Britt’s work is famously infused with a fascinating array of influences from all over the world, and I thought it’d be fun to see them side-by-side. We get to see how a (hoot of a) designer’s mind works and how he translates ideas from his travels to his own creative process… and be inspired to try it ourselves.

In Water Mill, New York, a house designed by Tom Britt and Valentino Samsonadze, from photo by Max Kim-Bee for Veranda.

First Britt talks about the Chateau de Groussay outside Paris…

Chateau de Groussay exterior, via Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic. Britt did a take on the chateau's gray and white color scheme.

In her wonderful Habitually Chic blog, Heather Clawson did an excellent  2-part series on Groussay and its extraordinary steward Charles de Beistegui.

Britt also clearly loved the Lazienki Palace near Warsaw…

Lazienki Palace, Poland, via www.lazienki-krolewskie.pl. The architecture and reflecting pool are directly mirrored in Britt's design.

Now look again up top at Britt’s house. Got the hang of it?

The library at Groussay, with its handsome double stair and gallery, is probably one of the most admired in France (a nation of self-admirers).

Library at Chateau de Groussay, from photo by Xavier Bejot in the book Groussay, by Albin Michel.

With yet another nod to Lazienki:

The ballroom at Lazienki Palace in Warsaw, via www.lazienki-krolewskie.pl.

And he didn’t leave out Nancy Lancaster’s famous yellow drawing room in her London house, via designer Sara Gilbane’s Travel for Design blog.

Nancy Lancaster's yellow library in Avery Row, London, via Travel for Design.

It’s all cooked up in Britt and Samsonadze’s version, below. Notice the Lazienki pediment. Not that you could miss it. Britt by the way loves to say he “cooked up” something about a room. That’s something like somebody from Kansas City would say, which he is.

Tom Britt's Water Mill Library, from photo by Max Kim-Bee for Veranda.

Let’s keep cooking. Now the dining room. Begin at Groussay, again via Habitually Chic:

Dining room at Chateau de Groussay, via Habitually Chic.

Dining room at Chateau de Groussay, via Habitually Chic.

With a dollop of Tony Duquette, which you probably didn’t need me to tell you…

Tony Duquette drawing room at Dawnridge, Los Angeles, via TonyDuquette.com

And you get…

The Britt-Samsonadze dining room with its dramatic Burmese altar piece, large niche for statuary, double rows of windows, and pictures - on an angle - hung to the ceiling.

Many rooms of the house also profit from the light and soothing interiors of Scandinavia, Sweden in particular, as Britt’s painting of floors, paneling and doors attests. Has anybody heard of Thureholm in Sweden? I have but I don’t count. I’ve actually been there on a trip organized by the Sir John Soane Museum Foundation, which does the most amazing trips. At Thureholm, Sweden meets Chinoiserie, another favorite of Britt’s, in the stunning “porcelain kitchen.” The kitchen is so-called because its purpose was to display porcelain as opposed to fry chicken. Not that they ate a lot of fried chicken in 18th-century Sweden. What they did do after Thureholm was start painting a lot of walls, instead of papering or covering them with leather or fabric.

The porcelain kitchen at Thureholm, from Johan Cederlund's Classical Swedish Architecture & Interiors.

I can’t even believe I found this hastily scribbled sketch of the kitchen by yours truly on the spot, in 2006. My notes say we were greeted by the noble family who owns it, but don’t quote me on that. Everywhere are racks and brackets for porcelain.

My quickie sketch of the porcelain kitchen at Thureholm, done on a visit in 2006.

The kitchen and breakfast room a la Britt is a worthy compliment.

The breakfast room's paint treatment continues to the adjacent kitchen. Thought you'd like to know that.

Tom Britt, center, with Charlotte Moss and Thom Felicia. You can see the twinkle in his eye from here. Photo via designintuit.com

Since you cannot possibly read this without wanting more, Veranda’s website obliges with Tom Britt’s Decorating Tips. There is also a nice post at HouseCrush.com. But for the full story, for your life to be complete, you’ll have to fetch the magazine itself. Moreover, you will be completely and Habitually Chic after reading about Groussay and oh so many other topics on Heather Clawson’s blog, a claim I cannot make straight-faced for my own.

This is a serious endorsement.

