Interior Design Sense

We received some amazing photos of an apartment that I had to share with you all. It’s the 375 square foot New York pad of Daniel Grady Faires (New York design and furniture guru and featured on season 5 of HGTV’s “Design Star” and now has his own show “DanMade” ) and his wife Dasha. Here’s a bit of info: Daniel and Dasha Faires love their 375-square-foot apartment on Ludlow Street in  New York’s Lower East Side. The 100-year-old brick building is situated where Daniel finds inspiration for the furniture he creates. The apartment features only two rooms, plus a great garden area, where the husband and wife entertain. And the pair have certainly created a warm and cozy feel – with the help of well-placed mirrors, candles and Edison bulbs to create a dreamy, low-lit haven. Daniel designs and builds much of what is in the apartment – with the help of items they find on the street – creativity is definitely their strong point. Their dining table and outdoor seating were all made of reclaimed wood from their neighborhood and the custom spice rack was designed and built by Daniel also. It’s so cute! And that outdoor space is gorgeous! I would spend every waking moment (weather permitting) out there. (Photos by Emily Johnston Anderson)

 … is one talented photographer. I guess I end up saying something like that every time I wax lyrical about a photographer I feature here on the blog. (I wouldn’t be posting work if I didn’t think it was fabulous. That defeats the purpose!) What I really love about Emily Johnston Anderson‘s body of work is the intimacy she manages to capture through her lens. These aren’t snooty, high falootin’, unobtainable sandcastles in the air. These are lovely, achievable, stylish real interiors and lovely, accessible real photos. It’s how I’d want to live. Emily makes it real and makes me want it even more. Oh that and the light is lovely, dreamy. (Emily’s site is undergoing a new site design so I can’t wait to see what new shots go live. In the meantime there is always her blog … great wedding photography!)

Last Friday I had the pleasure of participating in a Q&A call with Nate Berkus and several other bloggers.  We got to ask Nate our most burning questions!  While I don’t have an audio file of the call (I wish I did- Nate was so sweet and informative!) I do have the transcript of what questions we all asked, including Nate’s great design advice and tips for the upcoming holidays.  I must say, he was so nice and patient with all of our questions and took the time to thoroughly answer everyone.

Scroll down about 3/4 the way through to see what MG asked Nate!

For your reading pleasure…enjoy!

Today, we have joining (Teresa Anderson) from Blissfully Domestic, we have Vivian Manning-Schaffel from momlogic. We have Christine Koh from Boston Mamas. We have Beth Anderson from Chic Galleria. We have Erin Renzas from iVillage. We have Emily Johnston from Material Girls Blog. We have Katja Presnal from Skimbaco Lifestyle.  We have Angela England from Untrained Housewife. We have Linda Sellers from LindaSellers.com. We have Danielle Smith from Extraordinary Mommy, Laurie Turk from the Tip Junkie, Duong Sheahan from Live Healthier and Happier, and Kimba (Rue) from A Soft Place to Land.

And without any further adieu, we’ll go ahead and open it up for Q&A and thank Mr. Nate Berkus for joining us today.

Don’t you love photographer’s portfolios when every photo screams “Yes! I can do that!” Look at these fabulous spaces captured by snapper Emily Johnston Anderson. I love the light, I love the casual vibe she manages to embue in every photo. These are real homes made even more real by the way Emily captures them. Like stepping into your stylish BFF’s place. It’s effortless and it’s what a home and not just a house is all about