Missing London

It's hard to believe the Olympics ended a week ago tonight. There were thrilling highs and crushing lows. Great stories of enduring hardships and sacrifice.  It did not matter that I watched them from my sofa. Somehow, I felt that these Olympics games were the best that I could recall?  

Sofa by Wesley-Barrell. Designer pup extra. In pounds, please.

Perhaps, I am am biased having been to London, that we have several British friends, or that ancestors on both our mother's sides were British. Perhaps, it was that the Queen's humor in the opening ceremony, rarely on public display, made us all laugh and relax and send the message that we were indeed in for a jolly good time. Who will ever forget the moment the future King of England gave his bride a spontaneous and enthusiastic squeeze as a spectator in the stands? Perhaps, it was the agreeable weather, which was nothing short of miraculous by anyone's measure. Or maybe, it's just simply a matter of fact, that our friends across the pond hosted a great Olympics!

I snapped this in early summer while visiting the Farrow & Ball showroom at the DC Design Center.
 I've said it a lot (to myself) this summer as I continue work on my most challenging project. Ever.
 It's been a marathon...of Olympic proportions!

And, even though the opening and closing ceremonies were fragmented, I enjoyed them. Truthfully, they could have been from any number of bizarre and fragmented dreams that rob me of sleep! And, if you are of a certain age, the music in the closing ceremony was a wonderful trip down memory lane and it made you feel youthful and capable of Olympic greatness- if only in your dreams.

To help cope with missing London and the Olympics, I will resume reading these two books:

 Both are based in England and that's where any similarity ends. One is written by Lady Fiona Carnarvon, wife of the current Earl of Carnarvon and current countess of Highclere castle. It covers the Edwardian period, the First World War and the extraordinary life of Lady Almina. It is neither a biography, nor a work of fiction, which is what what makes it so fascinating. If you are addicted to the mini-series Downton Abbey, this is a must read! The series inspiration,  including many of the characters names is clear. I think knowing the real story will only add to the enjoyment of the series when the new season resumes.

The other book is a debut novel from a young author named Daniel O'Malley. It's about a group of people with supernatural powers who work for her Majesty's Secret Service. Sounds hokey right? I did not expect to actually like this book, but when another author recommended it-I thought why not give it a try?

So with England as the perfect backdrop, historic references, drama, suspense, supernatural power and a good deal of humor, it's a bit like the Olympics I would say!

When HomeGoods is Jolly Good!

Yesterday, I stopped into HomeGoods. I was in desperate need of a new non-stick skillet.

Initially, I was distracted by some beautiful copper cookware. For those of you who cook with or collect copper, they had many pieces under $100.  I found a great skillet (not copper) for $39.99, but I also found a few other things...

William came home with me.

Inside



So did Jane.



Is that Mr. Darcy?

These big books would look great on the coffee table, in your library, not to mention under under the tree! Both the jackets and the cloth covers are beautiful, especially for $19.99 each!

Mary Kay Andrews: Blue Christmas Book Giveaway!

Not all email is created equally. Email via my blog, in general, is always good. Some days it's really good. Last week, I received an email from Meg at Tandem Literary who works closely with Mary Kay Andrews and she happened to know we read each others blogs! So this email I knew was going to fall into the really good category. Really good for my readers!

No secret I love books, from the classics to the lighthearted. Have I mentioned we've had some plans drawn up to expand our library? More on that another day. Today is all about passing on a favorite holiday read to one of you to keep or maybe give as a gift!

I received a hard copy of Blue Christmas yesterday, signed by Mary Kay Andrews, to give away to one of my readers. She's one of my favorite southern authors. I wrote about MKA here and gave you a little tour of her beach house. Her books are just so much fun. Page turners, hard to put down. This one definitely involves decorating!

To enter simply become a follower, if you're not one already, and leave me a comment by midnight Thursday. Please make sure you leave an email address if you don't have a google account! I'll pick a random winner Friday.

PS: Just in case you want to read it now, this book is available from any e-book retailer for $1.99 through December 23rd only!

Ditch Your Jackets, Show Your Spines!

Finally, I am feeling back to normal. You know what the best thing about being sick was? Allowing myself to do nothing, or at least nothing terribly productive. The worst thing about this little hiatus from the real world? Finding myself behind on everything! The weekend was a flurry of activity for me trying to catch up on all the basics as well as pull a blog post together after a one week absence. My oldest, who is away at college, turned 19 today! It was so great to talk with him on the phone, but a bit sad with the realization that this was his first birthday away from us. Cards sent in the mail and a birthday text message simply can not replace a hug. He said he celebrated his birthday by taking his fraternity pledge exam. Hmmm...wonder if there was a book for that?


