What's Under Your Stairs?

I bet many of you that have a stairway in your house, under utilize the space below it.
But before I get to that, let's look at one of the most charming seating elements: The Banquette.

Banquette at my favorite French restaurant La Grenouille

Who of us has not gone to a restaurant, especially the ladies, and not wanted to claim the banquette? Seated against the wall, with a view of the entire room, you just kind of feel grand. Even the humble booth at the diner, is preferred seating because it's cozy.

Banquette at a restaurant

The space under the stairs just calls out for a banquette. Or you ou could just shove a couch or a jam settee under the stairs.

Couch under the stairs

But it just doesn't make it, does it? A banquette looks much more finished, elegant, and glam.

Tobi Farley

Banquettes have been widely used in many other cultures, in place of couches as we know them in our part of the world. Morocco is a good example. For many of us the optimal floor plan does not involve shoving furniture up against the walls.

Banquette in Morocco

We tend to like to float furniture. However there might be some little corner that a banquette might add a little extra something to the room.

My friend Tim Pope uses this simple banquette in his living room
See more of his fabulous New York apartment HERE

Melissa Rufty, a very talented New Orleans designer HERE, is the master of using the banquette.

Melissa Rufty

Especially when she tucks them under the stairs.

Melissa Rufty holds court under the stairs

Paired with the perfect small tables, she creates a seating area that is useful and popular.
She tells Mimi Read in House Beautiful: "When we have a party, it starts out collecting coats and purses, but it ends up collecting the late-nighters. It's where we hold court."

Melissa Rufty
Do you see the perfect Lucite table?

The banquette used in the odd unused place in the living room is a really smart thing to add.

Arnold Scassi

It offers glam looking additional seating and a great styling opportunity.

Via Chinoiserie Chic

All the old school master decorators used the banquette as a staple. I am so happy see its return. Many of you may already have a banquette in the kitchen dining area, but I think you should consider it for under the stairs, or for that unused corner in your living or family room.

Via Chinoiserie Chic

If you are handy, or have a handy husband, you can custom build one HERE

Or you can use modular furniture. Ballard actually sells some good looking pieces that would be fabulous under the stairs.

Ballard

You also could use a couple of benches in an L-shape and pile on the throw pillows.

Trunks as benches!
Not very elegant
But it could work for young decorators just starting out

Bryan Batt: Life After Sal

Say it isn't so. Bryan Batt's character Salvatore Romano is not coming back for season 4 of Mad Men.

Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner makes it sound even more dire: "We don’t murder people on our show, but for there to be any stakes, there have to be consequences ... I know how people felt about Bryan. I obviously love working with him, and he has been an indelible character since the pilot. But I felt it was an expression of the times that he couldn’t work there anymore. It’s the ultimate case of sexual harassment."

Bummer.

But don't worry about Bryan! Lots of good things are happening for him here in New Orleans.

Such as, he and his partner Tom are moving into a new house.


And their shop Hazelnut is going great guns into year 8!

They have the cutest shop boys at Hazelnut!

Bryan has been writing during his hiatus from Mad Men and his book is coming out on May 4, a memoir of his childhood growing up in New Orleans. It's called "She Ain't Heavy, She's My Mother". You can pre-order it on Amazon.com now.

Bryan with his mother and muse Gail

Right now there are two scheduled book signings at Barnes and Noble:
Monday, May 3rd, 7:30 pm at Lincoln Triangle, New York City
Monday, May 10th, 7 pm in Metairie, LA
Go and say hello to him, and tell him the Vamp sent you!

There's also a buzz around town that there's a design book in the works. Bryan and Tom are excellent interior designers, and Bryan has been writing ID articles, so it makes sense that they would do a design book.

Bryan Batt designed this snazzy luxe sofa for Playboy

Bryan has designed a sofa for Playboy. Only 50 of these exquisite love seats will be custom produced - each signed by Hugh Hefner - making this a special collector's item. "The Hef" features luxury materials like grey mohair upholstery, nail head detailing, and rosewood side panels, and is sold exclusively through Hazelnut in New Orleans.

The 1960’s is where American style reigned and Playboy established its place in American culture.

“It was one of the last real iconic design eras”, said Batt, “Everything was streamlined, like the fins on the back of a Cadillac.”

Inspired by the Playboy lifestyle and the legacy of Hugh Hefner’s vision, Batt has designed a loveseat that represents timeless modern style, class and functionality for the 50th Anniversary of the Playboy Club.

Cultivating the design elements of the early 60’s and incorporating contemporary flair, this limited edition piece, hand signed by Hugh Hefner, will be a highly sought after item by collectors and aficionados.

Superb Design and Custom Workmanship Click for more information on the manufacturing of "The Hef."

Dimensions:
Width 68" Depth 36" Arm Height 31" Back Height 31"
Seat Depth 30" Seat Height 18"

$15,000

"The Hef" Loveseat ships via freight with White Glove Delivery (inside delivery with setup). The cost of freight is $1,000.

Mocca-chocolata ya ya

Mocca-chocolata ya ya
Sarah Dash, Nona Hendryx, Patti LaBelle
The original Ladies Marmalade in 1974

Been cleaning up the post holiday detritus, rearranging, revamping, the usual modus operandi of a fidgety decorator. Blasting some old LaBelle on the boom box to drown out the vacuum cleaner, when it dawned on me that the living color scheme is very "mocca-chocolata ya ya."

