Confession- I haven’t been quite in the holiday mood lately. Unsent Christmas cards are piled up on my kitchen table. No wreath hangs on my front door. So to snap out of it I curled up under a big quilt and had myself a private viewing of A Christmas Story. Suddenly, I find myself humming carols and craving “grown up” egg nog. Coincidence? No.

[image above, clockwise from top left: hat $19.50,multicolored lights $24, dial soap $1.09, leg lamp $199, buffalo plaid scarf $8.99, candy canes $2.99, tin cars $15.99+, Daisy Red Ryder BB gun $36, vintage crepe paper santa $7.95, composition notebook $1, paper targets $3.25, emerson glasses]

As a kid, the Merrick family never watched A Christmas Story. My mom pulled for “White Christmas” and my dad for “A Miracle on 34th Street”, both wonderful, both classics, but both lacking that kitschy Norman Rockwell Christmas spirit that I’ve grown so fond of. Tin ornaments and old school colored lights make every holiday cozier. Plus nothing says “Merry Christmas” like a fishnet leg lamp and a Daisy Red Ryder BB gun. Be careful though, you’ll shoot your eye out. -amy m.

[image above, clockwise from top left: santa ornaments $26,pickle ornament $10, bottle brush ornaments $22, tin top $5.99, clip on candle $8, tabletop tree $69, radio flyer $129, bunny slippers $27, tin fire truck $15]

This column is not about the cozy little cottages that dot the English countryside. Instead we’re focusing on those grand English country homes that were the power houses for the country. When I was younger, in addition to devouring Jane Austen novels, I spent an absurd amount of time pouring through my parents’ copy of the 1978 book, Life in a Medieval Castle. But the ultimate was I Capture the Castle – a childhood favorite of my mom’s – written in 1948 by Dodie Smith about a young girl who lives in a rundown castle and dreams of being a writer (It was also adapted into a movie in 2003). I thought it would be fun to take a look at the history behind these grand homes!  After all, the custom of afternoon tea? Developed in an English country house. The American love affair with a green lawn? Imported from the English country house, of course!

great chalfield manor completed in 1480 has a moat, a gatehouse, oriel windows and a great hall. the manor is part of the national trust.

For centuries, the ownership of land was the only means to power. These ambitious land-owners were not farmers, but secured power and wealth as the ultimate landlords. Not only did they collect rent from their tenants, but they could also call on those tenants to, in the early days of the country house, fight for them, and to vote for them in the latter days. From the Middle Ages until the 19th century, anyone who acquired wealth built a country house to insure their power. The kind of house built was the absolute advertisement of that power and ambition.

As a nod to the tea drinking English, I have a mini tutorial on creating a rubberized tea set! Yep, those pretty pink handles have been rubberized!

CLICK HERE for the full post complete with a “books to read” and “facts to know”(and the rubberizing diy project!)

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since we last saw eleanor grosch of push me pull you design, she’s moved into a new home in south philly. and in less than a year, she’s completely gutted the kitchen, the bathroom and redone the dining room. all while living with three guys (boyfriend petey, roommate kevin and brother eoin!) and three cats! what was a labor of love is now becoming a profession! she’s become so good at this interior renovation thing, that eleanor is going pro and offering interior design consultations to anyone needing some help in navigating the potholes of renovations. {thanks eleanor!} – amy a.

[I love how big and cheap the house was, but when we got it, it needed a lot of work.  I wanted this particular house because the kitchen NEEDED to be redone completely, and I wanted the chance to wreck and rebuild from scratch.]

[I love the bedroom being so pale and restful.  My old bedroom was very bright and feminine, but since I'm living with Petey I wanted the decor to be a bit industrial looking and very airy and bright.]

[This credenza is another eBay find.  The people who sold it to me (and delivered it in their old station wagon) collect Brasilia furniture, which is the name of this style.  It's in really great condition.]

[This desk came with the house!  I haven't done anything to it but bring it upstairs out of the basement, dust it off, and put cute knobs on it.  Unbelievable.  I requested that the people who owned the house leave it instead of moving it out.]

CLICK HERE for the rest of Eleanor’s sneak peek after the jump!

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i’m really excited to check out this show in manhattan later this week: designer kristen wicklund is showing a beautiful collection of crocheted cotton lace dipped in liquid porcelain. after kristen dips the lace in porcelain she fires it in a mold; during the firing the fiber burns out completely and leaves a (gorgeous) hollow porcelain shell of lace.

the show is taking place at greenwich house pottery until december 20th, so if you’re in town for the holidays, be sure to check it out! thanks, kristen!

*stay tuned for another dipping-related diy project today at 12! the biz ladies will be back next week

if i had to choose one home design realm to focus on for the rest of my life it would easily be textiles. i love a beautifully made piece of wooden furniture, but something about textiles draw me in every time. so i was really excited to see this beautiful new collection of fabrics from heather ross on julia rothman’s twitter feed yesterday. heather recently designed a collection of fabrics called “far far away” for kokka fabrics. i love the rich purples and reds in the collection, and the whimsical unicorn design. it reminds me of a happier, more colorful version of my favorite unicorn tapestry at the cloisters in nyc. but unlike that piece, these are available for purchase. you can find heather’s new collection at purl soho and superbuzzy, but you can also click here for more information on the collection and a complete list of stores from heather.

