How about these velvet roman shades from Pottery Barn? White and grey were de rigeur back in the 1930s (and still are in my book!), and the velvet provides just the right amount of sheen. Shine, shimmer, and gleam are very important when one is designing a decadent boudoir!



And of course you've got to have some satin and silk, such as these quilted silk throws from Schweitzer Linen. I'd use either the cream or white.


I would have to find some place for Jonathan Adler's Montmartre table, because you have to have some type of Neoclassical element in the room. Or maybe you need a few...


...in which case I would use the Athena stencil and paint this Greek motif on every door in the room.



This acrylic pedestal from Richman Design would look fabulous in a corner with some type of urn on top. Perhaps a ceramic one with lilies in it? Or, what about an alabaster urn lamp?


I might use this old Western Electric rotary phone, but I would prefer it in white. If you're going to schedule social engagements or liaisons, you really should do it in style.


The leading lady would have to wear the appropriate attire for such a room. No flannel pjs!! But we wouldn't want our leading lady to dress (or undress) like Gypsy Rose Lee either, so this robe is glamorous but tasteful too.


Keep in mind that the next time you're on television or in a movie, your eyes will really stand out if you use false eyelashes. And as long as we're going with the glamour theme, what about these feather lashes from shu uemura.

Image at top: A still from the 1935 movie "Top Hat"; set design by Van Nest Polglase

I haven’t had a chance to do one of these posts in awhile; I’m behind on my blog reading lately! Here’s a journey through my blog catch up:

I say Congratulations! One of my favorite bloggers, Erin of Elements of Style has a new website for her design company, Element Interiors. Check it out here. Also, I meant to link you over to her post Orange You Glad it’s Fall? awhile back, so I will now - it’s a great collection of orange in decor.

I obsess with all of the step-by-step printmaking eye candy over at Heart Fish.

I ogle surreal pieces available from the Tony Duquette Collection spotted over at The Peak of Chic.

I wonder how swissmiss manages to find so many clever things every day. For example, the mobile bench.

I ponder whether the person who designed this treehouse cafe I spied at Inhabitat was high and chowing down on Keebler cookies when he/she came up with this treehouse.

I say “Hooray; I love these guy!” as I read this post from Home Rejuvenation for the tenth time.

I realize I will NEVER have a garage that looks this neat as I read The Inspired Room.

I am reminded by Style Court that I really need to get a library card.

I get pumped up for Halloween reading this post from katiedid.

Well, I’m off to one of my favorite cities, Charlottesville, VA for the weekend. I’m not sure if I’ll have time for my 20,000th visit to Monticello, but I’ll get my TJ fix on the UVA campus. See you on Monday!

• image from elements of style
• image from heartfish
• image via The Peak of Chic
• image via Swiss Miss
• image via Inhabitat
• image via Style Court

From Janet:

Short on built-in closet space?  Fantasizing about a roomy linen closet or spacious cleaning pantry?  Turn an unused area into an instant storage space with a rustic wardrobe from Ikea.

Below: With a couple of coats of white paint (or just as is) and a few extra shelves, the Stranda Wardrobe from Ikea takes on a new life; $299.

Posted by Bluelines

With a heavy blog heart, we are saying goodbye today.

Bluelines is shutting down, but will remain here as an archive.

We want every reader to know that we have been thrilled to share with you all of the things we've loved,
things we've obsessed over,
and things that have inspired us in every way.

We hope you will stay in touch with us through our own blogs and sites.

Much love and best wishes to all.   

I'm a sucker for wire mesh. So I'm trying to find a right place for these pieces in my home to justify their purchase. (I'm sure I'll figure something out.) But first, I would also like to check them out in the store to see if they look and feel just as good in person. The chair is the De la tour chair from Urban Outfitters and the table is the Link side table from CB2. I'm glad they're finally opening a store in San Francisco this summer.

(Owner Kerry) DeBuse says he spent tens of thousands of dollars upgrading the old-fashioned dining room in June. Business had been slow since early summer, he says, "but it all changed 180 degrees within a week of the recent (Wall Street) crash."When the problems went global, the bottom fell out.

Big news for you Tony Duquette fans. Baker Furniture, in collaboration with Hutton Wilkinson and the Tony Duquette Foundation, has just introduced the new Tony Duquette collection of furniture and accessories. The new line consists of reproduction pieces that were originally designed by Duquette throughout his long and prolific career. I must admit I have a weakness for furniture and objects that have a story attached to them, so I'm prone to like these pieces because of their history and lineage. But I also like the fact that the collection is anything but cookie cutter- much like Duquette himself. It's quirky, a bit bizarre, and really quite chic. What do you think?

(To see the rest of the collection, visit Baker Furniture's site.)


Regency Pagoda Lamp. Duquette produced various resin pagoda lamps that were originally inspired by an antique pair that were in his possession. Light is dispersed from the tiny windows of the pagoda; I would love to see this piece in person.


Organic Baroque Chair. Duquette came up with the design of this chair while serving in the army in World War II, but it was not until the mid-1960s that Duquette actually had the chair fabricated.


Elsie Tabouret. Not a Duquette design, but this tabouret was an Elsie de Wolfe creation c. 1926. de Wolfe was a mentor to Duquette, and the original tabouret that inspired this piece is ensconced in the Duquette studio.


Abalone Chandelier. This chandelier was originally designed for Duquette's one-man exhibition in Los Angeles in 1952. After the exhibition closed, the chandelier was moved to the Charles and Palmer Ducommun home in Bel Air, where it hung for many years until Duquette purchased it back from the estate.


Sunburst Torchere. The original torchere was designed for the drawing room at Dawnridge circa 1949.

Image at top: The drawing room at Dawnridge with the famous Sunburst Torcheres.

Posted by Lena

Volume Two of  "Lines & Shapes," a series of small books I co-curate with Maria Vettese, came out last week.

This book's theme is "block," and it's dedicated to projects created by our contributing artists. I find the projects so creative and absorbing, and hope that others will too.

But I'm especially fond of a section in the back of this book, where we show some of the artist's "favorite things." I thought I’d share images of these pages, which include favorite corners of the artist's homes and studios, and single objects which make them happy.

And here is one of my favorite things (not included in the book). It’s a framed bird print, purchased by my mom at Sears in the 1970s.

I went with some of my friends from high school to see The Roots and Erykah Badu on Monday--which was really good. The Roots set was super short (like half an hour) and Erykah's set was super long (like 2-1/2 hours, I think?)! I love that along with her extra large hair which obscured her face, Erykah wore this funky red, grid-patterned pantsuit (which looked like something straight out of Andre 3000's closet), Urkel-style black-rimmed glasses, and mule tennis shoes (at least it looked like that from where I was sitting). I wouldn't doubt she probably had suspenders on underneath, too. Everything about it from the performance and music to her outfit seemed both feminine and masculine, uncompromised, vision-driven, and just plain nutty. Loved it.

Anyway, seeing The Roots again also reminded of a poster I made ten years ago. It was my final project in the one and only graphic design class I've ever taken. I took this class right after college when I realized that I was interested in more artistic pursuits. I remember choosing to hand-make this poster on manila paper instead of using a computer to design it.

It's always interesting to look back on your early work to see how far you've come and at the same time, to see what hasn't changed about you.