Magazine Envy

Huffington pow-wow

Every once in a while, my intrepid, energizer-bunny business partner and I talk about what new business we might want to open next. I won’t bore you with the list of ideas except to say that starting a magazine is always somewhere at the top. Wouldn’t it be fun to be editor of a fabulous publication like House Beautiful, or a combination of Veranda, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles and the gorgeous French magazine, Cote Sud?

But wait!  There’s no need to start our own magazine because there’s a new one out that comes close to pure perfection!  If you haven’t already come across it, you’re in for a real treat with the latest issue of “Milieu” magazine.

Milieu Magazine cover, Spring 2014

I should preface this by saying that Pamela Pierce, the interior designer editor and publisher of Milieu, has ALWAYS been my hero when it comes to interior design.  Her designs, which are heavily French influenced, are the ultimate blend of clean lines, sophistication, beautiful palette and that wonderful mix of old and new, collected and modern, or as we like to say at the store, crusty and clean.

 

An iconic Pamela Pierce interior that says crusty and clean like no other.

 We were so excited (and just slightly envious) when we learned, last year, that Pamela Pierce was starting her own magazine, called Milieu. Here’s what she told the NY Times last August, when asked why she decided to start her own publication, in an already crowded “milieu.”

“I wanted to bring a different perspective to editorial. And I wanted to search for designers who haven’t been published that much. It’s a little schizophrenic right now in the design world. It’s like people don’t know what direction to take. I love antiques and I think you need some in your home to bring the past in along with the future. I’m just seeing a lot of throwaway furniture in houses. I want to show people that you can mix the new with the old; you can still honor both.”

Pamela Pierce tells the N.Y. Times that it’s all about the mix … which is all music to our ears! Photo by Fran Brennan, NYT

We’re so crazy about Pamela Pierce that we could probably do several blogs just on her designs. But let’s take a look at her magazine, and see how she’s captured the mix she so strongly believes in.

The entry hall to a new house in Belgium that was all built with old materials. Photo by Claude Smekens.

Check out the reclaimed Burgundian stone and the French antique staircase in this beautiful home.

We are smitten with the bold color of the walls and upholstery in this same lovely home. Photos by Claude Smekens.

The sitting room is painted Farrow & Ball “Hue”. Great color. Photo by Claude Smekens.

Shifting gears, but staying in the same palette, is a gorgeous feature on a Houston house by designer Eleanor Cummings, and photographed by Peter Vitale.

What a gorgeous combination of jewel toned colors in this Houston house by Eleanor Cummings!

We love the freshness of the kitchen, which is so lively and unexpected.

Utter perfection! Look at how these colors play beautifully together! The trick is that by using complementary colors that are all the same value, this room is serene and soothing rather than busy or jarring.

Again, we just love the pops of color (and check out the Moroccan rug!).

This next house could be Huff Harrington Home! We love the mix of old and new, of gilded and crusty, of salvaged and precious.

 

The restored living room of a designer’s Santa Fe adobe.

We love breaking rules, like putting dressers in front of windows.

Of course you know why we love this cover shot of Milieu magazine!  Remember our blog called “Begging for Biot” that features these same Biot jarres?  Pamela Pierce is a big jarre fan and uses them widely in most of her interiors.

A Biot jarre is the star of this cover of Milieu magazine from TG interiors blog.

And then there’s a gorgeous feature on pinks, by designer Lady Kay Allen, with photos by Peter Vitale.

Pink slipcovers make their debut every spring in this lovely Dallas home.

We are fans of “touches of pink” as you’ll remember from our favorite pied-a-terre in Paris that we designed with touches of pink that were inspired by a beautiful old painting we found at the Paris flea market.

 

We think Pamela Pierce would approve of our little Paris apartment, called Beaumes de Venise, where we introduced little touches of pink.

A little pink goes a long way, but what a difference it makes!

We added this charming monogrammed pillow to pick up just a hint of pink in the living room of our Paris apartment.

And speaking of pink … Milieu did a whole other spread on it with some of our favorite products.

And look at this cover from another Milieu issue … just divine!

And finally, my favorite house of all: That of Shannon Bowers, the Dallas interior designer.

Paris meets West Texas in this fresh, clean and pretty home (with touches of pink!)

A lovely side garden in Shannon Bowers’ personal home.

The piece de resistance and my favorite room in the magazine! Gorgeous art, beamed ceilings, unexpected coffee table arrangement and a pop of fresh yellow. The combo is delightfully eclectic and so sophisticated.

So, as you might expect, we’ve been approached by Milieu magazine on a few occasions to advertise in their pages.  Sadly, it’s not in our budget – although if it were, we’d be there.  But how would we look amid the pages of this oh so gorgeous and sophisticated magazine?  

Hmmm … do you think a pair of French maids would cut it?  I’m not so sure that our little humor would fit in with such pure beauty.    So maybe we should come out with our own magazine.  What would we call it?  Something sassy and classy,  familiar and Frenchy, bien sur …

I think I’ve got it!

Ta ta!

HH