I am so proud to be a part of The Ronald McDonald House of Long Island Project Design 2013. Together with many friends and young talent, including Creative Director of the project, Anthony Baratta, Ed Hollander, Mathew Patrick Smyth, Jamie Drake, Eric Cohler, Nick Olsen, Tilton Fenwick, Young Huh…and many more, we are working to transform the Ronald McDonald House so that it is updated and comfortable for the 1,000 plus families who use the facility per year. Unlike a traditional show house, it’s so nice to do something that’s permanent that will be enjoyed by families who come from all over the world, who often stay for weeks or months at a time.

The entire project is supported by many wonderful companies, most notably Cary Kravet and the entire Kravet family and NYC&G (New York Cottages and Gardens) Magazine.

I am designing a large playroom that will appeal to many ages, including those who are quite tech savvy. I can’t reveal too much about the design now, but please join me and Anthony Baratta for a Pre-Construction Celebration on Thursday June 6, 2013 at Newel. A gallery of all the designers’ mood boards will be revealed there.

Big thanks to Newel for hosting the party. Be sure to take advantage of this rare opportunity to explore all of Newel’s treasures! In addition, Anthony and I are hard at work designing two special window displays that promote the RMH-LI renovation, which will be revealed that night. All contributions collected at the party will go directly to the Ronald McDonald House. Please RSVP (information below). Hope to see you there!

My second collection of mirrors for Mirror Image Home debuts this week at High Point Market. When used correctly, mirrors can add magic to a space. Because of the beautiful way that mirrors reflect light, in a room, I often have more than one mirror hanging on different walls. This new collection explores many different finishes from brushed metal, to lacquer, silver leaf, horn and more. Be sure to stop by Mirror Image Home’s new showroom at the Salon on the Ground Floor of the Suites at Market Square to see the line!

Please join me on Wednesday April 17^th to celebrate the launch of my first rug collection for Doris Leslie Blau and new items to the Bunny Williams Home Collection. For years I have bought rugs from Doris Leslie Blau because the variety and selection of antique rugs is unparalleled, and their ability to customize a new design is amazing.  When I began working on my own rug collection, there was no hesitation in my choice to collaborate with Nader and Doris Leslie Blau. The patterns I created are ones that you can really build a room around. They are offered in a variety of textures including hemp (with a beautiful abrash),  silk/wool blends, looped wool and flat weaves.

On display as well will be new additions to the Bunny Williams Home line that I’m excited to share with you – new upholstery, desks, seating and metal and lacquer table lamps and floor lamps.

At the party, we’ll have classic southern nibbles and a playlist of some of my favorite songs!

 Doris Leslie Blau

306 East 61st Street, 7th floor

New York City

5:30 to 8:00 p.m.

RSVP to liza@blitzerandcompany.com

I am obsessed with well-proportioned, beautifully detailed upholstery. Most sofas and chairs today are too deep, filled with too many cushions, and almost swallow anyone who sits on them. For my latest introductions to the Bunny Williams Home collection, I wanted to add pieces with unusual lines to give character to a room that have the right depth and pitch for extra comfort. Above all, the pieces I designed are functional. Our new Southern Belle Sofa has graceful lines and is long enough to stretch out on. The Bardot Chair looks glamorous from any angle and is a cozy spot for lounging and reading. The Taj Stool works well as a pair in front of a fireplace for extra seating. The tufted top of the new Hide-and-Seek Ottoman opens to reveal a large storage space. And, my favorite sofa, the Punta Cana Sofa, now comes in a smaller size that’s great for city living.

New this spring, in addition to our standard and preferred spring down fill, on select items we now offer a foam/fiber fill at a lower price point. All Bunny Williams Home upholstery is eight-way hand tied and handmade in the US. It ships quickly – within 6 weeks of receipt of fabric!