i love a good spring cleaning as much as the next girl, but sometimes it’s nice to freshen up before the weather starts to warm. so i’m thrilled to have nicole from well worn at the d*s guest blog this week rounding up some beautiful organization ideas for each room of the house. today nicole is tackling bathrooms and hallways, with fun design-centric tips for keepings things neat and tidy. click here to check out her posts for today!

laura aviva was born and raised in los angeles to two intrepid travelers who instilled in her a lifelong obsession with travel. after living in barcelona, then working as an event producer in los angeles, she moved to nyc in 2000 where she held the position of creative director for travel + leisure magazine for 7+ years. in 2008, laura launched l’aviva home. originally conceptualized as a one-time two week-long trunk show featuring textiles she had collected during her travels around the globe, it took on a life of its own and has grown into an ongoing series of collections of luxury handmade artisan wares. this month debuts its first pop-up store in nyc, and there are lots of great plans to stay tuned for in 2010. given her background and the history of l’aviva home, it’s easy to see the inspiration for today’s “sneak peek.” there’s tons more information and inspiration after the jump (including more about the complete gut job of this rental space) and additional images (and hideous before shots) right here. {thanks a million, laura!} -anne

{photos by tom kletecka (he also shoots for l’aviva home)}
[above: i love small bedrooms, and i love bedrooms that really are very simple and sparse. i think there's something especially sexy about a bed that sits right on the floor. i'm wholy obsessed with linen sheets – vintage french, luxe italian, pure irish, all varieties– a huge luxury. the tone-on-tone embroidered mexican bedspread is made by the otomi indians in puebla (we sell them on the website, and i wrote a short article on them for keith recker's great, great magazine HAND/EYE). written on the chalkboard above my bed is a frida kahlo quote that i've always loved, which essentially translates to: 'i have wings in order to fly.' nice + dreamlike.]

here you can see a hint of the big french doors we built to separate the main space and the bedroom; they reach from floor to ceiling and span the entire width of the loft. i appreciate the desire for a big comfortable couch that you sink in to, but i don’t crave that in my own space – i like the slightly more communal feeling of a bench-like seating configuration. i put this piece together on the fly for a party a while back, and it just kind of stuck. it’s just a wooden platform on castor wheels (i put castor wheels on anything and everything i have, feeds my need to rearrange easily + constantly) topped by a twin-sized mattress, covered in oatmeal linen and draped with a vintage moroccan wedding blanket. the white palomino cowhide rug on the floor is a really special one, nice and rare and thick. the stool is from kenya, but i bought it from mustafa (his name sticks even this many years later), a crazy vendor at a street fair that used to be off 6th avenue somewhere in the 20’s here in nyc – it’s a shame that it’s not there anymore, there were some african vendors there who had some pretty great things if you sifted thru it all. the stool itself is so beautifully multi-functional – i use it as a chair, as a side table, stack magazines on it, pull it up to table at a dinner party…

the dining table is the central gravitating point in my home. the top is actually an antique moroccan door that i fell in love with. i wanted the base to have a nice industrial-feeling contrast – it’s steel (also on castor wheels), and i had it made at master kitchen supply on chrystie street in nyc. i’m obsessed with those guys. they can make anything from metal – you go in, scrawl and sketch and brainstorm – they do a bunch of conferring in chinese and come back at you with a quote that seems almost unreasonably reasonable, and pull it all together really quickly. incredibly gratifying. the wrought iron chairs are from a stoop sale in brooklyn (which we call ‘garage sales’ in la, ’stoop sale’ still sounds very strange to me) – i recovered the seats in a really lovely purple-striped hemp linen fabric. the lamp, which is a glass globe surrounded in antique copper filigree, is from istanbul – possibly my favorite travel find ever – i searched it out on my last trip there and carried it home with me. we sell them on the website now – the person i bought it from has become a good friend as well as an amazing resource.

CLICK HERE for the rest of Laura’s sneak peek after the jump!

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when i first stepped foot in the paris home of helena amourdedieu, i was completely in love.  her home was a regular who’s who of my favorite european designers, with great details tucked around every corner.  helena runs agence violette, a paris-based public relations agency that promotes contemporary craft and design.  she represents a wonderful group of designers: kathleen hills, noix de coc‘, la cerise sur le gâteau, les invasions ephémères, and edition paumes (in addition to doing pr, she also styles for the london editions of their books!).  enjoy the rest of the “sneak peek” below, and you can find additional, full-sized images of helena’s home right here. {thanks, helena!} -anne

[above: This is my Jieldé lamp standing in front of Lene Toni Kjeld's hand printed 'transitional' wallpaper. You can't see on this image, but the pattern changes as it goes along the wall.... Jieldé is a French lighting manufacturer that goes back to the 1950s. They have produced their tradition range of industrial style lighting in great new flashy colours. Perfect for bringing life to a room.  Vases : the little yellow vase i found at a flea market in London and to two other vases are from Ikea!]

Here you can see the full effect of the transitional wallpaper :) My tablecloth : from one of my fav homeware stores in the UK : Pedlars.

The birdcage decal by French designers Les Invasions Ephémères : this gave an instance touch of elegance to the plain wall in our spare bedroom. Over our old sofa bed I’ve thrown a vintage bedspread which I found at Spitalfields Antique Market in London.

Our bedroom : I decided to paint our bedroom yellow. It really is my favourite colour. So bright and positive, yet soft at the same time. The birds on the wall are from another great design store in London, Supernice. They are made from vintage wallpaper.

CLICK HERE for the rest of Helena’s sneak peek after the jump!

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