Get Your “House Fix:” February 6, 2008
Sometimes we all just need to get our house fix. Here are some fun and interesting things to check out this week!
The Inspired Room has an interview with author and interior designer Alexandra Stoddard, who believes that “living life is really an art form. Enhancing beauty makes living more pleasurable.” Take a moment to read more of her thoughts on life, including why she still writes all of her books and letters by hand.
Make Room For has a post encouraging you to “Hula Your Bed.” It made me smile. Who knew a bed could wear a grass skirt?
Springtree Road has some interesting photos of “real houses“ from a small, rural town in Tennessee (that’s Maya’s “blue house” photo, above). If you’re a “drive-around-looking-at-houses” kind of person, you’ll enjoy seeing Maryville through her eyes.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Stromquist house is on the market in Bountiful, Utah, for $3.5 million. It sits on over 8 acres and is a beautiful example of Wright’s edict that “No house should ever be on a hill. It should be of the hill, belonging to it. Hill and house should live together each the happier for the other.”
The Washington Post reports that Paige Davis hasn’t been able to perk up the ratings for “Trading Spaces“ as much as TLC had hoped. Since her triumphant return as host, the show has averaged 1.5 million viewers–nowhere near the 4 million it pulled during the show’s glory days. Read my recent post on the show and Paige’s return in “Trading Spaces Now and Then.”
NPR interviewed Daniel McGinn about his book House Lust (which I reviewed and gave away earlier this week to two lucky winners). Update: read my interview with him here.
February 6th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
Thanks so much for the mention! Ever so kind of you!
Happy Day!
February 6th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I just found you and I am delighted. I need to run out and buy that book or maybe I should order it on Amazon and wait. HMMM…probably not.
Congrats on featuring the Nester and Inspired Room, two of my favorite gal pals.
Stop by when you have a moment.
Janet
February 6th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Yippee thank you Julia! I am flattered to be mentioned because I think your blog is very cool.
Thanks too for the info on how you use your living room…I like that idea!
February 7th, 2008 at 8:04 am
Aren’t you excellent to give us a little gift basket of websites to check into?
I just looked at The Inspired Room (beautiful site) to read Alexandra Stoddard bits. For about two minutes I felt the way I do when I pick up _Martha Stewart Living_: happy to see someone living beautifully like Stoddard and wondering how I could incorporate some of that beauty into my own life. This is always quickly followed by self-loathing because I’ve never been able to make it happen and thus, must be of questionable character and terribly lazy.
And then I read the line about how Stoddard doesn’t use a computer but has HER ASSISTANT print off messages for her, etc.
This raised a host of philosophical questions for me, such as, “Is it an authentic life if you have an assistant handle the annoying parts?” and, more to the point, “Wouldn’t we all live beautifully if we had assistants to deal with the daily, ugly details?” and finally, “Liz, why are you so critical of everything?” (Answer: Liz is cranky because she has no assistant!)
I have no answers, but if any of your readers are inclined to beat themselves up for not living more perfectly, more bautifully, and with color-coordinated everything, perhaps they should keep in mind that if those things are a goal, getting an assistant should be a top priority! I’m hoping to pick one up for myself at Meijer later today.
February 7th, 2008 at 8:20 am
Liz, you have me laughing so hard this morning. I could use an assistant, too, so pick me one up at Meijer while you’re at it, would you? And let me know if they have any personal trainers, chefs, or nannies on sale.