Magazine Shake-Up

If I heard it,  then surely all of you have heard it too: Southern Living is getting a new editor, someone from Gun and Garden. I wonder if it's true?! It's no accident that SL has been making a move to change its image (which we have all been loving), and the word is that they are going to try to capture some of the glam elegance of the old Southern Accents magazine.

As the new magazines for July start coming in, Architectural Digest is the first to arrive. One of my best friends hates AD. I used not like it too, but always checked it out to stay current. Lately I have been liking it very much, and in fact love the July 2012 issue. I used to think AD felt old and fuddy-duddy and irrelevant. Maybe it's gotten younger, and I certainly have gotten older, and there has been a meeting in the middle.

Get the July 2012  issue of Architectural Digest

It is very enjoyable with so many 5 star designers: Miles Redd, Michael Smith, Jonathan Adler, Vicente Wolf and more

Only Miles Redd can make a ruffle edge drape look fresh

Miles Redd, the pattern mix master in a red bedroom

Another Miles Redd bedroom with his signature pelmet, pattern, and POW!

Michael Smith bedroom - makes you wonder what wonderful things he did or couldn't do at The White House

Refreshing kids room by Michael Smith

Fabulous gardens of Oscar de La Renta

Love this house with the grand piano practically outdoors - architect Michael Lehrer

Vicente Wolf is featured in Architectural Digest July 2012

Love this Vicente Wolf bedroom in Architectural Digest

And of course check out the AD feature on the Adler Doonan beach blanket bingo I showed you on Sunday

Don't miss this issue! It's a page turner! On newsstands now.

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Southern Living Is #1 Again!

The new magazines are in. Southern Living is smokin' hot!

Two designing sisters from Dallas Kelli Ford and Kirsten Fitzgibbons have a wonderful feature of a traditional home they gave an update to.

What's not to love? It's all great! The black stripe rug, the black chairs, the Louis Phillipe mirror, the brass lamps, the wallpaper - This is a perfect example of an updated traditional room

What a great room - LOVE the mix of pattern but you had me at the leather wrapped coffee table

Those girls know how to style and set a table! Love the orange dishes and that two color monogram is to die for

There are so many great ideas to takeaway. I really love the Phillip Jeffries wallpaper in the dining room. Decorators Best sells to everyone, and you can get Phillip Jeffries there. The only thing is there is an 8 roll minimum that PJ requires, and even with the discounted prices at Decorators Best that comes to a $708. purchase. Maybe a couple of us could split the order to get two accent walls out of the deal.

Philip Jeffries wallpaper has texture that looks like the wall is studde4d with nailheads - FAB!

On the meh list: Elle Decor, Traditional Home (their salute to the British to coincide with the Olympics had such promise), Architectural Digest, and House Beautiful. But please go out and buy them all! Even on the ones on the meh list have something to offer! 

But don't miss this months issue of Southern Living - there are a ton of great articles packed into the always modest looking issue.

Kirsten Kelli

And check out the web site of Kirsten Kelli the hot Dallas design firm featured in Southern Living June 2012.

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Online Shelter Magazines Are Huge This Month

The top three online shelter magazines, rue, House of Fifty, and Lonny, have all dropped their May issues. And each one put out huge issues with lots of pages and good content. It's really been a treat to spend time looking at them all.

Lots of reading to do this month in the online magazines - I spy Debra Shriver's book Stealing Magnolias in this picture in Lonny - Stealing Magnolias is the best book about New Orleans, to gift or to keep for yourself

Lonny focused on road trip to Morocco, and there is a huge feature on Maryam of the blog My Marrakesh. Her house is amazing. And I love the piece on Jamie Meares too.

Jamie Meares in  Lonny - I love this Jackie print - I had no wall space for it so I got a client to get it!

Of course I was so happy to be included in rue, and House of Fifty, and loved the rest of the content in both magazines.

So happy to be in rue - A corner in my bedroom

There are tons of take-way ideas in all three magazines, so hunker down and read them all.

I have had two sheets of the same handmade paper for two years, as  seen on the back wall in this room by Jamie Meares - The take away idea is how to frame them, shown here floating on linen with a pretty silver frame

And vote for Jenny today HERE

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In Style and Perky

Do you remember when InStyle Magazine had a separate shelter magazine? It didn't last long, but while it did, it had some nice things in it. In their regular fashion issues, they often devote a few pages in the back of the magazine to design and decor and entertaining.

This month they had a cure feature called "10 Ways To Perk Up Any Room." So how about it? Are you feeling perky yet?

#1. Hang drapes from ceiling to floor

#2 New lampshades (Target has some colorful ones - #2. Paint a room a dark color - #3 Art in the kitchen

#5 Lacquer your walls - #6 Get a bench or banquette for the dining room and put your table against a wall - #7 Display art on a ledge or shelf

#8 Be bold in the bathroom - #9 Brighten bookshelves, paint the back of them a color - #10 Accessorize a tray

  

What do you do to perk up your house?

