"Yes. Please. Thank You . . . "

Greetings,

After a long, and aggressively dreary day here in San Francisco on Tuesday - I thought we could all use a little something to brighten our Wednesday.  So I offer to you - the vacation home of Oscar de la Renta in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.  You're welcome.

Cheers,

Scot

"The Lilac Party . . . "

SMW Design.  (photography by Nicolas Smith)

Greetings,

The new office is moving along quite nicely - and I'll post images of the new space once I'm a bit more settled into it.  But, with all the excitement of sorting and culling through 10 years of assorted pictures and memories - I came across these fun pictures - getting ready for a party at my house.  A little gathering from last summer.    

SMW Design (photography by Nicolas Smith)

My vintage china.  My ongoing collection of antique silver flatware.  With a centerpiece of flowers, ferns, and herbs.   And, frankly, I don't even remember what I served - lol.  But, I do remember several hours of great conversation gathered around my dining table.

Cheers,
Scot

"Sunday Runway, In Praise of Gingham . . . "

Greetings,

I've had a kinda busy weekend.  Because as a new season finally begins - a vast section of my closet begins a brisk transition from tartan - to gingham.

Here's a bit of inspiration for you - just in case you're adapting your own wardrobes to our new summer weather - Praise summer . . .

Cheers,
Scot

"Company . . . "

Greetings,

And now for something completely different.  But, I wanted to give a quick moment of attention to an amazing film I saw the other night.  "Company" is the potent Sondheim musical examining the highs and lows of married life - from the perspective of the eternally single 'Bobby.'  And was recently revived in a limited run in New York - with an amazing all-star cast.

But, why would I be telling you about this?!?!?!?  Well, simply, they filmed the stage presentation and have produced a film of the show.  And seriously, it's beautifully filmed.  We saw it just the other night and loved it!

So - check through the list of showtimes around the country HERE - and take an evening to revel in a delightful night with Sondheim.  And Neil Patrick Harris.  And Patti LuPone.  And Martha Plimpton (who is sublime!).  And Christina Hendricks.  And Stephen Cobert.

Here's a litle peek -

Pass the popcorn,
Scot

"Pass. Tell. Pink . . . "

Greetings,

We're having a shockingly bright, cheery couple of days here in San Francisco this week.  The flowers are blooming.  The skies are clear and a perfect bright blue.   And I'm fascinated with these cheery, bright interiors . . .

SMW Design, East Hampton, NY
(photography by Scot Meacham Wood)

Martyn Lawrence Bullard, for Architectural Digest 
(photography by Roger Davies)

The Home of LA Designer Joe Nye, for House Beautiful
(photography by Roger Davies)

Larry Laslo Designs

The Home of Lindsey Buckingham, from Elle Decor 
(photographed by Simon Upton)

Jamie Drake, New York, NY

Cheers,

Scot

"Sunday Runway, Patrick Grant . . . "

Patrick Grant

Greetings,

Just for your wardrobe entertainment.  This is kind of amazing.  And inspiring.

Cheers,
Scot

"Happy Father's Day . . . "

Greetings,

Wishing a Happy Father's Day to all the guys this weekend.  How are you planning to celebrate Dad's special day?

Cheers,
Scot

"Giddy Up . . . "

SMW Design, Atherton CA
(photography by Eric Tagan Hooten)

Greetings,

I received an email last week - asking if I would be available to design the interiors of a home - but, not just any ol' home.  But, a horse farm.  

Would I like to come out and have a look at the property?  Why, yes.  I'd love to.  

The Badgley Mischka home, from Elle Decor
(photography by Roger Davies)

Badgley Mischka Home, from Elle Decor  (photography by Roger Davies)

Prince Harry, ready for an afternoon of riding

From Ralph Lauren Paints

SMW Design, Atherton, CA (photography by Eric Tagan Hooten)

Cheers,
Scot

"Anatomy of an Entrance . . . "

SMW Design, East Hampton, NY.

Greetings,  

For those of you who might not know, I'm in the process of moving my office into a larger space - and expanding the staff a little bit.  That's the good news.  The bad news is I'm moving my office into a larger space and having to go through what seems like billions of pieces of paper in the process.  Invoices.  Receipts.  Workroom orders.  Pizza delivery menus.  You can well imagine!

The fun part is that I'm finding all manner of pictures and hand-scribbled notes from past projects - including this little progression of the entrance to one of our projects in the Hamptons . . .

Here's what we started with.  Beautiful architecture.
A paint colour that we needed to tweak a tiny bit.  And a few pieces of existing artwork.

