mansion at The Grove, the ancestral estate of the Earls of Clarendon. This is a terrific escape from London should you seek a sublime spa and a glorious golf course. And the gardens are lovely!
A stone urn filled with tulips anchors a path at The Grove that leads from the main house to the stables and spa. I especially love the beautifully trimmed bushes upon the property.
A glorious and sculptural tree stands tall on the 300-acre grounds of The Grove.
My favorite sculpture upon the grounds at The Grove is Stephen Charlton's "Boxing Hare," tucked into a quiet copse. These boxing hares remind me of Jasper and Weenie.
Tags: Heathrow, Jason Oliver Nixon, Jasper, John Loecke, London, Madcap Cottage, Shanghai, The Grove, Weenie
Posted in Antiques, Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Interior Design, Landscaping, New York Interior Designer, Pets, Tastemaker, Weekend warrior | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, March 20th, 2012
Weenie strikes a winsome pose in our guest bedroom "after" with its patterns-upon-patterns and gobs of wallpaper. The room is always evolving, so much of this furniture has already moved on to other spaces and places. The coral-hued table to the left of the bed, for example, will be available for purchased at our May 8 One Kings Lane sale.
Gang:
I hope your week is going along swimmingly… We have Lykke Li on the sound system at our Chester Court offices, and Jasper and Weenie are rocking out.
I was digging through some “before” and “after” photographs of Chester Court this morning, and I thought it would be fun to revisit what our guest bedroom looked like “before” and “after” the Madcap Cottage boys had their way with the space.
The “before”s and “after”s are quite dramatic! Let us know what you think!
Here's the very boring guest bedroom before we tackled the space. This room was calling out for color and verve, and we answered the clarion call. And how!
Another angle of the guest bedroom "before." Snooze, n'est-ce pas?
Guests love to check into Chester Court... Our guest bedroom is super-inviting and comfortable. And, yes, there's lots to look at it! I am especially partial to the necklaces that we picked up in India and draped over the lampshade next to the bed.
Tags: Before and After, Chester Court, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, Wallpaper
Posted in Antiques, Before and After, Carpets, Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, DIY, Fabrics, Flooring, Hanging artwork, india, Interior Design, New York Interior Designer, Paint, Painted Furniture, Renovations, Sustainable, Tips for Design Small Spaces, upholstery, Wallpaper | 8 Comments »
Monday, March 19th, 2012
Here's a very cool and elegant living room that John and I designed in New Orleans. The space isn't as bonkers as you might presume from the Madcap boys... Lonny magazine photographed this last year, and the folks at Asmara carpets have written a blog installment about their favorite living room rugs featured in Lonny. And the Asmara folks chose our rug as a fave... Click on the image, above, to read the entire Asmara installment.
Gang:
I hope you had a divine weekend…
And the week is full-steam ahead!
We love being mentioned amongst our terrific peers in far-flung articles, so John and I were delighted to awaken to a Google Alert (we love a good Google Alert!) this weekend…
The folks at Asmara carpets featured a living room that the Madcap Cottage boys designed in New Orleans that was photographed by the crew at Lonny. Apparently, the Asmara crew especially loved the wool-and-silk rug that we selected for the space in Nola, so voila!
John and I are amongst such terrific company in the blog installment–from Celerie Kemble to Carolina Irving.
Take a look at the Asmara blog post: They feature a delicious assortment of rugs culled from the pages of Lonny that might inspire you to cut a good rug this week.
Tags: Asmara, Carolina Irving, Carpets, Celerie Kemble, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, New Orleans
Posted in Antiques, Carpets, Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Fabrics, Flooring, Interior Design, New York Interior Designer | 1 Comment »
Saturday, March 17th, 2012
John and Ellen Warfield, the fabulous One Kings Lane photographer, arrange a glorious custom-upholstered armchair on the white seamless "set" at our storage unit in Brooklyn. This super-comfortable chair is upholstered in a terrific fabric from Cowtan & Tout. Mark your calendars for our May 8 One Kings Lane sale.