Poetry book with a beautiful decorative detail.



While I was laying low, not only did I watch bad television,  I also managed to see several movies, went through the entire and fantastic Downton Abbey series (courtesy of Mr. A&A and the Blockbuster kiosk) and had the opportunity to read quite a few books (courtesy of Amazon and Mr. UPS) that were really good. As I unwrapped some of my new books and was throwing away the shrink wrap....and the jackets,  I thought once again about why so many people have this odd attachment to the dust jackets on their books. I was only able to salvage three to photo for this post!

Before: books with dust jackets.

After: jackets ditched!


Not me. I also happen to be one of those people who rips or cuts off the tags on my pillows, sometimes my clothes, and yes even the mattresses in our houses.  The mattress and label police have yet to come knocking on my door.


Penguin classic books. I went nuts the first time I laid eyes on these beauties! I have them all now.

Whenever I buy books, I ditch the jackets. Why? Dust jackets are little more than modern day advertisements. In addition to attracting a potential buyer with an appealing jacket, much like a magazine cover shot, they also protect the cloth cover of the book from dirt and fingerprints from the masses handling them in bookstores so that they remain "sellable". Only in rare cases are jackets valuable. A book can survive hundreds of years under extreme temperature fluctuations and tremendous amounts of use, and remain amazingly intact without the "aid" of  dust jacket.




This set of classics once occupied space in my parents library and now are among my favorite volumes.

Once you decide to buy a book, the jacket in my mind, is useless. Most are also not very attractive. And the ones that have a pretty picture on the cover, as in the case of design books, almost always have the exact same picture featured in the book. Design books in particular can be quite attractive. Designers are afterall in the business of making things look good!

A few of my design books in all their glorious color!

Consider the beauty of old books. The spines in particular are often incredibly gorgeous. Many old books are embossed, have hand tooled details and titles in beautiful script. Most new books have good lettering and the book cloth colors are so attractive. Although most books made now have black, gray, brown or navy blue spines. Thankfully, design books come in every color in the rainbow! Sometimes, when you remove a cover there is a little surprise waiting. How sad would that be not to enjoy it?



A sampling from my husbands "side" of our library.
Selections range from antique German books to sports to his favorite topic: history.
 I think it's perfectly fine to mix antique books with modern selections.

For those still not convinced to ditch their jackets, here are the reasons I've heard most often from resisters:

• I don't want my books to get dirty.  May I suggest that you refrain from reading just after gardening or eating fried chicken. Oh, and dust once a month with a soft cloth or Swiffer. 
• I use the jacket flap as a bookmark. Really? It's not very efficient. It has been my experience that it slips out and you end up re-reading several pages. This is especially problematic with large books. Not to mention, if you leave the flap tucked in between pages for prolonged periods it makes the jacket wonky...forever. Tip: buy a spool of ribbon in your favorite color and place a cut piece in all of your favorite books as well as your current read. Some bookmakers still sew ribbon into the bindings...which I love!!!!
• I want to save information about the author or book included in the back flap. Okay, cut that portion off the jacket and stick it inside the book. Bonus: you now have a free bookmark!



If I had left the dust jacket on this book, I would have missed this magnificent detail!


My reasons for ditching the jackets and showing all my spines:

• It makes any library and/or bookshelves look so much better! In fact, it will make the whole room look more attractive. I love bookstores, but I don't want my house to look like one. Do you?
• I have NEVER thrown a jacket away and then regretted it. For those of you who like to get your books signed, always be sure to do so on the inside, because.....
• Eventually, all dust jackets rip and fray and end up looking quite shabby. 
• It's another way to Live Beautifully Everyday!



Before: spines coverd with jackets.



After: jackets ditched and beautiful spines showing!


In case you're still not sure if you can take the leap...remove the jackets from all your books and store them in a closet or somewhere out of sight. After six months if you don't miss them....ditch them for good. And, if your feeling really crazy, rip your mattress tag off too!

Tuesday Tip

I have another insider tip for you today. One to assist while you are shopping retail. There are code words used when stores are having "issues" and need to move inventory fast. The most common is the "going out business sale" and typically that is what it means. Although there are occasions when it's a restructuring to roll out a new look, often with the same name. Sometimes it's called a "moving sale" and once in awhile you will hear "retirement sale". This last one is so hokey because they would like you to believe there is great hardship to the remaining owners. I assure you in retail (small/privately owned businesses are excluded here) this is just a ploy to have a sale and offer only a very small percentage mark down.

