Letting the Outside In-A Space for Creativity

Image and styling: Shannon Fricke

I love the styling of this space, recently featured on Shannon Fricke's blog. It feels organic and ethereal, and the outside-in feel is just wonderful. This space makes me pine for an artist studio of my own, something that i've been craving for quite a while. For myself, I imagine a space like this with an unfinished wood floor and big windows, luxuriously long tables for sketching and crafting, and shelf upon shelf of vintage papers, paints, pencils, and more.

As featured here, I like the idea of using a space like this to foster not only one's own creativity but also that of one's children or the larger community. This is something that I treasured as a child-in my case, an unfinished basement where my sister and I made pottery, rumbled the rock tumbler for hours on end, and had all sorts of fun adventures. The thought of developing a space like this to share with others is simply lovely, and i'm curious to know what it might look like to develop something like this in a place like DC.

See more photos of the space above at the owner's blog. She, Sonya Marish of Jatana Interiors, specializes in rare floor and wall coverings (think incredible Moroccan-influenced tiles that lend a laid back lived-in feel to a space).

Designing Homes a Few Kids at a Time

If you love design and haven't heard of the Novogratz family, you need to listen up.

This week, the first season of this family fun series wraps on Bravo and it has been one wild ride. With a brood of kids in tow, seven and counting, the Novogratz are a couple who turn subpar, and often once commercial, spaces into stunning homes, working mostly in downtown New York City.

Image: Sixx Design

I love this show for a variety of reasons. For one thing, I love interior design and this show packs a lot of it into a 45-minute weekly dose. For another, the Novogratz have a bustling family life. With seven little ones bouncing around, they make time for things like basketball fundraisers, birthday parties, and playdates while also juggling the responsibilities of a growing design business. Notably, however, you don't see this couple hacking off their kids to their nanny 24/7, although they do have one. The children are a big part of the parents' lives and its evident in the way that the children are portrayed. When the husband and wife team go to London, for instance, they bring along their older children and take time out of their promotional touring to play tourist with their children. This show also features a happy marriage. Contrary to most family reality shows, the Novogratz aren't getting screentime for HD-quality fights. Instead, they seem to play off of one another's personalities in a mostly encouraging way, bringing out the best in each other and suggesting that they work better as a team than as two distinct parts. And yet, the Novogratz don't claim to have it all together, and readily admit that they make mistakes and have to roll with the punches. When you have lots of kids, that's pretty much a necessity, especially if you live in Manhattan.

Most of all, I love what the Novogratz' work proudly stands for: a sprinkling of design can bring hope and beauty to even the darkest places and serve as a catalyst for enriching homes and communities. The home is front and center in this show, and the Novogratz proudly display their knack for design by entertaining, helping friends decorate their homes and offices, and offering their home and their creative skills towards raising money for noteworthy causes.

To see more of the Novogratz' work, visit their website Sixx Design or check out their book Downtown Chic.

Barry's Beauts

"Style has nothing to do with money and everything to do with discipline and restraint. Quality speaks for itself, and I think we should build our interiors over time incorporating quality. A dark, polished wood floor will look great even with sparse furnishings." -Barbara Barry, Style at Home interview

A few weeks ago, I ran across the lovely work of designer Barbara Barry at Barnes and Noble in a book called Inspired Styles. The book provides work samples and biographies from several different interior designers and I was immediately struck by the design choices and philosophy of Barry. Her less is more approach to interior design, even in high-end spaces, allows room for viewers to appreciate the elegance of choice pieces, be they a bold wallpaper, or a stunning mantel. This design approach allows viewers to feel restful and at home in her spaces as their eyes are not overwhelmed by competing elements. Barry's look reads Hollywood Regency with a softer edge and has a kind of timeless transcendence to it. In the Inspired Styles book, Barry describes her sense of design as one that "emerges from a philosophy rather than a style...based on principles of balance, proportion and symmetry. This sensibility shows in her work, as Barry's postmark involves making a room work functionally-less as a gallery space, and more as a livable space-while dressing it up with a few striking touches of glamour.

