Apartment Therapy House Tour

 

Apartment Therapy has featured my house in their House Tour series. The story was written and photographed by Jacqueline Marque.

Jacqueline called me over Christmas 2013. It seems like a lifetime ago, and I guess it was. She is from New Orleans, but now lives in Rhode Island. She comes home to New Orleans often to visit her mother. Jacqueline was scouting New Orleans homes for Apartment Therapy and she and I both thought that New Orleans should be represented. I passed along a few homes to her that I thought she would enjoy writing about and photographing.

She asked if she could do my home too, and I said yes. It is so interesting to see another viewpoint. My home has been photographed several times. This is the first time without Alberto.

The shoot happened a couple of months after Alberto died. I did it as therapy. Apartment Therapy really was therapy. It forced me to clean the house, fluff it up, and work with someone new. Jacqueline and I had a wonderful couple of days together, getting to know one another. It is an intimate experience having your house photographed.

Reading her story made me wistful. She did a great job. But there is a such a profound shift without Alberto. He was here in December when she first stopped by. And now he is not. It's just me and Cholo and Kitty Kitty Bang Bang.

I hope you enjoy the tour, even though you have seen my house a zillion times.  Go check it out at Apartment Therapy.  There are a ton of pictures. The comments for my house tour are amazing and I am very touched. Thank you Jacqueline and thank you AT readers.

All photos by Jacqueline Marque

New Orleans Newbies Emily and Andrew

I remember so very well when Alberto and I moved to New Orleans 14 years ago. We were so in love with each other and the city. It was quite a menage a trois, a glorious honeymoon that never ended until Alberto was taken from me and New Orleans. I am trying to find the joy and love again with my beloved New Orleans.

Alberto and I (June 2000)  in front of our first apartment in New Orleans in the French Quarter - This was taken on  the day we looked at the apartment

One thing that helps is deeply feeling the circle of life. One couple that are clients have newborn twin girls, and there is such a sweet renewal in holding them. I have a few younger couples as clients, setting up households or doing renovations, and their excitement and enthusiasm remind me of the good life I had with Alberto. We had the same love and enthusiasm they now have. Working with them gives me energy and hope that revives me.

One of the couples, Emily and Andrew have a house tour on Apartment Therapy. Go take a look. 

Emily and Andrew House Tour at Apartment Therapy - photo and story by Jacqueline Marque -

Jacqueline is an editorial and lifestyle photographer based in Newport, R.I.  - She loves all things related to her hometown of New Orleans - Interior design consultation by Valorie Hart

Emily and Andrew House Tour at Apartment Therapy - photo and story by Jacqueline Marque -

Jacqueline is an editorial and lifestyle photographer based in Newport, R.I.  - She loves all things related to her hometown of New Orleans - Interior design consultation by Valorie Hart

What helps you get through a hard time? 

Sunday By The Sea - Yurt Therapy At The Beach

Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan. I love that name. To you and me he is the founder of the blog-website Apartment Therapy. Once a school teacher, now a lifestyle expert of renown, with three books under his belt, it would stand to reason that his beach house wound be adorable. And it is.

Max Gillingham-Ryan out of the city apartment and at the beach in East Hampton

Max's house is in the part of East Hampton not known for huge estates and uber glam. It's in a section called The Springs (where I once had the cutest cottage). It's an area where the dwindling population of locals live, the carpenters, fishermen, and artists.

One of the many barns on the property

Max's mom owns a house and 18 acres on what was once Fireplace Lodge, a summer camp with rolling meadows. It has been in the family since the 1970's, and Max bought a modest house on a adjacent lot to the family compound. I say compound because several barns and yurts have been erected over the years, and Max loves to decorate them all.

The dining room inside the barn

As reported in The NY Times, Max "believes in self-reliance and patience, qualities that must come in handy as a designer and as a parent. (He is separated from his wife, Sara Kate Gillingham-Ryan, a food writer and founding editor of The Kitchn, Apartment Therapy’s food site; they share custody of their daughter, Ursula, 5.)"

