Chesapeake Home

I have been doing a lot of photo research for ChesapeakeHome in recent months, and I came across some exquisite benches that are versatile and stylish, and a great accent piece for your home décor.  Handcrafted in Maine since 1972, Thos. Moser furniture is designed and built of fine, solid wood. Here are a few pieces that I thought would be of interest to our readers:

Astral Bench

Astral Bench by Thos. Moser

The Astral Bench is constructed of cherry “matchsticks” joined in a solid, gently curving bench seat, which in turn seems to float in midair. The integrity of the entire bench relies on the careful placement of each separate element and masterful joinery techniques. The bench curves at a 128-degree radius, echoing a natural geometry that softens the linear construction of this piece. When light hits this piece, the room comes alive in a pattern frequency reminiscent of a celestial arc—thus its celestial name. Retail: $12,000

Eastward Bench
Sculpted planes and exposed joinery provide a subtle foil for the spare lines of this reinterpreted deacon’s bench. The Eastward bench is offered with armrests while

Eastward Bench

the back crest and flexible ash spindles arch backward at the perfect angle for comfort. Curved knee braces firmly support the legs while keeping the design uncluttered. A striking piece in any setting, this bench pairs nicely with a number of the Thos. Moser dining tables. Retail: $2,300 to $2,700

Windward Bench
At the foot of a bed or as extra seating in a living room or walkway, an upholstered bench is a highly practical piece. Incorporating the architectural elements, this Windward bench has style to match it’s utility. Also available with a solid cherry wood seat. Retail: $2,925 to $3,250

Windward Bench

Available at www.thosmoser.com

We love the Baltimore Sun’s recent photo gallery “Decorating an outdoor room on a budget.” Interior Designer Missy Conolly and landscape pro Johanna Hoehner do it up for Sun photographer Amy Davis and offer simple, elegant solutions for beautifying the backyard without breaking the bank.

Patrick Sutton Home is one of our favorite Baltimore spots for chic furnishings and accessories. On June 24 from 5-9 pm, enjoy light light refreshments and check out a preview of new furnishings and original artwork. Print this page and bring the coupon below with you on Thursday for 20% off most items in the store

I recently attended my 10th Maryland-National Capitol Building Industry Association Custom Builder awards dinner, and was once again blown away by the quality of design and construction exhibited by all the winners.  What particularly struck me was that despite all the doom and gloom our 24-hour new pundits would have us believe about the economy and the housing market, the winning homes were as beautiful and luxurious as ever.  Of course home size varied from around 3,000 to over 12,500 square feet, and the winners included a nice mix of custom built and speculative homes.  Our August/September print issue will feature a selection of the top winners.  Until then, check out the full-list of awards and a photo gallery of the winning homes.

Mark Showell Interiors has long been one of our favorite Delaware Interior Design firms and home furnishings boutiques.  Located at 59 Baltimore Avenue in Rehoboth Beach, the shop offers a well-edited selection of designer furniture and accessories mixing a sophisticated beachy style with casual elegance. This weekend, Mark Showell Interiors is opening a new location at 22 William Street in Berlin, Maryland.  Stop by on June 4 at 2pm for the ribbon cutting and light refreshments. Or pop in anytime June 4, 5, or 6 for 20% off your pruchase. For more information on Mark Showell Interiors, visit markshowellinteriors.com.

By Sarah Achenbach & Bill McAllen

What’s your favorite place or space? Sarah Achenbach poses this question to Baltimoreans in Spirit of Place, a book that is part fine art photography, part oral history. While photographer Bill McAllen captures each interviewee in or near each chosen space, this cast of characters has no shortage of stories to tell.

While known for its blue-collar roots and kitschy charm, Baltimore also is home to a unique collection of architectural gems that tell of a distinctive history. As television producer David Simon reflects, “Men used to build monuments in this city, marking the simple but manifest achievements of product and capital, management and labor. And then inside…men and women would manufacture ever more of what the world needed.”

Spirit of Place celebrates the finest in architectural design and restoration, from the Bromo-Seltzer Tower to the Hippodrome; touts that, as Duff Goldman of Ace of Cakes fame notes, “our Washington Monument is so much cooler than DC’s;” recognizes entire neighborhoods from Pigtown and Hamilton to Federal Hill; and heralds iconic symbols like the Domino Sugars sign and Natty Boh Tower. As Achenbach puts it, “We may admire architecture for its design, grace and function, but it’s the way we interact with a place…that gives it its soul.”

