I am a bit of a rule follower, so the post from My Notting Hill linking to an article on Frank Faulkner's 14 rules for interior design was intriguing to me. The link to the original article referenced in My Notting Hill's original post has expired, so here it is. I like this quote: "Even if you’ve spent a lot of money for something, if it doesn’t work, throw it out. Otherwise, it holds the entire room hostage." I wish I could convince my husband of this! He would like this quote: “Spend as little as possible on kitchens and bathrooms. Fancy kitchens depress me. I think kitchens and baths should be simple and utilitarian."
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Julie Neill, of the Bayou Contessa blog, did a post on her friend Liz's beautiful New Orleans home, which features lighting designed by Julie's company and linens from Leontine. The bedroom in this post is definitely in my favorites file!
Pigtown Design wrote a very creative post that combined illustrations from a book written in the 1960s called Mrs. Kennedy Goes Abroad, about Jackie Kennedy. She was able to cross reference the charming illustrations in the book with actual pictures of the outfits that Jackie owned.
Regular readers of my blog know that I have a strong interest (some might say, obsession) with chandeliers. This post on chandeliers (by Cote de Texas) is pure eye candy to me, and I still refer to it every now and then.
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The picture that launched a thousand blogs? Perhaps, but it was Oliveaux that did the first and most notable job covering one of my favorite magazine spreads of the year, from Traditional Home. The post fits in very well with Oliveaux' gentle and beautiful blog.
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Velvet and Linen is a blog that began in 2008, and it is already one of my favorites. Brooke's post on designer Jose Solis Betancourt was an introduction to the designer for me, and the images in her post are so inspirational!
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I loved the post called 'When something's Off' from Pure Style Home. Lauren comments that having something a little off or imperfect in a room makes it seem more real, and brings a room to life.
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Top Design contestant Eddie Ross, and former style editor for Martha Stewart Living, was new to the design blog world this year. In the blog that he and his partner Jaithan Kochar create, there are dozens of posts on the most creative ways to make life a little more beautiful. Two of my favorite posts of the year were seasonal - one on creating a great pumpkin centerpiece, and one on creating a miniature Christmas tree display.
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I loved Willow Decor's post on holiday decorating in white. Not only did it have my all time favorite picture of a wreath on a front door, but it had a dozen additional images of decorating for the holidays using white.
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I know how much time and effort goes into crafting these posts, and I would like to thank each and every blog mentioned here, as well as all of the wonderful blogs on my blog list, for the inspiration and education that you give me on a daily basis. If you are reading this and have a new design blog, please make a comment or send me an email. There are so many great new blogs out there that I do not know about!
I am looking forward to reading your posts in 2009.