Better Homes and Gardens “Decorating Book”, circa 1961 (cover, below). Aside from entirely sage decorating wisdom this little gem has pages and pages of sweet illustrations. While the Decorating Book is a little harder to find, the very cool Handyman Book from Better Homes (1966 edition) is available on Amazon right here.
Summertime makes me think of being little and making a mess of drippy ice cream cones at my grandma’s kitchen table—which would invariably have a sticky, but fabulously patterned oilcloth tablecloth on it. So, of course I had to look up oilcloth to see if it was still around. And guess what? Like Kleenex and Linoleum, Oilcloth is a “genericized trademark.” Not only is it the ubiquitous name for this plastic covered fabric, but it’s the name of the company that makes it. Plus, now you can get everything from aprons and shopping bags to chairs and bibs made of Oilcloth.™
This book was a wedding gift from my husband: a volume that chronicles our email correspondence that led up to our first date. He designed and illustrated it and then had it letterpressed and bound. It is far and away the most priceless thing I own. I imagine our great grandchildren reading it (and blushing over certain parts) long after we’re gone.
The coffee cup was (ahem) spirited away from the Café de la Paix in Paris by my best friend. Every time I look at this little piece of truly classic and timeless design I smile—thinking of Jordan slyly slipping it in to her bag and cradling it all the way across the Atlantic just to bring me a souvenir from her Parisian travels.
I love having things around me that have a sense history to them. Whether it’s my own history, or someone else’s, is secondary. Just that sense of “story” about an object gives it a certain magic. So of course I’m a big sucker for flea markets and...ebay. Just a couple fairly recent acquisitions here. My proudest find: the portrait I found at a flea market in the Meat Packing District last year. An original amateur painting on canvas for a scant $10!
It’s truly amazing to see how this incredible man has mobilized and motivated a nation. A nation that heretofore has been sort of apathetic about involvement in politics. Even down to a design level the political landscape has transformed: artists and designers have been invited by the Obama Campaign to participate in Artists for Obama and design posters for an arena that is typically littered with crappy banners and bumper stickers that all look the same with their bad type, tired stars and sad stripes. Contributors include Shepard Fairey, The Mac and Scott Hansen...along with other designers independently putting their stuff out there (like Deroy Peraza) Their posters are above, respectively. Hope, Change and Progress is right.
“Hidden Pretties” (unexpected and pretty details not apparent until closer inspection... examples: a beautiful lining in a jacket, or striking orange insoles in a pair of shoes) is a term my friend Kelly adapted from “Hidden Uglies” (unexpected hideous details found on something ordered online or from a catalog that wasn’t apparent in the photo).
In the May issue of Metropolitan Home I saw a photo of an interior with a piece by artist Valérie Belin. It was a huge (I’m guessing 5 x 6 foot) framed print of the piece above and it was hanging in a dining room behind a long table. It was so stunning I had to look her up. She’s done a series of photos of mannequins that have a 1960’s senior portrait quality to them that’s really odd and wonderful when on a large scale.
I’ve seen a post here and there about this little Etsy shop called White Elephant run by best friends Jane LaBatte and Holly Pocsai (who also have a blog) and I just couldn't help but posting about it too after checking it out. It’s a shop of sweet little vintage finds that’s expertly curated. The signature photo styling is awesome too. Placing each piece in front of the white frame is so lovely!
As lame as it is that we don’t have Zara Home stateside (and I do hold a bit of a grudge) I still slavishly check their site so I can see their stunning online catalogue (as they spell it across the pond). The photostyling is always beautiful. I have to admit though, while this year’s Andalucian/Moroccan theme is an influence I loooooove, I have to say last year’s magical catalog is still my favorite...
My husband has been an admirer of the work of Saul Steinberg for years and was the one to introduce me to his distinctive style (his illustration work for the New Yorker is legend). So last year when I was staying at the SoHo Grand in New York I flipped when I saw the wallpaper in my bathroom: rows and rows of little birds drawn in the unmistakable Steinberg style. Ever since I’ve been on the look out for this wallpaper called “Aviary” and I just found it today thanks to a post at Peak of Chic. Schumacher carries it (and a bunch of other sweet patterns, like Kelly Wearstler’s very fab Imperial Trellis.)
Here are a few examples of his 3-D mixed-media pieces. You can tell ol’ Steinie had a good sense of humor.
Or very technically speaking, “Moroccan Girlie Style.” While these things aren’t strictly Moroccan, at the very least there’s a heavy influence of this intoxicatingly beautiful culture. All of these images I found on two wonderful, awesome blogs that I only just discovered: All Things Bright and Beautiful and This is Glamorous. Sooo bookmarked!
I have found the perfect luggage set. Exactly what Edith Head would’ve picked out for Grace Kelly in To Catch a Thief if it existed in 1955. I haven’t even bothered to see how much it costs because it’s so amazing I know it has to be outrageous. T. Anthony makes this gorgeous set of cream leather with black detail. It really doesn’t get any more classic or flippin’ perfect than this.
Today is Chinese New Year and 2008 is the Year of the Rat. (Honestly, it feels like it’s been year of the rat since inauguration day, January ‘01, but maybe that’s just me. Nah, probably not). Anyway, you’ll be pleased to hear Design Night can take care of all your Chinese New Year gifting needs with this very lovely little laser die-cut envelope. (I can’t help but think this would’ve been sooooo perfect 8 years ago when envelopes may have been needed for a certain someone’s campaign contributions...) Opportunity missed.
