Sblogging = Slog + Blog

An article on blogging done in the New York Times has been making the rounds. It's about blogger burnout.

All the usual poster children of the blog world are in the article, talking about how they have to take a break, or have moved onto posting less calling it slow blogging. Everything has a shelf life. Or life simply becomes more demanding. Boo-fucking-hoo. Okay that was snarky. But really, The New York Times deserves it sometimes.

From The New York Times

Remember when we all started blogging? We were in a fever to share and over share on a daily, if not hourly basis. I loved having other design geeks to communicate with. But sooner or later you run out of projects because you actually finish your house (for the moment). Or it takes too much time and money to produce those cute and crafty DIY posts. Or new and easier ways to photo share crop up like Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, etc. Or it gets to be a chore (like doing homework or having a deadline) to come up with posts. Or you start putting ads on your blog that have to be managed. Or your blog becomes a "brand" or a business marketing tool that needs to be constantly cultivated.

I have slowed down because I am in the thick of grief. Living without Alberto is a shadow life. I am still at the stage where getting up, getting dressed, and doing work is about all I can handle sometimes.

I don't have guilt about not blogging. My younger friends say blogs are dinosaurs. But then so am I. Some bloggers stopped because they got fed up with the cliques that wouldn't let them in. I never let my blog be the boss of me. I chose to keep it homey and personal. Wonderful things happened because of my blog in a fabulous hippie-dippie organic way: Friends, work, my book, learning things, etc. There was no master plan to take over the design world.

I am proud of my blog. I was "new" when I started in 2008. There were others that started in 2006 and 2007 who I looked up to. This blog is my life history, an archive, forever etched on the Internet. No one may care, or someone might. I care. We all want to leave our mark on the world. Blogs have enabled a zillion souls to leave a legacy. I am so thankful for the body of work that Alberto put out there via his many blogs, Youtube, Facebook, and our Planet Tango web site.

From the blog The Tango Life

What about you guys? Are you still reading blogs? Are you still posting on your blogs? I can still spend a happy day clicking around reading blogs I love. It's how I stay in touch. Every post doesn't have to be a masterpiece. Sometimes I go back in my own archive to read early posts, and I love the innocence and enthusiasm. I still feel that way.

I also think we have all become victims of the over share. Along with cameras on cell phones came the thrill of documenting everything with an ease that was so exciting and seductive. But while snapping pictures we missed the actual experience of what we were taking photos of. I had some girls over for dinner. These are some of the women who have been keeping me alive these past sad months. They check in on me, feed me, lend me money, take me out, and never, never weary of my tears or talking about Alberto. I asked them to please not take any pictures or post anything anywhere. I didn't know what reaction I would get, but all of them were relieved and delighted to truly be relaxed in the selfie-less moment.

Loreen Arbus House Proud

I saw a feature in the NY Times last week in a column called House Proud. That stopped me in my tracks, and then the home owner's name stopped me in my tracks too.

Alberto and I knew Loreen Arbus as a tango dancer. He always said she came from a wealthy background, but who knew? In the world of the Argentine Tango you often just know the first names of people, and it is not unusual to know nothing of their lives outside of the dance floor.

Loreen Arbus is house proud - Read the article in The NY Times by Sandy Keenan, photos by Randy Harris

So here we have Loreen's New York apartment. She is a proud renter, though according to the information in the article she is filthy rich and can afford to buy anything she wants. She sites her preference for renting with memories of The Depression (of the 1930s). This is cute, since Loreen and I are about the same age, and never experienced The Depression. Our grandparents did, and maybe our parents did as children. Loreen and I came up in the very prosperous post World War II Baby Boomer era1950s.

Loreen likes to paint her chandeliers as I have done, and she does gallery walls as I have done, but...

Is there ever too much color?

Her apartment is all about color, and entertaining. You know I love color, but somehow this is not my total cup of tea. It looks dated, kind of stuck in the 1990s. Someone once commented that my home looked like a box of crayons threw up in it. I had to laugh.

A red lacquer table in the kitchen of Loreen Arbus

Still I love Loreen's bravura and originality. And I love that she uses the place for fundraisers. I die for the custom Kagan sofas, and the sixteen Kartell dining chairs.