Like many bloggers and decorators Max did the DIY art work in his living room

Cute side table vignette in Max's living room

A bedroom in one of the yurts

The master bedroom in Max's house

The modest East Hampton house in The Springs of Max Gillingham-Ryan

Read the entire article by Elaine Louie, photos by Eric Striffler in The NY Times
 

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http://thevisualvamp.blogspot.com
And please become a Follower again (or for the first time) on this new blog

How Do You Decorate Military Housing?

My step dad was recalled into the US Army during the Cuban Crisis. It threw our family into upheaval and adventure. There were six children then, two of them a set of twins still in diapers. And there was the family beagle. My mother piled us all in an old two tone (black and yellow) Mercury and drove us cross country to a new home on an army base in Texas. My dad traveled by train with his German shepherd (issued by the army). He was in the Canine Corps and the men were always with their assigned dogs.
We lived in military housing. Small concrete block boxes. But my mother had spunk and style, and she soon decorated our dreary digs with color and cleverness.

The photos below are not of my mother's handiwork, but of a young woman who was stationed in Germany in 2006. I found them and her story at Apartment Therapy, and I offer it to you today in honor of Veterans Day.

Like many, I thank everyone in the military, and their families too, for their service - today and everyday.

Name: Francesca
Location: Mannheim, Germany, US Army Base
Type: 2 bedroom, 1 bath apartment on a US military base in Germany. We do not rent or own, we live in Military issued housing.

Why I use color:

I live on a military base, everything is brown, gray, army green or white, there is no choice of apartments they are issued like the uniforms. Using color helps me forget what is outside my apartment, it is welcoming, exciting and inspiring. I am a happy colorful person and my home reflects my personality.

2 Good color tips:

1. When using lots of bright colors try to keep clutter to a minimum, otherwise it may end up just looking messy. You don't want all those people who don't use color to leave your house and say "See, that's why our house is beige!", they should leave thinking they need to add a bit of color to their world.

2. My entrance/hallway is bright yellow, it is happy and inviting but what was discovered last Halloween is if you put a black light in a yellow room the walls look orange. We had a huge party and everyone thought we had painted our hallway orange for Halloween.

2 good color resources:

1. Different countries, I travel a lot and I have picked up things from around the world for my house. Look for color ideas in picture books about different places. Greek islands, tulip fields in Holland, flamenco dresses from Spain, embroidered saris from India, the medinas in Morocco, ancient mosaics in Italy, oh I could go on forever!

2. Art, check out different color combinations in artwork. Van Gogh, Matisse, Miro, Picasso, Klimt, Toulouse-Lautrec, Botticelli and so many more.

Guest Blogger - Dina Kucera

Well the fat lady is singing , and it's over. This Yankee lost the South by 31 votes.
Frankly I'm a little relieved. It was alot of work campaigning and asking for votes.
I thank all of you for the thousands of votes I got over the past few weeks. And I really thank you for putting up with the horrible login and voting system at Apartment Therapy.
A special shout out to Gina from Willow Decor for putting up a post about me yesterday.
And thanks to my Alberto for working so hard for me on this project.

I'm sure you need a little break from me, so today I am presenting guest blogger Dina Kucera. She's a wife, a mom, a stand up comedienne, a writer and occasional blogger HERE.

Losing Is A Feeling, Not An Event
By Dina Kucera

I see a little boy, six or seven, wearing a baseball uniform. I ask if he played a game. He said yes. I asked if he won. He said, "We don't have winners or losers." I thought, oh yes you do sweetie. Your parents are lying to you, sugar.
I look up at his father and he says, "They just have fun playing the game without all the completion." What?


