Tag: Interior Design

About a mile away from Montauk Lighthouse is the idyllic cottage setting in a magical land overlooking the Atlantic.  The home is Daniel Romualdez’s charming Montauk home and if you read the article by Vanity Fair about the home you can see why so many fashionable people love the home and praise it.   The 17-acre property consists of three saltbox cottages from the 1930’s and everything in it resembles the easy living of beach lifestyle.  The decor is simple, elegant and a bit rustic… with traditional features and details.  Blue and white upholstering… A true charming and beautiful home…

Daniel Romualdez's Charming Montauk Home via belle vivir blog

On the profile I wrote about Daniel Romualdez as one of those Interior Designers to admire, I praise his ability to deliver consistent and multifaceted design, you can see the post here.  In the Vanity Fair article he says, “If you look at my portfolio, you’d think I’m sort of schizophrenic. I go from super-minimalist to super-colorful and layered, like Tory’s. I really enjoy working both ways. And I really believe you’re only as good as your client. I’ve learned so much from working with the stylish women that I do.”

Daniel Romualdez's Charming Montauk Home-belle vivir-Vanity-Fair-3-1024x858

 

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richard shapiro's home and garden outdoor via belle vivir

If you think that all homes in Malibu, California are glass houses and flashy ones, think twice.  This home, belonging to Richard Shapiro, antique dealer and head of Studiolo Home Furnishings is all about style and substance.  Richard Shapiro’s home and garden have direct reference to classicism from far and stylish lands as Italy and Spain with a breath taking garden inspired by French-Japanese gardens, yes such combination is possible as you’ll see below.  Some of the beautiful details Richard had interpreted in his Malibu beach home are a fragment of a fourth-century Roman column, a Spanish oil pot, and 17th-century Florentine marble lions… His authentic home was featured in Architectural Digest and his amazing garden in Elle Decor.  “I wanted complete seclusion and mystery,” Shapiro said of his Japanese-French inspired garden.  To Architectural Digest he said about the beautiful patina in his home… “If things are slightly off, I like it.”  Richard Shapiro’s home and garden are a true inspiration.

 richard shapiro's home and garden living room via belle vivir blog

A frescoed plaster finish on the walls while a 17-century Italian gilt-wood mirror adds the subtle touch of glam to the living room.

richard shapiro's home and garden library belle vivir

A daybed in the library.

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We all aspire to have a room with a view or perhaps even two… Now that our trip to Provence is fast approaching, I’m really looking forward to views of century-old towns, swimming pools and the sea.  The restorative power of a nice positive view is more than proven to provide an enhanced mood, attitude and eventually the entire wellness spectrum.  Now, quite often, we associate a room with a view with modern design, usually cold and bare but as these interiors below can prove, a good view can also be found in warmer, transitional design.  I would much prefer a sea view as in the image of that Mediterranean kitchen below but taking a bath with a City view would for sure feel very empowering…

 

room with a view living room with agarden view via belle vivir

The steel casement windows in this elegant living room is a darling of designers and architects and we don’t need to say why…

dining room with a view via belle vivir blog

I absolutely adore the atmosphere in this breakfast area… It’s soothing, warm while elegant…

Cynthia-Frank-belle vivir-view-to-Pool

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Christopher Burch’s Hamptons beach house is the ideal American colorful style.  Christopher is Tory Burch’s ex-husband and founder of C-Wonder, and his quirky colorful style is embedded in the decor of the house which was decorated by Christopher Maya.

Christopher Burch's Hamptons Beach House via belle vivir

For some, this house is considered small and modest when compared to the sumptuous mansions that are usually found in the Hamptons, funny enough the house has 6,000 sq feet, 8 bedrooms and is sitting on 2.75 acres. Burch describes his style as “a very quirky sense of classicism.” Maya was able to interpret Christopher’s taste while toning down the bright color hues that characterize the owner’s popular store, C-Wonder.

 Christopher Burch's Hamptons Beach House entry way belle vivir

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Steven Gambrel has been living every Interior Designer’s dream or perhaps it’s more appropriate to say every developer’s, architect’s and entrepreneur’s dream.  According to Elle Decor Magazine, Gambrel has restored over six homes in Sag Harbor, New York, as a matter of fact the designer owns a home in the town as well.  Enlisting Historical Concepts, a firm based in New York and Atlanta, Gambrel restores and preserves these homes to their original states of charisma while adding the modern touches of 21st-Century living.  Steven Gambrel’s style with its inclination to masculine lines and strong contrasting characters, is one that can appeal to both sexes, especially families.  One of his many elegant signatures is the use of a darker color paint on the inside moldings as well as on the kitchen cabinets trims.   His interiors usually exhibit a unique color combination, as I pointed out in this post about Unusual Color Combination in Interiors some time back.   Sag Harbor has been my favorite town in the Hamptons for its laid back bohemian vibe and also because it feels more like a beach town where you can walk.  I can’t imagine how rewarding it must be to be able to buy, restore and sell or even live in one of Sag Harbor’s charming homes.

Steven Gambrel Bridgehampton living room, sagharbor belle vivir blog

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Even though the late Oscar de la Renta is not with us anymore, his legacy and excellent taste will forever be.  His exceptional training and career led him to creating one of the most admirable fashion brands in the world.  But as any extraordinary taste maker, his exceptional taste did not stop at Fashion, rather was represented in every single part of his lifestyle.  A true gardener, as his closest friends knew him and many witnessed, it was his homes, full of chic classic style that enchanted and inspired many.

oscar de la renta new york city bedroom chic classic style shared with his first wife, francoise de langlade

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