Let’s talk TV

HGTV that is.  I think I first became obsessed with HGTV when Trading Spaces was in its heyday, what, like 10 years ago?  My how time flies.  My mom asked me the other day whatever happened to some of those designers.  Well, the great ones (Vern Yip and Genevieve Gorder) still have shows on HGTV and are still my favorites, style-wise.  And a little known fact about the Babbler?  I actually met Paige Davis, the host of Trading Spaces,

 

a few years ago when I was living in Austin.  I spotted her one morning at Austin Java when I stopped for coffee on my way to work.  She was sitting at a table with her parents and I got all starstruck but had to make sure it was really and truly her, so I went up and asked and proceeded to gush about how great I think she is (like the dork that I am).  Good thing my husband wasn't with me- he would have been completely mortified.  I also met The Bachelor (the Austin-version) on another occasion, in another Austin Java, but that's another story.

Back to HGTV.  Currently, I'm obsessed with a couple of shows on the network.  Home on maternity leave, I'll admit there's occasionally some background t.v. on while I nurse.  Here's where Dr. Jay would interject with "Occasionally?  Try 24/7", but I ignore him because I know HGTV is quality programming and I feel it's part of my job to stay current with design and real estate.  My t.v. watching has actually decreased dramatically lately since our little man has become much more aware of that bright picture box, and the American Academy of Pediatrics says that is a major no-no.  Really, back to HGTV.  I love Curb Appeal: The Block, hosted by John Gidding.  And it's not just because he's another pretty face.

First of all, he's a real for sure architect.  I was skeptical at first, thinking HGTV might be trying to pull one over on us, so I checked him out and though he is a former model (okay, if you want to see something really funny, go here- really, that is John Gidding), he's also a Harvard GSD graduate.  If you watch the show (or another show he does with HGTV- Designed to Sell) you'll see he's a very talented designer.  I just love the concept of Curb Appeal: The Block because they work to upgrade the curb appeal of not just one home, but a few on the street to improve not only area property values but also foster a sense of community and value to a neighborhood.  It's such a design school trope, but the team really seems to pull it off and the results are never the "quick fix" as are so many of the design show solutions.  Check out this slideshow of neighborhood makeovers.  Here’s a before and after.

             

What an incredible transformation from bland to “Come on over and party, friends”.  And there’s a yellow front door, which we all know I heart.

John seems like such a down-to-earth guy.  AND, all his projects take place in Atlanta-area neighborhoods (shout out for the ATL) so it's fun to see some of the places I'm familiar with, and some neighborhoods I'd like to explore.  If I ever ran into John Gidding in Atlanta I would freak out.  Seriously, like an eight year old girl probably does when she sees Justin Bieber.  Who the heck is Justin Bieber?  I have no idea, but I know people go crazy for him.

Next post... the Canadians are taking over HGTV.  Stay tuned.

Don’t get excited

But somehow I’m pulling off a blog post today. I’m determined. I can’t say this will happen regularly (still working on this whole “schedule” with a baby) but I’d like it to happen at least once in a blue moon.

Yes, we had our beautiful baby boy in early August. He’s a joy and a handful and Dr. Jay doesn’t want me to mix baby and blog so I won’t say much other than we love our family and it keeps us B-U-S-Y. I don’t really have to spell things out around here yet, just practicin’.

What got me on the blog today, besides a baby napping in his crib (!!!!!!) and not on me for once? Well, trolling around on the interweb, I read through my first online magazine. I am so incredibly impressed by Southern Flourish. And inspired. I don’t own a Kindle or an iPad, and frankly thought reading a magazine online could never be fun, but I was so so wrong. It’s so easy to page through and the images are crisp and clear. I also love that it’s free to look through a magazine like Southern Flourish and that they feature up-and-coming designers (all Southerners, I believe) who I’d probably never hear about otherwise. I read about it over on Young House Love, bloggers who are featured with a “Day in the Life Of” article that the magazine (is there a term for online magazine that I don’t know about?) seems to do regularly. I enjoyed reading about the days of a few other interesting Southerners.

In short (cause I have to be short these days) if you’ve never flipped through an online magazine, now’s the time. It’ll change your life. Well, that’s probably an overstatement, but I bet it will change your attitude about online magazine reading.

Southern Flourish, are you looking for any new writers?

Cue the baby waking up.

Airport Style

So last week I wrote about Hollin Hills, a neighborhood nearby, and mentioned that it was laid out in the early 60s by an architect named Charles Goodman.  I also wrote that Goodman was the original architect of National Airport (now known as Reagan National Airport).  Well, that’s not entirely true (I need to remember that Wikipedia isn’t always a reliable source of information), though he was part of the original team of designers.  See, after I wrote the post, bells started going off in Dr. Jay’s head.  On a trip through Reagan (the airport) a few months ago he happened to pass by what looked like a lobby preserved in time in Terminal A.  He’s been saying we should go check it out ever since, so on Sunday we finally did.  After an hour and $2 to park in the short-term parking garage, we’d learned all about the history of the airport.  It sits on land which used to be Abingdon Plantation, owned originally by Captain John Alexander.  Abingdon was purchased in 1778 by John Parke Custis, the adopted stepson of President George Washington, and was the birthplace of Washington’s beloved granddaughter, Eleanor “Nelly” Parke Custis.  Ruins from the original house (which was destroyed by fire in 1930) still remain on the grounds, and artifacts are preserved in Historic Terminal A.

Visiting Historic Terminal A is also a great way to see the first airport building’s unique style, which was definitely a blend of the classical architecture President Franklin D. Roosevelt requested as a way to pay tribute to the rest of Washington’s architecture and of the emerging modern aesthetic demanded of the technologies present in an airport facility.  Here’s some of what we saw:

Pshhhha- we went in anyway.  There was no function.

 

 

 

Here’s a final photo of the more recently designed Cesar Pelli addition to the airport.

If you’re ever in Reagan and near Terminal A, stop in and check it out the Historic Lobby.  It seems as if they will be further restoring it to its original early-American airport style.  Don’t miss your flight or anything, but it’s worth a looksy if you’re stuck at the airport for some time.

Go West

I received J.Crew’s August catalog last week.  Gold star for me for not ordering anything, even though I have a both a gift card and a credit to my good name.  Actually, it’s pretty easy to avoid buying pretty clothes when you’re many many #s above your normal weight, but I like to give myself a pat on the back whenever possible.

So, why am I talking about J.Crew?  Cause I love that each new season brings a different location for their catalog shoot.  This month’s catalog was shot at Lake Powell in Arizona, and gosh is that some amazingly breathtaking landscape.  The rock formations have such an incredible architectural quality, I couldn’t resist writing about them on the Babble.  I’ve been wanting to take a trip out West for some time now:  hike the Grand Canyon, see Lake Mead, do some crazy whitewater rafting, take Ansel Adams-esque photographs.  You know, the usual.

(All images courtesy of the J.Crew August catalog)

I’m also coveting this bag, in case you’re interested.