i'm excited to share some big news...

I'm very excited to announce that I've recently signed with Ennis Inc, a bicoastal agency representing stylists in New York, Boston and Los Angeles.

I'm beyond thrilled to be included with such a talented group of artists, stylists and taste-makers!

For bookings, please direct all inquiries to Danielle Naugler at info@ennisinc.com  or  212.741.3240

style me pretty

Every once in a while I have the privilege to work on projects that are much more than just styling, I'm asked to help create a backdrop for a major life event. Such was the case with this wedding I recently styled for an adorable couple in Northern California...and today it's featured on Style Me Pretty! 

The bride wanted to incorporate many pieces she had inherited from her grandmother -- vintage suitcases, jars of buttons, embroidered hankies, hundreds of antique hardbound books and little figures of rabbits and birds. During our first meeting, I was like a kid in a candy shop!

The whole concept was very much about family heirlooms, the nostalgia of weddings gone-by and incorporating the beautiful pastel colors of a summer's night. 

I had an amazing team who were absolute rockstars (thank you, thank you!) -- can you believe I asked for every single one of the taper candles to not only have burnt tips, but to also have "drips"? Yes, that was my creative direction; drips. 

The photographer Jesse Leake and his team beautifully captured the event from just before the guests arrived to the very last dance. While the florist Lila B Designs and her team executed absolutely charming bouquets and arrangements. 

See the all the images of the blushing bride, the beaming groom, the pastel-clad bridesmaids and the twirling flower girl on Style Me Pretty's post here...

holly on the mantle

When I was about 3 or 4, my parents gave me a doll for Christmas. When asked what I was going to name it, I replied "Holly on the mantle." Now every time I hear or say "mantle," I always think of that funny story (oh, the way kids brains work!). 

And while this post isn't about Holly exactly, it's about re-styling a mantle for a new season -- Spring!

A few weeks ago, the forthysia was just starting to bud so I decided to cut some branches to force inside the Cottage. Forcing just means you're tricking the plant to thinking it's time to bloom, hence forcing the blooms open. The photo above was taken just this past weekend -- gorgeous, huh!?

Some people get very technical about the forcing process, only cutting branches on a warm day and once cut, keeping them in a dark, cool area. I'm a little more casual about it -- I quickly hacked away at a bush, smashed the ends a bit with a hammer (this allows the branches to better take the water), put them in a large vase filled with warm water and stuck a space heater under the arrangement. I think the heater is what really sped up the process -- I saw blooms in a matter of hours.




I wanted this re-styling to feel simple and fresh -- the display that was up for winter felt busy and cluttered. Replacing the dried hydrangeas for fresh flowers definitely helped.

I left the large flower print and mirror and added a collection of white vintage ceramic vases, some antique books and kept the deer skull -- it's amazing how changing just a few elements can visualy make a huge difference, wouldn't you say?

closing my shop

I always believe that when one door closes, another opens. Moving back to New York gave me an opportunity to venture into retail, something I had been thinking about for a while... and I'm so glad I did, what an adventure I had! 

Remember shopping Brimfield, the seasonal playlists and my in-store displays?

Between continuing to work as a photo stylist and having a shop, I started to realize that I'm only one person and running two business by myself is exhausting! 

So with that being said, I've decided to close my shop and focus only on my styling. This is not to say that one day I won't re-open Telesca, but for now it makes sense for me to focus on just one thing.

Thank you for all the love and support I received over the past year with Telesca!

I'm having a sale to clear out the remaining inventory. If you're in the Hudson Valley, come say hello and help me find good homes for all these great treasures!

Telesca Closing Sale

Saturday April 27th

 9AM - 5PM

730 Ackert Hook Road

Rhinebeck, New York  

Rain or Shine

the house that keeps on giving

I recently worked on an advertisement that was shot in a beautiful, restored farmhouse... oh, what's that you say, you recognize this home? If it looks familiar, it's because this is the same home I styled for Rue Magazine's 'Farmstead Restoration' story a few years ago.

The Art Director stumbled upon the Rue Magazine images while location scouting and knew this home was perfect for their upcoming project.

Although it's the same location as the story for Rue, the images have an entirely different feel... ahhh the powers of styling! (and a different client, and a different team...)

For comparison, here are the same room shots that were featured in Rue Magazine...

designer tips

While still on the subject of small spaces, I thought I'd revisit this extremely small (500 square feet!) yet incredibly stylish Brooklyn studio apartment designed by Nick Olsen and featured by House Beautiful a few years ago. This video tour has some great ideas and tips anyone can apply, small space or not.

california dreamin'

I just got back from Northern California from a few days of sipping wine, eating delicious food and browsing the wine country's real-estate market. We were the last flight out of New York before snow storm Nemo, and with 70 degree weather, California felt like a whole other world.

While driving along the back roads of Sonoma, we stumbled upon this amazing white farmhouse with a bright yellow door. I think my exact words when I first saw it was something like "wowwowwowowow." A few days later I still couldn't get this house out of my mind, so I went back and (quickly) snapped this photo...

This house was stunning -- a mix of fresh, crisp California living while staying true to the 1850's era of the home. To me it sums up everything this area has to offer; sophisticated while still laid back and easy. It overlooks a vineyard, has a perfectly manicured front entrance and a giant peace sign (can you spot it hanging on the barn?). I was in love. Hello dream house.

After posting my "new" home on instagram, I soon find that it's the home of a well known wedding planner in the Sonoma-San Francisco area -- I should have know a designer lived here! The home is called "Twin Palms" and the owners rent it out for private and corporate events. 