Please join me on Thursday March 21^st for “Inside the Business of Design: An Interview with Bunny Williams”. I will be talking with Keith Granet, author of The Business of Design, Balancing Creativity and Profitability about running my own interior design firm (for over 25 years), owning 2 retail shops, starting my own furniture line, and branching into licensing.  I was taught by my mentors Sister Parish and Albert Hadley how to run an organized, successful design business, and I look forward to this conversation to share my experience with others. The event will take place at the Tishman Auditorium at The New School at 7:00pm. Tickets can be purchased here.

I was happy to take part in the Hope Designer Showcase at the Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique Show over Presidents’ Day weekend. Now in its second year, the exhibit features room vignettes that highlight product from the antiques show and raises awareness of the Hope for Depression Research Foundation, championed by Audrey Gruss, which funds research into diagnosis, treatment and prevention of depression and other mental illnesses.

My idea goal for the vignette was to present a display that could be taken as a room in someone’s home. I started with a beautiful 19^th Century reclaimed oak herringbone floor donated by AAA World Flooring. I wanted the palette of the room to use clear colors and jewel tones so that it felt relative to Florida but still rich in color. Scalamandre’s Paradiso in chocolate covers the walls and Scalamandre’s Colony Collection Rice Bean in blue woven is on the Bunny Williams Home Pierre Chair. I used Wolf Kahn’s painting, Florida Sunset, loaned by Cavalier Galleries, to break up the wall, creating a window-like effect between the two metal and gilt palm trees from John Rosselli. I constructed the illusion of depth by using a pair of Venetian mirrors from Carlos de la Puente Antiques across from one another.  Larger items like a pair of 19^th Century American stripped fluted Ionic wooden columns from Dawn Hill Antiques and two large potted palms from Foliage Garden really help ground the space.

I’d like to thank Scott Snyder and Christopher Smith in Scott’s office for their enormous help, as well as Ken and his team from J.G. Mitchell Contracting who oversaw the entire project with a keen eye for detail and was instrumental in creating the walls  (which fit together like a puzzle!), and Justin of Westbrook Deliveries for all of his logistical help. Other friends and vendors to whom I’m grateful include: A. Schneller Sons, Blanche P. Field, Cedric Dupont Antiques, Lee Calicchio Ltd., Maison Gerard, Sutter Antiques, Valerio Antiques, Niall Smith Antiques, STARK Carpet, John Robshaw Textiles, Antique Textiles Gallery Inc., Treillage Ltd.,  Authentic Provence, Inc., Floral Emporium and Potterton Books.

I was honored to design a window at Bloomingdale’s to celebrate the launch of Scalamandré’s new tabletop collection with Lenox.  I chose to celebrate Lenox’s Toile Tale, a pattern that was adapted from Scalamandré’s Pillement Toile. It features a whimsical Chinoiserie landscape. The timing of the window coincided with the Chinese Lunar New Year, and besides, John and I have always admired Chinoiserie. The appeal of Chinoiserie lies in the history of how it came about. It’s a romantic European take on the Orient, which melds different styles of Asian influences – Moorish, Chinese, Japanese and Indian. This mixture creates a rich, fanciful look that has many different facets. English and European Chinoiserie rooms like that at Brighton Pavilion provide me with endless inspiration and ideas.

I started the design with the idea of a strong patterned wall to build the vignette around. Scalamandré’s silk Paradiso covers the upper walls and striped silk Sunset is at the bottom, encased in fretwork molding.  My Pagoda Coffee Table in red lacquer from Bunny Williams Home sits centered, encircled by many special elements my friends loaned for the vignette, including 18^th century Italian palm trees and early 18^th century dragon sculptures from Newel, an antique pagoda cabinet from Gracie, early 19^th century palace vases from Niall Smith, 1940’s mirrored pedestals from Full House Antiques and a gong from Marvin Alexander. On the floor, on top of a sisal from Stark sit velvet poufs sewn by Rebecca Omweg, and jewel-toned Vietnamese silk lanterns cap off the space in a magical way.

Many thanks to the wonderful Celebrity Moving for their installation. And, of course, Steven Stolman, Louis Renzo and Janice Langrall of Scalamandre. And, Harry Medina, Laurent Kurtz and the wonderful staff of Bloomingdale’s.