Interview With KATE SCHELTER

Kate Schelter interview

Interview With KATE SCHELTER

April 08, 2011

photo by Natalie Joos - Tales of Endearment (thanks, Natalie!)

It's a thrill today to chat with stylist,

creative director,

and owner of Kate Schelter LLC

k a t e s c h e l t e r.

Kate's agency works with

Zac Posen, Vakko, Saks Fifth Avenue,

Hollywould, House of Lavande, Lucy Sykes,

ClosetCouture.net, The Palms Casino, American

Express, and Universal Pictures.

photo by Natalie Joos

(omg i love this very intimate peek!)

Kate in her Gramercy Park apartment.

In addition to publishing work in

The New York Times, V Magazine, Vanity Fair,

Oprah, and W, Kate writes a style blog for

The Huffington Post and has reported for Vogue,

Style.com, The Style Network, and IMG.

source: Kate Schelter blog

Some time ago, I began following

Kate's blog and fell in love with

her watercolors, effortless chic,
and engaging personality.

ooooh, especially partial to this one reminding
me of mom who loves her Chanel lipstick.

source: Kate Schelter blog

I asked Kate about creativity.

"It's not a choice for me: I can't imagine my life

without creativity. I am a creative person,

and I don't understand any other way. Creating

and designing all day long is what I do.

From making the bed in the morning
to cooking dinner at night, to styling an ad
campaign or painting watercolors -

everything is a creative process about making things

beautiful, functional, comfortable, and real."

As a creative soul, many of us can relate to feeling "wired"

to create and how very natural the process is to life everyday.

source: Vanity Fair

(Kate Schelter is wearing her YSL trench, and look who sneaked in the shot!)

Kate was looking awwwwwfully perfect in this

recent "Fashion's Night In" spread, and I asked

what comes to mind when she hears

"beauty in imperfection."

"Everything!

Nature. Design.

When something is too perfect it becomes static.

I have a saying that I use for styling a lot

"to jooge it up" which is my slang for:

if it's too perfect, push something askew.

It will look better that way."

Yes! Jooge-ing keeps things alive and interesting.

source: Lulu Frost

Kate's thoughts about humor

intrigued me given my sneaky suspicion

she had a wild sense of humor...

see, I've seen dozens of photos

where she's laughing with a gorgeous

big ol' smile, surrounded by fun happy people.

"I'm obsessed with SNL, and I took improv comedy classes

for years just for fun. Humor plays a huge part in

my everyday life in that I love to laugh and crack

jokes with friends and family.

The fashion industry can take itself quite seriously

(Zoolander?), and I find that to be a bit more

laid back is a refreshing approach and helps me

ease into my work."

Knew it!

(A) thinkin' Kate should host SNL.

(B) would love to hear the fun inside scoop

from some of those serious fashion events.

maybe not everybody there rolls like Kate...yes?

a campaign Schelter styled for VAKKO

What inspires the uber successful,

vintage loving future SNL host?

The short list goes like this:

Prada stripes.

Vintage Ungaro.

and

Most importantly,

my fiance.

Photo by Natalie Joos

(Kate at home with her precious "Bear.")

One of the most important missions of this blog

(and my life!) is to find lovely and sacredness

in the "everyday," and this is Kate's take.

"There's a famous design saying (from LeCorbusier - I think?)

that "God is in the details," and I think it's so true.

The way things are customized and personalized, down to

the biggest decisions for the smallest items,

is what makes them authentic and true to their core -

and desirable."

Hearing her say this somehow helps me feel better about

taking the time to paint my ugly yellow kitchen broom white.

True!

House of Lavande - one of Kate's clients

(with the most beautiful site (designed by Kate) on the web. seriously.)

Truly she is leading an inspired life.

Kate will be married this summer and is

busy with wedding plans, so it was extra extra

cool she took time for us!

Best to you and your groom, lovely Kate.

Thanks for reading, friends.

p.s.

