Golden Shots

Not a speck of red or green anywhere in these gold-inspired holiday interiors photographed by Chris Everard, an incredibly talented photographer with an amazing sense of perspective (which I came across via Purple Area). I'm guessing that the photos were taken for a magazine editorial (Everard's work has appeared on the cover of House and Garden and in Living Etc.). I also wish I knew who the shoot's stylist was. He or she deserves credit for their part in helping create these gorgeous images as well.

More of Everard's work can be seen here. I was blown away by his portfolio on the Sarah Kaye Representation site.

Blueprint Bids Adieu, Too

Earlier today, less than two years after the publication of its first issue, Martha Stewart Living announced that it will be closing Blueprint magazine. Blueprint will cease publication in early 2008 with its January/February issue, but its Bluelines blog will remain online. The news of Blueprint's closing comes on the heels of Conde Nast's decision to stop publishing House and Garden last month, giving another indication of the uncertain times facing shelter magazines.

It's a shame that Blueprint was such a shortlived publication. The photography and layout were always appealing, and although some found Blueprint's broad range of content, which included everything from interior design and decorating to fashion and crafts a little disjointed at first, the magazine definitely became more coherent and focused- in a word, better- with each issue. I liked them from the get-go, when they featured a model wearing wearing wellies and a skirt on the cover (and in an editorial) of the first issue back in May 2006. Blueprint made rain boots paired with a skirt or dress look like the most perfect and obvious of choices, even chic.

Pining Away

Pineapple wallpaper, Studio Printworks (House and Garden, July 2007)

Brrrr! The snow has stopped falling here in Chicago (for now, at least), but it's still freezing outside. On winter days like these, I'm always happy to come back home and in from the cold. A house like Katie Brown's (of Katie Brown Workshop), with its Dorothy Draper-esque pineapple wallpaper by Studio Printworks winding up the stairwell, would also be welcoming right about now. Brown chose the pineapple print to "provide contrast from all the white in the living room" and because it's "a real treat for the eyes: the big pineapples are like a little hit of happiness." Even more so during the winter, when sunny pineapples- the stuff of tropical island paradises- bring to mind exotic locales and balmy weather.

Marimekko + H&M

Marimekko patterns will be showing up on H&M clothing and accessories for summer 2008. The iconic Finnish textile and design company has licensed patterns from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s for use by Swedish fashion retail giant, H&M. The collaboration presents an opportunity for both of these Scandinavian-based purveyors of style, but it's up to H&M to work the vintage Marimekko patterns (which have been in production for decades) into clothes that will sell. I'm looking forward to seeing this collection when it hits stores in April 2008.

Color in a Cinch

Eric and Elisa married on Bainbridge Island
via Offbeat Bride (photo: Courtney Brooke)

The tradition of brides wearing white is so customary in Western culture, that it's difficult to imagine a bride wearing anything but. Brides haven't always been married "all dressed in white," however. White has only been the bridal color of choice since the 19th century, when Queen Victoria popularized the color by wearing a white dress for her marriage to Prince Albert. Even then, only after the prosperity that followed the end of World War II did formal, white wedding gowns really take hold in bridal lore. Today, brides still overwhelmingly choose white, but with their own personal touch. The happy brides shown here all added a beautiful twist to an otherwise all white dress with sashes of color.

photo by Jenny Ebert via Something Old, Something New

photo by Sarah Sloboda via Brooklyn Bride

photo by Elyse Hall via Brooklyn Bride

Something Pink (and Pretty)

I just received a beautiful "save the date" card for a spring wedding. The pink and brown card has a vintage, handcrafted look, and holds a magnet with a graphical, whimsically modern design done in the same color scheme. The traditional and modern come together so beautifully- a little like "something old, something new."

Hable Holidays

Hable Construction's bead fabric is a perennial favorite and a perfect pick for upholstery projects. At this time of year, projects around the house may call for something a little different, though. For decorating the mantle, Hable has wool-felt stockings to hang. Handsewn by a women's cooperative in Hungary, the stockings feature traditional holiday motifs like snowmen, candy canes, and Christmas trees, as well as designs associated with warmer seasons, like butterflies and poppies. The stockings are also available through another favorite, Garnett Hill.

A Ball of a Time

photo: Zach Manchester

The hands of the Atomic Age-inspired Ball Clock point towards twelve wooden balls to tell the time- not just in hours and minutes, but of its mid-century origins as well. Abstract and analog, even a quick glance at the Ball Clock leaves little question as to the time of day. The rightful designer of the Ball Clock, however, may forever remain unclear. Designed in 1947, Howard Miller Clock Company (connected to Herman Miller) put the Ball Clock into production in 1950 and credited it to George Nelson. Although known as the "Nelson Ball Clock", the atom clock later came to be regarded as the collaborative effort of several legendary H. Miller designers, developed over a late night of drinks and sketches, with Irving Harper being key to its inception. Only even that version of events may be inaccurate. Harper said that he had been assigned the account from the beginning. Enigmatic as the design of the Ball Clock may be, the mid-century clock has proven a modern classic, making it truly timeless.

photo: ourhaus

More Target

Artist Amy Ruppel outfits Target stores in holiday cheer this season as its Holiday 2007 designer. Ruppel joins fashion and accessories designers Dominique Cohen, Holly Dunlap of Hollywould, and Erin Featherston for GO International as one of the designers who currently have a collection in Target stores.

