American Elle Decor have this month have profiled the work of designers they consider to be 2011′s A list. Its not good apart from one design firm (more of them in a min). I was flabbergasted at just how conservative and uptight the portfolio Elle Dec previewed actually was. Everything matched, a beige haze of blandness prevailed, the interiors were so overly designed, dull. boring and I think I may have yelled to Graham (but in far bluer terms) that’s it I quit!! Of course I won’t but it saddens me to think that people/clients actually want this kind of a look.I just don’t get it.
Enough said there was a jewel in the crown – a magnificient jewel at that. Roman and Williams are a red hot design firm creating beautiful interiors from installing a penny tile floor (made of real pennies for the Standard hotel in NY) to installing a huge massive swing crafted from antique wood in Gwyneth Paltrow’s pad to designing spaces for Ace Hotel. Their take on interiors is witty, seamlessly blending cutting edge design with a traditional sense of luxury. Their interiors create moods, textures and emotions that are so easy to relate too.Its called building an experience, capturing customers and clients imagainations (an image of their work below).
Sorry Elle Decor your list is just not good enough – life is way too short to showcase indifferent interiors and if these guys hadn’t been mentioned I would be on a plane right now banging on the editors door!
I wonder if this has anything to do with the absence of Margret Russell?
Have not seen this issue yet but will have to cast a critical eye over it like I always do!
And yes the penny tile floor at the Standard is pretty amazing…saw it whilst eating the steak!
You could well be right – its online if you wish to take a look but I advise a large dose of whisky before doing so even at this early hour x
But surely diversity is a good thing. Can’t there be room enough for dark/eclectic AND pale/heavily designed? I’d hate it if we were all doing the same thing.
Bang away!…
The new guy, in trying to stand out from the last has, instead show off as bland.
That cannot be any good for any of us.
Cheers!… to sounding off when it’s deserved.
I couldn’t agree with you more. American shelter mags have been beyond boring for years and years. I haven’t bought anything but British elle decor for years – I won’t waste my money on the American mags. Nothing new or inventive. But thankfully the plethora of wonderful design blogs such as yours and online mags such as Lonny & Rue fill the void and my need for eclectic design crack!;)
A bit late with my comment but I couldn’t agree more. Abigail and Hilary said what I have been thinking for years. In general American design mags are boring and stuffy – everything done to a formula and just nothing unexpected. Money thrown at ‘rooms’ doesn’t equal good design. I can’t believe US Elle Decor is so awful when the sister mags, especially UK Elle decor which I buy all the time here in Canada, are so good, excellent.