Just Looking

It may be considered rude to peer into other people's windows while passing by, but if the curtains are open I see it as an invitation. I don't mean that in a creepy way; I really just like seeing how others decorate their homes. I think it’s a harmless hobby, so as long as the shades are open, I’ll be a browsin’.

Los Angeles based interior designer, MichaelS. Smith, has designed many a room that I would love to lay my eyes on. He is internationally acclaimed and creates a pleasant mélange of modern and traditional, and American and European styles. His portfolio includes both residential and commercial interiors and he is the current decorator of the White House. If fashionista Michelle Obama can get down with his décor, I certainly can too.

His fourth book, Building Beauty: The Alchemy of Design, hits shelves this spring. Just to get a taste of his style, here is a selection of his lush designs:

  

All photos via here

Palazzo Chupi

    You can expect to see the unexpected in New York City; characters and stores worthy of second glances. I regret not taking a picture of the man dubbed Chandelier and his friend King Charles V…or was it the VI? Chandelier had a head full of dreads that he habitually spray-painted gold, and King Charles was a wandering man with nothing but a rocking horse and a portfolio of amateur photographs. I had been putzing around NoHo with a couple of friends and when we came across these two, a quick chat was too tempting to pass up. Before ending our amicable conversation, I managed to touch one of Chandelier’s metallic stalactites (I honestly have no idea what prompted me to reach out) and purchase a King Charles original print for $1. I asked the King if he would sign the back with a personal message and indeed he did: “I like pizza”.

But I digress, on a completely different note, while I was walking down W. 11^th in the far West Village, I was awestruck by the site of of a massive pink complex looming over its’ neighboring apartments. Palazzo Chupi, the name that is printed on the front of the building, is a set of residential condominiums designed by artist Julian Schnabel. Schnabel has received both praise and protest for his lavish design that is debated to be a work of art and a homage to himself. 

The 50,000 sq ft structure includes a triplex, two duplexes, two single-floor residences, an indoor parking garage and a swimming pool. Before Schnabel discovered the building through artist Roy Lichtenstein, it had acted as a stable and a perfume factory. These days, Palazzo Chupi remains relatively vacant save for the duplex that Schnabel occupies. Apparently Richard Gere purchased one of the single-floor residences for $12 million a few years back but never moved in...I think all that pink left him chupified.

Here are the shots I took:

And now for some Chupa Chup access only pics:

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Last but not least, the artist himself: 

Julian Schnabel via here

Decades of Decorating

    My love for interior design began with a random obsession with dentist’s offices at the age of eight.  I would draft said rooms over and over, each one differing solely in theme. The chair would always be in the exact same place, but its form would vary from watering can to giraffe to candy corn. The chair was the focal point, and from there came the inspiration for the rest of the room. The candy corn chair was surely accompanied by a lollipop stool, marshmallow cabinets and chocolate dental instruments.

After my dental period came the hotels and mega mansions. The blueprints were never large enough, and upon completion, they resembled unfolded road maps of taped together printing paper. I would work on these designs for hours with my friend Ashley; much of the time was devoted to the addition of plants. The two of us shared the philosophy that when it came to vegetation there was no room for moderation. Empty corner? Throw a ficus in it.

These days, my passion persists, but I no longer spend my time drafting dentist's offices and small-scale palaces. I prefer to keep a portfolio of rooms, styles and products that I have discovered via the Internet. One of my favorite types of decor is Moroccan, so I've included a couple examples of this welcoming style that embraces the warm hues of Western Africa and the blue-greens of the Mediterranean. 

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