James Andrew at the Carlton Hobbs Gallery - photo Justin Williams.

There are a few ways to begin creating a room. For instance, one could build slowly, deliberating each step of the way – or, at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, one could simply incorporate an already existing room into one’s construction, or renovation. In fact this approach is not without precedent. But we of course are not suggesting a mass produced prefab — wouldn’t you be appalled if we did? What we are suggesting is something equally doable but infinitely more spectacular.

Fireplace.

A historically significant architectural masterpiece attributed to Jerome Marlet (1713-1810), this unaltered and perfectly proportioned volume boasts an outstanding provenance, having once belonged to JP Morgan, Jr., and subsequently the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

If you are looking to have the most supremely sublime office, private library — the bookcases have been likened to those of the Bibliotheque du Roi at Versailles — or you want to create a glorious retreat, one could positively not do better than to inquire at the Carlton Hobbs Gallery regarding this rarest of opportunities.

Library detail.

James Andrew at the Villa Cimbrone.

The drive along the Amalfi Coast is as dizzyingly treacherous as it is beautiful – a pulse pounding conflation of awe and fear – and our driver, who felt compelled to navigated at Grand Prix speeds, did much to tip the scales toward the really scary side of things. Needless to say we were mightily relieved to come to a halt at the blissfully peaceful town of Ravello, which is practically devoid of motor vehicles of any sort! Following helpful little signs here and there, we wound our way upward by foot past ancient churches, shops, inns, and hotels, finally arriving at the world renowned Villa Cimbrone.

Views from the Villa Cimbrone.

Situated approximately 1100ft above sea level, the Villa commands incomparable views of the Amalfi coast, and after a brief respite in our rather palatial room, and an energizing terrace lunch, we were eager to explore its elevated vistas and richly fragrant gardens.

View from the Villa CImbrone.

The most beautiful sight that I have ever seen in the world is the panoramic view from Villa Cimbrone on a bright winter’s day, when the sky and the sea are so vividly blue that it is not possible to distinguish them from each other. – Gore Vidal

Ravello has been a haven for writers, artists, statesmen, royalty, and aesthetes since the 18th century, and the Cimbrone itself has been the romantic destination for such legendary figures as Greta Garbo and Leopold Stokowski. Other esteemed visitors include D.H Lawrence, Henry Moore, Winston Churchill and the Duke and Duchess of Kent.

Gardens at the Villa CImbrone.

More about Villa Cimbrone coming up!

Gardens at VIlla Cimbrone.

James Andrew at the Lever House

Lever House, the modern architectural master piece of Skidmore, Owings and Merrill’s Gordon Bunshaft, was one of the first International style glass curtain wall skyscrapers to be built on Park Avenue.

In the late nineties a massive renovation restored the Lever’s spectacular structure to its original sexy splendor, and since then the ground floor and courtyard has been the setting for some quite stunning art installations. I’m particularly fascinated with the current display by London based artist Richard Woods entitled “Port Sunlight” – nine decorative patterns recalling the nineteenth century with William Morris designs and mock Tudor architecture rendered in wood block style prints on a grid of wood and aluminum tiles. These high Victorian designs contrast quite strongly with the Lever as one might imagine, creating a really exciting juxtaposition of styles, while maintaining a perfect balance of core formal elements as seen, for instance, in the grid motif that ties the building and the artwork together. I suppose I was drawn to this work as I often seek a similar visual resonance between new and old in my own design endeavors.

Feeling energized by this beautiful exhibition, I’m sporting a charcoal wool and cashmere mohair coat and a black cotton wide wale corduroy jacket both by Gucci, Turnbull and Asser mini tartan cotton shirt with contrast white collar and French cuffs, Seaman Schepps black pearl cuff links , forest green cashmere tie by Borrelli, Alexander McQueen tweed cargo style pants, red alligator belt with sterling buckle by Ralph Laure, silver leather sneakers and glasses both by Dior, forest green leather gloves by Sermoneta and my fragrance is the super sophisticated Vintage Tabarome by Creed.

James Andrew - East 60th Street.

I love creating something that clients never dreamed possible (or possibly never knew they wanted)! – The challenge is to produce a cohesive statement that reflects the tastes of the the clients – creating an environment that not only soothes and comforts but elates and inspires the spirit.

An indispensable part of being a successful designer is having exceptional resources – one such resource lies at East 60th Street here in New York City – there you will find a brilliant collection of some of the finest antiques and decorations – some of my favorites like David Duncan, Ann Morris Antiques, John Salibello Antiques and many more – Most of these suppliers are only available to the trade – so hire a decorator and create something extraordinary together! Almost every spectacular project has been the result of creative collaboration! You can play Louis XIV and I’ll be your Louis Le Vau – and I know where we’ll find an André Le Nôtre to help us with the garden – lets make your Versailles visions a reality!

