LivingKitchen 2013

::Surroundings:: regular contributor Lori Dolnick is always on the go and her most recent trip was to IMM Cologne in Germany. Lori was kind enough to put together a great video of what's hot in European kitchen design. <br /><br />Trend Report by Lori Dolnick<br /><br />I recently traveled to Cologne, Germany for the 2013 LivingKitchen trade show with the BLANCO Design Council (<a href="http://www.blancobydesign.com/">www.blancobydesign.com</a> to learn more). It is always inspiring to experience the show through the eyes of the designers/bloggers both on the BLANCO Design Council and with the <a href="http://www.modenus.com/" target="_blank">Modenus</a> BlogTour who met up with us for press events. Out of the hundreds of photos we took - these are curated by trend including reclaimed wood looks in cabinets + tiles, grey colors, a stunning architectural sink design called MODEX by BLANCO plus pure white design for appliance + cabinets. Everywhere we looked, there were smart phones, tablets and remote controls. If you ever wanted to see an international home design show in under 2 minutes - here's your shot! <br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3P-6eWPimNM" width="853"></iframe>

LivingKitchen 2013

::Surroundings:: regular contributor Lori Dolnick is always on the go and her most recent trip was to IMM Cologne in Germany. Lori was kind ...

Read more »

Passport To Design Bloggers Tour - Great resources on the No. Shore!

