No modesty, no country pastoral, no old-fashioned coziness. Why all this if you are a socialite and one of America’s highest paid fictional women?
Candes Bushnell
The wood-burning fireplace in the living room is a little that has survived from the previous owners. Moroccan poufs, John Derian.
You need to go down the stairs to the living room. On a 1880th century Venetian couch, there is a Geminola pillow. The palm-leafed lamp dates from the XNUMXs.
In the bathroom, the walls are covered with portraits of Candace Bushnell – there is never enough of yourself, your beloved.
The kitchen is the most humble place in the house. Apparently, the hostess does not spend much time here.
Guests like to gather in the “sunny room”. The carpet was purchased at ABC Carpet & Home.
The bed and carpet are designed by Madeleine Weinrib, ABC Carpet & Home. The bedspread and lamps are antique. Above the headboard is a painting by Ellen Kozak.
Candace Bushnell and her husband Charles Askegard.
Candace Bushnell is reclining on a Louis XVI-style sofa bought for the occasion from a familiar novelist and tied with a mint-colored cloth. On the wall is an abstraction by Cayo Fonseca.
Soon the most glamorous writer in the world will celebrate her anniversary – on December 1, she turns 50. I wonder if it would ever occur to anyone to publish a book that would include all the principles by which Mrs. Bushnell became a superstar? Of course, the first – “Do it yourself” – does not shine with originality, it is repeated like a prayer by the whole of America. The second is more interesting: “Success is sexy. Today it often replaces sex. ” And the third: “When in the jungle, dress appropriately.” Developing the thoughts of Candace, we will add on our own behalf: “And the house in which you live should, on the one hand, be your refuge, on the other, add points in this” animal race “for glory.”
In 1996, Candace Bushnell sold all the film rights to her book Sex and the City for just $ 60.
Therefore – no modesty, no country pastoral, no old-fashioned comfort. Why all this if you are a socialite and one of America’s highest paid fictional women? It doesn’t matter that only four books have been written, but each became a bestseller, and the first, Sex and the City, is the starting point for a new philosophy of life in the big city, which the author formulates as follows: “We, women living in New York, we’re not here to chill, we’re here to get things done. ” Most modern Russian women are likely to adopt this slogan. After all, Bushnell herself always achieves what she wants. And this is inspiring!
“I’ve always wanted to live in a palace,” she says ambitiously. – I like gold, crystal candelabra, velvet, , marble … When I didn’t have my own home, I enjoyed staying in the most luxurious hotels in the world. ” But fees grew, and Candace was able to afford to buy property in Greenwich Village – once bohemian, and now one of the most prestigious areas. … “When my husband and I first crossed the threshold of this apartment, we immediately realized that this is what we need, although, objectively speaking, it was in a disastrous state.” But Bushnell is a master at fighting disasters. Before meeting with the soloist of the American Ballet, handsome Charles Askegard, the personal life of the chief sex expert was in such a state – in other words, she was a single woman. And only at the age of 43 she met the “Man of My Dreams”, once again proving the truth of the statement “do not give up, and everything will work out for you.” Photos of the radiant Candace dancing with Charles in Manhattan have been printed in almost all glossy magazines.
“I am convinced that the dressing room is the greatest invention of mankind, as important as the television.”
So, what was the “baseline” of what should have become the “dream home” of the fashionable writer and her husband, who were sarcastically dubbed “Barbie and her Ken” by the press? Built in the 1920s, the building was home to bachelor lairs for budding Wall Street financiers. The first “easy money”, smoke with a rocker, food delivered on demand from the kitchen located in the basement, gin, jazz … Until now, it is forbidden to play musical instruments in the house after eight o’clock in the evening.
“If you dream of living luxuriously, do not be shy about it. After all, our world is a jungle, and modesty has never brought anyone to any good … “
The apartment looked as if a typhoon had swept through it – everything was literally broken and broken, but the bathroom still had a steam shower and a toilet bowl – the same age as the house. “Fantastic! I am sure that it is you who will be able to make a real gem out of this! ” The real estate agent exclaimed. As if he had thrown the “white glove”: they say, will you have enough strength? Bushnell raised her glove (she was always attentive to all the accessories, not just the Manolo Blahnik shoes) and … called her friend Susan Forristal, a former model and now a famous interior designer. “Susan, this apartment has a very good backbone, and I have zero ideas in my head,” she said honestly. But she admitted that she dreamed of making a ballroom in the living room: a black and white checkerboard floor, high ceilings, arched windows, blue walls … Susan acted like a good decorator who would never tell a client that her ideas are crazy, even when it comes to arranging a ballroom in an apartment with an area of 111 square meters. She just sent in a quote for the floor replacement.
“And thus put all my decorating ideas to rest,” laughs Bushnell. And Susan began to put things in order: enlarged the bathroom, carved out space for a huge dressing room. “I am sure that the dressing room is the greatest invention of mankind, no less important than the television,” says Candace Bushnell, who has been considered a “style icon” in America for many years. Then, on the occasion of a friend of the novelist Jay McInerney, a sofa in the style of Louis XVI was bought. Then – gilded candelabra in the form of sheaves and a wonderful lamp with palm leaves. Added to this were tables from the 1920s with mirrored surfaces … Everything, just like the hostess dreamed, shone and shone! And, of course, what kind of house can there be without a “skeleton in the closet”? There is nothing wrong. It’s just that in the living room, behind the bookshelves, there is a bar with a mini-fridge, filled to capacity with champagne.
“Yes, we live no less boring than those bachelors from Wall Street … As they say, dance while you are young …” – Bushnell winks conspiratorially. Well, this is also one of the conditions for success in the modern world – at 50, life just begins …