Ballard Designs asked acclaimed Beverly Hills interior designer James Swan to design the four central rooms in their March/April 2009 catalog.

Behind The Scenes

Go behind the scenes at Ballard’s Style Studio website to see a gallery of Jim’s favorite pieces and their great prices.

Also on Ballard’s Style Studio:

An Interview with James Swan: Decorating on a Budget

James Swan budget decorated this Living Room for Ballard’s March/April 2009 catalog.

Ballard: We asked James to design four different rooms for us, all filled with Ballard Designs. We are thrilled to have James creating a fresh new approach to our products. His unique sense of how a room should evolve will inspire our customers to go beyond their comfort zone in creating their own style. James has created some of the world’s most beautiful spaces. His style is instilled with clean, effortless elegance, a consistent eye for detail and keen sense of the appropriate.
We introduced James to our new items that would be featured in our March 2009 catalog. He feverishly started sketching ideas and concepts for the living room, bedroom, dining room and office space we wanted him to conceptualize. What an inspiration! We hope you enjoy James’ vision which reflects his eye for detail and his process in creating spaces filled with eclectic taste and personality.

Then, we talked to him about the project and how he approached the project:

SKETCH * JAMES ON LOCATION * FINISHED ROOM

Ballard Designs: What was it like to work exclusively with Ballard Designs?
James Swan: There were three big benefits: Number one – the range of options. Ballard has amassed an amazing body of stylish products for the home and it was exciting to have such a broad selection. Second was the uniqueness of options. A lot of resources out there seem to cookie-cut their lines to reflect what’s already on the market. Ballard consistently offers unique, fresh choices that reflect the worldwide market. And I really appreciated how easy it was to use Ballard. Homemakers have enough challenges, so to work with a company that makes the process easy, is worth its weight in gold.

BD: Where did you begin in decorating these rooms?

JS: When building a room, I like to work from the bottom up, just like building a home where everything springs from the foundation. When you select a rug or carpet for a room, you give yourself wonderful parameters for color, pattern and texture that can be easily spun into each subsequent selection.

BD: After the rug, what’s next?

JS: I would say that the major upholstered pieces would take the next slot of importance, followed shortly by major case pieces (tables, chests, armoires, etc). Upholstery you will sit on most everyday of your life needs to be beautiful, comfortable and appropriate to the home. Case pieces should function in a way that supports how you use a room, so give thought to what your needs are and how a specific piece can meet those needs.

BD: What about color and texture?

JS: We communicate a wide range of ideas and emotions by the colors we select and we support those with the added dimension of texture. A beautiful room is of little use if it doesn’t entice you in and put you at ease. I believe that the rooms you see here, strongly supported by their range of colors, do just that – they put you at ease.

BD: What role do accessories play in your rooms?

JS: I like to think of decorative accessories as the jewelry in a room. A woman can be beautifully dressed and ready to head out the door when suddenly she adds a piece or two of jewelry and suddenly she dazzles! Accessories do the same thing in a room; they add character and interest particularly when they reflect the tastes and interests of those living in the home.

BD: Which room did you have the most fun putting together?

JS: Each room was great fun, but I think the office might be my favorite. The broad range of accessories used in the room help to sketch out the personality of the people living there. To me, this proved very exciting because it was very close to the work I do everyday, creating unique spaces for my clients and their families.

Coming Soon…a new book from interior designer James Swan!

101 Things I Hate About Your House
By James Swan
with Carol Beggy
Illustrations by Stanley A. Meyer

What if you could buy one book for the cost of a chrome bathrobe hook in a popular mall store’s catalog and that book could add thousands of dollars to the value of the your home and enhance your quality of life? Homeowners, aspiring homeowners, renters, and those looking to recoup some of the value lost in the recent market downturn, would consider such a book a gold mine. 101 Things I Hate About Your House from nationally renowned interior designer James Swan is that book.

As Beverly Hills-based practitioner of the principles for gracious living, Swan is the perfect style Sherpa to guide readers on their journey of transformation as they improve their daily surroundings and develop a more gracious way of life. Whether the place you call home is a 1,000-square-foot bungalow in Arlington, Massachusetts, or $1,200 month rental in a five-story walkup in a Chicago brownstone, or a sprawling Contemporary-style in Los Angeles, everyone has dreams of what they want their home and life to be. Swan’s 101 Things is an instructional manual for those who want to make the most of what they have. It is a crisp and humorous book that takes readers on a room-by-room, subject-by-subject, thirteen chapter tour of “everyman’s house.” Along the way, the book points out “101 Things” that require attention and while the laughter echoes, Swan delivers solid, practical solutions. Readers are primed for action as they set out to improve their surroundings and, more importantly, their lives.

By eschewing the traditional glossy, high-end, four-color tomes depicting unattainable interiors, 101 Things shines the light of humor on practical opportunities and presents doable, cost effective solutions for readers to make their homes and lives more beautiful. Swan’s smart, concise and practical advice can be turned into reality regardless of income, size, style or location of the reader’s home.
Swan says that “Regardless of the state of your estate, be it massive or minuscule, or your Style IQ, these principles of good living will deliver a framework for a gracious home and by extension more gracious living… And unlike subjective opinions about “style” and “taste” these principles can be focused in a way that allows you to celebrate the home you have and the life you lead. Another way to look at this is that you can have fun with your home. I hereby give you permission to do so.”

Make sure to enter to win the James Swan DesignCoach™ American Express $500 Gift Card Contest today!

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DesignFind: What are the top 5 Design Events Nationwide for the month ahead?

Before we look at the nation’s top design events, we want to let you know that if you are searching for a leading high-end residential, hospitality or commercial interior designer, consider working with the acclaimed Beverly Hills based firm of James Swan & Company. We work competitively with clients nationally and internationally. Contact us to review your project.

1. 2009 Kips Bay Decorator Show House
April 17th – May 17th
22 East 71st Street, New York, NY 10021 (Between 5th & Madison Ave)
http://kipsbay.org/show_info.html

“Showhouses are built on fantasy, and the most amazing fantasies of all are seen each Spring at the Manhattan showhouse to benefit the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club.” -House Beautiful magazine August 2006.

Photo from 2008 Kips Bay Show House (Design by CetraRuddy, Photo by Peter Margonelli)

2. The Pier Antiques Show
March 14-15, 2009
Pier 94, 12th Ave., at 55th St., NYC
Admission: $15
www.stellashows.com

500 Dealers plus Fashion Alley & Vintage Collecting
NY’s largest, antiques, art, style & collecting event!

3. West Palm Beach Antique Show
Feb. 27-March 1
South Florida Fairgrounds – West Palm Beach, FL
www.dmgantiqueshows.com/wpb

The 18th Annual Palm Beach Antique show will feature some of the most unique and coveted fine art, jewelry and antiques in the world. There will be over 200 renowned, world-class dealers showcasing fine art, sculpture, furniture, silver, textiles and much more.

4. D.C. Spring Antiques Show
March 6-9, 2009
Walter E. Washington Convention Center – Washington, D.C.
www.dcspringantiques.com

The inaugural D.C. Spring Antiques Show will be held on March 6-9, 2009 at the state-of-the-art Walter E. Washington Convention Center in the heart of the nation’s capital. Over 400 highly respected and renowned international exhibitors are expected to showcase an extensive selection of fine art, antiques, and jewelry with something for everyone from the novice to the serious collector.

The D.C. Spring Antiques looks to achieve the same incredible diversity and outstanding quality as the highly acclaimed Baltimore and Palm Beach shows.

5. Tucson Museum of Art League 2009 Designer Showhouse
Feb 21-Mar 29, 2009
Rancho Merlita, 8520 E. Wrightstown Road, Tucson, AZ 85715
www.tucsonmuseumofart.org/showhouse/

Hundreds of new, innovative decorating and remodeling ideas and resources showcasing the latest in color, furniture and accessory ideas for indoor and outdoor living in a romantic 1950’s era southwest ranch; plus interior design seminars and cooking demonstrations; $20, Tues-Sat 10am-4pm, Sun noon-4pm.

