Jan 29

2016

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I ♥ Your Style: Isabella Cawdor

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Isabella with her daughter, her husband, and the gamekeepers all in Cawdor tweed.

I first met Isabella Cawdor when she was a guest at my wedding. Her husband Colin was an old friend of Christopher’s and they flew over from Scotland to celebrate with us. I noticed Isabella because of her romantic, dark purple velvet dress with floral cutouts, and she had a fuchsia rose tucked behind her ear. She was the very first one out on the dance floor, twirled around by Christian Louboutin, and I thought “Who is that gorgeous girl?” We didn’t get to know each other properly until a year a half later when Christopher and I were invited, along with one year old Coco, to visit them at their shooting lodge in the highlands of Scotland. That’s when I was really taken with Isabella. Everything about her life – her house, her kids, her clothes, her posture – was beautiful, but done natural ease and warmth. These days, the Cawdors are perhaps best known for their supermodel daughter Jean Campbell – who stars in the current Louis Vuitton and Burberry ads – but it is Isabella’s down to earth, chic country style that has me reeling every time I see her. ..

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Oct 13

2015

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Life in England: Game of Thrones

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“The monogram is that of William III who updated the building.”

I came home from New York last week and picked up the latest World of Interiors. I so look forward to my subscription every month and always love what they shoot, but every now and then something in that magazine just stops me dead in my tracks. This time it was the Hampton Court Palace Royal Tennis Courts right here in England where princes and kings have been whacking around hand stitched felt balls since 1625.  These photos really captured me. In an aesthetic way, they say everything I love about England. ..

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Feb 11

2013

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I ♥ Your Home Style: Lee Radziwill

Inspired by Sofia Coppola’s excellent mini-doc of Lee Radziwill for The New York Times, I decided to revisit some old favorite “Lee” images in my archive. While I was doing some additional research to round out an homage to her, I discovered something even more pressing – pictures of her houses from the last few decades. She had many houses, from many phases of her life, during the administration of many husbands, throughout a handful of countries...

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Jan 25

2013

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I ♥ Your Office Style

I’m in the midst of decorating my office – a modest, but charming stone garden shed with a slate tile roof. Inside there is a wood burning stove and just enough room for a beautiful mid century rosewood desk that was a moving-to-England present from my husband, a credenza and a two-seater sofa. I’m going to hang all my old Hugo Guinness show announcements from John Derian on the walls, and I’ll cover one whole wall with tear sheets, photos and other bits and pieces of creative fuel...

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Jan 16

2013

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On the Road: New Year’s, New York

Before moving on from the holidays, I can’t not also share with you our first family visit back to New York for New Year’s. I wasn’t sure about choosing New York as our vacation at first. I really wanted to relax after the bustle of a full on English Christmas, and I knew NYC would be loads of fun, but would it be relaxing?? My answer came when our friend Miranda asked us to house sit in Brooklyn while she and her family went off to Colorado...

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Sep 10

2012

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On the Road: The Adirondacks

Here I am. I’m back in England for good now and will be finally resuming my daily posting schedule. This summer was pretty much a write-off in terms of getting enough time to myself to do anything creative. I’m not complaining though. I think I really needed the break. I’ve been with my kids 24/7, setting up our life here in England, traveling a lot and having loads of friends to stay. It’s been great, but I am ready to get down to the daily life I imagined for myself here – spending most of the day in my garden shed / office writing and being creative while the kids are at school, with maybe a break in the day to go for a ride on my Polo, my favorite horse...

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Jul 26

2012

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On the Road: Spain, part 3

When we decided to go to Spain, the first thing I did was call my friend (who happens to be my husband’s first wife) to find out where we should take our horse-fanatic daughter riding in the countryside. The first Mrs Brooks is a fan and connoisseur of all things riding and all things Spanish and she has great taste, so I knew she was just the person to ask. She thought Trasierra would be prefect for us, as its causal enough for kids but chic-enough to make adults happy, and there is great riding nearby...

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Jul 23

2012

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On the Road: Spain, part 2

Trasierra may be the most inherently stylish place I have ever visited. A former private house lovingly rebuilt, restored and redecorated by English ex-pat Charlotte Scott, it sits on a 450 acre site just 30 miles north of Seville. The house has everything you need – chic, cozy rooms done up in a mixture of English chintz, Spanish pottery and classic antiques; fantastic home cooked food using fresh fruit and vegetables from their massive kitchen garden; and most importantly, a laid back and personal vibe that has you feeling you’re staying in someone’s home, rather than in a hotel...

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