The Sophisticated and Fun Mr. Jay Jeffers

Jay Jeffers Home

I was recently at an event in San Francisco and had the pleasure of catching up with the extraordinary Interior Designer, Jay Jeffers. Mega-talented, charming, fun, and handsome...what more could one ask for in a designer?

See? The talented Mr. Jeffers in his office space.

Jay recently did a bit of a revamping of his own home as well as his fabulous office spaces. His home project started with a kitchen spiffing, and one thing just led to another....

Jay Jeffer's Kitchen

Jay's kitchen now sports coral painted glass in the upper cabinet doors, a very smart plaid back splash tile pattern, putty painted cabinets ( I love when a color is sort of undefinable), and a playful brass lantern over the island. A great mix...and that is just what Jay is known for: his crazy ability to mix things up in innovative, fun ways.

Jay's Living Room. I remember the fab rug from a recent Showhouse I think! And that view!!

I had the pleasure of getting to know Jay a little bit better through a bit of a Proustian interview. Hope you enjoy:

Jay, your projects are all so varied and unique. Where and how do you begin the process of conceptualizing your designs for your clients?

The first step is always connecting with the client - learning about preferences and lifestyle - do they entertain often, are there young kids in the house, etc. We always ask clients to go though magazines and pull examples of what they like and more importantly, things they don't like. It's the best exercise. My team and I always try not to repeat, so after we have the client's taste in mind, it's up to us to come up with new ideas for them.

Jay's Dining Room

What/who inspires you in your work, your "design icons" if you will?

Paris, New York City, David Hicks, Suzanne Tucker, Albert Hadley.

How has your aesthetic evolved since your early design days?

Hmm. Good question. In the early days, I worked with clients with smaller budgets, so we often masked that with bold gestures like painting big squares of color on the walls or using really bold fabrics. Today I think I have evolved into more timeless design - a sense of permanence in a space. We certainly use more antiques than I did early on, which really brings soul to a space.

Dining Room

Describe your "perfect client".

Fun and interested in the process, and who also trusts our judgement as designers. A big budget doesn't hurt (I'm just sayin').

How would you describe your own personal style?

Masculine, edited, collected, evolving. Madmen with a twist. My favorite outfit: The perfect white shirt by Kitune, a great tailored pair of khakis by Spurr, a Thom Browne navy blazer, Bottega Veneta vans, vintage Torneau watch. Done. (I'm really not a label whore, but I love well made pieces).

Jay's Bedroom

What are you working on now?

I'm excited about our projects in the Bay Area - a wonderful estate in Woodside, a great home for a young family in Hillsborough, a stately home in Pacific Heights, and a great house for a young bachelor. All are a little different in feel, which means my job is never boring!

What is happening next?

An office in New York City??

The offices of Jeffers Design Group, San Francisco. What a great space to be inspired by every day!

Describe a typical day in the life of Jay Jeffers.

I'm a morning person, so 5:30 or 6 AM is the norm. I see my trainer or go for a run, eat breakfast and head to the office. From there, any or all of the following: concepts for a new project, meet with design team to review progress on current projects, visit vendors to review custom pieces, a committee meeting for the Fall Antiques Show or Private Collections Spring Art Tour, a meeting for Enterprise for High School Students non profit, a photo shoot for a recent project, a client presentation, a site meeting to review construction with an architect or contractor, Lunch, check email, meeting with my CPA, a vendor, presentation in the studio, review pricing for an order ready to go to a client, afternoon chocolate fix (thank God my team is made up almost entirely of chocoholics and we have a bowl of M&M's downstairs), a final email check, dinner with friends or a design event in the evening, home, sweats, dog in my lap and the first half of Project Runway ( I always fall asleep before it's over). ZZZZZ...

Office Lounge

What color are you and why?

Green. Not because I'm envious (well maybe a little). Because it is alive, vibrant, serious and smart, all depending on what shade you use.

What is on your nightstand?

