An Artist's Beautiful Retreat!

On a day like this when my relaxed beach self is a million miles away, and work/life balance is completely non-existent and it almost seems too much to take...

The simple country life (albeit fabulous) seems oh so tempting!

My cousin Katie who lives in my-fav-city Boston, and whose parents took care of me while I was at Boston University (love them!) sent me an email about her childhood friend who is an amazing artist and whose art studio was recently featured in Apartment Therapy.

In the words of Rachel Zoe..."I Die!" When anyone with a creative bone in their body goes to sleep dreaming about what their life could look like if they followed their hearts and made a living out of doing what they love, this would be it!

According to her website, Robin Luciano Beaty is the recipient of the '2010 Spotlight Award' for 'Outstanding Abstract Artist of the Year' and featured in 'The Wire' Magazine as one of 2009's most intriguing artists!

Robin concentrates primarily on the ancient wax based medium of Encaustic paint, a molten beeswax mixed with resin and dry pigments, which she incorporates mixed media, vintage materials, textiles and found objects. Her work has been described as "deliciously collectible."

Robin's art studio is located in Byfield, a village in the town of Newbury, located about 30 miles north-northeast of Boston and 10 miles south of the border between New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

According to Apartment Therapy, Robin's barn "set on an angle 50 feet from the road — is loosely landscaped with natural rock and wild flowers. A vintage blue Vespa sits out front adding to the warm, countryside feel. The backyard is equally charming with a small farmer's porch and a chicken coop that houses three friendly chickens. The space is light-filled, airy and spacious and houses beautiful collections of antiques and a few classic contemporary pieces. She has organized the open space to host guests, to paint, to work with the wax, to sleep and to do office work. Some days when she spends long hours in the studio she will nap upstairs on the daybed, but mostly it's used for guests. The ladder leads to a windowed cupola where she plans to build an upholstered bench for lazy afternoon reading with the best views."

Oh my god, doesn't this sound like heaven!?!?! It is truly inspiring when someone young and fabulous can create such a beautiful environment where art literally represents life.

I hope one day I have my own work space where I can be surrounded by beauty and the things I love and be truly inspired!

Check out Robin's work here!

(According to Apartment Therapy)
Resources:

HARDWARE
Anthropologie
Antique stores

FURNITURE
Couch: Crate & Barrel
Chairs: Pier 1
Vintage painting tables from antique fairs
Main painting table: IKEA
Bed: DIY from windows and doors of childhood home
Coffee table: made from leftover hemlock beams from the construction of the studio with a butcher block top
Office: IKEA

ACCESSORIES
Todd Farm Antique Fair in Rowley Massachusetts
Anthropologie
Pieces passed down from family


LIGHTING
Lowe's

WINDOW TREATMENTS
First floor drapes: DIY made with dupioni silk and family heirloom doilies

PAINT
Benjamin Moore

FLOORING
Southern yellow pine

Mad Men + Sex and the City = Alexandria?

As a semi-new NOVA (Northern Virginia) resident + a huge Mad Men fan + a girl (so obvs I love SATC)...

I was beyond thrilled to learn the set designers for both iconic shows were born and raised just down the street in Alexandria!

Dan Bishop ("Mad Men") and Jeremy Conway ("Sex and the City," the TV series and movies) grew up together in the award-winning Hollin Hills community in the Alexandria section of Fairfax County. Hollin Hills is home to the largest concentration of mid-century modern homes in the region, with 450 houses designed by architect Charles Goodman between the 1940s and 1970s. (Source: Washington Post)

Hollin Hills Home

When developer Robert Davenport and architect Charles Goodman began to collaborate on Hollin Hills in the late 1940s (the first residents moved there in 1950), they positioned the buildings so that no house looked directly into the other -- a big consideration for houses with floor-to-ceiling glass walls. Also, houses don't front the road unless they are above or below street level. (Source: Washington Post)

 

Davenport and Goodman "read" the land they were developing, keeping natural swales, hills and trees and routing roads around them. At that time, housing developers would generally buy a parcel of land, and strip and level it to fit more houses per acre and make construction easier. Hollin Hills houses, by contrast, sit above and below the curving roads, often at an angle that seems to make no sense except, one learns upon study, that the angle provides maximum exposure to sun and minimum prying from neighbors' eyes. As a bonus, the layout makes modest-size lots seem larger by "borrowing" each neighbor's landscape vistas. (Source: Washington Post)

But I digress....

