Hello, My Name Is…

March 27, 2012UncategorizedMrs. B at HomeMrs. Blandings

We met a couple of weeks ago. We were both at the River Market Antique Mall and I passed her idling in a booth at the top of the stair on the second floor. We said “hello,” though I was in a rush and moved on without exchanging pleasantries.

She made an impression. Well-built, stable, but a little wobbly under pressure, I thought we might have a few things in common. When I returned home from vacation I went back and asked her if she’d like to stay with us for a while. She said yes; she has an adventurous spirit. I paid her back rent, twenty-four dollars, and brought her home to meet the boys. They think she is swell.

Ready for a fresh start, wanting to put her past behind her, she’s looking for a new name. We are open to suggestions.

Out of Office Reply

March 23, 2012UncategorizedMusings from the Dream House, Out and AboutMrs. Blandings

We arrived in Florida late on undesirable flights due to a mix-up I had made with dates. Because of the mix-up and its late discovery, we stayed the first night in a hotel in Sarasota that resembled a Quentin Tarantino movie set less the contrived lighting.

It’s a short drive to Boca Grande from Sarasota. Driving on Florida highways always makes me wonder where people live. Real people. The people who are accountants and bankers and not fishing guides and small shop owners. I have a skewed perception of coastal highways that open up to beach towns with nothing in between.

The last few years we have arrived around the same time and driven straight to a favorite haunt for lunch. This year, as the waitress began to hand us our menus Bill said, “I think we pretty much know what we want.” “How many years in Boca?” We both turned to look at our oldest and said, “Fifteen. Give or take a few in the middle.” And I wondered, “Don’t you know us? Don’t we look familiar to you? We belong here.”

We spent the day at the beach. When the boys grew hungry and headed back to eat I stayed to finish Middlemarch, George Eliot treating me better than Austen ever has. At the house I showered with different soap and towels that smelled wrong and blew my hair with a dryer without enough heat. All of these things would be unforgivable at home, vexing and bothersome. At home these details are reminders of shortcomings, of things undone, errands not run. They are reminders of an imperfect life. On vacation they are negligible. Nuance. Insignificant compared to the sun and the release.

I have learned small things about myself on vacation. I like to walk to town for the paper and coffee and bread. That fresh blueberries are delicious. That having music on during the day is delightful. Being away is wonderful in its own right, but the best of it is coming back better.

Heavens, I did not mean to be away so long. A couple of projects kept me before we left and then I tried to unplug as much as possible while we were gone. My apologies to Iris and anyone who noticed my absence and was concerned. All is well, if somewhat messy and unorganized. I should be back on track next week.

Oh, To Be She

March 8, 2012UncategorizedDesignersMrs. Blandings

“Why do a house in just one style? Being narrow-minded is not the message you want to pass on to your children.”

I owe a lot to the esteemed Aesthete (Mr. Lament to some) not the least of which was an introduction to Isabel Lopez-Quesada. At the time he mentioned her to me I could hardly find an image of her work on-line. Fortunately for blogland, her site has been up for a while and is a treasure trove of beautiful work. Her home in Madrid appears in Architectural Digest this month. You can find it on-line here. She does this really great thing, this combination of old and new and neutral and color and symmetry and not, and it leaves me, well, as the blogger himself would say, “gobsmacked.” I hope this is just the beginning of what we see on our pages stateside.

Do pick up the issue if you haven’t as it focuses on designers’ own homes which tend to be my favorites. Suzanne Kasler in Atlanta. David Easton, a long-time favorite, in Tulsa, my hometown. The issue would only have been better had it come wrapped in a red bow.

Image, Architectural Digest, April 2012, produced by Howard Christian; photography Simon Watson.

By the way, AD pays me for what I do there, but not for what I do here. What I do here is of my own accord. In case you were wondering.

To the Point

March 5, 2012UncategorizedProductMrs. Blandings

“People sacrifice for the iPhone. But does anyone think, ‘I’m going to take my whole budget and buy a Lobmeyr glass and drink my orange juice every day from rock crystal so I feel nuanced and privileged – and my guests can sit on the floor.’?” Murray Moss in the WSJ here.

Image via Moss. This glass is Lobmeyr, though not a juice glass, obviously. I like to pitch traffic to the source of inspiration when I can and this was the best glass there for here. Also, it’s name is Patrician, which seemed appropriate, and it is a beer glass and there was a time when beer and I hung out together quite a bit.

The Joy of Mrs. Howard

February 29, 2012Uncategorizeddesign books, DesignersMrs. Blandings

Other than Brooke Shields and Phoebe Cates, I was never aware of models by name. Not until I lived with three cheerleaders in college was I introduced to the concept of “super model.” I came into decorating the same way. I read and I tore and I saved, but it took a while for me to begin to recognize designers. That mirror, above, did it for me with Phoebe Howard.

From a long ago Southern Accents feature, that mirror introduced me to the world of Mrs. Howard, Phoebe’s shop, and the amazing work that she and her husband, Jim, both do.

It’s a world of casual elegance, of relaxed refinement. Many people seem to be yearning for pretty rooms, uncomplicated beautiful spaces.

Phoebe’s work combines a traditional foundation with an understanding that we have evolved; mid-century tables, fresh fabrics and contemporary art co-exist beautifully in her spaces.

And now we don’t have to wait and hope for a magazine feature. Phoebe has published a new book, The Joy of Decorating; Southern Style with Mrs. Howard and she is offering Mrs. Blandings’s readers a discount.

If you buy the book from her site HERE and enter the code MBJOD you will receive the book, normally $50 at 20% off (that’s $40 for the math-challenged.)

Another bonus for ordering from the site is that you will receive a prize. Included with the book will be Mrs. Howard’s Favorite Paint Colors, which is a handy little supplement organized by palette for wall, ceiling and trim.

All images courtesy of Mrs. Howard.