This month we're reading Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, a bold account of the author’s experience with our nation’s troubled history and current crisis, told through a letter written to his adolescent son. We couldn’t agree with Toni Morrison more - "this is required reading.”
Wayétu Moore & One More Book
This month we’re reading The Dragons, The Giant, The Women - a memoir of a family's search for a place to call home in the midst of the First Liberian Civil War. After successfully completing a harrowing journey to the United States, Wayétu Moore tells the story of her world as a black woman and an immigrant adjusting to her new life in Texas.
Audrey Lorde: Self-Care Is Political Warfare
This quote is one that we have always kept close to our hearts, but fear that it is often oversimplified. It’s beneficial to understand the history and context behind Audre Lorde’s words before diving into our own interpretations. The first step in building a foundation of understanding for this quote is conceptualizing ‘radical self-care,’ an act that calls for the attentiveness to one’s individual mind and body. Speaking within social norms, women are socialized to care for others. By caring for oneself, a woman can confront the stereotype that she solely exists to give her time and energy to her surrounding environment. Self-care builds sustainable revolutions and social movements—ones that are upheld by individuals built to last. Self-care is ‘revolutionary,’ because it works against oppression and forms of discrimination that attempt to undermine particular identities.
Good Reads: Black Publishing Power
Racial disparity and discrimination in publishing was exposed with the #PublishingPaidMe hashtag as Black authors urged white authors to list the advances they received for their debut books. The results showed that white authors, some with no prior writing experience, frequently receive bigger advances than Black authors. As a response, Amistad Books created the Black Publishing Power initiative to encourage readers to buy two books this week by Black authors with the goal to Blackout the NYT bestsellers lists with Black voices.
We are highlighting some engaging, gorgeous and educational books written by Black authors that are guaranteed to inspire. Join us in supporting this campaign and consider adding two (or more!) from our reading list to yours.
Good Reads: Colorstrology
By Darcie St. Onge + Rachael Bell
Our interior design studio has been around for many moons, but today we’re celebrating the birthday of our new(ish) shop and to-the-trade showroom which are turning TWO! While the last couple of years have been a crazy, joyous, challenging, and ultimately gratifying rollercoaster ride, we are delighted to feel as if we’re finally hitting our stride and couldn’t be more thankful to spend another year doing more of all the things we love.
On this milestone, we’re getting into the woo and looking to the stars for some guidance by way of Colorstrology: What your Birthday Color Says about You, by Michele Bernhardt. Our colorstrology for both the month of May and for our birthday, May 5th, are totally aligned - hues of vibrant, hopeful, spring green!
THE MONTH OF MAY // Pantone Bud Green
THE FIFTH OF MAY // Pantone kelly green
Pantone’s Kelly Green, integrates “joy with stability”. It is defined as versatile, profound, and talented. - Colorstrology
It’s no wonder we find ourselves coming back to all the spirited shades of green in our interior design work and in our own surroundings alike.
If you snag a copy of the book, let us know what your colorstrology is!
Proust on Design: Bunny Williams
What is your idea of perfect design happiness?
THE MOST WONDERFUL MOMENT TO ME IS SEEING THE THRILL OF A CLIENT SEEING A COMPLETED PROJECT AND HAVING THE FEELING THAT I HAVE FULFILLED THEIR DREAMS.
What is your greatest fear in design?
I THINK PEOPLE ARE LOSING THEIR INDIVIDUALITY. BECAUSE OF SOCIAL MEDIA THERE’S A SAMENESS. PEOPLE SHOULD AWAYS HAVE THE FUN OF BEING ORIGINAL AND CREATIVE AND NOT LOOKING LIKE EVERYONE ELSE.
Which historical design figure(s) do you most identify with?
PAULINE DE ROTHSCHILD
FRANCES ELKINS
NANCY LANCASTER
MADELEINE CASTAING
Which living designer(s) do you most admire?
