A Perfect Marriage

The worlds of interior design and entertainment collided this past month forming the perfect union -- a mega furnishings retailer and a hit primetime show.

Retailer Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams and set decorator Beth Kushnick of the CBS drama The Good Wife launched a new home furnishings line that allows viewers to purchase a piece of the show for their own homes. Aptly named The Good Wife Collection, the line (available online and in stores) features sofas, chairs, desks and pillows from the Lockhart/Gardner offices and lead character Alicia's home. Interlude Home will also offer a line of coordinated accessories through Horchow online.

The show has been enormously popular, prompting Kushnick to develop a Good Wife blog and subsequent furnishings line. Here's hoping that fashion retailers take notice and develop Lockhart Couture:)

The Good Wife is on Sunday nights on CBS at 8/9 central. For more on the new venture, see my Architectural Digest piece here.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Diane Conversational Chair

The perfect pull up chair for home, office and home/office. This versatile chair could even find a place in the bedroom. Love the fact its both traditional and modern at the same time much like Diane Lockhart.

Kalinda's  Leather Chair

Can't you just see Kalinda's boots dangling from the chair with a gun in her lap? I am not a huge fan of the wing but the modern lines of this leather chair are making me rethink the whole concept.

Zemico Side Table

This handcrafted iron base table can be seen in lawyer Eli Gold's office. Perfect as a side accompaniment or paired together as an alternative to coffee tables, it makes a statement whether you are orchestrating political warfare for a gubernatorial candidate or just need a place to prop your feet.

Mahima Twig Boxes

Apparently these are a favorite of Emmy award winning actress Julianna Margulies who plays lead character Alicia. They are hand painted and made of "sheesham wood" and great for storage or hiding a multitude of secret files.

Photo Credits: Justin Stephens/CBS, Mitchell Gold Bob Williams, Horchow

From Set and Screen to Living Room

For those of you in New York City and surrounds, hope you can attend a fun lecture "From Set and Screen to Living Room: The Set Decorator and the Interior Designer" at the D&D Building, 979 Third Avenue, Astra Cafe, 14th Floor on Wednesday, October 10th at 3:00. I will be on a panel discussion with Lydia Marks of Marks & Frantz and set decorator on Sex and the City and designer Marshall Watson (his line at Lewis Mittman has graced the sets of the new Katie Couric show). Ann Maine, editor in chief of Traditional Home, will be the moderator. 

Mark's interiors on the film Sex and the City 2 

A reception and book signing of Designs on Film will follow at the Edward Ferrell + Lewis Mittman showroom, suite 903. You can RSVP at 212-888-8580. And win a chance to attend a Katie show up close and personal. Hope to see you there!

And a big congrats to Sally Sirkin Lewis as she celebrates the 40th anniversary of J. Robert Scott. Bravo!!!

Photo Credits: J Robert Scott, Traditional Home, Warner Brothers

Stylish Sets, Bond Style

It is hard to fathom this year marks the fiftieth anniversary of the James Bond film, one of the most iconic and successful franchises in movie history.

Six 007's and 23 films later, the style of James Bond endures. While a Bond film is all about the girls, guns and gadgets, the designs often take center stage. And just like the gin and vermouth in a shaken not stirred martini, a Bond film will always feature a villain and his stylish lair.

The legendary production designer Sir Ken Adam (who set the tone of the genre), Syd Cain, Peter Lamont and Dennis Gassner were responsible for designing the worlds of good versus evil that included everything from underground grottoes and an ice palace to sleek high tech headquarters for world domination.

The Ice Palace in Die Another Day

Moonraker above and below

Casino Royale

For a tour of some of the most memorable sets of  half a century, see my Architectural Digest article The Best Sets From James Bond Movies here.

For those who live in NYC (or happen to be visiting), be sure and check out the Museum of Modern Art's 50 Years of James Bond exhibition. If you missed the extraordinary Designing 007- Fifty Years of Bond Style in London, you have a second chance to catch it in Toronto October 26th to January 20, 2013. And if that is not enough Bond for your liking, own a piece of memorabilia at the Christie's auction 50 Years of James Bond: The Auction. A few goodies include the Prada dress from Quantum of Solace worn by Olga Kurylenko (a mere 2500-3500 pounds) or the Tom Ford sunglasses worn by present day Bond Daniel Craig.