Barry's designs for the Brentwood Residence, Image: Barbara Barry Company

Barry creates spaces where residents, shoppers, travelers, diners, etc. can relax and be comfortable while also enjoying some of the finer things in life. What makes her distinctive is a strong, but tastefully editing, eye for details-she masterfully paints the fine lines that make a picture pop without impeding a viewer's appreciation of the overall aesthetic. Barry has an excellent sensibility for finding pieces that work well in a given space and work well together, blending new and old to create spaces that feel homey and down-to-earth but also chic and high fashion. This knack has enabled Barry to work for a varied clientele, including restaurants, hotels, homes, retail boutiques, and more, both domestically and abroad. In addition to space design, Barry has also tried her hand at product design, creating lighting, linens, and tablescapes that leave viewers gasping. 

A sample of Barry's offerings through Wedgwood

A true treat for the meandering artsy types who like to find inspiration from high-end designers and make it their own, Barry's work offers just the right blend of luxe and hand-me-down antique. To read/see more about Barry's work visit her website.

Rubie Green Turned Magazine

Image: Lonny, Fall 2009 Premiere Issue, p. 79

So, I don't know that any of you actually ever click the links to the right of these posts, but the designer of Rubie Green, one of my favorite visual inspirations, is now the proud editor of an up-and-coming design mag. The magazine, which hit no newsstands but rather computer screens around the country, as an online-only publication, is something to look into if you're even the slightest connoisseur of design.

Says the introduction to the magazine, "We believe that good design and affordable design can coexist and that true inspiration can be found in the teeniest of homes or in the grandest of spaces." This mantra is translated into the pages that follow. Lonny invites readers into the wonderful world of reupholstered antiques, bold patterns, and unique fashionable finds. It is a place where 800 dollar sweaters co-exist alongside fifteen dollar knickknacks, expressing a true appreciation for good design at any price point. Meanwhile, Lonny also encourages readers to find ways to turn old into new-with a fresh coat of paint, a new fabric, or a few choice trend accessories. Readers can make good design their own, even on a shoestring budget, making this mag much more than a lust-driver for bigger, better, fancier.

Image: Lonny, Fall 2009 Premiere Issue, p. 134

This online glossy with a punch takes the concept of design and looks at it more holistically than most niche design mags, some of which are admittedly personal faves. On one page you may find an eco-friendly bicycling solution and information about the burlap dutzi rescue bag, a creation meant to help people in the Yucatan; and on another you may tumble across the eye-catching frocks of Doucette Duvall. The idea is to incorporate all types of design (with a particular emphasis on shelter) that can add vibrance, meaning, and utility to people's daily lives.

A few mouse clicks later, and i'm totally hooked. This magazine fills a void created by recently-demised Domino Mag, a place where readers could find high style decorating ideas that wouldn't break the bank, and visual stimulation aplenty. But Lonny definitely has its own viewpoint, and its own edge, boasting selections and ideas that express the creativity and interests of its contributors, such as newly-cast editor Michelle Adams. Formerly market editor at Domino, Adams has a penchant for showcasing interesting details and unique finds. Her first Lonny issue definitely brings it with a bang, not only hosting an array of uniquities, but also reminding readers that design is for both sexes, not just the ladies. For example, pages 83-102 provide a tour of a neutral-toned modern style New York bachelor pad with steel blue and orange accents. This at-times androgynous angle might very well seem like a gaffe to the Anthropologie wearing femmes of the planet, and from a profit perspective it might make sense to just cater to overzealous shopaholic females (pardon the bitterness), but that's not what this magazine is about.

Get ready, because this is just the sort of thing designers and the consumer market need to kick-start things after well over a year of treacherous markets, cautioned spending, and fearful financial outlooks. The idea is simple: don't go blow the bank to get something you love; find your style at the high-brow spots and then make it your own. Good style takes time, it takes cultivation, just like a good relationship does. Sure most of us can't afford an interior designer or stylist, but that doesn't mean we can't dress in clothes that flatter, and outfit our homes in pieces we love that express who we are. We can all afford to take the time to create beauty in the world around us and present ourselves in a thoughtfully crafted sort of way. It just takes a bit of patience, research and planning. Cheers to Lonny, you've captured my attention.

To see more, check out Lonny's premiere issue for free online at http://www.lonnymag.com/