O’Keeffe knew she wanted to be an artist from the age of 10. Her official artistic education took place at the Art Institute of Chicago and then the Art Students League in New York, where she was taught in the school of traditional, realist painting. On leaving, however, she soon branched out. Her first exhibition, held in New York, 1916, was of a series of abstract charcoal drawings, and it changed her life. Not only did it mark her card as an artist at the heart of American modernism, but the gallery owner Alfred Stieglitz, though 23 years her senior and married at the time, would soon become her husband. By the mid 1920’s O’Keeffe was one of America’s most well known artists, her large-scale flowers and New York cityscapes already commanding huge commercial value. It is, however, her love affair with New Mexico that she’s probably best known for – both professionally and personally.

O’Keeffe discovered her beloved Santa Fe in 1929. Keen to escape the summers she’d been spending with her husband and his family on Lake George, she first visited that year and never really looked back, endlessly inspired by its raw, desert landscapes, indigenous art and distinctive local adobe architecture. Although Stieglitz would never join her there, she spent months each year touring the country before moving permanently after his death. In 1940, she put her roots down, purchasing the Ghost Ranch, followed by a second house in the village of Abiquiu in 1945. She would live between the two until 1984, when she moved back to Santa Fe where she died in 1986 at the age of 98.

Both houses display the sort of style that has become synonymous with O’Keeffe. Known for what Vogue described as her ‘monastic simplicity by way of the Southwest,’ she was a minimalist and her homes were the same. She fell in love with The Ghost Ranch, a low, unassuming house in the middle of nowhere on a dude ranch, at first sight, saying “as soon as I saw it, I knew I must have it.” For her, the place’s appeal lay in its oneness with nature. As she wrote to the painter Arthur Dove in 1942, “I wish you could see what I see out the window—the earth pink and yellow cliffs to the north—the full pale moon about to go down in an early morning lavender sky . . . pink and purple hills in front and the scrubby fine dull green cedars—and a feeling of much space—It is a very beautiful world.”

That beautiful world was as much a part of the house as it was its setting. Remote in the extreme, powered only by generator and miles from anyone else, it was a place of solace and for solitary living for O’Keeffe. Her corner bedroom featured two glass walls looking out onto the vast expanse of the hills around her and her own ‘private mountain,’ the Cerro Pedernal, although often, she would sleep up on the roof under the stars, before heading out in her Mark 2 Ford for a day painting outside. By night, she would retreat home to her simple, whitewashed walls, basic kitchen and sparse but carefully chosen furniture. Today, it is all kept much the same by the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum and Cultural Centre, who have restored both of her houses to their former glory. Visitors to them can’t help but notice the extraordinary, zen-like yet earthy quality they exude. They are struck by their dreaminess and their otherworldly calm, by a sense that makes them feel at once overawed by and totally at peace with the dramatic countryside they sit in. You could say exactly the same for O’Keeffe’s body of work.

 Photo Courtesy of Getty Images, Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

Photo Courtesy of sotherbys.com

 When taking the traditional route, however, ensuring the quality of the flowers one sends is all in the caliber of florist you choose. On this front, we decided to do the research for you, asking some of our most stylish friends to open their little black books and divulge their favorite florists from all around the world. Well travelled, entrepreneurial, creative and chic no matter which city they may find themselves in, these mothers know good flowers when they see them. From Paris to Hong Kong, New York to London, here are their recommendations.

New York

Jackie Astier
Mother of two girls. Stylist, Editor, Interior Designer, Creative Director of fashion brand ASTIER

Favorite Florist:  Zezé, 9338 First Avenue, New York

Los Angeles

Jennifer Creel
Mother of 2 boys and a girl. Jeweller Designer, Actress

Favorite Florist: Eric Buterbaugh. He’s the best, love his flowers.

Paris

Pamela Boulet
Mother of two sons. Philanthropist and Democratic fundraiser, Pamela organizes trunk shows for Andrew Gn, donating proceeds to favorite charities

Favorite florist: La Chaume on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, because it’s been in existence since 1845 and is still so chic.

