Kotur » interior design

A Study in Blue

admin — Tue, 08 Nov 2016 07:07:36 +0000

“All About Yves”, the story of the Yves Klein Table Bleu in this month’s Architectural Digest, features various owners of the famous cocktail table, myself included, and the individual ways these owners have incorporated the table into their homes and lives- some in modernist settings, others as part of an eclectic vision of texture and print. For me, the table has lived in and traveled from a sleek modern high rise flat, to a deco period townhouse, and has adapted easily between settings, always the biggest personality in the room. In its current study, it sits in the middle of a spectrum of blues, an idea to create a feeling of nature, water, sky, without concern for matching hues as nature doesn’t seem to mind when the leaf is a different shade to the grass… As with any endeavour, follow what you love and, make it your own.

Photo courtesy of Architectural Digest, Photographer Simon Upton

Click on images below to shop:

4 Favourite Decorating Books

admin — Thu, 12 May 2016 06:40:19 +0000

When it comes to decorating books, I’m a firm believer in the idea that one should always start with the classics. Trends come and go, but so many contemporary designs are inspired by the mothers and fathers of modern interior decorating and understanding what they were all about has been key, for me, to developing my own approach and style. Their books are all about story telling, proportion and decoration, about creating an ambiance and a way of living, and each one is so reflective of the character of the decorator. All the designers I place in this category are strong personalities with equally strong visual vocabularies that endure time and continue to inspire – and applying their lessons to modern day living often makes for the most effective approach. Here are the four books I couldn’t have done without.

Billy Baldwin – Decorate

One of the first books that got me into decorating, I came across Billy Baldwin on my mother’s bookshelf. What struck me initially was that he had this tiny apartment (as did I, at the time,) and yet he still managed to create a fantastic space in which all of the elements worked together to make something so visually appealing. His book wasn’t just about decorating, although he did have this wonderful, snappy style, it was more about living. Yes, he had his iconic pieces such as his slipper chair, but it all seemed to be more about how people interacted, about pulling up a pouf and having a conversation, than perfectly placed pieces. It struck me as a very good place to start.

Dorothy Draper – Decorating is Fun and In The Pink

Dorothy Draper inspired a whole era of design in Hollywood Regency. One of the first professional women to decorate, her iconic spaces created at the Carlyle, the Fairmont and the Metropolitan Museum’s original restaurant around their fountain (where I spent many childhood afternoons,) still inspire countless imitations. At KOTUR we often refer to her bold use of color and geometric patterns (she was famous for her chequerboard floors,) in our collections.

Tony Duquette – More is More

Duquette was a set designer, jewelry designer, costume designer and decorator, and his maximalist approach is something I’ve always admired. Specifically, his contribution to America’s adoption of Chinoiserie, and the lavish sort of lacquer filled, glossy and sumptuous interiors of the 1960’s he produced have inspired me both at home and at Kotur, where we often look to Duquette for a little dusting of magic.

David Hicks – On Decoration

A full set of Hicks’ original, out-of-print books bought at abe.com is one of my most treasured possessions. The debonair British King of Print who reigned supreme in the 60’s and 70’s was known for his unabashed use of color and geometric design, no matter how grand the project he was dealing with. His prints still seem just as of the moment today as they did when they were first produced in his heyday – I have his wallpaper in my son’s bedroom and his printed linen forms the canopy of my bed. Eclectic and unfussy, yet always attention grabbing in the best sort of way, Hicks is a designer I have looked to for inspiration time and time again.

Photo courtesy of amazon.com

The World of KOTUR: Mario Buatta – Fifty Years of American Interior Decoration Part II

kotur — Mon, 15 Dec 2014 01:05:36 +0000

As Paige Rense, Editor Emeritus of Architectural Digest, puts it in her foreword to Mario Buatta’s new book, “It seems impossible to imagine being depressed in a Mario Buatta interior.” The Prince of Chintz is also a master of color with a passion for print that has seen him transform beautiful and often extremely grand homes and spaces into rooms that are as comfortable and welcoming as they are a spectacle for five decades. In his book, a retrospective of his glittering career, images of the houses he has decorated all over the world are compiled in his self-styled, “Buattapedia.” Here are some of our favorites.

