CasaSugar

Guess Who Designed This Chest?

CasaSugar — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 08:30:00 -0700

I recently watched Sex and the City: The Movie again (still love it!), and noticed this chest of drawers in the office of Carrie Bradshaw's editor at Vogue. The dresser was designed by a very influential American interior designer of the early-to-mid '20s. She wrote an inspiring, and quite popular, decorating book in 1939, called Decorating Is Fun! Can you name her?

Best of 2008: Casa Interview

CasaSugar — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 09:00:37 -0800

This year, I was lucky enough to interview several familiar faces in the interior design world, and you were always eager to hear a word from the wise. But when Sex and the City production designer Jeremy Conway stopped for a chat about Carrie Bradshaw's new bedroom, you were blown away and full of chatter. Revisit the interview here.

Sex and the City: Miranda's Brooklyn Home

CasaSugar — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:15:21 -0700

By now, I bet the majority of you have seen the Sex and the City movie, right? And if not, you've gotten a taste for the movie's fashion, as well as some of the interiors already. I recently got my hands on some stills from Miranda's Brooklyn house, and had to share them with all of you.
I honestly have to say that Miranda's home is probably my favorite in the entire movie, simply because it is the most real. Even though Miranda and Steve's house has great bones, as well as some lovely home accessories, it is a bit jumbled. And that's okay, because obviously Miranda's life is jumbled, too, what with a child, a full-time job, and other, um, complications that I won't share because I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't yet seen the film.

To see another photo, as well as to hear more about why I love Miranda's apartment, read more.

For instance, take a look at the handprints to the left of the fireplace in the first photo. Those prints tell a story that we, the audience, isn't privy to - it could represent a mischievous painting addition by Brady, or perhaps even a little midpainting make-out session between Steve and Miranda. I also love that many of Miranda's more reserved and uptight UWS apartment accessories can be spotted in the Brooklyn home, though now they are overwhelmed by Brady's gigantic stuffed animals.

I'm curious - did you like Miranda and Steve's Brooklyn home, or did you find it too "real" for the fantasy that is Sex and the City?

Get the Look: Carrie's Redecorated Digs

CasaSugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:00:22 -0700

Yesterday I gave you some details from Carrie's redecorated apartment. I'm back today with a few more ideas, and I'll also help you to get the look of her place as well.

Jeremy Conway, the production designer for Sex and the City, gave me some great tips about the products He told me that he custom mixes all of his colors, but the brilliant, lovely ocean blue on Carrie's walls is very close to Benjamin Moore's Electric Blue. The Rug Company was also the source for the movie's gorgeous rugs and a pretty LOVE wall hanging in Carrie's apartment.

To find out even more details about Carrie's apartment, read more.

Additionally, a fabric panel that runs up the hall in Carrie's apartment is a Marimekko piece. Jeremy also revealed another surprising fact: The writing on the storage shelves surrounding Carrie's flatscreen TV is actually quoted from writer Gertrude Stein, who Jeremy notes is one of Carrie's favorite writers. There's also an ikatpillow on Carrie's bench seat, and a mirrored table in her living room. Her magazines are stacked on neat gray shelves, and natural-colored, deco-inspired pottery coordinates nicely.

If you're interested in re-creating this look, here are some similar pieces that might inspire you!

Photo courtesy Craig Blankenhorn/New Line Cinema
©2008 New Line Cinema

Casa Interview: Sex and the City's Jeremy Conway

CasaSugar — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 10:00:08 -0700

I was recently lucky enough to chat with Sex and the City production designer Jeremy Conway. While many of my Sugar friends were wowed by the clothing in the movie, I was blown away by the sets. I was particularly excited about Carrie's apartment makeover.

My eye was definitely attracted to the bright blue shade on the walls of Carrie's apartment. Jeremy told me that he custom mixes all of his colors, but the brilliant, lovely ocean blue on Carrie's walls is very close to Benjamin Moore's Electric Blue. Concerning the dramatic change in Carrie's apartment, which was previously dressed in subdued, natural tones, and flea-market chic, Conway said, "Carrie had really grown up, but she wasn't living that life in her apartment yet." The challenge in the redecorating was designing an apartment that seemed like it could be a little more organized, lived in, and put together. One important change was to fit a dining table into the house, "so it could be a place that she and Big could have dinner together."

Conway said that redecorating the iconic apartment of Carrie Bradshaw definitely made him a bit nervous. "[Writer and director] Michael Patrick King didn't see the apartment until the day before shooting started. He came into the living room and said nothing, and I thought, 'Oh no,' and then he started to tear up, and again, I thought 'Oh no,' and then Michael said that it was fantastic."

I have a feeling that most fans of Carrie's old apartment will be equally - if not more so - thrilled with the updated look. To hear about a surprising source for materials of the set design, read more.

The surprising source? The Rug Company! In particular, my eye was attracted to a gorgeous piece of art in Carrie's redecorated entry. I asked Jeremy if it had been commissioned or painted by a local artist. No - that as well was from The Rug Company! The lovely damask-patterned rug in the picture below? Also from The Rug Company.