Debbie Oppenheimer
Mother of two girls. Interior Designer and business owner, Furniture and Accessories Designer

Favorite Florist: Eric Chauvin, in Paris.

London

India Hicks
Mother of four boys and a tomboy. Model, designer, author and founder of Indiahicks.com

Favorite Florist: Rob Van Helden for flowers that are imaginative, original and super chic.

Hong Kong

Gemma Soames
Mother of one boy. Style writer and journalist

Favorite Florist: Ellermanns in Hong Kong is a wonderful place to head for flowers that are lovely, natural and little bit undone whilst still remaining extremely chic. Their shop in Sheung Wan also sells great homewares and accessories, too. .

Saint Tropez

Emily Fisher
Mother of two girls Interior Designer

Favorite Florist: Really, I love buying flowers in the Tuesday and Saturday markets. But Martinaud in Saint Tropez is brilliant for wonderful fresh blooms that last for days. I head there for huge hydrangeas and peonies in divine colours.

Photo Courtesy of Ellermann, Eric Chauvin, Rob Van Helden

New York
Eat
Jack’s Wife Freda on Lafayette Street in Soho. I long for their Kale Greek salad with Peri-Peri chicken. It’s a great place to catch the downtown fashion set, and it feels equally as ‘at home’ alone, on a date or with a group.

Shop
John Derian, just off of Bowery, is like a treasure chest, an absolute cabinet of curiosities. I buy a lot of hostess gifts there, such as his classic decoupage trays.

Play
Nitehawk Cinema, in Williamsburg, is a climate-controlled treat on a hot summer night. They show new releases, indie films and cult classics in a very hip space, serving a full menu – from snacks to main dishes to cocktails. White wine, tater tots and Only Lovers Left Alive? Yes, please.

Hong Kong
Eat
Cocotte, in Central, is my favorite new restaurant by miles. Their vegetarian truffle spaghetti is to die for, and the space is a little jewel box of chic design. I’m so looking forward to their forthcoming lunch service, as my office is only steps away …

Shop
Callixto. I was lucky enough to snag a workspace in the back office of this store from Sasha Dennig, along with her sister Claire, a jewelry designer. The boutique is a brick-and-mortar realization of the Callixto site, and features curated collections of colorful jewelry and accessories sourced from every corner of the world. It’s perfect for grabbing a last minute gift or treating myself (a little too often) to something shiny.

Play
On weekends, its fun to pack a picnic and drive out to Shek-O for a little beach time, or to hike the nearby Dragon’s Back trail. The village itself is also full of quirky restaurants and strange little alleyways, made for wandering.

Amagansett, Hamptons
Eat
I know it’s summer when I’ve had my first lobster roll of the season at Clam Bar and had my first al fresco taco session at La Fondita. Follow with a bottle of Wolffer and mix with friends!

Shop
The Amagansett Square area is home to many of my favorite Hamptons shops, including Love, Adorned, Rube, Beach Stop, and Sylvester & Co., as well as Tiina and Home Nature just steps away.

Play
I got in to paddle boarding through my mom, who is so crazy for it, she’s done miles long midnight races from Sag Harbor to Shelter Island. Paddle Diva, run by the fabulous Gina, offers classes and private lessons from Montauk to East Hampton. Such a great core workout, interspersed with reflective moments admiring the natural beauty Hamptons waterways. Heaven!

http://www.luciatait.com/

New York
Eat
EN Brasserie. I think it’s the most authentic Japanese food I’ve ever found outside of Japan.

Shop
I don’t’ really shop in New York surprisingly but my favorite shoe store is Barker Black.

Play
I collect a lot of photography and my collection has grown too large, so now I tend to buy only at charity auctions. The only thing I collect now is wine – but that’s good because that gets used up! So you don’t end up with too much stuff.

Los Angeles
Eat
A new place with amazing food is Factory Kitchen and of course, Chateau Marmont.

