If you don't live in New York, you might not be familiar with interior designer
Richard Mishaan but you better learn his name because you are going to be hearing a lot about him soon. Richard Mishaan's career path has been an interesting one that had him designing woman's fashions at one point and later designing furniture for his store, Homer, which was how I was familiar with him. Tonight, he was debuting his new book
Modern Luxury, which with a very chic party at
Bergdorf Goodman.
Richard and his ridiculously beautiful wife Marcia are real socialites, not Housewives of New York wannabee socialites, so the party was filled with the who's who of New York. Among the chic guest were Marisa Berenson,
Nina Griscom, Mario Buatta,
Philip Gorrivan, and
Town & Country editor Pamela Fiori who wrote the forward to the book. I brought along my friend Eleanor Banco who works for
Teen Vogue since she is obsessed with interior design just as I am obsessed with fashion. I was excited when she brought me the latest issue! I also invited
blogger and
Rubie Green designer Michelle Adams who I was excited to catch up with. Also on hand was my friend Kevin Isbell, design director for
Bilhuber & Associates who introduced me to
Allison Caccoma, the interior designer behind the May 2009
House Beautiful cover! Allison used to work for Bunny Williams and Jeffrey Bilhuber and I can't wait to talk to her more about her work soon!
But let's get back to Richard Mishaan. Richard describes his design style as "fusion" and that definitely describes it. I like when a designer isn't afraid to mix things up and not have a signature style but one that fits each interior and client. There is a chic and elegant feeling to all the spaces in his book but they are also all unique which is why the book is so interesting. My favorite quote from Richard Mishaan is "I am both a modernist and a classicist - I believe we can honor traditional style without living in the dusty past." Amen!
Photos by George Ross
is a must have... Especially for the Mad Men lover!
I love when one of my blog posts leads to an email from a reader who has just the right answer for my design dilemma! Today I received an email from author Cathy Whitlock about her soon to be published book re-de-sign: New Directions For Your Interior Design Career (Fairchild Books, June, 2009) that will be a big help to interior design students as well as already established designers who may be looking to take their business to the next level. Cathy was kind enough to send me a pdf sneak peek and what I love about it is that she gets that creative types are a visual bunch. The book is full of beautiful photos as well as insights from top designers such as Alexa Hampton, Nina Campbell, Kelly Wearstler, and Martha Stewart, as well as magazine editors and book publishers. Whether you want to be a regular interior designer or the next start on HGTV, this book is for you! Cathy wanted me to mention that the book is priced as a text book on Amazon so it's a little on the steep side so she will be setting up a website to offer it at a lesser price. While it's not exactly a how-to guide for setting up an interior design business, it's definitely a good start!
I considered not attending signing party for Susanna Salk's new book Weekend Retreats at David Duncan Antiques Thursday night because I was still feeling a little under the weather but I'm glad I went because it was a great event that brought out the big guns of the design world. Interior designer Harry Heissmann (above) was excited to get his copy signed as were Charlotte Moss, Christopher Spitzmiller, and even Gloria Vanderbilt! Michael Bruno was also on hand to toast Susanna who regularly contributes to his 1stdibs website. 
If you don't live in New York, you might not be familiar with interior designer Richard Mishaan but you better learn his name because you are going to be hearing a lot about him soon. Richard Mishaan's career path has been an interesting one that had him designing woman's fashions at one point and later designing furniture for his store, Homer, which was how I was familiar with him. Tonight, he was debuting his new book Modern Luxury, which with a very chic party at Bergdorf Goodman.
If you can't make it to New York to shop at Housing Works, now Housing Works can come to you in the form of their new book, The Find: The Housing Works Book of Decorating with Thrift Shop Treasures, Flea Market Objects, and Vintage Details. The book is chock full of great photos, wonderful stories and advice from an array of designers. My friend David Jimenez is featured in his very own chapter devoted to how he filled his Kansas City home with a mix of new pieces, antiques and thrift store find. David was in town for the party this week as was interior designer and Turquoise blog writer Vanessa De Vargas who is not only talented but ridiculously beautiful in person. I'm really picky about my design books and I can honestly say that this one is really well done and I highly recommend it. Just be warned that after looking through it, you are going to want to hit the nearest thrift shop or flea market. I know I did and am currently unpacking my fabulous finds! Happy reading and shopping! 