“This is the first room – a decorator’s show house in Greenwich, Connecticut – I ever had published; it was in the September 1969 issue of House and Garden. I used a lot of my own furniture in the space, including a sofa that I had slip covered and a French screen in the corner.”

Image from Architectural Digest

“Mario’s living room, designed as the original house’s library, is glazed in three shades of lime green and creamy white, with a faux-sisal painted floor. Over the sofa hangs Mario’s collection of dog paintings. He often jokes, “These paintings are my ancestors. Seriously, I love dogs.” To the left of the sofa is a blue and white French screen, which he would hide behind to overhear prospective clients’ first impressions.”

Image from Architectural Digest

“The master bedroom is a blush color with an even paler pink-ground Lee Jofa chintz used on the four poster bed. On the slipper chair is a pale turquoise lily block print from Jean Monro. Mario remarks, “I love the idea of mixing several patterns. It’s like a garden with different flowers and plants – suddenly you see a lot of this and then a lot of that. It grows over time.”

Image from Architectural Digest

It was this iconic bedroom created for the 1984 Kips Bay Show House that earned Mario the moniker “The Prince of Chintz” from news reporter Chauncey Howell. House Beautiful Editor Margaret Kennedy, who devoted the cover and seven pages to the room in the magazine, says, “If a particular room at a particular moment can define an era, this was it… The genius of the room was that in the midst of muchness, the airiness of the white bed calmed it down, as did the pale lavender walls, which receded. At the height of America’s obsession with English country style, Mario’s interpretation was the best.”

Image from Architectural Digest

“Watermelon walls were hand painted by artists Robert Jackson and Haleh Atabeigi to resemble eighteenth-century Chinese wallpaper in the dining room. A pale blue ceiling suggests the sky. The outdoor garden setting is complemented with the flowering-treillage carpet, the only floor covering in the main rooms.

Image from Architectural Digest

All quotes taken from Mario Buatta Fifty years of American interior Decoration, Published by Rizzoli and out now.

The World of KOTUR: Tory Burch gives Kotur her top tips on how to Accessorise the home

kotur — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 06:17:22 +0000

As a designer we really admire, Tory Burch is a woman whose style tips have come in handy many a time when it comes to choosing anything from a bikini to a black tie outfit. Known for applying her same signature and extremely sleek aesthetic to our wardrobes for quite some years, she has now turned her hand to homewares, creating a collection of home accessories inspired by some of her favourite things she has picked up around the world over the years as well by her family home she grew up in. The results are, as one would expect, chic, sleek and just a little bit retro. Here, she gives her top tips on how to approach accessorising your home.

When decorating or setting a table, I love mixing colors and patterns or using different shades of a single color. The combination is casual but elegant.

Pillows are an easy way to introduce color, texture or a graphic element to a room. They can also warm up any space and I love pillows that have humorous sayings—there is usually a great story!

Interesting objects give a room dimension and can be wonderful conversation starters when you’re entertaining. I love finding unique pieces from wherever I travel.

I like to use interesting pieces that bring together form and function—from my Imari vases or handpainted Italian pottery to a unique bar set and coasters.

I have many framed photographs of my friends and family at home. The pictures remind me of the good times we’ve shared or of how much my boys have grown over the years.

Coffee table books are a great addition to a living room. I stack groups of them on a wide range of subjects—our guests are always entertained.