BUY IT NOW!

130 pages/Charm City Publishing, LLC 2009

In his lifetime, internationally renowned artist and designer Tony Duquette fashioned unique furnishings for international clientele, designed sets for many Metro Goldwyn Mayer productions, created costumes for Broadway, and was the first American artist to exhibit a solo show at the Louvre.

In honor of this design icon of the 20th century, Baker Furniture has collaborated with Hutton Wilkinson, president and creative director of Tony Duquette, Inc. and business partner of the late Tony Duquette, to reproduce some of Duquette’s original designs. The Selected Works of Tony Duquette is available exclusively through Baker Furniture.

Waterside Cottages
By Barbara Jacksier

Waterfront homes are well known for their cozy and modest appeal. With nautical or tropical colors and playful patterns, they bring the simplicity of living by the water into your lifestyle. In this gorgeous, full-color book, Barbara Jacksier delves into the world of waterside cottages, showcasing selections from the tropics to New England, and even a boathouse on the shore of Lake Michigan.

Waterside Cottages examines 13 beautiful homes that demonstrate the irresistible beauty and appeal of coastal living. Jacksier explores how these cottages became masterpieces and discusses the details that make them unique. From small additions, like a jar casually filled with shells, to furnishings like distressed antique furniture, even the tiniest details of these coastal abodes help to create the perfect sanctuaries along the shore.

The impeccable style of waterside cottages is not only for those who dwell on the shore, so Jacksier offers advice on choosing ideal colors, textures, and patterns to create “your own dream waterfront home,” even if you don’t live anywhere near the water.

Buy Waterside Cottages Now!

160 pages/Gibbs Smith

Reviewed by Amanda Holsey, an intern for ChesapeakeHome Magazine

Suzanne Kasler: Inspired Interiors
By Suzanne Kasler with Christine Pittel

Designers find inspiration in many things, from grand structures and fine art to the pleat of a dress or a bowl of forsythia. All of these things have, at one time or another, inspired acclaimed interior designer Suzanne Kasler’s style. But when it comes time to orchestrate a room, the principal inspiration for Kasler comes from the people who inhabit it.

With over 200 pages of strikingly beautiful full-color photos, Kasler, with House Beautiful senior editor Christine Pittel, strings together a narrative expressing the work and aesthetic of interiors that Kasler has created for herself and clients.

Inspired Interiors is divided into four sections. In the first, “At Home,” Kasler invites readers into her own home and discusses coming to know what she was naturally attracted to, encouraging her clients to express their personalities in their design selections. She takes it a step further in “Principles,” where she offers advice on important tenets of design, like editing. “Elements,” breaks down different facets to consider, from architectural factors to furnishings, color, and light.

Lastly, there is “A Sense of Place,” the fourth and final section, where Kasler imparts that no matter where the home, “each person has his own experience of a place, and his own idea of how he wants to live. A house…can be formal or informal, neutral or colorful, full to the brim with furniture or remarkably spare.”

Buy Inspired Interiors Now!

224 pages/Rizzoli New York 2009

One of the most underappreciated tenets of good interior design is the ability to edit. (As I packed and unpacked boxes for last weekend’s big move, I realized that it’s a skill I should dutifully work on acquiring.)

Because we have access to so many different home décor ideas and products, this can often be a blessing and a curse: lots of options, but an inability to choose just a few rather than a few hundred.

This is why it’s good news when we find small stores or designers that handpick their favorites—and that’s exactly what you’ll find at Ella & Boss, the most recent endeavor for DC-area designer Pamela Culvahouse. E&B, a gorgeous new flagship studio and showroom in McLean, Virginia, and its retail website, ellaandboss.com, offer gifts, furnishings, and accessories specially selected by Culvahouse.

The timeless style of her picks made it difficult to choose just one favorite, but this antique wood bench table with pewter design stopped me in my tracks. While its form is understated and minimal, the pewter floral motif gives it a touch of whimsy.

At only $1,999, Culvahouse keeps a practical price point in mind with this bench. As with her other selections, this is what the term “affordable luxury” was coined to describe.

Now if only I could make some more room among the ever-growing pile of boxes…