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Articles by Frances Bailey
Framed by the Sea
Hiring designer Lucy Doswell was all about kismet. The homeowner, who lived in Connecticut and had admired a particular room in her friend’s East Hampton, New York, home, had separately been tipped off to Doswell’s work. So she followed the designer on Instagram. Years later, when considering whom to hire for a new home she and her husband were building on North Carolina’s Figure Eight Island, she came across a photograph of that very room on Doswell’s feed.
Loans from family and friends: gifts or debts?
When relationships break down, separating the couple’s finances is rarely straightforward. One issue that comes up time and again is where money has been provided by family, or sometimes even friends. In happier times the couple may have been aligned as to the need (or not) to repay any such assistance but on separation disputes may arise, with real implications for both outcome and the cost and time taken to reach a settlement. Why this issue arises so often?
The Sunny Side
WITH ITS HAPPY-GO-LUCKY PALM TREES AND HONEYDEW SHUTTERS, designer Cece Bowman’s 1940s Colonial home in West Palm Beach revels in its Florida-ness, which is just one reason she and her husband, Nick, loved it from the start. “It wasn’t even listed on MLS. We drove by, and there was a sign outside that said ‘For sale by owner,’ ” she remembers. “We called, and then, when we walked in, we gave each other the eye.
Tour a Hamptons Shingle-Style Home Designed for Laid-Back Entertaining
Sculptural furniture led the way for a traditional home’s reboot. October 06, 2025 by Annette Rose-Shapiro | Photographs by Jacob Snavely | Styled by Frances Bailey To learn more about designer Hilary Matt, click here. Photography by Jacob Snavely, styling by Frances Bailey When a couple decided to escape the city, they purchased a Shingle-style house in the Hamptons and lived in it for a year—along with the previous homeowners’ furnishings—before beginning the journey of making it their own.
Outside Interest
CAY AND CRAIG Stevenson, along with their now 13-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter, were on the hunt for a place their whole family could enjoy when they fell for this lakefront spot not far from their hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina. “We loved the house, but it was really the property that drew us to it,” says Cay of its large, flat lot and quiet cove with a beach.
Turning the Page
WHEN KIM NOLAND decided to take on a complete renovation of a 120-year-old home in Athens, Georgia, she had a fresh start in mind. On the heels of a divorce, she desired a welcoming place for herself and her three children—Mary Abbott (now 14), Caroline (12), and Trip (10)—to begin a new phase, and the house was ready for its own sequel. “It felt like exactly what we needed,” she says.
Harboring Tradition
The owners of Seastone laugh when they recall their initial visit to the boulder-strewn property. “It was actually funny,” the wife says. “We heard it was coming on the market, but during our visit, the older couple [who owned the home] closely questioned us, to make sure we would be acceptable stewards of their beloved house. We were in love with its protective stone walls from the 1700s, the tumbling gardens, and glorious view of the harbor.
Tour a Newly Built Shingle-Style Revival in Litchfield County
A longtime family home is completely rebuilt for contemporary living. January 27, 2025 by Mindy Pantiel | Photographs by Tim Lenz Photography | Styled by Frances Bailey A statue from the homeowner’s travels rests against a paneled wall, the latter introduced by interior designer Dana Koebbe to add character.
A Compelling Reinvention
Equal attention was paid to each of the smaller parlor-like rooms on the main floor. Although these rooms are connecting spaces, Tami and Krista made sure that each one presents its own special identity with varying palettes and furniture styles, unique lighting, and decorative accents. The clients gave the designers wide latitude when it came to the interiors—they had worked with them on another house, so a level of trust was established.
A Compelling Reinvention
Equal attention was paid to each of the smaller parlor-like rooms on the main floor. Although these rooms are connecting spaces, Tami and Krista made sure that each one presents its own special identity with varying palettes and furniture styles, unique lighting, and decorative accents. The clients gave the designers wide latitude when it came to the interiors—they had worked with them on another house, so a level of trust was established.
This 760-Square-Foot Manhattan Apartment Is a Master Class in Organization Original
“I would say this apartment has changed a million times?” Kevin Barba-Hill says while turning to his husband, Josh. The upward tonal shift makes this exaggeration sound both absurd and entirely feasible. The couple, both interior designers, transformed their 760-square-foot, one-bedroom home on the Upper East Side into an opulent, multifunctional residence where every square inch was carefully considered. The space also serves as Josh’s office since launching his firm, Barba-Hill Design, in 2022.
Room with a View
How do you create a classic Nantucket home that can take advantage of spectacular views with lofty ceilings and generous gathering spaces? What about effortlessly handling the bustle of an active family and the many comings and goings of guests? You flip it upside down, of course. That was just what the homeowners requested when in 2015 they engaged Connecticut-based architect Robert Dean to realize their New England island ideal.
