Author: Kristen Ordonez

Jewelry for the Home

Jewelry for the Home

Diamond Ring by Christopher Boots. Photo by Christine Francis.  Contemporary designers around the world are transforming lighting fixtures from basic utility into artistic bling. By Roger Grody Talented interior designers compose seating, flooring and window treatments to complement each other like a wardrobe, requiring a delicate balance of fashion and functionality.  Lighting was once viewed as mere utility, but the fixtures produced by today’s premier designers represent the jewelry that sets off an outfit. Drew McGukin, a New York-based designer with a national clientele, reports that although dramatic lighting can sometimes short-circuit budgets, its value should never be underestimated....

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Trends for an Eco-Conscious Home

Trends for an Eco-Conscious Home

R16, pictured above, is a lighting device that is made up of the components that it is shipped with, emulating simplicity and zero-waste design techniques. All photos courtesy Salone del Mobile.Milano.  “I think that as a designer nowadays we should not think we are all making the antiques of the future […]. We should create products that can be part of a circular system, and are designed considering what material goes into the product and what it leaves behind after use.  — Christien Meindertsma, Designer Adopting eco-conscious behaviors and the search for sustainable, eco-compatible and environmentally friendly products is an...

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Art Deco Gems

Art Deco Gems

Since 1925, Art Deco has been known as a glamorous, global style characterized by lavish ornamentation. “Ordinary” items found in the everyday home become extraordinary when embellished with gemstones, crystals, and precious and semi-precious stones highlighting their sumptuous designs. By Kristen Ordonez Lalique Masque de Femme — THG-Paris “From the beginning, Art Deco embraced modern luxury through exquisite craftsmanship and precious materials,” says Pedro Uranga, North American director of THG-Paris. “THG’s Profil collection, designed by the legendary Jamie Drake, and our Masque De Femme collaboration with Lalique both emulate these aspects of the beloved design style as well as...

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Understated Elegance

Understated Elegance

Updated traditional kitchen with herringbone floors, brass accents and a La Cornue range in Beverly Hills. Photo courtesy Lou Trapp. The allure of interior design was not always at the forefront of Lindsay Chambers’ mind. By Kristen Ordonez Growing up in Palo Alto, California, she had ambitions of being a history college professor, pursuing a PhD at Stanford University. But while attending, something happened that would ultimately change her career path. “One day, I got a knock on the door from a couple who worked at Google asking to buy my house. I didn’t have anywhere to move, but...

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What Now? Series: Northeast & Mid-Atlantic Real Estate Market Report

What Now? Series: Northeast & Mid-Atlantic Real Estate Market Report

Photo courtesy Maxwell Mackenzie. In 2017, Unique Homes is traveling the U.S. to find the dominant stories in each region of the country. By Camilla McLaughlin To say 2017 is a year of change is an understatement, and real estate is no exception. Prices are up … and down. Condition matters, and design and architecture have almost become a national obsession. In our yearlong series, we are taking a look at all the regions of the country in an attempt to answer the question of the year, WHAT NOW? For real estate in major East Coast cities, 2017 culminates...

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