AXEL VERVOORDT
FURLOW GATEWOOD
ROBERT KIME
JACQUES GRANGE
What profession other than design would you like to attempt?
I WOULD LIKE TO HAVE A NURSERY AND TAKE IN ABANDONED DOGS AND TRY TO FIND HOMES FOR THEM.
What is your greatest design extravagance?
HAVING A GARDEN AND GREENHOUSE WHERE I CAN GROW FLOWERS SPECIFICALLY FOR MY HOME.
When and where were you happiest with your design?
MY NEW STUDIO IN CONNECTICUT.
I’VE NEVER HAD AN INSPIRING WORK SPACE OF MY OWN.
What do you consider your greatest achievement in design?
I DON’T THINK I HAVE A GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT. I’VE WORKED VERY HARD OVER A VERY LONG PERIOD OF TIME TO GET BETTER AND BETTER AND BETTER. I FEEL LIKE THE PROFESSIONAL ICE SKATER OR MARATHON RUNNER. YOU PRACTICE, YOU WORK AT IT, YOU DISCIPLINE YOURSELF AND YOU GET GOOD AT IT. YOU GAIN CONFIDENCE, YOU GAIN EXPERIENCE AND YOU GAIN KNOWLEDGE.
If you died and came back as another designer or design object,
who or what do you think it would be?
A WONDERFUL NEEDLEPOINT PILLOW I HAVE IN THE BARN IN THE COUNTRY THAT SAYS “THE MORE I KNOW ABOUT MEN, THE MORE I LOVE MY DOG.”
What specific design related talent are you lacking that you would you most like to have?
I CAN DRAW, BUT I WISH I HAD THE TALENT OF ALBERT WHOSE INCREDIBLE WORKING DRAWINGS WERE PRETTY CLOSE TO HOW THE PROJECTS WERE CARRIED OUT.
What is your most treasured design related possession?
A PAIR OF PAINTINGS THAT SHOW AN INTERIOR OF OUR LIVING ROOM WITH OUR FURNITURE AND OUR DOGS.
What do you regard as the lowest depths of misery in design?
CHILLY AND ALOOF WHITE ROOMS.
What curse word do you most frequently use?
JACK DANIELS.
What is your favorite design related word?
HARMONY OR TIMELESSNESS.
What is your least favorite design related word?
ECCLECTIC.
What turns you on in design?
MY FAVORITE PERIOD OF FURNITURE IS STILL GREAT 18TH CENTURY ENGLISH FURNITURE. THIS MAY NOT BE IN VOGUE AT THE MOMENT, BUT WHEN IT’S COMBINED WITH A VERY MODERN PIECE, ALL OF A SUDDEN THE OLD LOOKS NEW.
What turns you off in design?
WHEN FURNITURE IS PLACED ONLY AGAINST THE WALL IN A ROOM.
What is your motto in design?
DON’T BE INTIMIDATED BY YOUR POSSESSIONS.
AND, ALSO, DON’T FEEL THAT ANY ROOM IN YOUR HOME IS SO PRECIOUS THAT IT MUST BE SAVED FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS. EVERY DAY OF YOUR LIFE IS SPECIAL.
IMAGE CREDITS // Images provided by Bunny Williams
ABOUT PROUST ON DESIGN // Answered by our design icons, these must-ask questions come from a 19th century parlor game made popular by Marcel Proust, the French novelist, essayist & critic. Proust believed the direct questions and honest responses that they elicited revealed the true nature of the individual. For this column, we have put an interior design related spin on the traditional questions. While this method has been used by many journalists throughout the years, we were primarily inspired by The Proust Questionnaire, which appears monthly on the back page of one of our all time favorite magazines, Vanity Fair (also Krista’s alma mater). Read all of our previous Proust on Design questionnaires here.
