Gatherings Joins Lonny and Rue In The New World Of E

Quite some time ago there was a big commotion over the launch of the online mag, Rue as being the "new" competition for Lonny (which launched in October of '09). I love the idea of web based e-zines because I am an eco girl at heart (no trees hurt in the making of), and also they are so much more accessible... although shelter glossies are my major vice. And movie popcorn. Those two things top my weakness charts. Thoroughly evil, I know. Good thing there are not many good movies these days. But I digress... I tend to think of it as culling, as there were so many magazines on the shelves it was a little much at one point. In the period of one year, nearly every magazine I read just disappeared, leaving a huge gaping hole for those of us who eagerly anticipate a monthly dose of rugs, wallpaper samples and pretty vignettes of mirrors and seashells. (One of my male friends, while enduring my whining over coffee one day pointed out my "house porn" addiction. Since I can't have ten houses and unlimited funds to decorate said houses, I covet them through magazines, and it is an unhealthy addiction that literally covers bookshelves and piles around the sofa. Point taken.)

Rue Mag

 The news of last September's launch of Rue Magazine was good news for those of us who simply can't get enough of the eye candy provided by such compilations, and the endeavor, started by blogosphere diva Crystal Gentilello of Plush Palate and Anne Sage from one of my favourites, the City Sage has proven to be worth the wait. I think it would be fairly easy to garner attention during this period of mourning. It could be said that a team could make a half-hearted attempt at this and it would still fly... but these talented folk have seriously outdone themselves.

Gatherings eMagazine: interior by Annette Tatum

 Now, for the past few months I have been eagerly awaiting new issues of Gatherings. Strangely I haven't seen or heard much about it at all in media. I can't even remember how I happened upon it, always these voyages through cyberspace takes me on interesting paths and I can never seem to follow the breadcrumbs back. Either way, it is another feast for the aesthetically inclined eye that crosses the boundaries between interior design, gardens, food and pretty much anything... well, pretty. While the others sort of have that "mightier than the average home" feel of designers and stores trying to outdo each other on the "casually thrown together on an ample budget" scale, Gatherings is the type of read where you literally want to save it till you have a hot cuppa in hand and your scone perfectly prepared before you hit the browse button. It is warm and comforting and a bit more real... in kind of a dreamy sense. But real dreamy... you know what I mean?

Crochet Blossom Garland craft project

 Gatherings is only partly leaning toward my style. The creator, Heather Spriggs is an interior designer from Tennessee and we really obviously lead different lives and styles. Still, there is so much that appeals to the girl in me. It has that romantic vintage thing going on and  the photography is gorgeous. I am more inclined to drool over the recipes than to try making any of them. I really appreciate the look of most of the rooms, but it's not how I decorate my home. And yet, there is something very satisfying about how the publication is arranged and I adore the crafty look. I just think it is a really nice addition to the mix. I hope she expands a bit, as it is currently only a quarterly. I am excited though to see where the whole thing goes. Worth a look.

Covet Garden

I am having a happy moment. I love finding something I like that I haven't seen before :)

I was on the phone today with a good friend who, sadly, refuses to move back to what she sees as Hippietropolis. I keep assuring her that she is mistaken, and needs to come back to see what Nelson is really like, but alas, she won't budge. She is an uber talented landscaper/singer/songwriter/diva/crafter/decorator/cooker type person who is also mucho sweet and lovely. Today I asked her to send me a list of her favourite blogs because I am finding that I frequent the same blogs over and over. And the ones that I frequent have those same blogs on their blog roll. On the one hand, it means that they are all good blogs, but on the other, I want some fresh stuff to be inspired by. She was very excited by this new online mag she had found out of Toronto that had actually done stories on her friend and that friend's bridesmaid. She said their focus was to cover the lifestyles of real people. I looked it up, and it is most fabulous.