Basically, they are all the same thing. Here's why: retail stores must move as much inventory possible to avoid moving and storage costs. Think of the what the calculated costs associated with moving a fully furnished mansion and then double it. Same for storage. And, retailers fully understand the risk of storing items. They know pieces will sustain damage and they will incur the costs associated with repair or profit losses when damaged items need to be sold at deep discounts after a move. It is always in the store's best interest to deplete inventory as quickly as possible.

When you see these signs, know that everything is negotiable. By purchasing several items, you increase your negotiating power. Cash and carry (meaning you pay in cash and take the item with you immediately) will yield you the best leverage. But most stores these days see credit equally appealing. Think of it like an upscale tag sale. Important notes: mind your manners and don't be arrogant. I can assure you if you offend the floor sales person or manager, they will not be flexible.  In addition, unless there is something you must have or tears will ensue, don't buy anything the first week of the sale. However, do browse and note what is present so you are informed upon return of what inventory has moved. This will give you a bit of additional leverage when asking for a discount. And of course, you will need to do so in the politest way possible.

A few weeks ago, the Drexel Heritage store close to where I live put up signs saying "never before or never again sale" going on now. So based on what I said above, I understood some sort of significant change would  result in a departure/closing/relocation.  In this case, I knew that Drexel owned the lower end Thomasville. Recently, they had their own sale where I scored a leather topped table from Darryl Carter's line for under $500!  The original price was $1,125...60% off. Unfortunately and surprisingly his line did not do well and has been discontinued. I think it would have been a far better fit for the Drexel customer.



Rollins pedestal table by Darryl Carter

 So....I figured there was a correlation and it had the sound of "fire" sale to me. When I went to check things out, a sales person I knew told me that it was determined Drexel was not the right fit for this location and they were moving a Thomasville store that was struggling in it's current location into their space. Here is what it meant to me personally and a few lucky friends and clients I called: prints, accessories, books and furniture at 80% off!!!

One of the things I was so excited about acquiring were these books. Shocking, I know! I purchased the set of 14 leather books with gold embossed covers. They are actually journals and immediately they made me think of one of my favorite movies, Out of Africa. When my husband saw them, he said "those are amazing, what's the subject?" I informed him anything we want it to be! The books were originally just under $60 each. Yes, I paid a mere $11 and change for something that looks like it came from estate sale that had a grand library or a purchase from an antique book dealer. I purchased a few other things too, perhaps a post for another day. For now, I'll be fantasizing about travels to far away lands that we can write about in beautiful journals!

Vicente Wolf:Lifting The Curtain On Design!

I remember my visit to the bookstore several years ago, when I spotted Vicente Wolf's first book, Learning To See. I was with my husband. We often go book shopping together, head off in different directions, then meet somewhere in the middle with our stacks of possible purchases.

This visit was different. I forgot to meet up after an hour. My husband found me on the floor reading one book. I never sit on the floor. I remember my reaction well. It hasn't change from the first book to magazines showing his work. This is different. This is sexy. Some may find my description odd or not agree, but to me it's perfectly clear.

Vicente Wolf  approaches a space with great confidence.  He is informed by the architecture and the client but the decisions and selections are not just intuitive, but seem almost primal.  His interiors always have color, texture, antiques and artwork. But no one component jumps out to steal the spotlight. The details just reveal themselves to you...slowly.

His trademark yellow flowers that show up in so many of his rooms are never distracting. They are not a jolt of energy, but instead a subtle illumination.

His use of round tufted oversized ottomans are in stark contrast to the sleek trays he places on top. A perfect combination of masculine and feminine.

There are examples of his unique approach to holding the television. Put it plain sight. Make it alluring.

His smart use of pictures ledges allows for a revolving art gallery.

And, he does not shy away from humor! There are many examples if you look closely at his work. Anyone with a sense of humor is just more sexy.

Vicente Wolf is not just a renowned American designer, a world wide traveler, gifted photographer, but also a most entertaining story teller. Very sexy!

I truly learn so much from reading his books. While the photography is stunning, the interiors are beautiful, it's his insights on design and detailed descriptions of his travels that truly captivate me.

Last night, I carefully removed the plastic off his latest book, Lifting The Curtain On Design.  I immediately slid the dust jacket off, which I do with all my books, to see if it revealed the vivid yellow cover that I anticipated. I read late into the night. I am nowhere near done. So far, my expectations have been exceeded.  Now another yellow spine will grace my bookshelves and continue teaching me more about what makes good design!