If you did not find an event near you in the list above, perhaps one of these great events is happening near you:

Naples Art & Antique Show
March 11-14, 2009
Trinity-by-the-Cove Episcopal Church – Naples, FL
www.naplesantiqueshow.org

Heart of Country Antiques Show
March 12-14, 2009
Gaylord Opryland Hotel – Nashville, TN
www.heartofcountry.com

Woman’s Club of Raleigh 2009 Spring Antiques Show and Sale
March 13-15, 2009
Kerr Scott Building at the NC State Fairgrounds – Raleigh, NC
www.womansclubofraleigh.org/events/

City Wide Garage Sale
March 14-15, 2009
Palmer Event Center – Austin, TX
www.cwgs.com

Round Top and Warrenton Antiques Fair
March 25-April 4, 2009
Various Venues – Round Top and Warrenton, TX
www.roundtop.org

Atlantique City
March 28-29, 2009
Atlantic City Convention Center – Atlantic City, NJ
www.atlantiquecity.com

This week on DesignFind, we look to Chicago. First, we want to help answer the question: How to find an interior designer in Chicago, IL?

When asking the question “how to find an interior designer in Chicago” many are surprised to find out that nationally acclaimed Beverly Hills-based interior design firm James Swan & Company can work with clients nationally and internationally. Need help with your next design project? Contact us.

Looking for things to do in Chicago?

Each Friday, we showcase the latest design events and happenings. This week our venue is Chicago. Take a look at what Chicago has in store for the month ahead in the world of antiques, fine arts, architecture and design.

Route 66 starts at Chicago’s Buckingham Fountain
Photo Courtesy of Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau

LOOKING FOR DESIGN-RELATED THINGS TO DO IN CHICAGO? Take a look at these events:

CHICAGO ANTIQUE SHOWS:

Chicago Modernism Show Gala Preview
Friday March 27, 2009, 6–9pm
1422 N. Kingsbury, Chicago, IL
2 blocks south of North Avenue, 1 block west of Halsead

Tickets are $80 in advance, $100 at the door.
To purchase tickets, contact 914.563.6747 or charlie@dolphinfairs.com.

The evening benefits the AIA Chicago Foundation, a not-for-profit, charitable organization dedicated to supporting activities that benefit the Chicago-area architecture community. The Foundation provides grants, travel scholarships and awards for activities that promote the profession and the larger architecture and design community.

Chicago Modernism Show
March 28–29, 2009
Saturday, 10am–7pm
Sunday, Noon–5pm
Admission is $10
For more information, visit the Chicago Modernism Show & Sale site: www.dolphinfairs.com/chicagomodernism/.

Highlighting iconic mid-century furniture, fine arts, and decorative arts, the Chicago Modernism Show will attract thousands of new and sophisticated modern collectors, including designers and architects, over a three-day period.

Enjoy a sneak peak at the Gala Preview of the fantastic exhibition and sale of mid-century furnishings and decorative arts, with the accompaniment of great music, delicious hors-d’oeuvres, and get-in-the-mood cocktail. The Chicago Modernism Show attracts over 50 noted national and international decorative and fine arts dealers presenting all design movements of the 20th Century.

Grayslake Antique Markets
Mar 7-8, 2009
Rt. 50 and Rt. 45
Grayslake, IL 60030
Ph: (715) 526-9769

The Lake County Fairgrounds are 4 miles west of the Illinois Tollway at the corner of Route 120 (Belvedere Rd.) & Route 45. Grayslake is considered an excellent place to buy antiques. There is a good mix of dealers every month. We’ve been able to get some real treasures over the years at this market. Doors open at 8:00 a.m. Sunday

Wheaton Antique Markets
Mar 15, 2009 (3rd Sunday Monthly)
DuPage County Fairgrounds
2015 W. Manchester Road
Wheaton, IL 60187

Often overlooked because of its size (a smaller show), Wheaton can be a real sleeper. Some claim that their best antique finds have come from DuPage. Doors open at 8:00 a.m. Admission is $5.

15th Annual World’s Fair Memorabilia Show
March 29, 2009, Sun 10am-4pm
Elk Grove Holiday Inn
1000 Busse Road (Route 83 & Landmeier Road)
Elk Grove Village, IL

Admission is $5 (seniors over 64 are $4). The show is heavily weighted toward the 1933-4 Century of Progress, but other World Fairs are represented as well. Attracts dealers from around the country as well as locally.

Kane County Flea Market
Feb 28 & March 1, 2009
Kane County Fairgrounds, St. Charles Illinois
Ph: (630) 377-2252

Kane County Fairgrounds. Randall Road. Between Route 64 and Rt 38. Hours: Saturday 12pm-5pm, Sunday 7am-4pm. Admission charge $5. Ample parking. Approximately 1000 dealers. Market is strong on quality antiques (both furniture & smalls) & great selection of collectibles, lots of fine jewelry & quality “junque.” Good market for antique dealers, serious collectors, investors & decorators to make some great buys.

CHICAGO HOME SHOWS

SPRING N-W Suburban Chicago Home Show – Palatine
March 7-8, 2009
Harper College
1200 W. Algonquin Rd (Roselle & Algonquin Rds)
Palatine, IL 60067
Free Admission & Free Parking
Sat & Sun 10am – 5pm
www.chicagohomeshow.net

2009 International Home + Housewares Show
March 22-24, 2009
McCormick Place
2301 S. Lake Shore Drive
Chicago, IL 60616
www.housewares.org/show/info/

The International Home + Housewares Show is the world’s largest homegoods & housewares marketplace, showcasing thousands of new products and designs in four related product expos.

Merchadise Mart
222 Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, IL 60654
Ph: (312) 527-4141
www.mmart.com

The Merchandise Mart is the world’s largest commercial building, largest wholesale design center and one of Chicago’s premier international business locations.

Here is the Mart’s upcoming calendar of design events:
Business of Design Lecture Series 1
Mar 10, 2009

Design Center Sample Sale (Open to the Public)
Mar 21-22, 2009

The Chicago Market: Living and Giving®
Mar 29-31, 2009
http://shopchicagomarket.com/

The Chicago Market for gift and home is a quarterly wholesale tradeshow designed for store owners, retail buyers and designers to shop and discover a wide array of quality products ranging from home accents and furniture to handcrafted or eco-friendly product to collectible items, holiday, baby/children’s product, gourmet and more!

NOTEABLE ARCHITECTURE & INTERIORS

While you are at the Mart, you can see the most recent winner of Interior Design Magazine’s Best of Year Award:
Steelcase’s Chicago Showroom300 Merchandise Mart, Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60654
Ph: (312) 321-3720

Other notable Architectural and Interior Design spots in Chicago include 2009 AIA Institute Honor Award Winner:

The Gary Comer Youth Center by John Ronan Architects
2009 Institute Honor Awards for Architecture

Also check out the Global Hyatt Corporate Headquarters interiors at 71 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606.

The interiors, designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, were awarded AIA Chicago’s 2006 Interior Architecture Winner. Photo by Jimmy Cohrssen.

EVENTS SPONSORED BY THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS (AIA) AND INSTITUTE OF CLASSICAL ARCHITECTURE AND CLASSICAL AMERICA (ICA&CA)

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) Chicago Chapter offers the following events in the month ahead for members and non-members. More details at: www.aiachicago.org/events.asp

Young Architect’s Forum Happy Hour: YAF at Pecha Kucha
March 3 from 6:00 pm-11:00 pm

Join us this month as we take our happy hour to Pecha Kucha.

PechaKucha Night brings prominent and emerging creative minds together for an evening of lightning-fast presentations, networking and fun. The PechaKucha format, where a dozen or so presenters are given 20 slides each shown for 20 seconds to reveal their passions, work and inspirations, is now held in over 170 cities around the world. www.pecha-kucha.org/cities/chicago

Advance ticket purchase recommended. Tickets $10 (21 and over only).
Charge by phone at (800) 594-8499 or via the internet at www.martyrstickets.musictoday.com/martyrs/calendar.aspx.

This event is sponsored by Young Architects Forum, Pecha Kucha
Location: Martyrs, 3855 N. Lincoln Ave
Member price: $10.00 Non-member price: $10.00

Tour: Columbian Model and Exhibit Works
March 10, 6:00 pm-7:30 pm
This tour of Columbian Model & Exhibit Works 6000 SF workshop will feature demonstrations of the latest technologies for model making including lasers, 3-D printers, and a Shopbot CNC router. Refreshments will be served.

This event is sponsored by Young Architects Forum
Location: 1528 West Adams Street, 2nd floor
Member price: $0.00 Non-member price: $15.00

Beyond Burnham: Protecting Natural Resources
March 11, 12:00 pm-1:00 pm

Daniel Burnham envisioned a regional system of forest preserves and parkways in the 1909 Plan of Chicago. In 2009, conservation efforts are informed by a greater understanding of ecosystems and the water resource impacts of contemporary development patterns. Landscape architect James Patchett, president of Conservation Design Forum, will discuss the scientific and philosophical foundation of sustainable planning, and present case studies that illustrate how to apply sustainable water management practices through integrated design. Bring your lunch; beverages provided.

