Lee Ainslie went to business school in North Carolina, a hub of the U.S. furniture industry, but when he moved to Dallas to start Maverick Capital after working for Julian Robertson in New York, he had nary a chair.

Literally, we didnt have any furniture between us, we had a futon, Ainslies wife, Elizabeth, said last night at the Cooper Hewitt museums National Design Awards Gala.

To address the situation, some 20 years ago, the couple hired a professional interior decorator, Jane Rejebian, who helped turn Elizabeth into a designer herself.

Ive just loved it, Elizabeth said. Its been a part-time thing for me, something I can do as often or as little as I wanted to do, raising children. The Ainslies have two sons, Ford and John.

Elizabeths style is modern and traditional. I like using antiques, but I love contemporary art.

Her favorite perch at home in Brookville, New York, is watching TV or reading in bed. Her husbands is the comfortable leather chair in my office, he said.

And Lees favorite desk accessory? Its corny, but its the pictures of my family, he said. I have about 20 of them.

Last night the couple were co-chairmen of the National Design Awards, held at Pier 60 at Chelsea Piers. Among the 11 winners were Etsy for corporate and institutional achievement, Narciso Rodriguez for fashion, and Spire, a wearable health-tracking device, in the Peoples Design Award category.

At the Ainslies table: Ellen Niven, who owns a design shop in Locust Valley, New York (leather trays and umbrella stands from Spain are currently popular, she said); Chip Allemann, who works in golf course management, and John Danzer, a garden furniture designer under the label Munder-Skiles.

Elizabeth is a board member of the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian National Design Museum, housed in a 64-room mansion built for Andrew Carnegie from 1899 to 1902 on Fifth Avenues Millionaires Row. After a major renovation, the museum will re-open on Dec. 12.

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Scene Last Night: Ainslie, Colbert, Isay, Soldier Stories

By RIK STEVENS Associated Press

ST. JOHNSBURY, Vt. (AP) - A man told police he poured vodka into the IV feeding tube of his girlfriend's disabled 13-year-old son to settle him down, a dose of alcohol that contributed to his death, according to court documents released Wednesday.

Walter Richters and Melissa Robitille, both 38, were charged with second-degree murder in the Aug. 22 death of Isaac Robitille. They entered not-guilty pleas at their arraignment Wednesday afternoon in Caledonia County and were ordered held without bail. Neither spoke.

"There is great evidence of guilt," said Maria Byford, deputy state's attorney.

Isaac was born with significant medical conditions and disabilities that required the assistance of caretakers for up to 80 hours a week. Feeding tubes supplied him with a strict diet of a pediatric nutritional drink, baby formula, water and vitamins. Court records show that Robitille told police that an insurance foul-up meant she was paying $800 a month for the formulas.

Isaac's health conditions included a brain abnormality listed as the cause of death with alcohol listed as a contributing factor. An autopsy showed his blood alcohol content was .146 percent, about twice the legal limit for adult drivers.

"I feel for her, whatever it was that happened," said Aisha Cameron, who befriended Robitille in a writer's group and described seeing nothing but love for Isaac whenever she visited. "They had a profound connection."

Richters told police in an interview Tuesday that he drank a fifth of vodka and played video games. He said he had asked Robitille if he could give Isaac a little vodka "as he was acting fussy" and she answered that it wouldn't hurt. He said he poured into the IV bag for about two seconds. Richters said he then passed out in a chair, and when he woke up the next morning, Robitille had already found Isaac dead.

Richters said he and the boy bonded when Isaac hugged him during a nap.

Robitille told police that she had drunk three or four beers the same night and initially said she gave Isaac about 3 teaspoons of vodka. She later changed her story to agree with Richters' version of events, police said. She plugged in a baby monitor because she was worried about the vodka, court records show.

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Cops: Pair put booze in boy's IV, factor in death

Businesswoman Kesia Estwick wants to bring peace and happiness to your home. Through her relatively young business, My Zen, she intends do just that with unique pieces.

Known more as a fashion designer whose Kiss The Girl line has graced international catwalks, she is using her talents to create throw cushions, accent pillows, plant pots, candles, curtains and bed linens.

She told the BARBADOS BUSINESS AUTHORITY she always wanted to get into interior decorating and given the clothing line was seasonal in nature and sales were slowing down, now was as good a time as any to step assertively into this aspect of her business.

My Zen is very young; I started earlier this year. It is always something I wanted to do, even before I got into fashion designing. I just like to use my hands cooking fashion designing. It started as just a hobby while I was doing Kiss. I started during the down period, Estwick said.

She will not be giving up the fashion designing though, as she explained that is still a main source of income. However, she said that even though she has her regular customers, this summer was slower than last year.

It was in February this year that she exhibited some of the products in her line at Girlfriends Expo.

There was a good response. People were interested, including a wedding planner. I would say there was a really good response, she added.

Since then she has done throw pillows, accent cushions and floral arrangements for clients. The flowers were made from scratch using wood for stems and fabric for the flower petals. It was harder to create the petals, she said, as she explained the process, but she got it done.