Midsummer Dreaming
When a young family of four set out to make a circa-2006 Southampton retreat their own, it would be a renovation with an eye for color, an appreciation of traditional details, and the expertise of Janie Jones and Elizabeth Miles of Birmingham, Alabama–based Hundley Hilton Interiors. The homeowners already had a distinct and elegant style, so the designers knew their goal would be to echo that in a way that left no detail overlooked.
Jamie Garcia Brings Her Designer Touch to a Greenwich Home
Updating a classical Colonial into a rich oasis of calm. How do you manage to make a Greenwich Colonial feel updated and classic without it looking like every other house on the street? The answer, according to interior designer Jamie Garcia, is as simple as listening to your client. Garcia, a designer based in Greenwich and Newport, RI, met the client through a referral and they immediately hit it off. “Jamie was so easy and pleasant to work with.
Fine Folk
At a ripe 30 years old, it was full midlife crisis. This classic shingle-style house on Maine’s mid-coast had, for three decades, served as summer central for a Massachusetts family. They loved its tucked-away waterfront locale and salty New England charm, but the home’s dark interiors, cramped kitchen, and general sense of the blahs begged for a refresh. Plus, grandkids were now in the mix, so additional sandy feet toddling around necessitated rethinking the flow and functionality.
Made From Memory
Beautiful memories live on—especially when they become the threads that weave through a home. That’s what happened in this freshly built traditional house in East Memphis, Tennessee, where interiors explode in floral chintzes, undulating wallpapers, and jewel hues. Each element speaks to current-day design as it also nudges awake fond recollections of the homeowner’s past, her beloved growing-up days of the 1970s.
Inside an Eclectically Traditional Home All the Way Upstate
My mother, Barbara Atkins Puig, was the embodiment of elegance and class, a force of nature who celebrated whimsy and joy and made the impossible possible. She was our Alice, and we lived in Wonderland every day. But her life, much like the home she and I designed together, was left unfinished when she suddenly passed away in April 2020. Despite my grief and feelings of devastation and loss, I was determined to follow her lead and finish the project we had started—to make the impossible possible.
Happy Place
When Britt Taner first went to visit her mother in the town of Windsor, Florida, it didn’t take long to fall hard. “It was like a playground for our whole family,” Taner says of the planned barrier island community just north of Vero Beach. “We immediately started dreaming of how we could live here ourselves.” Their wish materialized quickly when they slid into a small cottage in town, but when their family of six outgrew the abode, Taner started thinking more permanently.
Breaking Tradition
For Ashley Sharpe, stepping into this Chatham, Massachusetts, retreat was like turning a page to a perfect canvas. “This house is beloved in Cape Cod—you regularly see people stopping on the beach to photograph it,” says Sharpe, whose New York–based design firm works frequently in Palm Beach. “The architecture is really striking, and the views are like something out of a movie.” When Sharpe came on board, however, her canvas was anything but blank.
Upbeat Colors and Rehabbed Rescues Take This 1920s New Jersey Foursquare from Basic to Bold
Releasing an array of upbeat colors in every room turned this designer's New Jersey home into a treasure better than a pot of gold. The best part? Half the furniture pieces are secondhand scores. By Jennifer Fernandez and Frances Bailey April 23, 2021 Virginia Toledo may have grown up in Brooklyn and lived most of her life nearby, but when it came to creating a look for her current home in New Jersey, her inspiration came from farther away.
Nantucket Charmer
Finding the perfect summerhouse can often best be described as kismet. You search and search, rent and rent, and then, suddenly, it happens. For one energetic Philadelphia family—with four children ages 11 to 18 and the inevitable gang of friends and family that follow—that story is familiar. “We’ve been coming to Nantucket for 23 years,” says the husband, explaining that they rented all over the island until 15 years ago, when they found ’Sconset, a quiet village on the eastern shore.
The Best Little Cottages On The Coast
We all have a thing for them—small(ish) hideaways just a short hop from the water. Cottages are big on soul and slim on excess, and have character for days. Here, get to know the spirited shore dwellers who have met their match: a New Yorker who rescued a Bahamian colonial, an Oregon couple who brought their cottage dreams to sea level, and a pair of old-house lovers who breathed new life into a fisherman’s shack.
Happy Colors and Vintage Finds Lend Easygoing Style to This Designer's Home
Bella Mancini's house is the embodiment of carefree summer style. She shares her secrets to creating a home that feels personal, collected, and happily imperfect. By Jason Tesauro , Frances Bailey and Monika Eyers June 09, 2020 For interior designer Bella Mancini, decorating her family's Greenport, NY, home hasn't been a pick-fast, spend-big, love-at-first-sight summer fling. It's been a slow and steady relationship between house and designer going on for 13 years now.
