House Beautiful - Meant to Be!

Do you ever feel like you could be one of those people hosting the decorating shows on HGTV or writing articles for BH&G or House Beautiful? I do! I would certainly need some good make-up and new clothes, and maybe a little polishing up on the writing skills, but with a little TLC - I think I could do it!


Over the weekend as I was the December issue of HB, I spotted my turquoise ikat pillow on one of their beds! Well, let me be clear, it wasn't MY pillow, but the same fabric! I was obviously thrilled that the fabric I chose out of the thousands at Mood, was also one the designers at HB chose :) We just have so much in common! Here is the pillow and I will post the picture from the mag as soon as I get my hands on it.

House Beautiful tweeted today about the top 10 design books in their opinion and I got a little chuckle because I did the same post on Saturday. Their books may be a little more sophisticated than my, "Thrifty Decor", and, "Shoestring Chic", but come on - same post within a day of each other? Meant to be...


I'm just kidding (kind of)


I did want to pass along this awesome article from the editors at House Beautiful as a follow-up to Saturday's post on books:

BRINGING PARIS HOME BY PENNY DRUE BAIRD

STYLE IN FIVE WORDS OR LESS: Triple crème.

BEST PIECE OF ADVICE: "Avoid trendy faux finishes, which become outdated quickly. Stick with the classics...strié, simple glazed walls, and stucco will always be in good taste."

GOT A LITTLE CARRIED AWAY: "In a library with dark wood paneling, one might opt for a rich jewel-toned mantel such as forest green or oxblood."

WHO'LL LIKE IT: Francophiles who have a passion for dressier decorative styles: Baroque, Rococo, Régence, and Empire.

WHO WON'T: Those who would rather bring home chic, contemporary Paris, or who don't have vast rooms with very high ceilings for all the chandeliers, columns, pilasters, carved mantels, and boiserie.

DEFINING LUXURY BY JEFFREY BILHUBER

STYLE IN FIVE WORDS OR LESS: Distinctly American.

BEST PIECE OF ADVICE: "Decorating is an investment in living, not necessarily in furnishings."

GOT A LITTLE CARRIED AWAY: "The porcelain light socket, for example, is one of the most beautiful objects ever made — a perfect design, one that requires no improvement."

WHO'LL LIKE IT: Anyone who likes to study and fantasize about beautiful rooms with a glass of red wine in hand.

WHO WON'T: Anyone looking for 1-2-3 step-by-step decorating.

THE NEW TRADITIONAL BY DARRYL CARTER WITH TRISH DONNALLY

STYLE IN FIVE WORDS OR LESS: Clean, calm, cerebral.

BEST PIECE OF ADVICE: "You can make the most traditional chair modern if you cover it in a neutral linen."

GOT A LITTLE CARRIED AWAY: "An antique wool grain sack worn to softness serves as a throw."

WHO'LL LIKE IT: Pensive people who dream about living in muted, understated rooms.

WHO WON'T: Spontaneous people who like a lot of pattern and a lot of stuff.

YOUR HOME, YOUR SANCTUARY BY CLODAGH WITH HEATHER RAMSDELL

STYLE IN FIVE WORDS OR LESS: Urban Zen; natural and rejuvenating.

BEST PIECE OF ADVICE: "The door should open with a smooth turn of the key. If your lock does not open easily, get it fixed right away. Cranky locks create cranky people."

GOT A LITTLE CARRIED AWAY: "Bring generous, blanket-size towels with you for nomadic sex on your sofa."

WHO'LL LIKE IT: Loft-living urbanites who yearn for long walks on the beach.

WHO WON'T: Traditionalists, lovers of chintz, and chrome-and-glass purists who believe home should be a "machine for living."

BARRY DIXON INTERIORS BY BRIAN D. COLEMAN

STYLE IN FIVE WORDS OR LESS: Southern renaissance.

BEST PIECE OF ADVICE: "Don't be afraid to downplay a serious antique with an amusing accent to keep it from becoming too formal and unapproachable."

