Wednesday, 15 April 2015

The Homes of Sara Ruffin Costello

Growing up in the restrained and WASP-y West End of Richmond, Va., I struggled to come to terms with my decorator mother's unconventional ways. She would breezily roll up to my school in her sleek phantom-gray BMW sedan, 25 minutes after the sea of navy-blue station wagons had vanished, and impatiently tell me, "Get in the car this instant. We're going to go see a film called 'Whore'—there's a scene with a wallpaper that I want to use in your father's office." I never grasped how original my mother was until recently. - Sara Ruffin Costello 
"Anything but Boring," Wall Street Journal (November 9, 2012).

Sara Ruffin Costello's "First Real Apartment" on Great Jones Street, NYC.
Interior design by Sara Ruffin Costello.
Image via Sara Ruffin Costello.

Sara Ruffin Costello's style has intrigued many since her days as founding creative director of Conde Nast's magazine Domino. Raised in Richmond, she is a member of a Southern family with Virginia roots dating back to 1666. The Ruffins formerly owned Evelynton Plantation on the banks of the James River. [The family sold the home approximately seven years ago.]


"Evelynton was originally part of William Byrd's expansive Westover Plantation. Named for Byrd's daughter, Evelyn, this site has been home to the Ruffin family since 1847." [The family sold the home approximately seven years ago.] The original house and out-buildings were burned during the Civil War. The existing Georgian Revival home pictured above was designed by architect W. Duncan Lee in 1937.
Evelynton Plantation.
Text source: Virginia's James River Plantations.
Image via Pinterest.

 Patriarch Edmund Ruffin's "agricultural contributions - from scientific soil testing to the publication of The Farmer's Register - rescued 19th-century Virginia from a declining agricultural economy and earned him the title 'father of American agronomy' " (source). Tragically, this same Southerner who fired the first shot of the Civil War at Fort Sumter "wrapped himself in a Confederate flag and fired a final, fatal shot" (source) after the war destroyed his home and family fortune.

Sara Ruffin Costello's "First Real Apartment" on Great Jones Street, NYC.
Interior design by Sara Ruffin Costello.
Image via Sara Ruffin Costello.

Perhaps what is so appealing about Ms. Ruffin Costello is her authenticity. She grew up entrenched in Southern history and later worked with Martha Stewart. She knows the rules - yet she breaks them with confidence, and she shares her design secrets with others. "My style is modern, a little bohemian, and a bit classic. It’s informed by growing up in Virginia around old houses with antiques —  then revolting against that" (source).  Even scandal doesn't diminish her appeal. Lurid tales of a literary affair a few years ago made her seem more human - not in a freudenschade kind of way - but in a refreshing manner that acknowledged that marriage is hard, but problems can be resolved.

Sara Ruffin Costello's "First Real Apartment" on Great Jones Street, NYC.
Interior design by Sara Ruffin Costello.
Image via Sara Ruffin Costello.

If you are with the right person who makes you laugh and you want to hang out with all the time and who looks good across the room at a party, it doesn’t matter what happens or what horrible things you do to each other, you are gonna stay together and get to that blissful apex (that Joanne Woodward-Paul Newman-ass-kicking-togetherness) while having a ball along the way. Somebody once told me to get rid of expectations. That was kind of amazing. Try it. - Sara Ruffin Costello to Stone Fox Tales (January 26, 2014)

Sara Ruffin Costello's "First Real Apartment" on Great Jones Street, NYC.
Interior design by Sara Ruffin Costello.
Image via Sara Ruffin Costello.

We long for old-fashioned elegance and civilized and silver and pretty glasses, and all that kind of stuff, but at the same time we want to hang out and be casual and sit around in the living room. … I think if you can marry those two things, it’s such a beautiful balance. - Sara Ruffin Costello ("The Domino Effect" by Carrie Nieman Culpepper, R-Home [September/October 2008]).

Sara Ruffin Costello's rental in Soho, New York.
Interior design by Sara Ruffin Costello.
Image via Sara Ruffin Costello.

Sara Ruffin Costello's West Village Townhouse, New York City.
Interior design by Sara Ruffin Costello.
Image via Sara Ruffin Costello.

