Barbara Sternau Interior Design

A Trip to the Juliska Flagship Shop & Warehouse

It's hard to believe it's already November and the beginning of the holiday season!   This time of year,  I feel like I'm constantly on the run and hosting lots of impromptu gatherings.  It's helpful to always keep a bottle of something sparkling in the fridge and to over-stock my pantry with simple, open-and-serve treats (cheese straws are my favorite!).   To give even the smallest of holiday get-togethers a "sense of occasion," I serve the simplest snacks on my best sterling platters.  Even potato chips and onion dip can look elegant on the right tray! 

If you want to spruce up your party platter collection this season, get thee to Juliska!!  The makers of gorgeous stemware and all things tabletop have their flagship store and warehouse in nearby Stamford, CT.  It's the perfect place to find new champagne flutes, a statement vase for your centerpiece, or an elegant gift...   

       

       

The warehouse at the rear of the building offers great discounts on discontinued items and is filled with stacks, literally stacks, of colored dishware - see me deep in shopper-mode??  Juliska is located at 465 Canal Street in Stamford, CT and is open 9-5 Mon-Fri and 12-5 on Sun.

PHOTOS:  Cheese Board/Knife Set, Berry & Thread Ceramic Dishware, Classic Bamboo tablesetting all from Juliska 2010 Summer Supplement Catalog.  Flower Tablesetting on display in shop, photo by Kitty Burruss.  Shopping photo by Barbara Sternau.

 

Decorating with Orange ~ the Color of the Moment

Last fall, a girlfriend asked for help decorating her first official Living Room.  When we started talking colors, she said "You know, I like green, but I really LOVE orange.  Can we do orange?  Do you do orange?"   I hadn't had a specific request for this color before, but once I started working on her space, I began to notice orange everywhere.  And not in the retro-Austin-Powers-ish look, but in some very crisp, elegant rooms. 

These rooms all use orange in fresh ways - instead of feeling cheesy and dated, it looks downright sophisticated when paired with the right gray and tan neutrals.  It works with traditional or contemporary looks, with sleek lines or an eclectic mix of furniture.  These rooms show orange on big pieces (see the daring upholstered sofa) or as a just a punch of color (see the single blanket and pillow in the otherwise greige room) and have inspired me to find a place for orange in more projects!

 

    

   

 

   


   

 
Photographs:  1from House Beautiful, 2 from Elle Decor, 3 by Tom Felicia for House Beautiful, 4 from April 2008 Traditional Home, 5 from House Beautiful, 6 from Elle Decor, 7 from House Beautiful, 8 by Massucco, Warner, & Miller as seen in March 2010 Traditional Home, 9 by Marsall Watson & Jeffery Kilmer as seen in House Beautiful, 10 from Elle Decor.

Taking Design Outdoors

The Garden Conservancy of Westchester County recently held one of their glorious Open Day Program   tours - which is to say, several private homeowners opened up their personal gardens for us to wander through and get inspired.  As some of these photos show, design inspiration is certainly not limited to interiors...  

                                                                                Even a functional kitchen garden can be stylish.

                         
                         A whimsical statue creates an unexpected focal point.

                        
                         Creating visual impact with layers - and the old decorator's trick of grouping like items!

                                      

                         

                          Simple decor, but oh-so-charming....

Inspiration for a Dinner Party ~

One of our favorite features at this year’s Architectural Digest Home Show (March 18-21 at Pier 94) was DIFFA’s Dining by Design installation.  A number of talented interior designers & fabric houses created 45 wildly elaborate dining environments for show attendees to oooo, aahhhh, and wonder over. 

Our favorite scene, by the Rockwell Group, projected Holly Golighty's party in Breakfast at Tiffany's  onto a blank wall.  Sitting at that table was like having dinner in the middle of Holly's place - and who hasn't wanted to go to that party?!   We immediately wanted to pull out our tiaras, pop some champagne, & figure out how to rig up this party-trick at home...

A few other favorites that inspired us to go over-the-top at our next dinner parties...

                      

                      

                     

                      

            

                        

 

Westport Design District's Big Night Out

On Thursday, Nov. 12 a host of shops in Westport, CT opened their doors for an evening of book signings, fashion shows, and cocktail parties honoring local artists and designers.  One of our favorite interior designers, Celerie Kemble, was on hand at Dovecote, to sign copies of her new book. To Your Taste offers pages of inspiring photographs from a wide range of Celerie's projects as well as lots of practical decorating suggestions - all presented in a fun, chatty tone. 

Dovecote  itself is incredibly inspiring - you want EVERYTHING you see from the moment you walk in the front doors.  (Actually, I spotted a few things to covet in the window display before I even made it inside.)  A glamorous mix of contemporary, classic, and antique furnishings act as the backdrop for loads of precious goodies - rough crystal candle votives, pheasant feathered placemats, baby soft eel-skin wallets, and luxe accent pillows....