A photo of my 40th birthday dinner, a Murano glass lamp with a custom shade, a beautiful music box given to me by my incredibly talented Senior Designer Kelly Hohla, Vanity Fair (love!), ear plugs (because last Spring, a bird outside our back yard decided that morning for him was 3:30 AM and his chirps were unbearably loud), and very stylish clock that never works and a tiny gold crown ( no comments on the crown please :)

Jay's Office

What is your most prized possession?

Well, I would say my partner, Michael, but he's not really a possession, so I'll say my dog Kingsley. Second would be health.

What is your favorite place to escape?

Michael and I bought a tiny house in the Napa Valley last year. Though it is only about 90 minutes away, every time I'm there, I fell as if I am in another world. It is beautiful and so much fun!

Library

What do you listen to?

Pandora! Loving! Michael Buble, Beyonce, Seal, Dina Washington,Celine,Hotel Costes, lady Gaga, Adele, Estelle, Angie Stone, Mary J. Timbaland, Thievery Corporation, MIA, Robin Thicke, Shirley Bassey, Olivia Newton John, Andy Gibb...I could go on and on...

What is your most favorite place to shop and why?

Los Angeles - I love all the 20th Century galleries.

Party in the House!

It is no wonder Jay has become such a success. I try to imagine accomplishing just a fraction of what Jay does before lunch in my whole week. His energy and enthusiasm is contagious, And so is his style. So look out New York...Jay is coming!

For more info on Jay and his team, their philosophy of "sophisticated fun", even more photos of his home and offices (and his whole portfolio) click on over HERE.

Have a stylish day!

Exotic from Bonesteel Trout Hall

Bonesteel Trout Hall corner vignette. The colorful rug is balanced with solid fabric on the chair and ottoman. Nail head accents add character. Great curtain details and beautiful plaster walls

I am still flipping through the latest House Beautiful March issue. Are you? I realized that this bathroom is from one of the design firms I like to "watch". There was such a creative use of tile in this spa-like bath. Very beachy and cool. It prompted me to click over to the Bonesteel Trout Hall website to see what they have been up to lately.

House Beautiful, March 2010. Bonesteel Trout Hall Laguna Beach Bathroom. Photo by Victoria Pearson

Some "take me away" images struck me. Known for their fresh and stylish liveable interiors, BTH seems to step outside of their California cool and onto another continent. I like it. Yes, I do.

Bonesteel Trout Hall Moroccan flavor Living Room

Click on over HERE for more.

Beautiful light play in this exotic bathroom. Ceiling tile detailing is brilliant.

Sweet Dreamers: UXUS

Guestroom in Amsterdam Loft located in an historic 18th century warehouse.

Ever since I walked into Ella, a wonderful restaurant in Sacramento designed by international design team UXUS, I knew I would be looking for more from the designers and fining out what drives their creative talents. (I posted about Ella HERE and HERE.)

UXUS, with offices in Amsterdam and Napa, California, waves their creative wand all over the world "fusing art and design" in moody magical ways.

Busy as they are, I was lucky to catch up with them and ask a few questions of creative directors, George Gottl and Oliver Michell:

How did UXUS come about? Can you tell us about your company and it’s history?
We started the company in the back of the loft nearly 7 years ago. We have 17 employees now.

The UXUS design aesthetic is truly unique and quite poetic. Can you tell us how it evolved?

We have always been inspired by primary sources of information, Art is one of our key sources.

Where and how do you begin the process of conceptualizing your designs for your clients?

We always start by interviewing the client and discovering exactly what they are looking to create.Often, we discover things that they didn’t even know they wanted.

Amsterdam Loft Hallway

What/who inspires you in your work?

Art and artists from all over.We especially like artists who work in 3-D There are two design directors at UXUS.

Can you tell us how you work together? Do you collaborate on the same projects, or do you divide and conquer?

We are very complementary, and work seamlessly as a team, often picking up where the other one left off.

How would you describe each of your own personal styles?

