“NEVER YET WAS A SPRINGTIME, when the buds forgot to blow,” wrote American poet and author Margaret Elizabeth Sangster, whose observation on the inevitability of nature’s cycle has had me thinking about our own cycle at Cottages & Gardens Publications. This month, we are 13 issues into our annual count of 31, with the rest…

“Never yet was a springtime, when the buds forgot to bloom,” wrote American poet and author Margaret Elizabeth Sangster. That observation on the inevitability of nature’s cycle had me thinking about our own cycle at Cottages & Gardens Publications. In May, we are 10 issues into our annual count of 31, with the big bloom…

This year’s first C&G Designer Showhouse, located in a wonderful classic English Regency in Mill Neck, will be presented by NYC&G and benefit the American Heart Association. Sponsors include Country Carpet, Duralee, Kravet, and Robert Allen. The fun starts at the opening-night gala on Thursday, April 16, and the house will be open to the public…

Spring is bustin’ out all over with a crop of fabulous events in April and May that you must put on your calendar. As you know, dear readers, SFC&G is an enthusiastic supporter of the arts. Celebrate spring with us at the de Young Museum’s “Bouquets to Art,” where from April 14 to 19, gifted…

It’s Innovation in Design Awards (IDA) season again and big changes are taking place. We are accepting all of our entries in digital format and have a new online entry system that will make it easier for everyone to enter and allow us to conserve our use of paper. Interior designers Anthony Baratta, Thomas Balsley,…

Every year we conduct reader surveys to answer the question, “Who are you?” We pinpoint your behavior to get abetter idea of who you are, what you’re doing, and what you’re about to do. This information helps us stay on track, enabling us to provide you with the best design content available in a highly…

Mark your calendars for Connecticut’s first designer showhouse in recent memory! On September 18, a kick-off gala will herald the opening of the CTC&G sponsored Showhouse on the Green in Fairfield to benefit St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and Operation Hope. The showhouse will be open for five weeks, from Saturday, September 19, through Sunday, October…

This question is usually asked of my grandson in delighted exasperation when he has done something interesting or remotely good! At C&G the question, “Who are you?” is answered on an annual basis as a result of our reader surveys. We included SFC&G readers in this survey for directional purposes only as it was fielded…

What’s trending in interior design? Interior designers! According to the latest Unity Marketing survey (“Cocooning in New Luxury Style”) on affluent consumers and the home furnishings market, affluent consumers’ collaboration with interior designers for home furnishings, lighting, carpets and floor coverings purchases has grown more than 90 percent since 2008! Independent professional interior designers are…

Why do we embrace so much of European culture?   Probably because so many of us come from Europe! Surely our fascination with Tudor and Georgian houses and anything that looks like a castle has its origins in our ancestral DNA. I was born in Scotland and am a proud Scottish-American, and while I champion…

At this time of year, many of us are frantically putting the finishing touches on a redecoration or sprucing things up for the holiday season. These days, whether it is a full-on redesign or last-minute accessories, how we acquire our new look has changed dramatically. Technology is reshaping our behavior and, in turn, reshaping retailing….

  It’s November, when everyone’s mind turns to holiday gifts of the large and small variety. Jewelry is one of the most popular gifts that our readers receive during the holidays. And since I always find a couple of things to buy myself while shopping for family and friends, I thought I would look around…

This is it! The last issue of our first year of SFC&G. And What a year it has been! We are delighted that you have welcomed the magazine into your homes and your hearts, and are energized by your feedback. I have met many of you around town at the numerous design and charitable events…

Well, it’s done!   Possibly the largest design initiative in the country: the redecoration of the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island. Unless you have spent the past two years playing Farmville on Facebook (or living under a rock), you already know about the 74 designers, countless manufacturers, donors, and well-wishers who took part in…

Isn’t this the phrase we ask all the time in the design world? One way to find out the answer: Attend What’s New, What’s Next, an annual day of fun at 200 Lex, more formally known as the New York Design Center. At last month’s event, well-known designers, up-and-coming designers, clients, and the rest of…

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and we are thrilled to be continuing our partnership with Mitchells and Pink Aid. The fourth annual sold-out Pink Aid extravaganza will take place in Westport on Friday, October 3, featuring fabulous chairs, ottomans and benches created by our industry’s design stars. After lining the runway for the Michael…

  If you’re looking for something to do in San Francisco’s art and design world, look no further than SFC&G-sponsored events. Start on October 16 at the “Take a Seat” exhibit and auction to benefit Helping Heroes at Home presented by the San Francisco Chapter of the International Furnishings and Design Association’s (IFDA) and SFC&G….

September is a busy month as we swing into full gear for fall, and NYC&G will be celebrating on many levels. On the 9th, designer Scott Sanders is hosting a soiree at his fabulously colorful duplex penthouse in Chelsea, which is featured in this issue on page 62. We are looking forward to sunset cocktails…

They would like help reorganizing the soup kitchen,” said Christopher Peacock, referring to the Open Door Shelter in Norwalk, which provides more than 500 meals a day to the growing number of needy in the community. He and his wife, Jayne, had just visited the location. “But it doesn’t need reorganizing; it needs to be…

We all know that our intrepid Editor in Chief, Kendell Cronstrom, is constantly traveling to shoot the best homes in New York, from the Hamptons to the Hudson Valley. But only a few of us are aware that he has been much farther afield during the past year, “traipsing around Europe,” as my mother would…