Architectural Digest September 2014

As the September issue is usually synonymous with fashion,
 the theme for the AD September issue was the homes of fashion designers.

There was so much in this issue that I am cutting straight to the editorials.

The first home was the Long Island home of the Calvin Klein designer Francisco Costa.
His home was streamlined and minimal as you would expect from a designer of that brand.

Except for his library which seems cluttered at first glance but is filled with books which for a library doesn't mean it is cluttered but doing its duty.

I only included these three because streamlined design is pretty similar visually and there wasn't much to take away from white walls and furniture.

Aren't you curious to see what Natalie Massenet's house looks like?
She is the founder of Net a Porter and 
sold her stake for a sizable sum.

She supposedly sold her stake for £50 million and stayed on as the director.
This is the home she bought with the windfall.

She purchased a mansion in South Kensington.
A staircase and an outdoor courtyard like this is normally seen in hotels or government buildings in London.

 

Yes it is a nice kitchen but as a Londoner, 
I am looking at the space and the features.

 

The interior is lovely but nothing so striking that it will start a trend elsewhere.
The sofa is in the legendary L'arbre de Matisse which is very popular for upholstery.
I wrote about the fabric in this post last year.

 

This is her dressing area and the inner sanctum of most homes.

I don't get the full sense of space and whereabouts of the closet 
in the master bedroom but then again 
I am sure it is for security reasons.

While I do love the Zuber wallpaper, I love the bed even more.
It is a great London house with tasteful decor and 
I appreciate she didn't go over the top.

Most of you know that I am now a solid fan of Martyn Lawrence Bullard after I met him at Design Week in the spring.
However, I am not a huge fan of Tommy Hilfiger and his designs.

But I think the two are good friends and Martyn did say he was working on something for them when we met.  I hope this wasn't the home he was referring to because I can't stand it.

I am not a fan of primary colors unless used with finesse and the correct dosage. 
Hence I am not a fan of this room.

This media room which is always a token necessity in American mansions is atrocious.  Even if you were watching a Disney cartoon you would feel like you were watching porn.

This bedroom looks like it is Captain James T Kirk's playboy pad on the Starship Enterprise.

This bedroom looks like it was decorated by some broke ass hippies still high on LSD in the 1960's.

The aforementioned hippie's lovechild's bedroom and bathroom...

This black and white striped and chevron bathroom is the room where you would go to if you needed a visual break and rest.

This room just looks like a lobby of a hotel in Miami 
that used to be trendy in 1982 and still gets guests 
who gives the hotel really bad reviews on TripAdvisor.

Apologies Martyn.

I love Isaac Mizrahi.  I was so sad when he went out of business.
The design business is brutal because talent doesn't equate to corporate acumen and expertise. 

His good taste carries through to his home.

Nice art, good furniture, varied tones with a touch of modern and avant-garde touches.

His bedroom is a great New York bedroom.
Not spacious enough for most smaller cities but enough room for a little table and a great view.

This next house was so funny that I laughed out loud.

I don't think that was the desired effect however.

It took itself all too seriously.
Also, calling itself moody coupled with excessive photoshopping was only going to create a pastiche of an editorial.

This is his master bathroom that is tiled in Bisazza tiles. 
As I can't see a bloody thing in that picture of black and white with filtered light I will just have to take their word for it.

That painting of a guy with a cut throat could be a self portrait of what happened when he tried to shave in that dark bathroom.

He hasn't chosen the best appetizing art for a dining room.

Murder scene or are we still waiting for everyone to join us for breakfast?

 I have a funny feeling that the dog was chosen to suit his home decor. 

I like Adam Lippes.  
He designed a chic leopard print outfit last year that I had my eye on but never went through with.

This apartment is just so darn decor likeable and livable.

It is easy living with touches of formality and comfort that appeals to me very much personally.

Mind you most of it is the period features that does most of the work.

Just as I was thinking how I could move in, I saw this.

I really dislike writing on walls. 
But this is an anathema even to an Oprah fan like myself.

The whole taste level just bombed and negated the rest of the house with this whim.  I love irony and I love a sense of humor but for some reason I can't forgive this one.

The Agnelli's are the Italian equivalent to the Rothschild's and the Kennedy's.

It is a classic home decorated with tasteful antiques and heirlooms.

I am including Carlos Souza's Brazilian home as he is a renown "tastemaker". He is the brand ambassador for Valentino.

There is a casual elegance to his holiday home.

I like simple rustic kitchens like this.  I don't think this type of kitchen could handle a big family in an urban setting but for a breakfast and barbeques is just perfect.

Those who follow me on Pinterest know I am a huge fan of folding screens and I looooove the simplicity of this white cloth screen and the scale of it.

Isn't the scenery the clincher though?
I could take a hut with this view.

There are more images that I will be pinning to my Pinterest for those who would like a more exhaustive look through this issue.