Daily Candy recently alerted me to the fact that actress Rachel Bilson of the OC fame has a newly launched line of tabletop wares for Macy’s called Edie Rose. The line features dinnerware and serving pieces with girly floral, peacock and butterfly motifs in soft blue hues with a slightly granny chic vibe. I’m not sure how I feel about this one so I’m going to open up the floor to you, my dear readers. What do you think of the line? Haute or not?

_{The premiere issue of Trad Home will hit virtual newsstands in April}

Earlier this week I attended an exclusive dinner hosted by Traditional Home publisher Beth Brenner and Lonny editor-in-chief Michelle Adams who assembled a group of notable designers and industry influencers at Freemans to introduce the top 20 “New Traditional” designers to watch in 2011. The top 20 will be featured in the March issue of Traditional Home as in years past, while the inaugural issue of Trad Home (the digital Traditional Home/Lonny spinoff) will feature more extensive coverage of each of the designers and their work. Below is a look at the esteemed roster of this year’s young traditional designers to watch and if you’re interested in seeing a few fun photos from the Trad Home dinner check out this post from StyleBeat. Congratulations to all of the designers who were nominated!

Sara Gilbane – Sara Gilbane Interiors

Sasha Adler + Lauren Gold – Nate Berkus Associates

Lisa Sternfeld – Studio LSID

Jeff Andrews – Jeff Andrews Design

Jayne + Joan Michaels – 2 Michaels Design

Jamie Herzlinger – Jamie Herzlinger Interiors

Erika Powell – Urban Grace Interiors

Heidi Bonsteel, Michele Trout + Jill Hall – Bonsteel Trout Hall

Amanda Malson & Jolene Ballard – Domicile Interior Design

Tom Delavan – Tom Delavan Interior Design

Suysel dePedro Cuningham + Anne Maxwell Foster – Tilton Fenwick

Nicki Clendening + Calie Jenschke – Scout Designs

Ryan Korban – Ryan Korban Interior Design

Ron Marvin – Ron Marvin Design

Robert Passal – Robert Passal Interior & Architectural Design

Patrik Lonn – Patrik Lonn design

Nina Freudenberger – Haus Interior

Amy D. Morris – Amy D. Morris Interiors

Megan Rice Yager – Megan Yager Design

Kim Winkler – Westbrook Interiors

2010 was quite a year in the world of interior design and shelter media. From the retirement of America’s preeminent interior designer and the rise of digital shelter publications to the magazine masthead changes that rocked the design community, these were the industry’s biggest stories that made headlines in 2010.

1. The Legendary Albert Hadley Retires

After 60 some years working as an interior designer, Albert Hadley, also known as “The Dean of American Decorating”, retired in the Fall leaving behind a lasting legacy in the design world.

2. Stephen Drucker Leaves House Beautiful to Helm Town & Country

In April, the shelter magazine world was shaken up when Stephen Drucker – then Editor-in-chief of House Beautiful – announced he would be departing HB to take over Town & Country. Meanwhile, Town & Country’s Pamela Fiori took on a more broad-based Editor at Large role to work on books and other special projects.

3. Newell Turner Appointed Editor-in-Chief of House Beautiful

When Stephen Drucker stepped down at House Beautiful, the magazine’s Style Director Newell Turner stepped up to take the top spot as Editor-in-Chief.

4. Dara Caponigro Appointed Editor-in-Chief of Veranda

Also in April, former Domino Style Director Dara Caponigro was named Editor-in-Chief of Veranda, succeeding Lisa Newsom. Since Caponigro took over Veranda has never looked better!

5. Paige Rense Retires After 40 Years at Architectural Digest

In June, Paige Rense Noland, who spent 40 years at Architectural Digest and was the magazine’s top editor since 1975, announced her retirement at age 81 leaving everyone speculating who would take over her position.

