Potterton Books for your gifting needs!

We love stopping by Potterton Books in the lobby of the DDB whenever we're looking for inspiration. Now that it's summer, we're perpetually in need of hostess gifts for weekends away with friends, whether out east, up in CT or farther away in Maine. We asked Darcy, who manages the showroom, for her favorite recent arrivals that will assure any visitor a repeat invitation. Here they are:






















Now your hosting gifting questions are solved -- but we can't promise you won't also leave with something for yourself!

Designing Outside the Box panel at the DDB

Mark your calendars! On June 19th, Crans Baldwin, President of Donghia, will moderate an all-star panel of Amy Lau, Campion Platt, David Scott and Susanna Salk (pictured above) as they discuss "Designing Outside the Box". The designers will talk about maximizing their brands, whether publishing books or launching product lines or venturing into television, and how they continue to grow their businesses. They will be signing copies of their new books immediately following the presentation, part of the DDB Design File series.


Campion Platt


Amy Lau


David Scott


Crans Baldwin

For a taste of what's in store, we asked Salk, a contributing editor to 1stDibs.com and frequent guest on NBC's "Today Show", what the topic means to her. "For me, designing outside the box means being unafraid to cross-pollinate your singular voice across a broad range of creative realms and mediums."

To RSVP, please email RSVP@ddbuilding.com or call 212-759-2969.

Sponsored By: New York Spaces, Donghia, Potterton Books

A peak inside the bloggers' goodie bags

As a BIG thank you to the participants of last week's DDB Spring Market, the 20 bloggers went home with some very nice treats, most of which were one-off, specially created batches. Many showrooms showed their thanks for the bloggers' attention, coverage and participation with goodies ranging from tote bags to pens to jewelry. Thanks to everyone who donated, and once again to the bloggers for all of their great reporting. (We'll continue to share all that the bloggers have to say in their post-market recaps, so keep checking back.)

ANICHINI: Merino Wool Scarves, made in Italy from 100% Merino wool, and renowned for their soft, silky feel. Designs are exclusive to Anichini
CREATION BAUMANN: Umbrellas
CRESTRON: Zipdrives, that are both techy and adorable
DONGHIA: Leather Notebooks, made with a soft cover and lined pages to document your every design need
GRACIE: iPhone Case, with Gracie’s scenic hand-painted wallpaper, combining the finest level of hand painted detail typical of the 18th century Chinese designs with a modern bold orange accent
HOLLAND & SHERRY: Fountain Pens, covered in their signature wool
HOULES: Beaded Key Chain and Post it Compact. This beautiful beaded keychain offers a glimpse into Houles newest trim line, the Palais Royale
KNOLL LUXE: Nail Polish in Knoll Textiles custom color, “Tryst”
LUTRON: Maestro Wireless Dimmer, Single Pico® Wireless control has the power to control up to 10 Maestro Wireless dimmers and switches, up to 100 feet
MAYA ROMANOFF: Slink Notebooks
NEKTAR DE STAGNI: Bracelets, Nektar De Stagni  "Smiley Face" Freshwater Pearl earrings, with black Crystal pave

PIPINO 57: VIP Member Cards
POTTERTON BOOKS: Book Du Jour
QUADRILLE: Tote Bag
QUINTESSENTIALLY: A two-week pass to Quintessentially Unlocked
ROBERT ALLEN: Ikat Pouches
ROSE TARLOW: Leather Coaster. It's 5 o’ clock somewhere! Coasters in RTMH leather with our signature house emblem – the perfect desk accessory
SCUBE DESIGN: Hand-crafted pencil pouches, with silver-foiled glass beads and Swarovski crystal stones
VAUGHAN: Tape Measures

Event Spotlight: Potterton Books' Fall Lecture Series with Diana Vreeland

Lisa Immordino Vreeland unveils her book Diana Vreeland, The Eye Has to Travel for the first time at Potterton Books for the Fall Lecture Series. Married to Diana Vreeland's grandson, Lisa will take us through Diana's life and nearly 50 years of fashion.

Dubbed the High Priestess of Fashion, Diana's impact on style was legendary. Beginning in 1936 as a fashion editor at Harper's Bazaar, Diana established herself as a controversial visionary and a memorable writer with a talent for coining aphorisms. She invented and discovered fashion ideas, designers and photographers.

The event takes place October 4 at 6:00 p.m. at the Grolier Club in New York City. Admission is $30 and the book is available for purchase for $55. RSVP by emailing potterton.books@verizon.net or call 212-644-2292.

Save the Date: Suzanne Demish on Maria Pergay

Potterton Books hosts the first of this Fall's Lecture and Book Signing Series with Suzanne Demish on her comprehensive survey Maria Pergay: Complete Works 1957-2010.