<br />I attended a wonderful design bloggers day yesterday courtesy of Boston Magazine's <a href="http://www.circlefurniture.com/promotions/12_pass.html" target="_blank">"Passport To Design"</a> program and organized by fellow blogger <a href="http://designvignettes.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Yvonne Blacker</a>.  The Passport To Design event is a series of design seminars hosted by these five design industry stores and showrooms on the North Shore here in Massachusetts. The event has been going on for a couple of months, but there are still a couple of great seminars left on the schedule, <a href="http://www.bostonmagazine.com/passport/seminars.html" target="_blank">so check it out</a>. <br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.circlefurniture.com/" target="_blank">Circle Furniture</a> in Danvers hosted the first event with coffee and breakfast and a quick showroom tour by their Merchandiser Sean William Donovan. This spacious showroom is on Rte. 1. For those who have never been there, try not to miss the showroom as it took me 18 minutes to circle back since Rte 1 is a divided highway. There is a Costco just before it on the same side, so once you see Costco, pay close attention! I wanted to sink into the tufted green chair and a half - it is fabulous! Also comes in sofa size. The tables are made from reclaimed wood and were beautiful.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBIXYnEH6Aqs652luakMo93Da5uGK1zBsgNaWH6VFS79WsnTaXXF9Y7rND-9wyd0IUTOIEzmEwDATV8zapux8oJUm8AjpiOwq9B-GWCDrXRhwXXu4bYx4yLbCywLrkh-fNjskjkWsap0e/s1600/Circle+Furniture4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicBIXYnEH6Aqs652luakMo93Da5uGK1zBsgNaWH6VFS79WsnTaXXF9Y7rND-9wyd0IUTOIEzmEwDATV8zapux8oJUm8AjpiOwq9B-GWCDrXRhwXXu4bYx4yLbCywLrkh-fNjskjkWsap0e/s640/Circle+Furniture4.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />Next on the tour was <a href="http://tile-by-design.com/" target="_blank">Tile By Design </a>in Danvers. After toasting the day with Mimosas (yes, we design bloggers are a boozy lot) we toured their beautiful tile showroom that was jammed packed with hardscape goodies. My new favorite (see bottom left) is a teak wood mosaic tile that is laid like ceramic moasic tile, in sheets. It does have its own grout compound, but the look is fabulous! But since it's wood, keep it away from fireplaces and stove tops! We were sent on our way with cute, and tasty, little cupcakes. Sweet.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQlEnWcg-M4slm0Mn5oDEUzL5-h46fwa22JvL-W8si4c2L34UFYIe57JnP68KiRMulmRtIee2N9BOSxEd9FLdzP-HrQepgEppI-ucA7Z4E_Px6WKeVz1YHxi5idWsD3h5DnZGxzBJfQcqR/s1600/Tile+by+Design.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQlEnWcg-M4slm0Mn5oDEUzL5-h46fwa22JvL-W8si4c2L34UFYIe57JnP68KiRMulmRtIee2N9BOSxEd9FLdzP-HrQepgEppI-ucA7Z4E_Px6WKeVz1YHxi5idWsD3h5DnZGxzBJfQcqR/s640/Tile+by+Design.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Next, we traveled to Beverly to visit the <a href="http://designerbath.com/" target="_blank">Designer Bath & Salem Plumbing Supply</a> showroom, where our tour guide Yvonne is marketing director. They were undergoing a showroom renovation, but that didn't dampen our spirits. (pun intended). Who doesn't love a lot of sparkle and shine?!? Okay, question: Would you want a tv embedded in your bath or shower? See top left photo... I admit in my much younger days I used to take hours long baths (yes, fill,hot, cool, drain, refill, hot, cool, do it all over) and sometimes I did drag my little 13" black & white tv in to the bathroom with me. But I'm not sure about having the newsman right inside the shower with me [insert joke here]. Thoughts? We had a lovely lunch of corn chowder and chicken sammies to restore our energy, tasty! And yes, that's me bottom right - why was I grimacing??<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vVVX7WduU-slxqGogEUfczvUuy0OUd_1mky0M2g18MA4G4krvIDiG5nQ0iDn8Zaxh4pV0gMbTqz8cDzqGZc0HmzGoKRrJxSK2sWPY8d3IkdlnAebznFDqFkXlOfFUQ20GUvg7jSn50aR/s1600/Designer+Bath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-vVVX7WduU-slxqGogEUfczvUuy0OUd_1mky0M2g18MA4G4krvIDiG5nQ0iDn8Zaxh4pV0gMbTqz8cDzqGZc0HmzGoKRrJxSK2sWPY8d3IkdlnAebznFDqFkXlOfFUQ20GUvg7jSn50aR/s640/Designer+Bath.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><a href="http://www.landryandarcari.com/" target="_blank"><br /></a><a href="http://www.landryandarcari.com/" target="_blank">Our next stop was the venerable Landry & Arcari</a>'s Salem showroom. Okay, I love carpet, love it. But unfortunately, I am allergic to wool. So being in a carpet showroom can be a bit difficult for me -  the things we suffer for our art!. The L&A folks, which is a family run business, are so passionate about their rugs and it's infectious. We also got to visit their workroom where craftsman/woman were busy repairing client's rugs. Really fun to watch. I didn't know this, and I have purchased L&A rugs for clients, that they will buy back rugs from clients. Of course, they must be in good, unstained condition, but it's a great program. They mentioned that they had just bought a rug back from clients who purchased it 20 years ago at an excellent price. While these are not budget items, a good Oriental rug will last for decades and knowing it can be returned for a decent price if you want a change is great. Just as our energies were waning, we were treated to afternoon tea, cookies and salted caramels. Yum. A little shout out to the lovely<a href="http://design4seasons.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"> Katherine Hawkins</a> (bottom right). <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdAJK4v9THXhLRct2gqhNjEqspfmiaqN6k3kAPfjGUbsz1ZXK_Ae6gUOE7POXPbIhHlBc9JlIt8S5tp5f4LZPgtglhIlX2qrJwpl3JBaYPGT830mG98OKC8bGvtkC3JPjgmMz2BB19chZ4/s1600/Landry.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdAJK4v9THXhLRct2gqhNjEqspfmiaqN6k3kAPfjGUbsz1ZXK_Ae6gUOE7POXPbIhHlBc9JlIt8S5tp5f4LZPgtglhIlX2qrJwpl3JBaYPGT830mG98OKC8bGvtkC3JPjgmMz2BB19chZ4/s640/Landry.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />Our final stop was to the fabulous <a href="http://lucialighting.com/" target="_blank">Lucia Lighting</a> showroom in Lynn. Owner Lucy Dearborn was the perfect hostess for our final stop. As effervescent as the bubbly she generously poured upon our arrival (did I mention we're a boozy lot?), Lucy gave us a great tour of the showroom. That's her in the middle image below showing us these cute little fun pendant lights that I can't remember much about (I was pooped, I'll admit it!). Also, shout out to fellow blog tour member <a href="http://www.kristinacrestindesign.com/" target="_blank">Kristina Crestin</a>. I'm more partial to crystal and sparkles. Love, love the Studio Bel Vetro blow glass lighting (bottom). The colors and patterns are amazing. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5PFJMXamd2woj8bV2nejGMj4JPQn8AFeur7A63kx1mn2OYtXOT1I3Ba4NH9g9dJjREU7x6rdfEaJrdf0k4_Gze4qX-ul8vLA6xQdBkJlLBNAdDTny7GRWrGA6WqqVndtx86Ui_fCaIGB/s1600/Lucia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5PFJMXamd2woj8bV2nejGMj4JPQn8AFeur7A63kx1mn2OYtXOT1I3Ba4NH9g9dJjREU7x6rdfEaJrdf0k4_Gze4qX-ul8vLA6xQdBkJlLBNAdDTny7GRWrGA6WqqVndtx86Ui_fCaIGB/s640/Lucia.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br />Thanks for taking the tour with me. <a href="http://bostonmagazine.com/passport" target="_blank">Check out</a> the Passport to Design events still going on!<br /><br />If you would like my help on your design project, I would love to chat with you! Please <a href="mailto:linda.m.merrill@gmail.com">email me</a>. Thanks!<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/EQjz" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/EQjz" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe to ::Surroundings::</a>

