Macy's Holiday Lane Is The Best

When I first moved to Manhattan I found my Christmas ornaments and stockings mainly at Saks Fifth Avenue with a couple of radiant ornaments at Bloomingdale's. There was no need to leave my neighborhood to go down to Herald Square for anything. 

Nowadays Macy's is the only retailer I'd consider because for sure, of the 3 stores, it has the most extensive assortment of holiday decor and accessories, including Nativity Scenes which Bloomingdale's and Saks have sadly dropped from their inventory, a decision that makes little sense!

Certainly, I understand people not buying a Nativity Scene who don't celebrate Christmas, but when retailers won't sell the religious artifacts that Christmas epitomizes it's a silly attempt to be politically correct! My Jewish friends love Christmas chorals and celebrating my holiday with me, and they don't feel less Jewish for it. Likewise, I'm honored to be invited to the celebrations of other religions. I never feel disloyal or like it's an attempt to convert me. Hell, we live in a global world and melting-pot country. Everyone should be free to take pride in their ethnicities, cultures, and faith traditions, and we shouldn't be afraid to take a glimpse of the wider world by stepping outside of our rituals.

What's more, Saks and Bloomingdale's don't carry enough of a holiday selection anymore, restricting their holiday offerings to one small area of a floor. Macy's still makes its offerings look like Santa Claus's workshop, which is located on its 9th floor. All of the glitter and gold as you walk the floor helps you understand the magic of Christmas, commercial though it is. You remember the awe you felt as a child when your parents took you out to see Christmas displays where you shopped.

In addition to a wide array of stock to choose from, Macy's offers the best prices and sales on its merchandise so you'll return home happier and less broke.:) Even if you have everything you need from your Christmases past, it's worth a trip to Macy's just to see Holiday Lane. I know from my friends of diverse backgrounds that people of all faiths enjoy it! All are welcome. Who isn't uplifted for a window of time by the sparkle and festiveness!🌍🌎🌏

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5 Interior Design Styles Part II

A Modern Style Living Room

As promised here are 5 more popular interior design styles. Expert decorators write books on each one. Allow me to detail several main traits while you consider your favorites ...

Click the photos to enlarge. The interior design names follow the images.

6) Modern - According to the Spruce, modern homes "are comfortable and inviting spaces built for relaxed family time and casual entertaining." Living rooms contain ... "ultra-comfortable seating, built-in TV walls, and a focus on natural light." Design elements include natural, earthy, or monochromatic hues along with clean, sleek, and functional furniture. You'll see plywood, concrete, fiberglass, and acrylic paired with steel, stone, wood, bamboo, and leather. Geometric, abstract, retro, and grid patterns are favored. 

7) Modern Mid-Century  - Simplicity is the mainstay of the MMC style. The furniture has clean lines, soft curves, and functionality. There's no clutter, accessories are minimal, sleek, and serve a purpose. Earthy color palettes dominate. The focus is on natural textures and wood, especially teak, walnut, or oak. The mood of the room is warm, cozy, and calm. Pops of color, geometric shapes, or vintage lamps complete the look. While Frank Lloyd Wright is the most influential architect of the period, George Nelson is the father of MMC design since he created some of its most iconic designs which are still with us today. Onto ...

8) Contemporary - This style evolved from modern design in the 1970s and continues to grow today. I'm posting not 3, but 4 examples of it as it means "now"! Key features include sculptural lights; exposed construction materials such as steel pillars, wooden beams, brick, or concrete; minimalism of form (for example windows replacing walls); and the use of eco-friendly materials such as bamboo, cork, recycled plastics, glass, aluminum, or clay. These new materials gave what is called "a visual edge'' to contemporary design. An additional influence may come from traveling to Asia, South America, or continents not your own. Therefore there may be a mix of cultures in a room. Colors found in nature including (1) stone grey, (2) sandy browns, (3)  charcoal black, and (4) cloudy whites are commonly brought into a home with color accents of (5) leafy greens and (6) rich jewel tones. Artwork is often prominent and pleasing without being overly ornate like a featured wall or a standalone statue. Contemporary design also loves open interiors with less division. An example is a "great room," a combined living and dining room that flows out from the kitchen. 

9) Glam - This distinct style falls under contemporary. "Glam is an interior design style that's ornate and extravagant, striking the perfect balance between excess and elegance. Using elaborate detailing, high contrast, and luxurious materials, glam style is for those who love a more-is-more approach with a sense of sophistication and plenty of shimmer," quoted (because I like the wording!) from Signature Hardware.