Suzanne will explore the legenday French furniture designer's career that spans more than five decafes. Pergay designed her first collection of silver objects in 1957 and opened her first shop in 1960. She worked on custom projects for noted figures and is renowned for her use of stainless steel, which she began exploring in 1968 with the now iconic Flying Carpet daybed and Ring Chair.

Maria later combined it to striking effect with mother of pearl, lacquer and precious woods. Maria, now in her eighties continues to create work.

The event takes place October 3 at 6:00 p.m. at the Grolier Club in New York City. Admission is $30 and the book is available for purchase for $70. RSVP by emailing potterton.books@verizon.net or call 212-644-2292.

Event Spotlight: DDB Book Club with Potterton Books

As part of the DDB Design Series, the DDB Book Club is perfect for those with a craze for collecting and adding to their coffee table book anthology. This series brings a selection of engaging authors to the DDB and Potterton Books to celebrate the launch of their fresh releases.

First up is Gladys Montgomery presenting Roots of Rustic in Adirondack Style with her new book An Elegant Wilderness: Great Camps and Grand Lodges of the Adirondacks, 1855-1935.' Gladys will show why and how rustic style has come full circle.

The rustic style has evolved over time into a mannered look that’s quite different from the style’s beginnings in the Victorian period. During the Gilded Age, wealthy New Yorkers—J.P. Morgan, Alfred Vanderbilt, Otto Khan and others—escaped the heat of the city and the formality of the Newport cottage, finding refuge in vast private estates in the Adirondacks. Explore this style through her book that is resurging today in grand proportions.

The event will take place September 13 at 9:30 a.m. at Astra Café on the 14th floor of the DDB. A reception will follow at Andrew Martin showroom. For reservations, please call 212-759-2969, or email RSVP@ddbuilding.com.

Save the Date: Suzanne Demish on the Furniture of Antoine Philippon & Jacqueline Lecoq

Demisch Danant and Potterton Books celebrate the publication of the newly released exhibition catalog of Furniture of Antoine Philippon and Jacqueline Lecoq with a lecture and book signing with Suzanne Demisch.

Philippon (1930-1995) and Lecoq (b. 1932) were part of a group of young architects who changed the face of French furniture production in the 1950s and 1960s as part of the French postwar reconstruction effort during the industrialization ear. Inspired by the teachings of their modernist masters of the Union des Artistes Modernes (U.A.M.), their goal was to bring harmony and comfort to interiors, employing modern materials and techniques, and to improve the daily life of French citizens of a postwar environment.

Philippon and Lecoq’s furniture is minimal with a strong architectural refinement and elegance. With an almost puritanical sense of functionalism, they approached interiors much in the same way, making them comfortable and humanly accessible while extremely efficient.

The event takes place July 13 at 6:00 p.m. at the Demisch Danant Gallery in New York City. Admission is free but their is limited seating. RSVP by emailing potterton.books@verizon.net or call 212-644-2292.

Save the Date: Donald Albrecht & Thomas Mellins on the American Style

New York has long been home to some of the great revivalist styles of architecture and design, which the Colonial Revival style perhaps more prominent than others. Potterton Books in the DDB hosts as authors of The American Style: Colonial Revival in the Modern Metropolis Donald Albrecht and Thomas Mellins explore this revival style as it is expressed in New York form the end of the 19th century through today.

Looking at the work of architects such as McKim, Mead & White and Delano & Aldrich, one instantly recognizes the style's characteristics, including red brick walls, limestone trim and multi-pane windows with shutters--to name a few.

The exhibition The American Style runs at the Museum for the City of New York through October 30th.

The event takes place June 20 at 6:00 p.m. in the gallery space at the New York School of Interior Design. Admission is $20. RSVP by emailing potterton.books@verizon.net or call 212-644-2292.

Save the Date: Annie Kelly Speaks on Historic Preservation from Litchfield County to the West Coast

Now’s your chance to check out the homes of historic Litchfield County and beyond without leaving the comfort of Manhattan. Potterton Books in the DDB hosts author Annie Kelly and photographer Tim Street-Porter for their latest book, Litchfield Style.

Using the book's look at the historic homes of Litchfield County, Annie will discuss the importance of historic preservation in Connecticut and across America. She will outline specific design choices to help guide interior designers when renovating interiors of historic value, such as the importance of keeping original windows.

Annie lives in an 18th-century Colonial house in Litchfield, CT and a historic cultural monument in Los Angeles, giving her a perspective from both coasts. She was also on the board of Historic Preservation Overlay Zone in Hollywood and won an award from the L.A. conservancy for her work on F. L. Wright's La Miniatura.

