This issue of CLOVER takes on a personal note. As I draft this letter, Velvet Touch is downstairs packing up our beloved house as we prepare to move from our home in Houston, Texas back to New York. We came to Houston just over two years ago after a twenty-year stint in New York. When our decision to move to Houston became final, my first call was to long-time decorator extraordinaire and dear, dear friend ROB SOUTHERN. Being a creature of habit certainly not accustomed to sweeping change, Rob adroitly talked me off of the proverbial skinny branch, rallying for me both personally and professionally. He went on to create a series of rooms more “perfectly me” than even I could have imagined. My family didn’t so much as fall in love with fabrics or wallpaper but with how great it felt to live in the house. For me, this is the critical point at which masterful design goes from being just plain masterful to life-changing. We will miss our house, the wonderful friends we made, and the richly sophisticated and understated elegance of Houston but we’re excited to be returning to a life we knew so well.
I’ve chosen to open myself up to you and feature our Houston house in THE WELL. The project was beautifully photographed by Victoria Pearson for the September, 2009 issue of HOUSE BEAUTIFUL and here we’re able to share even more of her dreamy pictures. Call me sentimental, but I think it warrants one more glance. It reflects my point of view and has inspired me in many ways. So here it is – and as always, won’t you please
be in touch.
All the best,
Chesie Breen
Photo: Jenny Antill