The Race That Stops A Nation... It's Melbourne Cup Day!

In celebration of our [national] big race day that is - The Melbourne Cup , held at Flemington Race Course, Flemington Victoria [Australia]. The Melbourne Cup is traditionally held on the first Tuesday of November each year and series of prestigious races days lead up to this one BIG Cup day!! I came across this fabulous advertisement from Warwick fabrics from the most recent Vogue Living November / December 2009 issue that shows us what it's all about! The colour, the pattern, the print, the movement, the horses & their jockeys - and the captured anticipation of who's going to win! PLace your bets... the race begins at 3pm sharp Australian Eastern Standard local time. Good Luck & Have Fun! x

Image from Warwick Fabrics advertsiment - Vogue Living November / December 2009 issue

HHH - Hagan's Hamptons Home Pt II.

Following the previous images I posted on Victoria Hagan's Hampton's Home... here are the final images of her expansive stylish 'weekend summer' home... wish it were mine, check - one more for the wish list!

The well-manicured homes and sparkling beaches of the Hamptons make it the summer community of choice for many New York City dwellers. It's also where Victoria Hagan met her husband, Michael Berman. Soon after their wedding, they began looking for a house, preferably an old one, to buy. "Then we came across this piece of land with beautiful farm views," says Victoria. They decided to build a new house in the style of the traditional saltboxes that Victoria has always loved, but "to make the interiors a little more open and light," she says. The house reflects Victoria's talent for mixing an intriguing range of furnishings, from antique finds to clean-lined pieces of her own design, and conjuring the oft-desired but hard-to-achieve effect of relaxed elegance and sophistication that is still family welcoming. "Soon after we moved in, I found out I was having twins," she recalls (sons Harry and Alex are now 10), "so this house is very special to us because I've watched my boys grow up here."
photo credit: Don Freeman

Landscape designer Lisa Bynon created a dentil-edged bluestone walk from the back door.

"We sited the house very carefully to capture the light. We see the most beautiful sunsets from the family room and the back terrace."

"We designed the family room to look like an addition to the 'old' house, with a peaked ceiling framed in antique beams," says Victoria. "It's our favorite part of the house." Unadorned windows welcome in light and views of the surrounding fields. Sea-grass matting, a linen-slipcovered sofa, and a coffee table of Victoria's own design have stood the test of toddlers and time.

Vases and a faux-shagreen lamp are from Victoria Hagan's "Perfect Pieces" launch collection for Target; her line changes seasonally.

Hints of pale pink and lilac bring "the colors of twilight" into the master bedroom. Victoria's fabric designs -- "Four Seasons" on the pillows and "Halex" on the slipper chairs -- bring a touch of femininity to the dark woods of a carved tester bed and side tables. A flat-weave wool carpet and painted floors keep the effect soft and light.

Images & Article from Country Living.

HHH - Hampton's Home Love... Victoria Hagan Pt I.

I am a big admirer of Victoria Hagan's work... here in part 1of this post - the article [and images] we see her beautiful home in the Hampton's mixed with pieces from different ends of the price spectrum from her bespoke design firm's items then effortlessly coupled with her range for Target - successful because of it's seamless thoughtful considered approach, authentic design, colouration & style...

The dining room is lit by candlelight from a silver fixture that probably once hung in a church and an antique carriage lantern. "This isn't a large room, so it feels intimate, but we can still squeeze in 12 for dinner," says Victoria. "I like upholstered chairs for dining," she notes, and these old bobbin-turned chairs covered in wool felt set up an intriguing contrast with the cross-braced Porter dining table of her own design

"When you begin a project," says Victoria, "I believe the most important thing is to look outside to the views, then echo what you see outside in the palette you use inside."


"The living room, which incorporates creamy fabrics and is painted in Pratt & Lambert's Ancestral, has a very golden feel when the sun hits the fields. And the bedroom, which is painted a very subtle lavender-gray -- Pratt & Lambert's Arrowroot -- has the feel of twilight. I also sometimes use a historic color, such as a sage, on the ceiling, to add warmth. If you pick the right shade, it seems to 'lift' the ceiling," says Victoria. For more, visit victoriahagan.com.

"When you begin a project," says Victoria, "I believe the most important thing is to look outside to the views, then echo what you see outside in the palette you use inside."

An excerpt from Victoria Hagan's website allows us a small insight into her background up to her current work....

Soon after Victoria began her career in 1985, The New York Times described her work as "the most cerebral, the one bound to be influential," and the continues to be a major force is the design community. She is continually featured in such publications as Architectural Digest, The New York Times, New York Magazine, Elle Decor, Vogue, W, Town & Country, Harper's Bazaar and House Beautiful. Vogue exclaimed that she defies the old school implications of the term "lady decorator".In December 2004, Victoria Hagan was inducted into the Interior Design Hall of Fame. In addition, she has been awarded many of the country's top design honors, including Architectural Digest's "Top 100" and New York Magazine's "Hottest Interior Designers".A graduate of Parsons School of Design, Victoria Hagan currently serves on the school's Board of Governors. She is a frequent guest speaker on design issues through the country, and is featured in a number of international design books.

Images from Country Living