Queen of All Media, Bitches!!

Self-Promotion is FABULOUS, Darlings!

Metrosource Magazine approached us a while back to interview Goil Amornvivat of Top Design and Trading Spaces fame, and we had a total blast doing so. The June/July Pride issue is out on stands now and we even rated a mention on the cover.

Alas, we were not asked to model the Top Ten Swimsuits for Summer. Next year, kittens. Promise.

Best of all (to us), is they were actually foolish enough to give us a little space to talk about ourselves (clickie to biggie):

Now get your hot little asses out to a newsstand to read our bitchery in paper format or click here.


[Images: Metrosource.com]

Interview with the Gay One

Guess what, darlings? It's time to grill another judge! The fabulous Jonathan Adler was kind enough to take time out from his busy schedule of pot-throwing, ping-pong, and sock-burning to submit himself to us (figuratively speaking).


So, what surprised you about how the show developed?
To be honest, I was surprised at how talented the kids were. Props to Bravo for casting based on talent instead of just casting a bunch of lunatics.

Has your husband Simon had any criticisms for you? God knows if one of us was a reality show judge, the other one would constantly be shrieking "What the hell were you thinking?" And why hasn't he been a guest judge? We want to see you two bicker.
My Simon is the cutest and greatest husband ever. For those of you who have read his books or his columns or seen him on VH1 or ANTM, he is as mignon in real life as he appears. For real. We were desperate to have him as a guest judge but we filmed in the fall just when he was installing his legendary Barneys Christmas windows so he was swamped with work. As for us bickering, we are both opinionated little monsters, but we’re almost always in agreement. We have very similar philosophies about design and life. We both believe in being bold and immoderate, so I think we would have responded similarly to the contestants.

p.s. In real life, we settle all disputes on the ping-pong table and I’m bigger than him, I’m stronger than him, and I always win.

Despite the fact that you spent the season sitting next to two uber-Glamazons, your clothes have been a big topic of discussion. Did you expect that? Were your outfits planned to get people to talk or were you just dressing like you normally would? We love the way you dress, by the way. But we're not with you on the no-socks thing.
Moi’s normal attire hasn’t really changed since my bar mitzvah. I normally rock a pair of Levi’s cords with a Lacoste shirt and a pair of Rod Laver sneakers. Easy, breezy, beautiful. But, let’s be honest—it’s getting a bit mutton-dressed-as-lamb-ish.

Anyway, that’s my everyday attire. When I need to get tarted up and go out, I take my fashion cues from the peacock. I love a bit of color, I love a Dandy-ish pocket square, and I love to mix patterns and colors with abandon. The details—a chunky, Double Windsor knotted tie, shriveled silhouette, and socklessness—are, I suppose, kind of English Dandy meets Italian preppy meets My Three Sons. And, socks are so last century.

Re: The Glamazons—how f***ing hot are Kelly and Margaret? If I was a man...

We understand you're opening your eighth store. Congrats! Are you planning a worldwide design empire? We remember when Martha Stewart launched her magazine, she vowed "We will own Christmas." What melodramatic, narcissistic, Martha-like goals do you hold for yourself now?

My main goal is to never have a job. Before I made a go of it as a potter, I had a series of disastrous jobs. I was fired from every one and I deserved to be. I was a terrible employee—sleeping with the boss, yammering on the phone, rolling in late. So, I think my main motivation in building my business has been to avoid having to look for a job because I’m unemployable. I suppose I could maybe be a barista but I don’t know if I could handle Barista academy. Anyway, yes, I just opened my eighth store (on Greenwich Ave in NY’s west village) and it’s j’adorable. I love what I do, I love designing and making things, and I’m very very happy in my career.

You've described your style as "Maximalist" and you've made well known your disdain for Minimalism. How do you do Maximalism without veering into overboard and tacky?
I suppose that what I really mean by Maximalism is that I believe you should surround yourself with the stuff you love and shouldn’t be cowed into a rigid design scheme. Objects speak to me—when I see something that’s great, I buy it and I find a place for it in my already packed pad. Stuff makes me happy.

Re: The overboard and tacky thing, it’s certainly something to be aware of, but if you have a connoisseurial eye and only buy great stuff, you’ll be fine. Our company mantra is “If your heirs won’t fight over it, we won’t make it.” Every piece I make, whether it’s a pot or a pillow or a sofa or a rug, is something that I believe in and love.

We're not exactly going out on a limb when we say your work is clearly mid-century inspired. Who were the designers of the period you admire the most and what is it about that period that you love?
I think that I’m inspired by the optimism of mid-century modernism. My favorite designers from that era are probably Bonnie Cashin, the fashion designer, Alexander Girard, the graphic and industrial designer, and Bjorn Wiinblad, the ceramicist and painter. They all made stuff that was personal and beautiful and fun. And, most importantly, they showed that design can be flawlessly chic and happy at the same time.

And finally, what exactly do we have to do to get you to consider a new sendoff for next season?
Yawn! Silliness is underappreciated. See ya later, Decorator is silly, memorable and fun. I j’adore it and I think it’s about time you embrace it aussi. Anyway, that’s all I got for you.

