With spring—tee-hee—just three weeks away, who can resist the urge to go a little au naturel? I’m speaking only of color and motifs, don’tcha know. Lucky for us, Chiasso has all things flora to fawn over—and, better still, there’s no formula to follow. So let’s get ready to let our hair down everywhere, shall we?
You […]

Okay, so sometimes only drywall will do, but how ‘bout those other seminal moments when you have the urge to hide or separate a portion of your space? You know, when company’s coming and there’s about five loads of laundry and two bins of recycling to put away and you don’t have time to do […]

Okay, so let’s say this weekend, you’ve been inspired by thoughts of Spring (in most parts of the country arriving not a moment too soon), leafing through a catalog (Chiasso), seeing an actual in-home, turned on version of the Wave fireplace you saw in the Chiasso catalog (on a new episode of HGTV’s Divine Design), […]

I came to this conclusion last night when I had the occasion to entertain a group of women in my home. Now, mind you, I’m not normally insecure about where I live. In fact, it suits me just fine. It has all the space I need, I am grateful to have it and understand that […]

If you haven’t seen Persepolis, the Academy Award-nominated Best Animated Feature (based on the Marjane Satrapi graphic novel), go today! From opening credits to ending, it’s a gem of a movie whose core themes are integrity, authenticity and the indomitable human spirit. It’s in French with subtitles and, appropriately enough, most of it’s in black […]

Miami: 82 and sunny. Chicago: 27 and…enough said. 
Nice weather can definitely change your outlook on everything—even design. Still, the Miami Modernism Show, for which I had escaped the comforts of 14 inches of snow to attend, was a disappointment because, with the exception of only a handful of the 60+ dealers who had come from […]

Did I ever mention my distain for football? No, well, it’s only equaled by my aversion to bad (read: completely personality-less) motel interiors. I practically have an allergic reaction to the game—and it’s not because it’s a sport. Apart from a few cute QBs and running backs, where’s the finesse?
On any given weekend, when I’m […]

I’m not getting to personal, am I? Actually, that’s not my intention. As you ponder the “grown up” question, think less about chronology, or even maturity, and more about your state of…style.

For example, do you have tell-tale signs of high school lying around? An ‘83 yearbook on your coffee table may be cool, but your […]

Just a few cover-the-waterfront recommendations. About half are from my personal collection. The other half I researched.  
1. An Eye For Color by Olga Gutierrez De La Rosa. Harper Collins, 2007. Hardcover, 240 pages.  Both a show-and-tell (examples from real masters) and DIY guide (a simple “system,” complete with perf-off color palette cards to help you build […]

Every fashion designer has an indelible one in his or her seasonal collection. And every fashionista has one in her closet, whether it’s a dress, hat, pin, pair of shoes…So, doesn’t your home deserve one, too—a sofa, wall art, table sculpture, lamp or vase that jumps right out and shouts “I’m the most YOU of […]