LOVE the custom made Vladimir Kagan sofas

Sixteen Kartell Frilly chairs in the dining room - LOVE - And I spy Trina Turk Blue Peacock fabric on the window shades

It's funny that not one word is mentioned in the article of her tango past, a lifestyle that she dedicated at least fifteen years to. We knew her in California, and often saw her in New York when we visited and danced there. Her partner Alberto Toledano was a gentle soul and a gentleman. I loved dancing with him. He died far too young. Loreen was devoted to him though it never seemed like their relationship was romantic.

Loreen Arbus master bedroom

She was always a woman of mystery. She didn't really hang out with anyone at the milongas (tango dance parties), and was never one for the social ritual of how we all greet one another with kisses and abrazos (embraces-hugs). There was no small talk or conversations. She always held herself in a regal almost unapproachable manner. A few guys asked her to dance. She never seemed to stay long at the milonga, leaving in a cloud of mystery as quickly as she seemed to materialize.

The finger-pointing piece in the library is signed by Z. Yeyati, an Argentine artist whose work Loreen collects - this is the only connection I see to Argentina and her tango past

It was great fun reading the article in the NY Times. It shed some light on her quirky personality. Loreen says, “People always wanted something, I have a lot of complexes about this.”
Times writer Sandy Keenan explains it this way: "Ms. Arbus has a long record of doing things her own way, dating back to her childhood in Mamaroneck, N.Y. Although she was given the name Loreen Joy Goldenson at birth, by the time she was 13 she had assumed her maternal grandmother’s maiden name, in hopes of avoiding some of the baggage that came with being a daughter of Leonard H. Goldenson, the man credited with building ABC into a corporation worth $3.5 billion when it was sold in 1985. Classmates were asking for favors like getting celebrity autographs or wondering whether Loreen could help secure a hot band for the next dance. It bothered her."

Loreen Arbus and Alberto Toledano back on the day when my Alberto and I knew them as tangueros

My Alberto was right. She comes from money. But to us she was an enigmatic tango dancer, always kind to us. We admired the tango show and production company she put together with Alberto Toledano. The web site is still up. I wonder if you contacted her if she is still doing her tango show, and dancing for hire at private events. You can also see a glimpse of them at one of the tango events we produced in Los Angeles many tango moons ago on one of Alberto's tango blogs, The Tango Life.

Also go check out the comments at the Times. The question of the day is, is there ever too much color?

The New York Apartment Of Betty Halbreich

Betty Halbreich, Bergdorf Goodman’s renowned personal shopper and the breakout star of “Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s,”  has lived in her apartment since 1947 on Park Avenue when the rent was $250. a month.

The fabulous mix and match, and mish and a mash living room of Betty Halbreich - I love the pink silk couch!!! All photos by Fred R. Conrad

 There is a terrific article in the Sunday New York Times.

The fabulous blue dining room -

For many years, Ms. Halbreich presided over formal dinner parties at a  mahogany table that can be expanded to seat 16. The hutch is full of blue-and-white china

Who doesn't love a butler's pantry? This is a testament to Ms. Halbreich’s knack for setting a table

this chest in the living room holds ironed table linens, and don;t you just love the blue Opaline glass collection!

“This is my favorite spot in the house,” said Ms. Halbreich of the bar in the  den. “I keep my vodka in the refrigerator with spearmint in it, in case you are really interested.”

The master bedroom is draped in fabric

Steal this idea!!!!

“Everybody goes mad for these shoe closets that are built into the back of doors,”  Ms. Halbreich says.

Betty describes her décor, like the clothes she selects for her clients, is “mix-and-match, a mish and a mash.”

"I think if you are 85 and still working, you become interesting. "

Leah Dunham, who created a huge success with her HBO production of "Girls" is thinking of doing a TV series based on the memoir Betty is writing for Penguin. Betty tells us, "I think if you are 85 and still working, you become interesting. "

Go read the entire article by Dan Shaw. It's fabulous.


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Ticking Off All The Boxes Of A Youthful Design

A fabulous style has emerged over the past few years using vintage items, flat-pack furniture, antiques, combined with a moderate budget and ingenuity. It has been reinforced on design blogs and in shelter magazines and in books about design and decor,  so much so that it is becoming a main stream look unto itself.

