Inspirational New Blogs

There are so many great architecture and design blogs out there, and sometimes it is sometimes hard for them to get ‘found’ by readers. I usually find my ‘new’ blogs through posts by some of my favorite bloggers (as well as blog rolls and comments on my own blog). Occasionally I will read a new blog that really speaks to me, and I have recently come across several blogs that I think my readers will like.

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DC by Design

I find that the aesthetic of many of the designers in DC really appeals to me. Two of my favorites – Jim Hawes of Caldwell-Beebe and Sally Steponkus of Sally Steponkus Interiors - hail from the DC area, as does Darryl Carter (he has such a cleverly designed web site – click here to see it) and Kelly Proxmire.

So, when I discovered that Jennifer Sergent, the former editor of the now defunct Washington Spaces Magazine started a blog, I knew it was going to be great. Jennifer told me that after the magazine closed, she “really felt a responsibility to keep the magazine’s blog going under my own name, because this is such an incredible, creative town and there NEEDS to be more than one or two voices to spread the word”. Her most recent post totally captured by heart – a beautiful condo with interior design by Sally Steponkus (pictured above, photo credit Angie Seckinger). Click here to see more pictures from this magnificent home! I look forward to seeing how DC by Design develops – Jennifer is definitely connected to the pulse of the DC design scene.

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Acanthus & Acorn

Another new blog has emerged on the scene: Acanthus & Acorn, written by a Northern Virginia based designer (the vignette above it from her recent post). The author is a blog reader of mine, and we have chatted on the phone about the framed intaglios that I sell in my online store (click here for a peek). When we first chatted, she told me that she had been thinking about starting a blog, and I am happy to report that she went ahead and did it! Her posts are beautiful, insightful, and interesting. It is also interesting to read some of the behind the scenes decisions that went into the projects that she has featured – I always find this to be fascinating.

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Nest Egg

Finally, although this blog is not new, it is new to me! Brooke of Velvet & Linen met this Nashville based blogger in Atlanta, and I was amazed when I went over to check out her blog, Nest Egg. The author, Rachel Halvorson, is a designer and has such a happy and joyful approach to design and to her blog, it makes me smile when I read it! She also is a dead ringer for Cameron Diaz, as you can see in the thumbnail picture from her blog (I am sure she has heard this a million times!).

Rachel’s recent post on beams is definitely on my favorites of 2010 posts (I have already started my list!). Click here to read it. Image via House Beautiful, design by Tom Scheerer.

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Please take a moment to visit these wonderful blogs! I think you will like them as much as I do.

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My Favorite Posts of the Year

As I was reading my People magazine this morning, with its year end recap and the favorite movies, music, and shows of the year, I was inspired to come up with my own year end favorites list of blog posts (I did not discover design blogs until this summer, so the list only reflects postings from June-December).

These are a few that come to mind right away, without any research or review. There are many blogs out there that I read every day, and all of them are inspiring in so many ways. The following posts are but a small sampling of the many wonderful posts I have read this year.

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Patricia Gray Interior Design did an amazing post on the color gray, which is so chic right now. Not only did she have wonderful and varied pictures, but she also explained the psychology of the color and other practical ways to incorporate the color into one's decor.

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Brilliant Asylum did an amazing post on the stately home that served as one of the sets for the movie Atonement. I had seen the movie the day before she did the post, and it was very much on my mind. I am also an Anglophile an an architecture buff, and love to tour the stately homes in Britain that are open to the public. BA's post really struck a chord with me.

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Me, Myself, & I did an amazing post on the color turquoise. Her examples were varied: art, jewelry, accessories, fabrics, interiors, architecture. It was truly a magnificent post, and probably took a lot of time to create! Well done, Me, Myself, & I.

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La Dolce Vita did a great post on the Sex and the City girls and the decor of each character's apartment. She combined two of my favorite things: Sex and the City, and interior design! I loved this post SO much.

Miranda's apartment, Sex and the City

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The Peak of Chic did a great post on something that I have seen in homes, but never knew the name of: the jib door. Read the post to learn more about this intriguing architectural element.

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Peak of Chic also did two fantastic posts on tablescapes - part I and part II. I liked these posts so much that I did my own tablescape post this week!

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Maison21 did an informative post about the proper lighting for a successful party. I truly learned a lot reading his post, and when thinking about all of the holiday parties I attended this month, realized the truisms that he shared.

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I thoroughly enjoyed the post that Jackie Blue Home made about 'snaking': the process of copying a design in its entirety. Jackie posted pictures from a Domino feature on the home of Barrie Benson, then posted pictures of the original design by Tom Scheerer. The comments on this post were so entertaining!

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I could not pick just one entry from my favorite blog, Cote de Texas, so I picked three! One of my favorite posts was on sconces. I had begged Joni (via e-mail) to do a post on sconces, because so many of her own designs had such wonderful sconces featured. She did an excellent post on the topic!

The second post that comes to mind is the slipcover post. I truly saw slipcovers in a whole new light after reading this post!


Finally, I loved the post on the hallmarks of true French style. This post had such a big influence on how I see French stule, and I am thankful to Cote de Texas for sharing her vision.

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Mrs. Blandings did a wonderful post about the first impression of a home: the entry. In the post, she had some beautiful and unique pictures of the entries that have inspired her through the years. It was the right post at the right time for me, and was possibly nudge that got me to refocus on my own unfinished entryway.

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Another post that had a great influence on me this year was from The Inspired Room. It was a post on 'Authentic Living', and in the post Melissa says, "One of the things I crave most of all in my home is a cozy atmosphere for my family. A respite from the outside world where we can be together. I like comfy places to sit down with a book, places to light a fire or a flickering candle, inviting places to dine together and play games. Yet even if I find the time to create those surroundings, the reality is I need to set aside time to actually use them. That is the heart of authentic living for me. I need to create the spaces I want to use, and then I need to carve out the time to live in the moment. Otherwise the moment will pass on by in the blur of my to do list". Great words to live by.

From The Inspired Room

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Edit: How could I have forgotten Style Court's magnificent posts as a guest on Design Sponge? They were among my favorites!!! I loved the post on Betsy Burnham; it was great interview with a great designer, written and researched so beautifully. (The Louis XV post was also fabulous!).

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Finally, my favorite post from my own blog this year. I would have to say the art and design post, because art and design are two of my favorite topics and I love it when the two are combined beautifully. The pictures in this post are so inspiring to me, and I remember being particularly proud of that post.

Thank you to all of the readers out there who take the time to read my blog! I hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year's Eve, and best wishes for health and happiness in the New Year.