Dan Bishop, is in charge of creating the ever-so-fabulous early ’60s landscape for Mad Men.

In an interview with the Chicago Tribune on the set of the show’s fictional Sterling Cooper ad agency, Bishop talked about the challenges and rewards of re-creating the era. “What I don’t like to do is copy anything” directly, Bishop said. “I like to make my own stuff as much as I can. … I don’t like to page through magazines and say, ‘Oh, here’s a corner of a room, let’s replicate that.’ I’d rather look around and see materials from a bunch of different sources and then put that research aside and just think about stuff” and then design it from scratch. (Source: Chicago Tribune)

This mid-century design movement has had such an impact, before the third season started this summer, The Washington Post ran a "Mad Men Look a Like Contest."

Here is the Silver Spring winner:

Bill O'Leary-Washington Post

Bill O'Leary-Washington Post

Bill O'Leary-Washington Post

Bill O'Leary-Washington Post

Bill O'Leary-Washington Post

And of course, one can not forget Carrie Bradshaw's newly designed "grown-up" apartment in the SATC movie! There were literally ooohhhs and aaaahhhhs in my movie theatre...okay maybe it was just me!

I am constantly inspired by the design influence here in the DC area. Play on players!!!

Don't Judge a Book by it's Cover...on second thought?

Happy Tuesday!

Sorry for the lack of post on Friday...I was enjoying one of the most beautiful weekend ever at Bethany Beach! 

And now I am back a little more rested, a little tanner, and ready for a great week of fun design.

Of course I couldn't be in Bethany without visiting my favorite antique store of all time, Beach Plum. I found two amazing pieces...for a steal...and can't wait to share them with you later this week.

But for today, I thought I'd share a super fun idea I came across. If you are like me and dream of built-in-bookcases...and items to fill the bookcases with, you have to check this out:

 

Neapolitan is a super cool company that re-covers vintage books by replacing the old original jacket with a modern looking paper jacket, and hand-calligraphed title.

This is such a great idea whether you want to fill bookcases or just update your coffee table. 

And with the Holidays just around the corner...any of these would make a fabulous gift for book lovers!

Check out their shop on Etsy shop here. 

If anyone is listening...I'll take Pride & Prejudice in a snakeskin print :)

Tommy Smythe...my hero!

A couple of me fellow bloggers already posted these photos, but I just can't resist!

These photos need to be seen!!!

Do you watch Sarah's House? Sarah Richardson is one of Canada's top designers who has about 10 TV shows, including Sarah's House on HGTV. Love!!!!

She is super talented and creative, and renovates every inch of a house turning a hot mess cooking (HMC) into a fabulous oasis. I love that she can look at a bunch of beams and floor boards, and see the potential. Check out her design website for tons of great tips and ideas! But I'll post more about her later...

The real reason for this post is her design commander-in-chief Tommy Smythe--the other reason I can't miss Sarah's House.

Besides being brilliant, uber chic, and unapologetic for his love of all things luxury, Tommy is also hilariously funny! My favorite is when he talks bitchy to ugly furniture! Or when he calls himself a Homogenius!
 

Tommy has impeccable taste. Check out his designs below...I am dying over how much I love this kitchen!!!

First, screw the Potterybarn wine cabinet I have been saving for...I want me some floor to ceiling custom wine cabinets. How great is this? Plus it's such an innovative way to maximize unused space!

I'm always a sucker for beautiful white cabinets with glass doors. But what really has me going in this kitchen are the black framed windows, and exterior lantern. How unexpected and fantastic! Lastly, I love how Tommy has added the rich brown table to the mostly black/gray/white palette. This original piece really warms up the space and keeps it from feeling too predictable.

And this bedroom! I picture Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger fighting over dibs on this rustic-Americana-chic space. I love the black/cream plaid blanket on the red/white zig zag quilt.

Tommy...my hero!

All-Nighter

Pulled an all-nighter tonight...feel like I'm back in college...just this time with more bags under my eyes! If you see a space cadet walking aimlessly around tomorrow please be kind and point me to the nearest Starbucks.

Emily Hendersen

Hopefully, I'll be able to post later today. Happy Wednesday to all...