chicer than thou

I love my husband--you know what's coming next--but he's never been the best at choosing gifts for me. I can't really blame him. After all, how feasible is it to get into my ever-changing mind and figure out exactly what I want at any given moment? So a couple of years ago, I gave up on the dream of having him surprise me and started sending hints by ripping out blurbs from Sunday Styles or sending him links to articles or postings from daily candy. He got it, and now I get exactly what I want on any gift-giving occasion (within reason, of course).

For Mother's Day this year I received the book Decor Chic: Designing your Dream Home from Wreck to Ravishing by Robert and Cortney Novogratz. Having become obsessed with their show 9 by Design on Bravo!, it was the one and only thing on my list. While watching the show, I marveled at the Novogratz's flair and how incredibly cool their family is, and I couldn't wait to see more from this design duo who manage to stay grounded while raising seven children in New York City.

Some of my favorite images from the book are posted below.  Perhaps I see a little bit of my own design sense in their work--like the ability to mix old and new, high and low--or I'm just looking for similarities to validate my own crazy ideas.

There are two things I love about this picture: the bold use of color and--this will come as no surprise if you've been reading my blog lately--the Lucite chairs. Clear furniture will win me over every time, and the whole concept of white walls is growing on me as an option for showcasing furniture and artwork in a modern home setting.

Displaying family photographs interspersed with random artwork creates a great point of interest. I've started a similar grouping of photographs in our current home, and I love the inherent freedom and ever-changing nature that allows you to build upon the "story" over time. I also feel that having similar, but not matching, picture frames adds to the organic quality to keep it from becoming too stark or gallery-like.

At their country home, the Novogratzes have an in-ground trampoline. This was the first time I'd ever seen (or heard of) such a thing, and I think it's brilliant. I've already carved out a little space in our future yard to put one. I also like this picture because you see the yellow shutters on their white house. My husband thought I was a little cuckoo when I wanted to paint the front door (of our white house) yellow a couple years ago.  Not so crazy, I say.