"An Afternoon at Dawnridge . . . "

Greetings,

It was the Academy Awards weekend in Southern California.  And with the exception of the Vanity Fair Oscar party, it might have been one of the hottest tickets in Los Angeles last weekend.  Even better than an invitation from Elton John, it was an invitation from Ronda Carman.   I was pleased to be included amongst a gathering of designers who had all been invited for a luncheon to celebrate the 120th anniversary of SFERRA.  On a bright, beautiful Sunday afternoon, there was a combination of great friends as well as designers whose work I have always admired - with the spectacular Hutton Wilkinson as our host and guide through his historic home in Beverly Hills - simply known throughout the design world as Tony Duquette's Dawnridge.

(Truth be told, I actually have a few friends that DID get invited to Elton John's party.  And frankly, I'm totally jealous. lol)

Hutton Wilkinson, giving us some history on the grand house.

Stacy Kunstel, Clinton Smith, Ronda Carman, and I gathered in the drawing room.

A little history on SFERRA -

SFERRA began in Italy as a purveyor of fine Italian-made lace in 1891. The company’s industrious founder, Gennaro Sferra left Italy for business travel in the United States at the turn-of-the-century in hopes of attracting a market for his intricate Venetian lace cuffs and collars. He found his clientele in the well-heeled guests who frequented the grand seaside resorts that once dotted the East Coast from Maine to Palm Beach, and traveled regularly up and down the coast to sell his exquisite goods.

SFERRA now serves more than 600 of the finest luxury specialty linen and home accent stores worldwide who carry its premium Italian sheeting and top-of-bed lines. Within North America, SFERRA is proud to count Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Horchow, and Bloomingdale’s among its stable of discerning customers. 

Ronda Carman and Jan Showers.

Stacy Kunstel and Clinton Smith.
(How amazing is Stacy's outfit!  Seriously!)
(and, yes, Clint looks adorable as well!)

The Drawing Room at Dawnridge.

Dawnridge's Sunroom.

Another view of the Sunroom.

The table all set for the outdoor luncheon.

Bright table linens - and custom monogramed cocktail napkins provided by SFERRA for each of the guests.

A delicious luncheon.  And sparkling company. 

There's something somewhat magical about spending an afternoon with such an army of creative people.  Sharing inspirations.  Laughing.  Toasting each other's successes.  Lending advice.  And basking in the glow of our amazing surroundings.

There are few people on this Earth more charming than Hutton Wilkinson.

Clinton Smith, Kyle Knight and I just after our delicious lunch.

Tobi Fairley and Jan Showers.  

Tracy Porter and Ronda Carman.
(Totally loved Tracy's vintage handbag!)

Tracy Porter, Ronda Carman, Hutton Wilkinson, Lori Dennis, and I.

Barclay Butera and Suzanne Rheinstein.

Anne Sage, Paloma Contreras, and Tracy Porter.

Cheers to an amazing afternoon.

Cheers,

Scot

(Photo Credits - "SFERRA’s 120th Celebration at Tony Duquette's Dawnridge" Photos by Andreas Branch for Patrick Mcmullan for SFERRA.)

"From the Desk of . . . "

Greetings,

I've always been fascinated by writers - and especially those fine people writing about interior design.  Their jobs just always sound SO exciting - setting new trends, compiling new interiors, really being on 'the inside' of interior design.  Though to be honest, many people that I meet say the same thing ("it sounds SO exciting!") about being an 'interior designer,' so I'm quite sure there's a certain amount of drudgery involved as well.  

One of the aspects of blogging community that I love - is a chance to peek behind that particular curtain - and there are several of my favourite writers and magazine editors that are sharing great information and inspiration on their blogs :

Dominique Browning - "Slow Love Life."  You must remember Dominique's name from her time as editor of the much loved House & Garden magazine.  (God, I STILL miss that magazine!)  I remember her letters from the editors were always gracious, insightful missives - and her blog feels the same way - beautifully written and  incredibly inspiring.

Clinton Smith - "Smith on Style."  Mr. Smith is the editorial director of one of my favourite magazines - Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles - and if this magazine isn't a regular part of your design reading, you are missing something amazing.  Clinton has just started blogging - and I'm excited to see the direction his new blog takes.

