CasaSugar

This Just In: Scarlett Johansson Makes a Midtown Move

CasaSugar — Thu, 29 May 2008 07:45:38 -0700

Remember how Scarlett Johansson sold her TriBeCa loft? Well, you didn't think she'd stay in a hotel her whole life now, did you? Course not. According to Big Time, she has purchased a four-room penthouse in Midtown Manhattan for $2.1 million. The listing for the 2-bedroom, 2-bath condo reads:

Triple Mint Penthouse designed by architect/owner with the most discriminating taste! Elegant and simple with clean lines, top-of-line finishes, and an extraordinary chef's kitchen. In addition, both bathrooms are exceptionally renovated with stone and wood. The terrace is large and beautifully landscaped and features open city views. Additionally, there is a lovely greenhouse off the bedroom. Superb closets and much more!

Sounds pretty fabulous to me. Those open city views are certainly an exceptional selling point. Maybe she can have deal hunter Nick Olsen who lives nearby come over for a design consultation, or just stop by the MoMa in the 'hood for some interior inspiration . . .
To see interior photos of Scarlett's new apartment, read more.

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Kate's Chic, Budget-Beautiful Sun Room

CasaSugar — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:00:25 -0700

Kate Abney, an editor at Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine, recently sent me a TwitPic of her fabulous sun room. I asked her if she'd send me a few more photos, and some background on her room and decorating style, and she graciously obliged.

Kate's apartment is on the second floor of a large, historic (1916) yellow-brick apartment building in the heart of midtown Atlanta. She notes, "We do have quite a lot of windows in the place (beautiful light!) but the interior is well-insulated and we are always more than cool enough - or toasty enough - in the summer or winter, respectively."

One of the rooms that really shows off this light beautifully is Kate's sun room. To see more photos of the room, and to find out all about how she decorated it, read more.

Since I know that readers are often curious as to where people sourced the objects and furniture in their homes, Kate was nice enough to let us in on the details. She notes that she picked up the printed cotton rug from Urban Outfitters for about $25, while the green upholstered chair was discovered at a vintage store for $50. "I'm still on the hunt for a cool Suzani lumbar pillow to toss on it," she notes.

Kate couldn't find the exact drinks table she was seeking, so she craftily created one using two Ikea planters, turning them on opposite ends and filling one with plaster-of-Paris.

"The Shaker-style blanket chest is an antique that's been in my family for years and once belonged to my great-grandfather. My uncle refinished it for me last year to the perfect matte warm brown finish. It's even gorgeous on the inside and perfect for stowing my laundry until I have a chance to take it to the laundry mat," Kate says. "The green botanical print cushion I actually made from a $10 CB2 table runner, just removing the seams, stuffing it and then sewing the end back up."

Kate ordered the mid-century upholstered footstool from an antiques store in Florida via eBay, while the arc lamp is a Bed Bath & Beyond knockoff, and the desk is from Target. Other room elements include a Jonathan Adler ceramic vase and a bent plywood chair shipped straight from France that she found through eBay.

What a great space, Kate! I wish I could visit and relax in your lovely sun room. I also admire your savvy sourcing of diverse accents and furniture. Nice work!

Do you have a well-decorated room to show off? Share it in my Su Casa group!

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Get the Look: Updated, Urban Romeo and Juliet Set

CasaSugar — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 11:00:05 -0700

One of my favorite things about Summer in the San Francisco Bay Area is attending California Shakespeare plays at the Bruns Amphitheatre, an insanely beautiful outdoor theater in the Siesta Valley between Berkeley and Orinda, CA. This season, the company is staging Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and I'm totally excited about the look of the set. Set designer Neil Patel is creating an Italianesque urban landscape that, according to the play's director, John Moscone, “was initially inspired by a kind of fascist architecture in Italy. Imposing, monolithic, and anything but cheery.” However, to reflect the kinetic energy of the central characters, the set will also feature a wall treatment of graffiti-inspired color.

Inspired by Patel's vision, I decided to try my hand at creating a similar effect - though toned down enough to appeal to the interior decorator in all of us. To see what I came up with, read more.

