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Blue Christmas

by habituallychic

12 . 07 . 09

One of the most famous holiday spreads has to be Aerin Lauder’s East Hampton house from the December 2007 issue of House & Garden magazine. I have been seeing a lot of blue backdrops to holiday decorations this year and it had me thinking about Lauder’s blue dining room. The table was beautifully set for Christmas breakfast and I especially love the mix of gold and blue which is an elegant alternative to the usual blue and silver. And of course the greenery and pops of red add the finishing touch. I wonder if Aerin has room for one more this year! I would love to wake up in this chic house Christmas morning!

The blue walls are a custom color created by Donald Kaufman and the gilt mirror belonged to Estee Lauder who was the original owner of the house. The chandelier reflected in the mirror is by Waterford.

The Indian marble table from 1840 is set with Estee’s English cut crystal, gold flatware and vintage lace napkins.

Aerin always orders her gingerbread houses from William Poll in New York. I can also attest that they make the best dips and hor d’oeuvres for holiday parties! It’s an Upper East Side institution!

The hanging lights in the kitchen are from Ann Morris Antiques in New York. There is no website but the address is 239 East 60th Street or call 212-755-3308.

I love the vintage Chinese urns that line the fireplace mantle but you can find similar blue and white pieces at Pearl River Mart in New York. Biscuit gets friendly in front of the fire with Teddy Robertson who sits on sisal carpet from Stark.

The walls in Estee’s old bedroom which is now a guest room is Toiles de Nantes by Pierre Frey. I think this fabric is a nice alternative to traditional ikat fabrics since they only come in small widths. A photo of Estee and Joseph Lauder in Bermuda in the 70’s sits on the vanity among her perfume and objects. Playing with my grandmother’s jewelry was one of my memories from growing up and Aerin has many of Estee’s old pieces. Hope she realizes how lucky she is to have had such a pioneering and chic grandmother! Happy Holidays!

Photos by Francois Halard

20 Comments
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  1. Modern Traditionalist December 7, 2009 | 1:47 am

    Absolutely perfect in my opinion. Incredibly chic yet a place you could feel perfectly comfortable. Aerin is one woman for which I have a bit of a girl-crush but don’t tell my boyfriend!

  2. DoxaHome.com December 7, 2009 | 3:13 am

    Lol, I had to laugh at the aforementioned comment from Modern Traditionalist as I was just sitting here looking over the photos, thinking…it must be nice to have been born into a dynasty;)

    Best,
    Jaime

  3. Lona de Anna December 7, 2009 | 3:45 am

    Heather..just love this post..images are stunning and I love the use of blue throughout the whole house..gorgeous. Thanks for sharing x

  4. destined to design December 7, 2009 | 3:57 am

    gotta love her…she’s so chic.

  5. Vanessa December 7, 2009 | 4:07 am

    So beautiful and chic!

  6. style chronicle December 7, 2009 | 4:10 am

    One of my all time favorite houses. I have tear sheets from every publication it has been featured in. Thanks for sharing…

  7. Vintage by LOU LOU December 7, 2009 | 5:29 am

    Just gorgeous!!
    Lou
    xx

  8. Linda/"Mom" December 7, 2009 | 7:23 am

    * Dear Heather~

    There’s such beauty & quality presented here… and most ESPECIALLY when seeing BISCUIT and lil’ TEDDY!!!

    To see her looking sooo lovely, all “glammed up” & relaxed with that lovely smile, BUUUT, HOLDING her beautiful “Biscuit”, makes me just LOVE this gal~~~ It’s a GOOOOOD SIGN that she knows what’s REEEEEALLY important in life!!!

    Thanks!!! Very enjoyable!!!
    Linda in AZ *
    bellesmom1234@comcast.net

  9. Dagny @ Beautiful Living December 7, 2009 | 10:11 am

    LOVE her home! The peacock blue room is stunning, and the table is set beautifully. Definitely my kind of Christmas 🙂

  10. Greet December 7, 2009 | 10:13 am

    Beautiful pictures Heather! And I alsi love the vintage chinese pots on the fire place!

    Greet

  11. mootsie0109 December 7, 2009 | 1:40 pm

    Beautiful! My inspiration file is full of pictures from Aerin’s homes. Perfection.

  12. the NEO-traditionalist December 7, 2009 | 2:04 pm

    This is one of my favorite spreads of all time. I wish I could have that custom blue mixed for my own apartment. I actually had something similar when I lived in SF, only it was matched to a Miles Redd apartment published in Elle Decor. Everyone’s mad for blue! Thanks for the Monday morning inspiration Heather!
    XXX Kate

  13. Living It At Home December 7, 2009 | 3:23 pm

    Gorgeous! I love all these images. Especially the grand staircase. Is that a seagrass or sisal runner going up the stairs? I so want to do that on mine!

    ~jamilyn

  14. Habitually Chic December 7, 2009 | 5:07 pm

    Modern Traditionalist – Ha! I like to think of Aerin more as a style crush myself! The house is elegant but looks really comfortable which is why I love it!

    Jaime/Doxa Home – I know! I wish my grandmother was a cosmetics giant! Must have been an amazing childhood!

    Lona de Anna – so glad you liked it too!

    Destined to Design – Sigh. I know.

    Vanessa – chic seems to be the right adjective!

    Style Chronicle – me too! I also love the dark den!

    Lou – I agree!

    Linda – that dog looks heavy too!

    Dagny – I love that she kept the room blue and didn’t paper it in Chinoiserie wallpaper which is what a lot of people might have done.

    Greet – I never met a blue and white piece I didn’t love! Glad you agree!

    Mootsie – I’m so glad that she opens her home to cameras. They are all so inpsiring!

    Kate/Neo-traditionalist – blue is so cheerful yet calming and works with so many other colors. I especially love it with orange!

    Jamilyn – I didn’t look close enough but I’m sure it’s also from Stark. They are the go to source for sisal especially!

  15. Gwen Driscoll December 7, 2009 | 6:30 pm

    Heather,

    I love all your images of blue. Beautiful post. I always know I can count on you for that.

    Fondly,

    Gwen
    Ragland Hill Social

  16. Maureen Sullivan Stemberg, Interiors December 7, 2009 | 6:46 pm

    Heather,

    Perfection at it’s best…All of them.
    Although, I especially, loved Ms. Lauder’s. Merry , Merry Christmas to you.

  17. stylecurator December 8, 2009 | 5:58 am

    Great Post-I miss House and Garden! I have been enjoying your blog for such a long time. Please visit my new blog.

    Thanks,

    Style Curator

  18. The Goods Design December 8, 2009 | 8:15 pm

    SO stunning. I wish I still had that issue!

  19. lolobird December 9, 2009 | 3:54 am

    Hi-
    This is my first time posting a comment! Love your website!
    Aerin is a woman who does everything perfectly….
    I have seen it first hand. This house is perfect down to every detail. The best part is that she is also an incredible mother and person. She deserves everything she has.
    Thanks for posting,
    Lo

  20. Richie Designs December 10, 2009 | 2:03 am

    OMG that blue…to die for