This event is sponsored by Regional & Urban Design KC
Location: AIA Chicago
Member price: $0.00 Non-member price: $15.00

Creating DreamHome in the Mart
March 12, 5:30 pm-7:00 pm
What is it like to create a room in the Merchandise Mart’s annual DreamHome? Carlos Martinez, AIA (Gensler) and Joan Craig, AIA (Lichten Craig Architects) were part of the 2008 display: Carlos did the home office and Joan designed the kitchen. They will tell us all about it: the actual room designs (what was the program for the room and how they executed it) and the experience of being part of such a display (how they got involved, the satisfactions and difficulties of their experience).

This event is sponsored by Interior Architecture KC
Location: AIA Chicago
Member price: $0.00 Non-member price: $15.00

Sustainable and Energy Efficient Building Envelope Design and Construction
March 19, 8:30 am-2:45 pm

Once again, we are bringing to Chicago a program organized by ITX Corp. offering four technical presentations related to the building envelope.

Early registration through March 4: $70 AIA and ISPE members; $90 non-members. Cost after March 4: $100 AIA and ISPE members; $120 non-members. Registration includes breakfast and lunch.

Location: Merchandise Mart Conference Center, 350 West Mart Center Drive, 2nd floor
Member price: $70.00 Non-member price: $90.00

Design Exposed: Levy Senior Center and Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation
March 19, 6:00 pm-8:00 pm

Visit two Evanston Projects by Ross Barney Architects and learn about the firm’s design philosophy and practice. The designers will discuss the challenges and opportunities of community-based design, in contrast to a private client. Sustainable design aspects of the JRC synagogue, a LEED-Platinum building, will be highlighted. What impact have these projects had on their community? Speakers: Carol Ross Barney, FAIA, design principal; John Fried, AIA, principal in charge for Levy Center; Mike Ross, AIA, principal in charge for JRC; and Kimberley Patten, Assoc. AIA, project manager for JRC. Limited to 50 participants. Meet in Levy Center lobby; parking is available in the center’s lot. Driving time from downtown Chicago: 45 to 60 minutes.

This event is sponsored by Design, Environment, IFRAA KCs
Location: Levy Center, 300 Dodge Ave., Evanston
Member price: $0.00 Non-member price: $15.00

Working with an Architect
Saturday, March 21, 10:00 am-11:30 pm

Are you planning to build a new home, remodel your kitchen, or renovate
a three-flat? If so, attend this free seminar to help you learn if you need an architect, how to select an architect, understand the phases of a project, and create your dream house.

There will be opportunities to have 15 minute one-on-one consultations with the architects after the program. Please register in advance with Megan Bell at 312-376-2725 or bellm@aiachicago.org, and bring along any drawings pertinent to your project. Space is limited.

Location: AIA Chicago, 35 E. Wacker Dr, Suite 250
Member price: $0.00 Non-member price: $0.00

Noteworthy
Coming soon—sign up now: The Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America (ICA&CA) is forming a Chicago Chapter.
www.classicist.org

As announced in a January 18, 2009 Law/Ark posting, the new Chicago Chapter of the New York-based Institute of Classical Architecture and Classical America is being formed. A kick-off date for the new chapter has now been tentatively set for late April 2009. Currently, the new chapter’s formation documents are being finalized and four of the five initial Board of Directors have been selected.

As the Chicago representative of the ICA & CA, the new chapter will uphold the parent organization’s mission statement as described in its website, but will do so through the appreciation of Chicago’s and the Midwest’s fine examples of neoclassical architecture and the allied arts. It is anticipated that the geographic boundaries of the new chapter’s advocacy and outreach initiatives will include not only Chicago and Illinois, but several Midwestern states as well.

Despite its Chicago/Midwest focus, the new Chicago ICA & CA chapter will not advocate a position regarding any long standing Chicago/New York sports feuds, address questions of which city has better pizza (New York) or hot dogs (Chicago), nor will it apologize for trouncing New York in the competition to host the greatest of all neoclassical trade shows – the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition.

More updates will follow in Law/Ark, but interested parties can now join the ICA & CA through its parent organization’s website and specify Chicago as their local chapter. They may also contact Christopher Derrick at chris.derrick@classicistchicago.org for further information.

CHICAGO MUSEUMS AND MORE:

Current and Upcoming Events and Exhibitions

The Chicago Athenaeum “International Sculpture Garden at Schaumburg”
Robert O. Atcher Municipal Center
101 Schaumburg Court; Schaumburg, IL 60193
Schaumburg, IL 60193

The Chicago Athenaeum’s 20-acre site in Schaumburg, IL, includes works by Dennis Oppenheim (New York); Makoto Sei Watanabe (Tokyo); Nina Levy (New York); Argyro Konstantinidou (Greece); Klaus Vieregge (Germany); Egil Bauck Larssen (Norway); Charles de Montaigu (Switzerland); Pall Gudmundsson (Iceland); Benbow Bullock (California); Hans-Christian Berg (Finland); Oded Halahmy (Israel); and Jarle Rosseland (Sweden). Permanent Exhibition.

According to 10Best:
Art Institute of Chicago
111 S Michigan Ave, Grant Park, Chicago, IL 60603
Ph: 312-443-3600
www.artic.edu/aic/

A highlight of any trip to Chicago, this museum is home to one of the best and most diverse art collections in the world. People are drawn first to the vast Impressionist collection, including the world’s largest group of Monet paintings. But treasures abound, including the haunting “American Gothic” and Seurat’s groundbreaking Pointillist work. The contemporary section has been expanded and now includes pieces by Picasso, Matisse, Dali, Pollock, and Warhol. The temporary shows are also well known and always receive critical acclaim. A recent retrospective focused on the life and works of Van Gogh.

Current exhibits include:
Becoming Edvard Munch: Influence, Anxiety, and Myth
February 14–April 26, 2009

Yousuf Karsh: Regarding Heroes
January 22–April 26, 2009

The New Alsdorf Galleries of Indian, Southeast Asian, Himalayan, and Islamic Art (ongoing)

Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Collection Returns to New Galleries (ongoing)

Chicago Botanic Garden
1000 Lake Cook Rd, Glencoe, IL 60022
Ph: 847-835-5440
www.chicago-botanic.org

Located in a suburb 25 miles from the city, these gardens are well worth the drive. See recreated prairies, Japanese gardens, and giant topiaries, along with more than 20 other gardens. An added attraction is the Bee Line, a glass case that features over 10,000 pollinating bees. Managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society, this 400-acre preserve is also home to lagoons, waterways, and various botanical environments.

Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
951 Chicago Ave, Oak Park, IL 60302
Ph: 708-848-1976
www.wrightplus.org/homestudio/homestudio.html

Renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright began building this house in 1889. As his style developed, so did the home, and Wright continued to make unique additions to it to suit his personal needs. Today, guided tours showcase his studio and its chain-hung balcony, along with a playroom designed for his children that offers treetop views. The architect’s signature style and taste are clearly evident throughout the intricately designed home. Tours depart from Ginkgo Tree Bookshop and run from 45 minutes to an hour in length.

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60611
Ph: 312-280-2660
www.mcachicago.org

When this museum opened in its new aluminum-lined facility in 1996, it became the country’s largest museum of contemporary art. Featured works go far beyond two dimensions and include such diverse media as sculpture, photography, dance, performance, and music. Three large exhibition floors showcase more than 7000 objects, including pieces by Sol LeWitt, Alexander Calder, Jeff Koons, and Rene Magritte. Don’t miss the sculpture garden, which covers more than an acre. If you’re there in the summer, check out the summer solstice celebration that includes a number of unique, art-related events.

UPCOMING IN APRIL:
2009 Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens
April 25 – May 17, 2009
Tickets go on sale March 1, 2009

Lansdowne Estate
Shuttle Bus provided continuously during Showhouse Hours
Parking only at the:
Lake Bluff Recreation Center,
355 W. Washington, Lake Bluff, Illinois (North of Route 176 & Green Bay Road)
www.lakeforestshowhouse.com/2009Showhouse.html

The Infant Welfare Society of Chicago’s 2009 Lake Forest Showhouse & Gardens is reminiscent of the luxury that defined the “Gatsby” Beaux Arts era. The Lansdowne Estate was designed by Benjamin Marshall and built in 1911 for the head of Rand McNally. Stunning views surround this 14,500 square foot European-inspired home situated on 22 acres with riparian rights to the beach.

