Last May, I wrote about our move into new offices along the river in East Norwalk. A year later, I am surprised to say that not only have we outgrown our space here but also our small offices in Manhattan! Considering the state of the industry during the past several years, we are grateful to…

Everyone I know has been traveling this year—and the destinations run the gamut from Holland to China and Nevis to Florida. I am not sure what has prompted this sudden wanderlust, but our recent travel survey confirms that this is not a phenomenon limited to my circle of friends. ■ Recently, we asked you, dear…

In my mother’s day, spring was for cleaning; in my day, spring is for redecorating. There is nothing like a new coat of paint or a reupholstered chair to lift the spirits. ■ It seems that the national spirits will be lifted over the next five years, according to Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing…

Connecticut builders are buzzing. Milton, Coastal Construction, Mayfair and Gardiner Larson all report excellent activity in custom projects, and several of them have considerable developments under way. And we couldn’t be happier. ■ As we gear up for our sixth annual Innovation in Design Awards (IDAs), we are seeing interest mount as entrants and past…

Memories of last winter in Connecticut have been filling me with dread. For weeks I traveled between my house and the garage along a 24-inch pathway with 3-foot walls cut into the snow. I became adept at cleaning and salting the narrow canyon that represented my access to the world. And I developed a routine…

Most readers of Connecticut Cottages & Gardens, Hamptons Cottages & Gardens and Westchester Cottages & Gardens know how close these sister publications are in mission and spirit. So at a dinner following HC&G’s Innovation in Design Awards this summer, I wasn’t surprised when judge Vicente Wolf asked when we were coming to New York. ■…

As Governor Malloy addressed the assembled group in the foyer of the Governor’s Residence on Prospect Avenue in Hartford, I was struck by the audience’s expressions. The governor was saying that he and his wife, Cathy, were genuinely appreciative of the monumental effort that had been made by Connecticut’s design community under the direction of…

When I was publisher of Self magazine in the late ’80s, we petitioned the mayor of New York City to proclaim October Breast Cancer Awareness Month in New York. Our editor-in-chief, Alexandra Penney, invited Evelyn Lauder to guest edit the October issue on breast cancer. From those beginnings, came national Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the…

Art and antiques seem to be on everyone’s mind these days—perhaps rep- resenting lasting value in our turbulent times. Our feature “Living with Art” on page 72, an excerpt from Living Traditions: Interiors by Matthew Patrick Smyth, reveals a stunning collection of modern art juxtaposed with antique furnishings in a Connecticut farmhouse. ■ Antiques are…

I lost both of my mothers this winter. ■ The passing of Mum (my Scottish mother) and Mom (my American mother-in-law) left great holes in my soul. Mom, an exquisitely tailored bird of a woman with twinkling blue eyes, collected antiques, painted portraits, wrote poetry and managed her stock portfolios till shortly before her death…

The Greenwich Red Cross Ball at the NetJets hangar in Westchester was a stunning success with marvelous tables capes that were designed by our area’s top creative teams. Barclay Butera as Design Chair and Stephen Baldwin as Master of Ceremonies added to the excitement of a truly glittering evening. ■ CTC&G’s table was the creation…

Last year we moved to riverside offices in East Norwalk, where the voices of the Saugatuck Rowing Club’s sculling coaches waft in through our windows. Inside, we are grateful to the local companies that helped us make Cottages & Gardens headquarters so special. The Innovation in Design Awards (another place where we honor the best…

It’s spring and a redo is on everyone’s mind! While we referenced the national renovation trend from the Harvard Study last issue, it seems that Connecticut has renovation fever. According to our recent online renovation survey, 78 percent of our readers plan to renovate their homes in the next 12 months. ■ And it looks…

Following a three-year downturn, the remodeling industry can look forward to a sustainable recovery in 2011, accord-ing to Harvard University’s Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies. Findings released January 13 show the Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity (LIRA) projects 6.5 percent annual growth in home-improvement spending in the third quarter of…

Connecticut has the highest per capita income in the country, according to information from the latest U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.* We’ve always been bullish about Connecticut’s place in the hierarchy of states, borne out by the study CTC&G conducted last spring that revealed CTC&G readers exhibit 4 to 9 times greater purchasing patterns in…

Last month, I attended a meeting of the newly formed Decorative Furnishings Association (DFA) hosted by the New York School of Interior Design in Manhattan. Founded by heavyweights in the fabrics and furnishings business (think Duralee, Schumacher, Farrow & Ball), the group’s stated goal is to create more consumers of design and refer more clients…

For us it flew by in a flash, and I am happy to say that in spite of the mis- givings we all felt at the end of 2009, 2010 was a great year! Our revenues are up 52 percent and our events, ranging from our Innovation in Design Awards Gala and the Greenwich Red…

I bought Cottages & Gardens Publications a year ago today as I write this, and the November issue that you’re reading marks our first anniversary. I’m delighted to say that our first year has been a good one. This issue is up 57 percent in advertising revenue and the company is up 54 percent. With…

Last spring, DJ invited a group of design professionals to a breakfast roundtable. The discussions, which covered a variety of top- ics, from shopping with clients to the role of design centers, were lively and informative. The get-together allowed us to develop the hypotheses for a research study that we sent to design professionals in…

Summer is drawing to a close and here at C&G, we’ve had a great one. Our business is reflecting the optimism of the market place and the continued recognition of our brands. We’re up 59 percent in advertising revenues–one of the highest increases in the publishing industry! ■ We’re feverishly working on our new website, which…