Innehållsförteckning för Dec/Jan 2021 från House Beautiful

THIS TRANQUIL BEDROOM BY NEW JERSEY–BASED GAIL DAVIS IS DEDICATED TO HER MOTHER, A BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR. Joanna Saltz: Over the past year, many of you have had to find new ways to engage clients and audiences. What’s the thing you’ve recently embraced that you wish you had done years ago? Tenlie Mourning: When I founded Dendwell, the question that I asked was, “Why don’t I have the same kind of engagement and community when shopping for my home as I do for skin care or makeup?” I think that evolution was starting to happen, but in COVID we’ve seen it accelerate as consumers begin to see home decor as a vehicle for self-expression. To me that’s the most exciting shift. WANT TO TALK? E-MAIL MEAT EDITOR@HOUSEBEAUTIFUL.COM. Sandra Funk: My…

Check, Please! “To me, nothing says ‘holidays’ like plaid—I wear a tartan kilt every Christmas Eve!” Sit a Spell “We’re mixing up afternoon tea with a few modern, whimsical twists.” Truly Gifted “Modern pieces help bring holiday traditions into a new generation.” Snuggle Up “Imagine a groovy couple having brunch in bed—one with a coffee, the other with a cocktail!” An Affair to Remember “Host your own version of Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball with a few close friends.”…

THE WEATHER OUTSIDE IS FRIGHTFUL. TEMPERATURES AROUND HERE ARE KNOWN TO drop to -70º. So you might consider gathering a bunch of your dearly beloved, from kids and siblings to college pals, and holing up in a remote but spectacular house when in Montana’s Rocky Mountains. “They asked for a home that would be comfortable for three, but could sleep up to 24,” says Seattle-based designer Kylee Shintaffer of her clients. “It’s really built to be a gathering spot.” Shintaffer worked with local firm Miller Roodell Architects to bring to life her clients’ vision of a slope-side house that could accommodate a pages-long guest list while still feeling “intimate and cozy.” The solution was a series of snuggly vignettes: “There are small spots that could be for one or two…

FARRAH SIT Brooklyn Lighting “I LOVE TENSION—A MOMENT WHERE you just have to pause and look,” says designer Farrah Sit. She seeks to create tension between viewer and object, but also relies on literal gravitational tension in her pieces: A wheel of marble hovers magically along a neon tube in a pendant, or a globe of light floats on the curve of a table lamp. “Those are the moments in life that I love,” she says. “You feel your body and mind [are] just vibrating, like a tuning fork.” Cutlery is how Sit launched her career, creating tableware for Calvin Klein. “They let me whittle away at a fork design for, like, a month,” she says. “They really did allow me to be creative, but you still had to work…

Looking to Light? Here’s where to begin. 1. CHOOSE A FIREBOX There are two main categories: masonry (built from the ground up) and prefab (a self-contained insert). Installing a new masonry fireplace is a major undertaking (for starters, you’ll usually need a chimney), which is why people tend to rehab what’s there, unless already undergoing a remodel. If you won’t be using your fireplace that often, one with a gas-powered insert is advised, though a wood-burning stove is a happy medium for those who want an old-fashioned look and feel. 2. ENSURE VENTILATION Proper ventilation is essential for almost all fireplaces. (Ventless gas models do exist, but their safety is up for debate.) “If the flue is too small or too big, you’ll end up with a smoke-filled room,” warns…

“EVERYTHING FEELS SORT OF CANDLELIT,” SAYS DESIGNER JAE JOO OF THE home in Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood she gut renovated over the course of three years. “I didn’t want the home to feel too bright or too crisp, so I purposely picked colors that are on the warmer side.” She knew the client wasn’t a “bright light person” from spending time in her previous homes—it was her mother-in-law. For her husband’s parents, Colleen and Ed, Joo faced a paradox: How do you tear apart an 1885 rowhouse and rebuild it such that it looks untouched? The New York–based designer satisfied both desires by choosing timeless new furnishings and materials while maintaining the best of the old stuff. “If we found any architectural detail intact that was known to be historic,…

Best Treasure Hunt The Huntress Designer Jenny Wolf fills her horse-country shop with playful treasures, antique and new. POUND RIDGE, NY thehuntressny.com Best Mix Master Decoration Designer Allison Caccoma arranges antique treasures and contemporary decor—by industry veterans and new names alike—with inviting freshness. SAN FRANCISCO allisoncaccoma.com/shop Best Atmosphere RW Guild Check out the handcrafted furniture and small-batch decor stocked by Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of Roman and Williams—then stay for a bite at La Mercerie, the restaurant within the Guild. NEW YORK rwguild.com Most Special Setting Pillar & Post Shop British antiques and accessories in an impossibly charming Georgetown townhouse. WASHINGTON, D.C. pillarandpost.com Best Colorful Vintage Bi-Rite Studio Contemporary shapes with big personality are the specialty of this whimsical shop. BROOKLYN biritestudio.com Best Entertaining Essentials Reed Smythe & Company…

IT STARTED WITH A KIND—BUT FIRM—“NO.” A FRIEND of the New York–based designer Shari Francis had recently purchased a multifamily townhouse across the Hudson River in Jersey City, and he asked for her help in getting the furnished units ready for renting. A few inexpensive upgrades and fresh coats of paint would suffice, he thought. He was wrong. “I told him, ‘You purchased a nice place, so I need money and we’re going to make this fun,’” Francis recalls. Refusing to settle is something of an MO for Francis and her design firm, the fittingly named Dadapt. Her ability to change course was the key to success for this 446-square-foot one-bedroom apartment. From integrating a once-hidden fireplace to going outside the box in search of durable furnishings, Francis’s clever solutions…