Keep It Here!

Ok, so this is not a post about some design hack for storing your stuff….although I can help with that! ‘Keep it here’ is different.

I want to talk to you about keeping your dollars HERE, in our community!

We hear it every holiday season: Shop Local, Shop Small, Small Business Saturday, etc., and there’s been a huge push for that this year, specifically. Thankfully!

I guess my question is, do you understand why it’s important? But like really why??

Vintage Rugs from Grey Dog in Fayetteville

Think about this: Let’s say there was a dumpster fire (ahem, pandemic) right outside your favorite boutique and it made it unsafe to shop there for a while. That boutique incurred damages that, despite having insurance, were not able to be covered. There just wasn’t a dumpster fire clause in their insurance. Also, to make matters worse, that dumpster fire spread and affected neighboring restaurants, bars, and other retail establishments in the same way. Basically, your beloved boutique and its neighbors were essentially shut down with zero income coming their way and inventory they couldn’t move (with more ordered and on the way). It’s not like rent was forgiven or employees are free. Oh and here’s the next gut punch…it’s 4th quarter. Most businesses rely on 4th quarter as a huge percentage of their yearly income.

But you have gifts to gather. Meals to eat. And even after the shop owner was able to re-open, assuring everyone it was safe, you were nervous. That’s fair. Is it better to play it safe and go online for what you would normally hop in your car and go get? So, you turned to online shopping and grocery delivery, feeling a little guilty, and avoided that shopping destination all together.

Well, now sales are down at our favorite boutique. Maybe you just assumed they would be fine…they always seemed successful! But employees have to be cut in order for rent to be paid. Shop hours have to be slashed in order to keep some a skeleton crew so that the shop can be staffed, but staffed affordably. Their foot traffic is lighter because, remember the restaurant next door, they’re really struggling. Their damage required them to stay closed longer. So no happy hour beverage sales and late night groups keeping tabs open to fuel their sweet spot. They are curbside only now, operating at about 30% and receiving only 1/3 of the income they were just a few weeks ago. They, too, had to let people go.

Those former employees have to figure out how to pay their rent now because their income is gone. An unforseen dumpster fire left them in a completely different spot today than they could’ve imagined three weeks prior. So, instead of going out with friends and spending money in the community, they’re just trying to get by. Things are unknown and it doesn’t really feel like there’s an end in sight.

Amazing.com, though, the online giant? Best season ever. Sales up eighty-something percent.

All the money poured into Amazing.com has Z E R O positive impact on your beloved home town and community. They aren’t funding your schools with sales tax dollars or putting food on your neighbor’s (the small business owner) table. And I should note that Amazing.com hasn’t done anything wrong here. They’re still doing (and able to do) what they do! They are just making money right now hand over fist when they aren’t necessarily the ones that need it the most right now.

Look, I get it. Even those reading this have had horrible struggles. The holidays are going to look different this year from the gatherings to the gift giving.

Knitting Yarn from Hillfolk in Bentonville

But turn to your local businesses first when you can. See what they are offering online and what you can pick up curbside if you are concerned about getting out. They were here for you, hustling at market with their vendors and creative staff before the dumpster caught fire. Don’t turn your back on them now. Many have curbside. Many deliver for FREE!

The treasures that they source are so very cool and a reflection of that shop and the shopper that buys from them….so, you, basically. They make your home town so unique and so magnificent. And they do this all year long, not just at holiday.

Something like 60% of every dollar spent stays in our community keeping us thriving, even through difficult times…especially during difficult time. So keep your dollars here! Your friends, neighbors, shop and restaurant owners, librarians and teachers, and kids…the ones that playing in the parks and riding on the trails instead of sitting inside playin on devices….will all thank you. Also, me. I’ll thank you.

xx

Nana, small business owner

Why Don't You...

There are so many things to cover here…..so many places to start and directions to go. Why? Because Diana Vreeland, that’s why. A traditional start when she is the topic is not possible.

Diana Vreeland in her ‘garden in hell’

When I decided that scarlet would be my November color story, I thought of Diana Vreeland’s red living room (above) immediately. Do you know the story? Vreeland told Park Avenue designer Billy Baldwin that she wanted her living room to “look like a garden, but a garden in hell”. Message delivered. Message received.

We studied Vreeland in design school..if you went to fashion school, you no doubt did the same. She has her thumbprint on fashion trends, iconic editorials and even historical beginnings (like the bikini!) and endings (like the marriage of King Edward III). And she’s just flat out fascinating.

Why Don’t You…as seen in Harper’s Bazaar

Diana invented the fashion editor and began her run at Harper’s Bazaar. She was there for 25 years and penned an advice column “Why Don’t You…” which was little snippets of unexpected and somewhat outlandish advice offered up at a time when the nation was slowly coming out of a deep depression and planted firmly in a recession. But the column, like her, was fascinating and probably the permission people needed to dream of normalcy….scratch that…luxury and frivolousness.

“Oh, the ‘Why Don’t You,’ column first appeared in 1936 [in Harper's Bazaar]. ‘For a coat to put on after skiing, get yourself an Italian driver’s, of red-orange lined in dark green.’ That was one of them. ‘Have a furry elk-kid trunk for the back of your car.’ They were all very tried and true ideas, mind you. ‘Knit yourself a little skullcap. Turn your old ermine coat into a bathrobe... ‘Wash your blond child’s hair in dead champagne, as they do in France.’”

From 1936 to 1962 she was responsible for some of Harper’s Bazaar’s most iconic images and editorial layouts. She rubbed elbows with the fashion elite and celebrities and was often seen at Studio 54. She is the reason Jackie Kennedy chose Harper’s Bazaar for their first published presidential images. Diana was also on the guest list for the Inaugural Ball.

Dear Diana,

Everyone is wondering why we chose Harper’s Bazaar and they invent a million reasons. And no one says the real one, which is you.

Mick Jagger on 1964 Vogue Cover

She eventually left Harper’s Bazaar (after making $18k/year for 25 years they offered her a raise….$1000) and went to Vogue…which became the new beneficiary of her visions, eccentricities, good taste and appreciation for pushing the envelope.

Vreeland’s ability to take an idea, even one that seemed so unbelievably outlandish, and make it come to life was a talent that cannot be taught. She loved to take a look and “push its faults”. She was mad for Mick Jagger’s lips and made Barbara Streisand’s nose the feature of the shot.

She would fly her photographer and models around the world with a vision that, to the intimidated, would seem impossible….yet not making it happen was not an option.

To do that, though, takes more than just vision. It takes a trusted team and a photographer with an open mind and creative eye. Vreeland wasn’t the only Harper’s Bazaar loss. She took her photographer, Richard Avedon with her.

Avedon got his start thanks to Vreeland. She hired him when he was 19 years old, giving him his big break and starting a partnership that lasted over 30 years. He not only entertained what many wouldn’t, he made it happen which was no small feet. Vreeland was notoriously demanding…I’m not sure that The Devil Wears Prada wasn’t about Vreeland instead of Wintour.

Cher photographed for Vogue by Richard Avedon

There was so much to this woman and I highly recommend the documentary Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel. There was no one like her and likely won’t be again. Sure there are influential people when it comes to trends and style, but Diana was a little like the shock and awe of fashion. She loved rouge and even wore it on her ears…something inspired by her love of geishas. She was quirky and adventurous. She saw something in the things that were not special and made them covetable…..think denim.

She was far ahead of her time. Once, when challenged about giving people what they wanted she fired back “you’re not supposed to give people what they want, you’re supposed to give them what they don’t know they want yet”.

I 100% believe she did that.

“The first rule that a geisha is taught, at the age of nine, is to be charming to other women… Every girl in the world should have geisha training.” —Diana Vreeland

THE SHINING + HICKS' HEXAGON

A couple of days ago I posted this iconic carpet pattern on my Instagram feed as a little Halloween pop quiz. If you didn’t recognize it then, you certainly do in the shot above if you are a fan of THE SHINING, released in 1980 and sending shivers up spines ever since.

One of the iconic parts of this film and there are so, so, many, (REDRUM! ) is this bold patterned carpet we see as Danny takes a spin through the hallways of The Overlook Hotel finding his way to room 237. We see it again with Danny playing with his toys on the floor. There’s a story there, though…part of it about the carpet and where it came from and another about Kubrick’s use of it.

The carpet itself was designed by David Hicks and is known as Hicks’ Hexagon, a widely utilized patten in design. Although we’ll get to Kubrick’s very intentional use of this pattern, the Hicks’ Hexagon carpet was not created for the film. It had been in production since the 1960s which was well before the movie’s release and likely purchased off the shelf or a copy made for the film, according to FILM AND FURNITURE.

Stanley Kubrick playing chess on the set of Dr. Strangelove

There are a lot theories about why this carpet was chosen for the film and some of them are pretty far out there, but Kubrick’s love of chess seems to have some traction. Every heard of KUBRICK’S CARPET TRICK? There is a point in the movie where we see Danny sitting on the floor playing with his toys. From one angle we see him sitting in one hexagon but the next frame, shot at a different angle, he has shifted to another hexagon. This is thought to be intentional and meant to represent a chess move, not just a mistake made in editing.

Explanation of Kubick’s Carpet Trick by Juli Kearns, author/artist/photographer of IdyllopusPress Presents

From a design perspective, I just think the use of the bold colors and oversized pattern is brilliant. You know my feelings on color and what kind of emotions they evoke. Nothing says dark energy, door hatcheting, creepy twin finding like these colors with that kid in those halls. What do you think…happy accident? ‘All work and no play?’ Nah, I think he was playing us like a fiddle.

COLE & SON HICKS’ HEXAGON WALLPAPER

As I mentioned, this is a well known pattern and used in design today, but in wayyyy less creepy color palettes. In fact, you’ll probably start to see it more, but now you have a little history and trivia in your back pocket.

However, if you see it with eerie looking twins holding hands that seem to appear out of thin air…..get in your snow plow and run, girl.

Aubergine

It’s Fall (wasn’t it just March!) and that always brings warmer, deeper color tones to match the leaves and pumpkins and rich light we see this time of year. I don’t know anyone that doesn’t love the cooler temps that make us crave butternut squash soup, bonfires and s’mores.

I am a traditional girl in many respects, but the standard orange that is overused (imo) this time of year is just not doing it for me. I’m going with rich, deep feels this month and am ready to answer some of the W’s, but not in an expected order because, well, aubergine…

What is Aubergine: Deeper than Plum, Eggplant, Blackberry Cobbler, Queen of the Night Tulips, Deborah Lippmann Truth to Power Nail Polish

Why is it inspiring right now: It’s comforting and warm (like grandma’s hug), but it’s also a fun challenge because it seems like it would be too bold to be versatile. But listen, aubergine plays so well with others. Don’t be intimidated. I can’t wait to show you all the ways you can utilize this color!!

Where: I mean, my question with almost any color is “what do you mean, where?! Where would you not?” I think if you start to look, you’ll see that this color is more present than you realize.

When: NOW, girl!

Who: Listen, it’s for whoever wants to just do the thing. Need guidance? Follow along this month on my Instagram or call me! Don’t be scared (see grandma’s hug!).

Sleep Series: Yellow Is Not Mellow

The atmosphere in your bedroom is probably 50% of relaxing and getting the sleep you need. We’ll deep dive into the other half in this series, but for now I want to focus on what kind of room you are sleeping in.

I’ve mentioned this before, but one of the courses I was required to take when I was in design school was a color theory class. Color is more than just what you see. It evokes emotion. It changes moods. It affects productivity. It also affects sleep.

