Pour Some Out: Domino Mag. Boo.

Today sucks for so many reasons, besides wading through cold sludge to get to work.

I won't get into the work issues. There isn't enough room on the internet.

The news came at me from dozens of sources today that, after months of rumors, my beloved Domino magazine is closing, effectively ruining my day and I'm sure a few days to come. I'm still mourning the loss of House & Garden, so this was too much to take. Domino was the one design magazine that, every now and then, included something that I could afford, and interiors I could actually see myself in. I couldn't wait to get to the mailbox to devour the yummy eye candy on its pages. I know this sounds crazy to non-design-obsessed people, but I'm sure my designer pals will sympathize. I'm proposing that we all cut out of work early to go sit shiva at a bar somewhere. Are you allowed to drink while sitting shiva?

If it weren't so cold I would storm over to Conde Nast and give them a piece of my mind. This reminds me of when they cancelled The Muppet Show, and I was very upset, and my dad said he would write them a letter for me. It never really worked out. Thank god for DVDs.

Designer Phone

I've tried to limit the apps I download to my iPhone so I don't clog it up or spend funny money on a lot of things I don't need. Things i don't need include an iBeer, a mood sensor, and a fart machine.

One that I might need if I were still an interior designer is Mark-On-Call. Designed by interior designer Mark Lewinson, it allegedly allows you to draw floor and furniture plans, and add fabrics and finishes. It looks cool, but I find that things like this often are more trouble than they are worth. I would download it if I thought I might need it in the near future, but my furniture has no room to move. Right now it's only $4.99, so if someone would buy it and let me know how it is, I would love to hear it.

Soane Love

Today Hollister Hovey led me to The Architecturalist, following the breadcrumbs back to Malplaquet house. The intrigue here lies not in the house's magnificent decor, which is a bit cluttered for my taste (I would have nightmares about the dust in that place), but in the owner's occupation. Tim Knox, who lives there with his partner Todd Longstaffe-Gowan, is the director of Sir John Soane's Museum!!!! While that may mean nothing to most people, it makes me freak out like a tween at a Jonas Brothers concert (I refuse to link to them for fear of even slightly inflating their perceived popularity). John Soane was a British architect, and an early interior designer. His house (now the museum) is a temple to his love of architecture, built to showcase his vast collection of architectural artifacts. It's a must see for anyone visiting London, and in my mind, being the director of it all sounds like the most fabulous job on the planet.

Upon seeing that the Architecturalist got the Malplaquet house pictures from "Barry Lewis" I freaked out again, thinking it was this Barry Lewis, when in fact it is this Barry Lewis, a British photographer. While British Barry Lewis appears to be very talented, he could never hold a candle in my heart to New York's Barry Lewis. You may recognize him from his Channel Thirteen shows, "A Walk Around Brooklyn", "A Walk Through Harlem", etc. His Modern Architecture and Design courses at The New York School of Interior Design were by far the most interesting classes I have ever taken at any school! I think you can take them without being a matriculated student, and if you are a NYC dweller, I highly recommend them. He's hilarious, and you will learn so much about this city that you never knew.

Designo (from Decorno)

Decorno has become one of my favorite design blogs because she's not afraid to say what she feels about the design world when most bloggers just blather blithely away about pretty things. This post really says it all.

I understand bloggers' reticence to post anything negative for fear of the torrent of snarky comments from self-righteous losers with nothing better to do. Can you believe someone commented to her that her marriage wouldn't last five years? What a miserable person you must be to say that to someone. As my mother always said, if you don't have anything nice to say, then... um... uh. Clearly I wasn't listening to her. Because so many people play it safe and avoid the wrath of the commentariat, I find it especially refreshing to hear from a someone who will gladly speak the truth, and who manages to do so without being mean.

But back to my point. Decorno's recent experience with a delinquent contractor provides a perfect example of why I left the interior design business. You are constantly forced to deal with insane contractors who see no fault with telling you they would rather work on their own home than yours, or with taking your money and leaving you high and dry. And when you aren't dealing with the contractors, you are dealing with clients who are not used to having someone treat them this way, and can't believe that a businessperson would do that, and thus decide that it must be YOUR fault. It's madness! The design mags, blogs, and shows only give you the pretty, shiny, finished product, not the months of torture and tears the designer goes through to make everyone happy. I know I sound like a whiner, but I'm not alone. Many of my designer friends working at many different firms have come to the same conclusion that it's just not worth it, and have fled to other industries. I hope I haven't dashed anyone's designer dreams, but they don't tell you any of this good stuff design school (or in Elle Decor).

Design Disdain

Today I intended to post about some items related to the photo contest I wrote about yesterday, but this just set me off a bit, and I'm changing course. I'll try to cover the capsized ships tomorrow, I say as if there is someone anxiously awaiting my every word.

I have been reading Apartment Therapy for a few years now, and while I do like their house tours and some of their postings, I often find myself feeling like they are just another bunch of pretentious design snobs who love to make proclamations about what is or isn't cool. So I was intrigued today to see that others felt the same, at least about their What's In, What's Out: Predictions for 2009 post. They got a flood of angry comments decrying their idea that something you loved in 2008 is suddenly soooooo out for 2009. While I agree that it's only someone's opinion, they are not the only site that does this, and it's just kind of lame. The worst part is that they (after constantly praising blindly anything mid-century modern, and featuring any home with a Nelson pendant lamp) deem "Obvious mid-century modern" decor to be out, but then list Saarinen tables and "Mad Men interiors" to be in, a total contradiction that makes them look fairly flighty. Their main criteria for something being "out" seems to be that it is popular, yet they are one of the major forces that constantly bombards readers with these trendy items, thus increasing their popularity. By their logic, they should consider the ubiquitous Saarinen table to be out.

In addition, they claim that Eddie Ross is in. The Martha Stewart hot shot, who did fairly well on the second season of Top Design, has generally good taste, but many of his designs tend to look like a Golden Girls stage set. But the worst part is his attitude. While he can style a table like nobody's business, he's so incredibly pompous that I can't stand to listen to him. It's one thing to be aware of ones own skill and ability, but to constantly blabber on about how you are so superior to everyone else and you couldn't possibly need to learn anything is just irritating. His audition video gives a glimpse of his arrogance, which I'm sure enticed the Top Design casting folks to pick him for the drama factor. He should learn that it's still possible to showcase your talent without denigrating others as he did so often on the show. After hearing so many people praise him, I thought I was crazy, but a lot of these people seem mostly to agree with me, and some of them even claim to know him! I wonder if Martha is proud of him or thinks he's an ass.