it is. just too hot to go to the mailbox for a magazine check. and if there are any sitting out there, it is too hot to exert myself by turning the pages. instead, i have taken to my cool, darkened room, clicking to enjoy the recent issues of lonny (especially good this time) and southern flourish.
among all the inspiriation [...]
this brilliant tidbit from the lips of interior designer dan marty in may’s house beautiful (”the big advice issue”):
“don’t be afraid to paint a vintage piece. every piece of furniture can’t be brown.”
can i get an amen?
(photo of mr. marty’s showroom from nashville examiner.)
coincidence? i think not. today’s dictionary.com word of the day: dishabille.
noted in this morning’s nyt style/design magazine, regarding this spread on todd selby & apartamento: “tousled: studied interior design dishabille; the antidote to perfectly styled rooms that have long been the aspirational norm in design magazines…”
dishabille was one of my grandmother’s very favorite words…though she (charmingly) pronounced [...]
silly, but it’s true…the cover of this week’s new yorker (”the bunny family”, by kathy osborn) especially tickled me because:
1. the bunnies are funny in their twisted-ear-posing bunny-seriousness.
2. it’s a print room layout…of bunnies. and you know mrs. jones is always looking for an excuse to obsess further over the subject of print rooms.
last week’s cover, “homage”, by ana juan, also caught my [...]
the current issue of country living has an inspiring article detailing summer workshops on everything from letterpress and photography to batik-dyeing and ceramics. (and you all know how mrs. jones has been craving a spot at one of natalie chanin’s studio weekends, also mentioned in the spread.) but this year, summer school is coming to me…the annual idal [...]
…from dictionary.com today: frisson.
which is exactly what i felt when i saw this in my just-arrived may 2009 house beautiful:
prussian blue venetian plaster walls in a dining room designed by allison caccoma. gorgeous.
don’t be alarmed. mrs. jones does not fancy herself in the league of garance dore , scott schuman (the sartorialist), or the writers of her new favorite blog, mrs. o…she just wants to call your attention to the very nice april issue of traditional home, which features not one, not two, but three beautiful rooms with striped walls. one is wallpaper, the [...]
in mailbox today: this cute “one-lump-or-two” lamp in the anthropologie catalog, and a “make me over” feature in the april country living with the how-to on (you guessed it!) creating your own from teapots & cups. good thing the flea market is this weekend.
29 January 2009 – 12.06 pm
can it really be true? that domino is going the way of blueprint, house & garden, and cottage living?
29 January 2009 – 2.15 am
in an apparent (and much appreciated) effort to cheer me up, the thoughtful editors at hb just delivered the ultimate color issue (are you neutral or are you bold? how much color is right for you? all of the above, please!) with the monthly “i’m looking for” feature heralding the return of the aged look, and tossing around a vocabulary that is music to my ears: [...]
14 January 2009 – 9.53 pm
…the best title ever, and a fab spread in the february domino, has so many juicy details in it that i just can’t think straight. all manner of painted walls, floors, sisal rugs and trim, in brave, gorgeous colors, plus a gold dining room ceiling…it’s just too good! one thing especially caught my eye: these chinese figures painted on to a [...]
20 November 2008 – 4.33 pm
oh no…i’m having another of those elle decor = tiger beat episodes…of all my beloved shelter magazines, why is it that this particular one sends me into squeals beside the mailbox? in december’s issue, they feature an idol in my personal design pantheon, john derian, who lists among the “12 things he can’t live without” a hole is to dig, the [...]
12 November 2008 – 9.38 pm
is it the fresh wave of election-season patriotism i’m feeling? or a little homesickness after a super-fun visit to chicago last month? it’s just that suddenly, i’m seeing this combination of sky-blue and bright red everywhere. i like it a lot.
(coat & barn in a recent anthropologie catalog…a ceramic spoon from pearl river…fabric from peter dunham, shown in house beautiful….chicago’s [...]
domino has officially declared a “color revolution”….mrs. jones is so in! between the color spread and the news that john derian is designing a limited-edition line for target, it’s just too much! time for a cold drink.
after hearing that the incredible amy butler is a contributing editor to a re-vamped country living magazine, i had to see for myself. now, before you start thinking that it’s all hearts & geese and velveeta-topped recipes, please say you’ll give it a chance. i’ve been charmed and inspired by issues recieved so far. september’s pages include decoupage advice from (the master!) john [...]
those who know her can attest: mrs jones never dispenses fashion advice, only seeks it. (and despite frequent, desperate peeks at the sartorialist and bill cunningham’s weekly ”on the street” videos) is still in paint-covered khakis or overalls most every day.) however, the fall clothing catalogues have been chock-full of beautiful colors that may be showing up in paint around [...]
confession: i stayed up last night devouring the august issue of domino, too excited to sleep after seeing some really cool stencil ideas. (this is the sort of thing that tends to happen when mr. jones is out of town.) so now, if you’ll please flip to page 100 in your copy: the “katie” stencil used on the floor is from [...]
it’s too de-lish…the july/august issue of elle decor has arrived with a feature (”quarter master”) on the fabulous thomas jayne’s pied-a-terre in new orleans! run and get a copy, or peek here for details. as you may know, mr. jayne is my total design idol. (check back to the march 7 journal entry for details.) the article so accurately refers to jayne’s custom-designed scenic [...]
the “everywhere we look…” column in this month’s house beautiful features zebra prints on everything from mirror frames to floor cloths to (my fave!) construction barriers:
at one of cindy everett’s wonderful cabinet and furniture workshops, mrs. jones learned the technique, rendered here in the traditional black and white:
this effect has turned into some [...]
while mrs. jones is very grateful for her BS in business (miami university ‘84), she does from time to time experience a little art school envy. though fresh manila folders and a properly balanced ledger have their appeal, there is nothing that thrills like a new glaze, tint, stencil or brush to experiment with. so imagine my glee when this intriguingly shaped package arrived:
[...]
confession: mrs. jones has developed a huge design-crush on the artist amy butler. it began with happening upon her beautiful website, reading about her home in blueprint and more on her work in country living, which featured her new book, midwest modern, all within a few days’ time. fast forward to last tuesday, when i had exactly 4 minutes to fall in love [...]
…are so very gorgeous, but let’s face it: a little expensive and frought with possibilities for ruin if you have little ones. the look, though, is easy to reproduce with glaze. below left is a photo from a spread in the march 2008 issue of house beautiful. from the caption: “…wall covering is in handwoven yarn-dyed raffia, but reads from even a short distance [...]
28 February 2008 – 9.14 am
if your mailbox caught the most recent catalog to arrive from j. crew, take a peek at the back cover…no, not at the gorgeous girl in the paisley blouse, silly…please notice the extremely cool traditional/modern stenciled walls behind her! you can also see just a snip of another finish below the woodwork. beautiful!
16 February 2008 – 6.14 am
such a sad little postcard! another of mrs. jones’s favorite magazines, blueprint, is “ceasing publication”. it’s funny how the shelter publications circle of life works. because of a photograph in a blueprint last spring, i became a tiny bit obsessed with the “expedit” shelves from ikea. had to have them! since shipping would have cost twice the price of the [...]