Habitat: The Field Guide to Decorating
Lauren Liess has it going on. Just seven short years ago, she wrote on her popular blog Pure Style Home that she had just moved into her parents' basement with her husband and (unexpected) baby. Since that that time, Lauren has become widely recognized as a hot design talent with a rack of press credits to show for it. She also has designed and launched her own line of textiles. In addition, Lauren has renovated and and decorated two of her own houses and recently moved to a third, having long said goodbye to that basement. And, drumroll please, she has recently written a design tome entitled Habitat, The Field Guide to Decorating, our topic today. Oh yeah, Lauren also had 3 more kids. I am tired just thinking about it.
Lauren is one of those designers with her own “look” and we love it. She imbues all of her interiors with a sense of nature, liberally sprinkling them with greenery and quirky vintage finds.
Her lovely textiles inspired by wildflowers and other flora often are prominently featured in her designs.
Everything is deeply comfortable, and pet and family friendly. In Habitat, Lauren painstakingly takes us through her entire design process, so we learn step-by-step how she accomplishes her rooms.
The book is divided into three sections. In the first section, Lauren addresses the fundamentals of design such as architecture, color and floor plans. In the book’s second section, Lauren writes about design’s intangibles, like mood and style. The third part sets forth the unique considerations for designing the principal rooms in a home in a room-by-room guide. Hello, perfect kitchen.
Budding decorators will find her advice invaluable. While Habitat can be read straight through, and makes a gorgeous addition to your coffee table, it also can be used as a reference guide. For example, Lauren describes a variety of options for choosing each of the primary elements that make up a room, like flooring, furniture, rugs and fabric. How handy to have a guide all in one place for something like fabric, for instance, that describes the properties of textiles such as wool, linen and cotton and sets forth their most suitable use. Lauren even offers a work sheet to help one achieve the mood and style they desire.
Seasoned decorators also will love the book. Lauren provides a comprehensive and invaluable resource list. In addition, since Lauren often makes unconventional choices, the beautiful images of her work are hugely inspirational. Her way of choosing and hanging art are particularly imaginative. Indeed, her ideas of what constitutes art are unique. She has even hung a large branch on the wall with great effect.
Habitat offers something for anyone interested in design. We can’t wait to see what Lauren will do next.
IMAGE CREDITS // All photography by Helen Norman. Thanks to Lauren for providing Lynn with a review copy.
EDITOR CREDIT // This post was developed and written by guest editor Lynn Byrne.
Pierre Frey Inspiring Interiors
An occupational hazard for those of us in the design field is we want all of the pretty things that are paraded in front us. When I was decorating, I handled this dilemma by choosing my favorites and bestowing them like like gifts to my clients. If I couldn't have them, they should.
Now that I spend my time writing about design, I need another solution.
A book like Pierre Frey Inspiring Interiors provides the perfect answer. All of my darlings from the House of Pierre Frey are gathered together in one volume, allowing me to pull it off the shelf and drink in the beauty whenever I need a shot of loveliness in my life.
The book is roughly divided into four parts, each of which is equally fascinating. It opens with a personal account of the history of the House of Pierre Frey. How fabulous that a business founded in the 1930's is still run by the family. The key players are all featured and sprinkled throughout the book are tantalizing glimpses of their homes, which naturally feature Pierre Frey products. I can assure you that the current head of the company, Patrick Frey, is very charming, having met him at a recent book signing at Bergdorf Goodman.
Next the book explores the stunning, historical Pierre Frey Museum. Can I move in? Their archives are astounding and richly illustrated.
You will gasp at images of fragments of men's waistcoats and pockets embroidered on silk from the 18th century.
This gorgeousness is followed up with features on some interior designers who use Pierre Frey and more luscious photographs featuring the fabric, wallpaper and other products, with descriptions of the inspiration behind them. Creative mood compositions that will get your juices flowing also are shown.
Finally, the book closes by showcasing the artisans behind the designs such as the weavers, embroiderers, embossers and upholsterers who bring it all to life. Experiencing the individual hands at work is moving and compelling.
