Charlotte Moss..........The 2008 Townhouse I somehow missed

I missed this showhouse feature somehow way back when and I would have guessed there wasn't a Charlotte Moss photo that had escaped my notice. It was conceived by Moss as a NY pied-a-terre for a couple who met in Rome and then married in the hills of Tuscany. A sophisticated couple with multiple residences and continental style. I came across this feature on the Veranda website this past weekend and thought it was something new, but it was a 2008 showhouse done for Laurel, a luxury condominium located in the Upper East Side of NY. The point being that it could have been done yesterday and isn't that the true mark of a good designer? I thought if I missed it maybe you had too.

Having a story behind design decisions isn't such a bad idea. Build your ideal profile and it can be a way to direct and edit your design decisions. The enviroment that reflects your passions, your dreams. It may be a better approach than saying " middle aged couple, live in the burbs, no social life, likes blue". The storyline of a continental couple was the inspiration for Moss and resulted in this exquisite blend of French and Italian design. Filling every inch of the fabric-covered wall space above the persimmon velvet sofas with this pair of paintings...........too perfect.

Clients would often ask me how we were going to relate one room to the next. How can it be different but still be connected? See how simple it can be? One small dose of that persimmon colour and it's done and connected.

This sample board of semi-precious stone, wood, and marble samples was originally seen in the Charlotte Moss NY townhouse store. I remember standing there and looking at it for the longest time and thinking "anyone who would go to the trouble of arranging these samples in this type of order is one remarkably detailed and precise person". And as we know, this is absolutely true when it comes to Charlotte Moss.

This may be a tight corner but doesn't it have everything you need?

If you remember the photos from my Mediterranean cruise last fall, I photographed a newspaper rack from a cafe in Cannes that caught my husbands attention (click here). I would do this idea in a minute if I had any wall space left. Maybe I should make some adjustments, this would be so perfect for our weekend newspapers which I like to read at length and in-depth. Another idea would be to mix in some more interesting newspapers, perhaps from Paris, Rome or London. A few brass or pewter towel racks and there you have it, a civilized and interesting wall treatment.



So what colour is your view? It may not be a NY view but it may be something you should be considering when selecting a room's paint colours. You can be 99.9% sure that the tones seen in the copper patina and adjacent limestone building was what inspired Moss to use this soothing palette in the Master Bedroom.

The Charlotte Moss signature..............the most exquisite bed treatments.

All photos from Veranda

Charlotte Moss

Charlotte Moss - Kip's Bay Showhouse 2006/photo by Pieter Estersohn

If you follow the the divas of the design world, - Charlotte Moss sits right at the top. As I told you in yesterday's post, I wasn't leaving New York last May without seeing the famous designer's retail store. Situated in a 3 story townhouse in the Upper East Side, each room on each floor was designed like a fabulously-decorated, well-appointed home. Picture walking into the most gracious home for a lovely visit. For years, this retail concept worked for Ralph Lauren, and it sure worked for Moss, we meandered from floor to floor for almost 3 hours, leaving no time to see Trelliage, the famous gardening store a few blocks over. We were well-primed before we got there, Charlotte Moss is the leading designer in the annual Kip's Bay Designer Showhouse we had just seen, by that point anything she had or did, we wanted (though I think we showed remarkable restraint). I bought a signed copy of her new book A Flair for Living, 2 stacks of her famous Quote Pads (a great gift), and I would never tell you what my friend bought, she would kill me for sure. The doorman (yes it's that type of store) sent us a few steps over for lunch at Nello's on Madison where a huge, lit floral arrangement had me so enraptured that I failed to look at the prices when ordering. Though apparently it's the be-seen-in-your-Prada kind of Manhattan place, it's also known for being ridiculously overpriced. Too late, the goat cheese and beet salad was gone and so was my dismay, it had been a great day so far and I was still on a Charlotte Moss high. That lady has some serious style and taste. Unfortunately, just hours after I posted, I received a comment from Texas design blogger Cote De Texas who informed me that the Charlotte Moss Townhouse store closed last fall, so I'm sorry I maybe got you adding this to your NY travel list. She does have those great quote pads on her website but now they only come with a bamboo pen which is lovely but makes the gift at 65.00 US (for us Canadians that's about 90.00!). Nevertheless, it was a slice of retail bliss and I still would have shared her story. Her book A Flair for Living is listed on my blog sidebar and makes for a gorgeous gift. I've been officially handed the bad blogger award today (self-awarded) for missing this huge detail and really, really glad I spent 3 hours there last spring.

Though you don't see many unstudied photos of Charlotte Moss, here's one taken by the New York Social Diary blog that I prefer for it's candid angle, she looks like she's thinking "if I let you take this photo, will you be leaving?" She writes in her book that when asked what she wanted for Christmas one year, she replied "A week in my study with food left by the door, a good supply of red wine, and my dogs." I also like that her desk isn't Martha Stewart perfect, it makes me think my desk clutter might have a useful purpose. It seems to work for her.

One the opposite wall in Charlotte Moss's blue toned study is her "wall of women". She has filled the wall with drawings and photographs of women who she finds inspiring whether it be design, fashion, or friendship. The touches of red are such a designer touch, the stacks of books too. I'm not nearly done telling you about Charlotte Moss, I''ll share some of her gift talent........my favorite product of the year. She may have closed her store, but she hasn't stopped creating. Just need the weekend to double-check my facts! And she is listed as one of the designers in the 2009 Kip's Bay Designer Showhouse.

Top Photo from Kips' Bay Designer Showhouse archives/Middle and Bottom Photo via New York Social Diary