Grosgrain Style

I have been on a grosgrain kick for several years now; it is an affordable way to embellish pillows and window treatments, and because of its stability, alot can be accomplished using it.  For example, I can embroider a Greek key design on a wide piece of grosgrain using an embroidery machine and run it down the leading edge of window treatment panels.  I also can gather the grosgrain as I round the corner of a pillow leaving the remainder flat like a flange for affordability.  Then, as synchronicity would have it, I found John Loecke's Grosgrain Style, a how-to guide for rugs, curtains, linens, and such.  Grosgrain is French for "course texture"--a trim that has always held an iconic place in fashion in its simplicity!

A Passion for Blue and White

The current issue of House Beautiful gives a delightful nod to the varied hues of blue.  Polls indicate it is the favored color of most.  I am unable to pass by blue myself, whether for a wall color or a design accessory or blue hydrangeas from the garden in summer.  In the meantime, what with winter lingering for a bit longer, I pulled out Carolyne Roehm's book, A Passion for Blue and White, to garner some inspiration.  Blue is soothing in its purity, by injecting a bit of yellow into it, or knocking it down to a grayed, muted tone.  Got my eye on Sherwin-Williams Comfort Gray and Oyster Bay . . .

Loving Frank

Fellow designer and colleague Joelle Mintz Snavely lent me this novel about Frank Lloyd Wright; he was thought of as an arrogant scoundrel, but what a gifted one he was at that!  This is a great read, and if you admired his work, you will enjoy the book.  This past year was the 50th anniversary of his work at the Guggenheim in NYC; wish I could have been in the city at the time.  Joelle, you were there, right?  I need to get your book back to you! 

Rooms to Remember

I have known of designer Suzanne Tucker through publications of her work and because she at one point worked with the renowned California designer Michael Taylor; remember his 'California Look' of the 1980s?  Now, she has published an exquisite book of her work.  Her work spans a life rich in the studies of art history to interior architecture; she is an expert in antiques and the decorative arts.  I concur with her insight when she says, "I believe that a beautiful home is intrinsic to gracious living. I also believe that there are many 'right' kinds of beauty and graciousness.  Design to me is about flexibility, options, and context."