Things We Love

November 20, 2009Uncategorizeddesign booksMrs. Blandings

At one point I emailed a fellow blogger whom I admire a great deal. Frustrated and antsy, dissatisfied and disgruntled I lamented every room. “I love everything, but what is wrong?” “I think you need more stuff,” or something similar came the reply.

Hmmm…yes. Good stuff. It needs to be culled and collected, gathered and grouped. Never a fan of minimalism, I practiced it for a long time as it did not seem wise to place good things in the reach of curious, and often sticky, fingers. But here, the cup does not runneth over, but the vintage is so good.

Images from The Way We Live with the Things We Love by Stafford Cliff and photographer Gilles de Chabeneix.

Out and About – Barbara Cosgrove Lamps

November 18, 2009UncategorizedProductMrs. Blandings

I admire so much this style of interior.

Clean and clear and graphic.

Lots of black and white.

But left to my own devices I end up with lots of color and plenty of pattern and, well, Legos, but that is not all my fault.

This beautifully edited spot is the home of artist and lamp designer Barbara Cosgrove.

It was a treat to see her home in Spaces last year and it was a treat to meet her and have a tour of her showroom last week.

You can see a few of Barbara’s lamps here, but check her site to see the complete selection.

It was so interesting to see her work space. Eco-friendly shades, below, are one new offering.

But it was the shelves filled with wonderful finds that Barbara uses for inspiration that piqued my interest.

We will have to stay-tuned to see if these end up on the production line soon.

Less is Never More, Less is Obviously Less

November 17, 2009UncategorizedblogsMrs. Blandings

Several weeks ago a couple of readers emailed to ask, “Why would a blogger pull his blog?!” It seemed Maxminimus was gone. I had some thoughts on why one would give up blogging, but had to sheepishly admit that I had not hit this gentleman’s site.

Just when I was just starting to miss him, odd as we had never met, he returned. He weighs in on clothes and books and hotel rooms far and wide and tells charming tales of his daughter. Pretty often there are wonderful rugs. Carpets, not hair pieces. Actually, I think I’m supposed to be looking at the socks and shoes. Anyway, this weekend, he posted this wonderful staircase chocked full of old Vanity Fair caricatures from Birkhall, the former home of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother.

It looks like there is a piece of molding that runs between the rows of prints. And I’m gobsmacked by the way some of the pieces are framed to accommodate the slant of the stairs.

Queen me.

Images via Maxminimus. The post title is a quote from Michelle Nussbaumer in Elle Decor, November 2009.

I’m Such a Nerd

November 12, 2009UncategorizedMrs. B at Home, ProductMrs. Blandings

Is it possible that the installation of a carpet runner would offer such joy? Can you imagine your heart skipping, not a beat, but just skipping?

That is how I felt this week. I snapped the pictures right away before some boy tramples it with muddy shoes or throws up on it or whatever is eventually going to happen that will make it look like the rest of our stuff. Rosie was skittish at first, but now I think appreciates the cushy tread.

Oh, happy day.

Paint the Town

November 10, 2009Uncategorizeddesign booksMrs. Blandings

Rose Tarlow says in her book, The Private House, that she can obsess about fabric. She often drives around with it on the dash of her car so she can think about it some more once she leaves the office. I shouldn’t drive around with fabric samples in my car as they usually end up trampled by soccer cleats. But, I leave books open on my desk for weeks at a time. Picking things apart. Turning them over.

I’ve been stuck on this image (top) of Albert Hadley’s living room. Arresting in its composition, but also remarkable in the use of this painted canvas. It’s just painted blue. Anyone could do that.

I had a friend ask me to paint canvases for her like the ones in my hallway. I assured her that even her children could do that for her. She disagreed. But the panel, top, and the screen, above, and the chairs, below, anyone could do that.

It makes us copy cats, of course, and not design legends, but I never had “design legend” on my list of aspirations anyway so no harm done.

We can draw a lot of inspiration from the high-end magazines even if our budgets are low-end.

All images from Style and Substance, The Best of Elle Decor. Photography from top, Fernando Bengoechea, Simon Upton, William Waldron, Pieter Estersohn and Eric Piasecki. While all the other images could be translated with basically a coat of paint, the bottom image did inspire me to buy a (not inexpensive) sink. I had seen it originally in Pastis and was giddy to find it sourced in Elle Decor; it solved the problem of three boys and one sink quite well.

Its publisher has decided to focus its energy on Elle Decor while retiring Met Home. I subscribed to Met Home and enjoyed many of its features over the years. Best wishes to its staff members.