thibaut dreams

Paper is back in BIG way. It's been trending for a few seasons now, and we've been riding the wave every chance we get. Thibaut, one of our top wall covering firms has been pumping out classic designs like Tree of Life, Toile and Trellis patterns for over 100 years. We were pleasantly taken aback when we saw New York-based travel and lifestyle writer/decorator, Jason Oliver Nixon's guest room in the most recent New York Magazine, covered floor to ceiling in the Barron pattern. Extremely traditional and almost psychedellic...we kind of like it!

guest - check

While flipping through an old (May 2009) issue of House Beautiful, we came across a great little spread on essentials for the house hold. Designer Tom Scheerer curated the list of "Guest Room Essentials," and with graduation, Mother's Day, and spring weddings bringing guests in to our clients' homes we thought it was worth sharing. (we might nix the apple and/or orange and add a mirror with great lighting and a wastebasket).

Bath and Hand Towels, Washcloths

Fresh Soap

Shampoo
Bath Foam

A Unisex Terry Robe

Hair Dryier
Refillable Water Vessle and a Glass

Pad and Pencil

Alarm CLock

Magazines
Hangers

Luggage Rack

Bedside Nosegay or Single Blossom

Orange or Apple

image by Joni Webb via swamplot.com

official biz

We have an opportunity to help decorate a colleague's office and couldn't be more excited!Naturally, we turn to designers for inspiration. DVF at work, above.

image via Habitually Chic

lonny on louis

We adore Lonny Magazine (but really wish they'd just print it and mail it to us!). It's a fabulous online shelter publication with perfectly chic style and the convenience of clicking through to shop/source the items they cover. They also do a great section called "A History of Style," where a period or specific design is explored and explained. In the current issue, the Louis XV style is profiled and it's a great little lesson for those curious about classic French style.

au contraire

We stumbled across a fun graphic design blog and wanted to share. Paris vs New York: A Tally of Two Cities launched last fall. Designer Vahram Muratyan explains his work as A friendly visual match

between two cities told by

a lover of Paris wandering

through NewYork.

Très Amusant!

hot for hollywood

How glam is the Design Center of the Americas showhouse, ahem, DesignHouse? Check it out on Kravet's blog.

oscar is in

We are head over heels for Oscar de la Renta's collection for Lee Jofa fabrics. The line launched in Fall 2010, and we were thrilled to get the green light from one of our favorite clients to use an exquisite embroidery on a pair of chairs. The fabric just arrived to the shop! It's amazing - beautiful details in embroidery and a super-sharp ethnic design. And the color combination! Unfortunately, the images we've found online don't do justice and my camera is at home today, so we'll be sure to post a finished product once the cushions are complete.

t design fall 2010

The New York Times Style Magazine ( or T magazine as we call it here at Matt Clinton Designs) sent out their Fall 2010 Design issue last week. High design, modern Boho, fancy toothbrushes, and a seven-sided house with a view are a few of the gems you'll find inside. While you're at it, add the ever-brilliant The Moment blog to your list of daily reads.

au courant

The NY Mag Home Design Issue arrived yesterday (actually, it was issued in NY last week, but being in Alabama, we only received it yesterday...). A series of apartments were profiled as the Neo Classics of New York. Now, we usually yearn for the fresh comfort of English design (and absolutely love Rita Konig and her Greenwich Village abode shown in the feature), but every single facet of Hervé Pierre's Neo Versailles design took our breath away. We'll never be the same after seeing the brilliance of the Balmain Glove and will always hold these words of wisdom: “To live as if you were in Paris, you need Evian, confiture, foie gras, and Céte d’Or chocolate”

In the spirit of our fond love for Lucite-inspired pieces, we also cooed over the translucent Chiavari chairs and the acrylic-top Drafting table featured in The Brat of Classicism.

All in all, four thumbs up from the MCD team – we'll be holding on to this issue for inspiration for years to come.

role model

We picked up the May 2010 issue of Martha Stewart Living this weekend – it's packed with lots of tips on adding color to your “life.” (We especially liked her spin on “Superneutrals.”) Like so many others in the design industry, we constantly turn to Martha for ideas and inspirations. Her awesomeness is untouched in the world of entertaining. Her creativity and knowledge of any and everything DIY goes far beyond anyone on Earth. Her floral designs take our breath away. We could go on and on (in this overly dramatic fashion) about how much we love Martha, but would rather share some pictures from her pre-domestic goddess phase. She modeled to put herself though college! The picture above is our favorite, but there are more gems here.

adler for seven

Jonathan Adler is one of the top name-brand interior designers in the biz. His hilarious musings, penchant for color and playful themes bring smiles to our ever-natural-toned world. Want to see the proof? Just ask Barbie. He designed her Malibu home. Adler's throw pillows hit cult status a few seasons ago and continue to be one of the hottest accessories in contemporary interior decorating. Word on the street is that he's designing a line of denim for Seven Jeans. We're anxious and curious to see how his pop-arty inspirations will translate into designer denim. Without a doubt there will be at least one look on our wish list.

The image above is a dressing room Adler designed. We swiped it from his Web site.

clearly

Inspired by Phillippe Stark, the fresh, contemporary Ghost Chair design adds clean style to any space. We recently used a set of four in a breakfast nook and are awaiting custom shagreen seat cushions, which will add another dimension of modern glamor to the chairs. Some retailers sell them for over $400 each, but Matt Clinton Designs has them for $275. They're going fast, so if you're interested, give us a call ASAP.

We gleaned the image above from M. Design Interiors out of L.A.