I wrote about a few blogs that inspire me today over at Simply Stated... Maybe you can comment there with some of your favorite blogs, too!

We all know what a few colorful prints can bring to our wardrobes; they inject verve, flair and a sense of fun, but rarely offer the mileage of a little black sleeveless dress. However, when it comes to upholstery, wild multi-color prints can be surprisingly versatile.


A lush paisley such as "Riviere's Enchantee," used above by Todd Romano, is loaded with possibilities. (House & Garden sourced it as Brunschwig & Fils.)


When a print contains five or more hues, you can pull any one of them for wall color, side chairs, pillows and so forth. An added bonus: in my experience dense patterns beautifully camouflage smudges from tiny fingers.

You can also layer pattern upon pattern, as Peter Dunham does so masterfully.

The downside of prints? For one thing cost. It typically takes 26 yards of a large-scale print to upholster sofas similar to the ones shown here. Nice simple solid cottons and linens are also easier to find at budget friendly prices. (This is why I tend to choose prints for ottomans or benches and opt for solid sofas.)

But if you have a sharp sense of your own aesthetic, know you truly love a certain print -- it's not just a crush -- and can afford the fabric, lavish prints can be an investment that will endure.

Fun link for textile fans: the Leman Album.

Credits: Milly tote shown top available through Shopbop; Milly dress is from Neiman Marcus; 1960s "It Girl," Penelope Tree, photographed by David Bailey for Vogue, February 1969; Todd Romano photos by Michael Mundy for House & Garden, March 2004; Dunham photo by Miguel Flores-Vianna for domino, April 2008.

Sister Parish loved handicrafts -- needlework, basketry, quilts, hand-printed textiles. Maybe this was because she enjoyed working with her own hands, doing decoupage and other crafts. Or perhaps she had seen her share of grand formal homes and longed to warm them up with homespun touches.


Working intuitively, and in collaboration with partner Albert Hadley, she often upholstered exquisite 18th century French furniture with "primitive" hand-waxed cotton batiks by Alan Campbell. The fresh and inviting bedroom of Brooke Astor, shown above, is one example.


Colorful patchwork quilts appealed to Sister too. She used them conventionally but also commissioned the Freedom Quilting Bee in Alabama to create a patchwork fabric that, according to her protege Bunny Williams, was used in a chic Georgetown dining room. In fact, Parish-Hadley became known for upholstering wing chairs and sofas with quilts.


During her famous refurbishing of the White House, Jackie Kennedy selected Morgantown glassware produced in West Virginia. A political gesture? Probably. But JBK seems to have had a genuine fondness for American crafts. The way she and Sister Parish mixed the ultra-refined with the rustic greatly influenced residential interior decorating in the U.S. for decades.


I couldn't help noticing that both Natalie "Alabama" Chanin and craft artist Nathalie Lete received coverage in the newest Vogue Living. Are arbiters of high style embracing craft again as they did in the 1980s when simple pine furniture was mixed with lavish florals?

Of course, in their own unique ways Jonathan Adler and Lulu de Kwiatkowski have been doing a 21st century mix of sleek with rustic. But it will be interesting to see if more contemporary designers -- those associated with modern glamour -- inject homespun elements into their interiors.


Above, Alan Campbell fabric currently available through Quadrille.

Reminder: Tradition/Innovation: American Masterpieces of Southern Craft and Traditional Art remains on view through May 18.

Photo of Sister Parish shown top is from Margaret Russell's 2001 book, Designing Women: Interiors By Leading Style-Makers; The Astor bedroom is from Albert Hadley: The Story of America's Preeminent Interior Designer; and Sister Parish's Maine bedroom is from Designers on Designers.

: : so sorry folks. I've been absent for too long. work has been taking up too much of my time. this week I hope things will be back to normal. and I have an exciting visit from my cousin, aunt and uncle to look forward to.

too busy at work, but still important to take breaks here and there, and my friend's wedding is giving me a reason to distract myself with browsing wedding blogs and photography sites. there's so much emotion captured in wedding photos. I like the first one, a simple backyard party. and the second with bold and colorful decorations. .julie harris. seem to be capturing the right moments.