In the meantime,  get ready for the latest bond installment Skyfall, out in theaters November 9th. Joining Craig will be Javier Bardem and Ralph Fiennes and the legend continues. 

Photo Credits: Danjag, Eon, Sony/Columbia

Is Yellow the New Black?

Judging by the red carpet at the Emmys tonight, yellow must be the new black. Or at the very least a lucky color as several of the winners accepted their awards in bright shades of yellow.

A pregnant Claire Danes picked up a trophy for Best Actress in Showtime's Homeland in a strapless gown by Lanvin. Modern Family's Julie Bowen's blonde hair also complemented her Monique Lhullier gown (she won Best Actress in Comedy) while Julianne Moore's striking red hair was an interesting contrast to her yellow bodice fitting Christian Dior (she took home the Emmy for her role as Sarah Palin in Game Change). Leslie Mann went halfway with a Naheem Khan skirt.

Guess they took their cues from Emmy the Award who was also dressed in gold. At any rate, it was a refreshing change. Congrats to the winners and is it my imagination or do the Emmy guests look chicer than those at the Oscars?

Julie Bowen

Julianne Moore

Leslie Mann

Photo Credits: ABC

On My Radar for Fall

Fall is absolutely the best time of year as it signifies a new season of movie releases, Broadway plays, football, television series premieres and of course, Vogue's September issue:)

I will be covering many if these in articles and blog posts in the upcoming weeks...until then, mark your calendars and set your Tivos for a few things on my radar.....

The Good Wife

Diane Lockhart and Alicia Florrick's wardrobes are starting to rival the sets for my attention on his highly addictive legal drama. Season Four premieres Sunday, September 30th and 11 million viewers will be glued to their sets. And speaking of sets, look for the new launch of The Good Wife home furnishings and accessories line with Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams and Interlude Home (which will be available on Horchow). Designed in conjunction with set decorator Beth Kushnick, your home or office can have a piece of the show (love the Diane chair!). Now if CBS will just come out with a line of Lockhart Couture I will be very  happy.

Nashville

Sex, power, love, family, betrayal, music and all in my hometown. They have been filming everywhere from my mother's neighborhood to downtown and in between and the Music City is certainly enjoying it's time in the spotlight. Early buzz is the show will be a huge hit. The series stars Connie Brittain, Hayden Panettiere and Powers Boothe. Catch the All About Eve country style saga on ABC on Wednesday,  October 10th.

666 Park Avenue

Also premiering on Sunday, September 30th (hope my Tivo doesn't overheat) is ABC's 666 Park Avenue which is touted as Rosemary's Baby meets The Shining. A young couple move into the coveted address and mystery ensues as the residents make a deal with the devil to get what they want? Sound familiar?  The series stars Vanessa Williams. Terry O'Quinn and Dave Annable from Brothers and Sisters. My friend Andy Baseman who did the fabulous Park Avenue sets for The Nanny Diaries  decorated the show so you know it will be good. No word yet if Mia Farrow makes an appearance...

Anna Karenina

Keira Knightley stars as Anna K in the age old story of a Russian aristocrat who has an affair with a count (played by Jude Law).  The epic film is slated for November 16th release and look for lots of period eye candy. From the sneak peak I have seen so far, the sets and costumes are nothing short of magnificent and designed by Academy Award winning production designer Sarah Greenwood and set decorator Katie Spencer (Pride and Prejudice) and costume designer Jacqueline Dorran. Film design and commerce collide once again as Dorran inked a deal with retailer Banana Republic for a 19th Century Russia line (just in time for the holidays).

The Girl

Well you know this is going to be good -- HBO's biopic on director Alfred Hitchcock and his strange fixation on actress Tippi Hedren and their collaboration on the films The Birds and Marnie. Starring Toby Jones as the famed director and Sienna Miller as his muse, The Girl debuts October 20th. 

And a quick note, if you are in the San Francisco area on Wednesday, September 19th, I will be lecturing on the subject of interior design on film at the Lee Jofa showroom at the San Francisco Design Center at 11 a.m. followed by a book signing of Designs on Film. Look forward to seeing you there!


Photo Credits: HBO, CBS, Banana Republic, Focus Features, ABC

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Every now and then a movie will be on television that stops me dead in my tracks and

I drop everything to watch. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is one of those films.

