"A Holiday in Pictures . . . "

SMW Design, San Francisco

Greetings,

Everyone has been so kind with their response to the video from my home this holiday season - I thought I would take a bit of time and share the background on some of my belongings and the decorations . . . 

The garland.  The garland.  Yes, there is 80 feet of garland in the drawing room.  And it makes the room totally 'magical' . . . a word that I love to use when describing my house for the holidays.  The garland itself is made from fresh magnolia leaves, cedar, douglas fir, eucalyptus, and stripped dogwood branches.

My drawing room also contains a large portion of my artwork.  In fact, I've hung most all of my portraiture in the room.  A collection of black & white and colour photography, etchings, and oil painting from numerous periods all mix together . . . from wall to wall and floor to ceiling.

My bar - with some vintage Arthur Court Stag Head DOF cocktail glasses . . . and my monogrammed cocktail napkins from SFERRA.

The antique military uniform is a new addition to the house.  And I love how well it pairs with the oil portrait on the table behind my sofa.  And of course, stacks of art books, and remembrances are everywhere.  In fact, the b/w images of the bartender is a picture that I took myself - at the opening party for the San Francisco Polo store in 1996.  Several people have inquired about the tartan clock in the drawing room . . . and it's actually a piece from Ralph Lauren from the early 1990's. The china pattern is called "Clarendon" and it also came in chargers and serving pieces.

And we don't need to get too deep into the details of my shoe fetish.  Shamefully, this is only a small portion of them . . . lol . . . but, I love the way the colours work with the rug in my bedroom.

If you recall the holiday photo shoot for Rue Magazine last year (you can see a video here) - this is the space that used to be my dining room.  Now, after several years as a study or dining room - it's back to serving its original purpose as my bedroom.  And, yes, there is something madly magical about sleeping in a room filled with Christmas trees.  I highly recommend it.

Since there is so much artwork hanging in other parts of my home - I love the simplicity of just the few pieces that hang in my bedroom.  And the 90 odd yards of marine blue taffeta tenting the room create the most wondrous space to sleep in.  The leather and tartan headboard is a custom piece that I designed last year.

Opposite the bed, you might recognize the antique chairs upholstered in Diamond and Baratta's "London Plaid" -as they were a big part of the photo shoot at the house last year . . . and now these two chairs rest underneath another of the over-sized theatrical backdrops that I had framed for the house.

And for the tree this year . . . especially after last year's tree had been so bright and metallic . . . I wanted something really organic and natural.  So this year's tree is filled with apples, pears, and lemons - with little woodland creatures and bird's nests throughout the branches.  I also filled the interior of the tree with dogwood branches, bleached eucalyptus, dried gourd and mushrooms.

A fun little detail from the tree.

If you missed the video that I posted earlier in the week - you can see it here. 

Cheers,

Scot