Why Not?

Charlotte Moss gave an interesting and inspirational lecture at the PRC Heritage Luncheon in  conjunction with New Orleans Homes and Lifestyle Magazine, in New Orleans. She was there toting along her newest book (she's done seven), "Charlotte Moss Decorates: The Art of Creating Elegant and Inspired Rooms", and then doing a book signing after lunch.

A very pretty room from Charlotte Moss Decorates

Charlotte confessed that after 25 years of doing interiors, she has evolved into doing gardens.
There was a Power Point presentation of images, most of them photographed by Charlotte in her travels around the world, showing lots of gardens we've dreamed about, or only seen in a book.

Charlotte Moss is moving onto garden design

Rather than manipulate a room, she's moved onto arranging trees rather than furniture, and in the process producing something with a very long shelf life.  A  garden design she now sees in her mind's eye, might not have the total reveal until 200 years from now. She explained the process of the optimism of designing gardens in the manner of the great English country homes, and French chateaux. as something you may not see as a completed project in your lifetime, but rather as a living legacy you leave behind for future generations to see and enjoy. Charlotte's greatest joy is designing and working in her garden in East Hampton, New York, and she says her next book will be on the subject of gardens.

Charlotte Moss with her camera in a garden - How divine!

Charlotte shared her design process, and it is much like yours and mine. She is a pack rat of magazines, and keeps an enormous clipping file. Her favorite tool is her camera, and she takes pictures of everything all the time. Record keeping is part of her work ethic. As she collects images, she makes scrapbooks, and when she has a job, she creates mood boards the old fashion way by cutting and pasting images. It's what we all do with blogging! Hello my little visual vampires!

One of the mood boards done by Charlotte Moss

Charlotte Moss does her mood boards by hand, spending hours clipping and pasting images she has collected in a clipping file that spans twenty five years

Perhaps this is the realized room inspired by the above mood boards

Or maybe this room came out of the inspiration of a scrap book done by Charlotte Moss of her favorite things

She says an 11 x 17 board can take her hours to put together, and she can't exactly explain why the juxtaposition of certain images work. Like all artists, she works without a net and instinctively. The things on the mood board are not necessarily the literal things she would use in a room. She creates a gestalt, a feeling, and then proceeds to shop for things to produce that feeling in a practical reality. A detail on a mossy urn might translate into a bed.

Charlotte says "Who doesn't love blue and white"? Perhaps a vase like this will inspire a fabric design

As an avid traveler, she collects memories and images that she carries home to her enormous clipping file. She saves fabrics for years and years. She now has a new fabric collection, and she explained the extensive research that goes into choosing a final design. She makes sure a print has not ever been done before. Her inspiration can come from flowers, from an old fabric scrap found under a piece of upholstery on an old chair about to be refurbished, or from the rhythm of nature.

Design inspirations for the Charlotte Moss fabric collection for Fabricut - LOVE the carnations!

Speaking of flowers, Charlotte has a huge love affair with growing them, and arranging them. The first thing she does when she gets to her country house, is pour a glass of wine, slip on a pair of Wellies, and head to the garden, and then finally move to a room just made for flower arranging. She spends hours in a flower trance she calls the ninth hole. When her husband taps her on the shoulder while she's arranging flowers, she asks him if he would like her to do that while he is on the ninth hole on the golf course. She said he got it, and now he lets her be alone at her ninth hole in the flower room.

Charlotte Moss loves to arrange flowers

Charlotte also told us that objects talk to her. She said if anyone collects anything they would know what she means  You could see a sea of heads bobbing in affirmation. She spoke about buying china even when you don't need it, and always having an eye out for just that other set of salad plates that will go with things she already has. She spoke about Southern women really having a knack for the china syndrome, and really knowing what to do with flowers. The dining room may the most important room to Southerners. She doesn't think Yankees have the same make-up, but I can assure her that this damn Yankee has the china and flowers talking to her all the time, and setting a wonderful table is one of my great joys and accomplishments.

