what’s so great about domino magazine?

only EVeRy single THiNg! and conde nast has no clue.

hey guys, happy saturday!

i’m not sure why the domino mag closing really got to me. i spent an hour looking for the shot of the pink daybed, and ended up hypnotized by the sheer magnitude of such a beautiful body of work. (can you believe it was the absolute last photo i found)?

i went to their website, glad it’s still up, knowing it will all disappear at any moment. i’d actually never been before and was incredible to dive into so many layers from the galleries, before and after projects, their blog and columnists, approachable decorators and real people at home.

not to mention inspiration for as long as you can click. it’s hard to believe they only put out 28 issues and made such an impression but going through these images i really see why. having editor deborah needleman’s impeccable point of view obviously helped. these shots are of her apartment as featured in the ny times. but that was then. this is now. her own designs are classic monochromatic but luckily her alter ego went to work and let domino be bold and whimsical, playful and luscious.

what is it that made domino so inspiring (i think) is that each place is shot so beautifully, with the right angle and light, and a perfectionist stylist plumping the pillows perfectly. but they always have a sense of humor and aren’t stuffy like every single other magazine.

collecting these pics got me really studying the angles of the shot, the perspective and seeing that you don’t have to include everything at once. something about domino’s style is completely recognizable, and accessible. it’s definitely inspiring me to work on my photography eye.

so here are a bunch of my faves. i hope that the if mags are going we’re gonna see a lot more of each other’s homes. i know you have great stuff and can whip up curtains and pillows in an hour, not to mention thrift and flea…

so simple and sweet

the above is do die for gorgeous but you can break it down , most are simple looks to achieve is what i’m saying

and lots of this is easy to do with fleamarket finds

or stuff you may already have

well some are a little more involved

(our table)!

things can be even more simple if you get rid of some ahem, accessories you don’t need. and make your own headboard

or use vintage linens

or paint a door turquoise

kelly wearstler’s before and after kitchen is easy to do

and of course use color, color, color!

love the curtain

this was the reader’s choice winner (above)

thanks domino crew.

this had to be from the marie antoinette shoot they did at alder manor:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1XRpr5RQ_g

it’s really all about the domino people isn’t is? hopefully they’ll be out passing on their talents on blogs and other forums. one of the best parts about the collective was their philosophy:

Domino’s Manifesto

• Home Should Make You Happy!
• We swear by the 3 R’s: repaint, repaper, reupholster
• Steal ideas from other people’s houses
• Even the insides of the closets & cabinets can be beautiful
• It’s ok to NOT BE finished
• TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS—ALWAYS!
• A chandelier is as timeless as a black dress
• Renters need not be second class citizens
• Sometimes your mistakes become your greatest inspirations
• DON’T BE AFRAID TO MIX STYLES (Louis XIV and Eero Saarinen should hang out more often)

and this was their website’s mantra, when they believed in paper and ether:

‘Through multimedia and interactivity, the site does what the magazine can’t. It brings to life decorating ideas and personalities with top-notch video house tours. It provides a constant design feed for avid fans, via the Daily Dose, our product-oriented style blog. It reacts to user feedback immediately, and it takes a long view of trends and patterns, bringing a sense of humor and irreverence to our shared obsessions.’

come on conde nast, snap out of it!

January 31, 2009. Uncategorized. 56 comments.

i never amounted to much

(photo from liberypost.com)

in terms of things like acquisitions or holdings, real estate or art, assets, jewlery…kids even.

but i still having everything.

happy birthday dad! you and mom mean everything to me!

allposters.com

hey guys! day 3 of my regime…(i was really inspired by diet tribe)!

i guess by now you’ve heard about the closing of so many magazines? i wish they’d keep the domino website up. sort of like a wickipedia reference where people could contribute content or something. online. i’m not sure why companies are closing instead of downsizing or just moving online.

dominomag.com

maybe everyone will showcase their own home.

like this post by rachel ashwell. just detail shots of imperfections at home

shabbychic.blogspot.com

maybe i’ll give it a harder try!

January 30, 2009. Uncategorized. 19 comments.

designers on top

it’s monday so i’m cleaning up my act. first is clearing my desktop! a bunch of random designers ended up being the bulk of it so in no particular order, here are just a few things they’re up to in paris:

the maison et objet is having a karl lagerfeld photography exhibit next week. i usually take a small group but bowed out this january. it’s so cold in paris now, i wish they’d change the show to the spring…. this is a video monsieur karl did a few years ago in a gorgeous paris mansion. i’m sure his photos will be stunning.

domperignon.com/karllagerfeld

it’s time to start planning the spring trip to paris so the hunt for apartments is back on. i get google alerts and this just came in. it’s interesting to see how the designers design. this is marc jacobs‘ apartment in paris.

and christian lacroix is selling his above. this was his inspiration: christian-lacroix.fr/english/maison

and last but not least is yves st laurent and his legendary art collection. i thought it was a little weird that his partner would sell everything but sort of understand how these pieces are just ‘things’ to him now

independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/saint-laurents-meaningless-art

also had no idea that they turned his place into a museum with one of my favorite designers, jacques grange who did the hotel costes

visualvamp.blogspot.com

and back at the ranch, my chairs are finally recovered and the layers are starting at liz’s

i have to take better shots, it’s a hard place to get the right angles

guess who uses appreciates the chairs the most?

ok i know that was really random but i feel lighter already! xoc

January 26, 2009. Uncategorized. 19 comments.

keys to our castles

hi guys! i just wanted to send a little weekend love and un grand merci to bonnie for helping me discover alder manor. it started out as a place i’d heard about from a friend. he didn’t know the name, just that an anthropologie catalog was shot there.

do you have someone like bonnie in your world, someone you can ask to find anything and they actually do it with nothing to go on? well, that’s her. all i knew is that there was some sort of semi abandoned estate in upstate ny. she got out her old catalogs and started looking. she not only had the catalog but sent it to me! i took some pics, they’re pretty bad but you get the gist…

she honed in on the place, and we both learned a lot along the way. at least i sure did! seems we have our very own ruins and castles here in the states.

hudsonvalleyruins.org

i’d love to go and see the place myself along with a bunch of the other beauties in the region. i guess it’s well known in the industry as a great place to shoot.

but the best was this morning when she sent this video from a domino mag story that was shot there. i couldn’t help but finally share this masterpiece and knew you’d appreciate it! they also rent it out for special events. lynn and i talked about a blogger’s conference where we can all come and help each other promote and network. could be a great place to do it!

just goes to show that with the right bones almost anything can work!

well, almost

but most are so pretty

and sweet

i found these just now by photographer kate ryan

this could be us!

hope you enjoy it as much as i did!

ps i just found this link dupontcastle.com/castles/index.htm thanks to petunia. it lists all the castles of the us, i had no idea the treasures each and every state has!

these were in massachusetts

some are still there

this was in new jersey! anyway it’s a whole new world i never knew existed. have fun if you’re in the mood to get lost =]

January 25, 2009. Uncategorized. 31 comments.

i’m so into it

time.com

i didn’t realize it would hit me this hard but i’m just so fascinated by the new admin and the general sentiment of happiness everywhere you go. i’m still in san fran and have forgotten my camera on practically every outing so even though i walked from one end to the other have nothing to show for it except memories. but people are talking and there’s a unity that’s been thrilling to experience even today after all the pomp and circumstance. it’s amazing to have someone in charge who you want to listen to! (ok, and watch :)

for more great photos check out charlie’s design diary.

below is the couple as newlyweds i just had to pull from her collection…

January 21, 2009. Uncategorized. 19 comments.