Nest by Tamara a winter post - New beginnings

Nest by Tamara

is a concept I have 
about journaling my 17-year experience as an interior designer. I have learned much in the way of history, symmetry, color, balance, construction and I would like to share my ideas. This blog will be a look at a Decorating Life. Since graduating from Parsons School of Design in 1990, I have made a living helping people to feel more comfortable in their homes. This has been interesting and challenging at times. Many of us have busy schedules, juggling varied facets of our lives simultaneously. Some of us simply cannot make the time to fine-tune our space, and some cannot figure out how to maximize the space we live in. We may lack the finances, or we may not feel secure about how to make it our own. And, yet, some of us (myself and fellow professional designer friends included) have spent years approaching decorating as a business, dotting all our Is and crossing all our Ts, and maybe with that precision comes a "watering down" of what it really takes to make a beautiful home. But, we all know what we like when we see it because it feels "right" whether from a magazine clipping, or walking into a space where we instantly connect. We may not always know how to get it, but we know it when we see it, because it propels us to NEST.

Through the four seasons of the year, I often draw upon my various experiences; from my childhood, to recent travel as a way to tap into my creativity and keep those joyous moments close in my daily life. I enjoy cooking, and although not a professional chef, one of my favorite activities is to prepare a meal for a small gathering. It becomes a theatrical production of sorts and offers a few hours of respite from an otherwise hectic daily lifestyle. Through this blog, I will offer some philosophical ideas on decorating. I will comb through history and bring you my ideas of important influences to interior design. I hope to show you some great experts (some in the field of interior design and others simply talented artisans or visionaries) in current day. I would also like to share with you some of my favorite collections of recipes and thoughts on entertaining, as well as tap into some of these very talented people I am lucky to know, while bringing forth their advice. Sometimes I will also offer lower-cost alternatives to expensive decorating, because at times we may really only need a fresh perspective. Other times you will need a professional to help, and I hope to shed some light on great resources for that as well. In addition, each month I hope to offer up one person that I admire and dedicate the blog to that unique talent. I hope to show you how they're perspective on "nesting" can be inspirational. Through 12 months of various postings, I hope to help you cherish the "safe harbor" of your home with all these images, words, music and ideas.

Nest by Tamara's upcoming editorial calendar...

A Year-long Glimpse At A Decorating Life
EDITORIAL CALENDAR:

May is gardening

June is the little details that make up a home

July is casual, summer entertaining

August is the hunt for antiques

September is how animals influence our homes, with a glimpse at the equestrian world

October is NYC architecture - specifically the Gilded Age of the late 1800s

November is using the bounties of the season to entertain in your home and set a beautiful table

December is using the inspirations of the Nutcracker ballet to decorate for the Holiday Season

January is a look at the history of interior design and how Edith Wharton influenced interior design in the 1800s

February is glimpsing at and thanking the talents in the interior design industry, from cabinet makers to painters to interior designers

March is a look at the "Nest of New York", the Gracie Mansion and other beautiful old homes

April is using color to change your environment, and a special section on putting together a tea party during the budding spring months

One more thought that

I have is to take most of my own photographs, and give the blog a very personal, not highly scripted or commercial feeling. I would like you to see this year's worth of research from my eyes and how I experienced it. There may be times, especially during historical research, that I have to tap into the wonderful resources and photographs on the internet, but hope to keep the primary source from me and my family and friend's eyes.  Until that time, how about a little decorating tip -

adding something small, but sentimental to my home makes me feel comfortable; for instance, the photo of the plates above are two porcelain platters from the 1940s and 50s in America. They were not expensive - I think I paid only $30 for each for them. I found them while perusing antique markets in South Dakota (whenever I travel, I attempt to stop in to the local antique shops). While visiting friends, I came upon the lobster platter....the markings are American and 1940s. It brought to me memories of lobster bakes on the beach in Long Island when I was a little girl. We would regularly have bonfire parties at the beach, cooking lobster bake over hot coals. I remember my family huddled together around the fire, laughing and telling stories. Although I found this item far from the waters of the long island sound, the memories bring me back to that era. Rather than keeping it squired away, I hang it in my kitchen. It makes me feel nostalgic......

See you in May 2009

Happy Nesting
XO Tamara