GOT A LITTLE CARRIED AWAY: "Entering the dining room is like swimming down into a Sargasso Sea."

WHO'LL LIKE IT: Anyone who appreciates bold juxtapositions.

WHO WON'T: The modernist.

THOM FILICIA: STYLE BY THOM FILICIA

STYLE IN FIVE WORDS OR LESS: You can do it!

BEST PIECE OF ADVICE: "Great design can be had at every price point."

GOT A LITTLE CARRIED AWAY: More than once suggests jettisoning sofa for chaise longues.

WHO'LL LIKE IT: Your artistic sister-in-law.

WHO WON'T: Minimalists and anyone afraid of color.

TO YOUR TASTE BY CELERIE KEMBLE

STYLE IN FIVE WORDS OR LESS: Decorating for Bright Young Things.

BEST PIECE OF ADVICE: "I warn people to open their mail-order catalogs knowing that in two years' time, much of what is shown will be ubiquitous."

GOT A LITTLE CARRIED AWAY: "Bright or primary-colored rooms go a long way when housing toys, which tend to be of the same colors."

WHO'LL LIKE IT: The young and the fashionable looking to create traditional interiors with a kick.

WHO WON'T: Anyone scared of animals real or faux, or who doesn't like to read (there are lots of photos and also lots of text, though it's exceptionally practical).

MLINARIC ON DECORATING BY MIRABEL CECIL & DAVID MLINARIC

STYLE IN FIVE WORDS OR LESS: Impeccable.

BEST PIECE OF ADVICE: Too discreet to give advice. But you might be inspired by lampshades made of local survey maps or curtains made out of the material used for nun's veils.

GOT A LITTLE CARRIED AWAY: Some may roll their eyes at having damask specially woven to a 21-inch width for historical accuracy. But forget finding fault. Mlinaric is a master who doesn't put a dado wrong.

WHO'LL LIKE IT: Anglophiles, Rothschilds (half their houses are here), historic-house aficionados, and those who swoon at the thought of rush matting on scrubbed wood floors.

WHO WON'T: Anyone looking for "tips" or a feeling for how Mlinaric actually thinks. We hear his voice only a handful of times. The text describes the rooms in the detached dulcet tones of a museum audio-guide.

HOUSES BY MICHAEL S. SMITH WITH CHRISTINE PITTEL

STYLE IN FIVE WORDS OR LESS: Brideshead via Bel Air.

BEST PIECE OF ADVICE: "To get to the essence of what you really want, you have to dig through a lot of layers of what you feel is expected or prestigious or impressive. You have to work to find it."

GOT A LITTLE CARRIED AWAY: "An amazing property, but clearly we had to rethink the house. I said, 'Let's go to the Veneto and look at houses by Palladio.'"

WHO'LL LIKE IT: Anyone who adores antiques, English country houses, and the best of the best.

WHO WON'T: Anyone who enjoys seeing a room made over for $250 in 24 hours on HGTV.

HOUSES IN MY HEART BY CARLETON VARNEY

STYLE IN FIVE WORDS OR LESS: Color, Color, Color, Color, Color.

BEST PIECE OF ADVICE: "Every home needs a touch of yesterday and today — and room for tomorrow, because a house is never finished."

GOT A LITTLE CARRIED AWAY: "I do not believe there is good taste or bad taste — only taste."

WHO'LL LIKE IT: People who can't get enough pattern and color. Decorating "voyeurs" who love the stories behind the rooms. P.S. The book design itself is dazzling.

WHO WON'T: Beige types.

I can't wait to take these out from the lib and get inspired!

On another note, Brian and I went to chop down our tree over the weekend and it was so much fun! A friend of his at work lives on a tree farm in this little charming town in Connecticut, Easton, which was like a sanctuary for us, a piece of true country only a few miles away. Jim was really sweet and opened up the farm just for us and took us out on his truck with his cute little doggie and drove us into tree heaven!

I couldn't resist the baby tree, isn't it adorable :)