Now with Mother’s Day just behind us… Heck, even if the food isn’t good, I bet the people running it are a hoot. I mean, who would name a business “Slap Yo’ Mama”? I want to meet them.

May you this week eat, do, make, see, feel, hear, touch something so good you’ll want to… you know.

The enfilade leading to Dorothy Draper's Victorian Writing Room at the Greenbrier. Photo courtesy the Greenbrier.

Now here’s the funny thing: Paige is an old friend and a new blogger, and I was thinking this would be a good time to tell you about her blog, Seekers Bazaar because it is terrific and fun and colorful colorful colorful. So I go to her blog today and guess what she’s writing about: “The Mother of Color” – random musings on Dorothy Draper and Carleton Varney. Are we in the flow or what.

Victorian Writing Room at the Greenbrier

A while ago there was also a great post by John Loecke about the Greenbrier on Hotel Chic, a wonderful blog for the wander-ful.

Here’s an overall shot from outofhands.blogspot.com. I made the small image larger, so the fuzziness is my fault…

Victorian Writing Room, photo by Albina McPhail, via outofhands.blogspot.com

And from Sprezzatura Images…

Victorian Writing Room, via Sprezzatura Images

By the way, what the hell is a sprezzatura? Sprezzatura (Italian pronunciation: [sprettsaˈtura]) is an Italian word originating from Baldassare Castiglione’s The Book of the Courtier, where it is defined by the author as “a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it.” From Wikipedia, you’re welcome.

Safe to say the Victorian Writing Room was done almost without any sprezzatura about it. A carefully conceived and meticulously executed scheme is called for in a large formal room such as this, which is why it is a Fabulous Room. Also, green-and-red is always fabulous, as are its first cousins green-and-pink and sage-and-scarlet. I find myself returning to them again and again. Maybe because I was born in December. Big, floral chintzes are staging a comeback, quietly at present, but you just wait. They’re too happy and colorful not to, and that’s another part of the timeless appeal of this room. Of course for some, Carleton Varney, aka Mr. Color, among them, color and chintz are in the DNA.

My favorite image is this charming watercolor by Jeanne Brenneman, who lives and paints in West by God Virginia.

Victorian Writing Room watercolor by Jeanne Brenneman

If you’re a Southerner you probably grew up hearing about the Greenbrier. If you’d like to hear more, here’s a clip from CBS Sunday Morning, which is about the best thing on television when Downton Abbey is off. And here are a few more photos from the Greenbrier’s own site.

The Greenbrier grand front entrance

The main staircase, red and green again.

Perhaps because of its proximity to Washington, there is an elaborate, everything-proof underground bunker at the resort where the president, cabinet, and assorted other supreme leaders in case of the Big One.

The Crystal Room at the Greenbrier

Cameo Ballroom

The charming springhouse is the inspiration for the resort's logo.

Happy Mother’s Day, too.

So you know, there was no compensation for this post, from the Greenbrier or anyone else.

Now your turn: What is your favorite fabulous room in the world?

*Paige, would you like your nickel by cash, check, or wire transfer?

The desert in spring is magnificent, and the morning we left I took a spin around the property’s 2-mile loop, which has a beautiful labyrinth. Good for contemplation.

The Saguaro cactus is found exclusively in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona and western Sonora, Mexico. They can live up to 200 years. Some have lots of arms, and some have none. I don't know why. Brilliant yellow foliage in the background is a palo verde tree.

Saguaro cactus with arms

You may recall I had taken His Grace to a spa called Canyon Ranch for his birthday. Now a health spa, I don’t care how posh, was probably not on his list of top 10 anything’s. Or even top 20. It was his punishment for not letting me give him a party.

Wish I could identify all these plants. Please chime in if you know ...

His favorite exercise at the spa was Sit on the Sofa and Read, which he would occasionally change up with Lie Down and Take a Nap. These are what they call low-impact work-outs, designed to minimize stress on the joints and maximize stress on the sweetheart (aka me Miss BossypantsKnowItAll) whose expectations of His Grace’s activity may have differed slightly from His Grace’s own. And guess whose problem that is. Hint: Not His.

Along the path...

Of course I’m exaggerating. HG was a good sport, he did exercise, and he was totally appreciative of what the Ranch has to offer. I was perhaps overeager to share my enthusiasm for a place I’ve been coming to for 25 years and that has had such a positive impact on so many friends and family. Selfishly, I want HG to be healthy and to feel good forever.