When I was a kid, we had winners and we had losers. Period. Sometimes you won. Sometimes you lost. The key is finding the thing that you win at the most. Wondering if you would win or loose WAS the fun of the game.
Mentally handling 'winning' was easy. You smile and coast through your sweet life until the next challenge. If you were deemed a 'loser', your brain went into automatic 'wait until we meet again, I will annihilate you if it kills me'. It's called competition and it is something we face every single day of our lives. You may be six or you may be sixty, we all crave that feeling of winning.
When I was in the ninth grade I was a gymnast. There was another girl on the team named Andrea. We were in constant competition to beat one another. I could not miss one day of school because Andrea might learn a great stunt while I was out. One day Andrea said to me, "Your socks are inside out." This provoked me into channeling Nadia Cominich and becoming the greatest gymnast that cafeteria has ever seen. Shortly after that, still in ninth grade, I was pregnant with my first child and quit school which a another story. But who really won? Andrea? I think she went on to college and got a law degree. Big deal Andrea. Your dress is inside out.
My point is that it's wrong to try and shield the kids from any sad emotion.
They don't have winners or losers?
You can not function in the world without knowing how to respond to losing. It's the same as hearing the word 'no'. It's everyday of our life, it's a part of our life, it is life.
A sports guy said, and I quote, "Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser."


You know who had this attitude? Nadia Cominich. All the greats! Michael Phelps! Robert Downey Jr.! Bea Arthur! They all wanted to win! And they did! Michael Phelps didn't say, "I just have fun flipping around in the water in my speedo." Are you kidding? He said, "I will win."


So let's get out there! Get that parking spot! (In a courteous way).
Take your place in the grocery store line! (If it is truly your turn).
Whiten your teeth and smile at everyone!
Never allow your husband to win an argument!
Wake him up and remind him you won the argument!
Let's get out there and kick some ass!


Because guess what! There are winners! And there are losers!
And unless I have to paint a picture or make something out of clay or balance a checkbook, I am a winner! I won! How do you like that Andrea!

The Apples and Oranges Debate

It's ANOTHER day of voting. You have to do it AGAIN TODAY. So Stop reading, come back later and PLEASE vote HERE now!

It's do or die! There are two entries left in the South, and this transplanted damn Yankee is one of them!
Let's hear a whoop whoop for New Orleans queen of the South!
But now I must get tough and compare my room against the other.

Mine(above) is truly better! Really! Step into my office. Just look at that KELLY BAG on the pouf! See the WHITE COW HIDE RUG! Aren't you swooning for those lamps with silk shades from PARIS!!! And the original Jack Mayberry painting called "Map". Of course a custom slip cover in CHARTREUSE on the comfy VINTAGE wing chair.


Theirs (above): How could a chrome lamp beat out silk lampshades from Paris. And a wire chair! Hello waffle butt! No more wire chairs ever!

Mine (below) has great book shelves styled perfectly! Check out the BRAYTON blackamoor, the antique Italian BOTANICALS, the fabulous CHANDELIER, and if you go to a larger image theres a framed photo of AUDREY HEPBURN that is a personal, family photo. And hey I got HORNS too! And TOILE!!!



Theirs (below) have book shelves too. What a yawn. And look at that hot mess of of prints hanging on the wall. It looks like my living room five years ago! You know the one that Rate My Space hated so much! And what's a kitchen stool doing there. What is that a desk? And tsk tsk all those ugly wires and cords showing. And hey, a kitty cat in the shot is playing the cute pet card. I know because I've done it myself!


Mine (below): Now this is the money shot! Look at those MAJOLICA OYSTER PLATES! That desk, a French table from FRANCE!!! A peek of silk TURQUOISE drapes! You can't see it, but the desk chair is a GHOST CHAIR! And THE COLOR!!!!!! Creole Tomato Red! Now that's hot!


Theirs (below). And what's this? A messy couch with some toss pillows?!


Mine (below): Here's my secret weapon! NEW ORLEANS GRIS GRIS! Look at that altar tucked back into the corner! Don't wreck your MOJO! Vote for New Orleans, or else I can't say what will happen! Also please note cute begonia MAJOLICA, ginormous glass HURRICANES, and a better view of the fabulous horn!


Theirs (below): I accuse my opponent of dirty tricks!!!! How dare they put a perfect living accessory is the form of a cute dog in the shot! But it can't make that fuzzy throw look good!