Sara Ruffin Costello's West Village Townhouse, New York City.
Interior design by Sara Ruffin Costello.
Image via Sara Ruffin Costello.

Sara Ruffin Costello's West Village Townhouse, New York City.
Interior design by Sara Ruffin Costello.
Image via Sara Ruffin Costello.

Sara Ruffin Costello's West Village Townhouse, New York City.
Interior design by Sara Ruffin Costello.
Image via Sara Ruffin Costello.

Sara Ruffin Costello's West Village Townhouse, New York City.
Interior design by Sara Ruffin Costello.
Image via Sara Ruffin Costello.

"I've had this classic table in every one of my apartments. It's small enough to fit in the kitchen, but you can squeeze in six people. Upholstery's almost never used on kitchen stools for a good reason. So I was happy to find this Moroccan oilcloth - chic and spillproof. This burlap-covered Louis settee was a major score - perfectly diminutive and actually comfortable." [Text from Domino - The Book of Decorating]
Sara Ruffin Costello's West Village Townhouse, New York City.
Interior design by Sara Ruffin Costello.
Image via Sara Ruffin Costello.

Sara Ruffin Costello's West Village Townhouse, New York City.
Interior design by Sara Ruffin Costello.
Image via Sara Ruffin Costello.

Trellised garden room in Sara Ruffin Costello's New Orleans home.
Interior design by Sara Ruffin Costello.
Photography by Paul Costello for The Wall Street Journal.
The Wall Street Journal (May 11, 2013). 

Sara Ruffin Costello.
"Sara Ruffin Costello: Grand Designs" by Melissa Goldstein.
Domaine (May 1, 2013).

Sara Ruffin Costello's 19th-century home in New Orleans's Garden District.
Interior design by Sara Ruffin Costello.
Architect: Michael Carbina.
"Sara Ruffin Costello: Grand Designs" by Melissa Goldstein.
Domaine (May 1, 2013).

Colonial palm chandelier.
Sara Ruffin Costello's 19th-century home in New Orleans's Garden District.
Interior design by Sara Ruffin Costello.
Architect: Michael Carbina.
"Sara Ruffin Costello: Grand Designs" by Melissa Goldstein.
Domaine (May 1, 2013).

Sara Ruffin Costello's 19th-century home in New Orleans's Garden District.
Interior design by Sara Ruffin Costello.
Architect: Michael Carbina.
"Sara Ruffin Costello: Grand Designs" by Melissa Goldstein.
Domaine (May 1, 2013).

Sara Ruffin Costello
New Orleans, Louisiana
Design consultant, Decorator, Writer, sararuffincostello.com  
“The Southerners whose style I most admire have an enviable quality that suggests nothing is more important than what is happening right now, in front of them.”
Photography by Paul Costello.
Southern Living.


Domino: The Book of Decorating - a room-by-room guide to creating a home that makes you happy
By domino editors Deborah Needleman, Sara Ruffin Costello and Dara Caponigro.
Copyright 2008 Conde Nast Publications.

at 2 comments:

Monday, 13 April 2015

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream

April 14th from 12 p.m. until 8 p.m. is Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day.
In honor of this delicious occasion, I offer some ice cream inspiration . . . 

 Chèvre Ice Cream (link to recipe). The ice cream is served in a punch bowl filled with ice.
Photography by Colleen Duffley.
"Entertaining: Southern Brunch, with Recipes" written and produced by Stephen Exel.

"1950's era ice cream cart-style white painted wood bar cart with shaker, utensils and glassware. Finish is original. Not electrified."
Text and photo via 1stDibs.

Yes, I have eaten ice cream and milkshakes at Draper's Cafe at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Yummy decor. Yummy food.
Interior design by Carleton Varney, Dorothy Draper and Company.
Photo via parishotelblogspot.com.
parishotelblogspot.com (July 9, 2009).

 "Striped wallpaper adds a feminine touch. Homeowner Alison Booth doesn't shy away from color, and her conveniently-located second-floor laundry room is no exception. Strong colors and graphic patterns balance each other and add interest. For a bold wallpaper like this, keep cabinets and flooring in neutral or white."
Designer: Alison Booth, Booth Supply.
Photography by Virginia MacDonald.

