Because She's Gonna Have the Nuclear Codes

I know this video has nothing to do with design, but it was funny enough to bring me out of my blogging semi-retirement. (With apologies to my parents).

Home Sweet Hollywood

After...Before...Yes, I watched the Tori and Dean infomercial--I mean TV show--this summer. In case you missed it, here are images of their kitchen makeover. What a difference some black paint and white carrera marble make! The rest of the house makeover is somewhat regrettable, but for the curious, "before and afters" can be viewed here (along with a chance to join the Tori and Dean fan club, watch their music video, or download Tori and Dean computer games).

Extra Closet Space

Photograph by Paul Costello for Domino Magazine, February 2007.

It has come to my attention that there are a lot of people out there in blogland are looking to turn their spare bedroom into a luxurious, oversized closet. While my best advice would be to call a professional designer, I can offer this do-it-yourself dressing room, featured in Domino a couple of years back, as inspiration for a budget, weekend project. I accidentally recycled this particular issue a long time ago, but was happy to discover photos of Olivia Chantecaille's room makeover on fellow closetphile So Haute's blog.


Although the font is now too small for me to read, this is what I can remember from the article:

Step 1) Buy some basic garment racks. (These are by Elfa).
Step 2) Cover with inexpensive fabric and decorative accents using a glue gun (this is the part that is easier said than done).
Step 3) Combine low-budget furniture pieces (the ottoman and mirrored vanity are from JC Penney) with an more expensive looking decorative accessories, like the floor-length, gilded mirror.
Step 4) Add wall hooks for belts, bags and jewelry
Step 5) Hang clothes and enjoy!

Historic Preservation

Detail of the Crum and Forster Building in midtown Atlanta. Photograph by Allen Sullivan for the Atlanta Journal and Constitution.

It looks like another one of Atlanta's architecturally significant buildings needed rescue from the landfill. Thank you, lady bloggers for bringing this story to my attention. Didn't any of you people with a wrecking ball see Wall-E?

Sex and the Sixties

Are you watching this show? Because until about 48 hours ago, I was not aware of the brilliance that is AMC's Mad Men. Now I am eleven episodes deep--thanks to the newly released DVD box set. (Thank you, TV Gods for sending me something good to watch this summer). Season Two starts Sunday, July 27. Yeay!!

For a small sampling of what makes this TV show so great, click here. (Photograph via Entertainment Weekly).

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

...because we know it's not blogging. So, here are a couple of things that I have been up to so far this summer:

1) I Netflixed My Kid Could Paint That. At first glance, it's a documentary on four year old painting "prodigy" Marla Olmstead. (Photographed above). What it soon becomes is an unsolved mystery and a fascinating commentary on what defines abstract art, creative genius and adult greed.

2) I visited what is slowly becoming my favorite beach destination within driving distance from Atlanta: Amelia Island, Florida. Please don't tell the usual masses that are out to ruin my peaceful beach vacation with loud country music and drunken Pro-Kadima.

3) I met Top Chef-testant, Richard Blais after having a meal his Atlanta restaurant, Home. His elegant, Blaisian version of "Shrimp and Grits" with slices of citrus, chorizo and she-crab butter was to die for. My mouth still waters. Even if you didn't win, we are still rooting for you Richard!

4) I picked up my newly recovered chairs from the upholsterer. The commitment-phobe in me decided that natural linen was the only fabric I wouldn't regret six months from now. Next plan is to add pillows, perhaps with a cool fabric from Of The Young and the Restless.

5) I helped my grandmother celebrate her 80th birthday. This is her posing on the cover of Davenport Steward's 1950's literary masterpiece, "No Time for Fear". 58 years later and she still looks great (much better than the tattered book jacket remains which I have framed on my wall).

Hope you are all having a wonderful summer as well!

Dinner and Dancing

Photograph by Kelly Shimoda for the New York Times.

Why didn't I think of this? Read about the rest of this little house in the big city here.

Summer Reading

Photograph from I Suwannee's brilliant "Bookcase of the Day" collection.

I am not exactly an avid reader (thanks to my debilitating reality television addiction), but I do manage to enjoy a few good books a year. I am looking for summer reading suggestions if anyone has a good read.