...

Well he is healthy, and he does feel good. How he chooses to stay that way is his responsibility, despite the fact that everyone is entitled to my opinion.

A prickly pear, irony intended...

Shame on me for sulking when he didn’t want to follow my infallible and virtuous advice; and good for him for calling me on it, which he did.

A violet prickly pear

Good for both of us for hashing the whole thing out and being grown-ups–eventually. That’s the most important exercise there is when you love somebody, maybe in order to love somebody.

Labyrinth at Canyon Ranch

And in case you did not know…

Sign at Labyrinth entrance

Relationships are a labyrinth. They offer the opportunity to walk in a mess to that place where the rational merges with the inner-brat and the solution is reborn. Then you walk the heck out of the mess and carry on.

Does this shadow make me look fat?

Cholla cactus

Barrel cactus

Desert Willow?

Palo verde tree and barrel cactus

Aww.

Happy trails.

All photos by Frances Schultz for www.FrancesSchultz.com

Nina Griscom and Carolyne Roehm Closet Sale

In case you were born yesterday or did not look at a magazine between 1982 and 1992, Nina and Carolyne were quite the glamour girls around town, and the truth is they still are. See Nina Griscom’s great-looking townhouse in Architectural Digest, where she is a contributing editor, and the post I wrote about it. And read here about all beautiful things Carolyne Roehm.

Nina Griscom in her modeling days.

Carolyne Roehm portrait by James Childs

They’re just a little more low key these days, but oh they have their stories. Speaking of, this sale is a story in itself, judging from the press it’s gotten. Whether you buy or not, go just for the happeningness of it.

Nina Griscom out on the town

Carolyne Roehm at home

And then I’ll go home and think about cleaning out my own closet…. coming soon to a Salvation Army near you…

...

Here’s to doing it right, right now. Happy weekend.

For the April issue – off the newsstands but now online – I interviewed New Jersey designer Nicole Hough (delightful, btw) about her own fab kitchen in an old house she has renovated for her and her busy young family.

I won’t repeat the interview which you can read here, but rather touch on a few elements that impressed me most. First of all, the variety of materials, surfaces, and finishes give the kitchen warmth and visual interest, from the wood floor, to the marble shelving, to the black painted island, to the metal and brass pipe fittings supporting the island counter, to the way the pots and pans are hung on racks on the wall. It ain’t just another sterile white kitchen. (I don’t need to see another one, do you?) And note how the legs of the cabinets look more like furniture than built-ins. The designer was keeping with the early 20th-century period of the house.

I can only dream about that gorgeous La Cornue range. Nicole says it was a dream of hers, too. When she was just starting in the design business she sold La Cornue ranges and has loved them every since.

Nicole Hough's chalkboard fridge. You can definitely try this at home.

Off the top of my head I know three houses–including ours at the ranch–with one of these Miele built-in coffee makers, in photo above to the right of the fridge, and everyone loves them. I am normally leery of built-in gadgetry, but this one’s a winner.

You immediately know this is a real kitchen with real people cooking in it–which is refreshing, no? It’s also a kitchen for hanging out. Seating at the island counter as well as the banquette in the corner makes the room functional and inviting as well. It also gives people a place to be out of the dadgum way of the cook. This is something anyone planning a kitchen needs to think about.

Nicole Hough's kitchen seating at the island and around a table in the corner.

Baskets add texture, warmth, and storage. If you wanted to convert some of your drawers into baskets, it’s do-able with a little ingenuity. Baskets can also become “drawers” on open shelves, with pretty labels or tags.

Nicole Hough kitchen-bread basket

With all the open shelving displaying the pretty things–glassware and china–you still need a place for the not so pretty things, like Cheerios and canned tomatoes. A massive armoire, built-in but designed to look free-standing, fills this role, although putting staples like rice and flour in canisters turns them into kind of pretty. Nicole says this part of the kitchen is also a major pass-through, so all those little apothecary drawers are catch-alls for family flotsom and stuff–keys, glasses, chargers, etc.

Nicole Hough kitchen armoire

And the coolest thing she told me about was the toe-kick in-floor vacuum, where you just flick up the top with your foot, sweep toward it, and boom, all your troubles are sucked away.