I decided to create a sitting room inspired by the doomed lovers. I kept the imposing, antique-look furniture of the Cal Shakes set, but softened the lines a bit. I also continued the graffiti-like look in the art pieces. However, I chose a citron and gunmetal palette (one of my current favorites) to work with. The lovers' fragmented families is reflected in the rug I chose, the CB2 Midtown Rug ($299 - $599), while the triptych of art reflects the same graffiti look as the original set. Altogether, the look is austere yet intriguing.

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This Just In: Target Takes Manhattan With Bullseye Bodegas

CasaSugar — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 06:15:10 -0700

Target has launched four limited-time-only stores, pegged Bullseye Bodegas, throughout Manhattan to celebrate its pioneering designer partnerships, during one of the biggest design bonanzas: New York Fashion Week. Today through Monday, Sept. 15, those of you in Midtown, SoHo, the East Village, or Union Square can shop fab deals on home items (as well as fashion, accessories and beauty) from Target's team of design partners. Notables include Thomas O'Brien, Isabelle de Borchgrave, Michael Graves, Christiane Lemieux, Rachel Ashwell, Victoria Hagan, John Derian, and Sean Conway. And, in the case of John Derian, whose new line of home accessories hits stores next week, you'll have the exclusive privilege of shopping JD before his full inventory hits the stores. My girl FabSugar has already stopped in, and since I can't make it to NY Fashion Week, I'll have to shop vicariously through you!

Casa Capsule: The Week That Was

CasaSugar — Sat, 31 May 2008 10:38:34 -0700

The Jolie-Pitts made a French connection.
The biggest water waster is Celine Dion!
Now you know how to get the look of Samantha Jones in your home.
I introduced you to lighting designer Shannon Shapiro.
Got some spare time? Make some easy vinyl iron-on coasters.
Salma Hayek's bro, Sami, launched a bedding collection for Target.
Mr. Big made a (real estate) commitment.
One artist found a way to make people pay for trash.
Scarlett Johansson is moving to Midtown Manhattan!

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Coveted Crib: Nick Olsen's Anti-Crack Den

CasaSugar — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 05:15:11 -0800

In early October, 25-year-old Nick Olsen, a protégé of high-profile interior designer Miles Redd, moved into a studio apartment in midtown Manhattan, which he said looked like a "crack den." It didn't look like a lair for substance abuse for long; Nick has a history of overcoming the perils of big-city living. You may recognize Olsen as the "Deal Hunter" from Domino's blog, Daily Dose. Well, it was because of Olsen's thrifty, inspiring, and jaw-dropping transformation of his first NYC apartment, his refined sensibility and his can-do attitude that he actually landed the gig with Domino, in the first place. If Olsen couldn't afford high design, he "faked it" with flea-market finds and tactics like covering an Ikea table with faux marble paper . . . until it looked straight out of, um, a Condé Nast magazine. Redd saw the digs at Olsen's housewarming party and tipped off Deborah Needleman, Domino's editor-in-chief, who quickly snatched it (and him) up for her November '06 cover. For a tour, read more

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This Just In: Jean Nouvel to Transform NYC Skyline

CasaSugar — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 05:30:30 -0800

Architect Jean Nouvel has been commissioned by an international real estate developer, Hines, to design a tower adjacent to the Museum of Modern Art in Midtown Manhattan, which will house a hotel, luxury apartments and three floors that will be used by MoMA to expand its exhibition space. The MoMA sold the lot to Hines earlier this year for $125 million, but insisted on veto power over the architect Hines would choose. The choice is certainly a bold one, which is a bit hair-raising considering the amount of money at stake.

According to the New York Times, the 75-story tower "promises to be the most exhilarating addition to the skyline in a generation." The soaring, faceted structure is said to be "rooted in the mythology of New York, in particular the work of Hugh Ferriss, whose dark, haunting renderings of an imaginary Manhattan helped define its dreamlike image as the early-20th-century metropolis."

How do you rate the rendering of the to-be-built skyline-transforming tower?

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