We’re loving the latest spring home introductions from AERIN with entertaining pieces and objets d’ art that evoke the spirit of beachy, seaside living. Below are a few of our favorite items from the new Aerin at Home collection. And – if you’re an AERIN fan you’ll be excited to know that she is quickly expanding her lifestyle brand, bringing her signature style to a line of fabrics for Lee Jofa, furniture for E.J. Victor and lighting for Visual Comfort all set to debut this spring! I will be at the upcoming High Point Market where Aerin will be launching her new collections and I can’t wait to share the scoop! In the meantime, which Spring AERIN pieces are you loving the most?

 Top (clockwise): Shagreen Picture Frame | Sea Urchin | Green Agate Geode | Ram’s Murex Shell | Shagreen Tray | Carved Stone Heart | Turquoise Jewelry Box | Bottom (clockwise): Shagreen Coasters | Gold Dipped Circled Bowl | Small Floral Vase | Crystal Glasses | Geometric Bowls | Little Bird Bottle Opener

 

One of the best parts about working on the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House Gala was having the opportunity to witness the creativity on display by all of the other incredibly talented designers involved. It was fun to see how everyone else interpreted the High Society theme and approached their table design. I had so many favorites but highlights included designer Lindsay Coral Harper’s Beverly Hills Hotel inspired table complete with the iconic pink stripes and palm leaf printed fabric and Andrea Stark who collaborated with LMD Floral on a table design  inspired by Diana Vreeland’s apartment complete with a cheeky cardboard cutout of Diana herself. In addition to all of the fabulous tables there was also a fabulous party! (Let’s just say the night wrapped with me on the dance floor doing the Harlem Shake with antiques dealer David Duncan!) Click through to see a slideshow featuring photos of all of the amazing tables as well as a few party pictures and boldfaced names from the night. Thanks again to the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House and Veranda for the opportunity to be a part of such a special event!

Photos by Marco Ricca

I’m so excited to finally share photos of my completed Lenox Hill Neighborhood House Gala table! When I learned that the theme of this year’s event was “High Society” I decided I would choose a “high society” muse to inspire my table design and I immediately thought of the iconic American heiress Doris Duke and her magical Hawaiian retreat which she called Shangri La. The daughter of a wildly successful tobacco and energy magnate, Duke was known as the richest girl in the world even earning the nickname “Million Dollar Baby.” She loved exotic travels which included journeys to far flung places like Morocco, India, Iran, Syria, Turkey and other regions of the Middle and Far East. It was through these travels that Duke fell in love with the beauty and exoticism of Islamic art, textiles, architecture and culture. She was drawn to all things rare and ornamental and became one of the largest collectors of artifacts and decorative objects from the Islamic regions. In the 1930s, Duke built Shangri La, which was her homage to the art and cultures that she loved so much. I wanted my table for the gala is to evoke the feeling of how Doris would have set her table when entertaining friends at Shangri La. Doris Duke was beautiful, eclectic, adventurous and a little bit irreverent and I sought to capture these qualities in my tabletop design. Let’s take  a look at of the details!

To bring a bit of the spirit of Shangri La to the table, I had my uber talented calligrapher friend Kathryn Murray create place cards that bore the names of Doris Duke and her actual friends who were frequent guests at Shangri La. So many people commented on how beautiful the place cards are! In addition to the hand lettering, Kathryn also made the actual place cards herself!! She found the embroidered floral appliqués, spray painted them gold and then mounted them to the cards… They turned out stunning! If you’re ever in need of calligraphy services, Kathryn should be your go-to choice!

Here’s a full view of the table. I chose a blue ikat linen fabric from Calico Corners for the tablecloth taking inspiration from the blue color in Duke’s dining room at Shangri La as well as her love of ethnic textiles. The eclectic pattern is so beautiful and provided the perfect backdrop for the table settings! The tablecloth was fabricated by my mom’s company, Posh Window Fashions (thanks Mom!).

Here is a close-up of the tableware. L’OBJET donated several pieces including the beautiful Perlee chargers, Pave Swarovski crystal napkin rings and Bird Place Card Holders that you see here. L’OBJET’s pieces truly are exquisite – they are like jewelry for your table! The napkins are from Matouk who makes luxurious fine linens for the home. I loved the whimsical feel of the leaf green scallop detail on the napkins which contrasted so beautifully with the blue and pink hues in the table design. The flatware settings are from Yamazaki which is a company that began in Japan in 1918 and makes elegant flatware and serving pieces that “celebrate the art of dining”. The pattern is called Byzantine and feature stainless steel with rich gold accents. Everyone just loved them!

Doris Duke’s dining room at Shangri La featured bright pink trim accents so I wanted to infuse a bit of pink into the mix for my table. (And pink, after all is my favorite color – I’m such a girlie girl!)  I had my amazing upholsterer Oswaldo of Astudillo Design fabricate the chair slipcovers for me and he was able to make them in less than a week’s time! They turned out perfectly! The pom pom trim is from M&J Trimmings and provided a fun little detail for added intrest to the bottom of the tablecloth. I also added a fun little orchid lei to the back of each chair which is the traditional token of welcome in Hawaii!