The stately white pillars hint at the grand scale of the home. Impressive terraces and stunning views of Lake Michigan are the highlights of the first floor. The home boasts a grand foyer, living room, coffered ceiling conservatory, solarium, library, 9 fireplaces, 5 bedrooms, third floor gathering room, guest suite. The lower level includes a wine cellar, spa, sauna and dressing room, and lounge. The grounds feature a pool, pool house and coach house. This estate is truly a historical masterpiece and monument to Chicago and its opulent architecture.

Explore this grand historic home, 30 miles north of Chicago, that has been restored and updated for the 21st century by 36 top interior and landscape designers.

Lake Forest Showhouse: Charlotte Moss Preview Event and Book Signing
April 22, 2009
“A Flair for Living”

$55 includes house admission, light refreshments, books will be available purchase and book signing. By reservation only, limited tickets available.

If you have a chance to attend any of the events listed above, please share your feedback. Post your comments here. Also, if you know of new or upcoming design-related events please let us know.

Make sure to enter to win the James Swan DesignCoach™ American Express $500 Gift Card Contest today!

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Every Wednesday, in our blog installment of Media-mouths™, we ask our readers to critique a pair of leading shelter magazine covers. Take a look at the latest covers of Veranda and World of Interiors and give us your opinions.

Let us know what you think about these two covers. What works/doesn’t work? What do these magazine covers say to you about design? Post your comments–and don’t forget to enter to win the DesignQuotient™ $500 American Express Gift Card Giveaway!

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Each Monday, DesignCoach™ Beverly Hills Interior Designer James Swan answers readers’ questions. Post your design dilemma. DesignCoach ™ can help you find the solution.

This week the DesignCoach™ discusses sampling paint colors.

Q: Jim, some of the stores and brands now let you buy a small amount of custom paint colors to try. Painting samples on my walls sounds like a great idea, but frankly I don’t want to have five different color patches in my house.

A: The ONLY way to commit to a color on your walls is to live with it. You need to experience it in morning, noon and evening light, and with all the variables which life tosses your way. Understand that testing paint color swatches is part of a process, not the end result, and you will pat yourself on the back once you’ve made your paint selections.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Don’t be afraid to test paint colors before you paint the entire room. Sampling colors first will lead you to the best results.

Let us know if we can help with your design dilemma. Send us your questions.

Make sure to enter to win the James Swan DesignCoach™ American Express $500 Gift Card Contest today!

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DesignFind™ answers two questions: How to find an interior designer in Dallas? and What to do in Dallas?

How to find an interior designer in Dallas, TX?

When asking the question “how to find an interior designer in Dallas” many are surprised to find out that nationally acclaimed Beverly Hills Interior Design firm James Swan & Company can work with clients across Texas. Need help with your next design project? Contact us.

Looking for things to do in Dallas?

Each Friday, we like to showcase the latest design events and happenings. This week our venue is Dallas. Take a look at what Dallas has in store for the month ahead in the world of antiques, fine arts, architecture and design.

Need Dallas accommodations? Check out the Rosewood Mansion at Turtle Creek www.mansiononturtlecreek.com

THINGS TO DO IN DALLAS:

All Texas Garden Show
Feb 27-Mar 1, 2009
Arlington Convention Center
General Admission – $8.50
Kids Under 14 – Free!
Friday Only – Sr. Citizens (65+) – $7.00
www.texashomeandgarden.com

Antique Elegance Show
Richardson Civic Center, 411 W Arapaho, Richardson, TX 75080
When: February 21 – February 22, 2009, 10:00am-5:00pm
Price: $5 per day / $5 for Fashion Show, FREE Parking. A portion of the proceeds from the Style Show are given to charity.

See over 60 antique dealers from all over the country and Europe
According to 10Best:
The Buzz—The word “antique” is used loosely these days, but true relic hunters will find a paradise of treasures at the Antique Elegance Show. The show features dealers selling only items from the pre-Civil War and Victorian era through the 1940′s. The show has a strong following based on the quality of the items being sold, and collectors will not be disappointed. In addition to the dealers, a fashion show of American dress during the era will be held, as well as classes on how to date antique photos and how to conserve antique textiles.

* Fashion Show – “What American Women Wore”
Fashions from 1770 – 1960
Presented by Kevin Jones, Curator
FIDM Museum, LA
Saturday 9am.

* “Dating Your Antique Photographs”
Christina Johnson, Collections Manager
FIDM Museum, LA
Lecture & Exhibit – Saturday 1 PM

* “Conservation & Preservation of Antique Textiles”
Kevin Jones, FIDM Museum
Lecture – Sunday 1 PM

Arts District Stroll
Arts District Friends, 2010 Flora Street, Dallas, TX
10:30 a.m. first Saturday each month
Ph: 214-953-1977

Take a one-hour, guided walking tour of the Dallas Arts District, where trained docents lead you through the largest contiguous urban arts area in the country. Reservations requested.

One notable architectural residence that is not on tour is the Fort Worth residence of Anne Bass, designed by Paul Rudolph. The residence was selected as one of the Fort Worth AIA’s Top 25 buildings.

Art Garden
Downtown, 2010 Flora St., Dallas, TX
10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesdays-Sundays; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursdays
Ph: 214-979-6430

Enjoy the Sculpture Garden at the base of the statuesque Trammell Crow Center in downtown. More than 20 statues from the French masters, including Rodin, reside in this peaceful setting with cascading waters and beautiful gardens.

Circle Theatre
Art by Yasmina Reza
230 W 4th St
Fort Worth, TX 76102
Ph: (817) 877-3040

Fort Worth’s Circle Theatre kicks off its 2009 season on March 19 with Yasmina Reza’s Art. FireStarter Productions, which has been a guest company at Circle since 2007, will do one production there this year–a group of one acts called Tapas. It opens April 16.

Dallas Central Library
1515 Young St.
Dallas, TX
Ph: 214-670-1700

Read all about it at the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library. This public library includes one of the original copies of the Declaration of Independence, printed in 1776. William Shakespeare’s First Folio of Comedies, Histories & Tragedies is also on permanent display. The library’s Children Center is one of the largest in the country. Hours: 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays; and 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Sundays

Dallas Home & Garden Show
March 6-8, 2009
Dallas Market Hall
www.texashomeandgarden.com

Prepare your home with the latest products, ideas and tips at the Texas Home & Garden Show series. The shows offer something for every part of your home and garden including innovative remodeling ideas, beautiful decorating tips, creative backyard additions as well as organization solutions to make your house the home you have always dreamed of. All of these things and more can be found under one roof!

Dallas Museum of Art
1717 North Harwood
Dallas, Texas 75201
Ph: 214-922-1803

Currently on exhibit: Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs.
The Dallas Museum of Art, established in 1903, has an encyclopedic collection of more than 23,000 works spanning 5,000 years of history and representing all media, with renowned strengths in the arts of the ancient Americas, Africa, Indonesia, and South Asia; European and American painting, sculpture, and decorative arts; and American and international contemporary art. The Dallas Museum of Art is among the top six museums in America with encyclopedic collections and an emphasis on art of the modern era. in 2009 the Museum celebrates its 25th anniversary as anchor of the Dallas Arts District.

Jazz in the Atrium
Dallas Museum of Art
1717 North Harwood
Dallas, Texas 75201
Thursdays, 6:00–8:00 p.m., Free

Enjoy live jazz in the Atrium every Thursday and join us for a casual dinner in the Atrium Cafe or for sophisticated small plates and half-price bottles of wine in Seventeen Seventeen Restaurant.

February:

12 Ms. Sherel Riley & Trio
Enjoy jazz classics performed by Ms. Sherel Riley, a new voice on the Dallas jazz scene.

19 The Dan Robins Quintet
Hear jazz performed by this seasoned group of musicians led by drummer Dan Robins.

26 The Ron Jones Quartet
Composer Ron Jones leads an ensemble of players performing his original compositions and other arrangements of jazz standards.

Outdoor Sculpture Tour
Downtown Dallas

Discover more than 30 distinctive sculptures on the sidewalks of downtown. Along with pieces from the 19th century, there are contemporary works, including a painter capturing magnificent Dallas on canvas.