Gang:
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! I am wearing green underwear and contemplating a Midori-splashed cocktail. Is it noon somewhere in the world?
John and I have spent the past few days photographing items for our MAY 8 One Kings Lane Tastemaker Tag Sale. Have you marked your calendars? MAY 8!
Anyhow, I thought it might be fun to show you some of the work that goes into photographing the Madcap Cottage duo’s items for our upcoming sale. It’s a lot of work and a lot of fun.
We spent about 20 hours this past Thursday and Friday photographing our One Kings Lane merchandise with the fantastic Ellen Warfield, one of OKL’s many talented photographers. From small items–including cocktail sets and whimsical bric-a-brac–to our fabulous furniture, we plowed through some 273 items that needed to be photographed.
Did I say 273 items? Yes, 273 items.
So get ready to shop our Tastemaker Tag Sale.
It’s going to be glorious. And so much fun!
John preps the "Green Goddess," a vintage chest of drawers with amazing hardware and an emerald hue. We love the Chinese-inspired lines of this functional piece.
A vaguely 70s-ish chair that John and I custom-upholstered in a vintage ikat fabric with a rainbow-hued welting. This chair is a stunner! And there will be a pair of these chairs in our sale, perfect for situating in a library or in front of a fireplace.
A gaggle of chairs and tables awaits their turn in front of Ellen's camera. When John and I produce our One Kings Lane photo shoots, we basically take over the entire floor at our storage unit near JFK Airport in Brooklyn. It's quite a production!
John and I custom-upholstered a pair of arm chairs in a fab fabric from Rose Cumming with bright orange buttons and acid-pink welting. Um, these ladies are just lovely.
Ellen arranges a pale-blue secretary--let's call it an "assistant," that's so much more PC--that John and I custom-colored with coral-hued shelves and insets. This piece is super functional and totally a looker.
A faux bamboo game table topped with glass accompanied by four fabulous arm chairs done up in a fabulous, frondy fabric that reminds us of the coffee shop at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
John fluffs a fabulous Monet-inspired sofa in polished chintz that we found at an estate in Palm Springs, California. There will be a pair of these glorious Giverny-like couches at our May 8 One Kings Lane sale.
Tags: Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, One Kings Lane, Tastemaker Tag Sale
Posted in Antiques, Bar Cart, Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, Entertaining, Fabrics, Framing, Furniture Recovering, Interior Design, Lighting, Morocco, New York Interior Designer, Paint, Painted Furniture, Party Planning, Portraits, Powder coating, Sustainable, Tastemaker, Tips for Design Small Spaces, Turkey, upholstery, Welting | 1 Comment »
Thursday, March 15th, 2012
The folks at Kohler asked us to write about how to bring color into the bathroom. Read our installment, "A Taste for the Exotic," by clicking on our inspiration board, above.
Gang:
How the hell are we doing this week? Any good stories, any design travails? Do tell.
Let’s talk design. Actually, let’s talk a little about loos… Some good potty talk is definitely in order.
There isn’t a day when John and I don’t see an exceptionally boring bathroom. Yes, boring. B-O-R-I-N-G!
The Madcap Cottage boys think that your loo should be a real looker, that it should be packed with panache and verve, wit and style. And that doesn’t mean that we don’t love a good white sink and white toilet, but, come on! Add some further oomph.
Paint your walls… Better yet, wallpaper your walls.
Add interesting lighting.
Think about using a piece of furniture in your bathroom if you have the space.
Recently, the fab folks at Kohler asked us to do a blog installment for them on how to bring color into you bathroom. Our response?
A Taste for the Exotic.
Click on the link, above, to read how we suggest bringing some ethnic elan into your own home. And, granted, we selected several pieces from the high-end Baker line, but don’t overlook Target, Z Gallerie, and Home Goods for fabulous, well-priced ethnic inspiration.