 

The Living Room Progresses: Window Treatments

One of our goals in designing this space was to take full advantage of the bay window at one end of the room, while also drawing attention to the sweeping garden views at the opposite end of the room.   See how we used 2 types of window treatments in the same room, each to different effect.

                                             BAY WINDOW WITH STREET VIEW   

Silk drapery panels and an inviting settee set off the bay window.  Since this window faces the street, we weren't worried about blocking any of the view with panels - we just wanted to create a pretty vignette within the room.  

                                           WINDOWSEAT WITH GARDEN VIEWS

The windowseat overlooks and draws your attention to one of the best features of this home - a secluded garden in the backyard.  Using a valance on this window, rather than panels, allows a full view of the garden and won't get in the way of anyone leaning back on the windowseat. 

Now we're waiting for the final pieces of furniture to complete this project.  We'll post all of the final "Before" and "Afters" as soon as everything is installed.

Architectural Details Make All the Difference

Our project in Sleepy Hollow is fully underway, and it presents a common design challenge - how do we infuse some architectural interest into a plain 1960's box?

Here are a few of our go-to tactics:

1)  Quick Fix for the Fireplace:  A previous homeowner tried to update the standard brick-column fireplace by adding the mantle piece you see below.  We're going to take that attempt one step further by sheet-rocking over the brick above the mantle.  This is an easy fix for outdated fireplaces, and relatively inexpensive given the impact it makes!   Our carpenter installed the sheet rock in one day & we'll paint it to match the walls.

                "Before" Fireplace                                          Updated with Basic Sheetrock

  

2)  Finishing the Doorways:  Simply casing in the doorway to the dining room adds polish and makes the space feel "finished."  We'll paint it to match the rest of the moldings, and it will look as if it's always been there.   

                   "Before" Doorway                                                     "Finished" Doorway

                                          

3)  Custom Built-Ins:  The single most effective way to give a room some character is with a custom built-in.  This one will provide extra seating, display space, and make the room feel really established.  Built-ins are not a cheap fix, but custom work like this can completely transform a space.

               "Before" Window Wall                                                Custom Windowseat & Shelves

Now that we have the architectural elements in place, we can start painting and schedule our furniture delivery.  We'll post our progress in the weeks ahead...

Redecorating a Sleepy Hollow Living Room

We were recently asked to make-over this Living Room in Sleepy Hollow, NY.  It's already a pretty space, but needs a bit of an update...

                                                         "BEFORE" PHOTOS

                         

                                            

Our plan is to introduce a similar, but more sophisticated color palette & lighten up the space with a an Aubusson rug.  We'll re-upholster some of the existing pieces, allowing the budget to accommodate a custom shelving /windowseat unit.  This will give the family extra seating for large gatherings & add some much-needed architectural interest.  Here are a few of our ideas...

                    Custom Windowseat and Shelving

                                                                                

                 Similar Furniture Layout Recycling Many Existing Pieces

                                           

                                                           Muted Color Palette

The good news:  the clients loved our design concept and we start construction soon!  We'll post our progress and the details of the how it all comes together in the coming weeks...

We're Moving! around the corner...

I write this posting surrounded by boxes as we prepare for our big move tomorrow.   We found a bright, ground-floor space just across the street and around the corner from our current location, and we are excited to be moving to street level!  Our new address, as of May 28th, will be:

                                         4 South Washington, Tarrytown, NY 10591

 

  Juliette, our summer intern, preps the

  new space for a fresh paint job.  We're

  going to personally test Benjamim Moore's new

  eco-concious Aura paint.  

    

 Trying out the new paint color, Benjamin

 Moore #498 Glade Green.  We used Acadia White on all

 trim and doors.

We'll post our progress as the move continues....

 

                                     

What's happening today...

We recently walked into a client's home and came face to face with a common problem:  adumping ground of worn-in loafers, smelly gym shoes, stacks of mail, and TOO MUCH STUFF. 

                                        

                           

                                  We feel this problem must be remedied.  Immediately. 
                                     (We get stressed out just looking at it.)

So we started hunting for some storage solutions.  We love this piece from Chelsea House - it opens up to 3 shelves.  We suggest stacking shoe boxes on some shelves (for all those shoes!) as well putting in a basket to gather mail, a bowl for keys and wallet, and leaving some space empty to gather the random items that find their way home with you.  Then close the doors, and let an elegant piece greet your guests (not gym-shoe smells).  

                                 

Some foyers that inspire us to put things away....

     

 You definitely need a coat closet for this tidy look,  but can corral
keys and mail in the drawers of a classic console.

 

       
  Kick dirty shoes under a table with a pretty cloth. 
                                                                  

An "antiqued" cupboard hides any scuffs from kicking off shoes,
and stores mail and gloves out of sight.
                                                                                    

    A sophisticated tablescape on a chest that holds essentials.

These Photographs are from our personal collections of old House Beautiful, Domino, Traditional Home, and Elle Decor magazines.  We love them all and can never seem to let them go.