ELLE DECOR December 2013

Is it possible to suffer from design schizophrenia? I sometimes think so, since I am the proud owner of both a city apartment and a house in the country that couldn't be more different from one another in style, in furnishings, in feel. The apartment is a study in restraint, full of pale colors, burnished woods, and precise, clean lines. My farmhouse, on the other hand, features boldly colored walls, dozens of flea-market finds, overstuffed everything, and piles of magazines and books, all of it accented with birds' nests, rocks, and feathers found in the woods, and dozens of old, anonymous photographs. So which one is the "real" me? I'm not sure I could tell you. I love them both, and I feel completely comfortable in either. Does that mean…

RIGHT: Branca at the showhouse. BELOW: A cup and saucer and a sleep mask from her new collection. ALESSANDRA BRANCA For ELLE DECOR's Designer Visions showhouse (page 83), Alessandra Branca used some grand gestures. But that doesn't mean she's one to overlook the fine points. Her first line of accessories and decorative items launches this season. "I started to realize that handmade things were disappearing," she says. "These pieces were all made in studios, not factories." The collection, available at branca.com, includes marble-patterned pillows, lacquered trays, pochettes, and sleep masks created with the help of bookbinders, as well as faux-bois tableware and tartan throws. WILLIAM NORWICH "I was impressed by her laser-like focus and dedication," says writer William Norwich of fashion designer Lisa Perry—his feature about her Palm Beach home…

MAIL I love a home with a sense of humor, and Miles Redd's design for Erika Bearman's Hamptons, New York, house ["Oscar Worthy," October] has that in spades—from the bold and beautiful painted walls to the conical hat on the ancient bust on the living room table. Bravo to Miles and Erika for creating such a joyous place! Mary Ann Tayler, via e-mail Thank you for giving a glimpse of Billy Baldwin's studio apartment on your Editor's Page [October]. When I was a young man, he inspired me to become a designer. I would love to have been able to sit down with him for just an hour. Charles Preston Harrington III, via e-mail I love seeing all the ways that feathers are popping up in fashion and design [Trend…

MAGAZINE EDITOR ISABELLA BLOW ALWAYS MADE A STATEMENT. CLAD IN THE EXPERIMENTAL GETUPS OF FASHION WUNDERKIND ALEXANDER MCQUEEN AND HER EVER-PRESENT PHILIP TREACY HEADPIECES, SHE WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO MISS. HER EXPANSIVE WARDROBE, NOW OWNED BY STYLE ICON DAPHNE GUINNESS, HAS BECOME A CROWN JEWEL OF FASHION HISTORY. "ISABELLA BLOW: FASHION GALORE!," AN EXHIBITION AT LONDON'S SOMERSET HOUSE, WILL DISPLAY MORE THAN 100 PIECES FROM THE COLLECTION (THROUGH MARCH 2014; SOMERSETHOUSE.ORG.UK). COLD FRONT As rope tows and chairlifts were being installed in 1930s France, a new look came into vogue: Alpine chic. A Sporting Life (Actes Sud/Hermès), a book of Jacques Henri Lartigue's period photographs, captures recreational skiers in their ultrastylish outfits. Hermès has drawn inspiration from its original '30s ski line for a capsule collection that is sophisticated and slope-ready…

ROUND TRIP The Square Disc sconce borrows from the bright colors and bubbly shapes of 1970s Pop Art. Made with brass, nickel, and powder-coated discs, it comes in three colorways—Red, Black, and Orange is shown. The 14" h. x 14" w. unit is fitted with two incandescent chandelier bulbs and costs $1,800. It is also available in custom sizes and colors. 917-237-0123; propertyfurniture.com 1/ COVER CHARGE The Amelie, right, and Sophie tablecloths by V Rugs & Home are made of stonewashed, hand-appliquéd Belgian linen. More than 50 color combinations are offered in any size; 50" w. x 72" l., shown, costs $375. Runners, table toppers, and throws are also available. 305-759-9910; vrugsandhome.com 2/ SET IN STONE The open bronze fretwork of Thomas Pheasant's Link cocktail table…

The annual Design Miami fair celebrates the new and the groundbreaking, but the centerpiece this year might just be a 69-year-old house. Galerie Patrick Seguin of Paris, largely responsible for bringing the work of Jean Prouvé back to the public's attention, is exhibiting—and offering for sale—a prefabricated house by the midcentury architect and designer. Prouvé had been experimenting for two decades with sheet metal to create everything from sleek office furniture to vacation cottages when he won a commission in 1944 to design temporary housing for those displaced by World War II. The wood and metal parts that made up the structures could be sent to locations in need and assembled by three people in a day. The project didn't get much past the planning stage, but Prouvé went on…