This book is a must for any design library.
IMAGE CREDITS // Images in the collages are courtesy of the House of Pierre Frey and are from the book. All other photographs by Lynn Byrne of Decor Arts Now. Thank you to the House of Pierre Frey for providing a review copy of the book to Lynn.
EDITOR CREDIT // This post was developed and written by guest editor Lynn Byrne.
Bright Bazaar (+ a Giveaway!)
'Will understands the life-enhancing abilities of color. He’s a true talent with a keen eye.' - Jonathan Adler
Will Taylor (aka Mr. Bright Bazaar), one of the world’s leading interior design bloggers who just happens to be a sweet and kind friend of ours has written the most fantastically cheerful book titled Bright Bazaar, Embracing Color For Make-You-Smile Style.We simply can not say enough about it! The pages so perfectly capture Will's effortless, inclusive and oh-so-colorful approach to design and life. Throughout the book, Will shares his secrets to choosing colors with confidence for every room in the house, and he offers up recipes for 'Color Cocktails' in a range of palettes from 'The Strawberry Split' & 'The Citrus Twist' to 'The Cerulean Splash,' which help guide you to discover your own personal color palette preferences.
We can practically hear the oohs and ahhs coming through our computer screens and yes, we know you want a copy of your own! So, we have a little giveaway. Will has so graciously signed a copy of the book which we'll be sending off to one lucky CLOTH & KIND reader. Check him out...how adorable is he?!
To enter, simply leave a comment here on the blog telling us what your favorite color to use in interiors is AND follow CLOTH & KIND on one additional social media channel (Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram - Krista & Tami). We'll select a random winner next Friday, 05.30.14.
Good luck! Oh, and if you just can't wait to see if you're the lucky winner, you should go ahead and order the book here. It'll be worth every single one of those 32 colorful greenbacks you part with, we promise.
IMAGE CREDITS | All photographs of Bright Bazaar, Embracing Color For Make-You-Smile Style taken by Krista Nye Schwartz of CLOTH & KIND with permission from Will Taylor/Bright Bazaar.
Fortuny Interior
Faithfully antique but markedly original were Marcel Proust's words to describe Mariano Fortuny's fabrics in the early 1900s and how very true that sentiment remains today.
Before we even received the copy of this book we were charmed by its elegant cover, and as longstanding lovers of the luxurious Fortuny brand, we expected nothing short of a truly Good Read. But when we opened the book to find the first line on the very first page was the above quote by Marcel Proust we were even more enchanted. Proust, after all, is at the epicenter of our most popular column on CLOTH & KIND titled Proust on Design. Yes, we already loved this book and we were only on page one.
In Fortuny Interiors, author Brian D. Coleman educates us not only about the beginnings of this fascinating company including how Mariano breathed life into his fabrics by creating new techniques like hand stamping of velvets, silks and cottons and how his true passion for art and painting fueled his textile designs, but photographer Erik Kvalsvik also gives us glimpse after glimpse into the homes in which some of these stunningly beautiful fabrics have been used.
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Oh, and we got all excited over the Fabric Appendix at the back of the book. What a cool and highly useful way to see all of the Fortuny patterns available in simple, black & white form. Our imaginations were going wild looking at these and envisioning all of the amazing custom colorways we could create.
If only Mariano were alive today... how we'd adore having him answer our Proust on Design questionnaire. His answers would undoubtedly be as fascinating and brilliant as his textiles are.
If, like us, you can't get enough then check out our recent post on Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo's Show & Tell featuring her personal favorite Fortuny fabric, then make haste and get yourself to the nearest local bookstore or Amazon to snag a copy of Fortuny Interiors. Your creative self and your coffee table will be all the happier for it.
IMAGE CREDITS | Original photography by Erik Kvalsvik. All images taken of Fortuny Interiors for this blog post by Krista Nye Schwartz of CLOTH & KIND.