carrie*connects

Check Out The New Blog!

After 4 long years of having this blog on typepad we're moving over to a different platform at http://leberpr.com/blog/ ~ I think you'll notice immediately what a fresh look the new site has as well as many other features that will make cataloging and presenting relevant information about our company and clients much more organized.  

Tsunami Glassworks on Style at Home

Style at Home - the authority for all things design and decor in Canada featured our client Tsunami Glassworks recently - writer Natalie Bahadur found the glass designing duo's work to be "Unique. Truly original.  One of a kind..."  We couldn't agree more!  Check out the entire post here>> 

Monte Design Introduces Grano ~ Style Plus Gliding *and* Reclining!

They're well known for their gorgeous group of rockers and chairs designed for stylish families - and now our client Monte Designs is introducing what's sure to be another big star in their collection. 

The Grano is Monte Designs first chair that both glides and reclines.  Set to hit stores in early December, Grano will offered in a variety of colors including white, stone, brown, orange, green, and gray.

A remarkably comfortable chair, the Grano has all the features of a recliner, without the bulk that you might typically find with some models.  Perfect for the nursery, the Grano will be a wonderful addition to family and TV rooms as well.  Starts at $1195.

Design | Pamela Sunday's Bronzed Nature

 It's nearly impossible to walk past the burnished asteroids, bronzed land mines, and golden atoms that artist Pamela Sunday creates in her Brooklyn studio.   Created from ceramics, metal, and other materials, Sunday's works are both radiant and restrained - an aesthetic she surely picked up in her days as a fashion stylist.  And while the artist has worked in a number of creative areas, ironically it's her background in mathematics that seems to come forward in her art work.  Inspired by the precise formations and diligent geometry that lie in the genius of nature, these beautiful sculptures are truly engaging.

Fabulous Interiors Photographer Lauren Resen

If you were a fan at all of Domino Magazine, you'll immediately recognize photographer Laura Resen's remarkable images here.  I love the naturalistic look of what would otherwise be highly styled rooms.  See more or Laura's work on her online portfolio>>

Blog Lovin' - Julie Thigpen's Belle Maison

Long ago, in a land far away, I represented interior designers as a specialty.  (We still do represent interior designers, but no so much exclusively).  This was before editors started taking pitches via email if you can imagine it - and to be honest while it sounds like I'm describing the '50's - it was only about 1999 - ten years ago.

We'd take photos with big format cameras, make careful copious color copies and distribute them either in person or via elegant press kits among the prime design magazine editors - at the time there weren't many of them - Architectural Digest was (and is) for the millionaire row set, Elle Decor and Met Home were obsessing at the time over sparsely decorated lofts outfitted with mid-century modern furniture...and so on...

These days design blogs are pulling the threads out of that old standard - ripping down the heavy drapes of the former gatekeepers and creating an industry all their own.  It started with super blogs like Design-Sponge and Apartment Therapy, but quickly moved to smaller more refined blogs put out by design students, enthusiasts and interior designers themselves.  The indirect result has been the domino roll of paper shelter magazines into history - the most shocking and disturbing was probably the one ironically named Domino.

Which brings me to Julie Thigpen's lovely blog Belle Maison.  Julie not only edits on a daily basis photos from homes around the world and culls them onto her site, but she also offers online design services in the form of inspiration boards, product suggestions, and computer generated before and afters.  She also has a roster of resources and tons of portfolio shots from her various projects. 

While we love design magazines, and will always enjoy them and look forward to seeing them in the mailbox each month, there is a sort of irony in the notion that designers no longer have to bow and kiss the ring of editors in order to get exposure for their work.  The media cycle has come full circle with blogs like Belle Maison.  Not only is Julie's blog and website a fabulous tool for showing her work and style on both a physical and hypothetical plane, but its also serves as a profit center as she sells ad space and goods. 

Above are photos of Julie's idea boards for an online store she's planning.  Below is a client suggestion worksheet. 

Related:

Moving Up The Media Food Chain - Bloggers Get a Front Row Seat At FashionWeek

Charla Lawhon Leaves InStyle After 15 Years

Sun and Sea in the April Issue of Architectural Digest.

I'm more than a little enthralled with this house in the April issue of Architectural Digest.  Located on Long Island's East End, and designed by Stelle Architects with interiors by Thad Hayes, I love the beachy neutrals and refined modernism of the house. 


Of the project AD writes:
“We told Thad we wanted it to be calm and simple, like the landscape—full of light and air,” says the wife; and Hayes complied. With a résumé that includes five years studying landscape design, he understood immediately how to bring the house’s interiors into harmonic convergence with its setting. In addition, he had the benefit of having worked with the couple before, on a ski house in Park City, Utah, and a New York apartment on Fifth Avenue that balances 18th- and 19th-century furnishings with contemporary ones against a backdrop of extraordinary 20th-century art (see Architectural Digest, April 2002). “I knew they didn’t like overwrought design, or anything self-conscious,” he says."

See all the photos and read the story at Architectural Digest.