Passport To Design Bloggers Tour - Great resources on the No. Shore!

I attended a wonderful design bloggers day yesterday courtesy of Boston Magazine's "Passport To Design" program and organized...

Read more »

Top 100 Design Blogs

<a href="http://www.modenus.com/blog/interiordesign/top-100-interior-design-blogs" target="_blank">Modenus</a> is hosting a "crowd sourced" list of 100 top interior design blogs. I'm hovering in the low 50's and would love to get into the top 50, so would love your vote!  There are so many great blogs - this is a great chance to get to know some new one's while supporting those you may already follow. Thanks!<br /><br /><div style='text-align:left' id='ly_wrap_26l'><strong id='ly_wrap_26l_t' style='display:block;margin:10px 0 4px'><a href="http://list.ly/list/26l-top-100-interior-design-blogs" target="_blank" title="Top 100 interior design blogs">Top 100 interior design blogs</a></strong><script type='text/javascript' src='http://list.ly/plugin/show?list=26l&layout=gallery'></script><div style='padding:4px 0 10px'>View more <a href="http://list.ly/" target="_blank">lists</a> from <a href="http://list.ly/people/Modenus" target="_blank">Veronika Miller</a></div></div><br /><br />If you would like my help on your design project, I would love to chat with you! Please <a href="mailto:linda.m.merrill@gmail.com">email me</a>. Thanks!<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/EQjz" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/EQjz" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe to ::Surroundings::</a>

Top 100 Design Blogs

Modenus is hosting a "crowd sourced" list of 100 top interior design blogs. I'm hovering in the low 50's and would love t...

Read more »

#InStyleTour: Where Function Meets Form

<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4P_5uf61j7JahUahnZRG4nisEpZN-nMXCJCBV0gq2VhMhjQ0s7GZhCR3eixM9wZAYjx6cnS0dNAd5Dxxqy6Eg3mbgEywiw3WqXPqc4hY4jcDp1-pjiblkDfsUh01Gk2b0TlEy6daiRA9a/s1600/%23INSTYLETOUR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4P_5uf61j7JahUahnZRG4nisEpZN-nMXCJCBV0gq2VhMhjQ0s7GZhCR3eixM9wZAYjx6cnS0dNAd5Dxxqy6Eg3mbgEywiw3WqXPqc4hY4jcDp1-pjiblkDfsUh01Gk2b0TlEy6daiRA9a/s320/%23INSTYLETOUR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Last week I attended a lovely evening that epitomized the marriage of art and design, plus the value of connections across the design community. Interior designer <a href="http://www.andieday.com/blog/" target="_blank">Andie Day</a> and builder <a href="http://www.thebuildingblox.com/2012/09/instyletour-press-release.html" target="_blank">Todd Vendituoli</a> were the organizers of the event.  They brought in sink and faucet company <a href="http://www.blancoamerica.com/c3/blanco_usa/_www/en/pub/index.cfm" target="_blank">Blanco</a> as sponsor and introduced a large group of designers and bloggers to abstract expressionist artist <a href="http://www.giovannidecunto.com/" target="_blank">Giovanni DeCunto</a>. The dinner was held in the wine cellar of Ristorante Villa Francesca in Boston's North End, followed by dessert and art appreciation at Giovanni's studio which was only a few blocks away. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/388905_527760000573964_1453699495_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/388905_527760000573964_1453699495_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Designer's bonding over dinner: with Laurie Gorelick (m) and Barbara Elza Hirsh (r). Congrats to Laurie who won a piece of original art by Giovanni DeCunto which was created just for the evening!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/527304_527760863907211_1546454786_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/527304_527760863907211_1546454786_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>Blanco's marketing guru Christy Emens joined us and was able to discuss <a href="http://www.blancoamerica.com/c3/blanco_usa/_www/en/pub/index.cfm" target="_blank">Blanco'</a>s focus on design ingenuity, attention to detail (they are a German firm, after all!) and their commitment to green design. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/23924_527759543907343_1109246235_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/23924_527759543907343_1109246235_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Congratulations to designer Michelle Cortizo on winning a gorgeous <a href="http://www.blancoamerica.com/c3/blanco_usa/_www/en/pub/products/product_portfolio/faucets1/portfolio_faucets.cfm?fuseaction=c.productdetail&startRow=1&endRow=60&strukturID=1292256681936" target="_blank">Blanco Culina faucet</a>, presented by Christy Emens. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.blancoamerica.com/inter/kt/HeilerPPMKatalog/hlr-system/USA/Faucets/BLANCOCULINA/441331_CULI_SI_PC.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.blancoamerica.com/inter/kt/HeilerPPMKatalog/hlr-system/USA/Faucets/BLANCOCULINA/441331_CULI_SI_PC.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/545674_527760337240597_498373322_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/545674_527760337240597_498373322_n.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>Giovanni's amazing piece: Steve Jobs. Cultural icons are part of his focus, as seen in the pieces featuring Ghandi and Einstein below. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/10442_527759607240670_1520926715_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/10442_527759607240670_1520926715_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Todd, Giovanni, Chrisy and Andie celebrate a job well done. If you'd like to see more images from the evening, you can visit my new <a href="http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.527759293907368.142144.527054513977846&type=1" target="_blank">Facebook business page here</a>. And if you'd care to "like" my page while you're there, I would appreciate it!<br /><br /><br />If you would like my help on your design project, I would love to chat with you! Please <a href="mailto:linda.m.merrill@gmail.com">email me</a>. Thanks!<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/EQjz" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/EQjz" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe to ::Surroundings::</a>

#InStyleTour: Where Function Meets Form

Last week I attended a lovely evening that epitomized the marriage of art and design, plus the value of connections across the design commun...

Read more »