These images were taken from the home's website. Prepare to drool...

the cottage, part three

It's been awhile since I've shared progress on the Cottage Project...

--> See Part One here.

--> See Part Two here

Designing multiple zones in one large space (like in studio apartments and in this case the Cottage), can be tough because everything is on display! There's no door to shut when a room gets messy and personal areas are mixed in with the public ones.

One of the biggest challenge for a studio-like space usually is; Where does the bed go? Do you hide it or make it a feature in the room?

There are two ways to approach incorporating the bedroom area, either by making the bed a focal point, or by cleverly hiding the bed (with curtains, a piece of furniture etc).

----> Option One: MAKE THE BED A FOCAL POINT <----

----> Option Two: HIDE THE BED <----

With the cottage, I would have loved to have hidden the bed behind white linen curtains, but it just didn't work in the space. So I opted for the first option to make the bed a main focal point.

To do this, I knew it would take more than some fun throw pillows and a fluffy duvet -- I needed a great, statement bed with both a headboard and footboard to help define the "bedroom zone."

With projects like this one, it's a major plus to have friends with good taste (and who happen to be cleaning out their new house that also happens to be filled with antiques). After discussing my shopping list for the next Brimfield one evening (a bed was one of the items), my friends Samual Moyer and Casey Dzierlenga (two uber talented furniture designers, check out their blog here) offered me a deco sleigh bed that came with their newly purchased 1800's farmhouse.

Kinda amazing, right? After a little bartering (a teak, mid-century Dansk tray from my shop in exchange for the statement piece that I needed for this space), the bed was mine!

And voila! Once the bed was in place, I couldn't be happier! There were a few other tricks to further help define the "bedroom zone"; we added a jute rug which adds great texture and we hung a mid-century metal Italian wall piece to bring your eye directly to this "zone."

It's hard to image this is what the cottage looked like just a few months ago! The bed is now on the wall where the bookshelves used to be (we've relocated them to an adjacent wall).

Sources
Black/White and Duvet Cover and Shams: Ikea
Grain Sack Pillows: Telesca (my shop)
Euro Shams and Quilt: Home Goods
Throw Blanket: Ikea
Side Chair: Vintage
Metal Italian Wall Piece: Vintage
Bed: Antique
Rug: Ikea

{images via 1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

happy new year

I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday break!

I spent mine amongst good friends, family, great food, and many winter adventures.

Here's a peek at some of my instagrams over the past few weeks.

In other news, I've decided to focus exclusively on my online shop and close the booth at the Hyde Park Antique Center. We've seen a huge boom in the online part of Telesca over the past few months (thank you to everyone who's purchased from us!) and we're excited to have a platform to reach other antique/vintage enthusiasts beyond the Hudson Valley. 

If you're in the Hudson Valley area, everything in the booth is now 50% off until January 31st. But don't fret! The majority of what was in the brick-and-mortor shop will soon be listed online.

~ Wishing you a Happy 2013 ~

rue mag, holiday issue

We threw a Holiday dinner party at Fiddlehead Farm for Rue Magazine's Holiday Issue
...see the entire story starting on page 110.

+ Styling/Art Direction by Me

+ Photography by Ilenia Martini

happy thanksgiving

:: Happy Thanksgiving! ::

An autumnal arrangement I made for a winery's annual tasting using all items found on the property -- dried foliage, rose hips, pomegranates, persimmons. For some sparkle, I sprayed a few pumpkins and parts of the branches with gold paint.

november playlist

It's November and this means a new PLAYLIST. 

Groove along to what we're listening to at Telesca.

...and read our November Newsletter HERE!

anthology magazine

A few months ago I worked on a story with Anthology Magazine, which is... wait for it... a printed, tangible publication! I've admired this magazine since its release in 2010... and their slogan? Print is not dead! 

The issue just arrived in the mail and it's such a treat to flip through and see my work printed, which is definitely a rare things these days.

In this story shot by photographer Susie Cushner, I styled a West Village apartment owned by Shayna Kulik and Justin Kalifowitz. You may remember seeing Shayna and Justin's former 19th-century paper mill turned pickle factory turned co-op on Design Sponge. 

This couple gut-renovated and filled their brick-walled, old-world charmer with personal details like a red ceiling in the kitchen, tons and tons of original art and custom built furniture. 

As this was Anthology's music issue, appropriately named "Rhythm and Hues," we dabbled in music elements like the home owner's ipod, a favorite CD (remember those?), some flash drives (a modern touch!) and books relating to musical artists.

If you don't already have a subscription, you may pick up a copy at Anthropologie stores and other locations around the US and also internationally.

Watch a Trailor for Issue 9, " Rhythem & Hues"

 

fiddlehead farm

Being a stylist means I'm often asked to shoot as well as make things look pretty. When friend and fellow antique-enthusiast Mary Ellen Dean of Fiddlehead Farm in Rhinebeck, NY asked me to shoot product for her new website and online store, I gladly said yes.

I spent an afternoon on this scenic, working farm surrounded by sheep, llamas, chickens, ducks, and a few pugs while digging through her inventory of antique, vintage and re-purposed items. I don't know about you, but that's a pretty great recipe for a pretty great time!

If you're in the Hudson Valley this weekend, don't miss Fiddlehead Farm showcasing at the Dutchess County Sheep and Wool Festival.

...all items styled/photographed by me and are available for sale here.