A Valentine’s Day treat ...

I hope you enjoy this sneak peek
at the cover of the premiere issue of
New England Finery Magazine!

full online issue to come ...

xoxo yvonne

{Now go enjoy your Valentine’s Day!}

Coming soon ...

Putting together the first issue of New England Finery Magazine has been an energizing experience. Between coordinating photo shoots, securing product placements, interviewing our featured artisans and creating content worthy for a design-savvy audience, Linda and I have been very busy (not to mention, she has been running the retail anchor of the publication in tandem). It is the best kind of fun, though, and I am really enjoying getting back to my art director roots in order to pull this off : ) Check back early next week for the official launch of what we hope will capture a glimpse of our view of design in New England.

In the meantime, if you haven’t seen High Gloss Magazine yet, carve out some online time and be prepared to be dazzled. Put together by a group of super stylish design bloggers, it combines compelling fashion, glamour, travel and interiors in one shiny story-telling look-book.

What online publications have caught your eye lately?

Finished Project: New Hallway

By painting all the trim, doors and walls the
same color (Benjamin Moore Manchester Tan)
the seven doors in this 17 foot long hallway fade
into the background creating a seamless look.

It is easy to forget how far we have come when renovating a home for, oh, seven years or so.

This hallway on our second floor looks AMAZING to me, but if I were to give a “house tour” it would be hard to explain just what had to take place to make this calm and peaceful transition area look as plain and lovely as it does.



This is what the hallway used to look like. I took this picture on a second walk-through after we had decided we wanted to put in an offer.

I am pretty sure this view would have scared most people away, but we could hardly contain our excitement “We love it! We’ll take it!!”

Here is the mathematical equation
for how we achieved our end result:

Subtract:
One chimney
One fire alarm bell
One wall niche with little purpose
One wall and door way to second floor landing
All doors, trim, walls, ceiling
Linoleum floor covering first,
then existing maple hardwoods second

Add:
One larger linen closet where existing closet was
New central vac closet where chimney was
One set of brand new stairs to third floor
New doors, hardware, trim, walls and ceiling
New lighting and updated electrical
One french door (not shown in pic above)
New red oak stained medium brown hardwood floors
Fresh coat of low VOC paint

All that is left to do is to figure
out what to hang on the walls

A huge thank you goes to just a few of the many contractors (it probably took about half a dozen contractors – including my husband – over the course of this more-complicated-than-it-looks project) who recently helped us cross “finish 2nd floor hallway” off our list:

Weaver Brothers Construction, Lynnfield
C&R Flooring, Needham
LoConte Painting, Lynnfield



Come back later this week for a sneak peek of New England Finery Magazine which I will be able to cross off my design-to-do list early next week : )

What I loved at the NYIGF

Two-talented: Stacy Kunstel (aka Duchess) and
Michael Partenio (otherwise known as Dunes)

at their nautically-inspired booth at this week’s
New York International Gift Fair

Last night I returned home from a weekend trip to New York to scope out the New York International Gift Fair. This was my first time attending and I am so glad I went! My traveling companion (and guide) was Rosanne Palazola who pens Focus On Design, shares retail space with me and others at New England Fine Living, tends design clients of her own, and has been to the gift fair a number of times while working with Tuttle and Co.

Roomates Rosanne and Tina

Snacks-to-go: Blueberry muffins
wrapped in swan-shaped tinfoil

We arrived in New York just before noon on Saturday and quickly hailed a cab to the NY apartment of Rosanne’s friend, Tina. The apartment was a delightful pied-a-terre with plenty of room to entertain overnight guests, and blessed with its own courtyard garden that looked charming even while blanketed beneath a white-winter snow.

The three of us headed over to the Pier section of the gift fair on our first day and then visited the Javitz center on day two. Aisle after aisle of gorgeous home decor products and gift merchandise greeted us upon entering each section of the NYIGF. While I did not take photos of everything I saw (honestly, it would have considerably decreased the amount of goodness we could squeeze in if we stopped to photograph every booth) I did collect the cards of my favorite exhibitors for future reference (and journalistic posts!)

Find the Dunes and Duchess at this well-styled space at the NYIGF

While there, we made sure to visit our Boston design friend, Stacy Kunstel at the Dunes & Duchess booth located at Pier 94, Booth #41059.

On display were new products like cool mirrors and elegant sconces that were added to this stylish line of accessories that includes lamps, candelabras, and giant hurricanes.

I finally got a chance to meet the talented and gracious Michael/Dunes in person, and he showed me a new free-standing pedestal that I know would look fabulous in the next design show that I’m working on : )

I would love to see the eco-friendly design-conscious lighting
by Artecnica offered at New England Fine Living

The energized crowds in the exhibit halls were just as stylish as the products being displayed. It was quite the fashion show! When I called home to check in with my family, one of my sons inquired whether I had seen anyone famous. No, I did not see Nate Berkus this time, but I did meet Lisa from the design blog Hamptontoes who had a House Proud segment on his show early in the fall. I have somewhat of a photographic memory and rarely forget a face, so I noticed her right away when she was visiting the Dunes & Duchess (plus I had seen her on Stacy’s blog after Stacy saw the Nate Show last August, so it was easy to put two-and-two together.)


More designer sightings ...

While we were admiring a gorgeous room decked out in lavender and linen designed by Oly Studio, I noticed a woman strategically shooting best-angle photos of the space. I figured she must be with the press since many exhibitors prefer that photos are not taken. When she turned around I immediately recognized her as Heather Clawson of Habitually Chic. I introduced myself as a fan of her design blog, but I could tell she was just like us, trying to see and record as much of the show as possible, so we didn’t chat long.