I’m here on East 60th Street shopping for several clients wearing a Ralph Lauren silver ski parka, teal cashmere turtleneck sweater by Dolce & Gabbana, Alexander McQueen herringbone wool tweed cargo style pant, Lanvin teal suede sneakers, Gucci black leather tote and glasses, Sermoneta purple leather gloves.

James Andrew at Creed - photo Lars Stephan.

To celebrate its 250th year, Creed opened its only boutique in the U.S. at 794 Madison @ 67th St in New York City. Creed, has served royal houses and discerning seekers of rarefied osmogues since 1760 – The privately held company has remained in the Creed family for generations with Créateur Pafumeur, Oliver Creed, now applying his family’s centuries of experience towards the craft.

Windsor by Creed.

As part of the celebration, Creed is offering to the public for the first time, Windsor, which was expressly created for King Edward VIII of England in 1936. A green citrus scent with a mix of British Gin, Jamaican lime, Scottish Highland Pine, “Duke of Windsor” roses, Bahamian orange, Canadian cedar and a touch of Australian Eucalyptus, Creed likens Windsor to a tour of the empire Edward once ruled, (and this is not simply a figurative tour since all of the ingredients were grown within the bounds of the British Empire). Only 320 bottles and 70 facons will be available in the United States and WIJW has one of them! I would strongly suggest that you place your order for this most elegant of olfactory offerings with all due haste!

Another favorite of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor was Citrus Bigarrade which means “bitter citrus” in French, and is redolent of the many exotic destinations the Duke and Duchess favored, – from the Bahamas, to Palm Beach, to Southern Spain. I’ll be sure to be wearing this to the upcoming Palm Beach Jewelry, Art & Antique show – more on that in a later post though.

For the modern day House of Windsor, Master Perfumer Olivier Creed created Royal Water as a “tribute to the next generation of The House of Windsor, Britain’s young royals.” A suitably understated yet regal fragrance, Royal Water has got to be one of my all time favorites!

Creed, Madison Avenue.

Want to feel like a Windsor or perhaps just smell like one? Stop by Creed to satisfy your sniffer and take home a few of these fine bottled dreams for yourself.

I’m pictured at the uber luxurious Creed boutique on Madison Avenue stocking up on all my favorite fragrances, wearing my wedgewood blue cotton corduroy jacket and red feather weight micro ribbed cashmere turtleneck both by Gucci, vintage wool tartan Scottish scarf, herringbone wool tweed cargo style pants by Alexander McQueen, red leather gloves by Sermoneta, silver leather sneakers and glasses both by Dior.

Photo by Lars Stephan.

“To be overcome by the fragrance of flowers is a delectable form of defeat.”
- Beverley Nichols

James Andrew - NYC - photo by Lars Stephan.

I was recently approached by Dolce & Gabbana’s blog, Swide, to be featured on their wonderful site – I’m thrilled, as you might imagine, and I’ll let you know when to look for it!

The people at D&G as well as many of you do seem curious about our process here at WIJW so I thought to introduce/re-introduce some of the players and give a quick glimpse behind the scenes.

WIJW in process - Turner photgraphs Stephan photographing me!

While much of the original idea for a piece can be quite spontaneous, the bulk of what happens here comes from some fairly methodical planning on my part, which is done a good two to three weeks in advance. There are quite a few elements that need to be sorted out – from scouting a location; to formulating an original idea; finding the most intriguing aspect of the story; to wardrobe planning and securing photographers; etc. etc. – All these logistical aspects can certainly have one’s head spinning, so I do rely quite a bit on a good support team comprised primarily of accomplished artists.

Alexander Scott

I teleconference with my “silent” creative partner and online image manager Alexander Scott in Boston virtually every night (sometimes quite late!) and he edits my written thoughts and raw images, fashioning them into what you see (and hopefully enjoy) the next morning. I’ve always loved his art and design work, as well as his way with words – so bringing him on board was a no-brainer. He also continually applies his discerning eye and technical know-how to create the site’s look with the WIJW aesthetic in mind.

For photography and illustration here in NYC I rely heavily on the efforts of three artists whose efforts are integral to WIJW – Scott McBee, Lars Stephan, and
Nicholas Turner.

I thought it might be fun to share some of the behind the scenes goings-ons at WIJW so I got Nicholas Turner to shoot Lars Stephan shooting me! The concept is a celebration of New York City, so on a rather gray and dreary day we headed over to Brooklyn to take advantage of some of the grand views. I’m sporting a black cotton wide wale corduroy jacket by Gucci, Turnbull and Asser purple cotton shirt with contrast white collar and cuffs, Seaman Schepps black pearl cuff links, Tom Ford cashmere/silk large scale check tie in black, white and purple, Alexander McQueen herringbone wool tweed cargo style pant, silver leather sneakers by Dior and umbrella by Swaine Adeney Brigg.

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