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Hazelnut's Bryan Batt Opens Up to House Beautiful
If you're a design enthusiast and a New Orleans fanatic like me, you know Bryan Batt as a co-owner (with his partner Tom Cianfichi) of one of NOLA's finest décor boutiques, Hazelnut. I featured the boutique back in February of '08, and now Batt is set to ink his own home décor book. If you're just mad for Mad Men, you know him as Sterling-Cooper's in-the-closet, recently fired art director Salvatore Romano.
Cool Idea: An Easel as TV Stand
Since I don't watch much TV, updating my hefty idiot box to an ultra slim HD flatscreen is not very high on my list of priorities. But if I did own the latest and greatest in television technology, I would love to use an artist's easel as a stand, like this one featured in House Beautiful. Tech gadgets are always difficult to coordinate with décor, but that's especially true when your design scheme is earthy and traditional.
Do You Have a Kitchen Island?
Designer of House Beautiful's Kitchen of the Year Robert Stilin says, "I like an island you can work on but that can also be a gathering place for coffee or a casual dinner." I wholeheartedly agree! Growing up, I'd always do my homework at our kitchen island while my mom cooked dinner.
Casa Quickie: Use a Beach Towel For Casual Summer Dining
Leave it to Target to come up with yet another cool option for Summer dining. Partnering with event planner David Stark, a new collection of Americana-tinged outdoor tableware is ready to amp up your outdoor dining in the Spring and Summer months to come. I’m particularly fond of Stark’s idea for an on-the-fly outdoor dinner party.
Coveted Crib: California Cool
In Healdsburg, CA (i.e. Sonoma County), there's a rare nearly all-white (actually, very pale gray) house with white furniture, recently featured in House Beautiful, that is anti-shabby chic, anti-slick modern. Nostalgic, campy objects are interpreted in a contemporary fashion, and on glossy floors and against pale walls, large lived-in furniture pieces make a statement.
Midday Muse: A Foolproof Summer Decorating Ritual
I recently came across a quote from designer Jeffrey Bilhuber in House Beautiful that made me want to throw all of my Summer style and endless Summer tips to the wind. When asked if he lived by any Summer decorating rituals,
Midday Muse: Matchy Matchy
I hate to be a downer, but I just have to say that there is nothing interesting about this matchy-matchy style of décor to me. I do love toile, florals, and gingham but seeing so much of them all in one space makes me sad. The lithograph prints hanging on the wall look like they could be beautiful, antique treasures, and the armchairs have an elegant, classic shape, but these great qualities are lost in the busyness of the patterns.
Coveted Crib: Kathryn Ireland's Ojai Farmhouse
Before launching her career as an interior designer, Kathryn Ireland worked as an actress, a women's clothing designer, ran a public relations firm, and produced music videos with her husband. A bit of a nomad professionally and residentially, Ireland has called London, Scotland, Toulouse, and LA home. Her Ojai Spanish-style farmhouse is a reflection of her travels with furnishings sourced from retailers all over the map and bold textiles with an ethnic vibe.
Decorating Makeovers Part IV
In my final ode to House Beautiful's 101 Decorating Makeovers, from the February issue, here are some more of my favorite tips for renewing your home with small changes. To see them, just read more
Decorating Makeovers Part III
In continuation of Decorating Makeovers Parts I and II, here are some more of my favorite tips from House Beautiful's 101 Decorating Makeovers in the February issue. If I haven't drilled it into your head enough already, it's Renewal month, so get at it when you read more
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