6. Margaret Russell Leaves Elle Decor, Becomes Editor-in-Chief of Architectural Digest

Two months after Paige Rense revealed she was retiring it was announced that Margaret Russell would become AD’s Editor-in-Chief. That was a shock to many since Margaret Russell was Elle Decor, having been at the magazine since 1989, plus the publication was thriving. Russell’s keen eye and fresh point of view was much needed at the once dull AD. Michael Boodro ended up replacing Russell as Editor-in-Chief of Elle Decor by the way. (He was formerly Executive Editor).

7. The Nate Berkus Show Hits The Air

This September, cutie pie decorator and frequent Oprah Winfrey Show contributor Nate Berkus launched his own syndicated daytime talk show, giving decor obsessed fans across the America a much needed daily dose of design. The show is currently averaging around 1.2 million viewers per episode.

8. The Wall Street Journal Hires Deborah Needleman

After more than a year of laying low and enjoying a life of “heavenly housewifery,” former Domino Editor-in-Chief Deborah Needleman went back to work after being appointed Editor-in-Chief of WSJ Magazine – the Wall Street Journal’s glossy lifestyle magazine – and was also assigned to oversee the paper’s weekend “Off Duty” section. She has since hired several ex Domino staffers to join her team and all eyes are on WSJ to see how Needleman’s influence will take shape.

9. The Oval Office Redesign by Michael S. Smith is Revealed to Mixed Reviews

Before President Obama was even inaugurated, it was announced that California interior designer Michael Smith had been tapped to re-design the private quarters and a few public spaces of the White House. Decor lovers across America looked forward to seeing the newly designed spaces and we caught our first glimpse in September when Smith’s re-design of the famed Oval Office was revealed. The result was dubbed “The Audacity of Taupe” by The New York Times.

10. Lonny Magazine Turns One

Lonny, the pioneer of online shelter magazines, celebrated its one year anniversary in October. Lonny has been a hit with readers as well as advertisers and even the print publications are looking at the online magazine with a slightly jealous side eye. With millions of page views per month, ad dollars rolling in and cash infusions by venture capitalists to help fund it’s growth, Lonny is a bonafide success story that’s leading the pack in a whole new era of digital publishing for shelter media.

11. A Lonny Competitor Emerges, Several Online Shelter Magazines Follow

In September, Rue Magazine emerged as the first real competitor to Lonny, generating a ton of buzz on the design blogs and huge fan fare outside of the blogosphere including well-attended launch parties in New York and San Francisco.  And so the trend of bloggers-turned-editors ensued as we also saw the launches of Australian based Adore Home Magazine and Ivy & Piper. Several other US based bloggers partnered up to announce the launches of High Gloss and Matchbook magazines both of which will debut online later this month. Even the print media wants in on the action as Traditional Home announced that it’s partnering with the founders of Lonny to create a younger, hipper online-only spinoff called Trad Home. 2011 will surely be an exciting year for digital shelter magazines!

12. Emily Henderson Wins HGTV’s Design Star, Gets New Show

In January, LA based prop stylist Emily Henderson started a blog. In her very first post she declared that 2010 would be her best year ever and resolved to make radical moves that would change her life forever. By August a pilot episode of her own TV show called Secrets of a Stylist had aired on HGTV and the network quickly picked up 26 more episodes of the show which will begin airing in the  Spring. Emily was the winner of HGTV’s Design Star where her quirky personality and serious style won over the show’s judges and viewers, earning her a prime time slot on HGTV. Not bad, huh? This year there will be a ton of bloggers trying out for the  next season of Design Star so I’ll definitely be tuning in!

13. Curbed National Launches, Operation Dollhouse Ensues

Now this might not necessarily be a huge news story in the design industry, but in September real estate website Curbed launched a national edition focused on home and interiors and to promote the launch the site executed highly publiczied “Operation Dollhouse” campaign that was sheer genius! Curbed sent empty dollhouses to 6 top shelter media outlets which included House Beautiful, Elle Decor, Architectural Digest, Dwell, Martha Stewart Living and Lonny. Their challenge was to decorate and photograph the house and let the readers of Curbed vote on the winner. Martha Stewart Living declined to participate and HGTV stepped up to fill the void. Operation Dollhouse was taken very seriously and each house was meticulously decorated. Of course all of the participating media outlets blogged about it as did a ton of other design bloggers who quickly spread the news of Curbed’s launch throughout the interwebs. A huge coup for Curbed and good quality decor merriment for the rest of us. Elle Decor was ultimately crowned the winner. In an interesting spin, Martha Stewart Living – who didn’t want in on the initial action – sent Curbed some holiday cheer just a few weeks ago when it submitted a sugarplum fairy inspired Christmas dollhouse covered in candy! Better late than never!

