C, I tooled ya.

Flipping through last month's C Magazine
(still catching up from a whirlwind month of March)
I came across the greatest spread
of 3 of my FAVORITE Los Angeles designer's offices,
but even better,
a list of some of their 'Tools of the Trade.'

Behold, the secret weapons of the minds of genius...


Peter Dunham:
* a magnifying glass that was Billy Baldwin's
*personalized stationary from Tiffany
*Vintage globes for far-away inspiration
*Vintage decor books for clout
*drawing by David Hicks, to be surrounded by the work of true genius
*The original chair from How to Marry a Millionaire for heritage


Barbara Barry:
*Glass carafes instead of water bottles
* Lamp light in place of overhead lighting
*Clean white surface as the presence of absence
and the potential therein
*Drawing tools for ideas that come in an instant
and need to be captured
*Bulletin board for tacking up images, to see
the connectedness in things


Kelly Wearstler:
*Wooden trays allow for play with a variety of colors and textures
* Cashmere throw
*Bold accessories to keep creativity flowing
*Prismacolor turquoise pencils
*Digital camera to photograph EVERYTHING
*Hermes notebook

Looks like I've got some shopping to do.

xx

SomeONE's Gotta Give...

Last night I curled up with a cup of tea to
watch one of my favorite movies:
Something's Gotta Give.

I noticed again how incredible the set design and decoration is
in this film, and how the perfection of design
makes me lose myself in the story that much more.




Doing some research on the topic, I found that a lot of
blogs have approached the subject of who is actually
the genius behind this incredible 'house in the Hamptons';
James Radin (Nancy Meyer's designer) or Beth Rubino (the set decorator)?

I am starting to see that good design isn't about
who takes credit for it,
its about the imprint it leaves on those it touches.


Barbara Barry has captured this perfectly:
"I envision more people experiencing the feeling of how something done well
feeds the soul. That, in turn, brings us to the realization that we need less.
And that leads to an appreciation of the beauty in simple things-
things that exist freely in our world
like lemons growing on a tree,
air that is fresh
and the color of the sky."

and


Isle Crawford:
"Feeling nurtured, comfortable, protected, and loved
is all part of what goes into making spaces seem right..."

It is this quality that makes me work so hard,
to create spaces that evoke these feelings,
and begs the question:
What, as designers, can we GIVE rather than get?

Sure, I would love to have my name
splashed across the cover of Elle Decor, who wouldn't?
But the true accomplishment for me comes from
the notion that I've improved the quality of someone's LIFE,
not just their home,
by creating a space that soothes them.

And I'll humbly accept credit for THAT.

xx