Have you heard about Pajama Lounges? Apparently they are old news in Italy. Italy gets all the good stuff...pasta and the Pope and shoes. Not in that order, of course. Shoes obviously come first. 

Anyway, in my opinion most rooms should be pajama rooms. Because, pajamas. Here's what house beautiful has to say:

See how I circled it for you? You're welcome. 

The rule in our house is nobody besides us upstairs; and we don't even have a pajama lounge. Yet. But I have always felt that the upper lev...

Wallpaper has become a bit of obsession in the design world and I fully admit my addiction. The reason wallpaper is so popular is because wallpaper is so pretty. And people like to look at pretty things because it’s way more fun than looking at ugly things. This is why Heidi Klum is rich. She’s pretty.

The ugly thing I’ve been looking at is this HEINOUS wall I asked Andy Blackford to paint. It’s supposed be gold. It’s something between the always-sharp-never-used Crayola crayon known as...

know that saying “The cobbler’s children have no shoes” or, “Stephanie Blackford needs a room at the mental hospital?”

Well.

Drew Allman of Board & Bolt made me The Most Stunning Table I’ve Ever Seen and I still wake up every morning and dash to the dining room to make sure it’s real and not just a sick dream. It’s not.

I wasn’t going to show you The Table until I had The Perfect Chairs around it but I am currently lying under The Table drinking my own tears because we are out of gin and because Th...

I grew up with parents who appreciated art. And impeccable manners. And Cheez-Its. Not in that order because anyone with an ounce of taste knows Cheez-Its come first.

My parents weren’t collectors or afficionados or anything close. We didn’t live in a mansion with white walls and gallery lighting. We were your normal everyday suburban family in a nice neighborhood where we swam and rode bikes and roller skated and ate Cheez-Its.

I always felt our house was the best because, well, it was our house...

Ever seen those models that appear to be wearing nothing but chapstick? It actually takes hours to make them look that way. Or so I’ve heard. I’ve never been a model. I know, I know; I’m just as surprised as you.

The same goes for design. Creating a room that is chic-but-comfortable and pulled-together-but-not-too-matchy-matchy is like trying not to choke a model who says sh%$ like I just love to hike or I eat fried chicken at every meal and I can’t seem to gain a pound!  It’s an effort, you...

When you turn ten years old at the Blackford house you get to take a trip anywhere in the continental United States with just Andy Blackford and me. No siblings. It’s become our favorite tradition because it’s a way for us to celebrate one child without the interference of other kids in the mix. And, also, Andy and I drink wine every day at lunch. But mostly it’s the celebrate thing.

Henry hit the big 1-0 this past November and Hilton Head, South Carolina was his destination of choice. Such a sma...

I know there are design experts out there who claim neutral furniture is paramount in building good design. And it's true. For some people. Some of the time....

It's always surprising when people balk at paint colors. It's paint. Not a tattoo. Or a puppy. If you change your mind about paint         you repaint. If you change your mind about the tattoo or the puppy things get dicey. And nobody likes dicey.

So, when our latest client agreed to a blue ceiling we scheduled the painter immediately before she had a chance to panic or check in with her husband because it's the husbands that cause the most problems in...

Imagine there’s no heaven no earth or sky below.... sang John and his wife walked in and stood by the piano and listened. It was as though he couldn’t stop singing it. He knew it was a hit and being a practical guy knew it was to be sung and played by everybody when it was published in a few weeks’ time. Its revealing that I only took one shot of each picture in this sequence because the moments seemed to contain themselves. Both John and Yoko knew it was special too. To all those antique-lovers...

It’s July-something as I write this and I am headed back NYC for a quick trip; but I missed my flight (not my fault - oversold) and am now tucked away in the back corner of the Delta Sky Club. I am not at all sad. Though another woman missed the same flight (totally her fault - late) and she is way sad. And mad. And not at all nice to the gate agent. But she's not here and I am and sometimes nice girls don’t finish last.        

The last time we connected - months ago -...