"if i could turn back time"

"i'd make it go a-wa-ay"

*(with apologies to the immortal cher for the paraphrasing)

the ikea xmas tent, 11/03/09.
too much, too soon.

kick the can!

m21 would like to take a moment to discuss one of his pet peeves: can lights (also known as recessed lights).

we hate them. a lot.
can lights provide harsh and unflattering down lighting wherever they are used- lighting that would be much prettier if replaced with the ambient lighting of a chandelier, pendant, wall sconce, floor lamp or table lamp (or preferably combinations of all the above). in fact, combinations of the above will provide more then enough lighting in almost any room, so why use recessed lights? the only place can lighting is ever even necessary (in m21's opinion) is the kitchen where bright, direct light (not ambient) is sometimes needed- even then, other light sources should be included: pendants, sconces, under counter, etc. m21 thinks a can light is occasionally ok in a bathroom; and if you own a picasso, maison21 will generously permit you the discreet use of a directional recessed light to highlight your masterpiece- but other then those exceptions, m21 says kick the can!

now please don't take this post personally if you already have recessed lighting in your home- most of us do- and don't call out a plasterer because your favorite style dictator m21 said so! we are mainly addressing this issue to remodels and new construction, where we find ceilings are often so riddled with recessed fixtures that they end up looking like swiss cheese. yuck.

the swiss cheese of which we speak. we ran across this picture somewhere on the internets, and decor issues aside, we we're shocked by 22 visible ceiling lights in the photo, yet nary a table or floor lamp, nor chandelier or pendent in sight. just two lonely sconces to provide ambient lighting. m21 imagines that being in this home at night would be oppressive, not to mention the impossibility of simply sitting in chair and browsing through a magazine. no good.

we aren't sure why architects include so many recessed lights in new construction plans, perhaps they just think their clients expect them. we DO know why contractors include them in home remodels- they are inexpensive to purchase and install, so a generous mark-up can be passed on to the homeowner. multiply that mark-up by as many as a dozen in a single room, and the profit is pretty nice (and every contractor reading this blog, is making a m21 voodoo doll right now). in fact, when maison21 is involved in the planning stages of a construction project, the first thing he'll do is x out all the unnecessary can lights on the blueprints- hopefully justifying the added expense of bringing in a designer at the early stages of the project! of course, m21 will probably immediately use up the savings by adding j-boxes for extra ceiling fixtures and wall sconces, as well as floor outlets for table and floor lamps (nothing worse then lighting the edges of a room but not the central seating areas)- but hey, those kinds of pretty and appropriate additions, are why you bring in a designer in the first place!

now if you don't believe m21 about recessed ceiling lights being verboten, try this simple test: open up the latest issue of elle decor or house beautiful magazines, and count the number of recessed lights shown in rooms that aren't kitchens. you won't get very high in your count- try it!

so what are your thoughts on the usefulness of recessed lighting? kick the can? or should m21 have more of a 'can do' attitude?

shameless

when m21 was a kid/teen, i used to wither with embarrassment when my father would shamelessly mug in an attempt to get a baby or toddler to laugh; wherever we were- the grocery store, the mall, the bank- if there was a baby within 100 yards, my dad was making funny faces and noises in an effort to elicit the child's laughter, while i rolled my eyes and pretended i had never seen the weird old man causing the scene, ever before in my life.

well, you know what they say:

the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree...
hope y'all enjoyed your halloween weekend!

more halloween cuteness...

guess what mona is for halloween?

that's right- a jonathan adler bud vase!

hail satin

58 shopping days left (fewer tchotchkes, more goodwill)

yes, that's right- less then two months until c-day- m21 can't even bear to say the name until after thanksgiving- it's just too scary, right? so much to do and already so little time! well, today, m21 would like to share a couple easy ways to lighten the shopping load while doing a bit o' good, and that's by donating to a deserving charity. seriously, who needs another scented candle or pretty book, when so many people around the globe can't afford such simple luxuries? (well, maison21 actually always needs another pretty candle or book, but this year he's willing to do without). just think what a difference we could make, if we took the hundreds and hundreds of dollars we spend on on little treats for one another, and use that money to improve the lot of the truly needy around the globe. m21 has done his share of griping about our lousy economy on his blog, but the truth is our crappy economy at its worst, provides us with nicer lifestyles than 90% of the people on this globe- it's time to be grateful, not resentful! plus, m21 is a true believer in karma- improving the lot of others can only end up improving our own...

one of the ways maison21 thinks is a great way of giving is purchasing a gift certificate for www.kiva.org. kiva is an organization that provides microfinancing to would-be entrepreneurs in impoverished nations around the globe. small amounts- literally a few hundred dollars- can lift a family out of poverty and provide them with the capital to start a thriving business. from kiva's website:

"Kiva (is a) a non-profit that allows you to lend as little as $25 to a specific low-income entrepreneur across the globe.