In exchange, here are a few of my favorites. You may notice a running theme in my reading choices, which I generally refer to as "mo' money, mo' problems". I find the ilk to be an inexpensive way to satisfy the materialistic hunger brought on from subscriptions to multiple shelter mags and Vogue.

Auto-Biography
Oh the Glory of It All by Sean Wilsey.

I read this Wilsey family memoir and tell-all of San Francisco society on my trip to Costa Rica. (Funny how being in the middle of the rain forest without a TV can inspire a lengthy read). Most of the book is funny, but I was sobbing hysterically by the end.

Non-Fiction
Deluxe: How Luxury Lost Its Luster by Dana Thomas

I learned about this book from Coterie Books who has many more great recommendations. If you are the only one in the blogosphere who has not yet read this one, you are missing out. I find it particularly helpful to read about the sham that is the "luxury market" during this time of economic reconsideration.

Classic
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

Anyone who loves descriptions of opulent interiors and New York history, will love Edith Wharton, the original Julian Fellowes.

Fiction
Snobs: A Novel by Julian Fellowes

Speaking of Julian Fellowes, the author also penned the screenplay for one of my all time favorite films, Gosford Park. Like the Oscar-winning movie, the premise for Snobs is English manor life as seen through the eyes of the common folk. However, this novel brings the class war to modern day.

Happy summer reading!

Office Chair

Before.

Girl TV

I love a good, girly television show. I also enjoy reading the occasional in-depth analysis of my viewing choices in The New York Times...

“Gossip Girl” focuses on worldly little girls who join forces against one another. The series, along with such like-minded shows as the MTV semireality show “The Hills” and a cautionary senior edition, “The Real Housewives of New York City,” are focused on friends, and most of all on frenemies. They are so postfemininist that they circle back not just to “Mean Girls,” but to the pre-Friedan era of Clare Boothe Luce and Rona Jaffe.

Huh? I have obviously been watching too much television since I had to look up half of the references in that paragraph. I prefer the way Rolling Stone lays it out in chart form with pictures...


(Click image to enlarge). And yes, I so agree that L.C. is on her way to Anistonville.

Although I still don't understand the exact meaning of Post-Feminism, I did learn one important thing from the Times article, The Real Housewives of New York City will be returning with "The Lost Footage" on May 27th on Bravo. Woohoo!

Ortigia Sicilia

I have yet to try any of these Ortigia bath products, but am already seduced by the Sicilian package design.

The soaps, bath salts and fragrances look like something you might find in Isabella Rosellini's bathroom. (Photographed above from New York Interiors.

Outdoor Living, New York Style

As much as I heart NY, the lack of private green space was one of the issues that sent me packing for hometown Georgia. However, it looks like Charlotte Moss has the right idea for her own New York townhouse above.

(Photographs by Mark Heithoff).

I am especially digging the teal, chevron-slatted chairs. Now that I am back in the South, I can see Chinese fans from Pearl River Mart making useful dinner party favors on a hot summer night.

For more Moss musings on entertaining and the merits of the outdoor fireplace, see New York Magazine's "Hyper Design" Issue or her latest book, A Flair for Living.

Stylecourt

Courtney Barnes' stylish living room, featured on 1st Dibs. (Photograph by Steve Pomberg).

The talented and prolific Courtney Barnes of Stylecourt is one of my blogging heroes. Just when I think I am growing bored with the decorative arts, her impressive eye and knowledge of design history pulls me back in. (And she is just as lovely in person, as I found at last week's Lulu book signing).

Be sure to check out her profile and see more of her beautiful home and inspiration on 1st Dibs. Congratulations Courtney!

Super T

It's been a long time since my last visit to the frat house, but my memories of the spandex-clad Tyrone Smith Revue remain vivid. Therefore, I was fairly amused to learn that of all the bands in this great nation of ours, "Super T" had been chosen to play the Jenna Bush Wedding this weekend.

Smith and his band have played at fraternity parties, nightclubs and weddings across the South for more than 20 years. He plays an average of two weddings a month.

Jenna Bush saw him play in Texas a few years ago and invited him to perform at the White House Christmas party in 2003, when he led those attending in a conga line through the State Floor. The president had already gone to bed.

- The Associated Press

Nice work, Tyrone!