Here's what I envisioned.  We would re-use an existing console that the homeowner already owned - but flank it with a pair of beautiful arm chairs to expand the presentation.   Re-use some of the existing artwork.  Add a large gold gilt mirror.  And then, prop out the surface of the console with something lovely - but pieces that didn't need a great deal of maintenance.  


Fast forwards a few months and . . . 

Here's how it turned out.  We  just added flowers and decorative pillows - and the space feels perfect.   A play of dark and light.   Antique and modern.  Formal and casual.  

And the mirror-polished herringbone floors don't hurt either . . . lol . . . but, with sensible sisal carpets at the entrances to keep and sand out.

Cheers,

Scot

"Sunday Runway, Michael Bastian . . . "

Greetings,

Well, it just kinda seemed appropriate for the newest posting in our fashion-themed Sundays to focus some attention on my friend Michael Bastian.  Last Monday evening, Michael Bastian was awarded the "Menswear Designer of the Year" from the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) - and I couldn't be more pleased and delighted.

Here are some of my favourite images of Michael's work - he's taken the idea of classic American sportswear and given it a style and attitude like few before him.

Michael Bastian, Spring 2011

Darren Criss, in Michael Bastian, from GQ

Michael Bastian Lacrosse Sweater, Fall 2010

Michael Bastian, Spring 2011

Michael Bastian, Fall 2009

Michael Bastian, Fall 2009

Michael's New York Apartment

Michael's New York Apartment

Cheers,
Scot

"Heritage Textiles from Lee Jofa . . . "

Gaddesden Floral, by David Easton

Greetings,

I still have a few stories to share from my recent trip to New York for Kravet's Blogfest 2011.  It was an action packed couple of days - and one of the true highlight of the week was the debut of a new collection of fabrics for Lee Jofa.  The new fabrics are classic patterns from the Lee Jofa line but re-interpreted by an all-star collection of current designers - bringing their own aesthetic and point of view to these classic fabrics.

It's just like time travel . . .

"Rosebank" Floral, by Diamond and Baratta

 Rosebank, which originally debuted in the 1850's - at the height of the Victorian era - is a swirl of flowers and ribbons.  And the those two kings of pattern - William Diamond and Anthony Baratta have given a perfect modern twist!

"Treyes" Handblock Floral, by Eric Cohler

Totally love this one!  Mr. Eric Cohler has taken this tree-of-life inspired hand block-printed floral from the early 1960's and re-interpreted it into a lush, new colour palette.  Originally printed on linen, Colher has also updated the textile by using glazed cotton.  The pattern consists of 20 handblocks applied to the face of the fabric to create the pattern.  Amazing.

Shiraz Floral, by Suzanne Kasler

I'm totally fascinated by this one.  Shiraz floral was originally a multi-coloured print inspired by the patterns of antique rugs - but Suzanne Kasler has simplified the pattern down to its most pure form.  “In reworking the color palette, I continued to go back to the basic pattern and how it translated into two colors,”  said Suzanne Kasler.  It's amazing how much this fabric has evolved! 

Nympheus Floral, by Thomas O'Brien

Thomas O'Brien worked with one of his favourite textiles for his part of the project.  The original Nympheus floral dates back to 1915.  He added signature elements of deep indigo to the coloration of the classic design. Says O’Brien of his preference for featuring the reverse side of the hand-blocked print, “The rich bleed-through is more abstract on the reverse side, and the pattern is softer. It takes on the feeling of a watercolor.”

Clarendon Floral, by Suzanne Rheinstein

We're heading back in the Victorian era again with the classic floral pattern "Clarendon."  Rheinstein has updated it on to a linen to perfectly suit our modern lifestyles.  “One of the things I love in my design work is the chance to use things from the past in ways that are suited for the way we live now,” says Rheinstein.  

Gaddesden, by David Easton

How perfect is this!?!?  Easton has taken a Jacobean "Tree of Life" pattern from the early 1920's and given it a perfect modern feeling.  “Gaddesden utilized the typical vine pattern current to its era that I have always liked," said Easton. “I wanted to make an older, historic pattern fresh and new and I thought this specific design leant itself to this.”

And a bit of housecleaning from yesterday's Tartanscot post - in a serious 'aw, crap,' I omitted the photo credit from yesterday's post for the wonderful opening image from the portfolio of Suzanne Tucker of Tucker and Marks.

Cheers,

Scot

(All quotes and images taken from the Kravet website.)