Design Bloggers Conference Hall of Fame Winners

<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I</span></span></b> wanted to send a little shout out to the just announced winners of the first annual Design Bloggers Conference Hall of Fame. First, let me say that I am not actually at the conference. It just didn't fit into my schedule or budget this year. But if you follow the hashtag <a href="https://twitter.com/#%21/search/realtime/dbc2012" target="_blank">#dbc2021</a> on Twitter, you can nearly feel like you're there - you know, without the warm LA weather (warmer than New England, at lease!) and all the hugging and air kissing. <br /><br />A big congratulations to: <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://meredithheron.com/blog" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfqBhPeLNsz-P9qMbZsCWGGqIhcRYmZ0N-zp5QxZysgffR6tmsQ5mSBU4iGomj61duQOA2Z4MFEx8nehs08BjlrcEosvgzTpIVzvIwGf6GPaDlCH4DV-nF9EwDZJnk8H8xKlLen4TlqJo/s400/Sashay.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">T</span></span></b>oronto-based designer Meredith Heron's blog <a href="http://meredithheron.com/blog" target="_blank">Sashay</a> won best new design blog.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://thepeakofchic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQtdMiRlC0HJPxUqG0k4wNyQN6jG1IbnGSNzPL2BLzeSHywBUTblIEBNRCeoAxNnVFR9tw7VgcI2w-yGYQJdkoNQKw8zWtnAgVWk4MzGwfMIAyGAjiLMcTfFgymiYfN2dp3t_5MUpm4acK/s400/Peak+of+Chic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A</span></span></b>tlanta based writer Jennifer Boles' <a href="http://thepeakofchic.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">The Peak of Chic</a> won for best writing on a design blog. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cocokelley.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuBSxnY0VA2GIAwTVlJpiqhwIFoau6TFRID2IlYtgvzt1rA7Zcju05aRAEIddSpoRYMV0-4HmuVnlZxdLanp0_SFhz0DLqEzojunizhSiHV8FXhDWJIHJHC8M4yIxlb6YizL3yI0L7Hrxw/s400/CocoKelley.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">S</span></span></b>eattle based Cassandra Lavalle's blog <a href="http://cocokelley.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Coco + Kelley</a> won for best graphics and photography<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://tobifairley.com/blog/" target="_blank"><img border="0" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvnKfxmIlTIcFQ_BauvmGbilYFQ0ajwfikt7n21LxcNJrYCXZgEX7OqSzBp2ZmDiZAhzr4TJXoH-2RK3gq4Q8nCU61Govnae8FpRtjLyaf-97fo13DXTDE3umEZryQYJ4AXAKvinsIiD1q/s400/Tobi.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A</span></span></b>rkansas designer <a href="http://tobifairley.com/blog/" target="_blank">Tobi Fairley's blog </a>won for best overall design blog. <br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">N</span></span></b>ow, not to take away from any of these ladies and their accomplishments - they are all worthy winners - but I have had some thoughts about the entire Hall of Fame concept from the beginning. First off: to me, the concept of a Hall of Fame denotes not only exceptional achievement, but longevity and community service.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://greeneyed.com/wp-content/uploads/design-sponge-logo-230x162.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://greeneyed.com/wp-content/uploads/design-sponge-logo-230x162.png" /></a></div><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">F</span></span></b>or that reason alone, I had voted for Grace Bonney's <a href="http://www.designsponge.com/" target="_blank">Design*Sponge</a> for best over all design blog. After all, how can you not choose the person who really was the forefront of personal design blogging? She very nearly created the genre and inspired a thousand other blogs, mine included. Her Biz Ladies Meetups across the country were huge successes and showed that she was as interested in supporting women in business no matter how tiny. <br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxBIyv7NKsy6I-Ojz_5RKwHSwy4fnNqxMh_jrpzscDXfdwU8v9tmZNPgycs6-vnJquCrKaOKSoGxE74TOjehzB24dUkng5T5g-vPdDJhU3D9SrHYkFlArtTUQOngeeSENep2BV5EFuVDE9/s1600/decor8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxBIyv7NKsy6I-Ojz_5RKwHSwy4fnNqxMh_jrpzscDXfdwU8v9tmZNPgycs6-vnJquCrKaOKSoGxE74TOjehzB24dUkng5T5g-vPdDJhU3D9SrHYkFlArtTUQOngeeSENep2BV5EFuVDE9/s1600/decor8.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I</span></span></b> voted for Holly Becker's <a href="http://decor8blog.com/" target="_blank">Decor8</a> for best graphics and photography. As with Grace Bonney, Holly has been at the forefront of design blogs, has legions of followers and through her course offerings in design blogging, many new bloggers have been nurtured. Additionally, her blog is very well designed and her own photography has gotten quite good over the years and truly establishes and supports her brand.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://mrsblandings.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjncOxYsrcojwjo1JGjV7ZaSa9Ugn2KosuB-uCqpZO09gzmoFGaLgmCUH-fAXAHGBKj0wrobOUhLgFriYTqroy9f11TD4MxS16wW7eE2rRORB5qj9efA6ahgB0q-A6FPHvlsjctOxZsJy9A/s1600-r/header4.jpg" /></a></div><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I</span></span></b>n the category of best writing, it was for me a toss up between Patricia Shackelford of <a href="http://mrsblandings.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Mrs. Blandings</a> and the aforementioned winner Jennifer Boles. As far as I'm concerned no other design bloggers are writers of the same caliber as these ladies.  I voted for Patricia simply because I really am in awe of her ability to mash-up a completely unrelated anecdote of her life with a series of beautiful images and somehow it all makes sense. Plus, she's a beautifully spare writer - a quality I certainly lack. Both Jennifer and Patricia have parlayed their writing skills into gigs for House Beautiful and Architectural Digest, respectively, and it's no wonder.  <br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">A</span></span></b>s I said, this is not to disparage the work of the winning bloggers at all. They are all amazing and worthy of accolade.  I simply wanted to send a quick shout out to the bloggers whose work I admire and have done for many years. <b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">Brava</span></span></b> to all!<br /><br /><b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;">I</span></span></b>f you would like my help on your design project, I would love to chat with you! Please <a href="mailto:linda.m.merrill@gmail.com">email me</a>. Thanks!<a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/EQjz" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml"><img alt="" src="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/images/pub/feed-icon16x16.png" style="border: 0; vertical-align: middle;" /></a> <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogspot/EQjz" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml">Subscribe to ::Surroundings::</a>

Design Bloggers Conference Hall of Fame Winners

I wanted to send a little shout out to the just announced winners of the first annual Design Bloggers Conference Hall of Fame. First, let m...

Read more »