04Dec

Jenna Lyons’s Soho Home: A Unique Loft

Jenna Lyons’s Soho home featured in the December issue of T-Magazine is a sight of perfection. She was eager to have a home as unique as possible so no one can ever replicate, again. As it happened to be the case with her highly popular Brooklyn Brownstone which was more than copied by a few. Even Samantha Cameron, the wife of then British Prime Minister David Cameron copied Jenna’s living room. She recounted the story to T-Magazine of how surprised she was when visiting Cameron’s house. Isn’t that funny… Well not this time. This new home is a loft located in Soho, New York and is as unique as only a style setter like Jenna Lyons can do. With the help of Interior Designer Meyer Davis the result is a mixture of modern and old, rustic and refined, polished and grand, furnished with exclusive designer label pieces. I wish her home had been published before this post because it could’ve been a perfect example of a modern version of a collected home. Sorry I had to mention it again… but I can’t help to point that out. This apartment may not be easy to replicate but being as gorgeous as it is get ready to see it crowding your social fee.

Jenna Lyons's Soho home. living room via belle vivir

The curated living room furnished with exquisite selection of Designer furniture. T-Magazine has a video where Jenna shows her gorgeous home and it shows how the TV is cleverly concealed behind the fireplace wall behind the mirror.

14Jul

Daniel Romualdez’s Charming Montauk Home

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

27Jun

A New York City Hotel That Feels Like Home: The Whitby Hotel

When traveling to one of the most dynamic and fast paced cities in the world like New York City, I’m sure guests would appreciate staying in a hotel that feels like a home rather than a hotel. Tim and Kit Kemp, founders of Firmdale Hotels are known for their layered and cozy atmosphere they bring to their hotels. The Whitby Hotel located in the heart of Upper Midtown Manhattan, is the couple’s second Hotel in New York City, after The Crosby Street Hotel in SoHo. The 86 bedrooms and suites were designed by Firmdale Hotel’s design director Kit Kemp in her characteristic English style. Each room in The Whitby Hotel has its own color scheme, floor to ceiling windows, a great feature in any New York City space where light seems to be missing in Winter. Bathrooms are in either marble or granite with a free standing bath tub. I’ve seen a few pictures of the hotel bar and restaurant with its rich saturated upholstery and high ceilings. Definitely, The Whitby Hotel a place to go and feel cozy in.

1-The Whitby Hotel New York City belle vivir

2-the whitby hotel nyc Bar belle vivir

26Jun

Happy Gardens: Exceptional Rooftop Gardens

Rooftop Gardens, gardens, lauren santo domingo paris garden belle vivir interior design blog

Lauren Santo Domingo’s Exceptional Rooftop Garden in Paris

Have you heard of “Harvesting Happiness”… I recently read an article about how hospitals and hospices are adding gardens or rooftop gardens as a form of therapy for well being. The belief is that gardens have strong restorative powers that promote healing and happiness. The idea being that Gardens enable us to get in the “zone” similar to the conscious state during deep meditation or after a good run while also providing the benefit of exercising by burning an average of 400 calories per hour. The benefits of gardening or being in a garden are seen not only at the physical level but also mental. “A garden lifts the heart, soul and spirit. Although those are quite ephemeral words, we know that when you put people in space with a view, it does something for their mood and anxiety levels.” Laura Lee, Maggie’s chief executive. It’s very comforting to see how over and over these psychological and environmental surveys often conclude on the simple fact that everything arises from and comes back to one main source, nature… beauty… all that comes from a higher source.

10May

Robert Stilin at Kips Bay Decorator Show House

I was happy to receive these images yesterday of the room designed by Robert Stilin for this year’s 2017 Kips Bay Decorator’s Showhouse. The room was inspired by a contemporary European salon where luxury and comfort coexist. The selection of collectible furniture and respectful art collection are set against a backdrop of dry and subtle marmorino plaster walls. Details such as of Cashmere from by Loro Piana, alpaca fabrics, and layered carpets lend a luxe tone to the functional and relaxing room. Robert describes his vision as ” For this room, I created a space that showcases the type of work we do for our private clients in the city, a space for a New Yorker who is well traveled, sophisticated, interested in arts and politics and who has amassed a great collection of art, furniture, and objects. we see the homeowner using this space to relax with a book, or to entertain friends and family.” Sounds like the perfect combination.

Contemporary art in the sitting room surrounding the fireplace.

09May

The Apthorp, New York living at its finest

Every time I walk by this iconic building in New York City with its Renaissance Revival architecture and its cobblestone gated courtyard/driveway I feel like I’ve been transported to France or Italy. After many years of dispute (rents-stabilized-lawsuits-new building owners; if you want to know more about it go here) the building has been restored and its creative director Stephen Sills have created an exclusive model unit for me and you to just dream and look on. Enjoy