Single-Girl Style: Antique Comforts

soft and spacious, with a view to build a dream on

If you're going to have a country home, it's probably best to make sure it's as restful inside as outside. And also, centered in the midst of some magnificent natural scenery. I've never been to New Zealand, but clearly that little country has some wide open spaces of note.

Single-Girl Style: Downtown Decadence

now: nanette lepore's stunning bedroom

Six years ago, Elle Decor featured the Manhattan brownstone of fashion designer Nanette Lepore. It was one of those legendary shoots - eternally popular with shelter enthusiasts online. This is a family home, not a "single-girl's," but the styling is distinctly feminine. LIVINGetc just revisited Lepore's home with the launch of her homewares line... and it's still stunning.

Color Story: Rustic Glamour

from nz house & garden, august 2010 - photo: jane ussher

Here's one for my "Someday" file: a simple room that is both down-to-earth and elegant. Black walls temper the airy room and plentiful sunshine making the space cozy and intimate. The aged credenza and bare wooden tabletop bring an earthy, rustic sensibility rather like a traditional farmhouse or outdoor dining. Then the details kick it up a notch combining low-key gold luster, simple glass, porcelain and silver into a simple gleaming focal point. And those Tanzanian portraits anchor the restrained color scheme. Despite my allegiance to bright colors, this room seems like the perfect restful space to end the day and focus on the personal. 

Someday...

Viva Print Media: New Domino Out Now

second quarterly issue now available

Look what I found at the supermarket the other day. It includes a few homes I quite like the look of... This business of Scandinavian color schemes that balance spare pops of color with white bases is definitely not my thing. But I do appreciate it and enjoy better examples of the style.

Single-Girl Style: Robin Roberts' NYC Apartment

 

good housekeeping's spread from june 2012

Since she's been in the news lately, it seemed like a good time to take a quick peek at the Good Morning, America host's livingroom. Robin Roberts did a covershoot for Good Housekeeping that indicates a lovely, ladylike space. Too bad we didn't get a full tour. The article specifically mentions a show-stopping view of the Hudson River. 

Surely, we'd all like to take a gander at that. 

Color Story: Cold Light

utterly restrained: white on white with a little punch of color and pattern

Thinking about Lulu D's "glam eclectic" bedroom on How to Make it in America got me thinking about restrained color palettes. Given my tastes, you wouldn't think such a topic crosses my mind too often. But I actually find simple color schemes quite refreshing. I just don't want to live in them. But in my memory are some of those hazy, likely inaccurate, images of places from early childhood that informs my sensibilities to this day. I call it "Cold Light" after that Yeah Yeah Yeahs song. 

Domino Magazine Returns!!!

all new content! read it and weep sweet tears of joy!

We've all heard the rumors and now it is a fact! Domino magazine, which once came out of nowhere to bring home design to the average workaday Jane, is now back in print! No more biannual rehashes, but a quarterly publication of fresh, new content. Let's all give ourselves a pat on the back for keeping the beacons lit. Many things die on the battlefield of American commerce and only occasionally do we, the people manage to demand it back from the grave. (I'm looking at you, Milani Cosmetics. Some of us depend on Gourmet Coffee #37 lipstick!) 

But, I digress...

Domino: Small Spaces is Out!

on newsstands in new york city

Took a stroll after work tonight and hit The City Quilter looking for pink and metallic gold fabric (only found one option), and then hit a Universal News. Upon crossing the threshold, I spotted it and scooped one up. 

Guess what? You've seen most of this stuff before. 

In Print: Real Living Australia on Zinio!

Dreams do come true! Popular lady-homestyle mag from down under, Real Living Australia is finally available on Zinio.com. You may recall this post from a year ago in which I called on the magazines of the world to get themselves available to their overseas fans. And they finally delivered! I promptly bought the March issue and read it. 

It was worth the wait. 

Color Texture Pattern: Snooze-Worthy Style

house & home magazine; photo: angus fergusson

And so, autumn has come again. No doubt we're all snuggled under some mix of summer and winter bedding. I tossed a quilt and thermal blanket on top of my mix of sheer blankets and empty duvets. Not ready for dark colors yet, but a little weight is definitely in order. 

The example above has the best of both worlds: layers of light quilts in summery tones. All those lovely patterns, offset by the warm white and metallic blockprint, are icing on the cake!

