issue 2!

Hey guys, sorry for the lack of posts lately...super busy with design anthology! Speaking of which, I almost for got to tell you that issue 2 has hit the newsstands.

For a list of stockists near you, check out our website www.designanthologymag.com

Design Anthology

Look what arrived from the printers today...!

Design Anthology should hit newsstands around the world later this month!

DESIGN ANTHOLOGY MAGAZINE

Hello everyone! Another exciting update about what I've been busy working away on....the magazine I mentioned just before Xmas is going full steam ahead...we have distribution set up in many countries now...just waiting on a few last minute things to come together. We are printing our inaugural issue in early April, so it should hit the news stands later that month.

You'll notice a page at the top of the blog now that links to the website (still under construction), and we ave a facebook page you can like to stay informed of news and other exciting updates (https://www.facebook.com/DesignAnthologyMag). We're also on twitter (@damag_asia).

Hopefully I'll have more news again soon!

be right back

I've just had a very decadent week-long staycation with some great friends from Melbourne. I might need a few days to get myself back in to work mode...but in the mean time, my Hong Kong readers can sate themselves with this feature on my friend SJ's lovely Shek-O home in the latest Home Journal, which I styled. On newstands now.

This is making me homesick...

Broadsheet. If you're not reading it - you should be.  Even if you're not in Melbourne. Or the rest of Australia, for that matter.  It's so exciting to see all the great stuff going on in my hometown. It gives you the lowdown on all there is to eat, drink, shop and do in the greatest city down under. Totally making me homesick...

Pinto in print

I recently, somewhat reluctantly, subscribed to the electronic format of bunch of magazines that I regularly buy. Until I get myself an ipad I'm going to be reading them on my pc, which is just not the same as holding a magazine in your hands. I will miss it, however, I decided it was finally time to put my money where my mouth was and stop participating in the destruction of so many trees. That, and I am running out of space for them (I have 10 yrs worth of some, and I just can't bear to part with them)...and I'll save a little money in the meantime.

So I was pretty thrilled with my in print version of Architectural Digest this weekend, and in particular the dressing room of Alberto Pinto's own Rio de Janeiro apartment. Not so much with any other of the rooms, but the bleached mahogany pretty much made up for the rest of it in my eyes.

I've long been an admirer of Pinto's work, so its a little surprising that this is my first post about him. I also don't own any of the many books he has published. However, I noticed today that he has a new one coming out that looks interesting, and I think it just may feature this apartment. Its available for pre-order on Amazon now....so do yourself a favour and reserve yourself a copy like I did!

Photograph of Pinto's dressing room taken by Ngoc Minh Ngo for AD USA, September 2011.

Weekend discoveries - part 1

This past weekend was the first time in a while I've had time to catch up on magazines, and I'm so glad I did. With a stack of about 8 of my favorites on Saturday morning I spent a few joyful hours pouring over images and made a few discoveries....

A new project by NYC based architect Annabelle Selldorf was one of them. Check out the May edition of the German AD for more stunning photos (by Nikolas Koenig). Another beautifully put together home by a woman who I think has perfect taste.

And, thanks to Elle Decor for bringing my attention to the recent release of this new book on one of my favorite mid 20th century designers, the Italian master Guglielmo Ulrich. I can't wait for my copy to arrive!

Monocle

I don't think I've ever seen the Lane Crawford home store in Pacific Place so crowded as it was on Thursday night. Thursday night was of course the launch of the seasonal Monocle store, the first of the magazine's retail outlets in Asia. Being a fan of Tyler Brûlé from way back when he launched Wallpaper, it was hard to resist the invite. Sipping Veuve and listening to the tunes of the Japanese 'Immigrants Bossa Band', and a chance to meet the man himself, the evening was definitely one that will be tough to beat, in terms of store openings. The Lane Crawford pop-up store will stock Monocle's range of lifestyle goods from their own CD compilations, posters, notebooks, candles and other accessories. So if you're in Hong Kong, go check it out! More photos of the new store can be found on the Lane Crawford website. Above photo of Mr Brûlé taken by me (I already mentioned I was a groupie...).

