Friday, January 27, 2012

The Unexpected Beauty


There is something so surprisingly beautiful about something so unexpected....





Let's face it, how many of us would have the courage and vision to upholster a 19th c. Os du Mouton settee in faux cheetah (at least I hope it's faux cheetah!)?

But that's what separates the weak from the strong, the meek from the bold, and the mere mortals from Boston based interior designer Charles Spada.

Have a wonderful weekend wherever this post finds you.

www.disegnoKarinaGentinetta.1stdibs.com


Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Fairy Tale Interrupted


When I first received my Kindle Fire a month ago as a Christmas gift from my husband a/k/a A.J., I was a little apprehensive.  I mean, why would I need another electronic gadget when I already had a laptop and a 3G Droid phone?  Wasn't that a waste of money and a duplicative internet access toy that would just complicate my over complicated life even more?   This just meant finding yet another plug in my office in which to charge yet another little computer thingy and dealing with yet more ugly black cables to hide in my already ugly black cable filled office.  But I embraced it, not so much for my sake, but for A.J.'s who I know really wanted to make me happy when he handed me the newspaper wrapped gift (because he claims he could not find where I kept the Christmas gift wrap in the house).  Men.  But that's a huge other topic for another day.

But my apprehension has diminished in the few weeks since Christmas.  What started out as a stand off-ish relationship, has grown into friendship and, dare I say, love and admiration for that little black tablet that allows me to escape to a world of wonderful books, internet access, and netflix streaming, all in the comfort of my bed or kitchen or bench as I sit on the sidelines during multiple children's soccer practices or even plane seat (as I fly back and forth to New York to visit my showroom).  Yes, I'll admit it!!!!  I've become addicted to that thing.  Hi, my name is Karina Gentinetta and I'm a Kindle Fire-a-holic.  I love my Kindle Fire!  I only wish it could also do the laundry and walk the dogs but I think that will be available in the 5G version next year.

So all this brings me to the title of this post (you were probably wondering when I would get around to that, right?)  Yesterday, my sister emailed me that Fairy Tale Interrupted was released and available at all major bookstores and digitally on the Kindle. 


This is the hot new book by Rosemarie Terenzio, John F. Kennedy Jr.'s personal assistant, his publicist, and one of his closest confidantes during the last five years of his life. In this, her first memoir, she bravely recounts her own Fairy Tale Interrupted, describing the unlikely friendship between a blue-collar girl from the Bronx and John F. Kennedy Jr.  As the Washington Posts points out, "Cynics, don’t groan: The fairy tale was not John-John’s but hers, a working-class Bronx kid swept up in his glamorous world."


Funny, moving, and fresh, her memoir is a unique account by the woman who was with him through dating, politics, the paparazzi, and his marriage to Carolyn Bessette. Her street smarts, paired with her loyalty, candor, and relentless work ethic, made her the trusted insider to America’s most famous man.

After John and Carolyn’s tragic, untimely deaths on July 16, 1999, RoseMarie’s whole world came crashing down around her, along with her hopes for the future. Only now does she feel she can tell her story in a book that is at once a moving tribute and a very real picture of her friend and employer.

Fairy Tale Interrupted is a deeply loving story and a fascinating adventure, filled with warmth, humor, insight, and five years’ worth of unforgettable memories.

I read the prologue to the book and I can tell you, it is an easy to read, down to earth, interesting and absolutely fascinating memoir.  A look into a world only few of us could ever imagine.  Did you know that John F. Kennedy Jr. had asked the Material Girl to dress up as his mother for the cover of his magazine, "George," but that Madonna declined, insisting she would “never do [Jackie O] justice?" In fact, RoseMarie recalls that JFK, Jr. thought that the idea was brilliant: “I think we should dress Madonna up as my mother,” he said. “Wouldn’t that be a riot?”  Like that would have gone over well with Jackie.  Imagine this picture:



Fortunately for us, RoseMarie states that Madonna declined, writing a letter to "Johnny Boy" as follows:





But I won't ruin the book for you or divulge any more of the juicy revelations in this book.  You'll just have to run to Barnes and Noble yourself or (ahem!) download it on your Kindle Fire.

