Mansion In May

Every 2 years a vacant mansion is taken over by the designer showhouse, Mansion In May.  This was the 2nd year I was hired to photograph the entire mansion – so my 3 (amazing!) assistants and I set out for the 3 day shoot wherein we shot 35 rooms and the landscaped grounds of the Fawn Hill Farm.  It is so exciting to see the choices that the designers make without the influence of a homeowner sitting on their shoulder.  They can be bold.  They can be creative.  However, it can be a bit tricky to capture as each room is often drastically different from its adjacent rooms.  Some spaces are slick and modern while next door is a dark and traditional styled space.  Some are covered in soft pastels while others are clothed in primary colors.  It is my job to capture the individual personality of each room without having its neighbor peeking around the corner!

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Red.

Though this space is not located in Montclair- the designer, Rachael Grochowski of RHG A+D, is based out of Montclair.  These communal spaces at a large residential complex in NJ were both fun & challenging to shoot.  Red is a powerful color.  So often public communal spaces are muted shades of tan, grey, or green.  Rachael’s red is bold!  I’ve shot five of Rachael’s projects & there’s often a touch of red somewhere and it works beautifully.  Even her logo is red!

Montclair? Maybe.

I’ve spent a lot of time shooting in New Jersey these past few weeks.  A handful of shoots have been in Montclair, a town that kind of feels like an extension of New York City (they even have a Red Mango!).  Everyone I’ve met that lives there, both my clients & my clients clients, formerly lived in NYC & never thought they would end up in Jersey.  Four years ago I vowed I would never leave Manhattan, and 6 months later we moved to Brooklyn.  Earlier this year, I recall vowing that as long as I’m on the east coast, I will live in Brooklyn.  I’ve recently stopped vowing because you never know what the future holds.  Maybe, just maybe, Montclair could be in our cards…but you didn’t hear that from me.

Architecture & Interior Design by Stacy Millman of SKM Design.  SKM Website coming soon!

Men at the Mall.

This summer I found myself begrudgingly at The Short Hills Mall in New Jersey.  While longing to leave (as I am not a fan of shopping, nonetheless at the mall!), I spotted these men.  Why were they at the mall?  Something tells me they have female counterparts shopping while they sit as if they are in the waiting room of a doctor’s office waiting for someone to come tell them the diagnosis.  My men at the mall diagnosis:

Husband: Bored & Poor. Wife: Who cares!  She’s got a whole new wardrobe!