Curious to know just what goes on behind the doors of some of the most venerable interior design firms in Hollywood? Soon you’ll be able to get a glimpse when a new television series called Million Dollar Decorators hits bravo. The show is currently in development and will star A-list designers Mary McDonald, Martyn Lawrence-Bullard, Nathan Turner, Kathryn Ireland, and the design duo of Jeffrey Alan Marks & Ross Cassidy. You’ll be able to follow the designers who will give a sneak peek into their lives and a taste of what it’s like to navigate the world of high-end design while working with demanding VIP clients to complete multi-million dollar design projects.  I’m sure there will be plenty of design drama and expect to see a sprinkling of celebrity here and there as this roster of uber designers all have some of Hollywood top names as clients.  Million Dollar Decorators will air sometime next year & I’ll keep you posted when I get the full deets!

Another high-design series set to hit television is a new HGTV show tentatively titled Designing Women which will chronicle the fast-paced design projects and glamorous lives of  New York based interior designer Amy Lau, Toronto based Dee Dee Taylor Hannah and LA based Lori Dennis. From what I hear this show will delve a bit deeper into life at home and the social lives these three designing women.

I’m super psyched about these two shows and definitely plan to tune-in…will you be watching too? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

_{L-R: Vicente Wolf, Thom FIlicia, Laura Kirar, Jonathan Adler}

The New York Times Store recently released a series of images from its 100+ year old photo archive, many of which have never been seen before and to celebrate, the Times tapped 5 celebrated interior designers Laura Kirar, Kelly Wearstler, Vicente Wolf, Jonathan Adler and Thom Filicia to curate a selection of 10 photos from the archive that reflects their design aesthetic and appreciation for the use of photography in interiors.  The collection is called 50 Photographs and is now available for purchase at The New York Times Store. I attended the launch party at the Staley-Wise Gallery on Monday and it was chock full of design stars including the 50 Photographs guest curators (minus Kelly Wearstler), style icon Iris Apfel, design maven Charlotte Moss, newly appointed Architectural Digest editor-in-chief Margaret Russell (sporting a cast on her right leg!), Barney’s Creative Director (& Jonathan Adler’s husband) Simon Doonan and fashion designer Naeem Kahn. Below are a few fun snaps from the party along with a several of images from the collection including my favorites from Jonathan Adler who chose nine photos of chic people wearing masks at high-society parties plus one of the New Jersey Turnpike. Says Adler, “I like to look at pictures of glamorous people having fun in kooky outfits and then when I get too carried away I like to remind myself of where I came from – hence the Jersey turnpike picture.” Check out the photos below and be sure to check out the full collection here. I just might have to add Adler’s whimsical pick featuring the masked leopard people to my own collection…so chic!

Left: Iris Apfel and husband Carl Apfel. Right: Laura Kirar

From L-R: Gallery Co-Owner Etheleen Staley, Margaret Russell, Naeem Kahn and wife Ranjana.

Left: Charlotte Moss. Right: Simon Doonan and Jonathan Adler

Oversized Cars, 1954, Eddie Hausner/The New York Times (Vicente Wolf)

Geisha – Tokyo, 2001, Gary Knight/VII (Vicente Wolf)

Park Benches, Vincent Laforet/The New York Times (Kelly Wearstler)

The Steeplechase, 1939, Andrew Herman (Laura Kirar)

World’s Fair Dinosaur Dismantled, 1965, Robert Walker/The New York Times (Laura Kirar)

Leopard People, 1966, Larry C. Morris/The New York Times (Jonathan Adler)

Going Groucho, 1974, John Sotomayor/The New York Times (Jonathan Adler)

Summer Reflections, 1997, Suzanne De Chillo/The New York Times (Thom Filicia)

SALE ALERT! Shelterpop – one of my favorite sites for home decor news & inspiration – is partnering up with the genius, members only sample sale site Gilt to curate an exclusive flash sale featuring an amazing selection of retro chic goods for your home at up to 70% off retail price!