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The Best Magazines On The Newstands Now

I subscribe to them all. This month is pretty good, with humble little Southern Living taking the lead. Next is Traditional Home! Really! House Beautiful just gets by this month, mainly because I love the 101 Tips From The Experts. Architectural Digest is getting better since that breath of fresh called Margaret Russel took over. Elle Decor is at the bottom again. Hope they get their groove back. And that $11. Domino thing is a sad waste. Conde Nast might want to put Lonny or Rue into hard copy print instead.

Anyway, I scanned a few of the things I felt compelled to rip out and save and share with you. Now go out there and buy a few magazines, because scanning just doesn't do these images justice. All images from the current May 2012 issues.

We all are loving painting our doors black, but I really love the deep purple on this door - I am currently working on a project for a young couple and am trying to get them to use a cylinder shape lighting fixture instead of the fussy chandelier with crystals - Maybe this image from Southern Living, the best magazine this month, will show them how great it would be

A very cute feature in Southern Living with a lot of take-away ideas you can do

House Beautiful is trying to get its groove back - I loved this idea for the back of bookshelves - Here it is painted, but the take-away idea could be to cut foam core the size above the shelves and cover it with chevron fabric and place it in the bookshelf - Much easier and cleaner than painting, and easy to change out when you need something different

This funky room is in Traditional Home - Buy  the May issue for sure

I love this little moment in the bedroom in the May issue of Traditional Home

This bed is refreshing, as seen in May 2012 of House Beautiful

These outdoor chairs just really tickled me! The owner got them in Paris (why is it always gotten in Paris) and you can see them in Traditional Home this month along with the rest of the home

Contrary to popular belief I do not hate circles - This is genius -  painted circles on a mirror, as see in Trad Home

Two beds in one! The high padded headboard inside a four poster - The dinky rug is wrong, but the pillows look perfect, as seen in the May 2012 issue of Traditional Home

Hey hey hey! Blogger/designer Erika Powell was featured in a tastemaker article in Southern Living

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Love This Desk As Seen In French Elle Decor

I have a great house guest. It's the movie decorator Helen Britten in town working on a new James Franco movie, with Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill. Part of her hunt and peck and find and get inspired process involves getting a stack of international interior design magazines, so I am having a ball flipping through them.

The latest issue on newsstands here in New Orleans of Elle Decoration France is the Winter issue

I have a client who asked me to create a desk for her using some heavy duty classical sculpture bases. Of course we don't have thousands of dollars to work with here. So I found some great pedestals from Ancient Sculpture Galley that will work perfectly.

The client talked about a glass top. But I think when I show her this desk in French Elle Decoration, she might go for a white top, which could be a remnant of white marble used for counter tops. A quick coat of white paint on the pedestals will complete the look.

Love this desk as seen in Elle Decoration France

The  beautiful desk belongs to Marie Victoire Poliakoff

Griffin pedestal from Ancient Sculpture Gallery - 30" tall 149. for one

Griffin pedestal from Ancient Sculpture Gallery - 32" tall - 159. for one

This one for 299. is meant to be used as a table base centered - Or use two as shown in the inspiration photo

This is NOT the look to go for!

But you can transform the elements into this!

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Gardening The Easy Way

You know you are itching to get out and dig in the dirt, even if you are a city dweller with a pot on the fire escape.

A nice new magazine is just out, Gardening The Easy Way. It has the feeling of a vintage seed catalog, and is very useful.

From the press release:

Make this the year you succeed in the garden with expert advice and inspiring photographs harvested from Good Housekeeping, Redbook, Country Living and Woman’s Day.  Whether you’ve never picked up a garden spade or you’ve been digging in the dirt forever, you’ll find useful tips and breathtaking pictures (full of ideas to steal).  Find out:

 

This Provence inspired garden uses only two plants in the knot garden, boxwood and lavender

*which always-reliable plants the pros go to first

*the best way to start an organic vegetable garden

*how to raise old-fashioned favorites like peonies, dahlias, and climbing roses

 

Love the striped shades on the porch - from Gardening The Easy Way

Plus fresh ideas for window boxes and container gardens, insider tips from gardeners across the country, and so much more.

 

Get this special edition for only $6.99, available at your supermarket or bookstore, or as a digital version at Zinio.com or Nook.bn.com.

I'm dying to try climbing roses over my garage! From Gardening The Easy Way

Love the idea of raised beds ever since Brooke Giannetti put them in in her front yard

In Gardening The Easy Way they show you how to turn your garage into a potting shed

There's a story about turning a garden shed from Lowe's into this sweet retreat

I enjoyed the entire issue. There's a feature on peonies and dahlias, two of my favorite flowers. This is one of those special little magazines that you will save forever to use as a reference and for inspiration.

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