I'm back!

Boy was it a long few weeks of misery. I know cold season is terrible, but I never expected my house to be it's own little petrie dish of pneumonia. My husband was the only one to not get it and on Tuesday night, right as we emerging from the darkness, into the light of happy healthiness, he says he isn't feeling good, feverish even. That was enough to make me pray to whoever will listen "please, do not get sick!!" Thankfully, he seems to be okay, but I'm watching him...

In the dull-drums of sickness, I was scavenging on the shelter mag sites and after much disappointment that Town and Country's website is still so terrible, it lead me to the "Designer Visions: Cinema Style" series that House Beautiful, Veranda and Town & Country did. Of course I've seen the apartment by Jim & Phoebe Howard because they are one of my favorite teams. But I missed the apartment done by Richard Hallberg.

The main reason that it caught my attention: Wall Street. I know it's silly because I should have been attracted to the design aspect of it, but do you all remember the original Wall Street apartment?! I saw it again recently and it is so comical! I wish there were photos online, but for good reason, no one has given it the time of day. 1987 wealth meant something VERY different, that is for sure!

Richard Hallberg saw this project as the roost of a Wall Street titan. I'm not sure a real titan would be this understated, given what's come out over the last few years about the lavish lifestyles of the Wall Street rich and infamous, but it's a nice interpretation of how it could all be in a more restrained world.

Barclay Butera

As mentioned I met one of my design idols , Barclay Butera, on Thursday.

I was sick to my stomach that the man I'd been admiring for years wasn't going to live up to my expectations. Sad, I know, but true. He's such an inspiration to me because he has created a lifestyle brand Ala Ralph Lauren. Similar rich layered looks but with a West Coast casual yet elegant spin. He creates rooms you want to live in, not just be photographed in. I'm happy to report he was as charming as I'd hoped. He was also very real and kind of shy. Not at all what I can pictured, but it made him even more enduring.

Barclay was at the Seattle Kravet showroom to promote his new fabric and rug line with Kravet and give a lecture on "Decorating in Today's Economy". He gave a short presentation that featured many of his iconic rooms from the past 15 years as well as some of his new hospitality ventures. He touched on how he grew up in the business with his mother who decorated show houses around the world. Sounds like she was a kick and a strong influence.

As for the lecture piece, these were his tips. Go back to your roots and do what you did to make you successful originally, and focus on service, service, service. He is also a big believer in "no job is too small" as you never know where it's going to lead, and making sure your clients expectations are exceeded so they will be a client for life. Solid advice Barclay in any economic climate.

He just finished as the Creative Director on the renovation of the L'Auberge Del Mar. To see his renovation click here . He wanted to create a lifestyle experience with his brand which I think he succeeded in doing. (Smart business decision - another reason he's one of my design idols). This resort is so fabulous and more of his modern beach chic (no blue and white here).

He has a rich website with amazing photos, http://www.barclaybutera.com,/ where you can see the rest of his portfolio. He breaks his work and fabric collections into five different categories: Beach, Town and Country, Mountain, Desert and City.

Here's a small sampling of each of the categories. I have eight years worth of magazine tears but I didn't have time to scan them all. Some of my favorite rooms, however, can be viewed on his website. It's worth the trip.

Beach

Town and Country

Mountain

Desert

City

I hope you enjoyed his style as much as I do. I can't wait to see what he does next. I for one will be watching.