The Meyerson Symphony Center in the Arts District (Photo by Erich Schlegel for the New York Times)
Branford Marsalis with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Morton H Meyerson Symphony Center Feb 19 – Feb 22

Tour the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center
2301 Flora St.
Dallas, TX
Ph: 214-670-3600

The acoustically renowned Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, designed by I.M. Pei, is yours to tour on select Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 1 p.m. (Please call in advance for monthly tour schedule, as tours are subject to change with rehearsals and performances.) Discover the 4,535 pipes on the Herman W. Lay Family Organ–the $1.36 million organ crafted by C.B. Fisk Inc., which is truly an acoustical wonder!

Enthusiastic and experienced volunteer docents are available to welcome visitors, school groups, conventions and families for one-hour tours detailing points of interest throughout the Meyerson. Once a month, schedule permitting, a 30-minute organ demonstration of the Lay Family Concert Organ is presented, followed by a tour of the Center.

Here is GuideLive.com’s current listing of other current cultural events in Dallas:

A Tribute to John Williams
Eisemann Center for Performing Arts Feb 21 – Feb 21
2351 Performance Drive
Richardson, TX 75082
Price: $9 to $75 in advance; $2 more at the door
Call 972-473-7262

Just in time to prime you for the Oscar ceremony on Sunday, the Plano Symphony Orchestra has a treat in store Saturday night: a tribute to American composer, conductor and pianist John Williams, who has been nominated for 45 Oscars in his career and has won five times. His first nomination was for Valley of the Dolls in 1967; his most recent were for Memoirs of a Geisha and Munich, both in 2005. At Saturday’s concert, the symphony, conducted by Hector Guzman, will perform pieces from Jaws (take someone to clutch!), Superman, the Indiana Jones movies and others. The 100-voice Plano Civic Chorus will join in on numbers from Stars Wars: The Phantom Menace, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Saving Private Ryan, and concertmaster Vesselin Demirev will perform a violin solo from Schindler’s List. This will be the first time the Plano symphony has performed an all-Williams tribute.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Bass Performance Hall Feb 24 – Feb 25
525 Commerce St
Fort Worth, TX 76102
Price: $35 to $100
Call 877-212-4280 or visit www.basshall.com

Amalia
Haley-Henman Gallery Jan 24 – Mar 28
2335 Hardwick St
Dallas, TX 75208

Amalia Zelaya El-Masri shows her paintings, sculpture and retrospective collections of her work.

AmeriStamp Expo
Arlington Convention Center Feb 20 – Feb 22
1200 Ballpark Way
Arlington, TX 76011
Price: Free admission, parking is $5
www.stamps.org/ameristamp/

According to The Dallas Morning News:
A stamp with a mistake is treated like a rock star in the universe of philately. At this weekend’s postal stamp and postal history show in Arlington, rarities such as the Inverted Jenny, which was first issued in May 1918 and is said to contain the most well-known error in American stamps with its upside-down image of a Curtiss JN-4H biplane, will bask in their celebrity status. The show is expected to attract about 100 dealers from across the country and beyond with its lineup of stamp exhibits, seminars on philately and a special area intended to guide youth collectors through the basics of the hobby with free stamps, games and more.

Ballet Ensemble of Texas
Irving Arts Center Feb 21 – Feb 22
3333 N Macarthur Blvd Ste 300
Irving, TX 75062
Price: $21
Call 972-252-2787 or visit www.irvingartscenter.com

Barbara Crane: Challenging Vision
Amon Carter Museum Feb 15 – May 10
3501 Camp Bowie Blvd.
Fort Worth, TX 76107
Call 817-738-1933
Exhibition features nearly 200 photographs, from photographer Barbara Cranes’ internationally heralded early studies of human form through her chronicle of Chicago city life to her recent explorations of nature.

Boomin’ Brass
Courtyard Theater Feb 22
1509 Ave H
Plano, TX 75074
When: Sun Feb 22, Activities: 2 pm, Concert: 3 pm
Price:
$7 to $11 advance
$9 to $13 at the door
Call 972-473-7262

Want to learn about some beautiful brass? Kids ages 3 to 12 can get a close-up look at the brass instruments when the Plano Symphony Orchestra presents “Boomin’ Brass,” the latest in its interactive and educational Target Family Symphony Series. Arrive an hour before the Sunday concert for lobby activities, including an instrument petting zoo.

Chinese Film Festival
Plano Maribelle M. Davis Public Library Feb 01 – Feb 22
7501 Independence Pkwy
Plano, TX 75025
Catch free film screenings at Plano Public Library’s Davis branch on Sunday afternoons through Feb. 22. The library’s Chinese Film Festival will feature four movies. All films will have English subtitles; most are recommended for mature audiences (except for CJ7, which is rated PG). Visit the Web site for film descriptions.

Diana Walker: Photojournalist
The Women’s Museum Jan 06 – Mar 15
3800 Parry Ave
Dallas, TX 75226
Call 214-915-0860
Works by photojournalist Diana Walker will be on display at the museum starting this Dec. 20 and running through March 10. Images will include her photos of Muhammad Ali; Rosalynn Carter and Joan Mondale aboard the First Lady’s plane; and Bill Clinton during his last week in the White House.

Don’t Dress for Dinner
Theatre Three Feb 05 – Mar 08
2800 Routh St.

Dallas, TX 75201
Price: $10 to $40
Call 214-871-3300

According to Lawson Taitte for The Dallas Morning News:
Suddenly French farce is back in vogue in America. Not the 19th-century kind, which has attained classic status and goes into repertory at establishment theaters. No, the still spicier mid-20th-century variety — which until now had great popularity around the world, if not always in the United States, but not the respectability it has newly earned.

For instance, Marc Camoletti’s Boeing-Boeing, which ran barely three weeks when it first appeared on Broadway in 1965, won the Tony Award for best revival last season. It earned back the money from its investors (including the Dallas Summer Musicals) in record time. You can expect to see a tour coming through here next year.

And now Theatre Three is presenting a later farce by Camoletti, Don’t Dress for Dinner. In it, the hero, expecting his wife to be visiting her mother, invites his mistress to his country house. Of course, the wife shows up, as does the hero’s best friend. Madcap madness ensues.

John McLean, a former Theatre Three performer who moved to Paris in 1970, returns to Dallas to direct. McLean was in charge of the company’s 2003 hit Transatlantic Liaison and took it to an acclaimed off-Broadway run three years later. Don’t Dress for Dinner is much lighter stuff: We’ll see if the director has as much talent for theatrical soufflés as for meaty drama.

El Corazon exhibit
Bath House Cultural Center Feb 07 – Mar 07
521 E Lawther Dr
Dallas, TX 75218
Call 214-670-8749

When romance goes awry, the lovelorn may feel as though their hearts have been squashed. In that bittersweet sentiment, the annual “El Corazón” art exhibition at the Bath House Cultural Center will open on Feb. 7 with a reception and a squash-themed cooking demonstration. The demo’s titled “Nos Dieron Calabazas” (We Were Given Squashes); dar calabazas is a colloquial phrase that means to reject someone’s romantic proposal. Guadalupe Díaz de León will prepare Mexican dishes containing squashes. Also, musician Joseph Gomez will perform Latin rock and blues. The art show will feature pieces by more than 40 Texas artists inspired by el corazón (the heart). Paintings, sculptures, photographs and mixed-media works will be on view.

George Segal: Street Scenes
Nasher Sculpture Center Jan 24 – Apr 05
2001 Flora St
Dallas, TX 75201
Call 214-242-5100

According to Michael Granberry for The Dallas Morning News:
George Segal was a master at depicting ordinary people through life-size sculptures, whether he showed his subjects at the cinema, in a liquor store or languishing in a Depression-era bread line. The late American artist crafted a career out of commenting on the human condition in the urban environment of the second half of the 20th century. He focused a spotlight on urban decay and did so with rare insight. If the characters in the new movie Revolutionary Road existed in an art museum, they might well be sculptures by Segal. His new show at the Nasher Sculpture Center features 15 single- and multifigure installations from the early 1960s to the end of his career in the 1990s. Nasher officials say that “George Segal: Street Scenes” is the first exhibition to offer a focused exploration of the themes of urban life inherent in his work. It opens Saturday, and on Sunday at 2 p.m., Dallas Black Dance Theatre will perform a specially commissioned original work in celebration of the exhibition. The dance is free with museum admission.

Heart and Soul exhibit
Bath House Cultural Center Feb 07 – Mar 07
521 E Lawther Dr
Dallas, TX 75218
Call 214-670-8749

The juried exhibition “Heart and Soul” features recent paintings, prints, collages, sculpture, ceramics, photography and textile works by members of the Creative Arts Center of Dallas.

If you have a chance to attend any of these events, please share your feedback. Post your comments here. Also, if you know of new or upcoming design-related events please let us know.