So, go ahead, and take your bathroom to the next level. Then send us photos!
Tags: Ann Sacks, Baker Furniture, Bathroom renovation, Hatbox toilet, india, Kohler, La Mamounia, Madcap Cottage, Morocco, Thibaut, Tony Duquette, Turkey, Vie Luxe candles, Z Gallerie
Posted in Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, DIY, Fabrics, Flooring, Hotel design, india, Interior Design, Morocco, New York Interior Designer, News Flash, Paint, Painted Furniture, Tastemaker, Tips for Design Small Spaces, Turkey | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, March 13th, 2012
The February/March/April/May issue of Array magazine features former Domino editor in chief Deborah Needleman on the cover and what inspires the Madcap Cottage boys within its pages. Click on the image, above, to peruse the digital version of the magazine.
Gang:
As I always say, you never know when inspiration might hit you, so carry a digital camera with you at all times that you can whip and snap away. And that inspiration might come in a fancy department store or at a design showroom or sitting at your local burger joint with taquitos in hand.
Case in point…
There’s a magazine in New York City called Array published by the fabulous New York Design Center that speaks to the design world and its fans, and those frisky editors at Array asked us to speak about what has been inspiring us of late.
Did the Madcap Cottage duo pick an important piece of furniture?
Perhaps a “moment” in a far-flung country?
A gorgeous museum?
No, no, and hell, no.
John and I talked about a gorgeous pink-and-navy garbage can at Howard’s Famous Bacon & Avocado Burgers on Venice Boulevard in Los Angeles. Howard’s is a total dive, and we love it. It’s the best. Their taquitos totally r-o-c-k. And the Howard’s crew have an amazing color sensibility at Howard’s, too!
Their deft use of pink, navy blue, and orange is remarkable. Transformative, frankly. And that garbage can has totally made us want to do everything right now in navy blue and pink. Thank you, Howard’s!
And, see, if we hadn’t been carrying our digital camera, we wouldn’t have been able to capture the absolute rapture of this classy can.
Here's the page that features your favorite Madcap Cottage gents discussing their passion for the pink-and-navy blue trash can at Howard's in Los Angeles.
Tags: Array, Deborah Needleman, Domino magazine, Howard's, Madcap Cottage, New York Design Center, NYDC
Posted in Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, Interior Design, New York Interior Designer, Paint, Tastemaker | No Comments »
Monday, March 12th, 2012
Bring some exotic elegance into your own home, it's easy. Click on the image, above, to read my column in Minneapolis St. Paul Home magazine on "Ethnic Elan." I was inspired to craft this story based upon a recent visit to the glorious Colony Palms Hotel in Palm Springs. The chair is from Lee Industries; the ottoman from Pearson; and the prints from Barclay Butera.
Gang:
Happy Monday!
As you know, John and I have our hands in loads of projects–from interior design to writing for magazines. One of my gigs is as a Contributing Editor for Minneapolis St. Paul Home magazine, a sister publication to Delta Sky where I am the Global Lifestyle Editor (fancy title, n’est-ce pas?).
This month for Minneapolis St. Paul Home I penned an article entitled “Ethnic Elan” on how to bring some far-flung favor into your home.
Take a look: I hope you find inspiration…
P.S. If the screen captures, above and below, are too small to read the text, e-mail me at jason@madcapcottage.com, and I will send you a pdf of the story.
Here's page two of my "Ethnic Elan" story. Just look at that divine bed from Century and those glorious Iznik tiles from Ann Sacks... The Moroccan pendant is from Currey & Company, and the wallpaper hails from Thibaut.
Tags: Ann Sacks, Barclay Butera, Century Furniture, Colony Palms Hotel, Currey & Company, Lee Industries, Palm Springs, Pearson, Taigan, Thibaut
Posted in Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, DIY, Fabrics, Hanging artwork, Hotel design, india, Interior Design, Lighting, Morocco, New York Interior Designer, Road Trip, Tips for Design Small Spaces, Turkey, upholstery | No Comments »
Friday, March 9th, 2012
Your favorite Madcap Cottage gents make an appearance in the April 2012 issue of Family Circle magazine talking about a cheap-and-chic way to transform your home. Paint the front door!