Bentwood accessories are stunning, simple creations in wood for everyday personal use.

From Janet:

Spotted in the NY Times: this simple glass fixture by Roost from Williamsburg shop Moon River Chattel is equally suited for modern or traditional interiors ($165 at Moon River Chattel; call 718-388-1121). The Roost Glass Cylinder Lamp is also available online at Velocity Art and Design for $130, both as a hanging pendant and as a table lamp.

From Sarah:

Coping with mountains of kids’ toys and paraphernalia can be a challenge. These scenes from Swedish houses, via photographer Mari Eriksson (via Cookie), show how the Scandis have perfected the art of simplicity. White walls and wood floors provide the backdrop for a few colorful items; art supplies and other essentials are stowed in white cupboards; and we love the use of a skipping rope to hang art.

From Sarah:

Piet Hein Eek a bit too high-concept? Ikea offers the simple Agam Highchair for $34.99; available in birch veneer or black.

From Janet:

Forget stocking up on reams of paper for your child’s creative urges: consider this simple Chalkboard Table instead. The Offi Woody Chalkboard Table is $299 at Design Public.

Updating a bathroom with a modern look doesn't have to mean gutting the room and starting over. To get a lot of bang for your buck, consider changing out the sink as the main focus of a bathroom redo. Make sure you pick a modern faucet and replace your shower or tub faucet with a matching one and you will have an economical new look. A new paint job and modern accessories complete the design. These are some examples of bathrooms with modern sinks and accessories that can be applied to any basic bathroom.

From Relish come these elegantly simple designs for serving. Whether it's honey or sake you can dish it out in style.

As my week has turned out to be a bit crazy, I decided to dispense with a lot of the chit chat and simply show some photos of big and bold striped walls. I think I first fell in love with stripes after seeing some old photos of Dorothy Draper's work (that woman certainly influenced me and legions of others!). I like stripes of all kinds, but particularly a wide stripe in a graphic color combination- think green and white, red and white, and of course black and white. Of course, with striped walls it's advisable to keep the rest of the room a bit simple. Too many prints fighting each other is guaranteed to give you a headache. That said, you can introduce some pattern into a striped room. Just look at Draper's florals and Redd's animal print below.



I have always adored Dorothy Draper's living room. Those bottle green stripes are beyond snappy! (Image courtesy of Condé Nast Archives)


A striped room by Anne Coyle. I love how the stripes are reflected in the mirrored cocktail table.


Miles Redd used one of his favorite striped fabrics for the walls of this living room. (I know, you've seen this room a million times before, but it's still gorgeous!)


How smashing is this bar in the home of designer Sam Blount? The black and white stripes mixed with red curtains and flowers is bold and snazzy.


My, oh my! Are these some stripes or what? Here, the stripes are railroaded rather than vertical. Although a bit too gutsy for my tastes, I just had to show you this photo. (Design by Melvin Dwork, whose work I do like!)

Photo at top: A Dorothy Draper designed room at the Arrowhead Springs resort. Unfortunately, I don't know if the stripes are pink and white or blue and white.

I know summer is going to be here soon and I want to get the deck outside looking good.

Heather at The Inside Store-y has some tips on cleaning the furniture that you will lie on to get that suntan and sit on to chat or eat that BBQ:


5 piece teak set in Bali design by Faraway Furniture.

Cleaning Methods

It's as simple as soap and water. It's all you need for most outdoor furniture. You may want to ...pick up a power washer.

She covers cleaning

• Acrylic Cushions
• Resin Furniture - Resin furniture is easy to clean. Spray off dirt and grime and let dry. If there are scuff marks, use a gentle abrasive to remove. To remove mildew, follow the instructions above.
• Wicker -You can use a hose or pressure washer.
• Wrought Iron, Steel Frames & Aluminum -Use mild soap and water to clean.
• Fabric
• Umbrellas
• Wooden Furniture

Faraway in About Teak has a lot on its website regarding teak care including this bit of advice:

The only maintenance we recommend for your teak furniture is occasional cleaning. This should be done with a mild soap (such as gentle hand cleaning soap) and warm water to preserve its natural elements.

