Designers I look up to: Wendy Schwartz

Do you know when you're eating something and you feel you're satisfied but your tongue is telling you that's too good and you have to have a few more bites?  That's how I feel about Wendy Schwatz's work.  It's sooo, sooo gorgeous that I can't stop looking at it and then continue looking at it some more!  Her work has that harmonious balance between edgy and livable.  Altogether, what makes me eat those extra bites!

 Don't we have the same taste?  I have those same alabaster candelabra, remember?

 That's so me, that room up there and the one below too!

A bit of drama in a girl's room does not heart.

All images from Wendy's website.

Designer I look up to: Thomas Urquijo

Thomas Urquijo, a Spanish Interior Designer or Interior Architect I should say, is one of those masters who knows how to mix periods and style in one of the most effortless ways I've seen.  His Interior Architecture is completely classic and elegant but it feels totally livable.  It doesn't make me feel stiff at the thought of living in it.

Love this area for a small apartment living room.  The architectural screen and the treatment on the walls brings personality to the room while the daybed and the kind of modern or transitional carpet makes the whole atmosphere feel friendly.  The Klismos chairs make a direct reference to classic in a very light and chic way.

This bedroom feels so soothing and cozy yet it feels sophisticated.  The touch of light colored wood has a lot to do with this feeling.

Thomas Urquijo seems to love regency and art deco style furniture, which I would say helps his rooms look transitional.  I feel I can never get tired in these rooms.

Here, in this amazing dining room, Thomas went completely regency.  He painted Egyptian figures on the walls and used a more modern version of the Klismos chair.  I adore the checkered border on the upper part of the walls.  It's amazing how a simple little detail can bring so much character into a room.

This room has me drooling.... I mean seriously drooling.  I can not tell you how much I adore that ladder, does it look a bit Art Nouveauish to you?  I have to have a Louis XVI chair upholstered in black leather one day.  I know, I know...  Check out the circle sculpture on the wall! Can you picture a square one...? nah... The gingham checkered fabric on the wing chair brings a touch of youth to the classic library.

Designer I look up to: Stven Volpe

When I received my Architectural Digest this month and saw that one of Steven Volpe's creations was featured I trembled at just the thought of what my eyes were going to see.  If there is a man who has perfected the art of mixing with elements of surprise that result in pure Avant-garde and sophisticated spaces that's him.  Volpe composes rooms that seamlessly combine exquisite designer furniture of different styles with top-notch art in a way that nothing clashes, instead the result is perfect harmony.  His work seems to never get outdated and its always exiting to look at and learn from it.  Ever since I posted about the home he designed for Bita Daryabari I was hooked, do I need to say why?  About this home in AD that he designed for a tech-sector titan he says  "I was trying to create something that makes an impact, something that people haven't seen before".  I was particularly impressed in the tall size of the house but yet, how livable and personal it looks.  The dinning room is nothing like you have seen before so I guess Steven Volpe knows how to deliver exactly what he intends!  Enjoy!

photos from Steven Volpe's website.