Oliver is more classic, and I tend towards fashion.

Bedroom in Amsterdam Loft overlooking the canals and city.

Describe your “perfect client”.

One that has complete integrity in what they would like to create and allow us to execute accordingly.

What are you working on now?

Some very special and big projects that we cannot discuss...

What is happening next?

Offices in Asia and US.

Living Space in Amsterdam Loft

UXUS has their fingers in retail, hospitality, and interior architecture, as well as branding and packaging. They also have a forward looking blog HERE.

For a look and more of their exquisite work, please visit their website HERE. You will slowly get an inkling of how these minds work when you see images of floating bathtubs and dressers, lamps made from dresses, and Narnia-like wardrobes in retail spaces, shutters on the ceiling in restaurants and chess piece-like tables in wineries, to say nothing of the richness in their residential spaces. When I look at the homes they have designed, ( especially La Finca, the Mallorcan retreat), I just have to sit back, relax and say "Ahhhhh.....".

Sweet Dreamers indeed.

As I was Passing through Healdsburg on the way to Mendocino......

Myra Hoefer Design Storefront

.....Tim and I had to stop at the Myra Hoefer Design Showroom for a little look-see. Myra Hoefer is a doyen of the Sonoma County design community and, in my humble opinion, a master at combining the casual "California" style with chic French and hip modern. She brings her style to the international community as well, having designed a series of apartments in Paris. She even has an Atelier which is available for any of you traveling to Paris needing a place to stay. Can you imagine staying in a Myra Hoefer designed apartment in Paris?!? Heaven! More on that HERE.)

Front Window Display

Her showroom embodies her aesthetic, with objects and furniture from locals such as Paris, to Bay Area based Oly Studio, to modern classics by John Dickinson (wonderful article about Mr. Dickinson over at the Style Saloniste blog HERE).

You may remember Myra's beautiful contribution to the San Francisco Decorator Showcase I posted HERE.

Beautiful French Chairs and a Wade Hoefer Painting

Hop on over the the House Beautiful interview with Myra on their website HERE. There are more pictures of her showroom too.

THIS article in the San Francisco Chronicle is also worth a look.

The Showroom Main Floor

For those of you traveling to Northern California and the Wine Country, Healdsburg , a beautiful town in the heart of the Wine Country, is full of wonderful shops and restaurants. Stay for the day, or overnight at one of the many B&B's or Hotels. And don't forget to stop in and say "hi" to Myra!

ROOMS TO REMEMBER: The Classic Interiors of Suzanne Tucker

I have been a fan of Suzanne Tucker's work for years now, and had been anxiuosly awaiting the release of her new book: Rooms to Remember: The Classic Interiors of Suzanne Tucker from The Monacelli Press. So you can imagine my elation when I received a copy from the publisher! As soon as I received it, I spent the whole evening perusing it's beautiful glossy pages. These are my personal impressions of the book:

The cover is gorgeous. The book is beautifully put together with huge full bleed photos on most of the pages. The organization of the book is just how I like it: the chapters are arranged by catagories of information. For example, Chapter 1 is titled Bones and Architecture, Chapter 2 is Scale and Proportion, Chapter 3 is Balance, Contrast and Harmony, Chapter 4 is Individuality and Personality, and so on. The other great thing is that the book is written by Suzanne Tucker herself, so you really get an inside look at how Suzanne thinks about design and the processes she uses in her work. It is truly a "great read": fascinating and colorful.

Suzanne Tucker is one of those versatile designers that can create magic in any style and pull it off without a hitch. Contemporary or traditional, classic or "California Style", she can do it all with chic aplomb.

I highly recommend it not only as a wonderful resource and something simply stunning to look at, but also as a book that was fun to read. It will be one of my "go to" books when I need ideas or inspiration for my work, or just my life.

I was lucky to have a chance to coorespond with Suzanne and ask her a few questions. I hope you enjoy enjoy our conversation and some of my favorite pages from her book (these are but a fraction, I assure you!) ....the first of many to come, I hope!