Margot Austin - "Margot Austin." From our friends up north, Margot is senior design editor at Canada's Style at Home magazine.  Clever.  Witty.  Fresh.  Inspiring.  

Crystal Gentilello - "Plush Palete."  Crystal is the force behind the very popular new e-magazine, Rue.  Even after only three issues, Rue is clearly off and running . . . And I love reading about Crystal's design inspirations that are a regular part of her blog.  Design.  Fashion.  Travel.  It's wonderfully girly - and a breath of fresh air!  

Ronda Carman - "All The Best."  A constant source of inspiration - and a virtual glossary of all 'the people to know' - Ronda brings her great knowledge and clear love of design to her blog.  She just completed a re-design of her blog - which I am loving!  And she's also just started writing as well for the Huffington Post - congrats!

Patricia Shackelford - "Mrs. Blandings."  Many times, I'll save reading "Mrs. Blandings" until the very end.  Almost like one would wait for dessert.  I love her beautiful, honest writing style and her wicked sense of humour.  Though I was sad to hear that she had recently moved - my second thought was, "Oh, the new house will be perfect fodder for the blog!  I can't wait to see what she does!"

Happy reading,
Scot

"The Judges Are Sequestered . . . "

Greetings,

Well, it has certainly been a busy few weeks here at the home offices (and/or the laptop next to my bed) of Tartanscot.  All told, there were more than 175 entries in the holiday decorating contest.   Many more than I had anticipated . . . though, I can't say with any certainty that I was anticipating anything specific - lol.

So, in the traditions of the great talent shows, I'll provide a little entertainment to distract you whilst the judges are 'backstage' tallying votes.   So, just click 'play' and let's review our panel of celebrity judges.

So let me re-introduce, in no particular order . . .

Anne Sage

I had the pleasure of spending an evening in Anne's delightful company

during what could have been one of the most stressful nights of my life.

Anne, from Rue Magazine, was at my home (along with a photographer, 

the photographer's assistant, a videographer, and 5 of my friends) for

our photo shoot for the holiday issue of Rue.  Her calm manner kept the evening productive 

and her great style made the photos even better than I could imagine.

I love her fun, bohemian, and openly girlie sense of style - and was so

excited that she could bring her specific point of view to the contest.

Grant Gibson

Grant is one of those people who I feel like I've always known, even though I

think we both remember the first time we actually met one another.  Just about

two years ago - and laughing over our common bond of a love of fabulous rain boots - lol.

Grant's work shows his clear love of classic, traditional design.  And

we still compare rain boot stories - during the ever-dreary SF winters. 

Megan Arquette

I was flying into LA for a design event.  And Megan and I had been chatting online

through our blogs for several months - and decided that we would have breakfast when I landed

in LA and meet "IRL" (in real life!)  What followed was an almost 14 hour day of laughing,

sharing, and talking with someone who felt like an old friend from childhood - though I'd

only seen for the first time that morning.

She has a great 'beach girl' style - and a great outlook on her life and on design as well.

Michael Devine

Actually, Michael and I have never met - though we have numerous friends in common - as

well as a true love of classic design and beautiful gardens.  In fact, it was images of Michael's

gardens at his home in New York that made me sure that we could be friends!

I'm so pleased that he was game for being a judge - and I'm looking forward to

meeting Michael in the new year.

Ronda Carman

Prolific writer.  Great sense of humor.  And good friend.  I remember finding

Ronda's great blog for the first time.  And much to my surprise, at our first meeting, she 

told me that she remembered the first time that 'tartanscot' had commented on her blog.  As with 

so many of the other judges, Ronda and I have become great friends.  Ronda sees design 

from a great critical perspective - and I'm so pleased thatshe could take 

time from her schedule to help out.  

Tobi Fairley

Yet another of our panel who I haven't had the pleasure of meeting.  If you ever need 

to look for an example of how best to integrate social media into your design business, 

you couldn't find a better case study than Tobi.  A fiercely creative designer.

An amazing presence on the web.  And yet another southerner amongst

the group.  You only need to visit Tobi's blog to see her great love of the holidays -

and her brilliant love of colour.

Cheers,

Scot