All I Have Learned

I truly believe in my lifetime the most important things I’ve learned have always been taught me by the WOMEN  in my life. I can remember from a very early age thinking that women were by far more interesting to me than most men. I’ve  known so many women from whom I have gathered information I deem invaluable. Let’s face it the most important woman in our lives is our mother, I cannot think to begin to tell how many things I learned from her, how to iron a shirt, the difference between nick- nacks and antiques, to always thank people “it’s by far better to thank to much than not at all” no one will forget you did not thank them. As time has gone on and I am getting older and I begin to rethink my career as an Interior Designer I think of a conversation I had with my mom she told me “ don’t forget there will always be some younger, prettier, more talented.” So keeping that in mind, there may come a time to step out and move along to something new, look back and be happy with what you had the opportunity to do. I am thrilled I had the opportunity to get the education I did. Thanks to a mother who was so supportive. I cannot imagine what my life would have been like without all the support I received from her. My aunt Margie taught me “it’s a sick person who eats 1 Oreo” now there was a smart woman. My aunt Sunny (Mrs Nie) taught me to always” look under the rug , things aren’t ever what they seem”…another wise woman...When  I was a little boy I thought I was the luckiest person in the world my MOM and 2 AUNTS were the smartest most beautiful women in the world. When I was 4 my aunt Sunny got married and I was her Ring Barer I had a new pale blue suit and a navy blue clip on bow tie …A lesson in fashion (you decide)…There was a woman Mrs Young. Who lived down the street her house was the largest on the street. She was very sophisticated and spoke with a New England accent. She smoked tiny little unfiltered cigarettes. I learned that Spaghetti was wonderful even out of a can it was so very continental…I had never eaten such an exotic meal, especially Chief Boyardee. She taught me about Schumacher and Toile de Jouy, Her draperies were Toile de Jouy. As I grew up and became more and more obsessed with becoming a decorator, I probably never thought these women were the huge influences on me.  I now know they were, and continue to be every day of my life. I think of all of these women:  and the many more, many now dead, some still very much alive and I have to thank each and every one for the bits of wisdom they gave me…. 

Interesting Thought....

So I just wrote a long letter to Whren. I’m not sure I’ll mail it, but I kind of feel good having written it. I haven’t been able to get his strange reaction to me out of my mind. Maybe he hasn’t had a great life. Maybe he’s one of those people who doesn’t want people from the past to see him, Hell I want all the people from my past to see me. No doubt about that. .It’s interesting how people change and mature. The weirdo next door wasn’t always weird…the mean bitch who yells at all the dogs wasn’t always mean…the cranky guy was probably a handsome young man abut town, always up for a good time . I once knew a woman, a designer I swear the woman never smiled she was always in the dumps. I tried to talk to her and cheer her up. She was comfortable with who she was. She found her spot, and yet most of the world found her nasty and abrasive. When I fired her she had no idea what I was talking about. Yet I couldn’t see for one minute how she could not have known how she was perceived by the rest of the staff and clients. I would have staff meetings where all the staff would talk openly about the goings on in the store. Some one would inevitably bring up smiling acting friendly toward each other, as well as clients of ones own and each others. She had no idea they were speaking of her. I wonder often on the other hand if really nice sane people know how nice they are? When I was a little boy there was a woman 3 houses down she was very old probably at least 60. I cannot think of what she looked like but I can remember how sweet she was all the neighbor hood knew Mrs. Burnham she was the nice lady in the brown house. When our dog got run over by a car she went out and moved her out of the road so the boys wouldn’t come upon her on the way home from school. What a sweet memory of a little old lady. I hope some day some one remembers something sweet about me. Guess I’d better hurry up and do something SWEET…..

Hurry Friday

I just got back from Houston about 9:30 last night. In my opinion (I’ve only been there a few times) it’s a really great place I really would like to go for several days and walk around the city, even the city center and see a lot more of it. To me it has a big city vibe a sophistication that is missing from my current home town. I wandered around the hotel up and down Westheimer,  the shops were full of people buying things. The Galleria was packed late Monday afternoon, AND many of the people were customers. With shopping bags in their hands and on top of there strollers. I saw very few tattooed women and a few tattooed men, just walking aimlessly. But there was a lot of commerce going on.