Business of Design Week - Day 2, part 1

In my humble opinion, there were several very interesting speakers on Day 2 of BoDW - one standout in my mind was definitely Tony Chambers, Editor in Chief of Wallpaper* magazine.

Chambers presentation was entitled "Brand Spanking" and posited that magazines and newspapers are not dead, print media is just no longer enough. This is a subject close to my heart, and I'm guessing quite a few of you out there, as it seems that bloggers and blog readers are also magazine junkies. Chambers spoke at length about the work that has been done to revive Wallpaper since founder Tyler Brûlé left the helm, and how they are dealing with not only the financial crisis, but avoiding ending up in the ever growing magazine graveyard. Making Wallpaper a brand is the strategy that Chambers feels will differentiate it from other printed "products". With the development of its online presence, and the Wallpaper city guides, it seems they have been quite successful so far.

But to me, the most innovative ideas they have shown are the one-off designer covers on special editions that will really make each issue a "product" worth keeping, rather than just a piece of information. Some of the most interesting covers of late use special technology that he admitted "costs a bomb". He also divulged that they have a contingency fund, which I think he referred to as the bankruptcy account, that allows them to invest in special covers every now and then. Some of my favorites were:

In the same month readers were given a choice between a strip tease cover by Karl Lagerfeld - peel away cover to reveal Karls' favorite model a la natural - or a flip animation by Philippe Starck.

Lenticular technology was used on this cover featuring a dress design by Hussein Chalayan that moved as you turned the cover.

Zaha Hadid's cover involved die cutting may pages of the magazine to form a 3D sculpture inside the magazine.

Some of my other favorite ideas were the glow in the dark cover, and the use of invisible ink (some of the type on the cover was only visible when the ink was exposed to the light). Pure genius.

Chambers touched lightly on the subject of online media, and said he felt it would not be the death of magazines, that instead it needs to enhance the readers experience. I really wanted to ask him about whether he felt blogs, twitter and facebook would play any role in their online presence, but they were running out of time. What would you have asked him given the chance?

Bella!

If you don't already have yourself a copy of the Australian Belle magazine, run out and get one! I've been drooling over this gorgeous room from the front cover spread...and I just had to share.

These are financial times

If you’re not already reading this, then you should be. Packed with great articles on arts, culture, travel and fashion for the wealthy, and for those of us (who would like to) design for them. Check it out.

Welcoming Modernism

As more and more of the shelter magazines continue to bite the dust, MODERNISM, from the auction house Rago Arts is definitely a welcome addition to the fold. If you haven't already seen it on the stand, or the online version - go and check it out now!

It's out!

Yay! I think I might have to make a special trip past the newstand tonight to pick myself up a copy. Have a great weekend everyone!

Ready for the long weekend..

I picked up a stash of magazines for tomorrow...I've got:

Belle (from Australia)

my favorite...Elle Decor.....
House Beautiful (USA)....

AND a new book to read (except that its all in French....so maybe just to scan for now).... can you guess how happy I am? - not to mention the fact that it's my hubby's turn to make breakfast this weekend. YAY!

I'll be back posting on Tuesday, enjoy your weekend folks!

Mary McDonald...

It's been a while since a magazine spread has made me gasp out loud. Am I alone in thinking that too many magazines are featuring boring, thoughtless, characterless, uniform apartments? the magazines in Hong Kong seem to only feature dreary white boxes...no sign of human life, (or of any taste for that matter...). I only read a few of the US design mags, one or two from the UK and 2 from Australia. Some of them (there are a few exceptions) are starting to look much of a muchness to me. This is a subject that I've spoken to friends about...but clearly not many of them seem to pay as much attention to this as I do. Lucky for them. Because I'm getting fed up! Does anyone else feel this way? Maybe the blogging community needs to circulate a list of recommended monthly reads...

