They're pre-boomers, usually 75 or older. They've lived in their current home for a couple of decades or longer. But an adverse health event — perhaps a broken hip or a cancer diagnosis — means they must sell their home and move. To whom do they turn for support during this difficult transition? Nearly always, it's their grown children.

• Acknowledge your parents' deep attachment to their home.
• If your parents have been in the house for a long time, it will be difficult to decide what to keep and what to sell or give away.
• Be careful with the decluttering process, if done by the children, for it can lead to family disagreements. It might be best to hire a professional.
• Assure your parents you'll honor belongings they consider precious.
• An estate sale may be a good idea, however your parents may be offended at how their possessions are displayed and handled.
• The stager may want to update the house and that could ruffle your parents feathers.

Not everything that makes a room appealing costs a great deal of money. Some things cost a lot of money, some very little, some none at all. These are the details that make the difference between a perfectly nice room and one that is full of life and charm.

For instance: I’ve always believed that architecture is more important than decoration. Scale and proportion give everlasting satisfaction that cannot be achieved by only icing the cake.

-Billy Baldwin in BILLY BALDWIN decorates*

Isn’t it amazing to see how many of the elements Baldwin used are still popular today? The man sure knew how to arrange a tablescape as well! Details, details, details!

*hmmm, by the way, I cannot quite tell from the amazon.com link above if the book is being re-released soon. The listing I found implies that it is, but I could not find out anymore information about it.

quote and  photos from BILLY BALDWIN decorates

I've long admired Charlotte Moss. Of course as this is a design blog, I've talked many times about her style, her panache, and the gorgeous environments that she creates. She is such a talented woman. But there's more to it. She has business savvy and a vigorous work ethic. Interestingly, for someone whose aesthetic is rooted in tradition, she is a thoroughly modern woman.

As some of you may know, Moss recently made the difficult decision to close The Townhouse later this year. For those of you who have had the opportunity to visit it, you know that it is like no other store around. A few days ago, I spoke with Moss about the Townhouse, and she admitted to me that it was a decision that was not made lightly. One of the issues that many of us face is the lack of time to pursue new opportunities, to fully invest our energy and creativity in our current endeavors, and to spend time with family- in Moss' words, not being able "to have time to smell the roses". And this was just the problem that Moss was facing. With her career as a designer, a writer, a philanthropist, and a retailer, life was becoming a bit crowded. As she told me, she wanted the time to enjoy the process of retail, but career demands were making it difficult.

So while the Townhouse may be closing, it's not really going away. In fact, it's going virtual. We'll still be able to buy Moss' china, linen, and those gorgeous accessories on her website... and now we won't have to travel to New York to do so! Moss also told me that she plans on adding more editorial to her site, recognizing the popularity of the online design community.

Oh, and about that Charlotte Moss work ethic? She's working on a few books as well as adding products to her fabric and china collections. And she's still designing and decorating. It sounds to me like she's doing exactly what makes her happy!

I've been trying to get a hold of this magazine all week! Lauren and Derek (of The Curiosity Shoppe) are featured in it--and they're on the cover! Their home looks so cute, colorful, and ultra DIY--exactly the way I imagined it would be. Until I get a copy, you can see more of the magazine here on their blog.

Posted by Bluelines

Happy Independence Day. Have a festive, fun holiday wherever you are...

Eat, drink, and sing as loud as you want.

Alright ready. I know, I know. I always seem to be on semi-permanent hiatus from my blog. Well I got ton of things on my mind, namely getting my website updated. I believe, as of today, the index page is still announcing the NSS in May 2008. Nice. I should point out that on page 90 of Craft Inc, I wrote that you should "Update your site frequently with news or new products." And clearly, I am leading by example. I also tell people to always have their business cards on them, yet I am always writing my contact information on the backsides of other people's business cards when I meet them. I'm awesome like that.

Ironically, next week you'll find me on as a guest blogger on design*sponge. Obviously, have the time and energy to blog, just not on my own blog.

As for the above cookbook, "The Abundant Table: Recipes from the Bishop's Ranch Kitchen", which I illustrated, is finally out. So far I've made the pancakes (hey, I'm starting off easy) and they are delicious! I can't wait to try out the rest of their healthy recipes. And I have to say that Laura Crookston Deleot, the graphic designer, did a wonderful job! Such a pleasure working with her. Here are a couple of images from the book:

(the inside cover)

(introductory section)

One of my favorite sites in London is Spencer House, located in St. James. Built in the mid-eighteenth century for John, first Earl Spencer (yes, those Spencers), the house's first architect was John Vardy, a student of William Kent. It was Vardy who was responsible for the exterior of the home as well as some of the interior rooms, though unfortunately for him, he was later replaced as chief architect by James "Athenian" Stuart, a disciple of Greek architecture. Stuart's influence is seen in the classic Greek detail throughout the interior, making it one of the first examples of neoclassical architecture in England.

Throughout the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, subsequent generations of Spencers set about at refreshing and remodeling the interiors of the home, including a remodeling led by Henry Holland. After all, the Spencers were a prominent and highly social family, so Spencer House had to reflect this. Interestingly, the Spencers lived in the home until the late 1800s, at which time they leased the house to the Duke of Marlborough and his wife (Consuelo Vanderbilt) as well as various organizations. During the blitz in WWII, the contents of the home, including the fixtures, were removed and shipped to the Spencer estate Althorp for safe keeping.

Fortunately for us, Spencer House is now restored to its former glory and is open to the public. Of course, the fact that Spencer House is one of the few remaining private palaces in London makes it important. But the other nice thing is that it doesn't seem to be on many tourists' radar, meaning no long lines!

(One tidbit of info that I just gleaned- Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, was the daughter of first Earl Spencer and thus lived in the home until her marriage to the Duke of Devonshire. For a great book on Georgiana, you might want to read Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire by Amanda Foreman. Or, I suppose you can wait for the upcoming movie based on Foreman's book. But the book is really a good read.)


The Palm Room was used by gentlemen after dinner. It was Vardy who was responsible for the design of this room.



The magnificent Great Room. According to Spencer House's website, the coffered ceiling and frieze were inspired by the vaults at the Temple of Concord and Victory in Rome.


The Painted Room (c. 1759-65) was one of the first completely Neoclassical rooms in Europe. Designed by Stuart to celebrate the marriage of the first Earl Spencer and his wife, the room is dominated by images of marriage and festivity, all inspired by ancient Greece and Rome.


Vardy's design for the Ante Room- originally conceived as the Spencers' private dining room- includes a stunning coffered apse. It was Henry Holland who inserted the mahogany double doors under the apse in 1792.


I like to purchase guide books from the sites I visit- just in case I missed something on the tour. I also like to mark the date of my visit on the inside cover. This might become especially helpful when my memory starts to fail me- hopefully not anytime soon!

i think all of my blogging colleagues received this email today so i’m assuming we all jumped at this story about new works from allan the gallant, formerly known as itte studio. based in barcelona, allan the gallant is a pattern studio that is now producing some fantastic textiles, patterns and wallpaper. all of the images jumped right off the screen for me and just begged to be posted so i’m going to let the images to do the talking. all i know is i want my house covered head to toe in that wallpaper above. how fantastic is that? click here for more information on allan the gallant.