Michael Graves Warehouse Home in New Jersey

Irwin Weiner ASID - There are a handful of superstar architects and designers. Of course, Michael Graves is one of the few, and I was just directed to his Dwell video interview where he talks personally about the discovery and renovation of a Tuscan style warehouse in Princeton, NJ that he looks forward to returning to whenever he's able to get off the world-travel merry-go-round.

Photo: Ben Hoffman for Elle DecorIt's instructive to see where creative people live, knowing that the design elements of their own homes will help them recharge and get on the creative path once again. Mr. Graves' home features privacy, clean lines, beautiful landscaping and gardens, and soothing water features. I'd be happy to trade homes with him at any time! Visit the Michael Graves website for more information on this legendary designer and his work.

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Paris Style Video: Suburban Paris Luxury Home Staged for Sale

Irwin Weiner ASID - Greetings from Paris! Jay Johnson and I are on Day 5 of our vacation in the beautiful French capital, and that of course means that we're on "assignment" for Design2Share. We never go anywhere without reporting back on residential and home trends, and that includes the latest international hotel scene and other looks in public spaces that will soon influence the shape of home style. Our fifth feature shows a Luxury Portfolio International suburban Paris home for sale, modeled after George Washington's Mount Vernon, with an interior that has been subjected to one of the most thoroughly modern real estate home staging schemes I've ever seen. (After looking at the replica of an early American home, I was cringing to see cheap reproduction American furnishings inside, but leave it to the French - they've taken a traditional shell and turned it into a clean, modern space.)

Interior design, as our readers know, is the process of decorating and adding a client's personality into the living space; real estate home staging takes away the personality and stages the home so that any potential buyer can imagine themselves living there. Staged homes sport neutral design schemes, and many professional stagers love white objects placed in rooms - they "float" in the space, add no obtrusive colors or patterns that would distract buyers, show size and scale in a room, and show off the utility and functions of the space. This particular home is staged well, even down to a white grand piano. Click here to look at other Luxury Portfolio International Paris real estate.

After a beautiful weekend, we'll be saying good-bye to Paris on Monday. Then it's back to the New York, and everyday reality. We can't wait to show off some of the sights of Paris and the style discoveries we've made this week; we'll save those for future posts. Au revoir!

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Paris Style Video: Hotel Style at the George V

Irwin Weiner ASID - Greetings from Paris! Jay Johnson and I are on Day 4 of our vacation in the beautiful French capital, and that of course means that we're on "assignment" for Design2Share. We never go anywhere without reporting back on residential and home trends, and that includes the latest international hotel scene and other looks in public spaces that will soon influence the shape of home style. Our fourth feature focuses on the beautiful, elegant, newly-restored hotel style of the most luxurious hotel in town, the Four Seasons George V. Considered the global flagship of the chain, this hotel is rich in history and now, contemporary elegance.

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Paris Style Video: Roche Bobois Furniture

Irwin Weiner ASID - Greetings from Paris! Jay Johnson and I are on Day 3 of our vacation in the beautiful French capital, and that of course means that we're on "assignment" for Design2Share. We never go anywhere without reporting back on residential and home trends, and that includes the latest international hotel scene and other looks in public spaces that will soon influence the shape of home style. Our third featured video is a what-if lifestyle video from Roche Bobois, the iconic French furniture design firm, imagining what life would be like if its furnishings were part of everyday life outdoors. Lots of fun. Also fun: the ASTROLAB dining table (top photo), with an automatic, fully-visible mechanical mechanism (how steampunk!) that extends or retracts the glass leaf extensions.

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