A dozen+ digital design magazines

Cover photo: Elizabeth Wertz Photography

Looking for summer reading of the eye candy variety? Below is what you’ll find in my digital library. Most of these were released over the summer and a few are from late spring. I am already working on the fall issue of New England Finery and I love to look at what other editors of digital magazines like to present in their feature stories and of course, on their covers! Maybe some of these are already your favorites? The local issues like Perspective and Surroundings are always a treat for me because I get to see what some of my design friends (and photographers) have been up to lately. Let me know what you like about digital magazines – their covers, their stories – and please share what you’d like to see improved upon by visiting New England Finery on facebook and leaving a comment or two. I’d love to hear your thoughts! Click on each of the covers below and enjoy ...

Cover photo: Grey Crawford

POST UPDATE: On August 11th, Paloma Contreras, the editor of High Gloss Magazine, posted online that they will no longer be publishing this digital magazine. The team no doubt has new creative ventures on the horizon and I wish them much success in whatever they tackle next!

Cover photo: Greg Premru

Cover photo: Michael J. Lee

Cover photo: Durston Saylor

Cover photo: Jose Villa

Cover photo of Mayme Baker Interiors

Cover photo: Carol Dronsfield

Cover illustration: Julia Denos

Cover photo: Patrick Cline

Cover photo: Patrick Cline

Cover photo: Frances Janisch

Cover photo: Simon Burn

Working with professional photographers

Photographers Michael J. Lee and Eric Roth

working side by side at the North Shore Design Show
held May 14th – 22nd at the Wenham Museum.

Well the North Shore Design Show at the Wenham Museum has come and gone. *SIGH.* I went in on Monday to pack up my space, and say my thank-yous and goodbyes. A lot of the designers were there, and we were all feeling a bit sad to dismantle our very personal works of art.

On the upside, last Friday I was fortunate enough to have my space shot by professional photographer, Michael J. Lee. So even though many of the pieces have been returned, put away or put back in use (my foyer was looking decidedly barren without its skirted round table and one set of drapes) at least the design moment that was created for the show has been captured with some really great photos. I was actually quite spoiled this year because at the gala preview party, Eric Roth also took photos of my vignette (along with some great people shots) which he shared with me on Friday.

I am saving the professional images for the next issue of New England Finery Magazine, but I have plenty of snapshots of my own to share with you here on the blog.

I require all of my photographer friends to put down
their cameras and have their own picture taken : )

Michael shot a few spaces that day, and it was really fun to watch him rearrange the vignettes to get their best angle. Eric was doing the same, and there was a lot of back and forth between the designers and the photographers in order to represent the spaces in a way that would use color, light and scale to visually engage a viewer. When we design our vignettes for the show, it is for a slightly different interaction with an audience who is able to walk around the spaces and then look at the pieces up close. On “film,” depth and contrast is trickier to achieve, but these guys really know how to make the rooms come alive.

Michael has recently had his work featured in New England Home Magazine (May/June 2011 p. 58-60), Boston Common Magazine (May/June 2011 p. 80-83) and Boston Globe Magazine (5/22/11) and has shot most of the covers of Surroundings Magazine for South Shore designer, Linda Merrill. Check out Michael’s blog to see what else he has been up to (he is very busy!)

I actually heard a lot about Michael’s design process by listening to him on one of the Skirted Roundtable podcasts which feature fabulous interviews with members of the design field (Linda Merrill is one of the three moderators). During his interview, Michael offered a lot of great tips for those of us who are trying to take better photos of our own, along with sharing a bit about how he went from working in the interior design field to photographing it for others. Click here to learn more about Michael J. Lee and photographing architectural spaces.





I was happy to lend some of our more colorful props to Eric who was shooting for Marshall Whitman Design. I came with all kinds of additional items for my space (per Michael’s professional recommendation) including oranges, strawberries, cherries, croissants, more plates and serving pieces. I figured whatever we didn’t use we would at least have it to eat after the shoot, but Eric sent his lovely assistant/daughter Maddie out to get us some lunch in the middle of the day, so we were well taken care of. I had the best carrot ginger soup from Grassy Roots Gourmet which is right around the corner from the Wenham Museum. I highly recommend it! Yum!!




John Kelsey of Wilson Kelsey Design also brought a “prop” for his scheduled photo shoot with Eric. This cute little guy was one of the guests at the table that John and wife Sally set for the show.

His very elegant home away from home.

Packed up and ready to head home!

Our day of taking pictures was one of the highlights of my week at the show. While the process of figuring out and executing a design is satisfying in itself, being able to collaborate with other design professionals to record our combined visual thoughts requires action and engagement in order to produce the very best still life. Thank you, Michael and Eric, for sharing your creative talents with me! Be sure to subscribe to New England Finery Magazine (it’s free) and you will know right away when the professional images from the show are online.

Through the looking glass ...

A sweet vignette by Duralee as seen
at the Boston Design Center

Ever long for an insider’s view on the world of design blogging? Yesterday I had the opportunity to see the person whose voice I have been listening to faithfully on The Skirted Roundtable, an interior design related blog that interviews some of the top names in the design industry. Being able to sit in on a conversation with one of the three moderators of this podcast-format blog was a special treat.


