Inspiring Architect: Steve Giannetti

Last year, a new blogger burst onto the scene, and from the moment her blog started I was a fan. The blogger is Brooke Giannetti from Velvet & Linen, and one of the things that immediately endeared me to her blog was its unique focus on both design and architecture - two of my passions. In fact, in Brooke's very first month of blogging, she created a post called 'A Wonderful Collaboration' -

Inspirational Design Talent: Amy Morris

I was first introduced to Amy Morris through the Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles bathroom design contest: This is such an exquisite vignette, with the freestanding tub, the beautiful French style mirror behind the tub (reminds me a bit of the work of Kerry Joyce, with an Atlanta twist), the petite French chair, and the side table with my favorite flower - tulips. The bathroom has wood floors, a

Glee

I am going a little off topic to spread the word about my new favorite show: Glee. Have you seen it? It is a wonderful mixture of adult soap opera, high school drama (which, despite being in my late 30s, I have an unreasonable love for high school shows), comedy, and musical. I love it, and look forward to Wednesdays when it airs on Fox. I even watch it live - virtually unheard of for me in

The Third Dimension in Architecture and Design

Recently, I profiled Massachusetts architect Katie Hutchison. When I first learned of her online articles, I was particularly smitten with Katie's discussion of the third dimension in design and architecture. In her article, Katie wrote: "You would think it would be obvious, but sometimes it needs to be said: attention to the third dimension is critical to shaping space. All too often in a

The House Beautiful Color Institute Event

A few weeks ago, I received a special 'press' invitation to attend the House Beautiful Color Institute Event at the Atlanta Design Center. The big event was yesterday; when I arrived, I had a name tag that identified me as the author of the 'Things That Inspire' blog, and it was great to meet some of the designers, fellow bloggers, and magazine editors whom I have featured over the past two

A new book by one of my favorite designers: Jan Showers

When I reflect upon the evolution of my own personal design style over the past 10 years, I cite Jan Showers as one of the most pivotal influences. I first started to notice her work in my favorite magazines several years ago, and the discovery was a revelation; until I saw the work of design luminaries like Jan Showers, I tended to stick to a fairly traditional mode of decorating. The work of

New on the market: the home from my favorite magazine article

One of my all time favorite articles from Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles featured a charming home in the Ansley Park area of Atlanta. I have not written much about Ansley Park, because it is not on my beaten path, but it is a lovely area of Atlanta. Ansley Park was developed in the early 20th century, and features beautiful homes of a variety of styles appropriate to the time when they were built

An Artistic Doctor

Recently I admired a beautiful painting of a pear in my neighbor's dining room (seen below), set off perfectly by a rich chocolate colored wall. My neighbor purchased the painting over 10 years ago at the first solo show of Dr. Gary Bodner, one of Atlanta's foremost obstetrician/gynegologists. Gary has had a lifelong love of art, but it wasn't until 13 years ago that he began to explore his

Inspirational Architect: Katie Hutchison

A few months ago, Terry from Architecture Tourist forwarded a wonderful online magazine to me, called 'House Enthusiast'. It is written by an architect from Massachusetts, the state where I was born and where I returned for a few years when my husband was attending graduate school. As much as I love living in the South, there is a part of me that is drawn to New England, and I was thrilled to

A Touch of Tuscan

Although I have a special place in my heart for Georgian and French style architecture, I admire and appreciate all sorts of architectural styles. I recently came across a spread from Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles March '08 that featured a 'Tuscan' style home that was the AH&L 2008 spring showhouse, and I thought it was quite beautiful - it was Tuscan done with a soft palette and a light touch. More