Kate has her dream job...what would yours be?

Peace to you right where you are.

country décor

Farmhouse Style: Gorgeously English

April 05, 2011

WHAT A SHOCKER!

An English country house,

featured on

THIS blog!

(has anyone come up with a

sarcasm inflection yet?

need. please share.)

By now, you know

my appetite is insatiable

for pretty pictures

of properties like

Bazeley House

offered by First Option.

The undecorated 'undone' look is so pleasing to my eye.

Oh heavens the pristine floors...

just kill me in the face.

Enchanting, yes?

Love how the windows go to the floor.

If this were my kitchen,

I'll tell you what I'd do

besides thank the Lord I

have two refrigerators

and a kickass house.

Invite each and every one

of you to join me

for a champagne and Swedish pancake brunch

(and what the heck? my special cinnamon bread too!).

first option

Say it with me.

Insatiable.

Peace to you right where you are.

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house tour

My Home: Peek Inside My Windows (2)

April 03, 2011

Feel like peeking?

Ok, but I've got a burrrrnnnnnrning question for you to answer:

HOW DO YOU GET MOTIVATED

TO SPRING CLEAN?

Cuz it is HIGH TIME i kick the booty into high gear

~~and get down and dirty like a bad mambajamba~~.

(even i am shocked at how lame i am.)

I got a wee start over the weekend

but my list of chores keeps getting lonnnnnggger.

AND.

Isn't it surprising how quickly things around the house

start to feel outdated and passe even when you thought

you were achieving a timeless look 5 years ago?

Today's post is a sort of to-do list.

all images mine

Extract granny from the dining room.

despite my modern canvases, it is still too precious and unsexy.

not that grannys can't be sexy...just striving for milfy not gilfy.

Inject more texture and personality into the kitchen.

i need rugs and probably some contemporary and oganic strokes.

there's a phrase painted above the window over the sink you can't see that

reads LOVE LIVES HERE.

and it does.

Figure out those *%#$ shelves.

they were a friggin mess when this was snapped.

honestly they are different every week because

i am never satisfied.

Hello? The screen porch needs therapy!

a rug, new pillows, and maybe some curtains will lift her mood, yes?

Figure out how to replace bulbs 18 feet in the air.

when you're not a masochist.

Keep the calm, but puhhhhleeease lose the boring factor.

functionally, the room works great.

Sew a laundry bag to go in the antique hamper.

my sewing skillz? this should be interesting.

Find an alternate location for the dress form.

this is our closet, and my man says she creeps him out and must go byebye.

Find properly scaled accessories.

these are a SCALE FAIL.

10.

Replace the dried hydrangea.

and i'm sick of the teal.

wanted to show off the antique stained glass we

put in the WC to steal natural light from the downstairs hall.

11.

Lose the dollar store silver chargers.

it's only the laundry room, but they've over stayed their welcome.

original landscape by aimless olive

12.

Find storage for a teeny powder room.

need to hide the Febreeze and extra rolls.

btw, yes. that is COLOR on the walls: Nurture by Glidden.

do i sound edgy?

i'm just exhausted and keepin it real.

and sadly out of chocolate.

The appointment book is full this week:

scrubbing and organizing

while my man works magic on the basement.

If your week promises something different...

YAY! LIVE IT UP FOR ME!

Hope you'll follow this lovely journey.

Peace to you right where you are.

an inspired life

Interview with BETSY EBY

April 01, 2011

"An inspired life is a balanced life." ~Betsy Eby

Today, you will have the opportunity to meet

my first guest in the series AN INSPIRED LIFE...

someone incredibly lovely...

b e t s y

e b y

is a gifted artist I truly admire.

Pleut des Cordes: one of her abstract encaustic paintings

Her creations are meditative

and like music to my senses.

A classically trained pianist, the keyboard is a foundation to her work.

She says "Capturing the rhythms and dynamic tension of classical music

and conveying them in the material world has proven to be an

endless source of inspiration in reinterpreting form, line, gesture, and

negative space within my paintings."

