THE SOCIALITE

Don't forget to join the Sanity Fair vintage book give-away for the First Edition of Dorothy Rodgers' book, The House in My Head. Today and tomorrow are your last chance! Our dear Mrs. Rodgers was a socialite, wife of Rodgers - as in, "Rodgers and Hammerstein," a serious patron of the arts, and a decor diva. Never one to do anything half way, she was famously dubbed "La Perfecta" by friends, who sometimes pranked her by moving ash trays at parties. She was so exacting as a hostess, that she noticed (and fretted over) the slightest change in any of her arrangements.

The House In My Head is her personal account of building her dream home, from the blueprints up. Even better? She includes the recipes for which she was famous too!

The give-away for the special First Edition ends tomorrow. You can read full details and more about the book HERE. RULES:  Just enter by leaving a comment below. If you've already commented, but would like to enter a second time, you may do so with an additional comment here, or by becoming a follower of Sanity Fair!

FRIDAY GIVE-AWAY! THE HOUSE THE SOUND OF MUSIC BUILT

UPDATE:  Today (Friday the 16th) is the last day to participate in the give-away! I'll announce the winner on Monday the 19th, so stay tunned.

It's a Sanity Fair first! A give-away, and being from me, it's a book! I've collected vintage design books for years, and I can attest to the fact that they're invaluable. And this give-away choice is a double for design:  it has a great cover and great content (sometimes, you CAN judge a book by its cover!). The book is Dorothy Rodgers' The House In My Head.

Socialite extraordinaire, wife of the "Rodgers" in "Rodgers and Hammerstein," entrepreneur, art collector, and fashion and decor diva, Dorothy Rodgers was a Manhattan chameleon. And she was so well known for her superb hostess skills (from conversation to recipes) that guests dubbed her "La Perfecta." Jackson Pollacks hung on her walls; Slim Hayward and Noel Coward hung out in her drawing room.

In 1964, Dorothy published a book called My Favorite Things. It was a whirlwind of advice  - everything from how to properly throw a dinner party and display your hobbies as decor, to tips on maximizing storage space in small closets. She knew from whence she spoke - entrepreneur Dorothy had founded her own design and renovation firm Repair, Inc. years before. And she practiced what she preached. Overwhelmed by the amount of care (even with servants) that her colonial Connecticut manse required, she set out to design a modern, efficient home from the ground up. That project became The House In My Head.

The House In My Head chronicles every step of her home's creation, from the "first pencil stroke to lighting the final lamp;" Dorothy thought about everything:  how she preferred to store things, the lighting she liked, the way she (and her family) inhabited a home. She was determined to create perfection. It's a design story we can all sympathize with:  triumph and frustration, excitement and planning - and a welcome reminder that even super wealthy socialites must suffer at the hands of contractors (though the recent success of your husband's musical, The Sound of Music, makes bill-paying painless). As Rodgers herself says in the book's conclusion: "if only we had known how much confusion, delay, uncertainty and expense we would have to accept.... however, to create one last 'if only'... if only we had built the house ten years ago." But the real plum in the pudding is her recipe collection in the back of the book, meticulously organized into select menus. My favorite? A special brunch menu for spring:  Spring Soup with scallions, Croissants, Chutney, Sliced Tomatoes with Basil and French Dressing, and Sour Cherry Tart. Break out the good china!

The Give-Away ends next Friday. The random generator will choose a winner from among comments I receive April 9 - 16. So leave a comment, and cross your fingers (and be sure to include your email)! BONUS:  "Follow" Sanity Fair in the LH sidebar, and you'll be entered twice - just be sure to mention in your comment that you did so!

Specs:  254 pages, First Edition, Color and Black and White photos by House Beautiful. Jacket review by Kitty Carlisle Hart. Published by Avenel. Rare vintage edition; excellent condition with only minor wear; one pen mark. A note to overseas readers:  all shipping is to U.S. addresses. Keep that in mind!
Read more about Dorothy here via the New York Times.

Image of Dorothy from divasthesite.com.

Put It On Your Shelf, Part 2

As promised, here's the second installment of recommended reading: Interior Design. This reading list is more about nuts and bolts than sunswept terraces and spiral stairs. While everyone loves a gorgeous book, there is a lot of DESIGN in Interior Design. Plan, plan, plan, and think, think, think. The first question should always be: what is the purpose of this space? Pink or puce, stripes or squares? questions come a few steps later. Start with the basics - you'll be glad you did.

Philosophy:

House Thinking, A Room-by-Room Look at How We Live, by Winnifred Gallagher. Gallagher writes about the psychology and history of houses. Think about it: why do homes from the 1950s have closed-off, secreted kitchens, and most modern piles of bricks stop just short of putting a sofa in front of the stove? Don't know? Think about which you'd prefer, and why. A home says a lot more about how you live your life than you realize. Get it right, and you'll live at peace with your home.



Practice:

The House in Good Taste, by Elsie de Wolfe. This decorating classic was first released in 1914, and still sets a standard as one of the first decorating books published. While advice on your maid's quarters may not be relevant, most of the recommendations on layout and function for rooms are as relevant today as they were a century ago.





Inspiration:

Modern Glamor, the Art of Unexpected Style, by Kelly Wearstler. I'm a huge fan of Wearstler's - she's a tremendous talent with an unusual eye. And everything she does is big, big, BIG. While some of her work can be a bit intimidating, this book is wonderful for inspiration because a lot of the ideas in these pages are easily doable on a budget. The patterns, color combos, and plate and accessory groupings are superb, and just as relevant whether you bought your materials at Saks Home or the local flea market.

Happy reading!

Put It On Your Shelf, Part 1

I was in a bookstore a few days ago, browsing the Home and Garden section. There are so many books out there, but not all of them are worth the cash you'll have to drop for a full color glossy (or images you could easily view online). Here are a few garden recommendations from my own library. I'll add more books for design and home in future posts!

Garden
It's never too early to start thinking about your summer garden! Good gardeners know that a successful patch of flowers and veg takes year-round planning. As a rose-fanatic, one of my favorites is David Austin's English Roses. Austin, a British gardener, cross-pollinates old varieties of roses with both old and new breeds. The result is a gorgeous family of vibrant, hearty flowers with gorgeous perfumes. Best of all, the resilience of the old roses makes these low maintenance; pesticides and harsh chemicals need not apply.



In the same vein, I'd recommend The Complete Book of Herbs. This is a marvelous encyclopedia of herb lore, with details on how to raise specific plants, and loads of recipes and crafts that you can make from herbs. Everything from facial cream to mint lemonade is detailed in this copious book.

Finally, the ultimate classic: Thomas Jefferson's Garden and Farm Books. Scientist that he was, Jefferson detailed every success and failure of his carefully calculated gardens. A trove of marvelous advice - from how to mix special fertilizers, to coaxing warm-weather plants to health in colder climes - this is a great book for casual gardeners, historians, and organic enthusiasts alike.

Falling like...

I made a sojourn to the newsstand today to purchase the very last copy of Domino magazine. Sad but true, this marvelous periodical is closing its doors for good. Domino's end is not a surprise given that far more entrenched and well-known titles have bitten the dust lately. No good mag has been immune. But Domino's case is all the more unfortunate since it succeeded in two areas most shelter mags have not: it has a very strong web presence, and fills a previously-unexploited niche in the market: 20 and 30 somethings with a lot of inspiration and little money.

Click the title above to visit Domino's web page while it's still up, and take the opportunity to download some great inspirational deco pictures. The New York Times also has a good article on the sad event here.

Au revoir, Domino!