House Beautiful: British Edition

So today I went to Barnes & Noble in a bold attempt to replace a particular treasured home decor magazine that magically "disappeared" from my childhood bedroom at my mother's house. I am consistently reminded in a not so friendly tone that my bedroom is actually no longer my bedroom. (Why? I've been told that I am supposed to be an adult now and live somewhere else). But I disagree so I continue to use the room for storage and my inviting king size Tempurpedic bed just in case I feel like being a kid again.

And now back to my Barnes & Noble mission. Ransacking rack after rack of magazines focusing on every single stupid hobby you could ever imagine. For example, do you want to learn more about renovating the "bathroom" on your 12 foot boat? Well, just visit the "nautical magazine" section of the Arlington Barnes & Noble! These shenanigans launched my emotional status from aggravated to furious within about 13 minutes.  And just in case you're wondering- NO, the manager will not order one House Beautiful magazine dating back 25 months. Screw you manager of Barnes & Noble.

But this extravaganza took a turn for the miraculous when I discovered a magazine that I am beginning to think has the possibility of taking the place of my initial favorite. See- that cliche about one door closing while another door opens may have some validity. I discovered the House Beautiful: British Edition magazine! As you all know, House Beautiful became my #1 cherished home decor bible only after Domino Magazine, which was page after page of pure genius, was discontinued for some unknown and unjustified reason. Well this British Edition of my already favorite home decor manual is a sparkly gem! I could write about how a new part of my brain was activated was stimulated for the first time in 26 years after I skimmed the magazine at the register, but I want to give each discovery the credit it deserves. So, as annoyed as you may be, I am only going to focus on one find per entry.

For starters, I am super impressed with Yukari Sweeney's whimsical and funky interpretation of toile, which is perhaps one of the most conservative design schemes. According to the March 2011 the British edition of House Beautiful:

"Yukari Sweeney fuses bold, graphic Japanese design with eccentric English style to create the best of both in her fabric and wallpaper designs. Having worked in the fashion business in Japan, she now works from a studio in Greenwich, designing toile wallpapers with cowboys and lampshades depicting motifs as diverse as dancing tulips and soldiers on horseback." Check out some of my favorite patterns below (photos courtesy of House Beautiful, British Edition, March 2011).

Below: Wild West Toile Sakura 

Below: the above wallpaper (seen below in a different colorway) accents one wall to complete the unusual yet stunning look of this astonishing bedroom

Below: Manor House Damask

So friends, stay tuned for that lesson on window treatments that I promised you, and I also hope you're curious to see what else I discovered during my Barnes & Noble rampage...