Photos by Laura Moss for House Beautiful.

The phone call came last Sunday. My sister, her voice broken, “Have you heard about Robert?” Not family, but same as. My throat constricts and my body fills with cold stones. Car accident.

Seascape, by Holger Eckstein

There was a memorial service in his hometown of Raleigh on Wednesday at 5. The church was full by 4. It’s a big church. The funeral was in New York, where he lived, on Monday. The Church of the Heavenly Rest on Fifth Avenue holds 1,200. There was standing room only. Robert Williamson. Golden boy, husband, father, brother, son, friend, hedge fund executive, air-guitarist, athlete–and really good at all of them. Really good. This outpouring of grief and love is testament not only to Robert but to his family and friends. This Was A Life.

Our families have been connected for four generations; and funnily enough, Robert’s the only boy my sister and I both dated—though not at the same time. He ended up marrying her best friend. They made a great couple.

A while ago I ran across an old photo of Robert and me taken the night he took me to the St. Mary’s spring dance, ca. 1976. Sadly out of reach at the moment, but it’s one of those photos you see and immediately bust out laughing (slightly different from burst). Clearly the blow dryer and I had not yet worked out the issue of cowlicks. Otherwise there is no explaining my coif, which cannot have been intentional. As for Robert, the immortal words of P.G. Wodehouse come to mind: “Please cut your hair. You look like a chrysanthemum.” Out of respect, I won’t mention the Carolina blue tuxedo.

A Carolina blue sky

Part of me wants to crash ahead, frantic to do everything never done, right every wrong, tie up every loose end in a bow–and part of me doesn’t want to get out of bed. What is the use of a senseless death, of a family’s broken hearts, of a thousand weeping friends? We cannot know. But get out of bed we must and forge ahead we must, and in doing so honor this full and meaningful life of Robert’s–and of our own.

Seascape photo courtesy Holger Eckstein Photography. Sky photo by me.

Deviled Eggs for Lunch at the Morgan Library Cafe. These are garnished with pimento and chives.

Last Saturday was the most beautiful day in New York, and I treated myself to the wonderful drawings on exhibit at the Morgan Library. And then I sat in the Renzo Piano-designed atrium to have a bite. And there they were on the menu: deviled eggs. Like an (ironic) angel sent them. Just the perfect thing. Even had a glass of wine and a coffee afterward. It felt like the biggest splurge – and vaguely French, somehow, sitting at the little table in the indoor-outdoor cafe watching the people go by. I grew a beret. I said merci to the waiter.

I am crazy about the Morgan. So accessible and interesting and sometimes just slightly obscure–until you understand what the exhibit’s about and then you can’t believe you didn’t know all along about the influence of Hudson River School artists and Japanese landscape drawings on the work of artist and collector Dan Flavin. Or what a rich artistic flourishing there was in 17th century Holland, when the Dutch were seriously rocking, in  Rembrandt’s World-Dutch Drawings from the Clement C. Moore Collection.

But back to the eggs and the brilliance of them and nothing else for a light lunch. The other day I picked up the April issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray. She has such a twinkle. In it was a feature on “Deviled Eggs 10 Ways.” Rachael is something of a connoisseur of stuffed eggs, apparently, and this entire post has turned into a sort of culinary kismet. Here are Rachael’s recipes and wisdom for deviled eggs.

I haven’t tried Rachel’s yet, but I have tried Ina Garten’s with smoked salmon and salmon caviar on top, and they are yum de la yum (French). Here’s a 5-minute video of Ina making her smoked salmon deviled eggs, including a primer on how to boil them properly. Spoiler alert: place in pan and cover with cold water. Bring to boil. Turn off and let stand for 5 minutes. Then rinse and immerse in cold water for 2 minutes. Boom.

Ina Garten smoked salmon deviled eggs are the best I've ever had, and they're pretty, too. (This Scripps Networks screen shot does not link to video - click on link in text above.)

I’m just remembering my godmother gave me an entire cookbook about deviled eggs, and it’s fab: Deviled Eggs: 50 Recipes From Simple to Sassy, by Debbie Moose.

The next day I met a friend for lunch at Bergdorf’s, and guess what they had on the menu. Um-hmm. But I was more in the mood for a burger and fries. No joy. They did, however, have mac & cheese, with lobster.