Influential Design Duo Remembered

Waking up to the news of the Colorado movie theater massacre marked another event in what feels like a summer of tragedies.  Some of those tragedies have hit closer to home than others for me.

Last weekend, Peter and Mona Branagh were killed in a small plane crash on their way from California to Aspen.  Peter was a third-generation developer and Mona a complimentary interior designer in the Bay Area community where I grew up, and perhaps without consciencely knowing it, their projects had major impact on my own design aesthetic.

The home above, developed by Branagh, is typical of the traditional exteriors he is most well-known for.  In an area most typically known for more casual ranch style homes, the Branaghs brought a bit of East Coast-inspired gracious living to the West.  

As early as five years old, I envied the Branagh-built home of my Kindergarten best friend, with its formal entertaining rooms and extensive millwork and dental molding.  Ten years ago this summer, my parents moved into a Branagh-built home themselves, and it's a home I love visiting.  Built almost twenty-five years ago, it's a classic, with details like an all-white kitchen and curving staircase that will never go out of style.  

Classic, too, are the interiors designed by Mona, always understated and elegant...

I've been thinking about the extended Branagh family a lot this week and will remember their influence on the community every time I visit home.

Breakfast with Kravet at House Beautiful's Kitchen of the Year

This morning I went to a breakfast hosted by Kravet offering a private tour of House Beautiful's Kitchen of the Year 2012 in Rockefeller Plaza.  It was a bright, refreshing space.  Totally functional, a modern farmhouse kitchen...

I was afraid they were trying to push electric stoves on us, but they just couldn't run gas into the space.  

The always-delightful Newell Turner chatted about the details of the space, pictured above with Publisher Kate Kelly Smith, a representative from Kravet, and the kitchen's designer, Mick De Giulio.

It's hard to see in this picture, but one of my favorite details was the fruit bowl recessed into the countertops.

And these silver-leafed glass subways tiles were gorgeous...

But the best detail was the bright blue ceiling in the butler's pantry...

Which was my favorite part of the entire kitchen!  In fact, I'd be happy if my tiny NYC kitchen was the size of this butler's pantry .  

Check out House Beautiful's professional pictures of the space, including the amazing accompanying outdoor kitchen with pizza oven... or wait until October to see it in the magazine...

Mario Buatta: Master of the Country House

I was out with one of my favorite followers last night (hi Hawk!), and she reminded me that I've been a bad blogger of late!  I've been swamped on a very big project, running all over town sourcing, and spending very little time in front of a computer.  

I met a lovely couple last month and have been busily working on their new country estate, nearing completion this fall.  It will be magnificent, very Georgian with classic English interiors.  Think along these lines...

To date, it's been an inspiring project to work on, and humbling to work with clients with absolutely impeccable taste who equally trust my taste and judgement in designing their magnificent home.  A sampling of the fabrics I was preparing to later present to them at their jaw-dropping Manhattan apartment (designed by David Easton in the late 90's... that's not intimidating or anything ;)...

The Master areas will be in a tranquil blue scheme, with heavenly fabrics from Brunschwig & Fils, Scalamandre, and Colefax and Fowler.  My client is so excited about it, she told me I'm the next Mario Buatta... flattery will get you EVERYWHERE I tell you!  Upon looking through some of his bedrooms on Architectural Digest, I can see that studying decades of his work has obviously taught me well, he really is the Master of traditional country house interiors...

This room designed by Buatta in Long Island has a similar feel to what we're doing in the Master...

As does this room he designed in 1984... classic interiors are timeless!  The other bedrooms will have a similar vibe (with the exception of the son's room, which will be very gentlemanly, but that's for an entirely different post):

Not a bad way to spend the dog days of summer, right?  I'll try not to be a stranger!