There are some new ideas in outdoor furniture from The Modesto Bee, for example:

Chat tables are new this year, says Jan Booth of Patioworld in Fresno. These tabletops are higher than coffee tables but lower than dining tables. "It's high enough that you can put a cup there, but it's not like sitting at a dining table," she says.

Mesh on metal or wood pieces: Patio pieces that have mesh-type material over metal or wood frames also are popular.

"You can lay a towel on it or go without a towel, and you can lie on it. You don't stick to (the mesh), and it's very comfortable. You don't lie there and get sweat on your back and tush."

Bev & Mike
Landfair Furniture + Design Gallery

 
for the past few weeks we’ve been exploring the major design hubs in australia. but as with anywhere, there are those incredibly talented artists and designers who are able to make a name for themselves from off the beaten track. today’s final regional roundup: australia covers everywhere in between. and while these features have been focusing on the contemporary design scene, aboriginal art - a history that covers 40,000 years - continues to make it’s mark on australia, and is something i still hope to explore (talk about patterns! . . . luckily, one of the best collections is at the kluge-ruhe aboriginal art collection at my beloved university of virginia, of all places). but that’s the beauty of these roundups - they’re a starting point to discover a place, begin a conversation and in a world that is constantly changing and each can be revisited. it’s been nearly three months since i started on this piece - which features over 40 designers - and it’s still only brushing the surface. so please continue the dialogue in the comments, sharing your new discoveries, favorite aussie designers, inspiration and observations. in case you missed any, you can find all the posts here. and to view this full post (and many more designers) just click here. [an incredible thank you to everyone who participated!!!] -anne

[aboriginal painting by roslyn ann kemp, above]

Magic Jelly

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now? 
Born & bred right here in Adelaide, South Australia.

2. Describe your work 
Most important to me is to communicate & connect.  I’ve just started a project called The Paper Chase, trading art for paper, it’s all about collaboration & communication.  I try to make my work as accessible as possible.  I like to use low-tech equipment (Gocco for instance) & commonplace materials, & to lavish care & attention on the forgotten, overlooked & discarded.  I tend to work on a small scale, firstly, because I’m a finicky fuss-budget obsessed with detail, but also because I want my work to be intimate & personal rather than to shout at you from across the room.  I hope a little bit of wit & levity creeps in there somewhere too.

3. How is your work influenced by where you live?
I often trawl the local secondhand markets for bits & pieces to use in my work, & take lots of photos, particularly of signage & architecture.  In fact, I’m combining my interest in architecture & ephemera at the moment by building a house out of paper, loosely based on a lovely row of late-Victorian terrace houses on the seafront near where I live.

4. Where do you go in Australia when you want to feel inspired? 
Anywhere that’s out of the house!  Every spring I start feeling restless & want to take a trip to Sydney.

5. How would you describe the Australian design scene? 
I really can’t say as I don’t feel that I’m a part of it - I’m a total hermit!  It’s a small market, that’s for sure - especially in Adelaide - & I tend to sell more internationally & do more commissions for overseas clients.  I think the Australian scene is growing though.

6. If you could go anywhere where would you go? 
I’m planning a visit to the US in a few months’ time to take a road trip along the West Coast.  Now, if you have a time machine handy, where I’d really like to go is back to the mid-20th century so I can go wild amassing huge quantities of ephemera & toys, & taking lots of photos.

Click here for more work by Karena and visit the Magic Jelly Etsy shop here.

Bison Home

1. Where are you from? Where do you live now?
I am From Grenfell NSW (population 2000 ). My family came on the Sirius…the first Fleet of White Settlers/Convicts who came to Australia in 1788. I currently live in Canberra and my studio is in a rural location (Pialligo) surrounded by plant nurseries and vineyards.