Yahen wanted to spend a fortune on a cup of cold coffee (actually my IDEA) so we went into Starbucks. It was packed, the lines were long and the people were PRETTY:

They were dressed in nice clothing, some of it even fit. I was excited to be there. I couldn’t get over it. I felt great there,  it was a place doing business. Hell it even rained there and it rained a lot not just for 10 minutes but a couple of hours. I’d forgotten all about rain wasn’t sure what was happening at first. I walked down a strip mall where I saw a beautiful furniture store full of Baker and other high end brands of SUBLIME furniture; and it really is just that ! It was a fantastic store. The furniture was all kind of color coordinated. Shades of black and taupe with a splash of white, and a tiny bit of color thrown here and there. The person who greeted us had on a beautiful black dress, a black and white leopard printed sweater and SHOES…NOT a flip flop in sight. The men had on TIES. I was HOME….I want to work in that store. Hell I want to DIE in that store….I may be over reacting. I guess we shouldn’t sell out and move there tomorrow, maybe Friday!!!

Even V O Tastes Better .....

Does coffee taste better out of a cool cup? It sure does to me, if you pour me a cup in a Jacobson’s mug or A Fauchon mug I’m going to like the coffee better. I would love to find a coffee mug designed by Raymond Lowey. Maybe the Plaza hotel pattern. If I still smoked (oh remember how cool smoking used to be) I would want the Plaza smoke set .Hell I found it in Palm Springs. I almost bought it even though I haven’t smoked in years. I loved the glamour of the table lighter it kind of looked like a space ship, with Lowey’s water color sketch of the Plaza on it, and the great big ash tray was just wonderful. I looked at it 2or 3 time and then said good bye and walked quickly out of the store. I think I heard it calling my name and I still think about that set…I also feel more comfortable in a very clean room.  I never mess up hotel rooms when I stay alone. I just am more relaxed when things look good. I once had a boyfriend who sometimes rearranged the furniture in hotel rooms. Even I don’t go that far. When I go to a person’s house I will automatically rearrange things in my mind. I have to, otherwise I would have to leave, it would just make me nuts. I am constantly amazed at the weird furniture arrangements people come up with. Sofas thrown in the middle of the floor, that cut up an otherwise large room into small little spaces. And then no lamps or tables. There are hardly ever any outlets in the middle of the floor. Come on, one needs light and a place to set there Raymond Lowey ashtray and Baccarat tumbler of VO and water. Do they even sell VO any more? I used to drink it, well try to. Have you ever tasted it? BLAUGH….BUT Mrs Riggin had her ever present tumbler full and if she liked it of course I liked it too….Any way. I was always comfortable at her house it was model home perfect and I loved that look. Still do. I see all these pretty patterned paper plates and matching napkins, I know she would have never used anything like that in her house. I find it hard enough to use paper napkins for lunch at the kitchen counter. I surely wouldn’t give them to a guest. Bad food will taste better off of beautiful luncheon plates so I never use the paper stuff. I am a pretty good cook but I’m not taking any chances…

OH Tootie.....

Tootie and Jak Ft Lauderdale 1969

One of my favorite people at the Kendall School of Design was a beautiful blond girl called Tootie . She had a funny way of talking that really didn’t fit her looks, she was very attractive, and usually funny people are not the prettiest. But she was one funny person. She made very funny comments on people and life. She and I hit it off immediately. Tootie had long blond hair that hung way past her shoulders, she claimed to be a natural BLOND. She said after the air hit her hair it turned blond all by itself . Hell what did I know: it sounded true to me. She drove a brown Studebaker Lark.

One day she told of  a bowling ball flying out the door of a bowling alley on Division avenue and smashing  a huge dent in her car. We were all laughing so hard we cried. She and I would write fictional wedding announcements like the ones in the paper back then, they would be making fun of people who had there receptions in the Elks basement or the Trailaways bus depot. We would go on and on describing what the bride wore etc. and read this out loud in class (there was hardly ever an instructor in the classroom) the whole class would roar with laughter, or it seems they did. We of course reveled in the attention. There were very few “kids” in our class so we all knew each other very well. One was either in or out and of course TOOT and I were part of the    " in" crowd. I’ve wondered if she even had the slightest interest in Interior Design. Kendall was a very social experience for me and my friends. We saw one another almost every night we often did our home work together. And smoked lots of cigarettes…I just found out Tootie is dead, she died a couple years ago…I can still hear her when some one would ask, “what time is it TOOTIE? Her answer, Mickey says…………….take care toot!!!