With less than 90 days until Christmas, the businesswoman is optimistic about offering her home accents to a number of clients.

The plant pots will be up-cycled, with her using regular pots and applying the papier mch technique to give them a unique look. The candles will also be different as will be bed linens. Everything she makes will be branded My Zen.

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Interior spin on fashion design

Toll Design - Mementos
What is one of the best ways to make your new home feel like YOUR home? In this episode of Toll Lifestyle TV, award-winning interior decorator Mary Cook stop...

By: Toll Brothers, Inc.

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MANCHESTER The opening of a new center for entrepreneurs at MCC on Main is the highlight of Imagine Main Street's First Thursday event.

The dedication of the Viscogliosi Entrepreneurship Center is set for Thursday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The event will include remarks by Tom Chappell, co-founder of Tom's of Maine and Ramblers Way Farm, and Mayor Jay Moran.

The center was made possible by a donation from residents Paula and Anthony Viscogliosi, organizers said. The center is meant to provide students, entrepreneurs and small business owners "with opportunities to explore and develop their business passion and vision through innovative and informative educational and networking opportunities," said officials from Manchester Community College

Anthony Viscogliosi is "an accomplished entrepreneur and business strategist with a track record for leading businesses from startup, through commercialization and expansion," college officials said. Paula Viscogliosi is also an entrepreneur and interior decorator who created a rug design and manufacturing business, with gallery locations in Manhattan.

Tom Chappell is an entrepreneur, environmentalist, philanthropist and author. After Chappell and his wife, artist Kate Cheney Chappell, settled in Maine to live a lifestyle closely connected to nature, they founded Tom's of Maine, a pioneer in the natural personal care business.

A reception will follow the dedication. The event is free and open to the public, but space is limited and reservations are required. For more information, contact Diana Reid at 860-512-2909.

Other First Thursday events, beginning at 5:30 p.m., will include:

695-713 Main St. Plein Air Crafts Market by Katherine's Hair Design; salsa tasting at Los Sarapes; wine tasting at Sean's Fine Jewelry; pumpkin painting demonstration and sale by students from Cheney Technical High School; music by Brian Kenney.

785 Main St. 41 Closets, women's consignment boutique. Shop and enjoy music by Daniel Paul, accoustic guitarist.

793 Main St. Coventry Farms, Market on Main and deli tasting.

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Manchester Entrepreneur Center To Open Thursday At Imagine Main Street Event

We each have our little everyday annoyances, things that, although repeatedly experienced, still drive us crazy. Whether its slang expressions, slow drivers or rude salespeople, pet peeves might be defined as slightly petty yet highly individualized, strong reactions to common daily occurrences.

As an interior decorator, I have some home styling pet peeves of my own. They include:

Neutral interiors: Although I can certainly appreciate the quiet beauty of tone-on-tone neutrals, I am referring to rooms in which there are no hints (let alone pops) of color. White, cream or beige walls are the perfect palette upon which to build an interesting room, but please do not fill the space with more brown, beige and cream accents. It is a safe move, but usually yields boring results. Infuse touches of your favorite colors throughout your living spaces.

Matching furniture sets: I once had a friend who needed her new living room furnished, so she went to a brand name store and bought the entire sample room, shelf accessories and all. I understand the desire to furnish a house quickly, but that is no reason to relocate a retail showroom into your home. Creating a new space includes the opportunity to add your favorite colors, collectibles and sense of style.

Wall art: too high, too low, too much, too little; hanging art perfectly requires planning, time and intention. Size, color, material and subject should be considered. More than the specific height, I think art should be hung relative to the things around it: large pieces on large walls, horizontal pieces above long things, and groupings with coordinated materials, for example.

A desk in the master bedroom: the epitome of bad feng shui, there is nothing good about falling asleep and waking up to a visual reminder of work: bills to be paid, papers to sign and documents to file. The guest room, hallway or kitchen corner are better places to relocate this functional yet usually stress-producing workspace.

Window sills: As I have said before, window sills are architectural features, not display areas. An occasional plant or the perfect decorative accent may be appropriate, but overall, I think window sills should be kept bare and clean, and windows accessible.

Mismatched towels: Sometimes bathroom towels are the only soft, clean items in the room, so it bothers me to see a collection of various colors thrown over the rods or hanging from hooks or the back of the door. Towels are a daily comfort and relatively inexpensive to buy. Make the commitment and buy a set of matching towels in various sizes, like a real grown-up.

Last but not least, Kleenex boxes! It always strikes me as a huge miss-step when allergy sufferers have boxes of tissues in every room, in a plethora of wild patterns and bright colors. I love that companies make them to match every possible color or decorating scheme, bit I am peeved that people cant take the time to pick a box that coordinates with their room. (By the way, one box per living space should suffice.)

Oh did anyone solicit my opinion?

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House Calls: Decorators too have their pet peeves

Second Life - The Virtual SS Galaxy Cruise Ship revisited 2014
Second Life - The Virtual SS Galaxy Cruise Ship revisited 2014 I #39;m glad I went back. I was able to virtually cruise right up along side the ship in my own little virtual boat. They connected...