There are many shades of brown, from chocolate to mocha, to coffee. Even Cholo matches!
I recently moved the glam Hollywood Regency wheat sheaf coffee table back into the room. It had been banished for some time because I could never make it fit or look right. But since I "centered" the room with the shutters, it works.
I'm keeping the holiday gold leaves around the clock up for awhile. It's Carnival season. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! The little crown (from Julie Neill) helps support that Carnival story ha ha. (Thanks Julie for the fab Bunny Williams book - I'm looking forward to you posting about Bunny's lecture in New Orleans!)
The chaise came back into room. It had been relocated for the Holly Golightly Christmas tree. I put the television on a swivel stand so it can be moved for viewing from both the sofa and the chaise (nice when the hubs visits my inner sanctum ha ha).
I had this swivel thingee in my magic closet. I bought it at Home Depot some time ago to make a Lazy Susan for the table for a dinner party we had for Chinese New Years. So you don't have to spend big bucks on an official TV swivel stand when a $5.95 thingee will do!

Here's the Lazy Susan thingee - a 12 inch turnatable
You can find it at your local Home Depot, or on line HERE

I recovered a chair that had been living in our bedroom. I found this great Duralee fabric on line. I spy PVE Design's drawing over the etagere!
The chair had a tufted button back and was covered in granny damask. It was a $20. yard sale find. I asked that the chair be recovered without the buttons and tufting. I wanted a cleaner look.
I used five yards of fabric and you can order the it from these good people:

Anatol's Fabric Outlet LTD 235 E. Kirkham Rd. St. Louis, MO 63119 -
phone: 314-968-0090 www.housefabric.com

Leonel's did the upholstery job for me again. They are magicians, transforming the settee, the couch, my dining room chairs, and now this sweet little arm chair. I love them!

The knick knacks on the credenza stayed the same. I found another brown tray in the magic closet and used it on the opposite end. The little watercolor inserted in the frame of the Fornasetti was a gift from Jessica from her trip to Italy. She got it in Florence and thought it reminded her of my paste pot mural.

All in all I think I'm finally happy with the old living room ha ha. A small room with doors and windows on every wall, the furniture arrangement always a challenge. I love all the colors now, the Billy Baldwin inspired brown walls, the Ikat pillows, the exploded damask on the chaise, the negative print on the chair, the faux white leather on the French settee and the Camelback sofa, the tattered shutters, the big clock (where Joni told me to put it!), the Baker credenza, the over size lantern chandelier, the Ghost chair, the black and white stripe rug, the white accents - it all makes me happy. Mocca chocolata ya ya!
Maybe this Spring I'll be able to afford some ballgown drapes from Peyroux's.
But for now the old poison green velvet panels look very pretty. (Thanks Linda for the white vase behind the couch!)
And I'd love some yummy sconces from Julie Neill of course!!!
And just to keep it real, here are a few "before" pictures from my wall of shame ha ha!

Post Katrina madness!
eBay was my best friend and Jonathan Adler was my Bible (sorry Jonathan!)

I had the nerve to send this shot to domino for their home decorating contest last year -
they used it on their slideshow and Desire To Inspire actually used it too!

The cow hide crept in replacing the Jonathan Adler rug -
And yes that's the settee that got recovered in white faux leather

Then I hit the pink dye pot!!! I was always trying to make the yellow paint I inherited work -
I suffered for four years until I finally repainted the room!
What was I waiting for?

Cue Magazine did a nice little spread, but I wasn't finished yet!

The Eames chair was soon to go -
Notice the smaller table top on the gold wheat sheaf base

This was one of Joni's favorite versions - she suggested I hang the big clock on the shutters - genius!
I had just gotten the dining rooms chairs back from Leonels,
and I was playing musical chairs with them, moving them all over the house!

And here's the room today, nearly finished ha ha!

Winners of The Swank Lamps

Material Girls HERE had a fun contest going where you did a design board for a TV show interior using the fabulous lamps from Swank Lighting.

The winners are: Sesame Street, by Joshua (1st place). I love the nest chair, the alphabet border, the Warhol painting of Big Bird, and of course the lamps.
Six Feet Under, by Gina won second place.
And Top Design by Lana got 3rd place.

Congratulations to all!

I also entered doing a bedroom for Ugly Betty using these beautiful Swank lamps HERE
I really could have used those new lamps! But not to worry. When I found out I didn't win I went to Plan B and revamped my living room lamps. I found them on a trash pile on swanky St. Charles Avenue after Hurricane Katrina. They had huge drum shades covered in pleated green and black plastic, and drips of gold paint running down the beautiful caged glass bases. They were also filthy, but remarkably intact. I love how large the lamps are.
I cleaned them up and got some new oval shape shades.
But since didn't win a new pair of Swank lamps, I decided to paint the gold parts white. I also painted the edge of the cream color lamp shades with a bit of white. I thought the "white" lamps would stand out a bit more against the Billy Baldwin Brown wall color.
There are two of them, and I use one on each end of the huge Baker credenza.
I gathered up the white accessories I had on hand, including shells, and candle sticks, and a cool old wooden bracket. I also brought in a couple of the newly recovered dining room chairs.
I think the lamps turned out pretty good, bringing white accents to the other side of the room.
Even though I didn't win the fab Swank lamps, I still love these 1970's babies rescued from the trash. The caged glass really is very beautiful.
But stay tuned, because everything has changed again for the holiday look, including the return of the Mac Daddy of glam coffee tables.