Linda Merrill of Decorative Surroundings with yours truly

South Shore based designer Linda Merrill, whose main design blog (she has a few!) is titled Surroundings, led the group in a very informative and often humorous discussion on the benefits of using social media to promote your business while connecting to the world of design. Besides taking home some great tips on how to add more bells and whistles to the pages of my blog, I really enjoyed listening to Linda share her insight on the best ways to blog with style and grace. She also presented a very honest view on the social aspects of putting yourself out there online. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the funny stories that she referred to that were related to specific blog posts/podcasts that I have followed online.

Inside the Kravet Showroom at the BDC

One topic that was of particular interest to many of the audience members was the issue of naming your blog. How does one go about choosing a name? I have posted about how I chose Design Vignettes. Recently, I noticed there is another person out there blogging as “Vignette Design.” I forgot to ask Linda if I should be concerned by this!

If you are blogging out there, how did you choose your name? Do you ever wish you had chosen a different name for your blog? Or if you are enjoying the blogs of others, what are some of your favorite blog names that you have come across? Please leave some comments (we bloggers love to know that someone is out there listening!)

A pretty combination from Kravet:

pink, gray, cream and white

Another topic that raised many questions was how do you keep all online identities (twitter, facebook, blog and website) related, yet specific to their particular function and audience? With her extensive background in social media and communications, Linda was able to speak from experience on these very current issues in the ever-changing virtual landscape. What successes – or bumps in the road – have you encountered while navigating social networking?

These spring-colored carpets behind the

glass window of the Stark showroom
got a second look as I left the BDC.

Linda Merrill will be offering more great lectures on social networking this month. I highly recommend signing up for one if you are in the Boston area!

April 14th at Residential Design
and Construction 2010 at the
Seaport World Trade Center, Boston

And April 29th sponsored by
the IFDA held at the
Boston Design Center

Thanks Skirted Roundtable!

A couple of weeks ago I was surprised to discover that I was one of three lucky winners (chosen at random) who would receive a holiday giveaway item courtesy of the women at The Skirted Roundtable, a must-read-and-listen-to blog that features podcast discussions between the three design bloggers (Linda Merrill of Surroundings, Megan Arquette of Beach Bungalow 8, and Joni Webb of Cote de Texas) with invited guests from the design industry.

Previous podcasts have included Margaret Russell of Elle Decor, Eddie Ross from Martha Stewart and Top Design fame, and most recently Stephen Drucker, editor-in-chief of House Beautiful magazine. Just to have my name and blog posted on a site that features so many industry greats was honor enough!

But on to my present ...



Here is the gift box with pretty tissue
and this sweet card from Linda ...




And here is my giveaway gift ...


I love it! Bowls and shiny objects
are two of my favorite things : )

I celebrated with a little photo shoot.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Now for you, my dear readers,
I have a fun assignment!


From the beautifully decorated set of It’s Complicated
– written and directed by Nancy Meyers –

Go out and see the move “It’s Complicated” with Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin and scene-stealer John Krasinski from The Office. With so many recent posts on making good choices and keeping resolutions, I think we could all use a few laughs!



Images from It’s Complicated website

I have to say, this was the best movie I have seen in a long time. The sets are fantasy eye-candy and the script was hysterical, yet thought-provoking. If you would like to read up a little about what some of our friends at Skirted are saying about the film, go to Silver Screen Surroundings, or Cote de Texas, and then check in with them at the Roundtable next week as they chat it up with Beth Rubino, the actual set decorator for the film. I wish I could be there (in person or virtually) to pick Rubino’s brain! I have always imagined that set decorating would be a great career choice for an artist/decorator. What a huge canvas!


I am loving this cook’s garden ... its “a good thing!”

For those of us who can’t be at the Roundtable in person, you may download SRT podcasts via ITunes (it’s not complicated) and listen while you do other things (like paint a couple of walls like I did this week!)


Room designed by Ginger Barber and
photographed by Victoria Pearson.
This bedroom from House Beautiful
is the cozy/casual look I am going for
in my new master bedroom.
(more on that next week)

And be sure to schedule time to listen to SRT and Stephen Drucker from House Beautiful discuss the relationship between the magazine industry and the world of design bloggerism (yes, it is an actual word!). Drucker shares insight from his industry experience (he used to work for Martha Stewart Living – I thought I recognized him!) and explains what goes on behind the glossy pages of shelter magazines ...


– How to get your own copy –

Like how they discover talent, how design work is presented, the time line from scouting a location to when our much looked forward to magazines arrive in the mailbox (or at the news stands.) With the recent demise of so many great design magazines, I have seemed to transfer my addiction from mailbox to inbox, surfing online daily for that “I wish I lived there” fix. I think that is part of why I love writing/photo-styling for my blog. It motivates me to create and publish designs in the present moment. Blogging can be very zen, don’t you think?

Have a great weekend,
xo Yvonne