By: Sophia Yates

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Second Life - The Virtual SS Galaxy Cruise Ship revisited 2014 - Video

Monday, September 22, 2014, by Lily di Costanzo

From the tomes of Curbed SF comes the sordid tale of this famed mega-manse in Hillsborough, Calif, which "has a long history full of long-standing San Francisco social royalty, botched subdivision plans to cover divorce fees, and dreamy interior design, plus some high-end architectural pedigree to boot." Built in 1916 by the daughter and son-in-law of French Nobleman Count Christian de Guigne, the 16,000-square-foot Guigne Court boasts, among a whole lot of other things, seven bedrooms, a ballroom, a flower-arranging room, a servants' wing with four maids' rooms and two chauffeurs' rooms. After being passed to subsequently richer and richer descendantsincluding an heiress who hired famed midcentury interior decorator Anthony Hail to design the interiors of the estate in the 1960sthe home eventually popped up on the market last February for a cool $100M, with the rather ludicrous stipulation that the owner not be able to move in until the 76-year-old current owner pass on. More on the fall-out of the comically out-of-touch demand, plus a bit more on the many rabble-rousing tenants, below.

More scandalous details, right this way. >>

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Blockbusters: Learn All the Secrets of This 'San Fran Social Royalty' Manse

Habitat for Humanity gives mom and son new life Habitat for Humanity gives mom and son new life

Updated: Saturday, September 20 2014 11:44 PM EDT2014-09-21 03:44:46 GMT

Voncille Chaney and her 11-year-old son Ahmai just unlocked the front-door to the first home they've ever owned.It's a great feeling. It's a wonderful feeling Voncille Chaney said."But it's all still so surreal right now."

Voncille Chaney and her 11-year-old son Ahmai just unlocked the front-door to the first home they've ever owned.It's a great feeling. It's a wonderful feeling Voncille Chaney said."But it's all still so surreal right now."

Updated: Friday, September 19 2014 12:08 PM EDT2014-09-19 16:08:30 GMT

Starting next week, 100 buses and two subway stations will display anti-Islam advertisements despite efforts by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to block them. The organization known as the American Freedom Defense Initiative, which has posted similar ads in the past in New York City, Boston and Washington, D.C., reportedly paid $100K for the campaign.

Starting next week, 100 buses and two subway stations will display anti-Islam advertisements despite efforts by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to block them. The organization known as the American Freedom Defense Initiative, which has posted similar ads in the past in New York City, Boston and Washington, D.C., reportedly paid $100K for the campaign.

Updated: Thursday, September 18 2014 9:02 AM EDT2014-09-18 13:02:02 GMT

Bustling Astoria, Queens is celebrating the many diverse cuisines found throughout the neighborhood with Astoria Restaurant Week. The event runs from Sept. 19- Sept. 28. Participating restaurants include: MP Taverna, MexiBBQ, Marketa, Pachanga Patterson, Vesta Vino and many more. Prices vary by restaurant Many are offering special prix fixemenus for $25, $35 or $45.

Bustling Astoria, Queens is celebrating the many diverse cuisines found throughout the neighborhood with Astoria Restaurant Week. The event runs from Sept. 19- Sept. 28. Participating restaurants include: MP Taverna, MexiBBQ, Marketa, Pachanga Patterson, Vesta Vino and many more. Prices vary by restaurant Many are offering special prix fixemenus for $25, $35 or $45.

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Habitat for Humanity gives mom and son new life

An 1805 stone manor house is Historic Ellicott City's 2014 Decorator Show House. Situated on 110 acres in Glenelg, Meriwether Farm, a two-story 5,757-square-foot home, received a three-month makeover by more than a dozen interior designers in preparation for the show, which opens Satuday, Sept. 20, and runs through Oct. 19.

"It is such a popular event," said Joyce Pope, executive director of HEC. "We generally have 150 visitors per day."

Those visitors will get to explore a house that rebounded after a devastating fire in 1950 that destroyed most of its interior rooms except the original staircase and front walls.

"A good section of the house caught fire," Pope said. "They tried to salvage as much of the historic aspects as they could."

By all accounts, the house, which sat vacant a few years and is on the market, was in sound shape, Pope said. While the outside needed work, such as landscaping, the inside needed little compared to past Decorator Show Houses.

"These old houses are not wired for modern times," said Carroll Frey, design chair for HEC. "The kitchen needed work but the rest of the rooms were pretty darn good. No restoration work was needed. The wood floors were in excellent condition."

After work by professional designers who prepare the house, the kitchen is now one of Pope's favorite rooms in the house.

"It was ... really in need of a transfiguration," Pope said. "It is one of the most charming. I saw it had the potential."

Frey particularly likes the work done to create a gentleman's dressing room. While the committee thought the room could be a bedroom, the designer proposed a dressing room instead.

"There is vintage clothing in it and ... some very good antiques," Frey said. "I really like the effort and energy that was put into the gentleman's dressing room."

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Glenelg stone farmhouse gets Show House makeover