After browsing through the Fall fashion issues of some of our favorite magazines, we stumbled upon an indulgently luxe New York interior space featured in Harper’s Bazaar. The Upper East Side apartment belongs to Jimmy Choo stiletto shoe founder Tamara Mellon, a recent London transplant who had a very distinct look in her mind for her new space. She hired L.A. Based interior designer Martyn Lawrence-Bullard to revamp the old school-house-turned-residential apartment. “What I like about Martyn is that he can take your look, digest it, and then magnify it by a hundred,” she explains.

The image that caught our attention in this feature was the sitting room. Six heavily saturated large scale photographs of coiled, exotic snakes by Guido Mocafico hang framed above her modern white tufted leather sofa. The image is striking; perhaps a slight bit disturbing, but indubitably sexy at the same time. Deep shades of saffron, chartreuse, burgundy, and goldenrod are grounded by black and white– a palette that can be a bit on the masculine side is femmed up with luxurious fabrics and sparkly lighting. We find a great balance in Mellon’s house, something she calls “[her] own signature look, something that is both modern and old and glamorous, a bit of ‘70s but a bit minimal.”

Another one of our favorite spaces in the apartment is the entry which features an original work by Terence Koh. The piece was commissioned by Mellon at a dinner party and consists of a series of neon lights that read LOVE FOR ETERNITY.

Quite an avid art collector, Mellon has a Basquiat hanging in the kitchen, a Warhol in the sitting room, and framed photographs by Nobuyoshi Araki and Jim Lee displayed throughout the home. She explains “I never plan to buy a piece of art. I buy it in the moment. When you get divorced, you have to go through this awful thing of listing everything you own. When you actually sit down and write the list, you realize that the only good investments are art and property.”

We found these images of Tamara’s new home a great inspiration for transitioning into Autumn– the colors and textures are deep and sumptuous. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Katherine Tyznik.HighStreet.New York

We are just loving what this guy is doing. Designer and sculptor Ryan McElhinney constructed his Toy Lamp of old unwanted toys, bonding them together with adhesive, and finishing them in a high gloss polyurethane lacquer.

He’s also created other products in the recycled toy theme. Toy mirrors and large lighting sculptures as well as his other design endeavors can be seen on his website. ryanmcelhinney.co.uk We always appreciate a little lightness or fun with our high design.

Refreshing. Stimulating. Uplifting. Witty.  Native New Yorker Hester Diamond had a serious art collection, but was afraid of it being taken too seriously. She was determined to create a design for her Upper West Side apartment that accomplished showcasing her impressive art collection in an approachable way.

Hester Diamond is the mother of Michael Diamond, otherwise known as Mike D of the “Beastie Boys”. Little did we know, she is also an original, a talented interior designer and quite the visionary. Seeing the fresh approach to this interior, you can see now where Mike D got his ground breaking style.

Hester and her late husband Harold began collecting art in the 50s and became addicts. She continued her art habit after becoming a widow and then remarrying the former Dean of New York University in 1982. Their collection grew to consist of Mondrians, Kandinskys, Picassos, Veroneses, Brancusis, Pontormos, and Legers. She and her now-late husband got to the point where they started trading some of their other possessions for iconic works of art they fell in love with. They were in fact, serious about collecting their art.

After years in a career of social work, Hester decided to take a shot at interior decorating. Not surprisingly, with her innovative taste, she was a natural. After retiring from the industry in the late eighties, she came to a place in her own home where she wanted a change. She then evolved through phases of Mid-Century Modern and Neo-Classical/Renaissance styles in the home. She felt compelled to be, at regular intervals, refreshed and inspired. A few years ago she decided to again take on the redesign of her home and called on the assistance of her son’s friend Jim Walrod, a New York based interior designer and art consultant. Mike D referred to Jim as his ‘furniture pimp’ in a Rolling Stone article in the 90s and the nickname stuck.