Suzanne, your book is just so beautiful and the projects are so varied. Where and how do you begin the process of conceptualizing your designs for your clients?

SMT: I’m so glad you used the word ”process” because that really is what great design is all about! Too often the client thinks of the tangible “project” but it’s much more about the intangible process – getting to know the client, listening to them, asking questions, learning about their dreams and desires, picking up on their nuances and then of course the house or apartment or room itself – the mood, the quality of light, the architecture, the bones, and the challenges. I’ve developed what I refer to as my design Rorschach test where I’ll quickly show countless textiles, furniture, colors, textures and photo images to a client. Just by gleaning their initial responses I am able to pretty quickly discern what their style and tastes are and from there I begin to paint the picture.

What/who inspires you in your work?

SMT: The “what” can be almost anything around us on a daily basis which is all about keeping your eyes and mind open! But I find I’m most inspired when I travel and the exposure to different cultures, architecture, local crafts, and even indigenous paint colors can become my greatest source of ideas. Travelling with my digital camera is a must (daily!) and I always have a slim one to slip into an evening bag as you never know where or when your curiosity will strike. I take snapshots of everything from the obvious rooms and architecture to floors, grills, ceilings, hinges, bark, leaves, you name it! Sometimes I know what I’ll do with what I’m shooting or perhaps it will evolve like the curve of an antique chair leg, which could end up inspiring a repeating swirl in a mosaic floor pattern. I look for curves, shapes and colors. I’ve even photographed shadows. Returning with 600-800 pictures is the norm!
And the “who” inspires me are certainly the great designers from the past, John Fowler, Nancy Lancaster, Henri Samuel, Frances Elkins, Michael Taylor, Billy Baldwin, the great architects – Adams, Kent, Soane, Le Notre, Palladio, Mizner, George Washington Smith – my library of books! And from the present, there are many colleagues whose work I admire but if I started listing them I could get in trouble with those whom I don’t mention! Ultimately, I feel it’s really my clients who inspire me to be creative, to seek out something special, and to make a house unique to them.

You were lucky to have worked with one of the Masters of Design, Michael Taylor. What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of Mr. Taylor?

#1 BIG! He was a tall man, had tremendous presence, thought big and designed big! And #2 - That I miss him! And I often times wonder what he would be doing today and think about how his work would have evolved.

How has your aesthetic evolved since your days with Michael Taylor?

I had an entirely unique education with Michael in that I saw both sides of his work – the big, bold, white “California Look” signature rooms which sold magazines, made the phone ring, and paid the bills to the more elegant, collected, exotic, antique filled rarefied world he so brilliantly juxtaposed for others. The latter resonated with me most strongly and I’ve honestly never had a desire to create a “signature look”. I’ve always been much more interested in the mix, in combining antiques, custom furnishings, contemporary art and personal collections. Michael also felt strongly about architecture. From that mentoring I’ve always been in pursuit of “good bones”, expanded my passion for architecture and am always the architects advocate.

Describe your “perfect client”.

SMT: Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as the “perfect client” but there is definitely a really wonderful good client and a truly dreadfully bad client! Most people think it’s about deep pockets and carte blanche but that’s not the case at all. The best client is the one who can trust – trust the process, trust the professionals, trust the time it’s going to take to do the best job. Michael Taylor often said you are as good as your client, meaning if your client has good taste, it’s a walk in the park. But I’ve also found that the clients who don’t necessarily have great taste but know enough to trust me and my taste, then it can be a dream.

How would you describe your own personal style?

SMT: Outwardly my style is fairly classic – elegant, comfortable and timeless. But inside there’s perhaps a little of the mad scientist! An architect friend referred to my living room as my “decorating laboratory” which isn’t far from the truth at times as I’ll bring in furniture or objects to live with for a while, try them out, rearrange the furniture, test a piece, mix it up, get bored and move on to the next experiment!

