Harlem HOUZZ Tour

I don't usually post on the weekends, but I couldn't resist publishing this right away because I'm so excited! I recently wrote a quickie post on houzz.com, the site that allows you to find ideas from designers and DIY-ers all over the country. I'm so honored to share with you the wonderful story about our New York apartment (prior to our Austin move), Houzz Tour: Killy and Oliver's Hip Harlem Apartment: Color, Clever Storage and Editing Turns a Tiny Apartment Into a Gem, written beautifully by Houzz contributor Lily Gahagan.

This is by far the most in-depth look at our (beloved) former apartment, complete with small-space decorating tips and explanations of the driving forces behind our design decisions. Sending out a huge thank you to Lily and the Houzz team!

All photos by Frisson

Merry Christmas!

Via Elements of Style

Good morning! I can't believe 2010 is almost over and Christmas is tomorrow. This has been quite a year and I suspect 2011 has lots of exciting stuff in store. Thank you to everyone for keeping up with us and reading The Studiolo!

Chances are your holiday decorating is complete, but for those of you still pulling together last-minute gatherings and decor, enjoy this Christmas imagery.

Photo courtesy Domino

Great holiday party setup:

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I can always count on Bakerella to come up with fun holiday designs for baked goods:


Holiday ornament cards by Baker, letterpressed by Studio on Fire.


Last year's cards are worth looking at, too:

Ornament holiday greeting card by Dingbat Press

Got a party to go to, but no gift to bring? Jonathan Adler could save you with these animal and banana ornaments:

Loving the color-coordintated interior, ornaments and gifts:

Photo courtesy Domino

Photo courtesy Homes and Gardens


Via Country Living

These are great ideas if you don't have much space, but want to have some big Christmas cheer in your home:

Via Martha Stewart


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Photo courtesy Country Living


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Via Design Sponge

Some fun tree/ornament alternatives:

Papered resin deer by Ruby's Lounge


Custom Christmas wall decor by ATLITW



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Photo courtesy Domino, via Apartment Therapy

If you don't have a yard to create a Christmas scene, just bring it on inside!

Photo courtesy Domino

Merry Christmas to everyone!

Passover Table

This Passover presented another opportunity to create another tablescape using the same fine china from the Thanksgiving project.

Passover, or Pesach, commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. As many of you may know, one of Passover's most recognizable symbols is matzo, an unleavened bread made of flour and water that is baked in such a way that it does not rise into bread, but remains flat. According to the Torah, the Hebrews left Egypt with such haste that there was not time to allow baked bread to rise, thus matzo is a reminder of the rapid departure of the Exodus. Some surmise that matzo was commonly baked for the purpose of traveling because it preserved well and was light to carry. Others still believe matzo serves as a symbol to remind Jews what it is like to be a poor slave and to promote humility and to appreciate freedom. Happy stuff, no?!?

The unleavened idea runs throughout the whole Passover Seder, meaning none of the baked goods are allowed to rise, so people use almond flour and other substitutes for white flour to create a bevy of unleavened desserts.

I decided to bring this "no flour" idea into the table setting, and instead of using cut flowers, I arranged pussy willows (Salix discolor), the little branches that have precious gray furry tips (catkins). Male catkins actually bloom into little yellow buds, which I didn't know until I saw a few opening up (hence RUINING my concept of no flowers)! I kid; I'm into variety and a little departure from the concept.

Anyway, our pictures aren't the greatest, given the early evening light, but you get the idea.

Highlights: Architectural Digest Home Design Show - DIFFA Dining By Design

Last week I went to the Architectural Digest Home Design Show at Pier 94 in Manhattan. I was pretty disappointed in last year's show, but I think it's important to go to keep up with what's going on in the industry, in part, by going to as many events as possible, so I go. As always, money talks, so the big-name, financially-backed companies get large, centrally-located booths. Makes sense; they help fund these events! I understand capitalism. Last year, the big-guns showed a lot of large outdoor furniture, which I thought was a bit out of place for the New York market. This year, those vendors had much more appropriate wares. But, I still prefer to scope out the little guys, in their tiny booths off the beaten path, who showcase all their fresh, creative ideas with pizzazz.

This year's show was still a bit ho-hum as expected, but it was most definitely not a waste of time, as I found some new vendors and I ran into old ones I'd like to share.

My first stop was the Dining By Design section featuring tabletop and vignettes by various designers, sponsored by DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting Aids) because I love me a good tabletop, mmmmkay?

My favorite installation was by architect Arpad Baska, who carved out such a fun, interesting dining nook using rope and a simple color palette of red and white. Can't go wrong there. Baska brought an elegant twist to the popular nautical theme we're seeing a lot of now. I would love to dine among friends in this intimate setting.

Image courtesy Nirmada

On the other end of the spectrum, Rockwell Group put together a shimmery, glamorous table, complete with Old Hollywood movies flickering in the background. I'm not sure how well the setting would work in real life (your view of those across the table would be obstructed!) but conceptually and aesthetically, it was fantastic! I love the sparkly "screen" that catches light as it sways, and the back-lit table adds a unique touch. It's also always interesting to see what results when designers opt out of using floral centerpieces to create a very lively tablescape.

Image courtesy Fast Company

Coming up: highlights of some favorite vendors and a very sad display from my alma mater.

Styling: Thanksgiving Tablescape

We were asked to design a tablescape for a client's ten-person Thanksgiving dinner. To keep costs down, we used as much of her own wares as possible, which was relatively easy because she had some great stuff to work with!

We decided early on to deviate from traditional Thanksgiving themes involving gourds and dried corn (although there's nothing wrong with a crazy, wart-y gourd every once in a while!) Instead, we took inspiration from the colors in the patterned porcelain dinnerware, pulled out a rich autumn palette of deep gold, red and yellow for the flowers and added a little sophistication and texture with teal linen napkins and cut glass Waterford vases.

On the client's black tablecloth, we arranged her grandmother's stunning Limoge china and her mother-in-law's silverware (beautifully engraved with an initial). We wrapped new napkins from Crate and Barrel with gold cords from Tinsel Trading Company and buttons from M & J Trimming for inexpensive, handmade bespoke napkin rings.

We filled her own collection of vases with a selection of fresh flowers from a sidewalk flower vendor and arranged her silver candlesticks among the vases to contrast with the gold accents on the dishes and napkin rings.

We love projects like this. We were extremely pleased with the result and, with all the winter holidays right around the corner, we hope to do more such projects in the future. See more images at FRISSON.