In spite of their torturous heel placement and the fact that they run ridiculously narrow, I love Christian Louboutin’s shoes. The man owns homes in Egypt, Paris, Portugal and the French countryside, so like the shoes he designs, he is ridiculously extravagant, but the resultant beauty seems worth the high-maintenance issues. I’ve seen his Egyptian sailboat featured here, but I had not seen his 13th century French chateau until I finally cracked open the October issue of In Style. It’s dreamy, and he accomplished his mission of making the place look like it “belongs to a family that has been traveling and accumulating for decades.”

Louboutin has such a wise attitude concerning what makes a house a home, and the value of the signs of age and life. I recommend picking up the issue just to read what he has to say about decorating.

all photos shot by Francois Halard for In Style Magazine.

Windsor Smith is a designer whose career is on fire. In addition to her interior design work, she just debuted a fabric collection, a furniture collection, and a rug line as well (whew!). I recently had the opportunity to speak with Windsor and it was quite a treat. Her personality is as warm and sparkling as her interiors.

To borrow the tagline from the National Enquirer, "Inquiring minds want to know", and that's the way I feel about design. So I decided to get Windsor's thoughts on anything and everything design related.


On Her New Fabric Line:
Windsor's new fabric line for Kravet has received rave reviews, and it's not hard to see why. The fabrics that caught my eye were her bold and graphic prints. But don't think that these are "in your face" prints. Windsor likes the snap and pop of strong pattern, but she chose to render them in soft colors like celadon and clove. And she wisely chose to use no more than two colors per print. The result? Prints that are classic and easy to live with. (Fabric available through Kravet showrooms and through her website.)

"Insignia" in Seafoam


"Continuum" in Chestnut

On Mixing Prints...With Style:
One question that I am asked often is how best to mix prints. I'll be the first to tell you that I'm not completely comfortable with doing this myself. Fortunately, Windsor shared some tips. First, mixing florals can be difficult, so you might want to stick with just one. Also, stripes, especially tone on tone, can work with a variety of prints. And if you're mixing multi-color prints, proceed with caution! Windsor advises using no more than two. Interestingly enough, Windsor gives the green light to mixing vintage fabrics, saying "anything goes". Her rationale? Vintage textiles become found objects and art and should be displayed almost like a collection. In her mind, Lynn von Kersting's work is a great example of this kind of mix.

See how well this gray and white striped fabric works with the pink and white paisley print? Windsor obviously practices what she preaches!


And look at the smashing combo of the green tonal stripes with the punchy pink print.

On White... and Blue:
It seems that every designer has one color which they add to every room. For Albert Hadley, it's red. For many others, it's black. For Windsor? White! As she says "the absence of color makes other colors sing!" That said, she also admits that she has a weakness for blue.


Blue and white in an East Coast Traditional home à la Windsor Smith.

On the Stars of her Collection:
So unless you've been hiding under a rock, you know that Windsor recently introduced her new furniture collection. And just what are her picks for the stand out pieces?


Brittany Secretary. Works as a TV cabinet, desk, or in bathrooms to hold makeup and towels.


Slim Chaise. Looks especially good nestled at the foot of a bed.


Entry Round Settee. Looks very "Grand Hotel" to me!

On Her Dream Clients:




(Jane Birkin- in case you're wondering)




Legendary style icon Slim Keith

On Her Current Favorite Design and Architecture Books:


An Affair with a House


Vogue Living: Houses, Gardens, People

On the Details that Make a House a Beautiful Home:

1) Art and found objects that reflect the personality of the homeowner
2) Large bundles of the same type flower in a casual vase
3) Lighting that makes a room come alive day and night
4) Floor plugs




Windsor has some wonderful Found Objects for sale on her website, including this Early Chippendale Table and the Antique French Fireplace Canopy

On the Future:
So what's next for Ms. Smith? Plenty. She's working on some amazing projects including a late 1940's equestrian estate. And, big things are in the works for her website. In addition to her online shop, there will be decorating advice, newsletters, and video. I'd say Windsor is in need of a vacation.

