House Beautiful articles from March 2008

House Beautiful archives from March 2008

Let's drink to color!(the best!)(Buyers guide)
March 1, 2008... Pink, turquoise, lilac, red... 12 glorious colors. Who says the glasses on a table have to match? We like the rainbow effect. These are made of pressed glass in a tree-of-life motif that will always hold its charm. Ampersand glasses, $13 each....

Color best sellers: white ... white ... white. So many different whites. And (surprise) black. Paint companies reveal their most popular colors ...(Buyers guide)
March 1, 2008... "The one color that people consistently pick for moldings and windows is White Dove. It has the softness of alabaster, with a little gray and a little yellow. For long-term livability, what helps is that yellow cast. Put it up against other...

Instant room: Philip Gorrivan: classic, tailored, luxurious ... but with such exhilarating color and so many sensual textures, it's a truly contemporary look.
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 1. Curtains "I would use ISABELLE for curtains. It's a really versatile pattern that works in a city apartment or a country house. The floral pattern isn't overly feminine, and the large scale can make a small...

Muji SoHo: the Japanese design superstore opens its first U.S. location, in Manhattan. And oh, what a thrill!(OUR FAVORITE STORE)(New York)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] I understand Muji translates roughly as No Brand. HIROYOSHI AZAMI, PRESIDENT OF MUJI USA: The store's full name is Mujirushi Ryohin, which means no brand, no frills, good quality products. Can you say more...

The Greek key motif: the original international style lends an ancient graphic touch to contemporary tables, chairs, tile, trim.(EVERYWHERE WE LOOK ...)
March 1, 2008... A Little Backstory The Greek key motif is as old as the hills. Really! It's older even than the Greeks it's named for, since variations are found on Egyptian tombs as well as archaic Peruvian weavings, on Chinese buildings and Aztec...

The inspiration: House Beautiful's style director Newell Turner builds his first house, in upstate New York. In this 12-month series, he'll share his experience, start to finish.(TWILIGHT FIELDS: PART I)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] How did you wind up with five acres in the Catskills? I'd been looking for a weekend home but I couldn't afford the kind of house I wanted. Then I saw this land in a high mountain valley with great views and...

Maintenance painted walls: so maddening, all those little splotches and scratches that mar your walls. Clean and touch them up, without leaving a trace of scar.(q&a)
March 1, 2008... Whenever I clean a mark off my walls, I leave a weird shiny patch in the paint that's really visible. What am I doing wrong? CARL MINCHEW (Director of Product Development, Benjamin Moore): What you've done is what we call burnishing. You've...

I'm looking for a chest of drawers: even we can't believe the variety that is available right now. Stripes, seashell, leopard, lacquer, leather ... something for everyone!(Buyers guide)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 1. Firenze, hand-painted poplar, to the trade. Patina: 800-635-4365; patinainc.com. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2. Nellie 4-Drawer, maple, shown in Marine, available in 40 colors, $2,190. Maine Cottage:...

Tablescape bedside table: in a guest room, HB's editor-at-large Senga Mortimer arranges a table to give guests a night to remember--and some great ideas to take back home with them.(House Beautiful)(Brief article)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Your guests deserve beautiful things from your personal collections. It shouldn't be just any old thing from the five-and-ten." "Everything should be not only pretty, but useful. A pincushion. A magnifying...

Technophobia air cleaners: no need to wait for an act of Congress ... you can have better air at home with the push of a button.(Q&a)(Buyers guide)
March 1, 2008... I'm worried about the air quality in my house, but when I went shopping for a purifier I was overwhelmed by all the choices. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WAYNE MORRIS [technical specialist with the Association of Home Appliance...

Spring risotto: an Italian favorite that's much easier to make than you think--doing it Ina's way.(ASK THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA: INA GARTEN)(Recipe)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] "I love risotto, but it scares me to try to make it. What's the secret to a successful pot?" Risotto is a really simple dish to make; it can be ready 40 minutes after you walk in the door. The key is in the...