Anyway, I do digress a little. The spread that made me gasp was from House Beautiful - an LA home by none other than Mary McDonald. She has an amazing eye for colour and a talent for mixing beautiful pieces - a combination that makes each of her interiors colourful, chic and livable - as well as looking like they have a history!

Perhaps I'm just fed up with the mostly Asian negative attitude towards vintage and antiques - or anything with history. Maybe I should just stop complaining and do something about it!

Sorry for the rant folks, but I feel better now. All images from House Beautiful Feb 08. More details about the feature here.

Happy New Year!

It's good to back posting again after my short hiatus. Thanks to everyone for your lovely comments while I was away. I had a lovely holiday and am feeling very rested and ready for the new year ahead. I'm now looking forward to catching up on my favorite blogs, so bear with me and my lack of comments over the last few weeks.

I have a few posts planned for the week, so stay tuned. In the meantime I thought I'd take this opportunity to mention a magazine I rediscovered during my holiday - New Zealand based urbis is an old favorite. In fact, I'm not sure why I stopped buying it (perhaps it has something to do with it not being available here in HK!), but my first resolution is to buy a subscription. The New Zealand design industry is pretty amazing for such a small country, and is producing some cutting edge architects and designers of all disciplines. Urbis features a a great range of local grown talent that is just as creative as their international counterparts. I highly recommend picking up a copy if it's available where you live, or check out their website - they post some of the articles featured in the magazine online. It may not replace House & Garden, but it might help sate my magazine addition...for a little while anyway!

and the winner is.....

MISS OCTOBER!

Well it seems that October is the winner! I should have guessed actually, that was my gut instinct, and I should have listened. In total we had 24 votes - 13 for October, 10 for November (very close) and 1 for neither. It seems from a few of the comments I received that a large part of the October cover's appeal was the yellow zebra pattern on the side chairs - and I can't say I disagree. I thought they looked so fabulous I had to track down the fabric (my dining chairs that need recovering look quite similar). The pattern is a Jim Thompson fabric called "Illusion" and is quite old, but is still available in three colours (the yellow, pale blue and a brown). The fourth colour, as used by our favorite Ms Wearstler in her previous home (see below) has since been discontinued.

Thanks to everyone who participated, it was a fun experiment. It's been really interesting to see which of the covers was preferred most - and while I loved both and had a hard time choosing, it seems in the end they were pretty close anyway.

Elle Decor covers

So is it just me, or does Elle Decor just seem to be getting better and better each month? I thought last month (October 07) was one of the best I had seen in a long time - and the cover still blows me away. But when I picked up my copy of November's issue I started to drool. Now I can't figure out which one I love more. So, I thought I might do something different and ask you guys. Let's vote - I am going to run a poll and I want you to vote on which cover you like most - or if you like neither - OR if there is another back-issue cover that is still your fave. The poll will run til the end of the month and then I'll know the winner. It's all anonymous, so anyone who's been visiting and not leaving comments, now's your time to have your say!

October 2007

November 2007

I heart Elle Decor!

I had just started devouring my October edition of Elle Decor this morning, and was very nearly about to brush over the letters to the editor (they are so often from some whiney idiot who complains about the cover of last month, or the amount of homes of gay couples) when I found this! I can't even begin to explain how excitied I was (...actually, still am).

Also, I want to apologise for any of the other great blogs that I now read on a daily basis for not mentioning you! I wrote this letter back in June when I just started reading/writing blogs, and have discovered so many more since then (see my fave list of blogs). Thanks to Elle Decor for publishing my letter...if I wasn't your number 1 fan before, I definitely am now!

Elle Decor

I spoke too soon. Just as I hit the 'publish post' button, I was handed my copy of the September issues of Elle Decor. Amazingly enough, it's the very first time that I have actually received the susciption copy before I've given up waiting and gone out and bought a copy. I just need to get a copy of the new House and Garden and I'll be set for the weekend. Well, for a few hours of it at least!