Living in New York affords the wonderful opportunity to attend so many lovely events and last night was no exception. Bunny Williams opened up her beautiful and spacious office to a group of editors and bloggers for cocktails and a sneak peek at some of her upcoming endeavors. Her BeeLine Home Collection II will debut this fall at High Point and her new book Scrapbook for Living will be released in November. I'm most excited that she will also be debuting a new website that will feature online shopping and a bridal registry, as well as recipes and entertaining advice. We all told Bunny that her next book has to be about entertaining! She is one of the most gracious and effortlessly chic women I have ever met. I also love her tag line "always classic, never predictable."
What I love most about Bunny and her husband and antique dealer, John Rosselli, above is that they are always off on some adventure. They had recently traveled to Honduras where some of Bunny's furniture is made and it sounded like quite a trip! I also told John that he needs to write a book. Well, begged might be more accurate. He made a few remarks at the event and said "the best way to stay young is to surround yourself with young people" but I also think that the older generation has so much to offer the younger generation. I will never tire of his wonderful stories of the chic and stylish women that we all admire but whom he knew personally. Last night, he told of how Françoise de la Renta told him that she was bringing a friend by to see him and it turned out to be Babe Paley. She ended up buying an ivory palm tree for Truman, as in Truman Capote. She also bought lots of blue and white porcelain and said to John, "you can never be too rich or too thin or have too much blue and white." So fabulous!
The other star of the evening was Bunny's office. I've seen some gorgeous offices but I don't think I've seen any that were so spacious. It was so nice to be able to stand back and really see everything. The best parts were her many books and her office which we'll get to in a minute.
This is the seating area in the reception area and I'm going to have to ask if that is a textile or blanket covering the sofa because it was just to die for gorgeous.
This book on the coffee table looked very intriguing.
The space also is a great showcase for Bunny's BeeLine Home Collection including the Marquetry Cube Drinks Table and a chair that was the original inspiration for a new model that will be a part of the second collection this fall.
Not sure if you can tell in this photo but the screen is upholstered in green fabric and trimmed in nailheads. It's a very chic way to hide the rest of the office from the reception area for a party.
There is a little bar behind the door to the office with an abstract collage above that was very chic. You'll notice that a lot of the pieces have tags and are all for sale.
There were quite a few beautiful old casepieces throughout the office and this one had wonderful gilt details and old mirrors.
A detail of just some of Bunny's wonderful book collection.
The best part about the office is that it looks and feels like you are in a home.
A leather chair makes a perfect companion to Bunny's Bottoms-Up Drinks Table. I actually used this in one of my projects. It's the perfect size for New York apartments!
Here you can see the stripe detail on the floor that mirrors the beams in the ceiling. It's an interesting space in that it looks both modern and old.
The center entry table was laden with goodies.
Bunny is a master at the tablescape!
The bird containers are called the Parish Cachepot and are based on a cachepot that belonged to Sister Parish. They feature a removable liner and are part of the BeeLine Home Collection.
A view into the sample room.
This is a sample room that most designers dream about at night!
While my fabric samples are shoved into L.L.Bean Boat and Tote bags, Bunny's are neatly arranged on shelves. Sigh.
I wish I had peeked into the armoire to see what was hiding in there.
There were some beautiful vintage watercolor interiors in this room that are also for sale.
Pens and paper at the ready next to the phone.
A view into Bunny's office. I am glad to see that she has a comfortable desk chair. Antique chairs are pretty but not very comfortable for sitting for long periods.
The gilt and wood pilasters elevate a simple wall of bookshelves into something spectacular.
More books and auction catalogs which are a great resource guide even if you aren't bidding.
I absolutely loved the dog portrait!
Bunny is fearless when it comes to mixing different periods and styles of furniture and art as you can see here.
I could spend all day checking out Bunny's books.
Most design offices keep their purchase orders in binders from Staples but not Bunny. Her client projects are kept in these chic red leather binders. I am making a mental note of this for future reference.
Gorgeous gardening books.
I keep my pens in a silver mint julep cup but Bunny keeps hers in a vintage gold painted porcelain cachepot. Now that is chic!
The mirror and console give the wall on the other side of Bunny's office the feeling of there being a fireplace on that wall.
Of course, there were many bunnies in Bunny's office. This one was especially cute!
I want to thank Bunny for her gracious hospitality last evening. It was so nice to see so many familiar faces and to meet some lovely new people. I always say that these types of events are like a modern day salon where you can talk about design and other topics and always learn something new. I also want to thank Bunny for allowing me to photograph her office and share it with you. I found it endlessly inspiring, just like Bunny Williams.
Photos by Heather Clawson for Habitually Chic