2. Describe your work
My work…best described as a ceramics designer. I am drawn to simple, classic forms and I produce a large range (140 profiles and 30 colours) of dinnerware and decorator pieces. I’m a former archaeologist and ancient historian who became tired of excavating broken pots in Syria … so I taught myself how to make them instead! We create forms which reflect the relationship between beauty…and practicality. I am fortunate to have a wonderful team of craftspeople who support me in crafting our Fine Australian Stoneware Collections.

3. How is your work influenced by where you live?
As a person who was training to be an academic… I was captivated by the evolution of design in Classical History…and the amazingly poignant social contexts behind ceramic vessels. To unearth a piece of pottery…over 2000 years old with a fingerprint in it sends chills up your spine. I also went to School in Malmo Sweden and the colours and subtlety of Scandinavian seasons and design…obviously filter through my palette and shapes.

4. Where do you go in Australia when you want to feel inspired?
I absolutely love The Great Ocean Road in Victoria. Crusing along the stark coastline in a car or just spending time at our family Beachhouse near Portsea. Simple, unpretentious…and better still…uncomplicated.

5. How would you describe the Australian design scene?
Australia is changing rapidly in terms of global visibility and credibility. I always find it ironic though that within our own country people find it hard to conceptualize that viable design and manufacture can occur outside of Sydney and Melbourne. People look somewhat bemused when you tell them your studio is in Canberra (Our capital is better known for the Greenhouse gasses which come out of the Parliament Buildings!) That being said I see numerous whimsical and elegant works from talented artists/designers emerging…particularly working with textiles.

6. If you could go anywhere where would you go? If I could travel anywhere and spend time it would be south America…Belize in particular. The fusion of Jungle (with panthers) Mayan Pyramids and Amish/Mennonite settlers….sounds so disparate you’d have to get inspiration!

Click here for more from Bison Home.

CLICK HERE FOR THE REST OF THE POST

I am swooning over the photography of Frédéric Vasseur. Simple spaces, filled with light that appear so peaceful. I so badly want to just curl up in that daybed in the second photo and have a granny nap.

We dropped in (not physically, of course) to ask her if her creative process translated to bricks and mortar.

5 Questions for Jessie Randall, Designer, Loeffler Randall

1. So, is picking out plumbing hardware as challenging as churning out a collection?
Picking out plumbing hardware is the worst. We spent our Christmas vacation buried in plumbing fixture catalogues (Davis & Warshow, McMaster). My husband picked out all kinds of fancy fixtures, but my most favorite are the industrial toilet and urinal we put in the boys’ bathroom. They are so simple and functional. They look better than any of the other stuff, in my opinion. The renovation was a massive project. We have a lot on our plate with the house, the twins and the company. So juggling it all was the hardest part, but it was fun.

2. What one thing do you have to have in your home (even amidst contractors)?
As much natural light as possible.

3. What are you most excited about when the house is complete?
The boys’ room is my most favorite part of the house. I put in a lighted diorama in their room that was modeled off of the one in my friend Bronagh's children’s store in Williamsburg, Sweet William. I also love the color of the walls in the boys’ room, Pensive Sky, a pale grey blue-green that is so calming and relaxing.

4. Taking away anything from the renovation that will infuse your upcoming collections?
I don’t tend to use lots of pattern and print in my collections, but in my house I put up several patterned wallpapers (Osborne & Little, Second Hand Rose, Walnut Wallpaper). I love them and they give so much character to the house. It’s gotten me hooked on prints, so I may incorporate more in my collections.

5. What do you think will be the most often used room of your house?
Who knows? We’ll have to see once we move in. I am guessing it will be one particular area because with two flights of stairs and twins, I am probably going to want to stay put.

For those of you that have not yet seen this gorgeous hunk of crystal, let me fill you in: the incomparably witty, creative and hilarious design blogger Maison 21 has thrown down the glove. He has challenged all who dare to design a room around what has been described as the "Moscow Mafioso" chandelier. Now, at first glance, one might consider this to be a mite "over the top", a bit crass, a tiny bit Atlantic City Trump.