The things that speak to Charlotte

More than a book on decor, The Art of Decorating is imbued with a philosophy for living life

The theme of the talk and of her book is 'Why Not".  There are a series of Why Not questions in the book:

* Why not:  slipcover a Bergere (chair) to reveal its beautiful frame rather than conceal it?
* ...use (ladies) fans as decorative objects?
* ...hang landscape paintings in a small room to trick the eye into seeing views beyond?
* ...enliven a color scheme with a brilliant accent, such as chartreuse, orchid or Granny Smith apple    green?
* ...use little chairs to hold books & pictures--at least until visitors arrive?
* ...bring a planter indoors & change its contents seasonally--boxwood in winter, tulips in spring, daisies in summer and dahlias in autumn?

Life lessons as taught by Charlotte Moss

But more than a series of decor tips in the form of "Why Nots" Charlotte's message is about living life to the fullest, enjoying it, and sharing that enjoyment. She quoted Diana Vreeland (among many other icons from Bill Blass to Billy Baldwin to Ronald Dahl) paraphrasing that it's not about the dress a person wears, but about the life in the dress. This can be definitely said about decorating rooms. It's not the objects or the actual interior design, it's the experience of doing it, the fun of it, and the making of  something that will come alive by being lived in.

Why Not install a reading rack in your house?

At the end of the presentation she ran a little eight minute video she put together, with images and musical snippets. It was very telling. Vintage House and Garden magazine covers appeared, with many images from 25 years of her clipping file, and of course there were many photographs that she has taken (go HERE to see her photos in a section on her web site called "C'est Inspire".)

Charlotte Moss teaches (and photographs) Leaf Lessons as well as life lessons

The music on the video Charlotte produced, ranged from romantic standards, to hippie classics, to funk, and there was a clip of Disney flowers singing in "Alice In Wonderland". The video reveals a life lived, a visceral experience, and this my darlings is the prize we get for not being young anymore. You acquire a grand and important collection of experiences that only gets better and more interesting with the passing of time.

A drawing of Charlotte Moss doing one of her favorite things

It was wonderful to hear Charlotte speak. She's a kindred soul to all decorators and lovers of life, and who doesn't love a girl who loves the humble and unfairly maligned carnation. I give her a resounding "Amen Sister!"

                                                       Get The Art of Decorating by Charlotte Moss HERE   -                                                                                                All images in this post are from the book or from the web site of Charlotte Moss

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A Magic Evening

We went to a lovely party last night, hosted by Mr. and Mrs. E. Douglas Johnson, Jr. in their lovely home, hosted along with The Preservation Resource Center. It was swell in every way. Decor celeb spotting included Charlotte Moss, Hal Williamson, and Julie Neil.

A drawing of the E. Douglas Johnson Jr. House the PRC did for the invitation

The full moon and perfect weather enhanced our experience in the beautiful garden.  The house is incredible, impeccable in it's furnishings and warm feeling of hospitality. The large center hall has original wallpaper, and I was told that the house was once on St. Charles Avenue, and moved to it's present location on Octavia Street. I hope to be able to include this house in my series "Behind Closed Doors".

The lovely garden at the Johnson house - photo from New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles

Off to the PRC lunch today at The Roosevelt, to hear Charlotte Moss speak, and thank the Johnsons for a memorable evening.


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Bloggers Open New Shops

Blogs ignite creativity, don't you think? Don't you feel more productive as you think of things to write about, search for pictures, answer comments and emails? Blogs also nurture the entrepreneurial spirit if you are so inclined. Maybe a blog didn't start out as a business tool, but it is a natural platform to develop that way if you choose to go that route. I am amazed of how bloggers have evolved, and proud to be among the ranks of you all, and always thrilled when I see one of you doing well, or following a dream that started as a scribble in a journal on public view for us all to share in.

Three blog buddies have started up businesses that I would love to visit.

First is Jenny Andrews of MFAMB. Jenny and I have been blog buds since she started.  Her first posts are touching. Go and read them. Her evolution is amazing. From actor to decor maven in a very short time, with one of the most popular design blogs, she now turns her excellent eye and shopping skill to a bricks and mortar venture in Atlanta. If you read MFAMB you know Jenny is the consummate Craigslist shopper, so much so that she made a business out of finding stuff for people, that led to her doing design work for people too. She is basically self taught, and along with her pure passion for design, and constant acute observation skills, she has developed a special talent that her readers seek out.

Now with two other girls, she has opened a stall in an antiques mall called MINTY. There will also be an online shopping experience too.  So stop by and check out MINTY, and make it a regular source for your decor needs, and a chance to hang with Jenny.

MINTY a shop not to miss, now in Atlanta

Renee Finberg is another long time blog friend. We both started our blogs around the same time. We were kindred spirits, a couple of ex-New Yorkers re-inventing ourselves at a more mature age, so to speak. Renee lives in Florida, and has had an illustrious important career as an interior designer. When one of  the recessions hit, and the housing market collapsed in Florida, her design clients dried up. Forced to work in a furniture store with cut throat commission driven policies in a snake-pit of envy in a pool of dubious taste and talent, Renee kept us entertained and empathetic as she slogged her way through (and wrote about) a difficult time.

Renee Finberg opens a shop called The Trade

She pulled herself up, and has left the loony bin masquerading as a home furnishings store, and has opened her own shop in Boca Raton called The Trade. Filled with incredible pretties, and great designer pieces and fabrics, she has created a one-woman version of a D & D Building for the public. Now you can get things that were meant for the elite sounding "to-the-trade" shopper by shopping with Renee. You can see and touch and feel in this beautiful shop.  And most important, her expertise as an interior designer is there for you to utilize too.

Lastly there is Jamie Herzlinger. She is the bright young thing I wish I was again ha ha, or maybe the talented daughter I wish I had given birth too. Her credentials are a mile long, but her generous heart and warm personality speak even louder. "JAMIE "is a shopping experience for us, the aspirational decorator. Go take a look at her video HERE to hear all about her fabulous plans.

Jamie Herzlinger has a new place for the aspirational decorator to shop

So there you have it! Shop girls three!  I know you, along with me, wish them well.  It's not easy opening a bricks and mortar shop, or developing an online shopping experience. I admire these girls so much!

What creative domino effect has blogging produced in you?  I know many of you have Etsy shops, and other enterprises, so tell us about them in the comments so we can check them out and steer some business your way. You guys rock!


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Charlotte Moss In New Orleans!

Charlotte Moss will be in New Orleans Wednesday and Thursday. She has been invited by the Preservation Resource Center and New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles Magazine to be the guest speaker at the Renaissance Awards that they sponsor.

You can still get a ticket to this wonderful luncheon to hear Charlotte Moss, and experience the fabulous Roosevelt Hotel where the lunch is being held.

Alberto and I will be attending. I am so thrilled to be able to see Charlotte Moss again. I don't really know her, except for stopping in the incredilble shop she once had in New York on the Upper East Side, but of course I know her by reputation that means more to me now than it did back then when I was just another shopper.

Renaissance Award recipients Alberto Paz And Valorie Hart - Irish Channel  -  from New Orleans Homes & Lifestyles           all photos  by Sara Essex Bradley

Also, Alberto and I are been honored as one of the five recipients of the Renaissance Award! It is no secret that Alberto and I are dedicated to New Orleans, and have found our special place on earth here. Little did we know that eleven years after New Orleans chose us, that we would be recognized in this way.  I say that New Orleans chose us, because when we first decided to move here, everything fell in place for us. And then Katrina.

Renaissance Award recipients Lydia And Blair Francis Bacon - University District

We bought our house one year before Katrina. It is nothing remarkable in the vernacular of architecture in New Orleans. Just another broken down shotgun house, one of thousands of working class homes here. But we were so happy to be able to get it, and while we didn't have deep pockets to do the type of historical renovation we would have liked to, we nursed our old girl back to stability, and made her pretty, and made her a home to that we enjoy and that we love to share.

Renaissance Award recipient Beverly McKenna - Upper Treme

A few months ago, The Preservation Resource Center invited us to be on their Shotgun House Tour in the Irish Channel (the neighborhood where we live), and we said a whole hearted YES!. It's not a beauty contest kind of tour, but rather an event where homeowners show the possibilities of saving an old house in a realistic accessible manner. We met hundreds of wonderful people that day, and we hope we inspired and encouraged them in their own pursuits of saving and rebuilding our city, one house at at time.

Renaissance Award recipients Wes and Melinda McWhorter - Irish Channek

So if you are around Thursday afternoon, come to the Roosevelt, and show some support for the PRC. They are unwavering heroes in the work they do foe New Orleans.

J. Warldaw Witherspoon Jr. - Uptown

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Book Signing, Big, Easy Style

I have seen the new book Big, Easy Style by Bryan Batt and Katy Danos (photos by Kerri McCaffety), and it is gorgeous and a hell-of-a-read.

Come and meet Bryan Batt at a signing of his new book Big, Easy Style

Come meet Bryan and Katy at one of their book signings, and pick up your copy for them to sign.

Today there is a signing at Bryan and partner Tom Cianfichi's gorgeous shop Hazelnut, 5515 Magazine Street.

Hazelnut in New Orleans

Big, Easy Style

PS Alberto and I are so proud to be included in this beautiful book!
Other New Orleanians homes in this book are: Bryan Batt and Tom Cianfichi, Katy Danos, Karla Katz, Andre and Caroline Robert, Richard Edrington, Suzie Allain, Melissa and Alfred Rufty,  Leslie Castay and Brayn Burkey, Kaki Foley, and Gretchen Howard.

Back story of the photo shoot in a later post...

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Color Me Happy

Here's a color story from the October 2011 issue of Cue Magazine.
Experts weigh in on trends for the coming year, and talk about what makes their color clocks tick.

CUE Magazine October 2011

CUE Magazine October 2011

This is the article in its entirety (some editing was done for space restrictions). It's so interesting to hear what Bryan Batt, Karla Katz, Maria Killam, and Joey Helm all have to say.

Color Me Happy
by Valorie Hart

Itʼs that time of year again, when color trends and pairings for interior design are forecast for the coming year.

Interior designers and decorators seem to have magical powers when it comes to effortlessly choosing colors for their clients, or for themselves. Blessed with the ability to see a room “done”, and being confident to take it there, is a talent.

Maria Killam is an internationally known color expert and designer. She spent four years with Benjamin Moore as a paint/color specialist creating exterior and interior palettes for architects, developers, builders, property managers and homeowners. She writes the popular blog: Color Me Happy.

When asked about the most requested color by clients, Killam says Benjamin Moore Gray Wisp is the most requested. On itʼs own gray is dreary, but it is an excellent foil for pairing with almost any other color.  Benjamin Moore Paladian Blue, a muted blue with a turquoise green under tone, and muted greens, and whites are also among heavily requested colors.

A common mistake made is using the same color for the entire house. Killam wishes from “the depths of her soul” that the over use of one color in a home would stop. She would like to see a return to the days when each room had a unique color identity. To avoid this looking disjointed, a balance of clean and muted undertones is required, as well weaving a thread of one bit of color from one room to the next.

She also advises picking paint color last, after the furnishings and fabrics.
Killam says that people love color but are afraid to own up to it. Many of her clients will not even tell her what their favorite color is. She suggests buying a couch in your favorite color, instead of opting for the trendy neutral of the minute. Killam sees a return to white walls, but cautions that white rooms only work when you have abundant natural light. Unlike gray that needs other colors paired with it to keep it from feeling drab, white with the right light can stand on its own.

The colors she uses in her home consist of a sunflower yellow couch, paired with raspberry and Kelly green, with crisp black and white accents, all against a back drop of Benjamin Moore Natural Linen walls. 

Maria Killam's sunflower yellow couch as seen in House Beautiful October 2011

Bryan Batt is a New Orleanian, who has a brand new design book called “Big, Easy Style” (written with Katy Danos), that is chock-full of gorgeous photos (by Kerri McCaffety) of homes uniquely decorated here in New Orleans. New Orleans has itʼs own special light that allows a grand across-the-board use of color, which Bryan shows many examples of in his book. 

Big, Easy Style

Bryan thinks that primary colors will come into vogue in a big way, whether in their pure forms or sophisticated interpretations. Combinations of red, blue and yellow can be extremely chic. He is never really swayed by trends, and says that he is always going to dip his brush back in he paint pot, and try what he likes. 

Bryan Batt like primary colors for next year - from Big, Easy Style

When asked what color he would like to see follow last years hot pink, Batt answered, “Beige... just kidding!!!  Right now I am craving mossy greens and moody blues. But for me, the flip side of hot pink, is Kelly green and I am thinking about redoing a masculine wing chair I have in Kelly green linen”.

Battʼs dynamic style attracts dynamic clients, and his clients absolutely asked for hot pink last year, especially for accents and decorative pieces. He says that using an on trend color is a terrific way to easily update your look. “It is a big commitment to paint a wall in a fashion color, but I have a dear friend who recovered her sofa in hot pink velvet”. She used the New Orleans black and ivory toile from Hazelnut for window treatments for a fabulous pairing with the pink sofa. 

Hot pink couch with New Orleans Toile drapes - photo by Kerri McCaffety

Bryanʼs go-to Benjamin Moore colors are Barely Teal, Smoke Embers, Sea Life, Davenport Tan, Chocolate Mousse, and Cloud White. In his own home he has been known to be “color crazy”. His favorite phrase is "let's hit it with some color." His partner Tom Cianfichi has often said, "Can we please just wait for your color bruises to heal"? 

In their new home, Batt is exploring subtle shades of pale linen and deep saturated grays. He
loves how they pair and play together. 

At home with Bryan Batt - he's gone greige!  photo by Kerri McCaffety

Karla Katz owns the number one shop selling French antiques on Magazine Street. As a shop owner and expert on antiques she is often asked about which colors to pair with the beautiful furnishings and objects she offers. 

Karla Katz in her shop with her son David Katz - photo by Valorie Hart

Katz says that she sees interior color going back to a bright white in a flat finish. She loves to buy Benjamin Moore white paint that is in stock all the time, the white paint that is on the shelf. This way you always remember the color, and you can always get it for touch ups. She advises not to mix any tint into the off-the-shelf white. When you buy it as is, it has incredible mildew reducing properties that seem to diminish when pigment gets mixed in.

When asked if she has used trends like hot pink and turquoise, she said, “Oh God no!” But she did say that she would use hot pink in a heartbeat for a little girlʼs room. She also loves to use color in small spaces like powder rooms. “You can have fun, fun, fun with using color in small spaces. I love a dark slate blue gray with gold accents.”

Katz says that saturated browns and teals on trend in the last few years are out, and softer colors will prevail. She does not like a minimal look, and finds this type of interior design not interesting. She loves a room with a clean crisp palette that works wonderfully with interesting furnishings and accessories. If you can only afford one thing, choose one piece of really good art work, and have it framed properly. Great looking curtains in simple fabrics with a fabulous decorative trim is another layer of interest to add against white walls.

When asked what colors she personally uses in her home, Katz said she uses Benjamin Moore China White inside her house, and stock off-the-shelf white for her shop interior, and for the exterior of her shop and home. She is going to freshen up the inside of her house, and is switching from China White to Benjamin Moore stock white paint. 

The shop of Karla Katz where she uses stock white Benjamin Moore paint - Note the white banisters and railings and shutters photo by Valorie Hart

Joey Helm, the owner of Helm Paint has been mixing colors for designers and home decorators in New Orleans for many, many years. Who better to to weigh in on what he thinks will be happening in 2012. Helm says Wythe Blue is the pick for color of the year by Benjamin Moore. It is a muted blue with gray undertones that is serene, aquatic, and evokes the earth, water, and wind. 

Joey Helm from Helm Paint says that Benjamin Moore Color of the Year for 2012 is Wythe Blue, that has gray undertones -photo courtesy of Benjamin Moore

The most popular colors sold in New Orleans are from a collection of historical colors, researched by Benjamin Moore from colors used in the 18th and 19th century in Colonial America. Of these a mid tone called Bleeker Beige is the most popular. It pairs well with White Dove and Ballet White.

Helm notes that customers choose safe colors that they are comfortable with. He forecasts more color being used in 2012. Two of his personal picks are Dry Sage and a deep gorgeous red called Caliente. He thinks that as long as colors have a gray undertone, they will be user friendly.

There are three collections at Helm that are being presented: “Color Preview” which consists of clear,
clean colors you find on the color wheel. “Classic Colors”, a grouping of colors trendy in 1988 that have remained popular. The technology of the time did not afford the clear colors being produced today so the 1988 palette is rich but muted. The third collection is a water based low VOC collection called “Affinity”. You can use  any three colors of the 144 colors in this collection together, making it the easiest one for home decorators to use.

Everybody wants to know what the paint store man has in his home. Helm has a traditional home where he uses sage green with Clean Fleece on the trim. He pairs the color with brown leather furniture, caramel color accents, and dark wood floors. Joey Helm says his personal favorite color is sage, and a Benjamin Moore rust color called Apple Crisp.

Forecasts and trend spotting are helpful and fun, but ultimately a collected, layered, and curated look that is personal and makes you happy is here to stay. Make pairing this with your favorite color, the color of your year.

____________________________________________________________

Thanks to Maria, Bryan, Karla, and Joey for taking the time to talk with me for this article, and as ever, thanks to Missy Wilkinson at CUE, and to Katy Danos from Hazelnut.

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Thanks

 

Flipping On A Light Switch

If you were born before the 1970's or the 1980's you were witness to an amazing technology revolution very much like the car replacing the horse, and electricity and indoor plumbing coming into every home. If you were born after that, you are reaping the benefits and using that technology faster than any other generation.

I got my first computer in the early 1990's only because I had a business, and I bought it as a piece of office equipment. I didn't like it much, and still did all my correspondence on an IBM Selectric typewriter, and still took my mail to the post office.  The computer was as annoying and necessary as the fax machine and the answering machine. I was also just getting untethered from the phone cord on my desk by having an extra new fangled cordless phone that allowed me to walk and talk all around my studio.

My assistant mainly used my computer, and she would coax me over to hunt and peck on it once in awhile. Another dear employee loved the sound of the printer, because he thought it sounded like an ATM machine, and when we printed out proposals and invoices he said it was the sound of money being made.

Later in the 1990's I met Alberto, and he truly was my guide into the world of computers. He lived in the Silicon Valley in California, where I joined him for our life together. He was like so many young brainiacs and engineer/inventors there, and had a start up electronics business in his garage. All the guys knew each other, and yes a couple of guys named Steve and Woz were on his radar. Stanford was in their back yard so to speak, and tons of kids were emerging with engineering degrees and hitting the streets and hanging out tinkering in their garage workshops.

Woz and Steve

My cordless phone and my fax machine in New York became the conduit to our romance. We wrote and faxed many love letters to one another, and I remember laying on the floor in my living room in New York at three in the morning talking to Alberto when he got home from a tango dance in San Francisco. Those conversations lasted hours, and I often fell asleep with the phone in my hand, and awoke in the morning finding a fax from Alberto saying "Good morning my love".

I had a clunker of a PC that I brought with me from New York, and one day Alberto surprised me with a new desktop computer. I wasn't too happy, because I had just gotten used to mine. Since I didn't pack my assistant in the carton along with the computer, I was forced to use it, and the more I used it, the more I liked it. Alberto always wants to update my computers, and I always want to hang on to them,  not completely feeling the need to live in a disposable society. I'm as ass sometimes. New and better tools make our lives better.

Alberto already had several computers, and he was doing a freelance project having something to do with old school software that took him a couple of years to complete. By the time the project was done, technology had moved on, Alberto had turned 50, and he felt his time had passed him by as a viable computer engineer. So we began our company Planet Tango.

Computers were a huge part of Planet Tango (then and now). We wrote and published a magazine about Argentine tango called 'El Firulete", on the computer. A fledgling thing called the internet started. I, as usual, was nonplussed, while Alberto was an avid user of anything new that came long. He taught himself how to write code, and how to use every new tech tool that became available.

He was very excited about something called Apple. I thought it was the Beatles record label. He loved this young guy Steve talking about putting a computer in every home. I said why? Unless you had a home office to run a business like we did, why on earth would we want an ugly computer in our homes? And I thought the internet was a gimmick for the computer geeks to play with.

Alberto is a visionary, and he is so excited by people with genius, vision, and a sense of equality.  He created our tango careers using the internet, and paved the way for others to do the same. He always kept us current in a way that I  finally realized and appreciate. I might keep us up to date by the way we dress, or the way I decorate, but he keeps us on trend tech-wise. There are many of Alberto's inventions in the attic, stuff he was making in his Silicon Valley garage up the road from the two Steves.

When we signed our book deal to write "Gotta Tango"  we were in New York, and Alberto marched me to J&R Music World to buy my first laptop, my first Mac, an iBook.  At first I was all fidgety about it, but of course it became my favorite tool in my tool box. He did the same with digital cameras, getting me one, and encouraging me to use it. He was the one who found out about web-logs, and said I needed to write one. What? Blogs? What kind of word its that? Who would want to read it? Why would I want to scribble on some internet journal like a sad sack art student crying in her coffee at Starbucks?

Alberto still upgrades his computer and tech equipment every couple of years. He does a lot with that stuff.  He makes movies, he writes, he communicates, he keeps up with the world. But I was the one who gave him the iPhone.



Once Alberto was settled into the hospital and stable, in the induced coma they put him in, I realized I needed a phone with international service. Oh yes, my tech ass-backwards attitude applies to cell phones too. I carry a tiny old phone with a cracked screen from Wal-Mart. Until recently I would accumulate thousands of minutes that I never used.

Our host took me to the mall to buy a new phone and get some minutes. In the back of my mind I remembered something Alberto said about not having an iPhone, that everyone else could afford the iPhone, blah, blah, blah. I of course saw no need, because a phone is a phone.  Anyway, none of the phones I was looking were user friendly to me. I have faltering eyesight, and all the small buttons on small phones aggravate me. Finally I asked our host if there was someplace I could get an iPhone. I remember it being big, and everyone loving how easy it is to use. And I remembered how much Alberto loves everything Apple.

So off we go to the Canadian Apple Store. As usual, it's like a party in there. I am in a grief coma, walking around like a zombie. I am also old in a sea of young.  Very old at this very low point. I don't know what I am doing, so I find a sales person, who chirps that yes they have iPhones, but I have to call to make an appointment to buy one, probably able to get it in a week or so. My mind screams SAY WHAAAAAAAAT????!!!! An appointment to buy a phone????????

Say what you want, but the Apple employee is trained to give good customer service. I didn't scream. I didn't  shout. I quietly explained my situation, and asked if an exception could please be made. He actually looked me in the eyes, as a person, and gently steered me to the purchase counter, ahead of everyone in line, and a young lady from behind the counter rang up the iPhone.

The iPhone was instantly easy to use. My host, and then Alberto's children who arrived to their father's bedside shortly after, gave me tutorials. Apparently the new iPhone had some capabilities that the kids' iPhones didn't have, and the new one became our command center.

On that phone, in the hands of Alberto's kids, two tech savvy brilliant young things, we engineered our way home. I can truly say without that iPhone, things would have been very different, and not to our advantage.

Oh yes, when I bought the iPhone I made a little prayer.  I asked that Alberto live and recover, and that when he recovered I would make a gift of the iPhone to him.

Near the end of his hospital stay in Canada, Alberto was still a little gaga. I gave Alberto the iPhone. His smile was cherubic. He had a new toy to play with, and an iPhone at that! By the way,  in the hospital, as Alberto mentally emerged from his ordeal, all he wanted was his computer, his Mac.

There was no internet wireless service for patients in the hospital (only secured service for work stations for doctors and nurses), but still, we gave him his computer. Ever so gingerly he would hunt and peck. He couldn't believe we couldn't get a signal from somewhere. Even with a cloudy mind, and slow reflexes, Alberto was recovering, and playing with the Mac helped him connect all the dots again.

Alberto with his Mac in Canada nearly a year ago - using it truly helped bring back his mind and physical coordination

Why this long story? Yesterday, Alberto came up behind me, and put his arms around me and sobbed. I turned around, so concerned, and asked him what was wrong. Through tears, he said that Steve Jobs had died. I wrapped my arms around him, and tried to console him. Then we watched the television news coverage, and the internet coverage.

Yes indeed, the young visionary had truly brought the computer and a whole creative computer lifestyle, and all the other fabulous products he invented that first sprung from that garage in the Silicon Valley, into all of our homes, enriching our lives in ways we take for granted, as mundane as flipping on a light switch.

Rest in peace dear Steve Jobs. Thank you. Gone too soon like the brightest burning comet.

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Breakfast At Tiffany's Turns 50

Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly is more popular than ever - Happy Birthday to Breakfast At Tiffany's - Read more HERE

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Please update your blog list with my new address:

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Walking The Walk

There's a huge hole in the master bedroom ceiling. Tropical Storm Lee left it. Actually it's almost been patched up by Alberto. It's been seven years since we painted this room. Sabina helped. It's time for a refresh. Lee made sure of it.

It's a good time to change the paint color.  It's been a pale shade of gray-blue, called Gray Verbena. It was very much to my thinking back then of doing our room in an old French style. The room evolved and got a modern mix. We have enjoyed the color, and could just repaint using it again.

But as long as we are repainting, why miss an opportunity to revamp the entire room, and change the color. For days I have been thinking about it. White was one option. Shock you? I used to live in white rooms, but as I looked at images for inspiration, I just didn't feel it. My signature greige now in the dining room, kitchen, and guest room, would work, but really,  can't I do better?

Then I saw the October issue of InStyle Magazine, and a huge rush of "that's it" washed over me. I am a colorist. My motto is: Why be afraid of color, when it never did anything to you. 

Ripped from the pages of the October 2011 issue of  InStyle Magazine - The pretty green bedroom of Sarah Silverman - interior design by Form Los Angeles

My plan: Kelly Green walls. Maybe keep the brown headboard we have, maybe change it out for a curvy padded one re-upholstered in a geometric print. Def keep burlap covered wall, paint nightstands Kelly green, paint doors with black and white stripes, paint dressing room and walk-in closet with black and white stripes. Change out turquoise silk drapes for black and white wide banded drapes. Get rid of TV armoire, and mount flat screen on wall. Bring in our brown damask print chaise. Change out sea grass rug?

I am also inspired by fellow colorists Tobi Fairley and Brian Patrick Flynn.

It will be a dramatic change. If I can talk the talk, I should be able to walk the walk. Does anyone out there have a Kelly Green room? Stay tuned...In the meantime here's an image round-up to keep me going.

Kelly Green Bedroom #1

Kelly Green bedroom #2 - Love the green print pillow case - Dwell Studio?

Kelly Green inspiration #3 - great textiles

Kelly Green bedroom #4 - we already have flower ball chandy

Kelly Green bedroom #5

Kelly Green bedroom #6

Kelly Green bedroom #7 - We already have white dressers, and they will stay that way

This will work on many levels. Each of the other rooms in the house has green, black, and brown in them, so the Kelly Green will weave into the other colors from the existing color story.  I feel exhilarated and energized!

Mitchell from Optimism and White Paint sent this to me for more inspiration - Interior design by Miles Redd

Getting in the mood for a Kelly Green room - Mood Board by Valorie Hart