On the apparel and accessories front, the Dominique Cohen jewelry line impresses. It's easily the best of the limited edition designs now in store. I love the knotted pearls. It seems like the necklaces and bracelets are meant to be layered for full effect. Worn alone, the look is more of a pretty, delicate one. As for Hollywould, the cute-ish bags are much better than the shoes, but a miss overall.

I didn't pay much attention to the new GO International collection by Erin Featherston. Peter pan collars, ruffles, babydoll dresses, and an adorable heart-shaped bag make the Featherston line very young, like its preppy-goth Libertine predecessor. Should Featherston's interpretation of her ultra-girly aesthetic for Target get passed over by customers, she's still got a killer Paris apartment and that stylish, blunt fringe of bangs to fall back on.

The financial benefits of signing a deal with Target are not lost on these designers. A collaboration with Target can put an up-and-comer, like Featherston, who is relatively unknown outside high design on the map with masses. But there are no guarantees. Proenza Schouler designed a line for GO International which did very well, but only a few months later the talented, young designers were looking for financial backers to stay afloat.

Amy Ruppel for Target

Visit a Target store this holiday season, and you'll be greeted overhead by the signature birds and stripes of artist Amy Ruppel. Ruppel's artwork appears on the Target website (with widget downloads) and various merchandise as well. (I saw paper plates and even a box of chocolates with Ruppel's birds.) The big box retailer's choice of Amy Ruppel as its Holiday 2007 designer is also getting praise from the independent design community and its supporters for featuring the work of one of its members.

When It Pays to Think Inside the Box

Photo by Mathilda Williams

They say that one ending is another beginning, and the holiday season is no different. Now that Thanksgiving is over, the Holiday shopping season- or madness, depending on how you look at it- has officially begun. A lot of that shopping will take place at chain stores, the elephant in the room. Recently, I've been posting about my favorite pieces from big retailers. Kind of like an informal holiday gift guide, only rather than reviewing individual products, I’m focusing on each store’s aesthetic. I support independent design and love its aesthetic, but I shop mostly at big retail stores. The big boxes are convenient and affordable, not to mention everywhere. It's even possible to like shopping at Target et al. At least sometimes.

As appealing as it may be to buy the object where form and function meet in a stunning aesthetic, it’s also necessary to choose sometimes- pass on the expensive, high-end piece that’s used infrequently and stays out of view because it’s stashed in a drawer most of the time in favor of that to-die-for design which you and everyone else will see. Price doesn’t have to stand in the way, though. If the big boxes are beautiful in any way at all, it’s that they make it possible for more people to find and afford both good quality and looks. (Unfortunately, these stores are also cluttered with aisles of stuff, that even at 19.99, doesn’t have to be ugly, or truly cheap, but still is- A whole other story.)

Holiday 2007: Anthropologie

It was only last summer, on a visit to the country, that I learned that a flock of geese is also known as a gaggle. I took lots of pictures of the geese that I saw that day- I didn't know that geese were so cute. So when I spotted this gaggle, of measuring cups that is, in the Anthropologie Holiday catalog, I was again taken with the unexpected cuteness of geese.

Anthropologie's atom art bowls are another item for the kitchen (which are shown in the catalog) that I like. The cereal bowls have a rustic charm which add color to the table without being too "matchy-matchy." I also like how these nature-inspired brooches and pins in organic shapes and colors were styled and photographed. The Alexis Bittar lily pad pin is made of lucite, plated with gold-covered brass, and embellished with seed pearls. The blue bellflower pin makes use of an interesting mix of materials as well by combining resin and leather.

J.Crew, Holiday 2007

J.Crew has outdone itself this holiday season. With pieces in rich color and classic, well-tailored shapes, J.Crew is at the top of its design game, and certain to be taken up on their suggestion to give the "gift of color".

House and Garden

I miss House and Garden already. The news of the House and Garden closing disappoints me just as much for the magazine's departure from newsstands as it does because the houseandgarden.com website will be shut down as well. At the end of the month or so, H&G's online content, like these beautiful photos of Chloe Sevigny's home from January 2006, will no longer be accessible via their website. Who knows? There's always the chance that Condé Nast will pick up the magazine again the way it did back in 1996 after a three year hiatus.

The design of Sevigny's bathroom and bedroom (above) brings to mind David Hicks's style. Black borders that add contrast, definition, and a graphical element; and a floral pattern on the wall that is repeated on the bed which anchors and unites the room recall these two bedrooms designed by Hicks (below).