See ya later, Catchphrase haters. Peace.

In a while, Ceramic Tile. And thanks, doll! Ciao!



[Photos: PeterTangen/BravoTV.Com/JonathanAdler.com]


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Interview with the Fabulous One

Kittens, we were THRILLED to get a chance to interview Margaret Russell! Enjoy!



Darling, we're HUGE fans. It's an honor to have you sit and get raked over the coals by us. Let's start with you, you fabulous thing: You've been with ELLE DECOR since Day Two and in the seventeen years since then, you've risen up the ranks to your current position as Editor In Chief. All this without, in your words "formal design training." Bravo, darling. So what's the secret to your success? Impeccable taste? An innate sense of design and style? The ability to learn as you go? You know where the bodies are hidden? Tell us a little about your background and how you got to where you are now.
As a child, I wanted to be an architect but loathed math and physics. Instead, I took a pre-law course of study at Brown, headed into publishing instead of law school, and was deeply inspired by Ruth Whitney, the legendary editor in chief of Glamour magazine, which is where I landed my first job. In truth, I ended up being on the launch team of ELLE DECOR because 18 years ago I was in the right place at the right time with apparently the right experience. Plus, I truly love what I do and consider work a pleasure, not a penance.

I know a zillion top-notch designers without formal training, although I’m a huge proponent of earning a design-school degree and apprenticing with the greatest talents you can find. As an editor, I don’t draw floor plans, but I must be able to write and edit text—and clearly a deep knowledge of the decorative arts and the history of interior design and architecture are key when selecting the designers, products, and interiors that we feature in each issue.

How has the design world changed in the last seventeen years?
It sounds odd, but the ability to research online and communicate by e-mail are the biggest changes—that and the tragic realization that it’s perilous to ignore the environment.

Photo with Jonathan Adler at Dining by Design dinner

Who would win in a cage match – you or Nina Garcia? And don't weasel out of this by telling us how much you love and respect her. We know. Now spill it: can you take her if you had to? Our readers are split on the question.
You’re being very silly, but of course I would win; I move furniture for a living.

You're a trustee of DIFFA, Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS and the hostess of ELLE Decor's Dining by Design, which makes these two queens love you even more. Tell us a bit about DIFFA and D by D. How did you get involved with them?
Ten years ago, DIFFA came to ELLE DECOR and asked us to partner with them on their Dining by Design event. What started out as one-night charity dinner has evolved into a weekend-long gala in New York(involving more than 60 fashion and design luminaries) that kicks off a series of DbD benefits in eight cities cross the country. Dining by Design has raised millions of dollars to fund DIFFA’s preventive-education and direct-care AIDS programs, and it’s one of the most creative programs I’ve ever seen. It’s such a terrific design event and it supports a cause that I’m proud to be a part of.

Now let's talk about the show. What was the hardest thing about being a judge in a reality television show? Besides perching on the Dating Game chairs for hours at a time, of course.
It was brutal to send designers home, and we didn’t take our judging lightly. Plus, so much more went on than can possibly fit within a one-hour timeframe; a comment or decision that seems random is usually simply the result of heavy-duty editing.

When you're assessing a designer's "booth" how far do you have to go to extrapolate that out to a real room or is that not a consideration? In other words, do you have to use your imagination a little to see what the designer was attempting or is it fairly easy to see each space as an actual room?
The rooms were remarkably real and—especially for the final episodes—very well thought out and polished.

Photo with DIFFA director David Sheppard at Dining by Design cocktail party

Jonathan and Kelly are both designers. Do you think you bring a different perspective and if so, what is it? For instance, we noticed that you tend to gravitate more toward practical concerns than they do. You're the one that notices that sand pits look like litter boxes and tables have no flatware on them. Is that the editor's POV coming into play?
I’m a huge fan of both Kelly and Jonathan and admire their design sensibilities. However, I do have a different perspective, and I did always try to keep the client in mind for each challenge. As an editor, it’s my nature to be pragmatic and to care about how a space really works (and that sand pit said litter box, not zen garden). I wasn’t on Top Design to say whether or not a room would fit in ELLE DECOR except for last week’s challenge.

And may I set the record straight on a few subjects?

But of course.

*Despite the eye-rolls, Kelly and I don’t hate each other; we’re dear friends. She’s stunningly beautiful, and I admire her idiosyncratic style.

*The winner of the ELLE DECOR challenge gets a small mention in our July/August issue Dossier column—not a major spread—and Matt’s win for that specific challenge was a unanimous decision.

*Although Carisa is clearly a tad pillow-happy, I think she is an amazing talent and I’m crazy about her confidence and joie de vivre.

*The final projects will take your breath away!

Once again darling, thank you so much for sitting down with us (figuratively speaking). Stay fabulous!
And thank you for asking me to be a part of your wildly clever blog! Nothing gets past you guys.

You got that right.


[Photos: Peter Tangen/BravoTV.com/Getty Images]

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