I've long admired Charlotte Moss. Of course as this is a design blog, I've talked many times about her style, her panache, and the gorgeous environments that she creates. She is such a talented woman. But there's more to it. She has business savvy and a vigorous work ethic. Interestingly, for someone whose aesthetic is rooted in tradition, she is a thoroughly modern woman.

As some of you may know, Moss recently made the difficult decision to close The Townhouse later this year. For those of you who have had the opportunity to visit it, you know that it is like no other store around. A few days ago, I spoke with Moss about the Townhouse, and she admitted to me that it was a decision that was not made lightly. One of the issues that many of us face is the lack of time to pursue new opportunities, to fully invest our energy and creativity in our current endeavors, and to spend time with family- in Moss' words, not being able "to have time to smell the roses". And this was just the problem that Moss was facing. With her career as a designer, a writer, a philanthropist, and a retailer, life was becoming a bit crowded. As she told me, she wanted the time to enjoy the process of retail, but career demands were making it difficult.

So while the Townhouse may be closing, it's not really going away. In fact, it's going virtual. We'll still be able to buy Moss' china, linen, and those gorgeous accessories on her website... and now we won't have to travel to New York to do so! Moss also told me that she plans on adding more editorial to her site, recognizing the popularity of the online design community.

Oh, and about that Charlotte Moss work ethic? She's working on a few books as well as adding products to her fabric and china collections. And she's still designing and decorating. It sounds to me like she's doing exactly what makes her happy!

In an economic crisis, you really need a laugh. That’s why we love Whorange for posting this money origami by Asegawa Yousuke.

If you’d prefer to spread the smiles yourself, check out these smile stickers (not what you may think) at Boing Boing.

What do you do when your not-quite-three-year-old is tall enough to help herself to everything in the kitchen? House in Progress shares her stories (and asks for advice).

Shannon Quimby is building a new house that will reuse every single piece of an old house — even the kitchen sink. See her R.E.X. Project here. (Via Charles & Hudson.)

Speaking of sinks, Remodelista shares kitchen sink accessories you won’t mind having on display.

And here are simple tips for a greener kitchen at Re-Nest.

It’s apple season. Try some homemade applesauce at Make and Takes. Yummy.

Fall is in the air at Marimekko; see it at More Ways to Waste Time.

There’s (seasonal) art in your entryways, says Poppytalk.

What do you think of this black apartment at Plastolux? That’s sort of the opposite of the thinking around here.

Some dark and light we like: dark metal lighting at Oh Joy!

Going from black to black and white, see Casa Sugar’s decorating homage to Jean Harlow. As lovely as the lady herself.

Details, details, details.

N ow is the time to gather up your soft blankets, wool scarves and felt to re-purpose them around the house! I’m not that skilled with a lot of the domestic arts, but I love ideas that make me feel like I had some “hands on” experience in creating special things for my home. So, grab your glue gun or glue sticks and get ready for some EASY “homespun” ideas! Fall is in the details.

• How about creating your own monogram with felt & glue? Trace and cut a monogram out of felt. Adhere it on a pretty piece of fabric and tack around an ordinary pillow. Instant personality!
• Add a strip of wool and some fringe to ready made curtains or sheets with a trusty glue gun and even I can be a seamstress!
• I loved those cute little “balls of yarn” in a bowl. These are simply strips of wool wrapped around craft Styrofoam. Such a cute fall accessory for a coffee table or entry table!
• Bundle up your summer pillows, shams and bedding with layers of coziness! Wrap existing shams with scarves, old blankets, flannel sheets, or a sweater. Tie and or tack in place for instant fall warmth.
• Make a seasonal dust ruffle with a blanket or flannel sheets. Tie loose edges with ribbon for a special detail.
• Create sweet little silhouettes of your favorite pooch to fill up an empty wall! Spray paint mismatched frames in autumn colors. Trace whatever shape you want onto black felt. Cover the frame’s cardboard insert with a flannel sheet (how cute to use hounds tooth with a hound silhouette!). Glue the felt shape on to the sheet and reassemble frame.
• Warm up a cold doorway with a no sew blanket curtain! Fold over a rod or hang from hooks. For a custom look, fold over top to create a “valance.” Looks great and can save energy if you use a warm blanket around a drafty door or window. This is something I do every year because we have old windows!
• Use plaid or autumn colored wool scarves to dress up a table or chair!

