Today marks the debut of new kid on the block, Billie - an online mag founded by Lili Diallo (below), a former Dominostylist and author of Details: A Stylist's Secrets to Creating Inspired Interiors and Monika Biegler-Eyers, a former editor at Domino.The premiere issue is a small, but thoughtful and very lovely collection of holiday entertaining images & party tricks.
Hey, Billie - welcome! We're happy you're here and look forward to seeing what you have in store for us in future issues.
It was only very recently that I discovered UPPERCASE, a magazine for the creative and curious. Do you know it? It's the most inquisitive, inspiring, adventurous, eclectic and playful (those are their words, but I couldn't describe it better) magazine. I picked up my first copy this weekend in Anthropologie and quickly became engrossed. I instantly noticed the weighty and luxuriously matte paper that the entire magazine is printed on. This is something that too many magazines forgo because of cost. Most titles, you see, are beholden to their margins and because subscription costs for mainstream magazines have gotten lower and lower in order to incentivize people to subscribe, their profit gets smaller and smaller. Paper stock is often one of the first things that get cut, and cut again, and cut even farther until the pages are so thin, flimsy and yucky feeling that you wonder why you are even reading that magazine. It's a catch 22 and there's no right answer. But, by wonderful contrast, UPPERCASE feels like the most incredible thing in print. They've invested in their product wisely and the result is tangible from the very first page you touch. Sorry for my little rant there -- occupational hazard (I used to work in magazine publishing).
So, imagine my surprise when there was not one, not two, but three features on textile designers in the current issue (Issue 13). I devoured every creative word and image in the magazine, lingering especially long on the pieces about Lourdes Sanchez (p. 22), Eloise Renouf (p. 42) and Eva Franco (p. 68). What's even more amazing is that Janine Vangool's (she's the talented publisher, editor & designer of UPPERCASE) opening message was all about serendipity and happy coincidences, which is exactly how I felt when this issue found its way into my hands. UPPERCASE, you have a new subscriber (and you're worth every penny for your unique creative voice and ohhhh that paper stock!)
Image Credits: Covers via UPPERCASE. Lourdes Sanchez images taken by Krista Nye Schwartz via Instagram from UPPERCASE Issue 13.
Welcome to the first post in a brand new CLOTH & KIND column called Lovely List. Every so often, I'll share my personal choices of the 9 most lovely things from one of that particular month's design magazines. And I'm kicking things off with pretty, pretty images from one of my favorites, House Beautiful(June 2012). pages 76 // 94 // 24 // 46 // 36 // 38 // 100 // 15 // 77
Which images or articles were your favorites from this issue? If you're like me, you probably go back and re-read/peruse each issue multiple times before the next one arrives, right? Every time I look back through this one, I keep folding over more pages and focusing in on more little details of the various spaces. I love House Beautiful in that way - it's layered enough that I can enjoy it, and re-enjoy it over and over again all month long.
Image Credits: Instagram photos taken of House Beautiful (June 2012) by Krista Nye Schwartz.
This quote from Emerson is posted on the bulletin board in my creative work space. It reminds me that it takes time to get where I'm going and to try to slow down and enjoy the ride. I'm pretty type A so often times I get impatient and just want to get there already, do you too? But then I take a deep breath and remember this. The words alone are calming to me, but even more so now that I've paired them with this serene painting from sherischart on Etsy layered with Walter G's hand block printed Squiggle fabric. What do you do when you need a reminder to chill out?
I was overjoyed (that's putting it politely, I think I actually squealed with delight) when the much-anticipated Amazon box arrived with my copy of Marrakesh by Design by Maryam Montague. I am a long time reader and general admirer of Maryam and her blog, My Marrakesh, so I simply couldn’t wait to sit down and dive head first into her debut publishing endeavor. And let me tell you, it's so, so good, people. This lovely book vacillates between Moroccan culture, history and design and back again, ultimately interweaving the three so closely that you can't distinguish one from the other. And for me, it's that very sense of distant, old world exoticism that makes Moroccan design so incredibly rich and satisfyingly appealing.
"MOROCCAN STYLE IS ATTAINABLE YET EXOTIC, PRACTICAL YET MYSTERIOUS, AND A LITTLE SPLASH OF IT GOES A LONG, LONG WAY." - Maryam Montague
Maryam covers everything I have ever wanted to know and more in this book, from architecture styles to outdoor spaces to her experiences shopping the souks. My favorite section, Sourcing Moroccan Style, includes a complete list of resources across the globe and online so you can find the exact piece of Moroccan decor you've been dreaming of.
Oh, and don't even get me started on the amazing textiles that fill up every page of this book! Insanely gorgeous! Here's a few Instagram shots I snapped to whet your palate...
If you haven't already seen the features in Elle Decor and Lonny on Maryam, you're missing out. She's an extraordinary woman, and her first book is no exception. Do you have your copy yet? If so, what are your favorite parts?
Explicit permission for use of the cover, quotes & photos in this post was granted by Artisan Books. Instagram photos taken by Krista Nye Schwartz of CLOTH & KIND. Excerpted from Marrakesh by Design by Maryam Montague (Artisan Books). Copyright 2012.