Betsy graciously granted me an interview,

and I'm thrilled to share with it with you.

Betsy's studio - learn more about her work here

Why is it important to honor creativity?

"When we are involved in a creative, single focused task, our brains are working on beta waves. Painting, drawing, playing Brahms, all change the brain in the same way as does meditation. When we are living a fully integrative, creative life, we are in touch with the past, the present, and the future simultaneously. A creative life, a creative practice is a way of channeling our personal experience in a constructive and innovative means. To live in this flow is to live in the moment...It is essential to honor one's core, because from there are creative differences can contribute to a rich, cultural tapestry."

Ferdinand

Any suggestions for finding lovely and sacredness in the "everyday?"

"I have a bumper sticker on my car that I made. It reads "Kindness is Cool." While we can't save the world, I do think we can change it person by person, through kindness. I think about it as changing the world one smile at a time. There is sacredness to that...I think it's up to us to create our everyday. finding sacredness and loveliness comes if we slow down enough to witness the beauty in the smallest things around us. I find it in long walks in nature. I find it in my practices...While I spend most of my days in the studio painting, I also spend a lot of time on my piano practice and more recently voice. For me, classical music practice is a sacred world...A good friend and minister, Marcus Walker, said that whatever our God concept is, we are living a Godly existence when we are doing what we are best at. So if you are inclined toward jazz, play jazz from the heart, if you are inclined toward painting, paint from the heart, if you are inclined toward activism, practice activism from the heart."

how precious is this mag cover?

What does "beauty in imperfection" bring to mind?

"In nature there is no straight line. As an artist, we must get out of our own way and be the continuum of nature that we are. don't let the work be too tight, too precious, too thought about. Allow room for variance and a bit of chaos. Beauty, as John O'Donohue states, lives at the edge of things. Nothing is more tedious than a piano concert where the performer is academic and perfect in their interpretation. On the other hand, a sloppy off-tempo performance is just as off putting. This is where "the edge" comes in. We must learn our skills and craft through arduous practice. But we must stay open so that we continue to tap the mystery through that practice...The Native Americans kept several stitches open and unfinished at the edge of their prayer blankets. It is said that they do this to allow the evil spirits to get out. I see it as a metaphor for leaving aspects of a creative practice open to mystery."

Variation on Hovhanness' The Garden of Adonis I

How important is humor to your life and work?

"This question makes me realize that I don't rely on humor very much in creating my work. The emotional range I feel as a I paint my paintings runs from channeling feelings of loss to exaltation, but humor doesn't seem to be in there. But in day to day life, humor is essential. It greases the wheels of communication. It's essential to a good marriage. And I do believe 'laughter is the best medicine.' My husband and I sometimes will get laughing about something silly, and I'll say 'We're funny little people.' The skill of choosing my battles, or as I say, 'choosing what mountain I want to die on,' has been a skill acquired with age. I remember hearing the Dalai Lama interviewed and the journalist asked, 'But what about the atrocities the Chinese are exacting on the Tibetan people?' And the Dalai Lama responds with a smile and a shrug of the shoulders with a sing song voice 'Oh, they always do that.' Humor helps us cope, it helps us relate to one another, it allows us to survive."

" It is important for artists to develop all aspects of self." ~Betsy Eby

Three things inspiring you at the moment?

"This has been a season of loss for me. So this time has been inspired by taking stock in that which is sacred and understanding the bigger vessel life requires us to be with every pain, adversity, or sadness. Figure drawing has been inspiring...Lines, shadow, and volume discovered while studying the human form helps in the organization of these same aspects found within my abstract, encaustic paintings. Music is always my greatest source of inspiration outside of painting. I've just finished a Mozart theme and variation which is demanding on technique, and I am loving the misty, dreamy, deceptive preludes of Debussy and their ever-shifting accidentals which create an audible equivalent ot shifting sands."