What are you working on now?

SMT: There are projects all over right now in all sorts of phases, sizes and styles on which my design staff and I are presently working. We have a fantastic Spanish Revival project south of San Francisco on 12 acres, a spectacular mountain house on the north shore of Lake Tahoe, a city apartment with breathtaking views, a massive, very Michael Taylor-scale house in Sun Valley, Idaho, and various others mostly in California.

What is happening next?

SMT: Well, in addition to the September publishing of my first design book, “Rooms to Remember” and upcoming signings and lectures, I am about to launch Suzanne Tucker Home in January 2010 with a fabric collection in Paris at Holland & Sherry! Très excitant! In February we’ll be launching in San Francisco at Shears & Window and in Los Angeles at Thomas Lavin in March. Holland & Sherry’s New York and Chicago showrooms will have my fabrics after February as well, and it looks like Dallas, Atlanta and Florida may be the next stops. I have also been asked by a major tabletop manufacturer to design a line of china which I find so exciting as it’s one of the things in life I love. And I’m constantly working on custom furniture designs for our clients homes so perhaps 2010 will be the year to launch that line! This past year has been quite busy, to say the least, including installing six projects! Those, coupled with the ones yet to be finished or photograph, create enough material for a second book! Stay tuned!

What color are you and why?

Yellow! A buttery yellow…. Warm, flattering, mixes well with all other shades, makes you happy!

What is on your nightstand?

A photograph of my daughter when she was 4 (she’s now 23!), another of my husband and me on our honeymoon 13 years ago, about 2 ½” of stacked magazines (osmosis?), a silver mint julep cup holding pens, pencils, a nail file and a scale, a notepad from the Quisisana Hotel on Capri, a bottle of water, a clock radio which I mostly ignore, The Help by Kathryn Stockett (a wonderful southern read), A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel H. Pink (fantastic book!), a really lovely pierced porcelain blanc de chine antique lamp (a client “reject” which I love), and we won’t bother going to the shelf below!

What is your favorite place to escape?

SMT: A beach and the ocean - the best for me to really decompress - the Mauna Kea on Hawaii. Capri for decadent, dreamy romance (my husband calls it “Shop-pri”!), Lake Como for La Dolce Vita, and Villa Feltrinelli on Lake Garda, Italy for the ultimate romantic, indulgent hideaway.

What is your most favorite place to shop and why?

San Francisco antiques dealers because they are knowledgeable and professional; New York because it has everything under the sun and you can never exhaust all the sources; Worth Avenue, Palm Beach for its killer window shopping and the custom linens I order from Kassatly’s; Via Condotti in Rome for the people watching alone!; Paris flea market because one always shops with naive hope that you’ll find the undiscovered treasure; Bergdorf Goodman because it’s Bergdorfs!

Describe a typical day in the life of Suzanne Tucker.

6:30 alarm… snooze button …. Get on the elliptical (pretty rare these days!)…Mad dash to dress, juggle calls, blackberry and breakfast all at the same time… design meetings with staff and/or clients… emails, phone calls, working lunch (always)… put out fires… solve problems… can I ever get out the door to shop… work too late… come home to what my husband calls “dinner-in-a-drawer” (can’t live without my Thermador warming drawer) wonderfully prepped by our housekeeper…emails, read, zone out falling asleep in front of the TV… too late to bed…zzzzz… And thus the “glamorous life” of a decorator!

Classic and full of personality, Suzanne's work is heady and rich. This is just a taste of this beautiful book. Might be a good thing give this Christmas, to those on your list and to yourself!

Oh! And between you and me.....Suzanne is planning to open a Suzanne Tucker Home section on her website January 2010.....so remember to check it out!

All photos courtesy of Suzanne Tucker and The Monacelli Press

Speaking of Tartanscot, a.k.a. Scot Meacham Wood

For those of you who have not had the pleasure to puruse Mr. Scot Meacham Wood's website, I am posting some of the photos that I thought you could not go without seeing.

