Here's the deal-eo

So my design sensibility is all over the place but I prefer to call it "eclectic." I have a cheeky, sarcastic sense of humor that tends to flow into anything I put my fingers on so there will always be a bit of whimsy.

I mentioned that I have an Interior Design background, right? Well I do but it was YEARS ago while living in Chicago (downtown, NOT the suburbs!), rocking a bohemian meets uptown vibe. I worked for a pair of gay male designers (is that redundant?) named Augustin Fernandez and Robert George and our firm name was "Fernandez & George Design." Now this was a swanky place we were running - we didn't take clients with design budgets under 100k and most were in the millions. Our clients were bluebloods, northshore types, with a couple of nuveau riche in the mix as well. I was the "Gal Friday" for the firm. I did everything from make the coffee in the morning to cleaning the bathrooms to ordering eight thousand dollar chairs, approving design samples, supervising installations and serving cocktails to drunk rich people. I loved it. And I learned A LOT - I was like a sponge, soaking it all in. I went on to work for another famous designer in Chicago named Hilda Solomon and learned more and different things. Still, at the time, I lived in a shoebox studio with a mattress on the floor and a poster of Keith Partrige on the wall. No shit. I used to have a picture of him on my wall at home and when I was about eight or nine, I drew this conversation bubble coming out of his mouth and wrote "Love is you.." Well I kept it and one of my friends saw it ('nother gay man) and bought me this ginormous poster and drew the bubble and the words on it. I had it hanging for years. So my style was really developing. I have really come full circle now - I don't have a "style" really so much as I have a philosophy about my environment that goes like this: I want to surround myself with things that make me smile, are comfortable, smell good, and aren't trendy or from WalMart. I'm addicted to this Tone Liquid soap that smells like brulee and burnt sugar and I always have a Bath & Body "Kitchen Spice" plug in-in. Smell is a very powerful sense and can really transport me. As for clothes, I used to have one of the most extensive closets on the planet - my friends loved that I had Yves St. Laurent shoes but no furniture. Now, I'm the opposite. I wish we could wear uniforms as that is pretty much what I do anyway. Simple, comfortable, neutral - black, white, cream, heather gray, brown) all cotton or linen, tees and pants and in the summer, I love long , flowy linen skirts, tanks and flip flops. Basic.

I think style should be about what YOU like, what feels good to YOU. Not what you think other people might like or be impressed by (which is what I used to think.) I love mixing styles, eras, colors, textures and prints to make my own little palatte. I am hopelessly drawn to cute, ruffles, pink, ruby red, kitsch. Right now I'm hot on little miniature deer. Soooo sweet! Next month I'll be on to something else. Here are a few of my favorite things at the moment: