Are you familiar with Pieces, the totally fabulous home furnishings boutique owned by Lee Kleinhelter?   It's out of Atlanta, but my dream would be to open a franchise in Charlotte!  Because I can't walk through the store, I love to browse the website, especially the New Arrivals section.  My favorites are the vintage pieces that Lee has redone.  Anyway, I was taking a quick glance this afternoon when I spotted this fabulous Lucite desk.  It was love at first sight!  Unfortunately for me, not only is the desk very pricey, it's also sold.  I only hope the new owner loves it as much as I do!  Check it out ... 

It's a sad day in the design world.  Conde Nast announced today that Domino magazine will fold.  The March issue will be the last for the magazine.  The website will also be discontinued.  I'm disappointed.  I have been meaning to explore the Deco File feature that they have really been plugging.  (I guess I'm glad I didn't invest any time in that!)  I also really enjoyed some of the blogs on the site, particularly "daily dose" when written by Nick Olsen.  Big sigh.  Here's hoping some of their talented staff, including Nick, end up at another magazine.  I wonder what magazine they will choose to fill the end of my subscription?  Seriously, I think I already get every other shelter mag out there (at least those worth reading).      

 Domino, you'll be missed.  There wasn't another magazine like you.   

Huge, bare plate glass mirrors in bathrooms -- you know, the ones that new home builders just slap up on the wall -- are one of my decorating pet peeves.  Fine, I understand that builders have to be cost-conscious, and putting mirrors up that way is cheap.  But I have seen those mirrors in many a new house ... from your average new construction to a spec home built by Charlotte's premier home builder in a prestigious neighborhood.  Seriously?  With a house costing closer to a million dollars than not, you couldn't bother to put a frame around a bare mirror?   I just don't understand.  But many of us live with those mirrors because, once it's there, what are we going to do with it?  Especially if the mirror is glued to the wall, like so many are, it is just too difficult to take it down and have it framed, or take it down and replace it.  So there those mirrors are ... for better or worse.  Until now!   I just discovered MirrorMate frames, custom-sized frames that mount easily on top of those ugly mirrors.  You can check them out here.  Now, I haven't seen a MirrorMate frame in person, but the website's pictures are pretty impressive.  Check out this example ...

Before:  

After: 

Whoa!  Isn't that amazing.  The bathroom itself isn't necessarily my taste, but it does look like the mirror was traditionally framed and hung on the wall.  What an improvement!  MirrorMate could be the answer to my prayers ... or at least to those ugly bathroom mirrors.  I can think of at least one client that I plan to persuade to give this a try.  I never like to recommend products or contractors that I haven't tried myself, but fortunately, this client is also my sister ... which means she doesn't have a choice about being my guinea pig!   I'll let you know how it goes.  Have you tried MirrorMate?  Leave me a comment and let me know what you thought!   

I get my inspiration from just about anywhere - one of my favorite color schemes right now was inspired by a 2007 Christmas card - but shelter magazines (industry-speak for interior design mags) are absolutely invaluable.  I use them not only for inspiration, but also as a tool to discover what styles my clients are drawn to.  Obviously, magazines also help you to refine your eye, stay on top of the trends, discover new products and enjoy the work of other designers.  The only thing I don't like about shelter magazines is that I haven't come up with a good way to organize them!   For an organization nut like me, that is really saying something ... but there is just too much in each magazine that I find valuable.  Anyway, here's a list of my favorites and what I like about them.  Hopefully this will help you to discover a new favorite! 

Metropolitan Home -- The homes featured in this magazine are usually very modern, but I love them!   It might not be a look that is right for you in its entirely, but you'd be surprised at the different modern things that you can successfully incorporate into a not-so-modern decor.  

Elle Decor -- Still modern, but not quite as starkly modern as Metropolitan Home.  To me, the interiors featured in this magazine are much more eclectic.  

Traditional Home -- Don't be surprised that many of the houses in this magazine are not nearly as traditional as the name would imply.  Most of them are more "transitional" than what I consider super-traditional, although you definitely won't find the modern homes featured in Metropolitan Home.   

House Beautiful -- I really love this magazine.  It seems more accessible than some of the others.

Domino -- This magazine focuses on good, accessible design with a youthful, off-beat edge ... at least that's the best way I can think of to describe it.   Definitely high-low mixing at its finest.  I like their new book as well.  

There are lots of ideas and some great photos in there, although if you are a design pro, some of the info will be more than a bit basic.  You can take a virtual "flip" through the book on the Domino website.

Architectural Digest -- Honestly, I have a love-hate relationship with Architectural Digest.  I just don't find most of their articles relevant to what I do on a daily basis ... and frankly the magazine just bores me.  But you can't deny that they feature some stunning homes ... and you can occasionally find some great things flipping through the pages.  A Decorators Walk by F. Schumacher fabric featured in Architectural Digest was the inspiration for my twin boys' nursery!  But that's the only thing out of AD that I've actually used ...    

Anyway, if you haven't read some of these magazines, check them out!   

You'll find that I use the word "fabulous" perhaps a touch too often, but when I see something truly incredible, I just can't help myself!  Last fall, when I was in NYC, I accidentally stumbled across a store that I had planned to hit later that weekend, Mantiques Modern.  Mantiques Modern is a fantastic store that specializes in furniture and decorative objects from the 20th century - generally the Machine Age through the mid-seventies.  As its name implies, it has a somewhat masculine edge to its selection, although trust me, there were plenty of things that this very girly girl was dying over.  My favorite piece in the entire store was this faux python table in the style of Karl Springer.  Seriously, I have been drooling over this table for months.  It is just soooo fabulous.  I almost sourced it for a long-distance client, but he had a change of heart ... and my heart was broken!  Lucky for you blog readers, the table is still available.  You can get more information about the table online at 1st Dibs (love that site!).  I will say that I remember the price being significantly less in the store than the 1st Dibs listed price, so I'm a little bit skeptical about how the 1st Dibs pricing works.   Let me know if you score the table ... I'd love to visit it!