According to the Spruce, texture and shine unite to create a glam room. Mirrors and mirrored tables give the space a glitzy, upscale feel while silk, velvet, and fur fabrics add texture and interest to the space. You might see crystal chandeliers, sequin lamps, or metallic candlesticks. The main palette color tends to be a sophisticated neutral like white, ivory, cream, grey, or black while pastels and jewel tones bring pizzazz to a room along with crystal, marble, gold or silver, velvet, fur, silk, and spectacular light fixtures.

10) Maximalism - is another design style with a more is more mentality. The look embraces bold uses of color, pattern, and layering to create a space that celebrates excess. Although the style champions an exuberance of colors, patterns, textures, shapes, and objects, it works because it's as intentional and curated as any other interior design type. Think of maximalism as mindful over-the-top playfulness. It avoids clutter, messiness, and neutrals. Bright show-stopping colors are a must. Design elements mix patterns with contrasting themes like animal prints, geometric shapes, and florals. Expect to see chandeliers, statement pieces, ornate accents, or unique wallpaper. Maximalism, well done, shows you the unexpected by skillfully linking unrelated elements together. It's surprisingly warm ... I love it!

Photo of Maximalism style by Meagan Hopp - NYC Project 

I hope you enjoy this series on interior design styles as much as I do! Some choices in our trilogy (or maybe it'll be tetralogy?), I didn't know a lot about before outlining them. How about you? Learn anything new?

Stay tuned: On Friday I'll publish 5 more Interior Design Styles Part III.

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Ralph Lauren Come Decorate My Apartment

This top image is Ralph Lauren's spacious flagship store on the west side of [address 867] Madison Avenue at East 72nd Street in New York City. I'm sure the designer's tasteful decor is similar at his other stores in major cities throughout the world. 

Although the merchant's home decor style is a tad more masculine than mine, I use what I see at RL as inspiration since I love his rich, sophisticated, yet unfussy American style.😍 Mr. Lauren combines classic, clean, simple elegance with old-world charm. Just like his clothes, RL's home decor is stylish and cosmopolitan without pretentiousness.

It's always a joy to enter the flagship store (in fact there are 2 stores on Madison Avenue at East 72nd Street opposite one another on the east and west sides of the street), where you are always greeted with friendliness and never stuffiness, disdain, inaccessibility, indifference, or the rudeness of some upscale businesses. Furthermore, RL's price points are neither cheap nor outrageous. They are high-end and expensive, yet not gouging.

Mr. Ralph Lauren, please come decorate my home! Hey, already I have your bath towels and bedsheets and if you agree to come, I'll turn the rest of the place over to do with what you will. I trust you completely, Ralph! Your style is my style.😍

Readers … I'd also love to have the huge space to go with the substantial furniture in RL's flagship store. In NYC, large rooms are a rarity. First a dreamer, then a realist I like to say. Perhaps you don't have the budget or space to fit the whole shebang of furnishings into your home, but you can get the feel by adding several of the smaller, less costly pieces. Perhaps I'll have to settle for the one martini/wine glass above.🍷😉 However, I'll be sure to buy more than one if Mr. Ralph and his team stop by. Call me!

 

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Christmas Decorations Are Up

When decorating a room, it is as important to have empty space as it is to bring the right pieces of furniture into it. The most expensive (or festive) object looks cluttered without the proper amount of space framing it.

I'm lucky to live in a nice apartment in Manhattan, but it isn't big, and it doesn't face the street side of the building, so I've always just decorated my golden pothos (epipremnum aureus) plant in lieu of dragging a Christmas tree into a spot where there is really no room to display it. Gets the job done! I think of it as my Egyptian hieroglyphics "Christmas tree." Tucked into a corner, it only takes up vertical space; and guests seem to be charmed by it, so that's fun too. By necessity, Manhattanites are creative arrangers and decorators!🌃

Admittedly I do less in recent years, however, other Christmas artifacts are scattered throughout the rest of the apartment. The nutcracker was my first Christmas decoration. Years ago, I bought him for $17 at Saks Fifth Avenue. My friend, Cara Sue, came into town, and we found her similar nutcrackers at the dollar store for about $3. 

Although not the most church going person in the world, I set out a Nativity Scene. I like to get down to the nitty-gritty of a holiday and remembrance. What's it all about? Striving for better and the hope that the best is yet to come! Go big, or go home. (Who coined the catch-phrase? Answer here.🙂)

Some years I hang out a huge velvet red bow with gold overlay. I like the simple silver bells also. They continue my parents tradition of stringing up silver bell oraments, which dangle over blinking Christmas candolier lights in our front widows. My Dad was so creative. We miss him every day.