Living With What You Love

Struggling.  I have been struggling to write a post about two of my favorite, and I think very important design topics: family photos and collections. Trying to gather the right words and images, including many from my own home, together in a way that clearly illustrates my thoughts and ideas on these subjects has proven to be a far greater challenge than I had anticipated!  Ah yes, so much easier to do it verbally!  So, I put it aside for later.

Later came in an unexpected way. Via my inbox! A few weeks ago I received the most casual email that said in part "I have been enjoying your blog and I think my newest book may be of interest to you."  I receive a lot of emails these days. Many are from new bloggy friends or readers with questions about a certain item or post.  Some I really can't even discern what they are about.  And, then there are some requesting endorsements, mentions, givaways, reviews and more recently for sponsorship possibilities. I read them all.  I reply only to those I am genuinely interested in myself, sharing with my readers and that fit the style of this blog!

                                                                
I've tried to complete posts on these topics on more than one occasion. Collections & family photos come up inevitably with every client, friend or family member I have ever worked with. It can be a very sensitive subject. It stirs the emotions and quite often are the very components that can make or break a room. Done tastefully, displaying family photos and collections are what gives our spaces warmth, believability and soul.  Most people do not have the ability to self edit, especially when it comes to possessions that are personal. Many are challenged by figuring out the best and most inspiring ways to display their collections. I have successfully helped many, but I am always looking for new and exciting ways to accomplish this important aspect of design.

Enter Monica Rich Kosann. Photographer, designer and author of 3 books. Her latest book is called. Living With What You Love. We exchanged a few emails, she sent me her book and I read it...cover to cover and I simply loved it!  We also chatted on the phone. This talented woman was so warm and engaging. The conversation flowed easily and it was hard to believe we were complete strangers. But, after reading every page of her book, I should not have been surprised by her warmth and passion.

                                                                      Currently the objects of my desire!

Whether or not you are currently working with a design professional, this book has so many ideas to get you started in creating your own tasteful and original displays of beloved family photos and collections. Monica will walk you through ways to incorporate photos and collections into your own home and decor without it becoming a distraction, but instead an enhancement to your style as well as the style of your home. Her book is an abundance of information on everything from framing to curating a collection on a tray. The interiors featured in her book are as varied as the collections themselves. Her approach is fresh and unique. The forward is by Alexa Hampton. This is a book for homeowners and designers alike. A really great resource for your design library!

Here's a tiny sampling of the book:

In addition, Monica designs exquisite jewelry including charm bracelets and lockets as well as items for the home based on vintage pieces. Just last week I saw an ad in Elle Decor for one of her lockets. Katie Holmes has worn her signature locket since the birth of daughter, Suri.  Madonna purchased several of her image cases for a dinner party. She had each case wrapped and placed on the dinner plates as a gift for her guests! I have my eye on a few pieces that I will be leaving not so subtle hints to my family for my birthday next month! And, just this month Monica was accepted to be a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America as reported by WWD!!!

In the coming weeks, I promise to still share some of my own images of how I display my family photos and collections including: antique keys & locks, French opera glasses and corkscrews. In the meantime, as the mercury soars and you find yourself retreating indoors for a reprieve, may I suggest heading to your favorite book seller to get started on Living With What You Love !

All images courtesy of Monica Rich Kosann.  Photographs by Steven Randazzo 

Tuesday Tip

Beach reading!  Around this time of year I start combing the bookstores to see what I might like to pack in my beach bag. Besides the necessary sunglasses, hat, and suncreen I consider my reading material just as important.  My criteria: light, fun, and if possible related to my vacation area.  Here's a hint...this Virginia gal considers herself a southerner.  I like to vacation down south and my husband and I plan to retire in one of our favorite southern cities!  So it is understandable that I have great affection for southern authors.  I have many favorites and among them is Mary Kay Andrews.

I have no idea how I first came across her book Savannah Blue's several years ago, but after reading it, I was hooked.  I have since read many of her books.  She is a great story teller and writes in such a way that the characters seem so real that when you come to the last page, you feel as if a close friend has moved away.  Her books are immensely entertaining and the best part.....rich in details about interior decorating, design, junking and antiques! Yes, in other words any designer or design enthusiast dream beach read!!!

Not only is the official start of summer is just around the corner, so is the release of her latest book The Fixer Upper.  And, it just so happens Mary Kay Andrews bought her own beach house fixer upper in 2008 and it was featured in this month's issue of Better Homes & Gardens!

 Here's a little tour: 

  So grab a book, get comfortable and relax...it's summer!