Interior design by Amy Azzarito

I love the look because it quickly becomes unique to the homeowner, even though certain staples have become expected. Vintage and antique items usually insure a one-of-a-kind experience. Having little money results in making something special out of the ordinary.

Antique plaster mold and a used industrial cart mow used as a bar cart are classic elements of this style

Though it seems this type of decorating is the favored by younger decorators, probably because this is a time of life when money is scarce as careers and families are being built. But I think everyone of every age has embraced this style of home decorating. Also, the notion of recycling and up-cycling has become a part of every one's consciousness. It's no longer radical or only the realm of special interest groups to "go green". All age groups are aware that every little bit helps when it comes to saving the planet.

Ikea bookshelf hack - Amy credits blogger and designer Jenny Komenda of Little Green Notebook as the inspiration

I was watching (again) the Woody Allen movie "Midnight In Paris", and I always smile when Owen Wilson's character is explaining the novel he is writing to "Ernest Hemingway". He tells Hemingway that the setting of his book is in a nostalgia shop, and the Hemingway of the 1920's did not know what that was.

Charts as art - It's no longer quirky, but it's still cool

The notion of nostalgia started to take hold in the 1970's when people started to discover affordable (i.e. cheap) vintage items (including clothing) were widely available and "cool". Tiffany lamps, Art Deco, Victorian, and then Mid Century Modern (and now things from the 1970's to 1990's) all became things incorporated into people's homes, even if these items were not passed down through ones family. Ralph Lauren built an empire on creating posh nostalgia lifestyle for sale to the masses (that would you and me).

Flea market and junk shop vintage furniture is so much a part of this look

So though the idea of using vintage furnishings and accessories is not new, every new crop of decorators seems to find a heretofore cache of previously unused stuff. I would say that scientific charts and taxidermy and "curiosities" are the newest in the lexicon. But even they are now mainstream, reproduced for sale on catalog web sites. It's no longer quirky to hang up an anatomy chart, map, or specimen chart as an affordable and interesting way to add "art" to a home.

How many of you have a chair like this? I do!!!!

I chose this group of photos from an article in The New York Times (written by Penelope Green, photos by Bruce Buck) about the home of Amy Azzarito. Amy is interesting because her roots are in blogging. I think her formation of style is unique to that experience.

Painting a room black or gray has become a classic choice

Who doesn't have (or want to have) a black bathroom or kitchen? Or at least an accent wall or a door?

If you read blogs, I am sure you too have been inspired and influenced and supported by the community that has come together over the love of decorating, design, and home keeping. I love to see what all of you are doing and saying. And I love to see your creative processes and successes, like the one Amy Azzarito has organically accomplished.

Quirky has become classic

Ingenuity and creativity are the mothers of invention - Can't break out a wall to hard wire a cord? Just wrap it in pink duct tape! DIY is major component of this style

Amy has a book out that I want to pick up, called "Past & Present: 24 Favorite Moments in Decorative Arts History and 24 Modern DIY Projects Inspired by Them".

From the blurb:
"From the Palladian columns of our government buildings to Victorian-style taxidermy and terrariums, highlights from past decorative eras frequently resurface in our modern lives. In Past & Present, Design*Sponge managing editor Amy Azzarito presents 24 pairs of essays and craft projects that explore the connection between decorative arts history and present-day design trends. From a Wedgwood-inspired headboard made using molding from the hardware store to an art nouveau– style tree-branch chandelier, the projects celebrate their roots yet fit perfectly into our contemporary living spaces."

Wedgwood-inspired headboard made using molding from the hardware store

Try these elements of Amy's accessible user friendly style:

• Vintage and antique items
• Whimsy and quirky
• Flat pack furniture
• Blog resources
• DIY

Amy's book has delightful and thoughtful essays and history lessons about many antique and vintage styles. It gives  objects a back story that will make your experience in using them richer. She also has a lot of cool DIY projects with instructions in the book.

Amy has an essay about obelisks in her book

Amy Azzarito covers a timeline of decor history, including Gustavian - I love this mod twist on it

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One of Truman Capote's Swans

When something is good you do not tire of seeing it again and again. So I read the Sunday New York Times today with extra pleasure.

Nicky Haslam wrote a wonderful piece about his dear friend Lee Radziwill in T Magazine (The Sunday New York Times glam supplement). And the pictures of her Paris apartment were shown again.