Make sure to enter to win the James Swan DesignCoach™ American Express $500 Gift Card Contest today!

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Every Wednesday, in our blog installment of MediaMouths™, we ask our readers to critique a pair of leading shelter magazine covers. Take a look at the current covers of Architectural Digest and Elle Decor and give us your opinions.

Let us know what you think about these two covers. What works/doesn’t work? What do these magazine covers say to you about design? Post your comments–and don’t forget to enter to win the DesignQuotient™ $500 American Express Gift Card Giveaway!

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For readers looking to make changes to their interiors, here is this week’s Top Five Custom Interior Design Ideas.

1. Wallpaper the Interior of Closets. Stylish surprises like this are what make custom interiors. Pick a bold pattern in a color pallet related to the main room and apply wall paper to the interior of a closet.

2. Line the Back of Decorative Pillows. Layer fabrics, play pattern off of pattern, mix stripes and solids and just have fun by using contrast fabric on the back of decorative pillows on your sofa or beds.

3. Paint or Paper the Back of Bookshelves. Layer color and provide a rich backdrop for the books and mementos on your bookshelves by painting or papering the back wall. Your books will have never looked so good.

4. Arrange Furniture Away from The Walls. Pulling furniture off walls can breathe fresh life into a room that has begun to feel like a waiting room. Play with a new arrangement that focuses on a fireplace or a window.

5. Frame and Hang Family Pictures. Nothing says “home” quite like a wall or hallway filled with family pictures. Select frames that coordinate but don’t match and fill the space with those you love the most. Mix black-and-white shots with color shots for added interest.

Let us know if we can help with your design dilemma. Send us your questions.

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Each Monday, Beverly Hills Interior Designer DesignCoach™ James Swan answers readers’ questions. Post your design dilemma. DesignCoach ™ can help you find the solution.

This week the DesignCoach™ discusses children’s rooms and decorating a nursery.

Q: The good news is that we’re expecting our first child. The not so good news is that we’re going to need to use the baby’s nursery as his or her room. I want to make the room bright and cheerful, but don’t want to have to spend a bundle to redo the room so that our toddler will like his or her room. What should we be thinking of for color and shelves? Should we just bite the bullet and head to IKEA and do the same thing in three years when our baby outgrows the room?

A: Congratulations on new addition to your family. Welcome also to the challenge of little ones who quickly become not so little. Here are three things to consider as you decide how best to make your little one’s nest:

1. If you read child development books you will learn that bright colors help to stimulate infants. Fluffy animals, fairies or cho-cho trains don’t. These tend to stimulate parents and their friends as they coo and ooh over the newborn. So keep the colors bright to stimulate your little one’s senses and understand that the “theme” you choose for the room really has more to do with you than them.

Go with stimulating, bright colors.

The theme is up to you.

2. With that thought in mind, it is easiest to pick something that is not age specific. Realize that at some point your little one is going to be borrowing the car on Friday night. Sometime between now and then you will need to revisit the décor of their most private of space. So ease into this and make your job less taxing.

3. There is no getting around the crib to bed transition. Plan for it. Changing tables quickly outlive their usefulness too. A well built dresser can grow with a child as can other large storage pieces (armoires, trunks, etc.).

Plan on the crib-to-bed transition.

Let us know if we can help with your design dilemma. Send us your questions.

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Everything we believed to be true seems to be sliding into a state of pseudo-fiction leaving some to dig their heels of denial further into the hardpan of reality. There are others, many it seems, who view the times as having changed and actively look for ways to manifest this essential difference.

Two stories from the New York Times fashion pages shed light on corners of our cultural consciousness which bode well for the new chapter unfolding daily.

FASHION & STYLE | February 15, 2009
Revealing New Layers of African Fashion
By Guy Trebay

FASHION & STYLE | February 15, 2009
Fashion Diary: Has the ‘Obama Effect’ Come to Runway Castings?
By Guy Trebay

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DesignFind™ answers two questions: how to find an interior designer in San Francisco and what to do in San Francisco?

How to find an interior designer in San Francisco?

When asking the question “how to find an interior designer in San Francisco” many are surprised to find out that nationally acclaimed Beverly Hills Interior Designer James Swan & Company works with clients in San Francisco and all over the West Coast. Need help with your next design project? Contact us.

Looking for things to do in San Francisco?

Each Friday, we like to showcase the latest design events and happenings. This week our venue is San Francisco. Take a look at what San Francisco has in store for the month ahead in the world of antiques, fine arts, architecture and design.

California International Antiquarian Book Fair
Fri Feb 13 – Sun Feb 15
Book Arts, Seminars and Special Exhibits from Hundreds of Booksellers and Collectors
Tel. 415.962.2500; 800.454.6401

The 42nd California International Antiquarian Book Fair — the world’s largest rare book fair is a bibliophile’s delight, featuring a rich selection of books, manuscripts, maps and other printed materials, including incunabula; literature from all centuries and nationalities; fine bindings; children’s and illustrated books; ephemera; and antiquarian books of all kinds, such as law, architecture, cookery, science, history and most other subject areas one can conceivably imagine.

Sponsored by the Northern California Chapter of the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America

Tickets: $15 for a three-day ticket, including Opening Day
$10- for Saturday or Sunday
Available at the door

Alameda Point Antiques and Collectibles Faire
March 1, 2009
Main runway at Alameda Point
Alameda, CA
Northern California’s largest antiques and collectibles show. We have over 800 outdoor dealers selling their merchandise on the first Sunday of every month at the former Alameda Point Naval Air Station in Alameda, California.
According to CitySearch: Need a coffee table? Bakelite bangle collection? Map of Russia from the 1800s? Whatever you need, whatever you can think of, you’ll find at this massive monthly flea market—but show up early or all the good stuff will be gone.

Architecture Walking Tour
Galleria Park Hotel (11:00 a.m only)

Reservations Needed! Call 415.264.8824 if making same day reservation, otherwise register online at www.architecturesf.com

This new Architecture Walking Tour of San Francisco’s Financial District is loaded with secret gems and hidden jewels of the city! In addition to learning about the history of the buildings in the Financial District, you will also discover special public outdoor spaces, hidden treasures (murals, museums, art galleries, etc), and special rooftop gardens that can only be found on foot. Tour leaves from the lobby of the Historic Galleria Park Hotel in the heart of the Financial District.

Designers’ Wednesday Seminar: Creating Dream Green Kitchens
San Francisco Design Center
March 4, 2009
Jennifer Roberts
Ebanista, Galleria 425
Book signing at Christopher Peacock Cabinetry, Galleria 445
Seminars are $45 per seminar and include lunch. Advance registration and payment must be received one week prior to each seminar. Seminars are from 12 – 2 PM unless otherwise noted. For inquiries, call 415-490-5881.

San Francisco Flower & Garden Show
Mar 18-22, 2009
San Mateo Event Center
2495 South Delaware Street
San Mateo, CA

An entertaining floral funfest for you and your friends. Thousands upon thousands of flowers and plants with all their rich colors, fragrances and textures. Four acres of inspiring flower gardens, free seminars for all gardening levels, and shopping at 300 exhibits all strictly related to San Francisco & California gardening, outdoor living and gardeners. There is a myriad of facets to the Garden Show; while the gardens, commercial exhibits and seminars are the core of the Show, there is still much, much more to see.

Artistic Luxury: Fabergé, Tiffany, Lalique
February 7, 2009 — May 31, 2009
Legion of Honor
Lincoln Park
34th Avenue & Clement Street
San Francisco, CA 94121

Exhibiting at the Legion of Honor fine arts museum: “Artistic Luxury: Fabergé, Tiffany, Lalique” is the first comparative study of the work of the three greatest jewelry and decorative arts designers at the turn of the 20th century: Peter Carl Fabergé, Louis Comfort Tiffany, and René Lalique. Their rivalry found its stage at the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris—the only exposition where all three showed simultaneously and where the work of each was prominently displayed. Some of their most elaborate designs for the Paris World’s Fair are reunited for the first time in a gallery recreating the ambiance of this opulent international exposition. Looking critically at the development, design, and marketing of each firm, this exhibition explores how these designers responded to the demand for luxury goods in the years leading up to World War I.

