Interiors Magazine

It seemed that for a long time you knew just what to expect from Magazines, each issue was essentially a version of the one that came before it. Then the huge shuffle occurred and it was hard to keep up with who was where, and who was staying in business and who folded. Well out of all of this came Interiors Magazine. It seems that this was a magazine that never really got a lot of traction, but in the last few months it has pretty much reached the top of my monthly must reads.

This issue is no exception. Michael Wollaeger  who was featured on this blog when he was Editor of Western Interiors has transformed this magazine into the bright shining upstart we have all been asking for. With a collection of amazing projects Vicente Wolf and several others and Photography by Tim Street Porter and John Ellis (two personal friends and design favorites).

Well congratulations to everyone at the magazine for an amazing job, it gets better with each issue. Now run out and buy a copy, this is one to support.

I should also mention here too,,,, one of my pet peeves is most magazines do not show the outside of the houses, so there is no context. Not the case here it is about the WHOLE home.

Luxury of Simplicity

I recently did a shoot with a well known photographer, Tim Street Porter at a house that I did down in Newport Beach, California. I was going through the images, which will be seen in an upcoming issue of The Robb Report, and thinking how calm and tranquil they looked, and it gave me the idea for today's posting....The Luxury of Simplicity.

In many of the homes that I design there seems to be a rush to fill the space, and this is not always a good thing, sometimes the magic happens in what is left out, not in what is put in. In the image above, a small Sitting Room is turned into a charming nook, by a single, simple gesture, of a curving sofa that follows the shape of the room.

I have heard my women friends say that the key to successfully accessorising an out fit, is to dress and then take one item of jewellery off, I think that interior design would be well served by the same approach, here are some ideas:

• Take one of those decorative pillows off the bed, keep it open light and simple
• Find a fabulous fabric that is simple and timeless and use it on the upholstery, and the window treatments, simple color palettes create lightness and air
• Don't overdo the drapes with valances and tiebacks, let them hang and move with the breeze, it will bring your senses alive.
• Treat yourself to one great indulgence in a room, it will look more special, and raise the feeling of quality of all that is around it.