All of us at Waterworks were deeply saddened to learn that our friend and long time collaborator, Peter Shelton, had died. In June he traveled to France with my husband, Robert, and several other members of our team to continue the development of the second phase of .25, a fittings line we first launched in collaboration with the firm Shelton Mindel & Associates in 2005. Peter with obsessed with the smallest details of a project looking for both design and technical innovation. Together Peter and Lee Mindel were great design communicators; Lee was expressive with his romantic descriptions of form and proportion while Peter was quietly working in the background blending the clean lines and less-is-more sensibility with engineering expertise.

  /     /     /  
2

I agonize for weeks to find just the right gifts for family and friends, colleagues and business associates. The children in my family are easy, especially the girls (clothes for all), and I can usually find just the right accessory for adult family members by visiting one of my favorite antiques shops, George Champion Modern in Woodbury, CT or calling the extraordinary bookshop in LA, Lead Apron. But, hostess and good friend gifts give me the most angst. I try to be not too clever or deliver anything too ubiquitous. An ordinary bottle of wine won’t do nor will a box of chocolates, even if they are hand made. So I decided to to thoroughly explore the Waterworks assortment to find five thank you gifts to deliver to friends who have been by my side during this year that had a number of challenges. From a gay couple to an older single woman with funky taste to a very conservative couple, I have been able to find just the right degree of sentiment for each. I hope that my selection helps you in your search for the “perfect” gift.

  /     /     /     /  
0

For those of you who have been following my Friday blogs, this highly decorative bath is an unusual post. I like this very personal statement by the designer and client who were not afraid of pattern or color. The active design of the wallpaper (Zuber 1960’s) is in contrast to the simplicity of the old dark wood  herringbone floor and low wood wainscot painted an Adamesque blue.  Small personal objects adorn the beautiful marble fireplace mantle and the chair indicates a bath where visiting and conversation are encouraged.

  /     /     /     /     /     /     /     /  
0

This master bath in Fairfield County, CT published in atHome Magazine could have been quite sedate even though beautiful materials were selected. However, the installation of flamingo wallpaper adds a bit of humor, texture, pattern and a little pop of color to a very muted palette.

  /     /     /  
0