A pleasant surprise awaits.  While I am generally conservative in my aesthetic, I am rather fond of secret spaces and unexpected moments.  One must resist, at all cost, the feeling that you’ve seen it all, you’ve seen too much, you know just how the story will end.  The sheer number of mistakes I make daily is my assurance that I am not falling into this trap – had I made them before, I surely wouldn’t make them again, but that’s a song for another time.

Swoon worthy interiors that have inspired me.

A sense of wonder is magically rejuvenating.  Every space . every outfit . every person should have its cache of enchantments.  A hidden talent . an old flannel shirt that conceals lacy lingerie, a simple door that when opened reveals an edge painted in a bold and unexpected color.  It’s a fundamental conundrum of life – we need predictability and we need uncertainty.

Nailed it.  Stunning linen closet.

I don’t know about your life, but mine serves up a lot of both.  Each project has its own unique series of unforeseen conditions – unanticipated structural issues, previously undiscovered water infiltration situations, aging infrastructure that really should be replaced, a crack, a code, a color gone wrong.  It’s all there.  Welcome them all in, like an uninvited house guest.  They will make you wiser.  These I accept, because they are out of my control.  What a terrible thing for a control freak like myself to write.

Cole and Sons . Palm Jungle

This week presented a number of conditions that I could have foreseen, but didn’t.  C’est la vie.  I will balance the scales by asserting my will where I can.  Where I know it will surprise and delight.  I love wall covering but think that it can be somewhat overwhelming in small apartments.  My need to feel a sense of calm when I step off of the streets and into my home has kept me from papering its walls.  But it will not prevent me from hiding it away inside a closet.

Left:  Cole and Sons . Malabar  Right:  Domino Magazine always got it…so pretty.

The guest room will lack detail for reasons of economy, but I still want it to feel special.  To achieve this and to maximize the usable space, I will be install a sliding barn door over the closet.  Think city chic, not country.  The interior of the closet will be lined in Clarence House Tibet Wallpaper.  Those dragons make me happy.  I plan to make the tiny 3′ x 3′ space into a library so I can sit and read, and look at that crazy, funny paper, and be inspired.

Clarence House . Tibet