'A Few of my Favorite Things' for VIE August 2021

Suzanne’s past collection of very rare ‘tea cultivation’ dishes from the Qianlong period c. 1750. (Credit: Christie’s catalogue.)

“Whether we have the brio of an heiress or the confidence of a young boy with pocket money, we can find objects we want to live with at any age. I began collecting as a child in Africa by peeling stamps off letters. A generation later, one of my sons was an aspiring collector in middle school; first Matchbox cars, then on to belt buckles, paid for by his weekend job at a car repair shop. His experience mirrored other collectors who desired to find the choicest objects and discard others as inferior or not up to snuff once he learned more. He faced another common collector dilemma when his belt buckle collection expanded in number: where do I store or display all the items? Yet another problem surfaced because of this particular collection; the size of the buckles themselves expanded, with some as large as salad plates! His imagined future growth must have played a role — a preteen wondering if he would ever be big enough to wear such belt buckles!”

Read more about building and displaying your own personal collection of treasures in the latest issue of VIE Magazine HERE!

'Generosity Never Sleeps' for VIE November

Remember sharing?

“Imagine if we learned about the power of cultivating generosity? The changes that happen in our brain’s wiring—to the way we think, act, and perhaps design our lives—are astounding once we begin a practice. Generosity is a subject in which we can become more proficient. It may start with self-centeredness, but our capacity grows as we move away from that center towards other more genuine motivations. The movement to selflessness often involves a gradual maturation. It takes time, and we all must begin exactly where we happen to find ourselves at the time.”

Read more about generosity, and how to create a practice of your own, in the latest issue of VIE Magazine HERE…

'Traveling the Perfumed Road' for September VIE

“This summer, the scent of the lilies made me revisit the 240-year-old house and 150-year-old spirits, reminisce about their antics, and think of the B&B I always wanted to run — minus the ghosts free to go wherever and do whatever they please, night and day.

Recently, other scents take me places too. The smell of scotch inevitably reminds me of my father. When I was a young girl in Somalia, Jesse Owens came over to our house. My father introduced Mr. Owens as the fastest man in the world, and I thought, No way! He is too old. Jesse and my father sat down with a scotch and water, because that’s what my father drank ever night. I love thinking of the two elegant men drinking scotch together — one a spy and the other a runner — men of a certain time, intelligence, and seasoning, choosing scotch as their cocktail. The type of scotch they chose was part of their curation, just like the music they listened to, the books they read and the roads they traveled.

If it seems like I am just hanging out with spirits in the time of Covid, that is not entirely true. I do more than drink scotch and sniff ginger lilies….”

Read more about the power and persuasion of scent in the latest issue of VIE Magazine, HERE!

"The Architecture of Dinner Party" for August VIE

George Best & his signature champagne stack, 1968. (We won’t tell you NOT to try this at home!)

“If you are asking yourself, Why bother? Let’s just go to a restaurant, STOP! The delights of a private dinner party cannot be replicated in the public arena. No waiting, no crowds, no loud party next to you. No feeling that you have to give up your table before you’re finished talking or eating dessert. At home, you can linger as long as you want under flickering candlelight. You can set your own pace, free from any pressure to give up your seats to those waiting.

You can and should move your guests wherever you please. Summer is for drinks on the balcony and dinner in the garden. Winter means cozy cocktails by the fire and dinner in the candlelit dining room. Spaces help set up moments that soothe, excite, and seduce, creating an atmosphere for meaningful conversation...”

Read the rest of Suzanne’s latest article for VIE Magazine, all about the careful construction of a good old-fashioned dinner party, HERE on their site!