Hope to see you there!!

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I mean isn’t that what JK Rowling gets to do?  Ha ha. The joke was on me.  After you write your first book, you the author, get the pleasure of marketing it too.  Ok fine,  how hard can it be?  I contacted a PR person known for her prowess in marketing books.  She quoted me $20,000- but no Internet marketing . I did the math. I make about $1 a book , multiply that by a million copies, equals… this sounded like a great plan.  Only when I asked how many copies she thought I could sell,  she said about 15,000.  I confirmed the number with some other design authors.   My next thought was, I’m going to need to look at some other options.

Then it hit me- THE BLOGGERS.  One of the greatest things about blogs is that unlike magazines that have 3-12 month lead times, blogs can post content immediately. Plus the bloggers put a link  (straight to a shopping cart) in the article.   I immediatly started contacting the blogs I know and love.

In no special order here’s the list of the blogs who saved me $20,000 in marketing and helped me publicize my book.  Thank you thank you thank you!  Give em’ a read and be sure to tell them if you have something compelling to announce, they’re happy to help you spread the word.

1. All The Best Blog

2.Belle Vivir

3.Crib Candy

4.Absolutely Not Martha

5.Blue Ant Studio

6. Chasing Davies

7. Being Tazim

8. Eco- Modernism

9. Live Modern

10.  Just One More Page Or Two

11. Examiner.com

12. Design Shuffle

13. Design Addict

14. Book Page

15. Ink + Wit

16.Shoe  Box Decor

17. HGTV Design Happens

18. Charm Home

19. Design For Men Mag

20. Yossawat

21. LA Mag

22. Lush Pad

23. An Inspired Walk

24. Three Men and A Lady

25. The Jinks Family

26. Cincinati Enquirer

27. Simple & Wonderful

28. Moore Minutes

29. Bijou Kaleidoscope

20. Go Design Go

31. Cliff Spencer

If I missed anyone, please let me know!  MWAH to the bloggers.

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Barry Katz was kind enough to send me a copy of his new book.   Being a recently selected as a member of the ASID National Sustainable Council, one of our first assignments was to update the bibliography.  The book couldn’t have arrived at a better time.  Practical Green Remodeling extensively covers areas like insulation, ventilation and alternative energy systems.  Filled with plenty of eye candy and pictures of Americana style homes, it’s easy (and fun) to read in an afternoon.  If you’re just beginning your journey to the green side of home remodeling,  get up to speed quickly with this power trio: Green Interior Design by Lori Dennis, Practical Green Remodeling by Barry Katz and  REGREEN, a joint effort of ASID and the USGBC.  You’ll gain a vocabulary and grasp of the industry that would make Ed Begley Jr. proud.

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Take it away Jennifer:

We had the most fun last week when Los Angeles designer Lori Dennis, who has become nationally known for her expertise in green interior design, came for a visit. Her new book, Green Interior Design, will be out later this month:

I knew Lori back when I edited a publication for HGTV, so when she called to say she’d be in town, I invited her to lunch with a few green experts, gathered through builder Mark Turner of Greenspur, who built the CharityWorks GreenHouse in McLean last year.

Left to right: Architect Ernesto Santalla of Studio Santalla, who designed the meditation/spa room in the Green House; Theresa Norton; Mary Anne Duffus, founder of the ultra-green Brooksfield preschool in McLean; Marcia Twomey, president of the McLean Chamber of Commerce; Lori Dennis; Designer Barbara Hawthorn, who designed the outdoor space at the Green House; (me) Jennifer Sergent, Director of Marketing for the WDC; Designer Skip Sroka, one of the design chairmen of the Green House; and Annie O’Connell, manager of the Edward Ferrell + Lewis Mittman showroom, where the photo was taken

We toured through showrooms with products that Lori writes about in her book, which will be out on Nov. 16. We started at Donghia, where showroom manager Liz Allner welcomed us with coffee and pastries.

Liz had laid out many different fabric lines that are totally green, including Brentano and Pollack. But the coolest show-and-tell examples were the dazzling samples of Maya Romanoff wallpaper:

During the tour, Lori and the showroom managers talked about products that were not only green in and of themselves (Maya Romanoff uses recycled glass for its beads), but also the companies who make them, which practice green standards. Overseas, child labor, too, is a big problem — and these companies try to stay away from factories that are caught using school-age children on their lines.

Next, we went to Farrow & Ball, which is now totally green in all its varieties of paint. They have stopped offering oil-based paint, as well.

Showroom manager Eve Fay describes the green characteristics of Farrow & Ball.

The greatest thing about green products for the home these days (if we haven’t already learned from the stunning CharityWorks GreenHouse), is that going green does not mean sacrificing quality. In Farrow & Ball’s case, it means that their pigmentation is still the best around.