The team at Shelterpop tapped some of their favorite design bloggers (including moi!) to help spread the word and asked us to illustrate how we’d use one of the items from the sale in our homes. Well- have a look at the pretty pink Vitrocolor glass jars shown above. Cute, right? I think they’d make the perfect bud vases! You can buy these at the Shelterpop flash sale which starts at Noon EST today through Sunday, October 9th. Hurry and shop now before all the good stuff is gone!  Enjoy!

After taking the fashion world by storm as a model then launching cosmetics, fragrance, apparel and accessories, celebrated supermodel and fashion icon Iman is making her first foray into the world of home decor with the debut of IMAN Home. The IMAN Home brand is initially launching with a gorgeous collections of globally influenced fabrics and will later expand to include a complete line of home furnishings. The beautiful fabrics are available exclusively through Calico Corners and feature rich colors and bold prints like exotic ikats, ethnic inspired damasks, batik florals, desert inspired ombres, and subtle animal patterns. The designs are chic and affordable with prices ranging from $24.99 – 52.99 per yard. “Home is where I seduce my husband, nurture my children, entertain my friends and nourish my soul”, says the mogul and mom whose intense passion for home is what inspired her to launch this collection. “I truly believe that great homes are great escapes.”

Here’s IMAN earlier this summer at the press launch for IMAN Home showing off Punjab Peacock which is one of my favorite patterns from her new collection. The peacock feather pattern is printed onto a cotton fabric with metallic threads woven throughout for a subtle metallic sheen.

With Spring/Summer 2011 New York Fashion Week just days away, Iman is collaborating with interior designer and Elle Decor Editor-at-Large Carlos Mota to showcase her new IMAN Home fabrics at the exclusive Mercedes-Benz Star Lounge. The lounge is a retreat for designers, editors, celebs and VIP’s partaking in New York fashion Week. Guests at this year’s Star Lounge will experience an exotic, tribal oasis equipped with cozy couches, chairs, daybeds, a full bar and a private sitting area designed exclusively by Iman and Mota and featuring many of her gorgeous fabrics. You can see the full line of IMAN Home fabrics here.

I recently stopped by the D&D to check out Thom Filicia’s new fabrics for Kravet at the D&D the other day and I have to say, I really like it! The patterns and color combinations are fresh and modern yet the collection still has a timeless appeal. I’m especially a fan of the citron colored faux bois fabric shown on the bench above. You can see all of the collection swatches here and below are a few more photos from Kravet’s Inspired Talk blog. As a bonus, head over to Inspired Talk to watch a video of Filicia discussing his collaboration with Kravet and the making of the collection!

_{The Thom Filicia display at the D & D’s Kravet showroom}

Thom Filicia

After months of speculation over who would replace Paige Rense as editor-in-chief of Architectural Digest (Rense is retiring), it was announced today that Elle Decor’s Margaret Russell will take the helm. She begins her post September 7th and her first issue will hit stands in January 2011. I can’t tell you enough how excited I am about this appointment. AD has long been criticized for being dated and formulaic in its approach and many have agreed that the magazine is in dire need of an overhaul. I believe Russell will bring a fresh point of view to the AD and has the talent and vision to help revive the title. Despite it’s criticism though, AD is hardly struggling. The magazine has a healthy readership of 5MM plus and ad pages for its September 2010 issue are up 5.4% to last year. Nate Berkus also mentioned during the Right Now In Design event last week that for architects and designers, AD is one of the only magazines where a feature actually leads to new clients, which I thought was quite interesting. I’m excited to watch AD evolve and am actually anticipating the arrival of it’s January issue. Congrats Margaret on your new position! And now we can begin the speculation over who will take over Elle Decor!