For more details from Carrie's apartment remodel, check back tomorrow.

Photo courtesy Craig Blankenhorn/New Line Cinema
©2008 New Line Cinema

This Just In: Mr. Big Makes a Commitment

CasaSugar — Wed, 28 May 2008 07:45:43 -0700

According to Real Estalker, Chris Noth, a.k.a. Sex and the City's Mr. Big, and his longtime girlfriend, actress Tara Wilson (and mother of their son Orion Christopher Noth), purchased an 1,854-square-foot, 3-bedroom, 2-bath Joseph Eichler-esque modernist home in Sherman Oaks, CA for $1.445 million in August 2007. I'm sure the anticipation of his paycheck from the Sex and the City movie made it easy for Noth to fork over a big million or so for the house, and a three bedroom is also the perfect size for his family of three. I personally love the place, and am eager to see what direction he takes the décor. I hope he doesn't go for a midcentury antigarden . Until then, I'll just have to drool over Noth when I see him on screen at our SATC movie screening party tonight, and I can also look forward to his pairing in a romcom with Renee Zellweger.

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Source and Source

Found It! SATC Furniture

CasaSugar — Thu, 22 May 2008 08:30:42 -0700

In anticipation of the Sex and the City movie, I figured I'd revisit the girls' apartments and show you how to steal their looks to get your own digs into true SATC form. Check out this slideshow to see some furniture that'll help you emulate your favorite character, from Carrie's creative crib to Miranda's slick UWS home, Charlotte's Park Ave. pad, or Sam's sultry downtown digs. Source

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Before and After: A Very Carrie Bedroom

CasaSugar — Wed, 20 May 2009 09:00:05 -0700

TeamSugar member Ashley moved into her first house seven months ago, and wanted to redecorate her bedroom to reflect her taste and personality. She decided to use Carrie Bradshaw's blue bedroom as a guide for making over the boudoir. And the best part? Ashley says that "using existing furniture, bargain finds and DIY I spent very little."

To see how she changed the look of the bedroom, read more.

Ashley used Benjamin Moore Electric Blue paint for the wall color, and scored the white lacquer desk for $100 at the Pottery Barn Outlet. She noted that it had a couple of nicks, but she was able to cover them with appliance paint. For the art, she bought inexpensive photo frames from the dollar store and the craft store and sourced art through cheap prints at sales, and even printed some with her printer and photo paper.

"Basically I plotted out the major pieces I wanted and scoped out bargain décor stores, linen sales, or thought of a DIY way to make it happen," explains Ashley."It only took me about a month and with my existing furniture and the projects I spent less than $500, linens, curtains, paint, vanity, table, and all misc décor items. "

I love the change that Ashley made to her bedroom, and her cheap and chic makeover proves that you can accomplish big decorating changes on a minimal budget. Definitely check out the gallery for more views of her smashing, very Carrie bedroom.

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DIY: Ashley's Girly Glam Vanity

CasaSugar — Thu, 21 May 2009 08:00:44 -0700

Ashley, whose very Carrie bedroom makeover impressed lots of you, DIYed her bedroom vanity, seen here. Ashley notes that "I wanted a mirrored vanity so badly, but they are pricey and I am a single mom who just started my career. My solution - I took a Craiglist wooden antique vanity and refinished it myself for a metallic look."

Want to see how she did it? Then read more.

"I wish I could have found and have afforded an actual mirrored vanity, but after the Sex and the City movie everyone wanted one, I think. So I took an old antique vanity from Craigslist and primed and painted it with spray paint. The first time I used a plain metallic silver but I wasn't sold on the results, so I went back and got the chrome-looking version of spray paint. Of course, it did not come out chrome on wood, but it had more of a silver metallic look when dry. I used two coats of the chrome and let it dry overnight. Then I used a polycrylic applied with a brush for stains and finishes, I put about three coats of this on the vanity so it would give off a glossy finish, The spray paint alone needed this final step. The polycrylic also protects the paint job."

I love the effect. Have you ever painted wood furniture to give it a metallic look?

Casa Verde: Kristin Davis's Eco Choices

CasaSugar — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 08:30:15 -0700

If you're looking for inspiration on ways to go eco chic look no further than Kristin Davis. Perhaps better known as Charlotte from Sex and the City, this celeb is surprisingly green in her lifestyle choices. While it's true that she did drive a Beemer to the Sex and the City movie premiere, her BMW was actually hydrogen powered. While hydrogen vehicles are still in the experimental stage for the general public, research suggests that they may help to curb greenhouse gases, since their use doesn't involve the burning of fossil fuels.

Another eco choice? Well, Kristin is an ambassador with Oxfam, a charity that works to find long-term solutions to poverty and injustice in over 100 countries. Kristin's worked with Oxfam since the South East Asia tsunami in December 2004, first as a donor and most recently traveling on behalf of Oxfam all over Africa.

Kristin's biggest eco change, though, is probably her new solar-powered house, which is currently being built in LA. To see a video of Kristin talking about her house, read more.

Source