Beautiful Barcelona

I’ve been away quite a bit lately, hence my lack of blogging. I was recently in Barcelona filming the small part of ‘Dana’ in the upcoming Robert De Niro film ‘Red Lights’. I actually spent more time in makeup and wardrobe than I did filming. However, I was certainly grateful for the three days I had in this gorgeous city and I spent my sliver of free time taking in the sights.

Those of you who have been there will know you can't miss the architecture of Antoni Gaudi, Barcelona's foremost architectural visionary. His work is everywhere and incredibly unique. From the main boulevard, to the great cathedral to Park Guell- there is no escaping his fingerprint. I was most impressed with Park Guell which lies high above the city overlooking the sea. It is a garden complex with architectural elements situated on the hill of el Carmel in the Gracia district of the city. It was built between 1900 to 1914 was originally part of a commercially unsuccessful housing site, the idea of Count Eusebi Guell, whom the park was named after. It was inspired by the English garden city movement.  it is now part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

When in Barcelona you must eat tapas...my favourites were found at Tapa's 24; C/ Diputació, 269, 08007 Barcelona, Spain. Tele: 934 880 977. The closest tube is Passeig de Gracia. It feels like a local dinner with a trendy edge. The food was literally finger licking good. We ordered 4 plates and it was enough to fill two people though I really wish we had room for more. The combinations of flavours were innovative and fragrant. Loved it!

If you're looking for an excellent cocktail, Boadas,Carrer Tallers, 1 Barcelona, (off La Rambla) is an institution. Established in the 1930's and supposedly the oldest cocktail bar in Barcelona, Boadas has been a hangout for the rich and famous through the years. It's understated and elegant and the cocktails are masterfully mixed. It's the smallest cocktail bar I've been in, even smaller than the fabulous Tiki Bar on Sunset Boulevard near Silver Lake in LA. It's a dark, wood panelled room where the mixologists look like they're as old as the establishment. The actual bar is magnificently crafted of beautiful mahogany wood and polished brass finishings. They can mix a mean drink with their eyes closed. I recommend the Caprihina or the Whiskey Sour. Try both if you really want to knock yourself out...Really The drinks are long on liquor and short on bullshit! Umm, Umm good! I'll be back!

Who is The Designing Home Girl?

I came to London over a decade ago. I had just come off of 15 golden years in the television industry in LA and needed a change of pace. My husband, Damian is a British film producer; when his work brought him back to his mother country, I was thrilled. We packed up our house with our then 3 year old rascal daughter Sabrina and moved to old blighty. Boy was it culture shock! Gray, cold and all a bit at an arms length. I can't count the number of
mistakes I made trying to assimilate into the British culture...not packing my own bags at the grocery store (no one told me; someone packs for you in the States!); telling the mums at nursery that I spank my daughter's fanny when she's naughty...double whammy with spanking and fanny, better known in the good old USA as a bottom! Help!
                                                                                                                              On the Vineyard w/SJ
Anyways, I'm no longer clueless, extra loud and overly American. The accent is still here, but it's a non offensive mid-Atlantic kind of thaaaang. I did stay in television here for a bit, appearing as the Life Coach on GMTV for a couple of years and making various appearances on The BBC as a Hollywood expert and as an Antique enthusiast on the Granada Television show Antique Hunter. I still dabble in TV and film when the occasion presents itself but my focus is on interior design work.

If you're wondering how I got into the business it was a bit of a fluke. I was brought up in loving home filled with beautiful antiques, rugs and artwork. My parents are big antique hunters and appreciate excellent interior design. Well, the apple never falls far from the tree...I've had a long standing practice as an accredited Life Coach at the Green Room on Wimpole street. One of my clients was going through a terrible divorce and asked if I could help him find a new apartment to buy and possibly sort it all out for him. I jumped at the opportunity because I love property hunting and I love designing homes. Much to his joy, I sorted out my client who was so happy he recommended me to his friend and that friend recommended me to a friend....and so on.

     DJ Producer Man

My clients include high profile folks to regular people who simply want beautiful, functional homes. I'm a homley home person and my work reflects that as well as some very slick interiors that are not like me at all. I'll be blogging about my latest projects; my great team of collaborators, clients, friends and family; lifestyle trends/choices, cool and fabulous finds from around town and the world; upcoming events of interest; my husband's films-which you all need to see; constantly studying my craft and my ongoing journey as an interior designer; Which brings me to my last word-

Care to join me on my adventure?

Tower House Project - Rye, East Sussex

Spring is in the air...if only for a minute and my latest project, the beautiful ,  listed Georgian gem, Tower House is starting to look like a home! Yippee!!!  I’ve been working on it since October and it is finally feeling like it’s been restored to the grandeur it once had - with some mod cons of course.

This project is a real challenge, especially for the contractor. The property was gutted but many of the period features have been retain and every nook and cranny is being optimised for functionality. The best examples of this are the creation of en suites in three of the bedrooms and the conversion of the attic into a home cinema. Very nice indeed. What’s good is a house if it doesn’t work with you? It’s being lovingly restored to be a fantastic holiday let that feels like an upscale boutique hotel. 

Working with media mogul Charlie Parsons has been challenging as well. He expects a lot from the people he works with and why shouldn’t he? He’s always busy juggling balls and is a little bit of a control freak but he has excellent taste.  It’s been a true collaboration. While we often agreed on the big picture, sometimes I have to fight for the little things that make a difference. Cutting corners is good in the right places but in the wrong places saving a penny can simply be a mistake that ultimately cost more money!

My soft furnishings expert, Steve Cant is in the process of crafting bespoke built-in seating, a plush, padded velvet headboard and voluptuous drapes for the large windows.  We have a floral and fauna theme moving through the wallpapers to add some air and grace to the aura. Many of them come from the hand printed F&B collection. We also used F&B on the walls. It’s expensive but the palate of colours is rich and distinctive. Not that you can’t cut corners these days by taking the F&B colour sample to some place like Chris Stevens to have it copied with a good base paint like Crown or Johnston.  

Most of the floorboards have been restored to their original lustre, but we’ve opted for carpeting on the quite grand stair case and through the hallways. Getting there!