Just Right House
In June's Home magazine, interior designer Jeff Andrews' L.A. home is featured as the "Just Right House."
I especially love that his guest room doubles as a dressing room. I proposed that to Jon, but he vetoed that idea.
May 22, 2008
April 29, 2008
Book 'Em
I was at the car wash the other day and was immediately drawn to these two books (yes, my local car wash has a shop with lots of cool books!):
Flea Market Style was published a few years ago, and I actually wasn't sure if I already owned a copy. (I didn't, but will soon enough!) And Bazaar Style is photographed by the same person, Debi Treloar, and was just released this month. You can check out several shots from Bazaar Style in author Selina Lake's Flickr set, and below are a couple more images from Flea Market Style:
April 25, 2008
Oldies but Goodies
I'm in the middle of one of my quarterly magazine purges. Every time I go through my stack of publications, there's an issue in particular that I can't resist flipping through over and over: Sunset, April 2007. It includes features on:
And I also really liked the story about a Palo Alto Eichler. So much good stuff in one little issue!
February 19, 2008
Design for Mankind
One of these days, I'll get around to adding a blogroll to my side nav. But until then, I'll just post from time to time about my favorites. Like a fairly new-to-me blog: Design for Mankind. I especially love "The Dailies" feature, which traces the life in the day of a creative type. Neat.
October 18, 2007
Can Taste Be Taught?
That's the title of an H&G article in today's NY Times. I can totally relate to the writer — who was fortunate enough to have Bunny Williams (THE Bunny Williams!) help her redecorate her Greenwich Village apartment. Just because we write about people's homes, doesn't mean we know what we're doing in our own homes!
Speaking of ... I, along with a Design Blogger that some of you may be familiar with, am embarking on a bit of a decorating facelift in my house. I have enlisted this DB to help provide my rooms with just the right finishing touches. Which is another reason I enjoyed Joyce Wadler's piece in the Times: Perhaps in a week, I'll be traipsing all over the Bay Area looking for this suggested piece of furniture or that recommended accessory.
October 09, 2007
Amy Butler's Midwest Modern
I just received my copy of Amy Butler's new book and it is FANTASTIC. She covers every room in her house — and she has got some gorgeous rooms, including a nature study that makes me wish I had just a few more square feet for one of my own. The book also includes some cool projects, of course.
I'd scan some photos from the book to share with you, but my scanner's busted. Besides, there are so many lovely images throughout, I probably wouldn't be able to pick just a handful. To give you an idea of her home aesthetic, here are a few images from her website:
September 11, 2007
Rediscovered
Anyone out there remember Absolutely Vile? I used to read it daily and was so bummed when Anna shut down the blog. BUT, those of you who've missed her writing as much as I have can now find her at Door Sixteen. And she's blogging about her home renovation! I love it. And think you will, too.
August 10, 2007
Blogroll
Since I don't keep a blogroll on this site, from time to time, I like to give a little shout-out to other blogs that I read on a regularly basis. Some I frequent because of the excellent writing. Some are sites maintained by personal friends of mine who I like to check up on. And some provide great design/decor inspiration.
In this last category, there are a few that I have recently become addicted to:
August 02, 2007
Craft, Inc.
So you know Meg? The brilliant designer/writer who's behind those awesome Mod Economy sales? * Well, she just came out with a brand-new book called Craft, Inc. (yeah, I don't know how she has time to do EVERYTHING either) and you should buy it. Especially if you're an artsy/crafty type who is interested in starting your own business. She interviews all sorts of talented people. People whose work I really admire. Like Lotta Jansdotter, Rena Tom, Mav at Port2Port Press ...
Oh, and is it just me? Or does Chronicle Books have all the best titles these days?
* By the way, if you were at the most recent sale on Saturday, you know it was a big success. I was working at the sale and was floored by the turnout. There were lines to get in, even longer lines to check out. Next time you hear about a Mod Economy sale in your area, GO EARLY.
April 25, 2007
Hot Stuff
Yay! Today's "Hot Stuff" column in the Chronicle includes two very talented local ladies: Meg wrote a profile on artist Diana Fayt.
Meg is the perfect writer to dig up hot stuff material, so hopefully her byline will pop up more often in the Chron. And I have one of Diana's 2007 calendars at work, and just looking at it makes my 9-5 a little better.
April 10, 2007
Design 100 Goes Green
The May issue of Metropolitan Home features the magazine's "Design 100 Goes Green" list. Here are a couple of products that I especially liked:
#6 - David McLimans' Gone Wild: An Endangered Animal Alphabet - Each letter of the alphabet represents a different endangered animal (e.g., the P is a piping plover).
#17 - Scandinavian stool - Bent and lacquered birch plywood is stained brown or white, and paired with a cushion covered in a Josef Frank fabric.
The list also includes a mention (#85) of "Design for the Other 90%," an exhibit opening May 4 at the Cooper-Hewitt — which happens to be one of my favorite museums. And, I happen to be going to NYC next month, so I am definitely going to check it out.
#86 is a "floating pool" that's coming to the Brooklyn waterfront. A former cargo barge has been transformed into a pool — 4' deep and 82' long, with seven swimming lanes. There's also a snack bar and dressing rooms. How cool is that?
And I love that #95 is glass artist Dale Chihuly's live-work complex in Seattle. Also not to be missed: the sod roof that's featured for #98.
March 26, 2007
Good Magazine Reading
I've long had the impression that Sunset magazine is sort of your mother's shelter magazine. (Maybe because the publication is over 100 years old?) But I happened to pick up April's issue at the supermarket, and it's really good! For example, there's a feature on the couple that owns Heath Ceramics; a story on an Eichler remodel in Palo Alto; and a profile on Vanessa (of AT:LA).
January 23, 2007
Sassy
Another book that I need to pre-buy: How Sassy Changed My Life: A Love Letter to the Greatest Teen Magazine of All Time. It's written by Kara Jesella and Marisa Meltzer (who was the owner of the old Hayes Valley boutique, Wednesday & Proud), and is scheduled for an April release. As a former Sassy intern, this is a subject that is indeed near and dear to my heart.
Here's the book description from Amazon:
For a generation of teenage girls, Sassy magazine was nothing short of revolutionary — so much so that its audience, which stretched from tweens to twentysomething women, remains obsessed with it to this day and back issues are sold for hefty sums on the Internet. For its brief but brilliant run from 1988 to 1994, Sassy was the arbiter of all that was hip and cool, inspiring a dogged devotion from its readers while almost single-handedly bringing the idea of girl culture to the mainstream. In the process, Sassy changed the face of teen magazines in the United States, paved the way for the unedited voice of blogs, and influenced the current crop of smart women’s zines, such as Bust and Bitch, that currently hold sway.
January 08, 2007
Booked Up
I am a big magazine reader. I buy far too many. I horde them for months before finally spending half a day sorting through them, tearing out the pages I want to keep, and filing them away in my Russell+Hazel binders. Books, however, are a completely different matter. I hardly ever make time to read any, except when I'm on vacation.
On the plane ride home on Saturday, I finally finished reading The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game. I loved it. Michael Lewis is so good at weaving a crazy amount of historical/statistical info into the story of left tackle Michael Oher, who makes up the human interest aspect of the book. I really only follow football (pro and collegiate) during this time of year, when the playoffs and bowl games are on. But you don't have to be a fan of football — or even know that much about it — to enjoy Lewis' writing.
November 20, 2006
Book It
In case you haven't already picked up Amy Sedaris' I Like You, fred flare is now offering autographed copies of the book. Only 75 are available.