 "The ice-cream-parlor-style breakfast room is a favorite of Georgie's and her siblings. The children's portraits decorate the walls." 
Spanish Colonial-style home in Hancock Park, Los Angeles.
Interior design by Ruthie Sommers, Ruthie Sommers Interior Design.
Photography by Grey Crawford.
Text by Candace Ord Manroe.
"Family-Friendly and Colorful" produced by Laura Hull.

"The built-in cabinets are original to the breakfast room, but the backs are painted pink to match the ceiling." 
Spanish Colonial-style home in Hancock Park, Los Angeles.
Interior design by Ruthie Sommers, Ruthie Sommers Interior Design.
Photography by Grey Crawford.
Text by Candace Ord Manroe.
"Family-Friendly and Colorful" produced by Laura Hull.

Offered by Antiques Enna via 1stDibs.
Image and text via 1stDibs.

Image from Pinterest via B. Lovely Events.
B. Lovely Events (August 18, 2013).

Offered by Ellen Ward Scarborough Antiques via 1stDibs.
Text and image via 1stDibs.

Donald Baechler: Chocolate Cone, 2007 | Pace Prints
33 color silkscreen
57 3/4 x 40 1/2 inches
Edition of 69
Published by Pace Editions, Inc.
Image via Pace Prints.

"S'mores mini sundaes... H and F Bread Co. graham crackers, handcrafted ganache and toasted marshmallow ice cream" by High Road Craft Ice Cream.
Image via High Road Craft Ice Cream Facebook page.

"This is a lovely set of twelve antique sterling silver spoon straws. They measure 8 1/4 inches long and are marked sterling on the backs of the spoons. The handles are hollow for sipping your ice cream soda, iced tea or mint julep. The bowls are heart shaped and etched with an Art Nouveau design. These are over 100 years old and do have some scratches and a few tiny dents from use."
Offered by Lazy Susan Vintage in West Hartford, Connecticut via Etsy.
Image and text via Etsy.

"Serve Crowd-Pleasers: Finger foods that can be eaten in one bite are always on the menu. She explains, 'It all has to be lipstick friendly!' "
Hostess Danielle Rollins, author of Soiree: Entertaining with Style.
Photography by John Kernick.

Image and text via 1stDibs.

"Dave Matthews looks pretty excited to take a lick out of his band's own Ben and Jerry's flavor, Magic Brownies."
The Huffington Post (August 24, 2011). 

"There’s local, and then there’s Southern Craft Creamery, in small-town Marianna, Florida, which takes the food world’s current scratch-made ethos to a whole new level. Not only do ice cream makers Lauren and Zach O’Bryan look to nearby growers for the ingredients that flavor their gelato-style cream, but they also help run the dairy and tend to the hundreds of cattle whose milk anchors their product."

at 2 comments:

Sunday, 12 April 2015

Color Your Own Secret Garden

Perhaps you have heard of Johanna Basford, the Scottish illustrator whose coloring book for adults, Secret Garden, has sold more than a million copies since it was released in 2013. A quick peek at the websites for Amazon and Barnes and Noble indicates that the book is temporarily out of stock online, but Ms. Basford has assured Facebook followers that more copies are coming. Coloring is such a relaxing "analog" activity - a healthy, creative way to unwind and de-stress in a digital world. One woman wrote on Ms. Basford's Facebook page, "It stops me worrying about the cancer." A look at Ms. Basford's pen-and-ink pictures may help explain why . . . 


“The artwork was inspired by Brodick Castle Gardens on the Isle of Arran, on the West Coast of Scotland,” Johanna said. “My grandfather was the head gardener there, so we spent every summer and Christmas there. The formal rose gardens of the castle, the Bavarian summer house, and the lily-studded ponds were wonderful places to play as a child . . . a great place to cultivate a wild imagination!” ("Over One Million People Bought Her Gorgeous Coloring Book For Grown Ups" by Sammy Nickalls, Hello Giggles [3/24/25]).

