Thursday, July 29, 2010

Take Fun Seriously

My friend's house in New York City is seriously fun. Color and mirrors, myriad animal paintings and figures combine with mystical Mayan rubbings to forge an environment for homebodies that love company.
East meets west in the entrance hall, with a tropical twist. Peaches, yellows, greens, and reds create the anticipation of fun. The pool room beyond is a bodacious red and the thin screen t.v. over the fireplace invites guests to roll up their sleeves and relax with sports or movies.
Adjacent to the front door, the bar is the first stop before relaxing in the seating area. This house has a clubby feel and might be my favorite in the world.
This fun toile banquette is a study in mixed metaphors--it is a feminine touch in a manly pool room and has little antique racing cars winding down curvy vistas. It is a great afternoon spot for a toes up and a good read.
Looking down from the terrace, there's a great spa pool where friends and family gather for a cool down.
All the stair halls are unified by the melon colored walls, green stair risers and red spindles along the banister. I love the oriental lanterns.
This guest room is a quieter refuge. The murphy bed folds up to expand the party space for foose ball and bowling!
3 boys!!
Oops! Its hard to stay out of the picture with all the mirrors. This Mayan rubbing adds a magical era
to this modern bright space.
Across the hall, there is room for four square, yoga, indoor ball games, and fun play dates for the children. Do you see what I mean about homebodies? With a pool, exercise rooms, billiards, games, they spend a lot of time here, inviting friends and family to share in the activity.
On the fourth floor you can sneak away for some quiet time on the hammock. The glass under the coffee  table provides natural light in the bathroom below, dividing the exercise areas.  
Or have a cat nap on the sofa. 

Four floors down on the garden level is the dining room with a continuation of the peach and green combination, using high gloss exterior paint. 

This is a fun twist on Elsie de Wolfe's dining room at the Colony. I couldn't include a full room shot, as I was struggling with the light. We have had some great meals in this room cooked for us by the kids, complete with a legendary Bananas Flambe. I wish I had that picture--plenty of flambe!!

There is nothing like ground breaking work, in any field of invention. Elsie de Wolfe was the iconic pioneer of interior design.
Has anyone mentioned the girl cave? If anyone has a girl cave, send us photos. Who actually wants to see the perfect man cave? It is deliberately ugly. Send us pictures to liz@dovecotedecor.com and we will cover your refuge!! Thanks again for stopping by, commenting, following, tweeting. You guys are the best!!

Love this Mayan entity, who ever he is!

19 comments:

  1. Amazing! Love that red laquered room with the banquette, but its allll good!

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  2. I am crazy about the fact they aren't afraid of color. And when used, it's full force! I just love confidence. It's all beautiful!

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  3. loved seeing you at farmhouse...

    and i loved my tour of this house too..
    girl cave made me laugh...and who is that little cutie-pie sitting on that girl cave bed???

    let me know about how you liked the dilly bread..it is fun to make...and oh...so good

    i'll be back soon
    kary
    xxx

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  4. That cutie pie is a little man! Who knew anything masculine could look that girly!

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  5. What a marvelous menagerie of fun! I feel an accent coming on to live there, Dahlink, velcome to my home! Green is your color, it suits you!!!
    pve

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  6. We go to Le Bilbouquet in the city for that kind of eaves dropping! I highly recommend it--lots of double air kisses

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  7. Ah-mazing! What a stunning home, and in the best city in the world no less! I love the banquette, but the entire place is simply stunning! I am so happy you found Little Blue Deer so I could find you, so happy to follow and will be back frequently! XO!

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  8. You've got to love people who are willing to take a risk as they create their design style. These are amazing spaces. I'm not sure I could live with it everyday, but I'd sure like to visit it for a while!!

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  9. Oh my gosh. The colour in that pool room is simply stunning!
    Kristine
    The Painted Hive
    xxx

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  11. Amazing space - so nice to see a fearless use of color! The banquette in the red room is my favorite element! Thanks for sharing this awesome place. Enjoyed my visit to your blog and will be following. Hope you can stop by soon for a visit!

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  12. What a great place to come home to - especially after a busy day in NYC! Love the gym and garden room but the girl cave is the best!

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  13. Wow, what a beautiful and unique home! That garden pool, the fourth floor room round window + hammock, the yellows and greens, I could go on and on...

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  14. 4 square...inside...with a fireplace and a flat screen....amazing! LOVE the red and green staircase too. Color color color....hooray K

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  15. The colors are quite brave but it is the herringbone floors and bones of the place that really move me. Such a canvas.

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  16. Alexis--good eye, it was a hard house to photograph because of the light, but the herringbone floors are the bomb. It was an apartment building before, so the bones are cobbled in.

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  17. Your friend's house is so unique and fun, I can't even imagine the joy of touring her home for the first time! So many fun details and great surprises everywhere!

    --> And thank you so much for stopping by my blog and joining my giveaway!

    xo Linda

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  18. Too much fun! Who would ever leave the house?

    Thanks to you for visiting my blog and joining my
    Fortuny Pillow giveaway...they found a wonderful
    new home.

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  19. Not only am I reading it but I've become a follower too :)
    Great post and I love the colours!
    xo
    maria

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