Mine (below) Well I have something cute and adorable too! It's my SKELETONS!!! And one of them is so adorable in his Mardi Gras mask! And Apartment Therapy featured them in a post yesterday about GOOD DESIGN Here! And look at that color on the walls, and the fireplace with a TOLE CANDELABRA over it, and more Majolica, and that arch way, and those antique chairs from Spain recovered in chic WHITE LEATHER, and oh oh oh the SUZANI tablecloth!
Seriously, all the rooms entered are as cute as can be. But please vote for mine anyway!

And listen, there is a different vote EVERYDAY. So don't think if you already voted you are done. Oh no! Apartment Therapy wants you there EVERYDAY!
So what are you going to do TODAY Wednesday October 28????

Please, pretty please...

Vote for me HERE!

Why Do We Compete?

Ginormous thanks to everyone playing along with me in the Apartment Therapy Room For Color Contest. I won the last round! You have voted me through twice. If you still have the inclination you can vote for me again today HERE.

Apartment Therapy certainly knows how to milk an idea! There will be a couple of days more of voting, to get to the final two. It is exhausting for all of you, and a tad stressful and exhausting for me. Maybe they're weeding us out, both voters and contestants. Only the strong and determined (like a dog with a bone!) will survive this.

I watch Dancing With The Stars. I've been a regular viewer and fan since they started.
Even though I'm a dancer, and have been a performer going to many an audition, I have never really officially competed for anything. So watching this show fascinates me.

Alberto and I entered a tango dance contest this past summer, never expecting to win first place
(USA Salon Tango Champions!). It was a remarkable experience. We didn't really go out there to wow them, of knock out the other contestants. We didn't have a strategy. We did our best, and enjoyed the experience together. We had a great time back stage with the other dancers. We talked and joked and encouraged one another. We were all in it together.

When we went to to Buenos Aires for the world championships, it was a much larger situation, and people came from all over the world with serious intentions and game faces were on. Still, the back stage camaraderie was there, with a genuine regard and respect for one another. Sure everyone wants to do well, and win, but largely the point of just being there resonates the most.

Every week when I watch Dancing With The Stars I have tremendous admiration for what the celebs and their teacher/partners accomplish. Everyone works hard, respects the other contestants, and wants to win, but they mainly value the process it takes to step up and put yourself out there.

Why did I enter a decorating contest? I surely can buy a plane ticket to New York (the first prize is a trip to New York). Do I think I'm better at what I do than others? Do I need to show off? Do I need re-enforcement from my peers? Is it exciting to try to win something? Am I proud of my accomplishments?

Well yes and no.

I do like sharing my projects with all of you. It's wonderful to have feedback, and eyes that see and appreciate. You all have your own projects and decorating dreams and schemes. We all share what it's like to save up for just that special chair, or fabric, or finally have the means to tackle a renovation, or buy a new place.

I also love to put a little shine on the city of New Orleans. I'm proud to live and work here. I love this city with emotions I don't even understand. So when I can show something pretty about New Orleans, and get people liking New Orleans, well it's some kind of pride of this place.

And when I saw the Apartment Therapy contest, I thought it would be great to share one of my rooms, to make some new blog friends. I love looking at what he other contestants entered.

The photo above is of the room by Traci from Richmond, Virgina. She and I went head to head twice in the category labeled 'The South", and she gave me a run for my money. So Traci if you are out there, I salute you and your pretty room.
There is so much talent out there! I did not enter with the idea, of oh boy I'm gonna win this thing!

So here I am, a real P.I.A. (pain in the ass), asking you all to vote for me not once, but multiple times. From just a bit of innocent photo sharing, I have morphed into a competitor! I am proud of what I do and I want to win! I am proud to have all of you voting for me, and I want to bring home the prize to merit your faith in me.

So please vote for me again...and hopefully AGAIN...until Apartment Therapy is done toying with us all - I think the final voting is around November 2.

And, again, heartfelt thanks!

Please vote again today: HERE

You have 24 hours, until midnight (2 AM on the west coast).