Here’s an example of Rectory Red, on the right, which Eve had “matched” at two other paint companies. Not possible, as you can clearly see.

Moving right along, we went to see the ever-charming and charismatic Brian Benavides at Robert Allen | Beacon Hill, which has an impressive line of green fabrics, from sturdy contract quality to top-of-the-line residential.

Here’s Brian and Lori. Even in a still photo, Brian’s infectious personality comes across.

Jaunty pillows with Robert Allen’s eco-friendly fabric

Robert Allen has an entire green section in the showroom, which Brian pointed out that designers can use to demonstrate to their clients — once again — that the quality of the fabric is never sacrificed just because harmful chemicals aren’t used in the production or milling.

The texture of this fabric is so yummy! The green leaf on the label is a symbol that the fabric is green.

Next, we went to Edelman Leather, where showroom manager Emily Payne not only welcomed us with open arms, but sat us down in the sumptuous (all-leather) sitting area in the front of the showroom.

Emily Payne of Edelman Leather

How is leather green, you ask? Well, for one thing, Edelman uses only leathers produced in Europe, which actually has more stringent green standards than the United States when it comes to using non-toxic chemicals, clean factories, etc.

In addition, no animal is ever killed just for its hide. Emily pointed out that all leather comes from animals in the food industry, where hides are a by-product. So talk about reuse and recycle…

Can you believe this wood-grain pattern on Edelman’s newest leather product? Like, on a wing chair? Amazing. The surface of the cocktail table beneath it, by the way, is also an intricately textured leather.

Emily sent us away with the cutest gifts: small holders for change, credit cards, or business cards. I have already put mine to use!

But probably no one was as thrilled as Mary Anne Duffus, who runs the green Brooksfield School in McLean — Emily gave her a big bag of discontinued leather samples for the toddlers in her preschool to use in their art class. Mary Anne pointed out that no material in their art classes is ever bought new — it’s always reused from something else.

The final stop before our luncheon was Edward Ferrell + Lewis Mittman, where manager Annie O’Connell told us about her company’s “Pure” line of furniture.

Annie O’Connell

Because this was the last stop on our tour, everyone wanted to take some time to sit down and really “try out” the furniture. Not only are the fabrics, but the frames and even springs in the furniture is green: the wood frames are cut from sustainable forests, and the metal in the springs is recycled.

Theresa Norton sits on one of the “Pure” chairs, which was designed so a lady could sit on it, cross her legs, and look sexy. Mission accomplished, right?

Ernesto Santalla’s purple jacket blends wonderfully with the green silk of this sofa — green in color and concept, that is.

Theresa Norton, Mary Anne Duffus (with her art-class samples from Edelman), and Marcia Twomey also try out the sofa.

Two of my favorite designers came along on the tour with us — and they could have helped Lori quote chapter and verse on green interior design: Skip Sroka, whose new house is a poster child for green building, down to the recycled rubber tiles on his roof (see a story and photos of it here), and Barbara Hawthorn, who’s been doing green probably longer than Lori.

Skip Sroka and Barbara Hawthorn

Skip and Barbara have known each other a long time, and their mutual affection is adorable — I love this candid shot:

There are so many green products in our showrooms that we did not have enough time to see them all, but I’ve been talking to Lori about coming back and expanding our little tour to a larger event during our Capital Design Days in the spring. I was so impressed not only with Lori’s command of the subject, but also of our showroom managers’ knowledge, and our guests’ own experience with the green movement. It was an inspiring day, and I can’t wait to read Lori’s book.

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This morning at the Pacific Design Center architectural expert Virgil W. McDowell gave a lecture on the difference between Regency and Hollywood Regency.  Technical difficulties aside, it was a compelling session comparing the  two styles, exemplified in McDowell’s own architectural drawings, copious photographs and actual clips from old Hollywood movies starring dreamy Carey Grant (yum). 

 I just love it when eye candy is soooo educational!  

A Los Angeleno, McDowell finds inspiration in the work of legendary, Southern Californian architects like George Washington Smith, Wallace Neff, Paul R. Williams and Reginald D. Johnson.  Who wouldn’t ?

Immediately after the lecture I headed over to the ASID office for my interview of Tracy Murdock, January 2011covergirl for LA Design Magazine.  On a rainy LA day she was as glam as ever in her sparkly, leopard print, cashmere sweater from Neiman’s, a triple strand pearl choker and a pair of shiny black Channel rainboots.  When I asked her what places have inspired her during her travels, she told me she didn’t have to go anywhere to be inspired.  Books like  Memoires of a Geisha painted pictures in her mind that were a lot less expensive and time consuming than flying to Japan.  It reminded me of the interview I read on Laura Hunt who said she didn’t need to leave the United States to be inspired or find the best of the best.   

Green lesson learned this week: reduce your carbon footprint by staying home and reading. 