Tory’s home collection is available here

www.toryburch.com

Tory Burch Hong Kong Boutiques:

Times Square

3rd Floor, 1 Matheson Street

Causeway Bay, Hong Kong Hong Kong

+ 852 3421 1229

IFC mall

2nd Floor, 8 Finance Street

Central, Hong Kong Hong Kong

+852 2234 7282

Harbour City

Ocean Centre, 3-27 Canton Road

Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong Hong Kong

+852 3755 4042

The World of KOTUR: Rita Konig talks Kotur through how to dress the drinks table…

kotur — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 05:21:05 +0000

As an interior designer, design writer and all round style maven, Rita Konig knows a thing or two about how to entertain. Better still, in a recent collaboration with The Lacquer Company as seen in our gallery above, she has helped us get one step closer to perfect hostess-dom with the launch of her collection of tables, ice buckets and trays in brilliant colours, each one perfect for furnishing the ultimate drinks tray at home. Here, she talks us through how to dress your drinks table – be it for mixing your own cheeky martini or serving up bloody mary’s to a team of lunch guests, here’s everything you’ll need to meet the occasion.

Rita Konig on how to dress your drinks table

I like a well stocked bar. There is nothing nicer than walking into a room and seeing all those bottles, glasses and accoutrements at the ready for you to march up to it and mix yourself or your guests something refreshing. This is not very hard to do and it is just so pleasing when all you need to do is fill the ice bucket and grab a lemon to get a good drink together.

Don’t feel that you need a mass of swanky bottles of stuff you never drink, just have what you use. I like a good gin (Monkey 57 or Hendricks,) vodka, whisky, Campari and some delicious Thunderbolt caramel vodka I was given – delicious and lethal. Then various glasses, one style does not do all. A couple of martini glasses, some good tumblers and something for champagne or wine. I like a some jars of olives, almonds (spanish) and pickles for bloody marys. You will also want to have Tabasco, Agostura Bitters, Lea & Perrins and horseradish there on a permanent basis. Then cocktails shakers, these should always be silver and/or glass, avoid stainless steel they always look nasty in the drawing room. Mixers are important and I have a wire basket under my bar with them all thrown in there, small bottles of tonic, soda and ginger ale. Personally, I like Schweppes the best. Ice buckets are important and they add some life and colour to the table – all ice cubes are not the same, they need to be very large and frosty. There is really nothing worse than a small ice cube melting in your drink.

Rita’s Shopping List for your Drinks Table:

Large bottle of Tabasco

Angostura Bitters

Lea and Perrins

Horseradish

Spanish almonds

Jar of olives

Mini chopping board for lemons

Mini cans or better still small skinny glass bottles of Schweppes mixers

Cocktail shaker

Laguna B glasses (I like all of them)

Large twisty plastic ice trays for large frosty ice cubes

Colourful ice bucket from The Lacquer Company

A large lamp, always makes the table feel more inviting

Rita Konig for The Lacquer Company is available here www.thelacquercompany.com

www.ritakonig.com

The World of KOTUR: Dames in their Drawing Rooms: Estee and Evelyn Lauder

kotur — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 07:24:56 +0000

The Lauder family’s Palm Beach home is almost the stuff of legend. First built in 1938, the Neoclassical mansion found perched on the oceanfront was bought by Estée and Joe Lauder in the 1960s. They moved in in 1964, before passing the house on to their son Leonard and his new wife Evelyn on Estée’s retirement. Today, it bears the hallmarks of both remarkable ladies, women with the sort of style you wish you could bottle and unleash at will. A reminder of days gone when people sat in parlours and hand painted wall papers were de rigeur, it serves as intoxicating design inspiration for summer friendly homes and extremely chic living.

One of the first things Evelyn did on moving into 126 South Ocean Boulevard was to paint the hallway sunshine yellow (Estée had fashioned it in greyish beige.) As seen in these pictures, shot for Architectural Digest, a renovation in conjunction with New York interior designer Thad Hayes saw elements of the house revamped under Evelyn’s eye, whilst still keeping the spirit of both Estée’s original design and the house’s history. The candy pink chairs out on the lawn were originally Estee’s, the hand painted Chinoiserie wallpaper in the dining room is a reproduction of the original, even the stove and fridge were restored to keep the lovely retro kitchen, but the house is also littered with Evelyn’s much loved Asian artifacts and touches of Oriental design – as seen in the sun room, a vision of bamboo and blue and white Brunschwig and Fils print. Whether seen through the prism of Estée’s stewardship or Evelyn’s, the house bears testament to a bygone era of glamour and the Lauder family’s particular brand of chic. Call it retro, call it Palm Beach classic, call it old fashion opulence, call it what you will – it looked damn good then, and still does now.

