Top 10 Blog Posts for 2010

Sometimes the verticality of our posts sinking, sinking into the archives makes me wistful. Wonderful friends and family have been so generous to share their amazing homes and photos, I wanted to resurrect some of our most fun and unique posts from 2010.

My wonderful daughter took these photographs while working on Lindsay Coral Harper's  "Let the Wild Rumpus Begin" table. These designer tables from the Lennox Hill Neighborhood House Gala at Sotheby's make me want to throw a party. O.K. I know, everything makes me want to throw a party!

The Best Farm Ever has me fantasizing about building a barn house. Did I say party? Party heaven is right here, with outdoor fireplaces blazing, monopoly money changing hands among frenzied children in the circle grouping, and pizza piling up on the kitchen counter. Football injuries aside, this gathering took the party prize of the year. 

Mrs. P's dedication to her mountain house renovation created a perfect year round getaway for family and friends. This image is a perfect example of using a large scale fabric with matching drapes to make a small room seem intimate and inviting. Don't miss the before pictures in this post, you won't believe the transformation. 

I hope Maria from Colour Me Happy is reading this post. Take Fun Seriously shows a playful mix of bright colors and eclectic furniture in this delightful party fortress. Run downstairs and see my favorite girl cave!

Phoebe Howard's eponymous design palace, Mrs. Howard's, in Charlotte is worth a plane ticket. The nail head trim reiterating the sunburst motif mirror in this dining room is a handsome foil to the soft chintz on the chairs. Every room in this design mecca is literally breath taking. 

Bobby McAlpine alum, Ruard Veltman, of Charlotte collaborated with Mrs. G. to create this Lutyens inspired mountain retreat that I call Nieu Neo Georgian.  The research laid the groundwork for a previously unpublished McAlpine house. The shared DNA is really interesting, start with Sir Christopher Wrenn who perfected Georgian, and embrace the transmutations of the Arts and Crafts crowd. I have more to say about that down the road, I'm smitten with Lutyens. 

Sir Bobby, who I have officially knighted in honor of Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens, interpreted Mrs. D.'s vision of a Pennsylvania stone farm house. I still owe you part II. I was waiting until the winter got really bleak to cheer you up. 

My ODF (oldest and dearest friend) is married to Edmund Hollander whose unerring taste and contribution to landscape architecture is as grand as Gertrude Jekyl's at the opposite end of the century. I recommend he collaborate with Sir Bobby, for the complete reincarnation of the Lutyens /Jekyl country house revival. If you are the type of person who watches movies over and over, just to study the interiors, Ed did the landscape for the Hamptons House in everybody's favorite, Somethings Gotta Give. It was listed for a mere 10 million. You can see more of Ed's exteriors for this house on Linda Merrill's post here.  

Speaking of movies, this James O'Connor playhouse was featured in the disappointing remake of Sabrina. This rare glimpse into the old country estate boom on Long Island was embraced by the preservationists in our crowd. This beautiful Sister Parish living room survives intact, from when Bunny Williams was her assistant! We have some more pictures of the old estate for the old Long Island crowd posting soon.  

Sending buckets of sunshine to all in gray January. This is my Edmund Hollander inspired window box.