Photos: elledecor.com and architecturaldigest.com

Former Domino Editor-in-Chief has just landed a new gig! Beginning September 1, Needleman will hold post as Editor-in-Chief of WSJ, The Wall Street Journal’s glossy lifestyle magazine, and will also oversee  a new Saturday Lifestyle section that will debut this fall. She succeeds Tina Gaudoin who is moving back to London and will contribute to The Wall Street Journal Europe. For the last few months, Needleman has been consulting at WSJ, overseeing the redesign of the publication’s weekend pages. Now, with her permanent position, Needleman will really make her mark on the WSJ, enhancing its overall lifestyle travel and culture content as the publication looks to grow its female readership. We won’t see the first issue of WSJ under Needleman’s influence until December (it’s currently published 6x a year but rumored to be increasing its frequency) but her vision will definitely be seen sooner when the daily version’s new Saturday Lifestyle section launches. The Wall Street Journal isn’t necessarily a publication I’d look to for lifestyle content but now that Needleman is at the helm I’ll definitely be checking it out! Will you?

Did you know that West Elm now offers special order upholstery? In a great move, the company is now offering 26 stylish new upholstery options for customers to choose from to create a sofa or sectional with a totally custom look! It takes 6-8 weeks for these special orders to deliver and you can also order swatches so you can see and feel them in person before deciding on the perfect fabric. This means you’ll be able to take this perfectly fine but kinda boring beige sofa:

And transform it into any of these far more vibrant options:



Here’s a look at the current fabric selection:

To learn more about West Elm’s special order process click here or call 1.888.922.4119.

Top Photo: Sutton Sofette, $599-699

Second & Third Photos: Armless Upholstered Sofa, $799-$1149

If you’re in New York this weekend you don’t want to miss the Kips Bay Show House Pop-up Shop! You may be aware that the annual Kips Bay Decorator Show Souse which usually takes place in the Spring was pushed back to the Fall so in the meantime, much needed funds will be raised for the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club through this fun pop-up sale which will feature plenty of fabulous design merchandise. You can shop for antiques, home furnishings, art, lighting, fabric, accessories and more – all donated by top designers, dealers and private donors. The sale is free and open to the public all weekend. Here are the details:

Kips Bay Show House Pop Up Shop

207 East 57th Street (between
2nd and 3rd Avenues)

New York City

May 20-23, 2010

Thursday & Friday: Noon to 8PM

Saturday & Sunday: Noon to 6PM

If you’re in New York this week you’ll want to mark your calendars because John Robshaw is having a sample sale! Starting tomorrow, excess inventory of Robshaw’s signature textiles including luxury bedding, decorative pillows, table linens and more, will be on sale at deeply discounted prices. You don’t want to miss it! All the details are above. If you stop by, let me know what you scored!

If you’re in LA this Thursday you might be interested in stopping by Hollywood at Home where Peter Dunham and Martyn Lawrence Bullard are hosting author Annie Kelly and photographer Tim Street-Porter for a cocktail party and book signing to celebrate her latest book :”Rooms to Inspire in the City.”

Here are the details:

(Click to enlarge)

One Kings Lane’s first Tastemaker Tag Sale launches today and I can’t wait to check it out! In this new weekly feature, One Kings Lane will launch an exclusive tag sale each Saturday, bringing you hand picked goods curated by the site’s favorite interior designers from their personal inventories and offered at an exceptional price. The Saturday tag sales will run through Tuesdays each week. The first sale kicks off this morning with Nathan Turner whose love for travel and global influence is reflected in his designs. Look for pieces from Turner’s eclectic furniture, antiques and accessories collections on sale today! And be sure to check back each Saturday for sales from designers like Kendall Wilkinson on April 17th, Martyn Lawrence Bullard on April 24th, Kathryn Ireland on May 1st, Ann Getty on May 8th and Hilary Thomas on May 15th. Future sales will include designers Ken Fulk, Suzanne Tucker and one of my personal favorites, Windsor Smith. Visit One Kings Lane here and if you’re not a member email me and I’ll send you an exclusive invitation!