Have a wonderful day wherever this post finds you.


www.disegnoKarinaGentinetta.1stdibs.com


Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Classic



AUDREY HEPBURN, JANUARY 1960
Cecil Beaton

MODERN SILVER GELATIN PRINT
STAMPED WITH SOTHEBY'S EDITION STAMP, INSCRIBED 
Available on 1stdibs (Chris Beetles Fine Photographs)



So very beautiful....  So very classic....

www.KarinaGentinetta.1stdibs.com


Monday, January 16, 2012

Paul Costello


Paul Costello's gifts for wit and spontaneity enliven his photographs of the most beautiful homes in the world — and of the interesting people who inhabit them.  Costello recently moved from New York to the Garden District of New Orleans (yes, he's now within a stone throw away from me!) where he is renovating one of those beautiful old New Orleans' homes with his wife Sara Ruffin Costello, the former creative director of Domino Magazine, who is now a contributor for WSJ Magazine.

Just this week, 1stdibs did a feature on Paul which is simply beautiful.  Click here to see it.  Although his work is extensive, I just wanted to share with you some of my very favorite shots.



The London home of Serena Rees, co-founder of Agent Provocateur, shot for Domino 2006.  I love the Vivienne Westwood wallpaper!




Sometimes, a single chair can make a powerful statement, especially if you have an amazing eye behind the lens.



Doesn't this remind you of Rear Window?



Me, on an average day, coming home from work.  :)



Love this!  So New Orleans after a Mardi Gras ball.




This amazing sofa reminds me of one of mine, currently on 1stdibs (see below).



See?




You wouldn't think that a plaid antique chair could look this good.








So very Domino Magazine.   How I miss it!  Next time I run into Sara at Whole Foods, I'll have to take it up with her.








I always loved the contrast in this shot between the modern look of the entrance door (color and glass windows) with the antique patina of the mirror, console, and Persian rug.







This man has one insanely inspirational portfolio!!! Check it out here.



I think I'll just pop on over to my new neighbors and borrow a cup of sugar.

Hope you are having a wonderful day wherever this post finds you.

www.disegnoKarinaGentinetta.1stdibs.com


Friday, January 13, 2012

Elegance


Woman in Red Hat with Book, New York Public Library, 
New York City, 2003
Rodney Smith 
2003
Available on 1stdibs (Fahey/Klein Gallery)


Have a wonderful weekend wherever this post finds you.

www.KarinaGentinetta.1stdibs.com


Monday, January 9, 2012

Island Interiors in the Bahamas


I recently had the pleasure to work with Amanda Lindroth of Lindroth Design in Nassau, Bahamas.  I always love to know where my most treasured and beloved antiques find a home and I could not be more happy that this gorgeous monumental Architectural Fragment that came out of a church in France and which I converted into a mirror (so that it would find a practical use in today's lifestyles) will become part of one of Amanda's interior designs.



Amanda is the creative genius behind Lindroth Design which has gained the attention of many Islanders and mainlanders and the press (including Veranda Magazine and Real Living Magazine, to name but a few).  Her designs are extraordinary and fit seamlessly with the coastal beauty of the Bahamas.  As Real Life Magazine described, "Her intuitive ‘cool-as-linen’ style graces design magazines worldwide with its casual blend of sophisticated comfort and colonial-Caribbean chic."




Perhaps my favorite of Amanda's projects is the one she did for her own home, Ca'liza, just outside of Nassau and named after her daughter, Eliza.  Take a look at this breathtaking home.





Amanda with Eliza







A gorgeous Louis XVI gilded table.















Amanda's talent goes beyond her home to other projects, such as this adorable Cabana at Schooner Bay.






And the Balmoral Club which boasts eighteenth-century, carved wooden fireplaces, oak doors and colossal windows.



As well as romantic sweeping staircases that just beg for the dashing silhouette of a Rhett Butleresque leading man.











But even beyond land based architecture, give Amanda a yatch and she can turn it into a comfortable living space that you would never want to leave from.  And what I like most about her designs, is that she makes it a casual family area that is both inviting, elegant and practical all at once.










I'm in love with the children's berths.







And then there is the Gumbo Limbo Barn -- is there any end to this woman's talent?????








Yes, we are still looking at a barn, believe it or not.

















Amanda, it was truly a pleasure to meet you and get a chance to work with you.

www.disegnoKarinaGentinetta.1stdibs.com


Friday, January 6, 2012

Sunday, January 1, 2012

Happy New Year!






Don't just dream it.... Do it!

There is no better time than today ....  the start of a new year.

With all my wishes for a fabulous 2012.