A Thatched-Roof in the North Sea

Really enjoyed reading this little snippet in the WSJ last week on the island of Sylt. The island, as the article explains, is a quaint island in the North Sea of Germany's coast which attracts many people who desire a getaway from their fast-paced lives and frankly, have the means to spend an outrageous amount on residential real estate. (Many buyers pay north of $5,000 a square foot for the idyllic thatched-roofed bungalows, which is insane to even fathom). Interestingly, most residents of the picturesque white-sanded village are indeed German or come from German-speaking countries. Very few international visitors come to Sylt. Despite the big-ticket price on real estate in the village, many of the homes are indeed small and are adorned with thatched-roofs. These roofs, as the article points out, are about 50% more to insure than industry standard shingled roofs. Intrigued? Check out this listing and let's pack our bags for a little R&R.

"The Whimsical World of Les Lalanne"

Loved reading about Claude Lalanne, her Parisian panache and artistic pursuits who is (along with her late husband François-Xavier Lalanne and real estate mogul Michael Shvo), behind The Sheep Station installation in Chelsea. The installation consists of 25 sheep sculptures inhabiting a grassy pasture of a former gas station at the corner of West 24th Street and 10th Avenue. The sculptures, made of epoxy and bronze, are by Claude's late husband. Now, at the ripe age of 89, Claude is still going at it with a recent trip to New York to help promote a new venture. At the end of this month, Sotheby's will present a selling exhibition of works by Claude and her late husband amidst a backdrop of moss flooring and ivy-covered walls. Click here to learn more.

A Louisiana Weekend...

...An old invitation I keep in my memento box. Found this in my Grandfather's library after his passing. My Grandparents were very social creatures who loved getting gussied up and especially loved New Orleans. It's fun to think about them attending this event (in 1973!).

I'm Moving In.

This Hollywood Hills home graced the cover of the 2012 December/January issue of House Beautiful and remains to be one of my favorite interiors. Behind the design is Mark D. Sikes who is one of my favorite figures in the design community and also happens to have a fantastic blog. I especially love the way he works with texture, whether it's with a velvet leopard pillow, rattan roman shade, woven jute rug or black lacquered walls, he then layers with a sentimental objet or stack of books. His designs give you a sense of ease and intrigue, all the while looking pulled together in an organic yet sophisticated fashion.

I am drawn to the bookcases that are inhabited with stacks of magazines that seem to look like prized literature. In my room at home back east, I have an antique shoe rack that houses hundreds of magazines I've collected over the years, I think it secretly drives my Mother insane.

As the Roman philosopher, Marcus Tullius Cicero has said, “A home without books is like a body without a soul.”