Shop
I do that whole Melrose strip from Fred Segal, hitting all the shops to the other end of Maxfield.

Play
Kind of with eating as well is Chateau Marmont – it’s always fun for big long boozy dinners.

Manila
I haven’t been there enough to have any regular spots yet but will circle back with answers soon!

Whilst 1040 Fifth Avenue might not have been anything like as large as the living quarters she had been afforded in the White House, visitors to it noted the same design touches, it’s old world feel, and it’s lack of pretension and it’s cosiness. During Sotheby’s famous sale of it’s contents in 1996, the world was granted a glimpse inside its doors. And, as Carolina Herrera once said of it in an interview in Vanity Fair, “”It was an apartment of someone who comes from an old family. Not a showplace full of marble like the homes of all these new people. It was her taste.”

That taste preferred the personal over the grand. A fan of print and colour, Jackie liked to head to a firm called Design Works for her prints in the early 1970′s. Red and gold drapes coloured the dining room, whilst chintzes covered the sofas, and bold, graphic prints were found on tablecloths.  A fan of chinoiserie, she decorated with laquer cabinets, blue and white chinoiserie lamps and even had a screen festooned in cherry blossom. There was an easel she liked to draw at in the living room, books scattered throughout the apartment, pictures of horses and dogs on the walls and the same kitchen existed virtually unchanged for the thirty odd years she lived there. 1040 5th Avenue was a home – not a style statement. Much like with her approach to fashion, it was the result of an uncompromising approach to her very own and very personal aesthetic – and no one else’s.  Click through our gallery above for pictures of it here.

Pictures:

Painting by Aaron Shikler of Jackie Kennedy with John and Caroline in the Living room at 1040 Fifth Avenue

The entrance to 1040 Fifth Avenue

Jackie, John and Caroline outside 1040 Fifth Avenue

Ron Gallela’s shot of Jackie outside her apartment

Interiors pictures from the Sotheby’s sale of the apartment contents, 1996

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

All The Buildings of New York: That I’ve drawn so Far by James Gulliver Hancock, published by Rizzoli available at amazon.com

All images from James’s blog http://allthebuildingsinnewyork.com/new/

And so we launch our new blog series, Dames in their Drawing Rooms, kicking off with Lee Radziwill, a bastion of chic, sister of Jackie Onassis, and all round style icon in the real sense of the word. Lee Radziwill has had homes all over the world – from London to Paris, via New York. She’s been friends with Capote and Warhol, a doyenne of society in London and New York, she travelled with the Rolling Stones, had an affair with Peter Beard, known Nureyev and published a book of her happy memories – and she’s done it all looking immaculate. Today, as featured in T magazine, her Paris apartment speaks volumes about her style. Classic elements, splashes of colour, an understated, unstudied sort of chic all come together with an elegance that’s unmistakeable and subtle – just the sort of kind you’d want.

Go back a few years, and you’ll find those style signatures there, too. They’re in her infamous ‘Turkish Room,’ the Renzo Mongiardino designed drawing room of her 1960′s London home that was festooned in Indian block printed fabric, they’re in her New York city library, an ode to La Manach in ceiling to floor print, and they’re in her Avenue Montaigne overlooking Paris abode, too. Colour, print, nick nacks and treasures – all have their place in these pictures.  Click through our gallery to see the drawing rooms of one amazing Dame.

Pictures: 1-4, Lee Radziwill’s Paris apartment shot by Francois Halard for T Magazine 2013. Pictures 5,6, Lee Radziwill’s New York apartment shot by Eric Bowman April 09 Elle Decor, Picture 7, Lee in her Turkish Room, London, Image: Happy Times, Cecil Beaton,

At NY Magazine’s The Cut, Sharp, style.com and WWD, the camera catches the spirit that is Blue- his intelligence, style and elegance.

And for more of Blue, no need to search far for his byline at the Huffington Post, Forbes, South China Morning Post, or on his own aptly-named blog, style intel. Blue is certainly not a passing trend…