Whine

Anyone care for another glass? No thanks.


1) Yes, I bought a bottle of Martha Stewart Vintage.
2) No, it was not a good thing (unless you like your glass of chardonnay mixed with 4 packs of Equal. However, I usually take mine mixed with 2 parts Perrier if that gives you an indication as to my level of oenophilia).

So, I am a sucker for many things Martha. I am also one of those women who buys wine at the grocery store based on which bottle has the girliest label. In this case, the painterly monogram (the same "ms" initials of which I share) did me in. After one sip, I was ashamed of how much of a consumer cliché I had become...until I read this article in the New York Times. As it turns out, none of us are wine experts--except, of course, the experts.

(Top photo from Martha Stewart Living).

Camelot

In other Show House news...

The 38th Annual Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Associates 2008 Decorators' Show house and Gardens is in full swing. As one of the oldest show houses in the United States, this event is always a respected, Atlanta favorite. I have not yet taken the tour, so I have no idea how many rooms are inspiring and how many are flat-out atrocious, but either way it is always fun to see what the professionals are up to.

If you are in the neighborhood, please stop by this Thursday night for music, drinks and poking around prime Buckhead real estate during the Cocktails at Camelot event. I should also mention that the main purpose of all this martini-swilling frivolity is to support the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra. Check out the über talented kiddos in concert below.



Hope to see you Thursday night!

Closet Space

It's beginning to look a lot like Show House Season...

Yesterday, a friend and I took a rainy walk over to the Southern Accents Show House at Regents Park. The entire townhouse is decorated by Atlanta's famed Dan Carithers, and is photographed in the Southern Accents May issue (with 360 degree tours on the website). However, my favorite room, the dressing room (above), was even better seen in person.

While mirrored cabinetry seems to be making a comeback in dressing rooms, I found this layout to be particularly innovative when faced with a long and narrow space. By using the area between two closets, you are able to turn what would normally be a hallway into a dressing room with the essential element, a three-way mirror. There is even room left over for an antique dresser.

To take a video tour of the dressing room, narrated by Mr. Carithers, click here. All Hollywood actors should take note: this is what a Southern accent is supposed to sound like.

The Showhouse at Regents Park is open Wed-Sunday through June 1st. (Photography by Erica George Dines).

Baby Mama

I know that Baby Mama has gotten lukewarm reviews, but I still thought it was pretty funny. (Or maybe that's just my girl crush on Tina Fey talking).

Anyway, if you like to support movies outside the heavily dominated male, age 18-34 demographic, this is a cute one with which to do so. Plus, it's full of cool, pre-war Philadelphia apartments. I could not find a photo of the home in which Greg Kinnear's character lives, but let's just say it looks more like the dwelling of a hip, hedge-fund manager (I know that is an oxymoron) than a down-and-out juice shop owner.

Ergs

I just wanted to say thanks for all of the nice inquiries about my arm. As it turns out, I can join the ranks of assembly line workers and video gamers who have repetitive strain injuries. Mine is due to years of typing away at work spaces that were more aesthetically appealing than ergonomically efficient.

While the recuperation period restricts my time with the computer (this post alone will send me searching for an ice pack and a Tramadol), the good news is that not much else is off-limits. It's nice to get out and move around in the real world when forced.

For any of you currently sitting in pretty lyre-back antiques or chrome mid-century numbers while using your computer, might I suggest you check the height of your desk, keyboard and monitor for proper alignment. An injury of this sort is more annoying than painful, but it comes on without much warning and is a bitch to mend.

Photos from top: Venus de Milo, Julie Janklow's desk from Vogue Italia.

Armrests and Ivanka

So my little Spring hiatus is turning out to be a bit longer than expected, thanks to a strained tendon in my right arm. It's nothing serious, but my physical therapist has instructed me to stay off of the keyboard for a bit (as I peck this message out with my left hand).


In the meantime, I will leave you with a little design project by our favorite Trump, a budget redo of an apartment belonging to her assistant, Darcy. While this space is not nearly as sophisticated as Ivanka's own apartment, it is fun (and perhaps funny) to see what she would do with limited space and expenses (like spray painting the appliances silver).

Darcy at work in her newly Trumped pad. Click above to see the "before".

Photos by Eric Cahan for Glamour.