But there was something about it. It conjured up something I couldn't quite place. Something romantic and exotic. So when I commented on M21's blog saying I thought it would be sort of fantastic in the right setting, he called me out. And I am just not one to back down from a challenge...although perhaps in this case I might not recover.

OK, now do you see it? That's right...Dr. Zhivago. The ultimate Russian romance with icy onion domes. So there you have it. This is my inspiration.

So where to begin? I thought I would place this brilliant extravaganza of a chandelier in a Dining Room. I love the restrained eye of Axel Vervoordt. His use of natural elements like plastered walls and lime washed wood floors lend an air of relaxed formality. On the other hand I also can see the more tailored and modern sensibility of Vicente Wolf. I am somewhere in between here. Both are masters when it comes to using the soft greys and blues so often found in Northern European climates:

These rooms from "Axel Vervoordt, Timeless Interior" by Armelle Baron, Photos by Christian Barramon

"Learning to See" by Vicente Wolf

"Crossing Boundaries" by Vicente Wolf

I would start with wide plank, lime washed floors and use a plaster with integral grey/blue color for the walls. The ceiling would also be plaster in an ivory color. Perhaps there would be a simple fireplace mantle as in the Vervoordt photo above in aged marble.

I would use this table base and paint or white wash it and put a round limestone top on it. Kind of reminds me of being in the snow covered woods. This zinc pagoda would be on top of the table. With the spire pointing up, and the chandelier pointing down, it creates a sort of stalagmite/stalactite situation and the pagoda sort of echoes the Zhivago house a bit.

(Oh! I just have to add that I would take the chandelier and re-plate the brass metal in zinc or something that would have that same flat grey color. Can I do that and still stay within the rules of the game?)

Add these chairs (love those feet. A little reminiscent of a wolves at the door.):

In a fabric like this cool blue linen velvet by Lee Jofa:

With an over scaled (read: huge) winter landscape by Kate Bright on the wall above it:

The table could be flanked by these urns on pedestals (sort of adds that touch of the Czar I think!):

Over the marble mantle, a little wild life:

And for those who are skittish about the real thing, a carved wood deer head from RianRae:

Two cut glass mosaic mirrors on the walls flanking the fireplace:

In front of a wall of windows draped in an ivory wool, two of these hooded chairs would keep out the chill:

A glass side table from Oly Studio in between seems to be a sculpture of ice.

So, perhaps you have been inspired to take up the challenge yourself! I hope I can twist the arms of a few of you. C'mon...take a chance, and you too could be the proud winner of your very own Dr. Zhivago commemorative collector's plate:

(OK....I really don't know where to get a plate like this....you would be surprised what came up with a Google search of Dr. Zhivago)

I was at the beach relaxing without surfing the internet this week, so I had time to soak in some articles and discuss a favorite book while my father was reading it. I thought I’d share. If you have not read The Devil in the White City yet, go order it now! It’s such a well-researched, fascinating look into the Chicago World’s Fair, and into the context of a turbulent and exciting time in American history. Skyscrapers were soaring, unions were forming, cross country and intercontinental travel had become a reality, Frederick Law Olmsted was turning flat abandoned sites into rambles and lagoons*, electricity was thrilling, Wild Bill Cody was performing his Wild West Show to record crowds, and well, I’ll save the rest as a surprise. I had studied the Columbian Exposition first in American Studies and again in architecture school, but I did not know a fraction of what this great book taught me. I can’t imagine such feats of engineering, construction and bureaucratic/political nightmare budget solutions could ever be repeated today.

**

The Wall Street Journal featured a scathing and really well-written review of the Jeff Koons retrospective at the The Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art. I just love this cynically bored bit from Tom J. Freudenheim:

But if, like me, you’ve wondered what all the Koons-fuss was about, MCA’s flashy and even sparkling retrospective won’t persuade you of his significance. Indeed, the wall text can only be described as a generic narrative: “[insert the artist of your choice] mirrors society’s obsession with popular culture and negates simple divisions between appearance and reality, surface and depth, and art and commodity.” That Koons’s work “blurs the distinction between art and commercial objects as well as high and low art” further places him in the category of the ordinary.

