We've been super busy preparing for the Modern Economy multi-designer sample sale coming up in less than two weeks in Portland, Oregon. If you live there or happening to be visiting, please come to the sale. (Prices will be marked down up to 75% off retail!) Here are the details:

Modern Economy Sample Sale
10:30am to 3pm
Saturday, July 19, 2008
The Cleaners at the Ace Hotel
403 SW 10th and Stark
Portland, OR

Also, here's an update on some of the new designers and stores that will be participating this sale.

Danish-designed patterns and designs for your wall from Ferm Living.

Clothpony's hip, adorable girl's clothing.

Olio United, a local Portland shop, will be bringing a variety of clothes and home accessories.

Gorgeous cards and notebooks from Nantaka Joy.

Tina Frey's home accesories and jewelry made of resin.

Well-designed, eco goods from Josh Jakus.

Nature-inspired notebooks from Jill Bliss.

Unique pottery for plants from Portland store, Life + Limb.

Emma Gardner's luxurious wool throws.

Plant and sea life-inspired wall art from Jefdesigns.

Before

Ilove using SIMPLE SOLUTIONS in decorating. When it comes time to repaint a room, it is quite possible to spend forever trying to decide what paint colors to choose for woodwork and walls, how to fix less than perfect features, and then another eternity painting straight lines between woodwork and walls (not my favorite task). Sometimes I want a QUICK FIX and an easy answer so I can have a new color in a day (or so!).

I’ll admit it, I’m an impatient decorator. And, honestly, I am too busy to fuss over each and every decision and project in life. In order to get on with enjoying life, yet still have a beautiful home, I have to simplify.

In this space, the simple solution to giving this room a lively new look was Sherwin Williams Westminster Gold #200. Everywhere.

The secret to making this one color paint technique work is to vary the sheen…put a glossier paint on the woodwork to contrast with a satin or flat paint on the walls. That contrast will give just enough variation for interest.

The overall look is cozy, fresh, hides imperfections and lets the furniture and accessories take center stage. The background becomes an effective backdrop to a beautiful room.

And it wasn’t complicated! I like that.

PHOTO:Country Living: Keith Scott Morton

Windsor Smith is a designer whose career is on fire. In addition to her interior design work, she just debuted a fabric collection, a furniture collection, and a rug line as well (whew!). I recently had the opportunity to speak with Windsor and it was quite a treat. Her personality is as warm and sparkling as her interiors.

To borrow the tagline from the National Enquirer, "Inquiring minds want to know", and that's the way I feel about design. So I decided to get Windsor's thoughts on anything and everything design related.


On Her New Fabric Line:
Windsor's new fabric line for Kravet has received rave reviews, and it's not hard to see why. The fabrics that caught my eye were her bold and graphic prints. But don't think that these are "in your face" prints. Windsor likes the snap and pop of strong pattern, but she chose to render them in soft colors like celadon and clove. And she wisely chose to use no more than two colors per print. The result? Prints that are classic and easy to live with. (Fabric available through Kravet showrooms and through her website.)

"Insignia" in Seafoam


"Continuum" in Chestnut

On Mixing Prints...With Style:
One question that I am asked often is how best to mix prints. I'll be the first to tell you that I'm not completely comfortable with doing this myself. Fortunately, Windsor shared some tips. First, mixing florals can be difficult, so you might want to stick with just one. Also, stripes, especially tone on tone, can work with a variety of prints. And if you're mixing multi-color prints, proceed with caution! Windsor advises using no more than two. Interestingly enough, Windsor gives the green light to mixing vintage fabrics, saying "anything goes". Her rationale? Vintage textiles become found objects and art and should be displayed almost like a collection. In her mind, Lynn von Kersting's work is a great example of this kind of mix.

See how well this gray and white striped fabric works with the pink and white paisley print? Windsor obviously practices what she preaches!


And look at the smashing combo of the green tonal stripes with the punchy pink print.

On White... and Blue:
It seems that every designer has one color which they add to every room. For Albert Hadley, it's red. For many others, it's black. For Windsor? White! As she says "the absence of color makes other colors sing!" That said, she also admits that she has a weakness for blue.


Blue and white in an East Coast Traditional home à la Windsor Smith.

On the Stars of her Collection:
So unless you've been hiding under a rock, you know that Windsor recently introduced her new furniture collection. And just what are her picks for the stand out pieces?


Brittany Secretary. Works as a TV cabinet, desk, or in bathrooms to hold makeup and towels.


Slim Chaise. Looks especially good nestled at the foot of a bed.


Entry Round Settee. Looks very "Grand Hotel" to me!