It gets easier once you have registered. So many of you have suffered the process on my behalf. AT needs to do something about the way they have us navigate their contests.

Vote Today! Another Round In The Contest: Apartment Therapy Room For Color

This is the link HERE

My competitor is a strong! A slim margin separated us in our last run-off.
So please vote today. If you voted before you are already registered, so it will only take a moment.
If you haven't voted before, please go through the process, even though it seems a bit confusing at first.

Only 24 hours to vote for me in this round!

And here's Cholo's baby picture taken when we first got him three years ago (and before the settee got recovered). I'm really trying to soften you up! I can't go out and kiss babies, but I can send you a cute puppy photo. Cholo says: "Please vote for my mommy!"

Vote HERE

Please Vote!

My Room For Color entry made it into the Southern division of the contest Apartment Therapy is having now.

Please go HERE to vote for the old vamp, and give a vote of confidence for color and New Orleans. The voting only goes on for 48 hours,

I call my color palette Modern Creole. The main color is called Late Tomato, the two accent colors are Vintage Aqua, and a chartreuse green.

Thanks!

And enter yourself! It's so much fun!

Click on image for larger view.

Weekend Project - Take Some Pictures Of Your Home For The Apartment Therapy Room For Color Contest

You can officially enter the Apartment Therapy Room For Color Contest now by going HERE
It's fun to do! Take five photos of your room, and enter!

Come into my office! It's the most saturated color in the house.

My whole house is colorful. But you can only choose one room!


I'm hoping my office will catch their eye!

It's a hard room to photograph, and they prefer the whole picture as opposed to detail shots.


It's a viewer voting situation, so I'll let you know when and where and how to vote when I know about it, and maybe you'll throw the old vamp a bone.

If not, at least I had fun taking the photos, and doing the contest.
Let me know if you enter, and I'll get the word out for you too.

Click on images for larger views

Happy Fall Decorating!

It's officially the first day of Autumn, even though it still feels like Summer in so many places. Despite global warming, the inner clock of humans says that it's Fall. Don't you have the urge to get out your Fall clothes? Aren't you ready to do a little Fall decorating too? Or even to get out the soup recipes?


There are some things to keep in mind when using Fall colors to refresh your rooms. The first thing to remember is that a color can be considered a Fall color when you see it during the Autumn months. If you love a color that you see in nature in the Fall, then by all means be inspired to use it. Fall color is so different depending where you live. If you love a color from another region, use it! If you love the Fall color outside your door, use it! The idea is just change a little something with the season.

Another thing to think about is the fact that so many of Fall colors are on the darker side. This means that if you decide to choose the main paint color of a room as a Fall color you'll want to consider the amount of light it will take away from the room if it is a darker tone. It can create a cozy cocoon of color for the Winter months ahead. But you don't have to repaint the whole room to add a little Autumn spice.


There are lighter colors, like gold or greens, that you find in the Fall that can inspire you to use lighter colors for the majority of a space. Rather than having four walls in a room painted in all the same rich color that you find on the changing Autumn leaves, consider doing an accent wall. This way you can still get color on the walls but you can choose a lighter color for the rest of the walls and still allow the room to be bright. Keep the value of tones in mind.


There are some ways that you can incorporate Fall colors in a room that won't require you to permanently change your walls. Add new Fall color lamp shades to your lamps and/or pillows to the furniture that you have. A new area rug is another way to change the season in your room. If you have Summer sea grass, add a rug with another texture and color on top of it.


We all get a little restless with a change of season. People who love to decorate feel the urge to change something in their spaces. Curtains or drapes in Fall colors will dress up even the whitest of walls. Changing the simplest things and adding the smallest details can really make an impact.


Ready for even more color? The 2009 Apartment Therapy Color Contest is launching later this month - keep an eye out for all the details in the coming weeks! The images above are from the Southwest 2008 entries. Go HERE to see more entries from last year and to get details for the 2009 contest.

I just did a couple of little things in my living room and office to introduce some things for the change of season. I'll be posting photos in a couple of days.