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1. Clean often (and vacuum) with non toxic products.  That layer of dust in your home includes dead skin from humans and pets (not so bad) and a breakdown of walls, fabrics, paints, plastics which probably contain carcinogens.  This is why interior air is often more harmful than exterior air.  Keeping it clean is one of your best Green Interior Design strategies.  A proper green clean arsenal includes:

• white vinegar, baking soda, peroxide and rags for cleaning
• vegetable oil with a few drops of lemon for polishing
• a hefty portion of elbow grease

 2. Remove shoes when entering your home.   You wouldn’t believe how many toxins your shoes pick up from the streets, driveways and gardens.  Taking off shoes before entering a home helps to prevent these chemicals from coming inside.

 3. Open the windows and let the sunshine in.  Sunlight is a natural disinfectant.  Even if you live in an apartment, you can place pillows, blankets and mattresses in front of an open window to allow solar rays and fresh air to help sanitize them. 

It’s a lot easier than steam cleaning them too!

 4.  Reuse what you already have.  If you are inspired by a space you see in a magazine, look around your home or office.  What pieces do you have that are a similar look, scale, color?  Arrange existing items in the same way as the magazine spread.  You’ll be amazed by how you old things take on a fresh, new look.

 5.  Next time you’re going to buy cut flowers, consider a flowering plant instead.  If you take care of it, it can last for decades.  An added bonus is that plants help to clean the air and produce oxygen. Gerber Daisies, Peace Lilies and Bamboo are cool looking plants that do this well. Studies have shown that plants improve your mood.  Market cut flowers are expensive and usually grown with copious amounts of petrochemical pesticides, insecticides and herbicides, plus  they often travel across continents to get to you.  That’s a lot of poison production and wasted energy.

 6.  If you really want or need something entirely new, comb through what you have.  Sell something that you aren’t using on Craigslist or at a yard sale to offset the cost of the new item.  Preferably buy the “new” item used.  One man’s trash is another’s treasure.

 7. Don’t water you grass.  Let it die, rip it up and throw in seasonal seeds from your favorite veggies and fruit.  There’s nothing as tasty as fresh tomatoes from your own garden.  If you live in an apartment, ask if you can borrow communal space or plant in a pot next to a window.

 8.  Remove or unplug electric devices from your bedroom when sleeping.  Electromagnetic fields react with electronic devices confusing your natural body rhythms and making your sleep less sound.  Darker rooms also help to increase melatonin production, resulting in a regenerative night of rest. So close the blinds or curtains all the way each night or wear a sleep mask.

 9.  If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.  Arid states like California are familiar with this drought time slogan.  In an attempt to use less water only flush when absolutely necessary- or when guests arrive.

 10.  Don’t throw away food.  Keep it old school and make breads, cakes, soups and sauces from rotting produce.  You can also compost for your garden if food is beyond use.

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The neon yellow, organza skirt paired with a biker jacket ala St. John Knits was the first blast of fabulousness to capture my attention.   Even Alison Muh, President and Chief Fashion Officer of Surly Girl commented how well dressed we all were.  (Alison is VERY successfully in business across the street from Channel, so you can bet she knows a thing or two about fashion. )

The showroom is so well appointed that I’ve officially named Williams Sonoma Home the new arbiter of interior style.  They’ve always been good, but now they’re one of the best.  I was gushing over this place setting, while asking an adorable gentleman

to help me turn off my flash.  Turns out he was, Andrew Angel, Visual Manager for Williams Sonoma and responsible for the gorgeousness.

One room glowed a little more than the others, of course this was right where Queen Margaret sat and signed copies of her new book Style and Substance The Best of Elle Decor (a portion of proceeds going to benefit P.S. Arts) .  Also exciting was that the event was sprinkled with Top Design starlets, including fan favorite Felicia.

As you know, I’ve been contemplating if Los Angeles is really the best place to live.  At this point of the festivities I turned to Rachel Winokurand exclaimed, “I love living in LA!” Never disappointing, Miss Rachel showed up in true green fashion wearing Gramma Etta’s vintage dress.  (Etta was petite and those sleeves ended at her wrists.)

 I’ve lived in LA since I was 14,  grown up with the rich and famous, and  I don’t get star struck.  But when I saw my blogging idol Ms. Ronda Carman, I shed my uber, “I’m too cool to care” skin, grabbed her, primped her hair and shot a photo.  Ronda- I love you and this was the highlight of my night!

Ok… gotta get dressed and get over to the PDC for what I am sure is going to be one hell of a Westweek! …and think about what I will be buying from Williams Sonoma for two new clients……..

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Last night I was thrilled to come home from dinner at a friend’s and see a box from China. It was a stack of Kira Krumm’s new book, featuring world class designers, their projects and ten coloful pages of our designs.  The book is written in Chinese and English and will sell all over the world.  So exciting! 

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