12Jul

One of my favorite homes: Marie Chantal Miller House

Marie Chantal Miller House entry way François Catroux via belle vivir blog

In Marie Chantal Millers’s house, an amazing Herve van der Straeten chandelier and an English convex mirror glam the Vienne bench. I love this entrance so much so that I have it in my inspirational board since 2006, as an Interior Designer myself, I keep my inspirations close. The London townhouse of Princess Marie-Chantal Miller of Greece and her family, designed by François Catroux, has been one of my favorite homes ever since I saw it. Marie Chantal Miller’s house was published in House and Garden magazine in 2006 and it still feels so up-to-date. The neutral, warm palette throughout is revived with contemporary art. The incredible art collection mingles with Herve van der Straeten exquisite pieces and custom furniture by the Francois Catroux. Many people would think that this house is too formal but, besides being the house of a royal family, it is a house that’s also located in London which would call for a more formal environment than a house in the country or in the beach.

Marie Chantal Miller house living room François Catroux via belle vivir

Marie-Chantal poses in front of a Donald Baechler. If anyone out there wants to give me a gift, please make it a Donal Baechler painting. Thank u 🙂

12Jun

My Weekend and a project brief Sneak Peek

It’s Tuesday already but I’d like to share with you a brief sneak peak of a project and snippets of our weekend, which was all about relaxing and walking. We visited a family member who just had a baby boy. What a cutie! And then it was all about hanging around and spending some time for myself while enjoying a bubble bath.

I’m often low in iron so there is always the perfect excuse to have an open burger. Bobby Flay makes the best ones.

Images of a project I’ve been working int he City where we
decided to use Ringwold for the bedroom (above) and Renaissance for the
entrance.

18Apr

Characteristics of Georgian Homes: Classic Georgian Architecture

Today we are going to discuss The Characteristics of Georgian Homes. But, first, I have the great pleasure of introduce you to Vyna St. Phard the mind behind High End Weekly, a blog dedicated to the highest standards of luxury lifestyle. Vyna is a New York-based interior designer who draws her inspiration from culture, fashion, art, travel and nature. Her aesthetic style is greatly influenced by the Art Deco style and Bauhaus movement. Her daily posts cover everything from, of course, Art Deco, the luxury market, and lifestyle blogging. Raised between Paris and New York she speaks perfect French and what I love more about Vyna is her bonne vivante personality and how easy going she is. I asked Vyna to contribute to Belle Vivir and share with my lovely readers some of her extended knowledge. Thank you Vyna for accepting.
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When my friend and fellow designer Julie asked me to do a blog post on Belle Vivir, I was thrilled to accept and be part of all the excitements and inspirations she create every day on this blog. I hope you too get inspired by these beautiful Georgian homes because they have long been cherished, and stand as exemplary homes of long ago and a perfect standard for progressive architecture of the future. It’s all in the details

Characteristics of Georgian Homes via belle vivir blog

Here’s a quick rundown of the history of Georgian Houses. They were built in a style that was popular in England from roughly 1715 to 1830, during the reigns of the four King George. The Georgian style homes are noteworthy for their distinctive appearances and for the influence they still have on modern building styles which is why I’m especially fond of them.
Read More…

10Apr

Library

A wall of white bookcases packed with books juxtaposed a gorgeous sawhorse black table. via Pinterest

I recently read that one of the latest amenities in the hot New York City real estate market is to provide buildings with common libraries. Many of the exclusive buildings offering this kind of convenience to their future buyers have in their shelves only Architecture and Design related books and usually from luxury Publishing houses as Assouline. I can understand why this would be a catch for buyers especially those looking for a luxury lifestyle living. A library feels old school and cozy and there’s always a welcoming feeling. I don’t think there is anything else other than a library, or simple bookcases with books, that can make a house instantly feel a home. Enjoy!

Haynes-Roberts Inc. OMG! the floor, the floor, checkered marble floors. Am I about to faint here?

26Jan

Lucas’s Bathroom Reveal: Before and After

I almost forgot to take before pictures of our little one’s bathroom, but this is how it looked during midst of demolition, after removing the floor tiles some of the walls and the pedestal sink. At that point my light bulb went on and I finally took one picture. We gutted it down to its bone and re-configured the water pipes in order to install a pedestal tub. I wanted to create a more of a nautical/bohemian/young atmosphere with some traditional reference.

23Jan

Unusual Color Combination in Interiors

Unusual color combination interiors Steven Gambrel living room via belle vivir

Peach with magenta or pink with mango are colors that not always come to mind when decorating. Leave it to Muriel Brandolini, Jeffrey Bilhuber and Steven Gambrel to teach us how. Muriel Brandolini does it in a very subtle way, everything kind of blends in. Her colors do not have much to do with nature as much with her own creations. Jeffrey Bilhuber on the other hand does it in a more contrasting way. Steven Gambrel selection of blues is not any kind of blue and the outcome is always uber-sophisticated. They are all master at doing it. I love their result.