I loved this wacky “Funny Farm” feature from today’s New York Times. Roy McMakin’s work is kinda Rem Koolhaas meets Quaker? I’m not sure, but I like it.

This is the craziest rotating structure I’ve seen since Hank’s LookAround Cafe. OK, if you get that reference, I want to marry you. Anyway, on the flight home I caught this NYT article about Francois Massau, a Belgian builder who built this rotating house in the fifties, and seemed to have a bit of Howard Roark in him. Read the full article here.

I HAVE to include one blog post I just spied: So Sylvie’s sourcing for the Mama Mia set design look. I was DRAGGED to that movie; I find listening to people sing in movies incredibly uncomfortable. It’s all Edward Norton and Woody Allen’s fault. Anyway, check out this dreamy post from So Sylvie.

*(EVERY THING you see in the above photo was built, including the lagoons, the island, the buildings, and the trees were all planted for the exhibition, etc.)

** I’m not even going to try and mess with the copyright issues related to sharing photos from the Koons exhibition; click on the MCA link above to see them online. I would have used Michael Jackson and Bubbles if I could have.

• Columbian Exposition photo from either Shepp’s World’s Fair Photographed, Chicago and Philadelphia, 1893, and from Glimpses of the World’s Fair Through a Camera, Chicago, 1893; it’s not clear which, but go to Boston College’s website to see more mind-blowing photographs of the fair!

• funny farm photo by Jason Schmidt for The New York Times

• rotating house photo by Jock Fistick for The New York Times (or maybe the Wavre Journal?)
• Mama Mia photo from Cinema Blend via So Sylvie.

I just heard from reader Casey, who wrote to give me the heads-up about a fabulous floral artist, David Stark, who created an amazing display for the Macy's Flower Show "Bouquet of the Day".
I'm told that most event designers participating in the event chose traditional interpretations of floral decor. David took it in a different direction with a birch paintbrush and 6-foot tower of red carnations and paint cans.
It's a pretty bold use of color in a space dominated by spring pastels. I want to know how on earth he got the paint brush to "hover" like that. Must be attached with strings to the ceiling, wouldn't you imagine?

Have you ever heard of the Macy's Flower Show? Evidently, it's a pretty big deal, with cities like New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Minneapolis participating. It took place over the last two weeks (Sunday, March 16th – Sunday, March 30th).

Here are some pictures from this year's event:
Such edible colors, I love the bright oranges and yellows paired with the more subdued green.
Pink and green-you just can't go wrong with this pairing. I'm sure it was quite amazing in person.

I just got back from a quick trip to Portland, Maine. I was there to work, but spent a big portion of the time eating!

Dining in, dining out... both simple food and sophisticated... it was all so delicious.

Here are some snapshots of my meals in Portland, and a list of restaurants I highly recommend.

FORE STREET
Fantastic local, seasonal food in a beautiful old building.
288 Fore Street

BRESCA
A sweet, intimate restaurant with great Italian dishes, also made with fresh, local ingredients.
111 Middle Street

BLUE SPOON
The perfect place to get a really delicious soup and salad for lunch.
89 Congress St

FLAT BREAD COMPANY
Wood fired pizza with toppings like organic vegetables, homemade maple fennel sausage, and goat cheese.
72 Commercial Street

SARA'S TEA SHOP
This sweet little tea shop doesn't have a website, but the loose teas are wonderful and the homemade scones are to die for.
195 Congress street

A few people we think you will like.

You may or may not know Bluelines has some pretty creative and helpful friends in the blogosphere.

The Bride's Guide has charming and original ideas for brides-to-be.

While Dinner Tonight can save you from buying that frozen pizza with fresh and simple (we swear) dinner ideas every day. Yes, every day.

Finally, Did you think that Martha Stewart making Cherry Mojitos with the Google guys would happen on an average Wednesday? You can read about that and many more adventures on The Martha Blog.

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.

Diwali is the time when major cleaning, painting, sprucing up is done and homes are transformed into a special abode for Goddess Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth)

Rustic. Simple. Divine.