SFMOMA
2008 SECA Art Award
151 Third Street
San Francisco, CA 94103 map
Cross street: between Mission & Howard
Ph: 415.357.4000

Administered by SECA (Society for the Encouragement of Contemporary Art), an SFMOMA art interest group, this biennial award honors local artists of exceptional promise with an exhibition at the museum. This year’s four recipients employ a wide spectrum of artistic approaches, including painting, sculpture, photography, and video. Whether Tauba Auerbach is making images of TV static, digital binary code, or alphabets, she probes the dynamics of symbolic representation. Referencing 1980s sitcoms, Desirée Holman uses sculpture, performance, and video to look at the human condition via both reality and fantasy. Jordan Kantor’s paintings explore the cultural mediation of images and artistic appropriation. Trevor Paglen’s photographs examine the shadowy side of the U.S. government, capturing images of spy satellites, clandestine flight missions, and secret military operations.

Yves Saint Laurent
November 1, 2008 — April 5, 2009
The de Young museum
Golden Gate Park
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
San Francisco, CA 94118
Tel: 415.750.3600

In the 1960s Yves Saint Laurent made an indelible mark on fashion with clothing emblematic of the new modernity. Yves Saint Laurent, organized by FAMSF and The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts in collaboration with the Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent, explores the designs that made Saint Laurent famous, and his inspirations drawn from art, theatre, history, literature, and nature. This exhibition contains nearly 130 accessorized garments and sketches illustrating the lines, colors, and fundamentals of Saint Laurent’s work. This is the only U.S. venue. A catalogue accompanies this exhibition.

A favorite of San Francisco residents and visitors since 1895, is located at 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive in the heart of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park.

Davies Symphony Hall
San Francisco Symphony Presents: Charles Dutoit conducts Scheherazade
Feb 13-15, 8:00 PM
Website: http://sfsymphony.org/season/Event.aspx?eventid=26934

Lighter-than-air Debussy is a balance to Stravinsky’s spiky, muscular music. Rimsky-Korsakov tells tales from the Arabian Nights in a fusion of soaring imagination and brilliant color.

Valentines’s Day Special: Order tickets to any of these performances and make your Valentine’s Day extraordinary with a Symphony package at The Westin St. Francis Hotel. Click the website link above for more details.

Free Inside Music talk by Laura Stanfield Prichard one hour prior to each concert.

Joyous Marriage
at Receiver Gallery
San Francisco artist, Kyle Ranson, showcases his new works at Receiver Gallery. The show, entitled Joyous Marriage, describes mankind’s compulsive nature.

Jim Gaylord: Cliffhanger
Gregory Lind Gallery
49 Geary St. Fifth Floor
San Francisco, CA 94108
Tuesdays–Saturdays (10:30am–5:30pm)

Gregory Lind Gallery is pleased to present Jim Gaylord’s new exhibition, Cliffhanger. The show will include works in oil on linen, gouache on paper, multi-layered.

Alec Soth: The Last Days of W.
Stephen Wirtz Gallery
49 Geary St., 3rd Fl.
San Francisco, CA 94108
Tuesdays–Fridays (9:30am–5:30pm); Saturdays (10:30am–5:30pm)

Stephen Wirtz Gallery is pleased to announce The Last Days of W, an exhibition of photographs by Alec Soth. A visual coda to the presidency of W.

Progressions
Pancho Villa (2:00 pm – 4:00 pm)

This is the debut showing of Ray Lobato’s “Progressions” series, abstractions depicting a bird’s eye view, flying above the streets below, progressing.
Ph: 415-606-7170

Lisa Mei Ling Fong
Gallery Three
66 Sixth Street
San Francisco, CA 94109

This show features 25 of her 118 Introversion Boxes made of assembled artifacts and personal collections of relics from around the world.

Morse Code Landscapes
Feb 14, 2009
Michael Rosenthal Gallery
365 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA

Opening February 14th at Michael Rosenthal, .-.. .- -. -.. Morse Code Landscapes will feature the work of Inga Dorosz, including a series of small drawings, a large-scale drawing installation, and 9-foot landscape scrolls. Amassing inspiration from a variety of sources (natural environment, photographs, books) and scales (from construction sites to mountain ranges), all of Dorosz’s featured gallery works are in some way representative of remote and transitional places.

Dada Lounge
Feb 13, 2009
86 2nd Street
San Francisco, CA 94105

Opening party 8pm-late Friday the 13th Adam Caldwell’s newest work: surrealist abstract and graphic oil paintings. Music, food, drinks, fun.

Mathew Palladino & Ryan Shaffer
White Walls Gallery
Feb 7-Mar 7, 2009, Tues-Sat 12pm-7pm
835 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94109

If you have a chance to attend any of these events, please share your feedback. Post your comments here. Also, if you know of new or upcoming design-related events please let us know.

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Shown in the book View From the Top: 50 Great Apartments and HGTV’s “Homes Across America.”

The Architecture Monogram Series

These great personalized gift and home accessories have an interesting history. Each piece features classical architectural follies designed in the shape of letters from the original 1773 Architectural Alphabet manuscript of architect J.D. Steingruber…

Choose note cards and a tote bag with your initial,
or hang one, two or three framed prints.

…Intriguingly, architect J. D. Steingruber decided to majestically flank his letter ‘I’ with a small ‘E’ & ‘A.’ Even more curious, he left out one letter completely from his Architectural Alphabet—the letter ‘J.’ We think J.D. kept it for himself. Although DesignCoach™ James Swan loves the ‘S’ canvas totes and note cards, he was not content to only hang the letter ‘S’ on his wall, so he hung Steingruber’s entire alphabet! You can see the stunning result in the photo above from the book View From the Top: 50 Great Apartments, also featured on HGTV’s show “Homes Across America.”

19″ x 15″ Framed Prints $45.49 Tote Bags $16.89 Note Cards (Pk of 10) $12.99

A Fascinating History: Steingruber’s Alphabet is a rare alphabet-themed volume that was published in 1773. The blog Giornale Nuovo offers this history and commentary of the unique work:

 

Each letter of the alphabet is made into a plan of a palatial building. In the case of A, there is a grand hall at the apex of the building, while its crossbar comprises a central passageway flanked by a pair of arcaded hallways, and, at the letter’s feet there are ‘cabinets’ and ‘garderobes.’ E is intended to house two sets of apartments, with main entrances top & bottom, and a chapel in the central prong of the building, which, Steingruber concedes, could equally well be made into a grand staircase, or a special reception room.

Some letters make for more conventional buildings than others: H ‘lends itself admirably to a design for a palace in the country for a personage of consequence,’ whereas S must yield a ‘curiosity, rather than a workable building.’ Even so, Steingruber has thought hard at making his S a suitably royal residence, with a pair of circular reception rooms, a quartet of spiral staircases, and a dozen servants’ rooms at the extremities of the building, some of whose occupants would be granted the peculiar pleasure of inhabiting a serif. The Z building is another which provided the architect with a challenge, but by blunting its outward angles, and softening its inward ones with rounded cabinets; and by carefully shaping and arranging rooms and stairwells; he is able to complete the alphabet to his satisfaction.

 

Steingruber (1702-87) was the son of a master mason from a place called Wassertrüdingen an der Wörnitz, near the town of Dinkelsbühl. After an apprenticeship in which he worked on constructing palaces at Mannheim and Rastatt, he came to work at the Brandenburg court at Ansbach in the service of the margrave Friedrich Carl Alexander. He was soon appointed court & public surveyor, and was later made principal architect of the board of works. Besides completing many building projects, Steingruber expounded on architectural theory in his books Architeccture Civile (ca. 1748) and Practica Bürgerlicher Baukunst (Practical Course in Civil Architecture, 1763).

In their book Neiw Kunstliches Alphabet by Kiermeier-Debre and Vogel, the authors mention other architects who had proposed constructions from alphabetical foundations: one Anton Glonner, a contemporary of Steingruber’s, designed a Jesuit church and college around that order’s ‘IHS’ monogram, while others sought to build up from their own initials. More interestingly, almost a century before the publication of Steingruber’s alphabet, a French architect named Thomas Gobert (1625-90) had compiled a manuscript Traitté d’Architecture dedié à Louis XIV which included a series of building-plans which spelled, in stylized letters, the words ‘LOVIS LE GRAND’ (Louis the Great). (History posted by blog poster misteraitch on Giornale Nuovo.)

19″ x 15″ Framed Prints $45.49 Tote Bags $16.89 Note Cards (Pk of 10) $12.99
Find your monogram.

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A Beverly Hills Interior Designer Asks “Can Design Save the U.S. Economy?”

Some things seem as productive as rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. Many will consider the suggestion that design could prove valuable in restoring order to our economy to be simply ridiculous. I would suggest to you that the idea is no more ridiculous than the suggestion that the Unsinkable might today be found at the bottom of the North Atlantic.

