Sneak peek: Suzanne Kasler in House Beautiful

Earlier this year, when I was picking up some fabric samples from Suzanne Kasler’s office, there was a big meeting going on.  Suzanne and her book team were working on the layout for her brand new book, Timeless Style.  Suzanne’s first book, Inspired Interiors, is one of my all time favorites, and her new book promises to be just as good.  I was able to see some of the images that will be featured in the new book, many of which have never been published; the images beautifully reflect the depth, range and beauty of Suzanne’s work.  In my humble opinion, her work keeps getting better and better.

The cover for the new book features a picture from Suzanne’s own house. The framed art is striking – I love the scale, how they are framed, and the tight way in which they are hung. Note how the artist’s name, Kris Ruhs, is featured  in one of the pieces.

In the new House Beautiful, which will hit newsstands on August 13th, Suzanne Kasler is interviewed for the Master Class feature.  This monthly column features the most famous names in interior design, and in the new issue Suzanne shares some of her favorite things and reveals design inspiration for her projects and her product lines.  Here are a few of my favorite highlights from the article.

“Sunburst mirrors are true classics. This one is a starting point for my new collection for Ballard Designs”. 

Many of Suzanne’s products are inspired by her own personal collection, and this mirror appears to be modeled after one that she had above her bed in her old house.  I checked the Ballard website and this particular mirror doesn’t appear to be available quite yet, but I predict it will be a bestseller when it is launched – it’s a charming spin on the classic sunburst mirror, and looks like it would be equally at home in either a casual or an elegant setting (and everything in between).

“When traveling, if you see you love, buy it. You’ll find a place for it. You’ll always remember where you were when you bought it, and it’s those kind of memories that make a house a home”. 

This is a new view of Suzanne’s living room, and illustrates her advice perfectly – the Picasso lithograph is a treasured find from one of Suzanne’s trips to Paris, and has a place of honor on her mantel.  Suzanne notes that many of her favorite items found on travels end up in her living room.

“My Thornton Lamp for Visual Comfort was inspired by a French antique. Vintage pieces inspire many of my designs – when you unearth something really great, you want to be able to find it again”.

You can read more Master Class advice from Suzanne Kasler in the September 2013 House Beautiful, which will be on newsstands next week. 

To pre-order Suzanne’s new book on Amazon, click here.

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Exclusive sneak peek at Suzanne Kasler’s new line for Ballard Designs

During the summer of 2009, designer Suzanne Kasler told me that she was hard at work on a new line of accessories for Ballard Designs. I have always admired how the accessories that Suzanne incorporates into her designs really give a room a layered and nuanced feel, so I was excited to see the results of her new venture with Ballard Designs.

Flash forward to this summer – the first part of the collection is just about to be launched. I recently had the opportunity to get a sneak peek at the ‘look book’ for the Suzanne Kasler for Ballard Designs line (available online July 31), and I was really impressed with the quality and beauty of the designs. Suzanne’s line for Ballard Designs contain items that can’t be found anywhere else, and more importantly the line contains items that are inspired by some of Suzanne’s favorite accessories that she has used in her designs through the years.

Case in point: a vignette from a room that Suzanne styled for the summer market at AmericasMart in July of ‘09. Note the horns and the lovely brackets.

Here is the Gabrielle bracket, part of the new line for Ballard Designs.

I love these Atelier Horns, also part of the new collection – note the wonderful detail, and they are priced at only $49-$65.

Suzanne is known for her love of interesting mirrors, often arranged in unique groupings. Pictured above is a beautiful room she designed a few years ago, as seen in House Beautiful, that features original antique and vintage mirrors.

Her collection for Ballard Designs contains a great selection of beautifully designed, vintage inspired mirrors priced between $79-$149.

Two of the designs from the mirror collection.

The Eiffel Tower Picture Holder is another item that caught my eye, inspired by Suzanne’s extensive collection of Eiffel Towers.

The Zinc Harvest Basket would be beautifully at ease in any kind of setting.

A casually elegant burlap wrapped vase.

A collection of leather wrapped desk accessories has a great vintage look to it.

I have my eye on the Petite Carriage Lantern, which would be great on the sideboard in my kitchen.

Also intriguing is the 1937 map of Europe.

However, my absolute favorite item in the new collection is inspired by the architectural models in Suzanne’s own collection (seen on the mantel of her family room of her previous home)…

Here are the architectural models from the Suzanne Kasler collection for Ballard Designs. They come in two finishes, and are priced at just $129. I am definitely ordering these as soon as the collection is available online on July 31!

This is just a small preview of the collection, and I look forward to seeing what other designs will be featured in the collection. Do you have a favorite item from what I have shown?

The Ballard Designs showroom in Atlanta celebrated the launch of Suzanne’s new line last week (alas, I was not able to attend), and the showroom is now selling items from the collection that were displayed at the launch. The rest of us will need to wait until the official online launch of Suzanne’s collection for Ballard Designs on July 31!

For the latest news and information on Ballard Designs and their new Suzanne Kasler line, please visit their website: http://www.ballarddesigns.com/

Also, Ballard Designs has an online ‘Style Studio’ full of great articles, solutions to decorating dilemmas, behind the scenes information, peeks into customers’ homes, and so much more. Please visit http://www.ballardstylestudio.com for great inspiration!

Finally, if you want the latest and greatest information on Ballard Designs, become a fan on Facebook! Ballard Designs Facebook page can be found at http://www.facebook.com/ballarddesigns.

Note: no goods or services were exchanged for this post.

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The House Beautiful/Suzanne Kasler interview on Ballard Designs

When Suzanne and I had a meeting one morning last fall, she had a strict schedule that day as she was heading over to a photo shoot of a house that she had styled entirely in products from Ballard Designs.

Check out the magnificent results (one of the rooms is pictured above), which are now on the Ballard Design website. House Beautiful interviewed Suzanne about the project, and the article includes dozens of great design tips and ways that everyone can bring beautiful design into their own homes. Suzanne's own collection for Ballard debuts in late July, and I can't wait to see it!

Click here for a link to the Ballard Designs/House Beautiful interview. Enjoy!

Suzanne Kasler Interiors now has a page on Facebook. Become a fan to get the latest updates! This is how I learned about the article.

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