You choose who to lend to - whether a baker in Afghanistan, a goat herder in Uganda, a farmer in Peru, a restaurateur in Cambodia, or a tailor in Iraq - and as they repay their loan, you get your money back. It's a powerful and sustainable way to empower someone right now to lift themselves out of poverty."

another organization maison21 reccommends is heifer international. heifer international provides livestock to impoverished families as source of both sustenance and income. m21 really likes the idea of giving a share of a llama or sheep as these animals provide a sustainable source of income via wool for as little as $10- who knows, you might end up walking on a carpet spun from the very fibers you donated! vegans can donate a share of a tree for the same amount, or even cooler, give an entire hive of honeybees for just $30!

there are tons of other worthwhile organizations to give to, and maison21 would love if you left your favorites in the comments. he would also encourage those of you with blogs of your own to post your favorites on them. let's really make this year a season of giving and goodwill to all- together, we can really make a difference!

next post, back to the fun and frivolity of of our utterly useless- and utterly fabulous- world of decorating...

i wanna be just like m21! (2nd anniversary giveaway)

people often ask moi- "how can i be just like my design idol, m21"? (really- i get asked. often. swear.) and maison21's lofty reply is "sorry that is simply im-poss-see-blay" m21's unique je ne sais quois is one of a kind- you know, 'often imitated, but never duplicated'. until now that is... with today's post, you have the opportunity to be EXACTLY like m21!

how can this be?

well, m21 was recently part of a gift bag delivery sent out by new york powerhouse public relations, marketing & business strategy firm, john tiffany and associates, to highlight a few fun and cool products. the delivery was "targeted to America’s most prominent editors, TV producers, bloggers and style dictators". at first we thought this must be a mistake- lil ol' m21 included in a delivery sent out to the editors of vogue and instyle magazines, as well as the daily candy bloggers? really? us? but upon further reflection the term "style dictator" did fit us like a glove, so yes, our inclusion must have been on purpose... ;-)

side note: we LOVE the term "style dictator" and think we should add it to our business cards asap!
we also knew we were included on purpose because the delivery was sent out in fabulous personalized monogram tote bags by queen bea studio with our initials "m21" emblazoned across it! that kind of mistake would be a little too coincidental...

now how does all this relate to you the reader? and the stated goal of being exactly like m21? well, not only was m21 included in the delivery, YOU were included too! a second 'm21' monogrammed bag was included for us to give away to a lucky reader!

m21 is rapidly approaching his second year of blogging- we can hardly believe our 1st post was two years ago, this november- so in honor of our second blog-a-versary, and as a thank you to our loyal readers for two years of fun and frolic, we are holding a sweepstakes for the personalized gift bag and all of its contents!

the winner receives:

1. a chic personalized 'm21' canvas tote bag from queen bea studio- carry it to the beach, or a picnic, or do like m21 does, and use it to collect samples from your local design center...
   
2. a bottle of incredibly delicious 2003 grenache blanc wine from landmark santa ynez vintners, d’alfonso-curran wines (we already sucked down our own bottle, and it's good stuff).
3. a yummy (and stylishly packaged) canister of dulcet cuisine moroccan spice blend (they include a recipe for moroccan glazed carrots in the bag, which is dee-lish. we had our chef prepare a batch in the m21 test kitchens, and were suitably impressed).
4. a selection of yum newtree gourmet chocolates, popchips and luna bars
   
5. an essentrics™ fitness dvd (to work off the wine and chocolates, we presume).
6. and last, a virtual lifetime supply of orbit sugar free gum (we loved this one- all kinds of crazy flavors we've never heard of, like pina colada and pomegranate!).

to enter the giveaway, just send us an email with "i wanna be just like m21" as the subject line (click on the "hey m21" button in the right hand side-bar), and include your mailing address. we'll randomly select a winner on november 3rd, the anniversary date of our first post, and then ship the bag and goodies off to the lucky winner! note- m21 rcvd the bag & treats for free, but the shipping is on our own dime, so if winner is outside of the continental 48 states, m21 will ship the tote bag and as much stuff as he can fit into a flat rate mailing box- which means the wine stays here. we'll raise a glass in your honor when we drink it, though!

last, maison21 would like to thank each and every one of you for making the last two years so darn enjoyable. when we started 'decorative but not serious' two years ago, we imagined that we'd have a few old friends and family members check in every now and then, but we never dreamed we'd end up with hundreds and hundreds of brand new friends, who visit and read our blog everyday (even if we suspect most of you only visit for pictures of mona and richard ;-). seriously, the fact we've had hundreds of thousands of visits in the last two years simply boggles our mind- those kind of numbers are just crazy talk! it's been an overwhelming journey, and an incredibly positive one- rewarding in ways too numerous to count- so from the bottom of my heart, thank you! i wish i had a bag to give to every single one of you!

now go enter the sweepstakes already, before your favorite style dictator starts to get all teary eyed!

pretty & classique

just felt the need for a pretty picture or two, and what could be prettier then a classic michael taylor interior:

blue & white classique (source unknown)

rock solid neutrals (architectural digest.com)

hoping your weekend is as beautiful as these rooms!