Click through our gallery above for images.

Pictures:

126 Ocean Boulevard Drive

Estée Lauder in her Palm Beach Dining Room, Town & Country March 1974

The hallway, facade, Florida Room, the kitchen, the revamped dining room and oceanfront terrace all shot by Scott Frances for Architectural Digest http://www.architecturaldigest.com/AD100/2010/thad_hayes/hayes_article_112000

Evelyn Lauder in the hallway, the screening room featuring Leonard Lauder’s collection of vintage posters on the walls, Evelyn Lauder on the steps of the house, all shot by Douglas Friedman for Harpers Bazaar http://www.harpersbazaar.com/magazine/feature-articles/evelyn-lauder-interview

The World of KOTUR: Fabulous Philippines Finds

kotur — Tue, 14 May 2013 08:28:09 +0000

When travelling the world for Kotur, one of our very favourite pastimes is to sneak off someplace and do a little shopping. Last week, in Manila, such an opportunity presented itself, and who were we not to make the most of a few free hours in this ever changing city. Thanks to a tip off from a friend, we found ourselves in a an area of town made up mostly of warehouses. Down an alley, wiggling though, we found two total treasure troves of design shops. The first we came across, Warehouse 17, was a wonder. Stocked with both it’s own original line and finds from around the world, it’s the brainchild of Andres Vasquez Prada, a former department store buyer and clearly a man with impeccable taste. Cleverly taking a lot of the materials that the Phillippines is know for (shell, resin, wood,) he’s clearly a fan of the natural look, with these wonderful natural materials featuring heavily thoughout his amazing shop. A giant resin tortoiseshell lit up from within, silver leaf pieces from Thailand, blown glass pieces from Germany, shagreen stools and boxes, coral lamps and some Alessi thrown in for good measure all made for an eclectic assortment that hung together beautifully. Factor in the proprietor’s own custom rug designs and beautiful bone china and you have several extremely good reasons to go visit this store!

Further down the street is another gem of a shop. The Pietro Collection is a total treasure trove, an interiors store that’s all about colour, taking European style pieces and delivering them with an Asian twist. Not shy of a statement, their huge space was full of oversized chandeliers and ceramic Chinese stools, mid century knick knacks and bamboo lamps, bright accessories and table accents, and if we’d had a container ready and waiting, we would have taken a hell of a lot of it home with us! For an incredible assortment of pieces full of life and colour and with a brilliant feel that’s both Asian inspired and rather 1960′s modern to boot, The Pietro Collection was a truly inspirational space.

Click through our gallery above for some of our favourite finds from both stores.

For information on both, please see below.

Warehouse 17 - 2241 Pasong Tamo, La Fuerza Compound, Makati, Philippines, www.w17home.com

THE PIETRO COLLECTION - La Fuerza Compound, 2241 Don Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City, Metro Manila, Philippines Phone: +63(2)3105164

The World of KOTUR: Lauren Santo Domingo’s Chic Interiors Finds

kotur — Tue, 07 May 2013 08:27:00 +0000

If you’re searching for style finds for your apartment, you probably already know that One King’s Lane should be very high up on your list of places to look. The online interiors site is chock full of brilliant bits. This week, however, those bits seem even more brilliant, with a special sale curated by Lauren Santo Domingo, she of the impeccable taste and superbly decorated New York apartment (check it out, shot for Vogue, here.)

Under the tagline of ‘Why be boring?’ hers is a curated sale full of vintage tabletop pieces, murano glass ashtrays, chinoiserie rugs, lovely prints, chandeliers and so much more that would all chic up any home any day. If eclectic is what you’re looking for, take your pick.

Check out our gallery of favourite pieces from the sale.

Shop it here https://www.onekingslane.com/sales/21179

All pictures from One Kings Lane