Unless you have been living on a space station for the past century, Guess Who tells the story of the sudden engagement of a young girl to an African American doctor and the resulting feelings from both sets of parents. It is considered a landmark film due to not only the subject matter -- the year was 1967 -- the performances of Spencer Tracy, Katherine Hepburn and Sidney Poitier were pretty extraordinary as well (and sadly Tracy's last as he died ten days after filming ended).

The majority of the film's plot takes place in Tracy and Hepburn's spectacular house in San Francisco which of course was created on the Columbia Studios backlot. (San Franciscans will no doubt recognize the real Mel's Diner on Mission Street which was used as one of the locationa). Exteriors were shot in Pasadena and the incredible view from the terrace was merely a matte painting. Production designer Robert Clatworthy and set decorator Frank Tuttle's designs were pure vintage sixties modern and earned them an Oscar nomination for Best Art Direction. I only wish I had more shots to share and urge you to rent the DVD for a great design history lesson.

Hepburn and Tracy on set

If anyone finds themselves in Murfreesboro, Tennessee this Tuesday evening, I will be lecturing  at the Oaklands Museum and sponsored by Middle Tennessee State University.

Photo Credits: Columbia Pictures

The Original Sex and the Single Girl

Long before Carrie Bradshaw and Dr. Ruth were conceived lived the phenom known as Helen Gurley Brown who sadly passed away last week at the life-well-lived age of ninety.

I can remember reading her book  Having it All which came out in the early 80s, empowering women to rise above the trophy wife syndrome. While the feminist movement tomes Feminine Mystique and Fear of Flying certainly made their mark, HGB took girl power to a new level during the zenith of the sexual revolution.

Raised in rural Arkansas, Helen hit the big city and literally clawed her way to the top as the birth and rise of her magazine Cosmo is the stuff of publishing legend. Her first best selling book turned film Sex and the Single Girl was touted as the "unmarried women's guide to men" and a primer for women in the sixties. Husband and producer David Brown suggested she write the book for women who wanted to have an affair and it hit the bookstores at a time where women were becoming both sexually and financially independent. The book was later developed into a film starring Natalie Wood (as HGB), Tony Curtis, Henry Fonda and Lauren Bacall and became a huge box office hit in 1964.

For someone who touted extramarital affairs, HGB seemed to have a pretty terrific marriage to Jaws and The Sting producer David Brown (51 years) who was one of the nicest men on the planet (I used to work down the hall from his office at Universal and he'd give us scarves every Christmas. A man after my own heart!) It was apparent those two had the formula for a successful marriage down pat.

HGB with husband David Brown who passed away in 2010

Helen also coined one of my favorite terms (perhaps only known to baby boomers) --"mouseburger" aka quiet little "mousey" women who needed to claim their own power and rise above the traditional roles as life as a homemaker, wife and mother.

While much has recently been written about her death, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said it best : “She was a role model for the millions of women whose private thoughts, wonders and dreams she addressed so brilliantly in print. She was a quintessential New Yorker: never afraid to speak her mind and always full of advice. She pushed boundaries and often broke them, clearing the way for younger women to follow in her path...”

Natalie Wood as unsurpassable HGB

Wood and Tony Curtis in Sex and the Single Girl

The ever fashionable Brown as a poster child of the sixties

It's inconceivable to think there will ever be another Helen Gurley Brown. RIP Helen, here's to a Southern girl "done good."

Photo Credits: New York Times, Warner Brothers, Simon and Schuster

A Night at the Inn

I have been missing in action for several weeks due to an injury that requires typing with one finger.....so enjoy my latest Celebrated Living article on actor, philanthropist, Yankees fan, sex symbol, and perhaps the most unlikely of roles, innkeeper Richard Gere. I was fortunate to spend an evening at the inn that he and wife Carey Lowell run in Bedford this past May (aptly named the Bedford Post Inn) and the food, accommodations and yoga classes are heaven. And it's a mere 45 minutes from Manhattan. I also caught a screening of his upcoming film Arbitrage, a wonderful cautionary tale on Wall Street, ethics, loyalty and family-- be sure to see it when it comes to theaters this September.  Enjoy!

Susan Sarandon and Richard Gere as husband and wife in Arbitrage

The Bedford Post Inn

Photo Credits: Nigel Parry/ Celebrated Living, Bedford Post Inn, Roadside Attractions