The bells hang outside on my front door to cheer folks walking down the hall. When I first moved into my apartment, it was one of many tasteful Christmas motifs and wealths, but newer neighbors (who celebrate) do nothing, so it is the only modest hall decoration on our floor this year. Well, there's a few days left. Forge on people!🎄🔔🐫


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DIY Bookcase Using Narrow Wooden Crates

So. I thought I'd create a home for a few of my history books on Queen Victoria & her children. But I'm afraid of clutter. Bringing ill-fitted furniture into a space looks bad, i.e. cluttered! IMHO there needs to be space, as well as, the right articles for any home to look stylish. 

That's why I'm starting cheap. If a bad idea, I haven't invested much, but if a good idea, I can replace my DIY bookshelves with an upscale bookcase later on (if I desire). Because workers are still entering my apartment, my brand new area rug is left rolled up ... giving me the freedom to embark on a DIY project.

Enough storage for about 8 -10 regular sized books

"Narrow" is the key word. Any book nook I add to my space needs to fit a tight section of my wall. Therefore, I bought pine crates at Home Depot and painted them Bone White, the color of my walls. (The stool above was to sit on to paint; and yes, that's my foot in the picture. Not being a professional painter, I forget to remove my good shoes to do the job. I'm glad they aren't painted too!🙂)

After water damage from the upstairs fire, the wall behind the book nook was replaced with a new one, leaving the floor tiles shattered. Yet the powers in charge have no plans to fix or replace all the loose and shattered tiles in my apartment. This shelf will go in a corner of the room after it is finished.

Now I'm waiting for the paint to cure on my new shelves before deciding on the next step, whether to:

1) Stack one on top of each other (as I show above↑);
2) Put wheels on the bottom; 
3) Make another stack of 2 and attach back to back, then add wheels;
4) Leave them side by side;
5 Attach them together (using gorilla glue or nails, a must with 3 or more shelves); or leave them unattached;
6) Call it a bad idea and toss.

Moving the crates around the living room helps to find the right spot. Hmm?

Who says she doesn't have space for a bookcase? Futhermore, these versatile crates can be stacked vertically or horizontally on top of furniture, if need be. If they end up under a window, 2 crate high will do. Next to the wall, I could attach 3-4 crates high, but need a platform to lift them up since the wall molding keeps them from resting against the wall. In a corner, they look best flat against the wall.

People with knowhow could add adorable touches, no?  Each narrow crate holds about 4 books. So 2 (holds 8 books), 3 (holds 12 books), or 4 (holds 16 books), neatly, immaculately and organized, no?

In a large room, a homeowner could get more ambitious by using large crates, as well as, attach 6, 9 or 12, etc. together. Painted, or stained ... and  voilà ... stylish DIY storage furniture for less!

Be it for books, or something else, there is no end to how a creative person can decorate with inexpensive wooden crates. See Pinterest here for the many impressive ways! I'm posting 3 of my favorites although they may be above my skill-set.🙂

What do your think of using wooden crates as storage units?


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Edouard Manet's Masked Ball at the Opera - on display at the National Gallery of Art and in my living room.

Havenly, an online interior design company, invited me to tell the story behind a decorating piece I have in my home. I will depict not one, but a few things, as well as, talk about making the most of a small space.

As it is, I live in a modest Manhattan apartment compared to the 3-4 bedroom houses that people elsewhere tend to occupy. My #1 decorating rule is, there is to be no clutter, and so all the objects I bring into my space are full-sized, yet compact and multi-functional. Often I say, "I don't buy pretty. Everything must have a purpose." My couch and ottomans have storage for pillows and blankets. What's more, the top of a sturdy ottoman can be flipped over to use as a table.

I painted my walls an off-white (with a tint of warm yellow) and the trims a bright white for a pop of crispness. A bright white as a main color looks institutional and sterile, but not so with a yellow tinted white.

Since the walls are white, I bring color into the apartment with a huge Pottery Barn wool rug, colorful pillows, plus prints of museum paintings I like. The Manet 1873 painting (at the top) is one of them. As a congressional intern for the U.S. Senate, I walked over to the National Gallery of Art frequently to look at the original. I simply bought the museum poster and had it framed. Artwork on a wall is a smart decorating choice for a small space since it only requires vertical and not horizontal cubic feet. Select art, or personal themes that make you happy, as you will look at them everyday.

I have one article of whimsy in my apartment, James the Butler, but he, too, has a function. He holds a wine glass or cheese platter for guests who come into my home. Every city dweller needs a butler! Sometimes he holds my mail, gifts or other items I need to take with me to events. Always ready to serve, James is a treasure trove. He charms my guests and never complains!

Do you have an item in your home that is especially useful, has a history, or makes you smile?

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