Cookbook: Crescent City Cooking: Susan Spicer has been called a New Orleans treasure, and if you've eaten at her French Quarter restaurant, Bayona, you know why. Her debut cookbook has all the luminous originality of her celebrated kitchen.(Book review)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] THE NEW YORK TIMES ONCE CALLED SUSAN SPICER the stealth chef of New Orleans because her aspirations didn't include a restaurant or media empire, and her restaurant, a tiny jewel in the French Quarter called Bayona,...

House beautiful: March 2008: color: what works with what.(Editorial)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] Last night I watched The Devil Wears Prada, yet again. Nothing beats Meryl Streep lecturing Anne Hathaway how her shapeless bargain-bin cerulean-blue cable-knit sweater wouldn't exist if it weren't for a long-lost...

Jewel tones work with creams: ruby + citrine + tourmaline + amethyst + a golden glow.(COLOR: WHAT WORKS WITH WHAT)
March 1, 2008... CAROL PRISANT: Was decorating your own New York apartment any different from decorating for clients? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] AMANDA NISBET: Definitely. For my clients I always "scheme-out" the rooms, which means I put together a...

Blues work with neutrals: turquoise + robin's egg + sky + gilt + a hint of age.(COLOR: WHAT WORKS WITH WHAT)
March 1, 2008... MIMI READ: The color blue is the lovely, persistent thread woven throughout your elegant Jackson, Mississippi, house--you've used these subtle, judicious daubs of it against all your calm, luxe sands, creams, and golds. Are you a blue...

Green works with other greens: forest + olive + lime + moss + grass + chartreuse + kelly.(COLOR: WHAT WORKS WITH WHAT)
March 1, 2008... CHRISTOPHER PETKANAS: By now the whole world knows if you want real, provocative color, you go to Jamie Drake. Does this Manhattan apartment represent a new approach to color for you? [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] JAMIE DRAKE: As matter of...

Brown works with bursts: white + blue + yellow + vermilion + nickel.(COLOR: WHAT WORKS WITH WHAT)
March 1, 2008... FRANCES SCHULTZ: Now, you fellas aren't the standard-issue-type designers we usually talk to. You are... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PATRICK WADE: I'm senior v.p. of creative for West Elm and Williams-Sonoma Home. My partner Dave DeMattei...

Bold works with bright: red + orange + pink + green + the California sun.(COLOR: WHAT WORKS WITH WHAT)
March 1, 2008... ALEXANDRIA ABRAMIAN-MOTT: Clearly, you love farmhouses. You've got one in France, and now this one in Ojai. KATHRYN M. IRELAND: Originally, this house was designed by Wallace Neff in the '20s to be a barn. Then another architect, Austen...

Las Vegas, Nevada: with two cooks in the family, one island was split in half to give both husband and wife a work space.(KITCHEN OF THE MONTH)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] CHRISTINE PITTEL: This is a big space in a new house, yet the details suggest an old-fashioned kitchen. What look were you going for? DESIGNER CAROLINE DECESARE: You know that Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson movie,...

The best! For the kitchen: double wall ovens ... dazzling glass tiles ... an emergency radio that works without batteries.(Buyers guide)
March 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 1. Emergency Radio Just crank the handle to power up this water-resistant lifesaver. It has a flashlight, siren, AM/FM, NOAA weather--and cell phone charger! American Red Cross FR400, $60; 4.5" x 8.6" x 2". ETON:...

Ask the dog shrink: your dog is probably a lot more adaptable than you are when it comes to a breakup.... is it OK to bring in a new dog when your old dog is coping with serious illness.(Q&a)
March 1, 2008... "My soon-to-be ex-husband is insisting on joint custody of" our Lab--but I don't think it's good for the dog, Since I don't have a choice, what should we do to make the transition easiest for her?" Since you don't specify why you think it...

The last words: what's the hardest color to get right? Here's what experience has taught nine top designers.
March 1, 2008... "Yellow, because it reflects on itself more than other colors. It reacts with natural light and artificial light in totally different ways, so a particular yellow might be perfect by day, but look awful by lamplight at night. I once had about...