Covet Garden is a lifestyle magazine that covers the A to Z of the lives of "interesting people" from Toronto. I always think of Toronto people as slick (it might be because the ones I know personally are... well, slick in the best sense) and definitely interesting but not most people's reality. Fashion magazine people. MuchMusic personalities. "Oh that old thing..." four thousand dollar dress types. Toronto is fast paced, sparkley and intense... I am a Vancouver girl. We hone our mountain/ocean-laid-back-sipping-coffee-and-reading personalities. I was more than pleasantly surprised to find that Covet Garden is a brilliantly edited peek into the lives of people who are really and truly interesting, and real. The kind of people that you would want in your social circle. It makes you actually think about (not just lust after) the spaces, projects, and products featured. You get to see into the house, the backyard, the routine, the bookshelf, the iPod, and the medicine cabinet of these people. The concept and variety of content is pretty brilliant and comes complete with witty quotes and links galore. There are lists inspired by what this or that person does for a living, such as this spread (only partly shown) inspired by Paul, a graphic designer.


There are tutorials based on something that somebody in that household has actually made. And the photography is gorgeous! I love Tracy Schumate's work (House and Home, Style at Home and others).


While these spaces are unique and endearing, they are not, according to the publisher, styled by interior designers. The newer trend of handmade, organic feeling interiors that are put together piece by piece is portrayed beautifully in every issue because, well, that's what they are.


Sidebar: Noticing a definite trend towards knitted goods for the past while, and pondering working harder at it. Previously mentioned great friend got me into knitting a few years ago when we decided to singlehandedly (with the help of her roommate) revamp the image of knitting being for grandmas only. She knitted knickers and I made half a scarf. I have since made four scarves (full size ones) but never got further than that... a new hobby looming perhaps?


While some magazines, both on and off-line, seem to think that the lure is in providing content that keeps design at arm's length, there is a huge demographic that is looking for doable decor. It is not always budget constraints that create livable interiors. The "handmade movement" is seeing society, almost en masse, suddenly realize that there is a quality and artfulness that can only be acquired by sourcing outside the obvious and relying on craftspeople and markets to find the "right" pieces. The spaces in Covet Garden provide a look into homes that have embraced vintage, second-hand and DIY decor and showcases it beautifully. And the whimsical touches are the icing on a pretty delectable cake.


I have good feelings about the direction that this new online magazine world is taking. While keeping up the quality of photography and content, and being able to better integrate information and sources for products via unobtrusive linkage, the world of possibilities are just being explored and promise to be enticing down a near limitless road. Good things are taking root...

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz In Style

Are we all very aware of Eileen Fisher's new collaborative effort for Garnet Hill? We should be. I know we don't have a bunch of money to throw around right now... yours truly is especially trying hard to focus on things other than the meagre coin in my bank account. However! IF you were going to splurge on something, I feel strongly that a decent, NAY, a blissful night's slumber is most worthy. And I have been coveting a really lovely set of linen sheets for quite some time. But then I stumbled upon bamboo and the entire mission got sort of derailed. I was watching the Anthro set for awhile, but these... well dear readers, THESE are just too beautiful. There is something about the double fringe, frayed edge that I just adore. Yummy.


They come in shades of this spring's pretty palette of melons and dew and I believe I saw some cucumber in there too. Sort of like a doable luncheon platter. Refreshing would be the term I believe.

Right, and while we are on the topic of redecorating schemes that I cannot afford currently (although there is certainly nothing wrong with mentally refurbishing the abode that resides in my head, is there?) I think it is only fair to add the recycled leather mats and the eco fill silk duvet. Just for kicks, no?



Oh, hey... did I mention... SALE? Yeah.

OH! Canadaaaaa...

