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 wasElle 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 a 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!

I absolutely love ethnic inspired textiles, particularly prints and patterns that are emblematic of Central Asian countries like India, Turkey, Uzbekistan, etc. I especially have a thing for Indian paisleys and florals. Here are some of my favorites:

Indian Pear, Robert Kime

Rajmata, Peter Dunham

Kashmir Paisley, Peter Dunham

Samarkand, Peter Dunham

Dotted Leaf, Suzanne Rheinstein/Hollyhock for Lee Jofa

Indian Flower, Michael S. Smith/Jasper

Indian Flower, Michael S. Smith/ Jasper

Mimosa Vine, Carolina Irving Textiles

Desert Rose, Carolina Irving Textiles

Jaipur, Peter Fasano

And despite the common feeling that ikats are overused, I still love them. The one above is Bravado Ikat from Thibaut’s Tea House collection and it’s one of my favorite ikat fabrics. Here it is in context:

Bravado Ikat in black, Thibaut

I still think suzani prints are fabulous too. This one from Donghia is also a favorite and comes in four colorways.

Here’s a closer look.

Emily Walker, a designer at Canadian House & Home, used Donghia’s suzani as artwork and had the fabric framed to hang above her sofa.

And Charleston based interior designer Angie Hranowsky used the same fabric to upholster the seat cushion of a fabulous mid-century chair in her home. You can see more of Angie’s house here.

_{Photo: Via Gil Schafer, GP Schafer Architect}

There's something quite charming about the presence of pot racks in a kitchen. I think many kitchens that I see photographed often appear sterile and you'd never know the kitchen was ever actually utilized. But whenever I see a kitchen with a pot rack, it suggests to me that this is a real kitchen…where people cook, eat, gather, etc. It somehow makes the kitchen space instantly feel lived in. Pot racks are a beautiful way to showcase your cookware, especially if you have a serious collection. And although they're a lovely decorative element, pot racks are also quite functional. Let's take a look at some examples of pretty pot racks from my inspiration files…

The kitchen in this photo was designed by Michael S. Smith, one of my favorite designers, and was featured in the November 2008 issue of Elle Decor. Smith partnered with architect Gil Schafer to design this kitchen for the country home of film director Jim Burrows and his family. The photo at the very top of this post is also of the same kitchen. The pot rack seen here is from Ann Morris Antiques in New York. I love that all of the pots and pans look well worn. I don't believe the idea of using a pot rack merely for decorative purposes makes much sense, as your pots will just hang around collecting dust. Pot racks should be both decorative and functional.

I love this kitchen designed by Mick de Giulio. It features a large pot rack hanging over a one of the most beautiful kitchen islands I've seen. Did you know that accessing your pots and pans from a pot rack is much more ergonomically correct? It's much better for your back to reach upward to grab your pots vs having to bend down a million times to reach them from lower cabinets which is typically where most people store their cookware. If you have a large collection of pots, I recommend placing the ones you use most often on your pot rack for easier access.

Full of character, this perfect country kitchen designed by Robin Bell features a custom-made wrought iron pot rack which stores her clients' beautiful collection of pots acquired during trips to France and Italy over the years. One of the practical benefits of pot racks is their space-saving abilities. If storage is an issue, pot racks will allow you to maximize your storage by freeing up additional space in your cabinets.

_{Photo: James Carriere/House Beautiful}

This kitchen which Antiques collector Susan Dossetter designed for her San Francisco home was House Beautiful's Kitchen of the Month in April 2008. The pair of pot racks hanging above the antique baker's table-turned kitchen island are from Williams-Sonoma but Dossetter customized them with a white powder coated finish.

In this kitchen which was designed by M (Group) Architecture & Decoration, the pot rack is integrated into a very modern light fixture which is suspended above a traditional island. One thing about pot racks to consider is height. You'll want to make sure your pot rack is hung at a level where you can easily access your pots comfortably without having to strain.

This kitchen belongs to another one of my favorite designers- LA based Windsor Smith's. Her shiny stainless steel pots hang on a pot rack between two pendant lamps covered in black pleated shades. The deep navy color is a bold move for a kitchen but works here and adds an edge to her kitchen's cozy feel.

Reclaimed tile, an earthy color scheme and antique pieces such as the 18th century Italian worktable give this Dallas kitchen designed by Shannon Bowers and old world feel. The wooden pot rack adds to kitchen's rustic charm.

_{Photo: John Coolidge/Country Living}

The pot rack seen here mirrors the modern, streamlined feel of the kitchen. I love how a few pieces of bright orange enameled cast iron cookware are included among the stainless steel pots which provides an unexpected yet welcome punch of color.

_{Photo: Miki Duisterhof / House Beautiful}

Pot racks are available in many different shapes, sizes, styles and finishes. Most of the examples I've shown illustrate the most common application of a pot rack which is hanging above an island. This photo shows a less traditional wall-mounted style hung above an oven range in a Texas cottage kitchen which was featured in House Beautiful. 

This tiny Manhattan kitchen designed by Timothy Whealon also features a pot rack above a cooking range. I would caution that hanging your pans directly above your range can cause grease build up on your pots. So unless you're using and washing those pans every day, I would not recommend hanging your pots above a range.

_{Photo: Simon Upton / Domino}

I adore this kitchen in interior designer Sharon Simonaire's home which was featured in the April '08 issue of Domino. It features a pot rack hanging above a stainless steel work table just to the right of her cooking range and directly in front of a window! Not a choice I would think of but it totally works!

_{Photo: Marthastewart.com}

My idol Martha Stewart a huge fan of pot racks. Here's a photo of the kitchen at Cantitoe Corners, the 154 acre estate in Bedford, NY where she currently lives. Pots galore!

_{Photo: Marthastewart.com}

When Martha was married she lived in a Westport, CT manse which she dubbed Turkey Hill. This photo is from the late 70s. She found the pot rack at a tag sale!

_{Photo: Marthastewart.com}

Years later in the late 90s, Martha renovated her Turkey Hill kitchen and embraced a bright, fresh color scheme of white and pale green. I would kill for her collection of copper pots!  

If you like the look of pot racks, here are six options I absolutely love that you should consider:

Enclume is an American company that makes some of the best pot racks and kitchen storage products around. This chrome plated oval pot rack by Enclume is the Ferrari of pot racks, sleek, shiny, sexy and expensive! It retails for $1460 at Sur la Table.

Enclume double dutch crown oval pot rack. Williams-Sonoma, $455

Walnut Ceiling pot rack. Two sizes available. $129.95-$159.95 at Crate & Barrel.

This single bar, ceiling mounted pot rack is very compact and perfect if you don't have a ton of space in your kitchen. I'm thinking about purchasing this one for my own tiny kitchen, as my collection of pots and pans is starting to overflow out of my cabinets! It's $49.95 at Crate & Barrel.

 

I also love this wall mounted pot rack, also from Crate & Barrel. It features a shelf underneath the rack that provides extra storage for lids, smaller pans and cook books. $99.95.

Last but not least is this very economical option from on of my favorite stores – Target! It's a classic pot rack style that stores up to 40 pounds of cookware. Classicor oval pot rack, $49.95. Available here.

So what's your take on pot racks? Do you love them? Hate them? Would love to hear your thoughts!