Brodick Castle, Isle of Arran, Scotland.
Image via Pinterest,

Instagram image by tracylovely via Good Housekeeping.
Good Housekeeping (April 7, 2015).

Bavarian Summer House, Brodick Castle, Isle of Arran, Scotland.
Image via Pinterest.

Like many castles, Scotland's Brodick Castle has its ghosts stories - sightings of  a "gray lady" and tales of a white hart that appears whenever a Hamilton clan chief is about to die . . . 

Image courtesy Johanna Basford and Laurence King via BuzzFeed.
BuzzFeed (March 19, 2015).

"If you go down to the woods today you'll see a special new addition - three lovely toadstool seats made by Fergus, Ken and Andy, our very talented Estate Team!"
Garden of Brodick Castle, Isle of Arran, Scotland.
Image and text via Facebook page of NTS Brodick Castle, Garden and Country Park (May 19, 2014).

"Basford's elaborately rendered illustrations include hidden elements like 'a rogue butterfly, a tiny beetle or an elusive white rabbit,' she says, to add mystery and whimsy to the drawings."
Image courtesy of Johanna Basford/Laurence King via Slate.
Slate (April 7, 2015).

"The Bronze Age roundhouse" at Brodick Castle, Isle of Arran, Scotland.
Image via Pinterest.

Image courtesy Johanna Basford and Laurence King via BuzzFeed.
BuzzFeed (March 19, 2015).

Lavender in the Garden of Brodick Castle, Isle of Arran, Scotland.
Image via Facebook page of NTS Brodick Castle, Garden and Country Park (August 18, 2014)

Coloring by "Karen."
Image via Facebook page of illustrator Johanna Basford (February 24, 2015).

Brodick Castle, Isle of Arran, Scotland.
Image via Facebook page of NTS Brodick Castle, Garden and Country Park (May 14, 2014)

Garden of Brodick Castle, Scotland.
Image and text via Facebook page of NTS Brodick Castle, Garden and Country Park.


Image via Johanna Basford's Facebook page.

Garden of Brodick Castle, Isle of Arran, Scotland.
Image via Facebook page of NTS Brodick Castle, Garden and Country Park (May 15, 2014).

Good Housekeeping (April 7, 2015).

Garden of Brodick Castle, Isle of Arran, Scotland.
Image via Facebook page of NTS Brodick Castle, Garden and Country Park (April 2, 2015).

Coloring by "Claudia."
Image via Facebook page of illustrator Johanna Basford (February 10, 2015).

"Blue sky, yellow daffs and the red brown stone of the Castle - today there's a feast of colour around the property and a spring in everyone's step as we enjoy the sun!"
Brodick Castle, Isle of Arran, Scotland.
Image and text via Facebook page of NTS Brodick Castle, Garden and Country Park (May 16, 2014).

Garden trails, Brodick Castle, Isle of Arran, Scotland.
Image via Facebook page of NTS Brodick Castle, Garden and Country Park (June 8, 2014). 
 
Image courtesy Johanna Basford and Laurence King via BuzzFeed.
BuzzFeed (March 19, 2015).

"It looks set to be another gorgeous day here on Arran. This plant the dog's tooth violet (Erythronium dens-canis) is a such a charming thing and is popping up all over parts of the garden."
Garden of Brodick Castle, Isle of Arran, Scotland.
Image and text via Facebook page of NTS Brodick Castle, Garden and Country Park (April 9, 2015.)

Good Housekeeping (April 7, 2015).

"Illustrator Johanna Basford is based in Aberdeen, Scotland."
Image courtesy of Johanna Basford/Laurence King.
Slate (April 7, 2015).

Image courtesy Johanna Basford and Laurence King via BuzzFeed.
BuzzFeed (March 19, 2015).

Image courtesy Johanna Basford and Laurence King via BuzzFeed.
BuzzFeed (March 19, 2015).

Ms. Basford's second coloring book, Enchanted Forest, was released in February 2015. Readers must find eight symbols that are hidden throughout the book to solve the coloring puzzle on a pull-out poster at the end of the book.

Image courtesy Johanna Basford and Laurence King via BuzzFeed.
BuzzFeed (March 19, 2015).



at No comments: