WISHING FOR FALL

Well, here is Salt Lake it is estimated to hit 90 tomorrow (only 88 today) and I am really missing fall weather as we approach October in just 2 days.  It is not only that wonderfully crisp air, but the fall foliage and weekends in New England that I miss...the historic homes, the stone walls and the overall ooze of charm.  Yes, I miss the east coast.  Sure, there are leaves and crisper temperatures up in Park City, but its just not the same.

Here are a few charmers that are still around courtesy of Historic New England that I would love to visit:

The Sarah Orne Jewett House in Maine, 1774:

The Spencer-Pierce-Little Farm in Newbury Mass, 1690:

And a few great properties I have had the pleasure to visit already:

The Otis House in Boston, 1796:

Lyndhurst in the Hudson Valley, 1838:

And a historic site I visited often in my teens and absolutely embodies the New England autumn- Weir Farm in Wilton, CT (photos from the Weir Farm website):

"THE CROWN JEWELS OF HOLLYWOOD"

Christie's has dubbed Liz Taylor's jewels "The Crown Jewels of Hollywood", and I can see why.

And you have to get some sense of scale with this ring...

Wow.  This is some pretty amazing stuff...certainly rivaling anything the British have on display at the Tower of London. 

And despite the fact I am disappointed Sothebys did not get this sale, I am happy to see there will be a worldwide tour of the 269 jewels (with an estimated worth of over $30 million) for all us regular folks to view.  Alas, I am not in Moscow, London, LA, Dubai, Geneva, Paris or Hong Kong.  And the most disappointing is that I will be in NYC just about a week after they are on show there...by then all these jewels will have already found new homes.  And my home will not be one of them.  Sigh.  A girl can dream though...

THE MAD MEN AESTHETIC

OK, so I am late to recognize the allure of Mad Men...I just started watching season 1 on netflix recently.  But it certainly has appeal in terms of the visuals, in addition to plot, charecters, writing...  And what I really enjoy is seeing that not everything in the era was eames and knoll.  No, the family home is full of antiques...got to love those federal dining chairs.  Anyway, this got me thinking about my current projects, 2 of which embrace the 'Mad Men' look to some extent.

So thought I would share a few furniture selections for 2 current projects with a decidely Mad Men feel.

COFFEE TABLE BOOKS

Anyone immersed in the world of interiors is well aware of the statement made by the ever-present and highly prominent design-related coffee table book. These books can be seen in every single living room shot of any design project in any design mag. Aren't I right? Believe me, I love the look, but sometimes it is a bit overdone. Do these people (who are not in fact designers) actually have these books on their coffee table all the time? Or did a certain designer just strategically place them there for the photo shoot? You decide, but I am not entirely sure these people even read enough to warrant all of these books all over the place...


However, I think it is a great thing to do if you are in fact a designer or in a related creative field. What could a better way to show off your design leanings in a highly visible and straightforward way? Yes, my home is littered with design books...and yes I have 4 design and art books on my coffee table. But I am a designer. I studied art.

And what exactly is on my coffee table you may ask?  Regency Redux by Emily Evans Eerdmans, In The Pink about the fab Dorothy Draper, David Hicks: A Life of Design (one of the most awesome designers ever), and finally the November 2007 Sotheby's Contemporary Art Evening Sale Catalog.  Yes, they do all color coordinate.  But, they are also all books I love and use as reference on a regular basis.  What do you have on your coffee table?  Any other designers out there guilty of the same thing?

However....I must admit I might be guilty of using design books at photo shoots just as I had just complained about above.  It is hard not too...they are such good accent pieces, especially when they DO color coordinate with the room. 

And as I get ready to photograph a slew of recent projects, I must admit I am a bit tempted to do it again...

THE NEW ONLINE SHOPPING PHENOMENA

There seems to be more and more 'exclusive' special sale websites popping up in all avenues of internet sales.  Recently there seems to be a plethora of home sites that have manifested, such as the Foundry and One King's Lane.  While they try to maintain an air of exclusivity and membership, they are still pretty darn open to the public.  But their main function is to offer up supposed great deals from a range of retailers.  The great part are of course the discounts, but I think even more so the exposure to lots of smaller retailers located throughout the country that I may have never ever encountered otherwise. 

Yet, my biggest problem with these sites in terms of being a practicing designer, is that I have yet to reach the echelons of dealing with clients that just let me purchase things without reviewing with them.  Ahhh, to have the turnkey client who says - "I want it done by this date, just do it".  Alas, I mostly work with clients that have one or two homes, not six or seven, and want to be a bit more intimately involved in the design of their homes.  (Don't get me wrong, I love my clients all, and love such projects that become much more personal).  Anyway, my problem is that all of these sites have flash sales that end within a few days or hours.  This makes for a hard sales situation for me.  First of all, it means I can really only look for items the day of a meeting, and then I have to push a client to make a decision almost on the spot so we can get the items before they are sold out or the sale just plain goes away.  This can be frustrating and a waste of time.  Maybe there is a better way to deal with these sites, but I have yet to find them hugely beneficial from a business standpoint, other than exposure to new brands.  Of course I am sure there are those times where I search for that perfect something, and if it happens to pop up on one of these sites, it would be possible to get the client on board quickly.  Anyway, that is my perspective.  I would be interested to know if you use these sites, love them, find them useful or not.