devastated

yeah, i know- similar posts lamenting the loss of metropolitan home are going to be on every blog in the blogosphere, but the loss of met home hit me today personally like a blow. i can't say i've been terribly fond of it's editorial direction as of late- it seemed to be trying a little too hard to be zany, and to be what it's sister publication, elle decor, was not, rather then be what met home historically is (or was)- but that's ok, we all go through periods of being unsure of our voice and rediscovering it again. sadly, met home won't be sharing it's voice with us after december, and to me, that feels like losing an old friend...

you see, metropolitan home is the first design magazine i truly *loved*, and the first magazine i think i ever actually subscribed to. it launched in the 80's, right as i was transitioning from kid to adult, so we came of age together, it's modern sensibility was the antidote for stuffy upscale mags like architectural digest, or magazines my mom would read, like better homes and gardens- neither of which a budding 80's hipster would be caught dead thumbing through! during it's 80's heyday, it was THE home magazine- chronicling both cutting edge high design, as well as realistic interiors you could model your own home after- heady stuff for a broke wannabe adult. outside of spending my week's food money on an imported issue of domus or abitaire, it also was the only place i could find pictures of the cutting edge italian design, so important to me at the time. i literally worshiped at the altar of met home- it was my design bible- and i would read every issue front to back, and then start all over again.

to this day, met home had a viewpoint unlike any of the other shelter mags- it was modern, and inspiring, yet always retained a feeling of accessibility, not exclusivity. you could picture yourself in the homes they featured- if not now, then one day- and you wouldn't have to necessarily win the lottery to do so. it also focused on modern design, which many other magazines ignore, and brought modern design to us in a warm and user friendly way, which other more 'design' oriented magazines simply don't.

so goodbye old friend- i will miss your high and low features, (my fave) and your annual design 100 issue, introducing us to architects, designers and products we might have been unfamiliar with; i'll miss your regular reporting from milan (still with the italian design after all these years), and all the rest of your great features focusing on modern design in a way the other shelter magazines just don't. i especially will miss looking forward to getting you in my mailbox every month as i have for the last 25 years- you will leave a void that will not be filled-not by the internet, not by blogs and certainly not by a new print magazine- those days are gone.

again, goodbye metropolitan home, and thank you- though you may be gone now, for this designer, you will never be forgotten...

animal crewelty

the atelier, sunday, 12:36 am...

pardon the pun, hon.

"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!