Gang:
I am a total broken record when it comes to certain design tricks of the trade. And, as you know, one of my most favorite quick fixes is to paint your front door a bright color in a high-gloss paint to create some impact, some drama.
You want to show that you have arrived, n’est-ce pas?
So here are the Madcap Cottage boys in the April issue of Family Circle magazine extolling the virtues of painting your front door. Spring is here: Why not bust out some paint and take your front door from nice to knockout…
Here's the front door at Madcap Cottage... The high-gloss yellow paint really creates some impact and a focal point. Do try this at home.
Tags: Color, Curb appeal, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage, Paint the front door
Posted in Before and After, Color, Curb appeal, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, DIY, Gardens, Interior Design, Landscaping, Paint, Paint a front door, Renovations, Weekend warrior | No Comments »
Wednesday, March 7th, 2012
Here's Jasper looking extra angelic last Christmas at John's parents' home in Des Moines, Iowa. Jasper is posing upon a Manuel Canovas-covered sofa that was once John's grandmother's and that we had restored and reupholstered. The image of Jasper appeared on Demystifying Design a few months back and inspired designer/blogger Ivy de Leon to have a custom pillow crafted in Jasper's honor. Viva Ivy!
Gang:
As I mentioned, John and I are just back from the Design Bloggers Conference in LA…
One of the best parts of the conference was making new connections and meeting many folks whom we know over Facebook, Twitter, and the blog airwaves but have never met in person.
One such meeting was with the divine Ivy de Leon, a fabulous designer-cum-blogger based in New Jersey whom John and I met thanks to her wonderful comments on Demystifying Design. If you haven’t visited this dynamo’s blog, you must: www.ivydeleon.com.
Anyhow, a few weeks back–and before we actually met in the flesh in LA–Ivy informed us that she had a friend who makes custom pillows and that she had been inspired by a photo that we had posted of our pound rescue Boston Terrier-Boxer mix, Jasper, to create a pillow in his honor.
Wow!
And so–again without ever having met–the terrific Ivy de Leon had her pal Isabel Huelbig of Isabel Huelbig Textiles craft an appliqué pillow featuring Jasper.
Says Ivy:
“I am very excited to introduce Isabel Huelbig of Isabel Huelbig Textiles, based in Hightstown, New Jersey. I met Isabel on a decorating project. I was impressed when I saw her signature pillows and had to share them with you. Isabel turns a digital photo into a one-of-a-kind creation by transferring the image onto fabric and using an appliqué technique. Each color and piece of fabric is carefully selected to produce her signature pillows. It’s like putting together a puzzle. Isabel prefers to work with photos taken outside on a bright overcast day. The pillows are so amazing, I consider them art.”
So we finally met Ivy last week in LA and were smitten, and then the custom Jasper pillow arrived today.
Wow, two delicious whammies in one week.
Jasper loves his new perch!
Thank you, Ivy! You are a delicious treat.
And the design takeaway? Have fun with your pillows, and mix it up!
P.S. If you want to reach out to Isabel Huelbig, visit Ivy de Leon’s blog and ask her for the fab Izzie’s contact information.
Jasper poses with his bespoke pillow crafted by Isabel Huelbig Textiles on a frondy Baker chair in our living room at Chester Court. The appliqué portrait looks just like him, n'est-ce pas? Thank you, Ivy!
Tags: Applique, Custom pillow, Design Bloggers Conference, Isabel Huelbig, Ivy de Leon, Jason Oliver Nixon, John Loecke, Madcap Cottage
Posted in Color, Demystifying Design, Design, Design Guru, Design Lessons, Fabrics, Furniture Recovering, Interior Design, New York Interior Designer, Pets | No Comments »