One of my favorite definitions of design may be found in a copy of The New York Times Book of Interior Design and Decoration (1965 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Inc.) were in the preface the author suggests “designing starts with the development of an idea and sees it through to its completion.”

So pick your discipline: fashion, graphic, architecture, interiors, product, industrial… there is not a moment in our day when the world of design has not touched our experience. In each instance the process has, to a greater or lesser extent, followed a process which initiates an idea through to its reality in the real world.

To say that an idea, as regarding our current economic condition, is missing or is in some way illusive would indicate a shocking lack of awareness. Regardless which side of the aisle you prefer the idea paramount in today’s public conversation is one of survival–as in “How will we survive?”

To cheapen the answer to this monumental idea by ideological bickering is an insult to the public who have been victimized by rhetoric and irresponsible leadership for far too long. Much like my clients who can spin themselves into twisted states of anxiety when debating which fabric to pick for the drapes, many of our leaders today are twisting their long held party traditions into untenable knots which threaten to hamper forward motion.

Remember: no lives will be saved by picking the right fabric and honestly folks, does anyone really believes that clinging to an ideology is going to save our collective asses? What needs to happen is for us to “see it through to its completion.”

We have a leader who is leading (much like designers design). Let’s let him do his job, shall we?

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Each Monday, DesignCoach™ Beverly Hills Interior Designer James Swan answers readers’ questions. Post your design dilemma. DesignCoach ™ can help you find the solution.

This week the DesignCoach™ discusses changing a room’s ambiance.

Q: I want to change the ambiance of my house and think that if I could change the lighting I could “renovate” not just the look but the feel of my place. Am I barking up the wrong tree? Any suggestions? And if I’m onto something here, can I do it in stages rather than bite off the whole project (and expense) of swapping out all the lights and bulbs at once.

A: While lighting can impact the overall feeling of a home there can be considerable costs associated with this type of endeavor. Demolition of the old system, new wiring for the new system, selection and installation of new fixtures as well as selection and installation of new control systems can quickly add up both in hard costs and inconvenience.

If you want to change the ambiance of your house and feel that a less invasive path would be preferable I recommend considering paint. New colors on the walls and ceilings can dramatically change the way rooms feel while keeping costs under control.

Quick fix to change a room’s ambiance: As featured in House Beautiful magazine, in a Boston Living Room, designer James Swan matched the color on the walls to the pale gray-green of lamb’s ears. The color has “an undertone of silver as the light hits it. Even in winter, it keeps that ethereal, dreamy feeling.”

Dont’ forget to enter the DesignQuotient™ $500 American Express Gift Card Giveaway!

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DesignFind™ answers two questions: how to find interior decorators & designers near Boston, MA and what to do in Boston?

How to find interior decorators & designers near Boston, MA?

When asking the question “how to find interior decorators & designers near Boston, MA” many are surprised to find out that nationally acclaimed Beverly Hills interior design firm James Swan & Company works with clients in Boston and all over the East Coast. Need help with your next design project? Contact us.

Looking for things to do in Boston?

Each Friday, we like to showcase the latest design events and happenings. This week our venue is Boston. Take a look at what Boston has in store for the month ahead in the world of antiques, fine arts, architecture and design.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Splendor and Elegance:
European Decorative Arts and Drawings from the Horace Wood Brock Collection
Thursday, January 22, 2009 – Sunday, May 17, 2009

465 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA, 02115
(617) 267-9300

With approximately 450,000 objects in the MFA collection, there’s always something new on view.

The MFA also offers an ongoing schedule of special exhibitions and daily activities including gallery talks, films, concerts, artist lectures, and family programs.

Stay as long as you like and see just what you want—from an Impressionist painting to a 5,000 year-old mummy to a current film.

Suburban Boston Spring Home Show
February 6, 7, 8, 2009
Shriners Auditorium
99 Fordham Road
Wilmington, MA 01887
http://acshomeshow.com/HGExpo/SAS.html

The Flower and Patio Show
February 27-March 1, 2009
At Worcester’s DCU Center
Toll Free: (800) 533-0229
www.centralmaflowershow.com

“It’s All About Spring!”

It’s time for that taste of Spring once again!

Come stroll through wonderful garden displays, watch in wonder the waterfall building contest, and purchase all of the products you need to make your “outdoor living room” your own creation that you can enjoy for years to come!

The Garden Café will be returning, share a refreshment with us amongst the beautiful gardens.

The Garden Shop is filled with everything from patios to fresh-cut flowers! Hear from the experts, comparison shop with no pressure, and walk away with everything you’ll need for those new inspired projects you will obtain at the show!
Meet the landscapers who will create this years Gardens and discover how your own backyard can be transformed.

Opera, Ballet, Theater, and more! There are many more great Boston events courtesy of the Mayor’s Office of Arts, Tourism & Special Events calendar:

Riverside Theatre Works, Hyde Park
Hansel and Gretel
February 6th – 15th

The key word is “gingerbread”
in this adaptation of the fairytale
by the Brothers Grimm.
www.riversidetheatreworks.org

Opera House
Dirty Dancing
February 7th thru March 15th
Dirty Dancing
The critically acclaimed stage production inspired by the hit movie.
www.broadwayacrossamerica.com

Citi Performing Arts Center
Black and White
February 12th – 15th
Black and White—the work of Jiri Kylian, one of Europe’s most fascinating and celebrated choreographers, returns to Boston Ballet.
www.bostonballet.org

Symphony Hall
Mozart
February 12th – 21st
Boston Symphony Orchestra present a feast of the genius classical composer.
www.bso.org

Lyric Stage Company
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof
February 13th
The Pulitzer-winning masterpiece
following the charged atmosphere
within a wealthy Mississippi family.
www.lyricstage.com

Cutler Majestic Theatre
Tenth Annual Flamenco Festival
February 13th – 15th
Seville’s definitive, elegant dancer sabel Bayón captures the essence nd soul of flamenco.
www.maj.org

Museum of Fine Arts
Valentine’s Day Prelude
February 14th, 8:00pm
Nancy Armstrong, Robert Honeysucker, aura Jeppesen, and Daniel Stepner perform n amorous mix of popular love songs.
www.mfa.org

Faneuil Hall
Music of Love
February 14th, 8:00pm
Boston Classical Orchestra will play Brahms,
Wagner, Strauss, Mendelssohn and Schubert.
www.bostonclassicalorchestra.org

Citi Performing Arts Center
Jewels
February 26th thru March 8th
Presenting a miniature history of classical dance, Jewels references ballet’s French origins and Russia’s imperial style.
www.bostonballet.org

Cutler Majestic Theatre
The Nose
February 27th thru March 3rd
From Opera Boston comes this surreal and satirical romp.
www.operaboston.org

If you have a chance to attend any of these events, please share your feedback. Post your comments here. Also, if you know of new or upcoming design-related events please let us know.

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Every Wednesday, in our blog installment of MediaMouths™, we ask our readers to critique a pair of leading shelter magazine covers. We had planned to review Domino & Dwell this week, but unfortunately Domino magazine is folding. Domino’s closure is one more loss in a string that includes the venerable House & Garden, Oprah’s “O at Home,” and Martha Stewart’s “Blueprint” magazine. The number of outlets for good design is dwindling. Of the shelter magazines left on the racks, what are your favorites? Let us know so we can showcase them.

This week we turn to the current covers of Traditional Home and Southern Accents. Take a look at these covers and give us your opinions.

Let us know what you think about these two covers. What works/doesn’t work? What do these magazine covers say to you about design?

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Each Monday, DesignCoach™ and Consultant of Interior Designing James Swan answers readers’ questions. Post your design dilemma. DesignCoach™ can help you find the solution.

This week the DesignCoach™ discusses sofas and bay windows.

Q: As a consultant of interior designing, can you help us with a sofa and bay window quandary? We have large bay windows in the living room and we have a larger sofa. Can we put it in front of the window? Are there rules about such things? Do I have to put it on the one flat wall?

A: Yes, there are rules but rules are made to be broken. The most important consideration when determining the placement of a sofa is what will you be looking at when you are seated there comfortably. Another way of putting this is “how do you want to use the room?” Are you staring at a large flat wall? Are you looking at a fireplace? Are you gazing at the giant screen TV your husband couldn’t live without? Or are you looking out a lovely bay window into the garden? None of these are “wrong” (though I would avoid staring at the large blank wall…not very interesting) but some options are clearly better than others.

Bay window seating option

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