On Her Dream Clients:




(Jane Birkin- in case you're wondering)




Legendary style icon Slim Keith

On Her Current Favorite Design and Architecture Books:


An Affair with a House


Vogue Living: Houses, Gardens, People

On the Details that Make a House a Beautiful Home:

1) Art and found objects that reflect the personality of the homeowner
2) Large bundles of the same type flower in a casual vase
3) Lighting that makes a room come alive day and night
4) Floor plugs




Windsor has some wonderful Found Objects for sale on her website, including this Early Chippendale Table and the Antique French Fireplace Canopy

On the Future:
So what's next for Ms. Smith? Plenty. She's working on some amazing projects including a late 1940's equestrian estate. And, big things are in the works for her website. In addition to her online shop, there will be decorating advice, newsletters, and video. I'd say Windsor is in need of a vacation.

From Julie:

To be filed under: Every house needs a piece by Thonet. This licensed reproduction S 6653/18 Cane Seat Bentwood Settee is both modern and traditional. It’s $1,494 at Bauhaus 2 Your House.

You must all know of the most wonderful blog, Mrs. Blandings by now. It is the creation of the beautiful and talented Patricia Shackelford. So, when I was having my breakfast of Shredded Wheat and Orange Juice, reading the Sacramento Bee on Saturday morning, I was instantly captured by the article by Paula Lloyd titled: "Cary Grant and Myrna Loy lived in the Fresno Home - sort of".

It seems that there are houses that have been modeled after the Mr. Blandings Dream House all over the country! Did you all know this, and I have just been out of the loop?! Apparently David O. Selznick and RKO Pictures P.R. Department cooked up a little publicity stunt. They produced copies of the original house plans created by set designer, Carroll Clark and sent them all over the country to contractors hoping to have Dream Houses built all over the place. 73 were actually built....one being in Fresno California (pictured above). The original owners allowed home tours for 25 cents back in the day. One of the funniest things was that the plans did not include closets or windows. Contractors were left to their own devices on these.

To read all about it, click here.

A fun way to start my sunny Saturday.

And no, it's not the spatter pattern that is discussed so frequently in episodes of "CSI". It's "Spatter", and it's one of my favorite Hinson prints. Designed by Harry Hinson in 1974, the print was inspired by the spatter motif found often in Colonial ceramicware (this according to a 2001 New York Times article). The article also mentioned that it's a print that counts Albert Hadley and Jeffrey Bilhuber amongst its fans. I've also read that Billy Baldwin used it in his Nantucket home, but I can't find a photo.

So, just where can you use a print like "Spatter"? Well, Harry Hinson used it in his East Hampton home (shown above), and I was thrilled to see it in another Hamptons house designed by Tom Scheerer (and featured in the August '08 issue of House Beautiful). But I do think you can use it in a city home too. How about in a powder room? Or a kitchen? Just think of "Spatter" as a modern take on early Americana.

And speaking of Americana, I was curious about Hinson's supposed inspiration for this print. Just what was spatter and how was it used during Colonial times? Well, one of the prime examples is spatterware. According to a ceramic curator at Winterthur, spatterware was originally manufactured in England where it was known as spongeware. As spongeware was not particularly popular in England, most of it was shipped to the American colonies where it became known as spatterware. And it was here in America where spatterware became extremely popular, especially amongst the Pennsylvania Germans. Sponge and spatter painting was also used on furniture, walls, and floors during this era.

So although I can't corroborate whether Hinson was actually inspired by spatterware or not, it's something to ponder. If you would like to learn more about spatterware, you should visit Winterthur. Henry Francis du Pont was a major collector of it, and there is a magnificent display of his collection in Spatterware Hall at Winterthur. Or you can read more about his collection here in an interview with du Pont's daughter, the lucky recipient of some of her father's collection.


(Many thanks to everyone at Winterthur for assisting me in my research of spatterware.)



Two images of Scheerer's fabulous wallpaper selection for an East Hampton cottage (image from House Beautiful, Aug 08; Simon Upton photographer).


A Spatterware platter, c. 1825-1855, Staffordshire England. Does this not look modern to you? Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont; image courtesy of Winterthur.


Spatterware pitcher, c. 1825-1855, Staffordshire England. Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont. Image courtesy of Winterthur.


Four examples of Spatterware jugs, c. 1825-1855, Staffordshire England. Bequest of Henry Francis du Pont. Photo courtesy of Winterthur.

Image at top: "Spatter" in blue and white on the walls and curtains of Harry Hinson's East Hampton dining room.

Posted by Scott

Recently I had the pleasure of working with photographer Kate Mathis again.

I met Kate years ago when i first started as an prop stylist assistant and have enjoyed her company and work ever since. 

Many of you may recognize her work from the Martha Stewart product packaging photography. She shot both the craft line for Michaels to the Macy's collection. 

Kate can take images like the simple paper flowers below to the sublime level.

With a discerning eye for composition and impeccable perspective and lighting, it's always a pleasure to be on set with Kate.

Below are a few shots from our most recent collaboration. (Food styling by Megan Schlow.) You can also look at her online portfolio for inspiration.