The event takes place June 14 at 6:00 p.m. in the gallery space at the New York School of Interior Design. Admission is $20. RSVP by emailing potterton.books@verizon.net or call 212-644-2292.

DDB Spring Market Buzz: Alexander Gorlin’s Newest Book

New York-based Architect Alexander Gorlin joined the DDB's Spring Market festivities at an event with Moura Starr and Potterton Books for the release of his latest book Tomorrow's Houses.

Tomorrow's Houses is a photo-rich presentation of modernist houses in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, built during the early twentieth century through the 1960s. Alexander places these beautiful houses in their proper historical context as examples of the best of early and mid-20th-century American modernist architecture.

We asked Alexander about his writing process for Tomorrow's Houses.

"I write for the parties!" Alexander said. "Honestly, though, I really enjoy the research that goes into putting together a book. There's also nothing better than holding the published book in my hands once everything is finally finished."

Alexander told us he thought Eliot Noyes' house in New Canaan, CT, was one of the projects in the book that best defined the theme of the book. “His house is modern and earthy, so it really combined the best of shelter as well as nature," he said.

Tomorrow's Houses is now available through Potterton Books online and in the DDB and PDC showrooms.

Save the Date: The Essentials of Fabulous

If it's taking you a little longer to come out of your shell this Spring, you may need a dose of The Essentials of Fabulous: Because Whatever Doesn't Work Here Anymore by Ellen Lubin-Sherman.

Stop by Panache Designs and Potterton Books to meet the author and enjoy light refreshments and appetizers.

The event takes place May 4 from 3:00 - 5:00 at the DDB's Panache Designs showroom on floor 5. For more information and reservations, please call 212-644-8100 or email Mary@PanacheDesigns.com.

Made to Order

Architect, interior designer and furniture and textile designer Campion Platt has taken no breaks in 2010, and is planning to go full force in 2011 as well with his newly released book "Made to Order."

"Made to Order" is a snapshot of his firm's highly specialized approach to interior design. Projects featured in the book range from a beautiful Hudson Valley estate, a Jewel Box apartment, a Murray Hill Townhouse, a historic tropical bungalow in Palm Beach and a beautiful Country Manor in Southampton, NY. The book's forword is written by his friend, novelist Jay McInerney.

Best known as an architect and interior designer, Campion has been included in Architectural Digest's Top 100 Architects and Designers in the world. He has designed two furniture collections, the Campaign and the Crystalline, as well the Metro Cloth textile collection for Jim Thompson. 

Pick up a copy of Campion's book in Potterton Books at their first floor location at both the DDB and PDC.

Hot off the Press: Green Interior Design

Interior designer Lori Dennis recently published her first book, "Green Interior Design." You may have read our recent conversation with her about her “green design tour” of the DCOTA, which included many of the green showrooms she wrote about in the book.



We asked Lori to share with us a bit about her process of creating and writing her book.

"I loved writing the entire book and felt good about being able to inspire people to do the right thing for themselves and their clients,” she said. “I especially liked writing about a set of sheets I was given as a child from my aunt. Being a poor little girl with few nice things, a set of colorful popeye sheets opened my 4-year old eyes to the power of design and how it could transform someone's life!”



The cover of the book, along with the images shown here, is a project she did for a young man who has been in remission from Cancer. He spent his childhood going through chemo and radiation and came out alive and well. He was happy to find Lori, who could combine a healthy living space with hip style. “And I was happy to meet such a strong and confident man. I couldn't wait to give him a copy of the book with the photographs of his house!"



Lori's book can be purchased at the Potterton Books at the DDB and PDC.

Event Recap: Carolyne Roehm’s “A Passion for Interiors” Book Launch

The design cognoscenti was in full force at the launch party for Carolyne Roehm's new book, A Passion for Interiors at Carlton Hobbs in New York City.

Over 300 fans attended, including some of our favorite designers such as Geoffrey Bradfield, James Andrew, Tom Britt, Tony Ingrow, Kelly D'Halluinand, Maureen Footer and Nina Griscom and editors such as Dara Caponigro and Carolyn Englefield of Veranda magazine, which sponsored the event.

A Passion for Interiors is Carolyne's 10th book. It explores the three interiors closest to her heart: her home in Sharon CT, "Weatherstone," her Manhattan apartment, and the home she recently designed for her significant other, Simon, in Aspen.



"Carolyne’s work shows people that the secret to everything is in a keen attention to detail.  Whether designing a tablescape, planning a party, wrapping a present, arranging flowers or designing a room the details make the overall picture come together in a very special manner," said Publicist Christina Juarez.

Carolyne’s book can be purchased at Potterton Books at the DDB, lobby level, and the PDC, suite G154 for $60.00.