If you’re looking around for a little DIY project in between zoom calls and virtual workouts, something can always use a little paint. A friend of mine happens to be looking for a new bedroom color, so I’ll tell you what I’m told her: your bedroom is not the place to go with a bold color that you saw in a House Beautiful kitchen (she’s also re-doing a kitchen). Your bedroom needs to be a calm color, maybe in the blue family. Besides, blue makes you look tan and thin.

| Benjamin Moore Blue Hydrangea 2062-60

You can always add strong, fun pops of color in your bedding or furniture, just pump the brakes when it comes to your walls. If you paint your bedroom red, I’ll be forced to assume that you are a serial killer.

*Fun Fact: Did you know that yellow causes anxiety?

Now, I don’t want to sound like your mom here, but make your bed and keep your room tidy. It takes very little effort and makes a tremendous difference. It’s such a nice feeling to pull back the covers and slide into your comfy bed v trying to fix a disheveled unmade bed just so you can climb in there and try to relax. To me, that’s like eating off a dirty plate.

You also need to be able to make your room nice and dark. Enter the proper window treatments. Draperies are where you can get that fun pop of color and a nod to your personality, but they can also make your room look like the sun packed her things and moved out. I need cave darkness while I get my 40 winks. I love patterns and texture on my windows. I would suggest this be one of the bedroom items where you invest a little money. Quality fabrics with a lined backing will look great, keep it dark, and last. And you want that. If draperies are not your thing, invest in some blackout shades.

Oh and the temperature: 64 degrees. On this I will not budge.

Now, obviously, your bed is the MVP in this sleep game, and we’ll get into that another day, but for now I just want you to walk to your bedroom and take a look around. If the first thing you notice is something that needs to be put away or if you see something you’ve been meaning to change….do it.

Or dream about it.

-Nana xx

Sleep Series: One Sheep, Two Sheep

Sleep is critical.  We have to have it.  It fuels our health, our mood (!!) and recharges us.  When we are short on it, we are vulnerable to illness, cranky and basically walking around in a fog.  Think about the last time you tried to get to the finish line of a workday when you had a rough night’s sleep.  Ever said, “sorry, I didn’t meant that, I’m just tired”? Maybe treaded oh so very lightly around a toddler that missed a nap?

Since we are all having to “hang our hats” on our social lives at the moment, I thought it would be a good time to take a deep dive into sleep.

 Sleep is my love language. It’s a talent I have always possessed. Some people are sprint sleepers, I’m in for the marathon.  I come from a long line of nappers. I myself am a habitual napper (that’s a real thing and we’ll get there.  I’ve never really had problems with sleep, but I have watched some of my friends and family suffer with sleep problems.  I’ve heard how miserable it makes them when they are not able to get a good night’s sleep (and they’re not telling me in the sweetest tone, either).  For them, it’s not a once in a while thing. The way they’ve described it, it sounds awful! 

So, I’ve decided to share some of what I think contributes to great sleep.  There are so many sources out there telling us what to do and not do, watch and not watch, eat and not eat before we shut the lights out.  But no one really ever talks about the atmosphere of which we surround ourselves when we sleep.  It plays a larger role than you think.

So, stick with me and stay tuned, I’ll have you counting sheep in no time!

xx Nana 

Gray is Not a Color

Recently I took a poll on Instagram asking if we were over the color gray.  I was a little surprised at the results so, disclaimer:  I might upset some of my people. 

I just don’t understand why we cannot get over the color gray!  Gray itself is even confused!  Is it GREY, GRAY, GUEYRE? Just kidding, that’s a cheese. Yum!  

Seriously, though, make up your mind!

In interior design school we were required to take a year long color theory class. We discussed colors, how they made us feel and how they represent a space.  We even studied the psychology behind color.  People with yellow kitchens have a higher divorce rate. Fast food places are always red and yellow because it stimulates the brain to work faster.  If a happy, sunshiny yellow is making people divorce, what is gray doing?!!

It’s everywhere: Home interior shows, offices and, of course, residential spaces.

After chatting about the gray phenomenon with my creative contemporaries, one of the responses I got is “gray is not a color”.  This was spoken by the great Louisa Robuck (floral designer extraordinaire….look her up!). 

Even my niece (a millennial!) said “All these beautiful colors....and everyone is choosing gray.” 

Listen, I’m not saying there’s not a time and place for gray, but in my opinion, the only color gray looks good on is baby elephants.

Madams and sirs of my great community, I implore you, let gre(a)y go!! 

The Art of the Sofa

so·fa /ˈsōfə/ n. definition: a long upholstered seat with a back and arms, for two or more people

I’ve had bit of (lounging) time this winter to think about what it means to find a good sofa. And please, friends, let us not confuse this with a couch. The true meaning of a couch has one arm higher than the other.

Before we get ourselves comfy on the different styles of sofas, there are two critical things that I think should be considered when looking for the perfect sofa. Scale and depth. Sounds logical, I know, but the options can be overwhelming and taking these things into account will help narrow down the contenders significantly. We need not waste precious lounge time looking for the wrong landing pad.

Take first the height of the room. If you have tall ceilings, you need to consider filling some of that vertical space with a taller sofa back. Same goes for a room with shorter ceilings, you don’t want to crowd or cut off that space by having a sofa too tall for the room. Proportion is everything.

Depth is equally as important. Take me, for example, I’m a tall human and prefer a deeper sofa. Think in the 38-42” depth range. A petite person, however, may be much more comfortable in the 35” depth range to keep their feet from dangling.

Ok, those are kid feet and don’t really apply….but how cute!

Once you get those two things in check, there are some decisions that need to be made. This is where we could part ways, but hear me out. I feel very strongly that this is a purchase where you get what you pay for, especially with the upholstery. Also, sofa’s that are not 8 way hand tied simply will not last as long. Fact. So, if you are looking for a spot for your family to gather nightly and you want it to be a statement piece, you should absolutely consider those things.

But I hear ya! A great looking $500 sofa may be in your comfort zone. Kids are gonna do kid things, pets are gonna completely disregard your ‘no pets on the furniture’ policy and it’s going to be a bit abused. I get it. As long as you go in knowing that the sofa is going to serve its purpose to the best of its ability and be a bit disposable, go for it!

Now what about style?

Want something a little more formal? Dressy? A tight back sofa is probably your go-to. It’s a wee bit less comfortable, but it definitely respects a dress code. You can also achieve a more formal look with a skirt or sofa leg.

ROGER + CHRIS

Is mid-century modern your thing? Clean lines, the simplest beauty?

ROGER + CHRIS

Maybe comfort is your priority? I’m a big fan of a loose back pillow sofa for that. I also like a low saddle arm. It gives you a place to throw a pillow and rest your head. The ‘guts’ of a sofa are very important in this category. My preference? Feather down wrapped cushions. Ahhhhhhh

I also want to take a quick sec to talk about legs and skirts. My philosophy is mix it up! I mean, anything with moderation, right? I don’t think you have to stick with one or the other because there’s a lot of personality, your personality, in what you like and how you do it. It’s your space. You do you!

Is all this too much? Come sit on my sofa….we’ll figure it out!

The Rise and Fall (and rise again) of Leopard

Leopard print has probably had more rises and falls than any other trend in print.  It’s been considered high fashion all the way down to trashy and back again.  At times a symbol of wealth and power, others a symbol of rebellion and even smut.

In 1910, Elsie de Wolfe, stage actress turned designer, was ready to ditch the “gloom” of the Victorian trend.  Thank goodness she did!  She became a decorator to the truly rich and famous and began to pepper their spaces with leopard print.  Her rolodex included the Vanderbilts, Morgans, various royalty, actors and actresses.  She blazed an interior design trail that winds all the way to present day.  Leopard, as you will find,  is one of them…and can I get an AMEN for that? 

Elsie de Wolfe

But it wasn’t just interior design where this powerful print was being utilized.  A 1914 Vogue cover featured a leopard trimmed coat and muff as its ‘winter fashions’ feature…the trend stuck around for many more winters, too.   In the 30’s, designers like Lanvin started taking luxury fabrics and adding hints of leopard. 

Model wears a long and lean coat from the '30s with leopard fur accents. Photo courtesy of Harper’s Bazaar.

Over time and much like a cat (get ready for a 9 lives reference), leopard print took on a different life.  It was shifting from glamour to seductive and the garments used were shifting, too.  Think pinup in a leopard swimsuit.   

Can we pause for a quick sec, though, to look at the pattern of the fur on this gorgeous animal?  First of all, they don’t have spots.  They have rosettes (it just keeps getting better, right?).  These rosettes are like mother nature’s couture fabric made to perfectly compliment the animal’s surroundings so that they may pounce when ready.  Not unlike Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate.

Anne Bancroft as the huntress, Mrs. Robinson, in The Graduate.

Ok yeah, a little different, but you’re picking up what I’m putting down.   

I digress.

In 1962 Jackie Kennedy stunned when she showed up at an official engagement in a leopard coat made with real leopard pelts designed by Oleg Cassini. Her already strong fashion influence held as more and more leopard coats were being worn and the leopard trend soared (or sprinted, rather) to the high-end, classy end of the spectrum again. Elizabeth Taylor, Natalie Wood, Barbara Streisand all glammed in the print.  And while she’s probably more in the seduction and power categories, it would be remiss to not mention that Catwoman herself wore her feline counterpart. 

Jackie Kennedy wearing Oleg Cassini coat, 1962

Leopard and other animal prints began to become very mainstream in not only fashion, but interior design. In the 60s and 70s, interior design used prints like leopard as a focal point. The color palettes and furniture silhouettes changed over the decades, but not the use of leopard in interior design. Part of this can be attributed to faux fur hitting the scene and making animal print very accessible. This was partially in response to animal activists making the use of real fur taboo. That’s fair because, especially after the fashion blessing from Jackie, our sweet leopard friend’s friends were slowly ‘leaving the party’ and becoming endangered.

Biba store, 1960s

Kenneth Jay Lane. Epitome of New York Interior design of the 1980's

While still having its couture moments, this new access to faux fur started to shift the fashion feel of leopard from one of class and glamour to, well, trash. Like fun rock-n-roll-Peggy-Bundy trash, but trash none the less. You don’t believe that this powerful cat could lose its strength and prowess? Scroll with caution. See ya on the flip side.

Oof. That was hard…glad we’re past it.

There was some taste still left in the world. We again turn to the Kennedys! Carolyn Bessette Kennedy, I think we can all agree, was another incredible style icon and lady of grace that married into the power family. Walking the streets with her husband (pleeease can we call him John John?) and much like her MIL, she turned heads in a leopard coat. Thankfully, the leopard tide was turning and making tasteful appearances on runways and models again. It’s use in interior design was holding steady and its minute as a raunchy party pelt was coming to an end. Whew.

Caroline Besette Kennedy in leopard coat, 1997

Kate Moss on her 30th birthday, 2004

Just like the animal has evolved and adapted over time to strengthen the species, leopard’s fashion trend has as well. The trend is on the rise again (can I get another AMEN?) and I don’t see its departure any time soon. Anthropologie recently posted a ‘litter’ of goods just begging to be worn and Tom Ford (swoon) proved his talents yet again with leopard on his Fall 2018 Ready-to-Wear runway. So use it, and use it well! But resist this:

What I’m saying is that leopard adds edge without defiance. It adds power without overpowering. It’s very organic when you allow it to be, much like a neutral. A very powerful, sexy neutral.

Tom Ford, Spring 2018

Christian Dior was quoted to say “If you are fair and sweet, don’t wear it”  I’m with Dior.  Be bold.  Be powerful. Wear it. Design with it.  Stand out….unless you are in the brush, of course. Then you will blend in perfectly.