Single-Girl Style: Dynamic Brooklyn

The latest issue of Lonny features a very cool little apartment in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. Kelley Carter is an editor at Real Simple who's apartment is loaded with color, texture and pattern. The total effect is a fresh, vibrant, dynamic and glam home.

Viva Print Media: Domino Quick Fixes Is Out

my other good find was this striped beach bag

It's here! The special edition of domino magazine was on a newsstand in New York City, much to my surprise. Despite my cynicism about paying for info I already own in magazine and book form, I did hand over $10.99 for a smooth and shiny copy. 

Fuschia + Aubergine: Edgy Bathrooms

 rock star glam: bright, shiny, chic, cool, a little modern and a little messy 

This bathroom looks like the exact right 'mission control' for a girl who'd rock a flowing goddess gown in deepest purple and fuschia edged in shiny metals:

And a couple more options perfect mix of sparkle and glam for an edgy goddess to handle her ablutions...

Color Texture Pattern: None of the Above

source: lonnymag.com   photo: patrick cline

Remember this fantastic lucite trunk in Lonny? Well, Anthropologie is offering a similar transparent lucite bench. Instead of the metal corner brackets, it has bronze accents on the rope handles. The bench is bottomless, so you can set it down over whatever you want to display 'inside' it. 

Viva Print Media: ELIZA Magazine

Technically, ELIZA Magazine is an online mag, but you can order hard copies. Have you read it? It started pubbing in 2007, but I just stumbled on it about a year ago. Their mission is to address real women with affordable clothes, great deals and realistic models. 

Viva Print Media: This Probably Isn't Very Green

On occasion, I go too far. I'm one of those people with old magazines under the bed, on the bookshelf and just plain stacked along the edges of the living room. And sometimes I have been known to buy an entire magazine for one image. Over the past few years I have learned to cut back on that by looking for the image online first. But- sometimes they just aren't available. Such is the case with the latest issue of Glamour (which I no longer actually read). I was checking to see if they had done an interesting home profile in "How To Do Anything Better" when I saw these two lovely images:

source: glamour magazine   image credit: robert trachtenberg

Staycation Day: Empire State of Mind

Today's my day out in the city. No destination in mind. We'll see what happens. 

high style on the brooklyn bridge

Source: Anne & Stiil magazine
Photo: Stine Kase

Single-Girl Style: Bohemian Bourgeois

In the suburbs of Johannesburg lurks the nifty apartment of Ariane Besson. Her style is heavily Art Deco and heavily thrifted. Her walls are an airy sky blue that sets off the salon wall of old frames, as well as all the display cabinets chock full of ceramic kitsch. The most envious detail are those bookshelves with the rolling ladder. Wouldn't say 'no' to that. The eclectic bedroom proves Besson is a woman after my own heart. Colorful bedding, mixed patterns, and those quatrefoil window shutters. 

Bet her cocktail parties are jam-packed!

well-curated livingroom: all sorts of kitsch on display

All Summer in a Room

Now this is what I'm talkin' about. A cozy space to relax, enjoy music, get some Vitamin D and, perhaps manage to look "effortlessly chic" at the same time.

Source: Cosmopolitan  Photo: Diego Uchitel

Dream Palace: Time Enough at Last

One of the key reasons I decided to move from Flickr to a proper blog is that I got a little tired of seeing the same rooms come around time and again. Don't misunderstand, a lot of those rooms from domino, Livingetc, Better Homes & Gardens, etc are my faves too. But they've been circulating and recycling for several years and a new room is more of a surprise now. 

So I started fishing around for other publications we don't normally see in North America. Bless the internet for closing the divide between hither and yon. Not only can you grab a look at mags from almost every continent, I now subscribe to House & Leisure South Africa! (And uh, they seem to be livin' pretty swell down there.)

So, you will be seeing some gorgeous, familiar rooms, but also you will be seeing some new stuff (depending on where you live) like this room. The homeowner's name is Mario Fortunato and he's a writer of many sorts. This house is his retreat and this room is his...office. Everything I can dream of to be happy writing is in this room (except maybe a jar of homemade sour cream cookies). Daylight, a fantastic view of lush greenery + open sky, books books books, huge work surface, cushy furniture, bright accessories and a stereo system within arm's reach. 

What is not to love? I ask you!

writing retreat of mario fortunato (pictured)

Source: Io Donna magazine  Photo: Barbara Corsica