The floral centerpiece was created by In Bloom New York who makes stunning floral arrangements for events. I provided them with an inspiration board and suggestions on flowers and they came up with this lovely arrangement that featured a larger centerpiece surrounded by 5 smaller arrangements. I just loved the deep pink color of the roses and soft pink peonies which happen to be my favorite flower!

I was so pleased to have the opportunity to support the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House by designing a table for the organization’s Spring gala!  The event, which was sponsored by VERANDA, raised an astounding $1,350,000 which will go a long way towards helping many New Yorkers in need. I was also in awe of the creativity of all of my fellow designers. Stay tuned next week for a full slideshow of all of the fabulous tables that were on display at the event! You’ll also be able to see more photos from the evening in an upcoming issus of VERANDA. And if you’re interested in learning how you can support the Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, click here to learn more.

 

Photos by Nicole Gibbons for So Haute

I’m on the hunt for a few talented individuals to help with the blog, design studio and other exciting projects in the works. Here’s the scoop:

AWESOME DESIGN STUDIO INTERN

I’m looking for one awesome intern to help with all of the exciting projects I have going on at Nicole Gibbons Studio. This is a jack of all trades kind of position which will involve assisting with everything from interior design projects and events to photo shoots, television segments plus a few administrative tasks.  This is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to learn about running a multi-faceted creative business and building a brand. The experience will be fun and rewarding experience and I’ll teach you everything and introduce you to everyone I know!

Location: You must live in New York City and be available at least 2 days per week. | Requirements: Must be highly organized and creative with an eagerness to learn and an attention to detail. You must also have a passion for interior design as that is the core of our business. | Duration: Flexible, but must be available to start immediately. | Compensation: College credit available + daily lunch | To Apply: Contact us here with DESIGN STUDIO INTERN in the subject line. Include a brief cover letter that tells why you think you’d be a great fit along with a copy of your resume.

 

AMAZING EDITORIAL INTERN

Looking for a talented, young writer with an interest in design and entertaining to contribute to So Haute as a blogging intern. Students located in New York City are preferred but we will also consider candidates in remote locations. This is a position that will require a few hours of work each week and you can work independently from home with occasional meetings in person or via skype. You’ll help write blog posts and assist with other blog related projects… and if you’re based in NYC, the bonus for you is that you’ll get to attend some pretty fab industry events that will provide excellent networking opportunities with top brands and influencers. This is a great opportunity for a journalism student who wants to have their work published on a far reaching web platform (we reach more than 30K readers in more than 130 countries monthly!) or for someone who wants to learns the ins and outs of running a successful blog.

Location: New York City or remote | Requirements: The ideal candidate has a good eye for design, stellar writing skills, a familiarity with social media and blogging platforms and is comfortable working independently. A healthy obsession with design including knowledge of designers, industry influencers and brands is a huge plus! You’ll have an extra edge if you’re familiar with WordPress and/or have photoshop skills. | Duration: Flexible | Compensation: College credit available | To Apply: Contact us here with EDITORIAL INTERN in the subject line. Please send a brief cover letter with why you think you’d be a good fit as well as a copy of your resume and any writing samples (links are preferred). If you have a blog of your own or are active on social media, please also send links to your blog and/or social media pages.

 

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER

I am in need of a photographer with a passion for interiors based in New York City who can occasionally shoot stories by assignment and also collaborate with me on creative and original content features for the blog. You would shoot everything from beautiful interiors, to interior design industry events and the occasional portraits. Most shoots would be flexible and workable around your schedule. The number of assignments per month are variable.

Location: New York City | Requirements: An excellent eye and experience shooting various lifestyle content with a focus on shooting/lighting interiors | Duration: Flexible | Compensation: Negotiable | To Apply: Contact us here with PHOTOGRAPHY CONTRIBUTOR in the subject line and include a link to an online portfolio of your work.

 

 Photo credit: Style Me Pretty Living

_{Jamie Drake in his en suite “sky garage.”}

If I was ever asked to choose someone who personifies the word fabulous I would have to say interior designer Jamie Drake whose buoyant nature and boldly colorful interiors have made him one of the design world’s most beloved personalities. Drake recently purchased an apartment in a high-profile new condo development in West Chelsea designed by architect Annabelle Selldorf (his neighbors include famous names like Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban, Kelsey Grammar and Dolce & Gabbana’s Domenico Dolce) which is featured in the April issue of Architectural Digest. Aside from being exquisitely decorated, Drake’s high-rise condo unit comes complete with an extravagant en suite “sky garage” which has a lift that brings his shiny black BMW from the street and straight up a modern glass elevator and into the garage  that is attached to his apartment. He even decked out the garage with a chic pendant light fixture from Ralph Pucci, installed a new slatted ceiling and incorporated decorative objects to dress up the space. Pretty fab, right? Below are a few more photos of Drake’s “Playboy After Dark” inspired penthouse. To see more of his apartment, pick up the April issue of AD or click here to see the feature on architecturaldigest.com. And click here to watch a video of Drake talking about the process of designing his new apartment.