Walrod co-owned the modern lifestyle store Form and Function in the 90s, specializing in Mid-Century Modern furniture with Fred Schneider of the B-52’s and song writer Jack Feldman. Jim has collaborated with designers and hoteliers on innovative interior concepts for hotels and restaurants such as The Standard in Los Angeles and The Park and The Thompson LES in New York. Hester hired him to help her bring her growing Renaissance art collection to life in a vibrant, modern setting.

The two collaborated and came up with a fresh, colorful concept. The look is totally original. Hester’s big drive was to find a color palette that was inspiring and happy, and brought her artwork to the forefront. Walrod and Diamond chose modern furniture pieces from Marcel Wanders, Tord Boontje, and Dune, setting them against citron painted walls and a candy colored patchwork carpet. The result is lively and cheerful, yet refined. In Hestor’s words, “It’s the most joyous place to live. It’s impossible to be depressed in this room.”

We’ve never seen anything like it, and that’s a quality we love. Pushing boundaries always results in something extraordinary, and kudos to Hester for being fearless. We have to say, she’s crafty. Enjoy these sumptuous photos filled with light, color and culture.

HighStreet. New York

Dark walls are an inexpensive way to bring sophistication, drama and warmth into an otherwise stale, stuffy room.

Painting the walls of an otherwise unspectacular space ebony, navy or charcoal adds depth and substance to a room that a lighter shade could not achieve. Therefore, you may want to consider transforming your comfortably traditional space into a dark, luxurious retreat.

The key to making this look work is to have enough light in the room to balance the dark. Strangely, this is not at all difficult. Working with a room that has at least a small amount of natural light can be helpful, while too much may ruin the effect.  Investing in quality lighting from multiple angles will allow for a very particular, almost contemplative ambiance. Strategically placed lamps create a soft glow that balances the masculine with the feminine. Floor lamps, pendants and halogen track lighting can highlight accessories or art hung on the walls. Which brings us to your art and accessories…

Dark walls do wonders for your prized and even not-so-prized possessions. Anything that is light in color, (which is alot…) will look downright elegant on your deep, dark canvas.  You can have so much fun with color against a dark palette because the groundedness of the backdrop balances perfectly the frivolity of exuberant color.  A world of color opens itself up to you in a new, reasonable way and accessorizing a room such as this becomes a sincere and easy pleasure as opposed to what can be a sometimes difficult Math equation.

Conspiring what to place against your dark walls can be liberating, and a real thrill if you are into the aesthetic rush.

If you decide to pursue the temptations of the darker side then consider also covering your ceiling or floor a light shade if this is not already the case.  Lighter, neutral colors and patterns moving through the dark space is another great way to balance and brighten the room. And let’s not forget texture.  Texture in design is always good but against the dark backdrop texture takes on a whole new level of excitement much like it’s colorful counterparts.

So consider wielding some sexy dark paint. Experiment with the reaction when you use white, yellow, fuchsia or cobalt.  See for yourself how almost all vibrant colors look terrific against espresso brown, dark navy or complex charcoal. It’s hard to go wrong here.  At HighStreet we painted our long, concrete hallway and the ceilings a vibrant, true yellow.  This gives our black offices a lift and glow that makes everything feel and look terrific and, I have to say, I do enjoy coming into my office each day to find that my work space is not some stale little box, but instead a sumptuous, infinite, warm and comforting environment that inspires me to settle in and conjure some serious creativity.

Leah Spurrier. Katherine Tyznik.  HighStreet

“Nude Texting” by Barry Kite

We can really neither define nor categorize these prints… and Barry would be relieved. We always know what we like and sometimes we can’t say why.  That is exactly the type of elusive and emotive jolt for which Barry hopes. We also know that his irreverent and powerful clashes of images, icons, ideas and eras represent the basis of intelligent design that HighStreet embodies. Barry is Chicago-born, UCLA-educated, and now resides in Northern California. He views his Aberrant art as “visual poetry” that likely elicits endlessly divergent interpretations.

Find Barry Kite’s signed prints at HighStreet.