The Magic Language of Things

When I found a beautiful curved dish at a Goodwill many years ago, I had no idea that it had been designed by one of the most important woman designers in modern history. At the time, I was drawn to its shape and by the brightly colored floral pattern, and later I learned that the shape of the piece is what distinguished the designer from other designers of her time. So, when I heard that Eva Zeisel had died on December 30th at the age of 105, I was sad, but at the same time I thought what a long and illustrious life she lived. She was an industrial designer, known for her work in ceramics, and she designed into her 100s. Her design career spanned seventy-five years. Pretty amazing.

If you don't recognize her name, than perhaps you'll recognize some of her work. She designed these pieces in the 1940s and Crate and Barrel has recreated some of these pieces in a new line. Every time I walk into Crate and Barrel, I look for the gravy boat. Known for the sensual curves in her designs, Eva Zeisel often told interviewers that she was inspired by mother and child and many of her pieces resemble birds and look like a mother bird nestling her young.

The piece that I found at the Goodwill was one that she designed for Hall China in the 1950s, from her Bouquet collection. It is the celery dish in the top of the photo. Last year, I was lucky enough to find a matching plate when I was out thrifting. I was thrilled that I had found another Eva Zeisel design to add to my collection. 

I've read that Eva's work in industrial design was her 'search for beauty.' I think she found it, don't you?

You can read about Eva and her work at http://evazeiseloriginals.com/. And just a few months ago, a new book was published: Eva Zeisel on Design: The Magic Language of Things.

the french chef birdhouse

How cute is this Julia Child-inspired birdhouse?! From New Inspiration Home Design. (via Words and Eggs)

Aug/Sept Issue of Lonny

The August/September issue of Lonny magazine is online and I think it is the best issue yet. 

My favorite photos are from Cath Kidston's and Rachel Ashwell's homes. They are designers I have long admired, but for different reasons. While Cath Kidston brings brightly colored florals to her designs, Rachel Ashwell is known for her muted, romantic, shabby chic florals. I love them both.


I was very happy to read that at the end of this month, Cath Kidston's Web site will begin offering her products in U.S. dollars and shipping to U.S. addresses. I can't wait!


Cath Kidston's home:

Rachel Ashwell's home:

Flea Market style

There's a new magazine in town.  It is a Country Decorating Ideas special publication and hopefully it will be coming out more than once a year.

If you enjoy an afternoon perusing a flea market in search of buried treasure this magazine is for you. Edited by Matthew Mead, and Ki Nassauer, it is chock-full of beautiful photos, fantastic styling, and great flea market tips.

It is also brimming with ideas on how to repurpose some of those vintage finds and I particularly enjoyed this article on repurposing funnels. 

Who doesn't love roses? Matthew and Ki show you how you can decorate with fresh roses as well as flea market rose finds.

It is a beautiful and inspirational publication and it is one that I will be referring to again and again. Even if you are not a flea market aficionado, but you love vintage, trust me, you will love this magazine. 

Lonny Love

The third issue of Lonny is out.

The Feb/March 2010 issue is 218 pages of inspiration.  And, check this out:

Recognize the photo of the person on that beautiful bathroom wall? 

Winter Issue of Lonny

The second issue of Lonny magazine is out. It is a fabulous new online design magazine. Check it out: Lonny.

Top Design

Season 2 of Top Design on Bravo TV is proving to be an arresting one. Each week the designers are critiqued by judges Jonathan Adler, Margaret Russell, Kelly Werstler, and host India Hicks. The designers are mentored by Todd Oldham who gives them thoughtful critique before their projects are completed and shown to the judges. This week two designers were booted off.

My favorite designer is Eddie Ross, Senior Style Editor for Martha Stewart Living magazine, and I also like the work of Andrea Schroder, and Nathan. I am looking forward to the rest of the season. If you haven't seen an episode - don't fret - you have only missed two and you can probably catch them repeated during the week. The show airs after Project Runway on Wednesday nights. If you are interested to see what inspires interior designers and how they go about working on their projects - don't miss this show!

Project Runway: Big City Inspiration

One of the bright spots of summer television is a favorite of mine, Project Runway. I find this show not only entertaining, but also very interesting and this season is proving to be delightful with an eclectic cast of characters er designers. Last night's show was particularly interesting. Tim Gunn took the designers, on a rainy New York night, into the city - their challenge was to design an outfit for a night on the town. He gave them each a digital camera and they had to shoot images that inspired them. It was very interesting to see how each designer approached this challenge and what they found inspirational and the final images they chose to create their design.

I was disppointed, though, that Sacramentan Emily was voted 'out.' Hopefully, Emily learned a valuable lesson - when Tim Gunn offers you some constructive feedback - you had best listen - because the man knows what he is talking about! Sometimes you can get so focused on your vision and believe in what you are doing so much - which is good - that you don't accept feedback from others because you think you know best. But, this is Wrong - that's when you do need to step back and listen to others. Sometimes in the creative process the only thing blocking your sucess is you. Very good message from last night's show.

I didn't agree with the judges; however, on the winning design. I hated Kenley's design. Just didn't get it. I really liked the powerful, strong, yet feminine design of Terri's, but my absolute favorite was from designer Leanne. Her two-piece was timeless and very chic. It should have won and probably would have if Leanne hadn't almost gone home last week with a terrible design choice. That's Project Runway for you though - full of talent and lots of surprises!

San Francisco Decorator Showcase

For over 30 years the San Francisco Decorator Showcase has been remaking mansions in the city, featuring top West Coast designers. The proceeds for the annual event go to the San Francisco University High School Financial Aid Program. The Showcase has raised over $10 million, enabling many Bay Area students to go to the school. This year the West Coast designers remade a four-story, 16,000 square foot Italianate-style mansion in the Pacific Heights neighborhood. The home was built in 1905 and was customized for the Queen of Romania for her visit to the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition. This event is considered the premiere event for top West Coast designers. The mansion is open to the public until May 26, 2008.





One designer, Benjamin Dhong, designed a faux bois bathroom. I love the serenity of this design.