They represent work Scot has done in the San Francisco Bay area as well as in East Hampton.

And I have only posted a small taste of the gorgeousness.....

Beautiful.

The walls!!!!

An unexpected dash of COLOR!

If you want to see more....

you will just have to go see for yourself.....

Right HERE.

Handsome, no?

Now scoot.

Academy Awards Green Room: Architectural Digest Selects Stephen Shadley

A Little bird from Architectural Digest let me in on something:

Architectural Digest has chosen AD100 interior designer Stephen Shadley to create the signature Architectural Digest Greenroom at the 81st Annual Academy Awards.

AD Editor-in-Chief Paige Rense comments: “Stephen Shadley is an appropriate choice to design the AD Greenroom at this year’s Oscars, especially because several of his clients--including Diane Keaton, Woody Allen and Robert Altman--are movie legends. Stephen’s work melds classic and contemporary for a glamorous conclusion.”

The Green Room will be styled in "Seventies Modern" and will feature Baker Furniture, an 1100 pound bar constructed from one-of-a-kind Concetto Surface Art "Forza" by CaesarStone, and a lush shag rug by Karastan.

Mr. Steven Shadley

Mr. Stephen Shadley has been on the AD100 list for many years, and it is easy to see why. A prolific designer, Shadley has developed long time friendships with many of his very well known clients. Diane Keaton has been a friend for over 30 years.

Architectural Digest, April 2005, Photo by Tim Street-Porter

At least two of her homes by Shadley have graced the cover of AD. Designed in the California Monterey or Spanish Colonial style, Both homes house an impressive collection of Monterey furniture, pottery and art: Catalina and Bauer pots, landscapes by Maynard Dixon, Frank Tenney Johnson, Edgar Payne and Carl Oscar Borg. This home is a 1920's Bel Air house set on an acre of land. Shadley transformed it from a non-descript remodeled home to a vintage Spanish work of art.

Photo by Tim Street Porter

Diane's office converted from what was once the garage. Amazing bulletin board of "Diane's visuals". Old factory table becomes a desk.

Sitting Room off the stair all. Photo by Tim Street Porter

Architectural Digest, July 1999. Photo by Tim Street Porter

This is the cover of my well worn AD July 1999 issue featuring another Keaton house by Shadley. Mr. Shadley restored this Wallace Neff house in Beverly Hills from the untouched original with restraint and care. Many of the original light fixtures were preserved in the process. Classic in every sense....it still retains it's style in the ten years since the magazine was issued.

Photo by Tim Street-Porter

Monterey "Buckaroo" chair, a photograph by David Wojnarowicz, and Bauer pots. Sconce is original to the house.

Shadley also had a hand in creating the modern "barn" for Keaton near the Hudson River in New York. While a completely different style, there is a similarity in the sculptural spareness to the objects in the space.

A grouping of Eames chairs dot the all white interior of the space.

The black and white color palette creates a gallery-like atmosphere.

Photos by Michael Mundy

Love the ethereal star-like quality of the pair of modern chandeliers between the trusses.

Mr. Shadley has a very broad scope of talent, as is apparent when one jumps from this modern barn to the restoration of a 1928 South Carolina Craftsman bungalow.

Architectural Digest, June 2006, Photo by Steven Brooke

Asian antiques mix with Arts and Crafts furnishings in this clean and classic interior.

Mr. Shadley has a way of creating comfort and interest in such a beautiful way without adding too much. His designs are always clear and classic. Evidenced by his portfolio on his website here, I have included a few more images for your viewing pleasure:

Private Residence in Upstate New York. Photo by Steve Gross and Sue Daley

Home of Cari and Matthew Modine, Greenwich Village. Photo by Jaime Ardiles-Arce

Congratulations to Mr. Shadley! And to Architectural Digest for picking such a talent. I look forward to seeing the realization of his creative vision for the Academy Awards Green Room this year!