Designer eye-candy: Little Nest by Karen Alweil Studio

Going to the gift fair can be much like visiting an amusement park for design lovers, but it is also a work-related field trip that involves research and analysis. Designers are thinking “What does my client need?” Store owners are wondering “What would my customer like?” Writers are looking for products to engage their audience, and many of us are wishing we could take home all of our show favorites and not just order slips, catalogs and memories!

When the weekend was over we were like little kids wishing we had time for one more ride on the merry-go-round. But we knew our time was up, and to be honest, all the pretty-shiny-colorful objects had left our senses overindulged (in the best way, of course!)

As I notice posts about the show this week (it goes through February 3rd) I will add them to this list. If you post about the show, please leave your blog address with the post link in the comments. I would love to see what you loved about the NYIGF.


• Habitually Chic: Gift Show Guide

• Habitually Chic: Jonathan Adler

• Habitually Chic: Favorite Things

• Habitually Chic: Oxbow Decor

• Habitually Chic: For the Birds

• Habitually Chic: Trends Report

• Ishka Designs: NYIGF part 1

• Hamptontoes: Tour of the NYIGF

• Hamptontoes: NYIGF part II

• Frugal Farmhouse Design: Gift Show Observations

• Pretty Little Green Things: NYIGF Pier 94

• Pretty Little Green Things: NYIGF Javitz Center

• ShelterPop: Roost at NYIGF

• Shelter Pop: NYIGF – Favorite Booths

• The Itsy Factor: NYIGF Baby & Child Review

• My Mom Shops: NYIGF – Best new baby & child

• My Mom Shops: NYIGF – Melissa & Doug

• IVillage Home & Garden: NYIGF – Favorite Finds

• IVillage Home & Garden: Best Kid Friendly Designs

• IVillage Home & Garden: Amazing Finds for Pets

• Pretty Pink Tulips: My First NYIGF

• The Zhush: NYIGF A Newbie’s Perspective

• Fifth Joy: The Best of NYIGF

• Maison de Ballard: Dolan Geiman Art at NYIGF

• Design Sponge: Morihata International

• The Lonny Blog: Nina’s Finds from the Gift Fair

• Design Milk: New York International Gift Fair


And from my traveling companion ...

• Focus on Design: Road Trip

• Focus on Design: Road Trip, day 2

How I spent my snow day

Cover of Rue Magazine, Jan./Feb. 2011

After waking up yesterday to 9 more inches of snow having been added over night to the four foot high snow banks that are already narrowing the streets of our little town, I had to smile knowing that there was nothing I could do but grab a cup of coffee (or two) and enjoy the latest issue of Rue Magazine which was hot off the virtual presses.

I love the life-with-intention entrepreneurial spirit of
Jess Constable from jewelry design company Jess LC

Anishka Clarke of Ishka Designs and I sat in the same row in the
studio audience at the Nate Berkus Show back in September.



As usual, this issue of Rue is filled with stellar photography including this sunny vignette in the home of Susanna Salk who among other creative projects is a contributing editor to one of my favorite design series, Style Compass on 1st Dibs.

Being able to soak up the 200+ pretty pages of stylish interiors, fashion and pure fun that is Rue more than made up for missing a couple of looked-forward-to design field trips that I had to reschedule as a result of having a house full of children spending their snow day at home with me.

Although technically they spent most of their time outside with Mother Nature, while I watched from the warmth of my at-home-office window.

When you have some free time, be sure to take a look at Rue for yourself. And if you like Rue, you will love hearing the voices of co-founders Crystal Gentilello and Anne Sage as they share the process behind the creation of Rue with the ladies of The Skirted Roundtable (click here for podcast).

Seeing that I am also partnering on the design of a new digital magazine with my friend Linda (inspired as I have mentioned before by Rue, Lonny and the others who have paved the way for social media publications) I was quite interested in hearing how Anne and Crystal took a leap of faith together in order to follow their passions and create the job of their dreams.

Listening to them discuss candidly what it took to traject their careers to the next level, reminded me of the time when I left my steady but predictable full-time graphic design position to pursue a more varied design career as a freelancer. I was barely 25 at the time, but I figured I knew enough to make it on my own. And you know what? I did just fine.


Here is to taking that leap of faith, Act II : )

x

Check out my Act III here

I am engaged ...

Engagement “ring” available at
New England Fine Living

Working on the soon-to-be launched New England Finery Magazine has completely consumed my creative thoughts.

Table setting by Linda Smith
of New England Fine Living

Linda and I have been meeting regularly at this very table to discuss page layouts and desired content for the first issue.

Vintage fur muff: Seams Couture
Photo credit: Elizabeth Wertz

I am completely in love with the photos that our photographer, Elizabeth Wertz, has taken for our feature story.

XOXO blank notecards
yvonne b. designs

If you are in the area, please stop by New England Fine Living for your chance to take home some of the items that will be highlighted in our February issue (say “hi” to Linda while you are there!)

Refinished floors by C&R Flooring

The fact that my own house is finally getting some finishing touches during this exciting time is icing on the cake. But truth be told, it’s difficult to create blog posts when my house is filled with guys (the working kind that is).

Rest assured, I will be back soon with some “before” photos and worth-the-wait-happily-ever “afters” ; )

Everything in its place

Getting organized: check out my tips on Patch.com

Just when I start to get organized at home, we have to move everything around again! This week we are having hardwood floors installed on the second and third floors. Only in the hallways and stair landings, but enough construction traffic to create a sense of being displaced. A bedroom floor is also being refinished which adds to the commotion.

I can be quite the homebody (when I am not out and about) so I will be happy when this phase of construction is over and I can work peacefully at my desk in my new office and not downstairs in the living room amidst the boy chaos!

Until the dust settles, please visit my recent post for Lynnfield Patch.com and see how organized I was not too long ago ...