This Beautiful Life

This fabulous room was designed and featured in House Beautiful in 1966. Just look at this room it is absolutely beautiful. It was designed at a time when energy was cheep, both heat and cool. And we never gave a thought to conserving it. There may not have even been thermal glass in those windows, and no window treatments to block the heat or keep out the cold it didn’t matter it was cheep. There is wall to wall carpeting the ultimate in luxury floors. No one wanted bare floors, old wooden hard things. Maybe in the rumpus room, but not the living room. Notice the area rug over the carpeting. Today it’s called layering as though these young designers are the first to do that kind of thing. Then it was putting an area rug over the carpeting to define a space. Look at the fire place to bad we can’t see more of it I bet it’s really cool, looks to be a floating hearth. And I wonder if the wooden rail on the left is actually a heat convector cover. The view is one in a million. Can you even imagine having that out your window? The upholstered furniture is a bit bazaar. I knew someone with that same sofa in a green tweed plaid. It was weird then and it’s weird now. But the furniture arrangement is really nice and the overall look is still good. The club chairs are also kind of a MOD take on a very traditional piece; I think there look has held up better than the sofa. But if you find a pair please don’t buy them for me. I’m trying to pear down.  I really think all in all this room with a few minor touch ups still maintains a really comfortable good look. I wouldn’t mind spending a nice evening there with a glass of wine or 2…maybe some” cheese wiz” on a Ritz too…

A STARRR.............

A STAR, Paris Hilton is a STAR? Then I must be the moon…I was watching GMA this AM when George referred to Paris as a STAR. A star of what?What makes this air head a star. Even Miley Cyrus has a bit of talent. While Hilton has none that I can see. It’s really quite interesting how our society is more than anxious to put people and or products on pedestals and call them Stars or Glamorous, or as I heard a designer on Saturday on HGTV describe his room Elegant, AGAIN I ask do these people even know the meaning of these words… I hardly think grey plaid wall covering and white plaster horse heads make elegance. Was the room attractive? Yep I thought so but elegant it was not. The big red bird I could have done without, and I’m sure if I had photos of the room in front of me I could find a flaw here and there. And the designer who happens to have his own TV show( I do NOT) had never heard of LINER paper ( I know all about it) and they  went on about what an ingenious product it was ,” why look at that it just smoothed those walls right out”. I think a first year design student is probably up on liner paper. There we go again making people into STARS, people who have no more knowledge in there field,  or talent than the check out at your local hardware store does. Am I envious I guess so, I NEED a TV show, maybe about how to train horses Hell I saw one once up close, WOW I’m not a decorator  I am a horse whisperer and an elegant one……………….

                                           ELEGANT

Designer Secrets

I was just looking at the cover of a national shelter magazine one of the HOOKS is Designer Secrets…Like what will they tell “I don’t wear underpants” “ I had an affair with Randolph Scott” Oh hell no, now here is a bowl over  “I repeat the same color in a room , Even if it’s just the edging of a lampshade” WOW what a revelation. I want to be sure to remember that. All these years doing interiors and I’m just now finding this out. I must remember to trim the lampshades in a color all ready used in the room. Not just some random color I happen to see out the window….Now here’s another shocker … READY, “Mirrors bring glamour to a room” not may or can but evidentially always DO…so don’t put mirrors in you son’s room. The next thing you know he will be singing Beyonce  tunes. And speaking of Beyonce did any one see her imitation of DIANA ROSS  this morning on GMA? Perched up there on that piano.  Now this girl is beautiful I’ll give her that and she did do a pretty good job on the Etta James hit” At Last” for the new President and First Lady …but she is NOT  Diana Ross by  any stretch of the imagination. I don’t care how big her natural  wig gets or how many times she gazes up and off into outer space……..