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

(Three months is a long time to be away-- especially in blogging time. I hope to start posting again after the holiday, though. I can't say that it will be often, but I don't want to sign off just yet, either. See you soon.)
-Sara

Few Stars for Design Star

Other than the tons of television shows I watched as a kid in the eighties, I've never been much of a TV watcher. By the time that last decade of the traditional sitcom had ended, after giving way to the young-fabulous-and-often-single-life-in-the-city variety of shows like Friends; I was already in college, and just didn't watch a lot of TV. The Real World was also in its first few seasons at the time, but I never really got into it-- or reality TV for that matter.

This summer, though, I've been watching more TV than usual, including-- for better or worse-- the last two episodes of Design Star. I was impressed with some of the rooms created by the contestants for the specialty store challenge, but the Vegas-themed wedding was a disaster. I agree with the judges' decision to declare Todd the winner of the dollar store competition since the contestants were instructed to use their 99 cent store items in designs that were "all about looks, not function." The rooms designed by the other hopefuls proved that each of them has talent, but Todd's room was the standout. Even though, as comments on hgtv.com rightly point out, his creation would look more at home as an installation in an art museum than someone's living room-- making him more of an artist than a designer.

Todd's winning Specialty Store Challenge: High-Tide Barrel

Vegas Wedding Challenge: Rockabilly Meets Tradition

Challenge 3: Zestful Zen by Will

Now that the original cast has been slashed to only a handful of contestants, those still standing are no doubt keeping their eye on the prize-- a show on hgtv. But it's doubtful whether any of them could actually carry his or her own show. A few episodes into a hard won show, the network will deliver the news that the contestants eliminated earlier heard from host Clive Pearse... "Your show has been canceled."

In the meantime, I'll try to catch a full episode of Welcome to the Parker. I saw part of the one where a seemingly benign group of guests in town for a golf tournament(?) trash the Jonathan Adler decor of their suite rock star style.

I'm also loving A&E's Confessions of a Matchmaker. Patti Novak, a bold yet endearing professional matchmaker helps-- or at least tries-- to help Buffalo, NY area singles find love. It's a both a hoot and sweet, and maybe no wonder that Buffalo has been dubbed the "city of lonely hearts" due to its disproportionately high number of singles. Finding true love has got to be even harder when faced with the blustering cold and dreary landscape of this American city. The current season must have been filmed during the winter because it's always snowing, and to make matters worse each date seems to be somewhere lackluster. It's enough to make you want to stay home. And like mothers, and probably grandmothers everywhere say, "You're never going to meet anyone sitting at home."

Can Do

Last weekend my younger sister and I peeled the wilting and loose leaves off otherwise good cabbage alongside fellow volunteers at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. After the cabbage was packed into produce boxes, it was ready to be delivered to neighborhood pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters.

Through its programs and member agencies, Chicago's food bank helps feed close to a half million people a year, a third of whom are children. Research collected by the GCFD and America's Second Harvest reveal more about the sobering number of people going hungry. Among the people served through Chicago area agencies only about 10% are homeless, 39% of households receiving food had at least one employed adult, and many more have to choose between buying food or paying for rent/mortgage, medicine, and/or utilities.

Relief from the daunting problem of hunger poses challenges on a scale that even the impressive structures created by architects, engineers, and designers for Canstruction exhibits across the United States and Canada can only begin to address. The giant structures are made entirely of canned goods which are then donated to food banks-- making Canstruction a wonderful testament to the power of design.

Branching Off

Cake Girls

Red coral appears much more often in the sea motifs that continue to be popular this summer than it does in the ocean, where it's the rarest of coral. The ever fabulous Cake Girls designed this coral decorated cake as one of five sea-inspired wedding cakes which can be seen on the InStyle Weddings site. Another red coral design that I like is Anthropologie's hook. Joy and Megan of BeachBungalow8 recently shared photos of the same coral hook displayed in their respective homes.

Anthropologie coral hook as seen in an image from the home of Joy of Oh Joy from her Sneak Peek house tour on design*sponge

via BeachBungalow8

Summer Weekend

I spent this past weekend down in central Illinois, enjoying everything that comes with summer days in the country. Here are some photos I took along the trip.

Cupcakes at wedding reception

Mackinaw Valley Vineyard... where we attended a wedding

Flowers along a country road

Ribbit... A sweet little girl helped me spot this frog. He blended right in with all the green of the lily pads.

I learned that a flock of geese is called a "gaggle"... No, I didn't know that.

There were also goats on this farm, and some chickens in the distance. In all fairness, I thought that those maybe not-as-cute little fellows should get a mention here as well.

Enamel Enamor

Seen around town and wrists-- bangles in bright enamels similar to the ones shown here. Wink suggests wearing theirs either alone or with gold (or silver) bangles. A good look, and one that can be had for less because the bangles are a bargain. Or take InStyle's tip and pair their pretty pick with "white linen or summer neutrals."