Coterie Crush on Designer Elaine Griffin

We have a Coterie Crush on New York City based interior designer, Elaine Griffin. I sat down to visit with Elaine who happens to be from the same area as me– the Golden Isles of Georgia. Despite living up North now, Elaine has not lost touch with her Southern roots. She says, ”True Southerners, like myself, know that if you’re born and raised south of the Mason-Dixon line, you are forever a denizen of Dixie. Being Southern is a lifestyle, where it’s always six o’clock somewhere, strangers greet each other warmly, there’s always room for one more at the table, and children still answer with ‘ma’am’ and ‘sir.’” Best of all says Elaine, “Southerners invented gracious living and nobody in the world does it better than we do.”

As seen on Southern Living’s The Daily South blog

Here are a few of Elaine’s gracious living must haves:

FABRIC COLLECTIONS:

PETER DUNHAM TEXTILES
BENNISON FABRICS

Peter Dunham Textiles and Bennison Fabrics are among two of my ultra-faves. I’m wild about handprinted, document-inspired fabrics, especially Geoffrey Bennison’s, who is in the Top 5 of my Pantheon of Legendary Tastemakers. I wish someone would do a big coffee table book of his work — Pointed Leaf Press, are you listening????

CHINA PATTERNS:

MINTON’S DENMARK

PR doyenne Lou Hammond (a native Charlestonian) gave me my first plate of Minton’s Denmark, an octagonal pattern from 1883, as a wedding present, which I fell hopelessly in love with. As a divorce gift to myself, I tracked down 16 more to entertain my next husband with, whomever the lucky devil may be.

MEISSEN MING

Meissen’s Ming china is to die for! I’m saving up for the mugs, which are the most gorgeous things ever, from their exquisite shape to the pattern itself. I met Mr. Ming in the powder room of one of my chic-est girlfriend’s abodes, on a plate displayed on a dressing table, and have lusted after him ever since.

PAINT COLOR:

WILLIAMSBURG COLOR COLLECTION BY BENJAMIN MOORE

Although mama loves AHL her chillun’ (say that with a drawl LOL), I’m sooo excited about Benjamin Moore’s new Williamsburg Collection of paint colors — each one is sheer perfection. Yay!

DESIGN BLOG:

STYLE BEAT & THE PEAK OF CHIC
Marisa Marcantonio has flawless taste and covers the market stylishly like nobody’s business, with the best eye ever. Everything that makes it into her blog is flat-out gorgeous. Jennifer Bowles is a design genius — I can’t wait for her to write an Enormous Coffee Table book that covers style through the ages. It will sell like hotcakes — we’ll all want to own SEVERAL to show how smart we are.

CANDLE:

MANUEL CANOVAS PALAIS D’ETE CANDLE

MRS. MEYER’S GERANIUM SOY CANDLE — $9.99!!!!

Like all true Southern Belles, I want my home to look good, feel good AND smell good, and nothing short of overpowering will do in the scent department. I almost always have a candle burning somewhere (dahling, there’s one in every room of my NYC apartment), so I was truly a Happy Girl when I discovered Mrs. Meyer’s Geranium Soy Candles, which smell like they cost WAY MORE than their $9.99 price tag. For more Fabulous Moments, it’s all about Manuel Canovas’ Palais d’Ete, which I discovered when I lived in Paris in my 20’s.

DESIGNERS:

TOM SCHEERER & ROBERT PASSAL

If I were to go away to Europe for the summer and leave a design team with a blank check for my empty Park Avenue penthouse, I would dream nightly about the creative confections Tom Scheerer and Robert Passal would have awaiting my return. They’re two of the most talented designers in the world, PLUS they’re both really nice gentlemen, too. Which is always important to a Southern Lady — I’d have them both happily at my dinner table.

ARTIST:

I majored in Art History at Yale, so j’adore so much about all sorts of art, but here are four of my faves:

HELEN FRANKENTHALER
OUATTARA WATTS
WILLEM DE KOONING
HUNT SLONEM

ANTIQUES SHOP:

THE PUCES DE CLINGANCOURT IN PARIS.

Because, honey, if you’re going to go antiquing, you should GO. ANTIQUING. I use EDET International to send containers of irresistible cute things home.
http://www.edetinternational.com/en/index.php

COLLECTION:

SEASHELLS.

A native of Coastal Georgia, I started collecting seashells to remind me of home. It’s gotten a little out of hand now, but they’re still my favorite accessory. I take them out as props on every photo shoot I style.

SOUTHERN ESSENTIAL:

DRINKS AT LATITUDE 31 AT THE WHARF OF THE JEKYLL ISLAND CLUB HOTEL

It’s one of the first things I do when I hit the Golden Isles. The view is phenomenal, especially at sunset, and I love imagining what it was like for J.P. Morgan to cruise up to the very same wharf on the Corsair as I sip my Chardonnay. I looooooove Jekyll Island — you can still see that it was truly the Newport of the South. It’s a magnificently-preserved architectural treasure, and I spend time there every time I’m home.

MY STYLE IN FIVE WORDS OR LESS:

Warm
Elegant
Inviting
Colorful
Eclectic
Elaine Griffin Interior Design
2214 Eighth Avenue, Suite 312
New York, New York 10026
Tel 212.666.2033
info@elainegriffin.com

Also ENJOY spotlights on other interior designers and tastemakers –

Cullen O’Steen of Cullen & Co Interior Design

Holly Phillips of The English Room

Anna Kristin Yarbrough and Cameron Weaver of Interior Canvas

Lisa Mende of Lisa Mende Design

Courtney Barnes of Stylecourt

Joann Kandrac and Kelly Kole of Kandrac and Kole Interiors

Roger Higgins of R. Higgins Interiors

Haskell Harris of Haskell Harris Creative

Tami Ramsay of Tami Ramsay Design

Mary Bryan Peyer of Mary Bryan Peyer Designs

Susan Hable of Hable Construction

Shani Gilchrist of Camille Maurice

Lauren Leonard of Lauren Leonard Designs

Sidney Wagner of Eclectic Interior Design Group

Angie Hranoswsky of Angie Hranowsky Design Studio

Liz Williams of Liz Williams Designs

Jill and Steve McKenzie of Steve McKenzie’s

Chandos Dodson of Chandos Interiors

Ty Larkins of Ty Larkins Interiors

XOXO – CHERI HARDEN LEAVY