Category: Interior

The Stotesbury Emerald just sold at Sotheby's Magnificent Jewels auction for $1 million, and while the 34-carat hexagon-shaped stone is stunning in its own right, the gem's pedigree - it passed through the collections of three socialite jewelry collectors and two iconic jewelry houses - is really what makes it interesting.

Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy are icons of an era. It was a time in which music greats like Frank Sinatra gifted the President with, say, an engraved silver clock, and former prime minister Margaret Thatcher sent her love with engraved silver beakers. Now, these items from Reagan's Bel Air home are going up for sale at a Christie's auction in the Private Collection of President and Mrs.

Sotheby's predicted last month that the exquisite "Apollo" and "Artemis" diamond earrings would sell at their springtime Magnificent Jewels & Noble Jewels auction in Geneva for up to $68 million. And their estimate wasn't far off. The rare pink and blue jewels actually went for an undeniably impressive $57,425,478, a price tag that makes them the world's most expensive earrings ever sold at auction.

CLOCKWISE FROM BOTTOM LEFT: James de Givenchy for Taffin 's ring stars a lustrous natural pearl center; $65,000, 212-421-6222. Flora by Bulgari sets alluring multicolor petals against 18K gold; $15,700, 800-285-4274. Sillam 's Daisy sparkles in showstopping white and yellow diamonds; $34,780, 310-203-3361.

Be organized: Look at what you have. Make a list and select the tableware and décor you want to use. Knowing what you have to work with will make you less stressed when creating your look. Think about the menu: You want your table to work with the meal. "Think about what you are serving and plan the décor around that," advises Padma Lakshmi, host of Top Chef.

During the school year, the family of five runs its complex domestic operations-travel sports teams, homework tsunamis, a cacophony of music lessons-out of a large, classic co-op apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side. The action never seems to slow down, much less stop. But once summer rolls around, everything grinds to a glorious halt.

Now, this is a rock. A classic emerald-cut, 100-carat diamond worth $19-$25 million will be up for grabs at Sotheby's in New York on April 21st. According to the Associated Press, the auction house is calling the stone a "perfect" diamond and says that it's "the only classic emerald-cut diamond of the highest color and clarity and over 100 carats to come into auction.

Persian-born, Swiss-educated, and London-based, the interior designer known simply as Alidad is very much a citizen of the world. Or, as he himself puts it, a little more self-deprecatingly: “I belong everywhere and nowhere - and I rather like that.” Fir cones and fruit lend a seasonal touch to the mantelpiece in the drawing room.

IN 1859, AS CIVIL WAR DRUMS BEGAN TO BEAT STEADILY LOUDER, Beaufort, South Carolina, resident Dr. Joseph Johnson made an unlikely decision: He was going to build the largest, most magnificent house in town. And despite a Union blockade of the ship carrying his European balustrades, ironwork, and marble fireplace mantels, he did just that.

Photography Eric Sander. © The Architecture of Diplomacy: The British Ambassador's Residence in Washington, Flammarion, 2014. The British Ambassador's Residence, designed by renowned architect Sir Edwin Lutyens, has served as an architectural, historical and diplomatic figure for years. Now, in a new book, The Architecture of Diplomacy: The Residence of the British Ambassador to Washington, written by Anthony Seldon and Daniel Collings, readers are invited inside for a glimpse into the lavish in

America's most celebrated francophile, Thomas Jefferson, famously referred to his tour of France as “a peep into Elysium.” It was the promise of one day savoring such mercurial qualities of joie de vivre that sustained an American couple and their longtime accomplice, Bunny Williams, during their renovation of a farmhouse in Provence.

In Paris, France, the Place Vendôme is studded with landmarks of luxury: The Ritz Paris, the Chanel Fine Jewelry Boutique, and Louis Vuitton Paris Vendôme all call the square home. And now, visitors to the area in Paris's 1st arrondissement will have a new way to experience that sought-after opulence, even if they can't afford to buy a diamond necklace or a night at an expensive hotel.

Update 08/24/17: Back in January, iconic actress Jane Fonda listed her impressive three-bedroom, five-bathroom Beverly Hills estate for $12.995 million. In March, she reduced the price to $11.5 million, and just recently cut it down even farther to $10 million. Fonda purchased a stunning townhouse is L.

At his mountain retreat, designer John Oetgen forgoes antlers, logs, and taxidermy for things more personal: family heirlooms, contemporary art…and a touch of whimsy. Perched at 4,100 feet, on the outskirts of Highlands, North Carolina, the weekend home of interior designer John Oetgen has a casual grandeur that belies its humble exterior.

Jesse James himself may have never stepped foot in this historic Kentucky bank on that fateful day in 1868 -- he was too busy recovering from a gunshot wound -- but the rest of the James Gang left a lasting impression when they made off with $9,000 from one of the bank's vaults. According to Realtor.

For jewelry designer Elizabeth Locke, there's no better way to relax than spending some downtime in the garden. "The greenhouse is the joy of my existence," she told One King's Lane. "If I get home late at night from a long trip, I'll take a flashlight and go see what's in bloom." Given that degree of dedication, it's hard to believe that Locke and her husband lived on her 100-acre Virginia estate for 30-something years before turning to an architect to design the garden.

"You never want a house to look like Garanimals. There's really nothing worse than matchy-matchy," says interior designer Alessandra Branca, referring to the children's clothing lines in which no two pieces clash. As luck would have it, her clients, who reside in a 19th-century townhouse in one of Chicago's prime neighborhoods, felt exactly the same way.

There was a time when luxury was defined by a price tag, but a new exhibit at The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is turning that notion on its head. The exhibit - entitled "What Is Luxury?" - seeks to answer that very question by way of more than 100 over-the-top design concepts, including diamonds made from roadkill and a 24-karat gold skipping stone.

In 1927, Oscar G. Mayer - the son of the founder of the meat processing company - purchased a chateauesque mansion in Evanston, Illinois, that remained in the family for 40 years. Now, real estate attorney Scott Hargadon and his business partner, James Kastenholz, are restoring the home to its former glory.

Veere Grenney Veere Grenney, founder of Veere Grenney Associates and VERANDA 2013 Magic Maker thinks a penchant for design is part of your DNA, and loves working with "inspired amateurs." The New Zealand born, London-based designer explains his passion for Tangier, tells us what's really a splurge, and more.