Find monogram templates here (you will probably have to shrink them down to size if you want to use them on a pillow) as well as other templates for decorating pumpkins!

Photos and ideas found at Better Homes & Gardens!
Click here for lots more ideas on BH&G “100 Days of Holidays” feature!

Related articles on The Inspired Room:

20 Little Things To Treasure in Autumn

Seasonal Nesting Tips

• So many beautiful things in my inbox this week. I am speechless over this one. Misha Handmade Wallpapers selects, produces and distributes silk hand-painted wallpapers. You must must must go to their website and drool. Misha also creates stunning contemporary furniture with a twist. Clean modern lines combined with rich, luxurious, hand-painted papers reviving historical patterns. Trust the Italians to take wallpaper to the next level. Go.... what are you waiting for? Swoon.




• Oh my, oh my, oh my!!! More beautiful furniture, some of the most stunning organic lines I have seen for a long long time. The company is Ode Chair .... contemporary organic chairs hand made in Northumberland, England. The creative genius behind them is Jolyon Yates. Must have please please.




• Lina lives in Stockholm, Sweden and has a home styling company. She's just started a webshop C'est la vie Home featuring pretty little decorating objects as well as luxury chocolate and tea. In Swedish of course but that's what page translators are for. Beautiful pictures speak all languages. Check out her blog too. Good luck with your online business Lina!




• Caroline from Belgium recently started her blog, Carrie Can, as a way of collecting and sharing her inspirations and work with her readers. Pop over and say hi!




• Another new blog alert. Designer/artist Annie Coggan emailed to introduce Chairs and Buildings. "I am a new faculty member at Mississippi State University teaching design studio and furniture design. (I was in Brooklyn and teaching at Parsons and Pratt for 10 years). This new life has given me time to organize my thinking for lectures and projects so I started a blog as a sketchbook." It's visual food for thought.




• Jonathan Adler has gone country? Yay? Nay? Or Ye-ha!




• Have you seen the blog Lime in the Coconut yet? Love Linda's profile - "Living life in a humble Florida hacienda...surrounded by family, dogs, art and PLENTY of sand on the floor. Oh, and a lizard or two that always seem to find their way in the open doors and windows. Hey, what can I say...Sometimes it just isn't pretty. But it IS home." The blog is full of eye candy with special emphasis on tropical style.




• Where does Erin from Design for Mankind find the time? The woman is a creative dynamo. She's collaborating with the Art House Co-Op, an Atlanta-based gallery on The Scavenger Project. "We're making a book and we need your help! We're going to send you a list of 24 things which will end up being the 24 chapters of the book. Each chapter is a reference to a moment, scenario, or item and we need your help visually representing each item." Find out more here.




• James Saavedra from Decor Fellow has a new online magazine fellow* and it is soooooooooooooooooo good. Stylish and right on the trends. Can't wait for more!

A few months ago I picked up a used book at My Sister’s Closet in Chamblee. I wanted to share it with you and never got around to scanning. Lately I was reminded of it because Carolyn Roehm’s A Passion for Blue and White was showing up all over the blogs. It’s on sale at amazon for $37.80. However, while I’m sure that’s a gorgeous book, I am loving the Stephanie Hoppen book I picked up for $5 (it’s at around $17 at amazon right now). It’s called Blue and White Living and though it was published ten years ago, it’s amazing how current it is, though I suppose blue and white is a classic that never goes out of style. Hoppen picked up on wallpaper prints, exotic Mexican and Moroccan touches, great bookcase arranging and even the ikat that’s so hot right now. Here are a few images from Hoppen’s book:

book cover images from amazon.com

all other images from Stephanie Hoppen’s Blue and White Living.