Truth be told, I am more than a bit miffed about the way Canadians are puffing up about the Olympics happening shortly in my original hometown of Vancouver. I am fairly political and as far as I am concerned, this is exactly the time to be standing up for people's rights, not rolling belly up for the sole benefit of catching some of the cheap swag being handed out by the big corps who are leading the whole procession. Don't get me wrong, I am 110% behind anyone who has been devoted enough to their passion to actually make it to the games, and am patriotic enough to care about the Canadians involved... unfortunately though, the past couple of years has meant a whole lot of bad news for anyone not on the upper class end of this bandwagon. Many have been removed from their homes, programs for the area have been pulled while gentrifying the area and a ridiculous amount of money that should have been going to health care and education has been earmarked and overspent for "getting the city and province ready" for said event. Supremely uncool in my book, and yet all of a sudden, in spite of all of this, most people seem to be suddenly catching Olympic fever and rah-rah-rah-ing along with the Coca-Cola anthem.

Having had that rant, some good is coming from the event whether in the form of arts grants such as Legacy Now and the APCD (which funded over 6 million dollars worth of theatre, music, arts and cultural organizations,) to set the stage for the games. There were many artists who were able to tap into the Legacy Now funding to produce merchandise to represent BC while the world comes to visit, and many companies will, I'm sure, be able to expand their networks and their customer bases if the are paying attention.

This week I am tracking down some of the Canadian talent you might want to look for if you are visiting for the Games and are not familiar with those of us North of the American border. Some of us don't define Canadiana as moose heads and antler chandeliers, although I suppose it is true enough that "rustic" has seen more than its share of the spotlight as of late. For today though, we will focus on a more modern approach :)

First off, I can't go further without mentioning a few publications that I know can be difficult to find if you are not in a big city in the rest of the world and might be worth a subscription. I can't truly relate them to Domino or Blueprint, as they are a little less graphicly hip and slightly more sophisticated, but for those of you who are on the desperate hunt for replacement rags for the former, let me introduce you to House and Home and Style at Home magazines. The quality of these magazines have yet to be found (by myself anyway) in most publications and although I loved both Domino and BP, I have always wondered why the photography, styling and substance of other mags didn't quite live up to magazines made by a much smaller publishing company. Maison et Demeure is the french adaptation of House and Home and while I am sure there is some crossover, there is also plenty of ID eye-candy from in and around Canada's french quarter.

Looolo is one of my favourite "comfy things" designers on the market. Based in Montreal, their cushions are just stunning and are something you most likely have seen posted about because they are just so nifty. They are very careful about their impact on the planet as well, which always gets major bonus points from me. They have a waffly blanket that is currently ranked way high on my list of items I am dreaming of...



Molo devises sculptural furniture that is brilliant fun. The design team is made up of architects whose forays into what you can do with kraft paper boggle the mind. They have pieces in MoMA to back up my accusation of genius. I covet their Float champagne and martini glasses.



Fluf Design out of Toronto creates soft products such as pillows, napkins, bags and the like with both a modern aesthetic and a commitment to sustainability. They also make available their textile prints as yardage to the trade, which is pretty brilliant.


Manor12 creates lovely pieces of furniture, pillows and lampshades with funky patterns and designs. I am trying to figure out where I could possibly fit this bench into my apartment...


Centrifuge is one of my favourite places to find accessories that work as tiny pieces of art around the home. Their salt and pepper sets are gorgeous and their crayola pack of modern mailboxes are a welcome walk in another direction for those who are just not happy having their mail contained in "typical" little lunchbox-like contraptions.




Ceramic and glass is brought to new dimensions with aj from Montreal. I adore their cylindrical vases but their mortar and pestle sets are what really had me hooked on them... as are many others in the blogosphere I have noticed. They make a nifty teapot as well... I can't find a web address for them, but they are available for purchase here at Modern Karibou.



Gus Design Group from Vancouver is represented everywhere so it is easy to track down their most fabulous pieces...




Holtzundmetal is also based out of Vancouver and mixes industrial and sleek into some of the most stunning modern designs on the market. I don't know why these guys have not received more attention...