Water Color
REINVENT THE SEA With a single charge from the homeowner to find a backsplash that mirrored the Gulf of Mexico views, Anne Scott Shelley and Allison Smith set out to determine just how literal a match to make it. “We needed to find something that looked like the water but wasn’t an actual seascape on the back wall,” says Smith. With shades that vary from square to square, the Clé terra-cotta tiles fill the bill.
View Master
Perched high above Central Park, this Upper West Side apartment moves the heart and uplifts the soul with its bird’s-eye views, transporting its empty-nester owners. Yet their Southern hearts yearned for the pied-à-terre to take them somewhere more: home. “The couple live in a house and wanted a sense of a house when they’re in the city,” designer Alexa Hampton says.
Wow With White Paint: See This Florida Cottage's Incredible Transformation
Haile McCollum Haile and Ben McCollum revived a tired, old beach home. Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission. Looking for Paradise Hector Manuel Sanchez; Styling: Frances Bailey "I drew a circle with a 200-mile radius around our home in Thomasville, Georgia. Anywhere with water would do—a river, lake, or ocean.
Shazalynn Cavin-Winfrey Designed a Playful Pennsylvania Retreat Called Bunny Hop Cottage
Printed on the wallpaper, shaped into statuettes and lamps, even woven into the pattern of a rug—everywhere you look in this house, bunnies hop. It’s a family affair, in fact: The rambling, eight- bedroom stone structure in Buck Hill Falls, Pennsylvania—a Poconos enclave established by Quakers in 1901—is named Bunny Hop Cottage in honor of the owner’s grandmother.
Before + After: This Interior Designer Transformed A Tiny Apartment Into All Of Our Dream NYC Loft
Jacob Snavely Photography Interior designer Tina Ramchadani and her husband were beginning to think they’d never find an apartment in Manhattan when she stumbled upon a listing that caught her eye. “In 2015, we were looking to buy and there was nothing out there that I really loved and everything was above our budget. We were looking at absolutely every listing 'til I found this one on StreetEasy," she says.
10 Holiday Hacks for Your Small Space
Turn Fruit Into a Tabletop Stunner Make the easiest ever (!) centerpiece for your sit-down supper. Dark plums and red pomegranates - or any moody edibles - look chic displayed in a brass bowl.
9 Colorful Ways to Bring More Joy to Your Home
Luxe Lighting Change your lighting to match your mood with Philips Hue bulbs and the Philips Hue app. With the tap of a button on your smartphone, go from a muted orange glow to a bright, sexy red. You'll feel like a professional lighting designer, and have the perfect ambience to prove it.Philips Hue White and Color Ambiance Starter Kit, $199SHOP
The New Tech Your Home Needs Now
We’re smitten with the latest hassle-free technologies that make running a household easier. The best part? They're totally within your reach. These clever upgrades automate daily chores and eliminate worries so you can play more —and even better, we've hand picked beautiful pieces of furniture to complement each. Check out our favorite smart (and stunning) solutions. For the Yard Because first impressions are everything, give your front lawn some tech-aided TLC.
12 Simple Ways to Elevate Your Space
Courtesy of the designers We asked three of this year's A-List designers, Katie Maine, Peter Dunham and David Mann, to share images of their favorite projects—plus, they've found impressive pieces available for you to buy now to achieve the stunning looks. Summer makeover, coming right up. 1 Layer textures “This room was a study in texture because the color was monochromatic," says Katie Maine of Maine Design. "We wanted the room to feel really tactile.
The 21 Best Ways To Get The Golden Touch
Badgley Mischka, Jayson Home, Van Collier
20 Round Mirrors That Double As Wall Art
Beloved by designers for reflecting light and making a space feel larger, mirrors create a focal point and help balance a room. Decorating with them has never been easier, with exciting new options — like the 20 we rounded up here — taking cues from wall art, featuring bolder, more embellished designs than ever before.
16 Best Outdoor Furniture Pieces For Small Spaces
Serena & Lily, Frontgate, Blu Dot
18 Ways To Embrace The Fish Scale Trend At Home
Whether it’s a toe dip or a full immersion, this whimsical motif has designers hooked. When shown in metallics, the fish scale pattern goes uptown, but it can also have a decidedly exotic sensibility, proving itself to be truly versatile. From elegant bathroom tiles to a fresh spring tablescape, here are ways to bring this playful pattern into your home.
How to Get and Stay Organized
They're perfect for a baby nursery, or just to look forward to spring.
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