Sunday 6 July 2014

July Architectural Digest 2014

The cover says it all really.
Nice but nothing sensational.
I can't believe they chose this as the cover.
Perhaps AD are slowly rebranding?


One of the best images in the magazine was from a new restaurant in Monaco.
Alan Yau is the wonderkind of the London restaurant scene.
He was the brainchild of Hakkasan which is now a London institution and beyond trends.
But isn't the green fabric and brass accents bang on perfect?
I feel sad already because 
this might look dated again in a few years.


I love the auctions news and their picks.
This Meissen vase and flowers piece went for 6 times the estimate and sold for $688,000.
But could you imagine the insurance considering those flowers are porcelain? You wouldn't even want to breathe near it.

It is constantly amazing how tastes change. 
I am not that old and yet I remember the days when expensive furniture meant it had to be Tudor era or something. 
Not any more!


I just had to include this picture of this fabric shop.
Makes me want a linen room.

Anyone going to Provence?
AD has some good travel picks and tips.

Call me difficult but I never got the Hamptons.
But I do like the houses and the one house that sticks in my mind is Diane Keaton's house in that movie, Something's gotta give.
Like I warned you in the beginning, 
the interiors are all nice but not hugely inspirational.
Very comfortable and looks almost achievable 
unlike their other features.
I just love a pool. 
It doesn't even have to be posh.
I could and have hung out by a motel pool in the middle of nowhere.  Hurricane, Utah to be precise.

Those stand alone baths are very popular.
Seems a real trend in the States to do the faux rustic bath thing.
I really like the serenity of this bedroom.

I love a lake house but in the UK there isn't a real lake house culture.  Even in the Lakes District.

If those sofas weren't the swinging kind, I would have not included the picture because otherwise blah.
But I want to put my sofas swinging from the ceiling now.


Interesting decor for a lakehouse, they must use it all year round except the damp cold in the winter goes to your bones. I remember as a kid that even in the summer, lakehouses were always so damp.

Don't get me wrong there is nothing bad about this room perse but 
I can't believe that made it on AD.

I like that people can take chances in a holiday home. 
The bed frames and wallpaper on a daily basis would eventually grate on me but for a summer is fun.

I love dual aspect windows.

Outdoor fireplace and lake view is a dream combo for me.

Many people dream of leaving London and setting up an organic farm but these people did it.

These chickens live in a better neighbourhood than some London suburbs.


Lovely dining area but still reeks of urban folk somehow.

This farm must be a hobby because the decor is not very farmer like in any aspect.  Looks like a country weekender in Somerset.


Another peaceful bedroom simply and tastefully done.



This house is lovely and I love the kitchen.


But there was no cohesion or one style and 
once again I was scratching my head wondering how 
it got past the features editors desk.


Not done by a famous designer nor owned by a star.
But a refreshing change for AD to tone it down.

Another realistic and achievable bedroom.

Oddly, I think the surfboards at the door hold so much promise.


This home is an open plan living dream.
Although I wonder about the wind tunneling and papers flying off tables. 

I can't even imagine needing to wear sunglasses inside my house like the inhabitants of this house must need to.
Wish I had #Lagunabeachproblems.

Now I will show you what should have been the cover of this issue instead.
Ta daaah!


It's landscape you say.
Ok then the one below could've made a better cover.


Isn't it just dreamy?


The rest of the house was nice enough but nothing was ever going to match that garden and pool area.



I don't know what I want from a magazine anymore.
Do we want something so outrageously unachievable or 
do we want something that is a realistic and pleasant look and quite feasible with a couple of days of prepping and a few sale bargains?

8 comments:

  1. Dear N.
    Okay, I’m going to get all pouty and wonder why Totem Hall is not one of the Great American Country Houses. There, my snit is over, and I can move on to a better place.

    Several weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal ran an article on the collapse in heirloom and second hand furniture prices. In one of those grand “who knew” moments, it seems like tastes change! Of course, no one bothered to tell us and so we sit surrounded by 18th and 19th century furnishings. Maybe that’s the reason for the Architectural Digest snub.

    The chicken houses remind me of our experience. We hired a contractor to build us a chicken house. The project ran so far above budget and so far behind schedule that we converted it to an art studio. Truly, it was the only way for us to justify our embarrassment.

    I just thought I loved my bath…

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    1. Victorian furniture is so cheap now because out of vogue and too big but then again now might be the time to buy?? Mid century has gone through the roof!!! You almost a contractor for your chicken house? How posh are you chickens?? hehe. I envy your art studio just as much as a chicken house especially when my house isn't even done...

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    2. Naomi, I love my chickens, maybe more than my bath...

      Regarding home builds and chicken coops, have you ever seen a contractor run on time and under budget? If it's not too delicate a subject, when is your completion date?

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    3. I have two days of snagging left but the builder isn't coming and we are sick of chasing him and there is stuff not packed in and put in its place...oh well!! no home updates just yet GF

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  2. I agree, on both the bedroom and the cover. Why so informal, AD? And you, Brutus?

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    Replies
    1. I love an american vacation home but my favorite concept is the Swedish red summer hut!

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  3. I love the green in that restaurant and the tone it sets for that room.

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    Replies
    1. Alan Yau has always had impeccable taste and picks well!

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