"While she has long captivated the public as one of Truman Capote’s swans, the sister of Jackie Kennedy and a European princess, with romantic liaisons from Peter Beard to Aristotle Onassis, not one of those labels begins to capture the true woman. The inimitable Radziwill — direct, free spirited and true to her own ideals — offers a rare, personal glimpse into her remarkable world." 
Nicky Haslam on Lee Radziwill in The New York Times

Also from the article by Nicky Haslam:

“Oo—h. You’re here already!” The voice, lively, with its unmistakable husky drop, comes in to the living room. I turn from the balcony that looks out onto the Avenue Montaigne.
“Oo—h” — again, that low last note — “how did you get here so quickly?”

You can hear that voice in a bonus video interview with Lee Radziwill done by Sofia Coppola and Deborah Needleman.

Enjoy the images by François Halard and styled by Carolina Irving. the article, and the video.

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What Quirky Collections Are Part Of Your Decor?

Collecting. It is so personal. Most of us display what we collect in our homes. Sometimes the collections take over. Once we are attracted to a particular thing it seems to multiply. Besides hunting and gathering what we ourselves love, people notice what you collect and all of a sudden every gift that comes your way has to do with the collection.

What collections do you display in your home?

Collections can evolve over the years. The ceramic and brass owls I loved to collect at age 18 are long gone. The time line of my life could be written by the collections that have come and gone.
In my 30s it was Art Deco. In my 40s white Ironstone and Majolica. In my 50s tango shoes. And now...Well it's not so much about collecting anymore. I will always love dinnerware and glassware (with thoughts of dinner parties).  I have always loved "curiosities", shells and bones, and things from nature, and a pretty set of plates can always make my heart flutter.

Transferware  is lovely to collect

I don't bring much into the house now, unless something goes out. It's a matter of finite space. But I still have a lot of stuff by any standards.  I like looking at things. I like arranging things. I admire minimal spaces, but they're a nice place to visit (cue rim shot:  But I wouldn't want to live there).

How do you incorporate your collection into everyday life?

Don't you love to look at what other people collect? And it is always fascinating to see what people  choose to display in their homes. Is collecting an elegant way of hoarding? I think humans need their stuff, don't you?

Kitchens are a natural showcase for collections

Of course as all of us hurl towards death (and yes young ones you too have an end coming sooner than you think), one tends to think about the fate of the accumulation of cherished objects and brick-a-brack. Let's face it, most of us do not have museum worthy stuff. At best it might fetch a few modest dollars on eBay. Even if you leave a detailed will, you can never be sure that your stuff will ever be loved as much as you love it.

Have you  been bringing "nature" things from outside into the house since you were a child?

So is there a life lesson here? Not really. Collect and enjoy. And tell us what you collect and  how you you use it your decor. Comfort comes in the sameness we humans share. After all, we are a social and gregarious lot.

Bugs can be beautiful

All of these images are of the home and studio of the jewelry designer Gabriella Kiss. It is a microcosm of nature, history, and the creations of family and friends.

Tiny frames and intaglios displayed under a large mirror is quirky

Read all about her and her collections in an article in The NY Times by By Pilar Viladas, with photographs by William Abranowicz.

Mantels are a magnet for collections

From the article: "For starters, the small 19th-century white clapboard house doesn’t look like a workplace. Located across the road from the converted 1820 church in Bangall, N.Y., that she shares with her husband, the furniture designer Chris Lehrecke, and their two sons, it contains a nitty-gritty studio (the former garage, which connects to the house by a new breezeway) and a parlor-like showroom furnished with things like a taxidermied miniature African antelope and Belgian chandeliers that Kiss and Lehrecke bought on their 20th anniversary."

Sculpture always is good place to display and store jewelry

Don't you love a tabletop covered with interesting bits?

Who could resist using taxidermy for ones jewels?

From the article: "Kiss, who studied sculpture at Pratt Institute and worked for the jewelry designer Ted Muehling before going out on her own in 1988, is known for understated jewelry that highlights the beauty of semiprecious stones, as well as bolder pieces like earrings in the shape of snakes or clipper ships. She also sees beauty where others may not."

Seeing beauty where others do not is really at the core of all collections don't you think? Where do you see beauty?

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