ELLE DECOR March 2013

THE BEST OF ELLE DECOR, PLUS EXCITING NEW IDEAS AND INSPIRATIONS Rooms with a hue Neutral rooms come alive with just the right pops of color. See how the pros make a bold mark, as in Beth Martin's design for a serene Washington, D.C., home, shown. Shelves aren't just for storage—they can be an opportunity to show off your sense of style. Today's top designers offer tips on how to organize with panache. This issue spotlights today's rising talents, but ELLE DECOR has long championed up-and-coming designers. Check out the stars at the beginning of their careers. SITTING PRETTY Want the best seat in the house? Take a tour of the chicest chairs on the market André Arbus's Paquebot chair by Baker. Petite Twig chair by Oly. Antonio Citterio's Beverly…

Youth may be wasted on the young, but is decor? Traditionally, an appreciation for design, and the desire to live well, was something that you grew into. Taking an interest in your home happened in your 30s or 40s. But all that has changed. There will always be people in their 60s who live as if they were still ensconced in a dorm room, as well as the rare dorm room that looks like it might have been decorated by Charlotte Moss. After all, an interest in design, and the ability to carry that through to a well- appointed home, has no more to do with your age than it does with your pocketbook. It is time, attention, imagination, and passion that create great products, stylish homes, and innovations in…

CHRISTOPHER DANIELS The SoHo loft that Christopher Daniels shares with his wife, Alice Childress (page 140), may reflect their genteel Virginia upbringing, but his art studio in Queens is strewn with some 2,000 boxes of Crayola crayons, which he uses to create his densely layered artworks. Daniels also designed a wallpaper, People Doing Different Things, for Maharam. Available at Artware Editions, it features 190 intimately scaled portraits, from a person in a Teletubbies costume, left, to a man riding an elephant (artwareeditions.com). UP IN THE AIR When ELLE DECOR creative director Florentino Pamintuan and design director Anita Sarsidi conceived this month's feature on high-style furnishings by up-and-coming talents, beginning on page 162, the 2009 Pixar animated film Up came to mind. "In the movie, balloons are a symbol for dreams—they're…

MAIL I am already stuffed to the gills with Christmas decor, advertisements, and carols, even though the holiday is more than a month away. I was so glad to see nary a tree, wreath, garland, lights, snowmen, or gift boxes in your entire December issue. I wouldn't mind if you continued this tradition in future holiday issues. Debbie Lasker, Houston P.S. John Robshaw's home is to die for. I really look forward to the December issues of all my magazines. But ELLE DECOR does not look—even a little bit—like a holiday magazine should. I am so disappointed! Mary Thune, Palatine, IL I've been a subscriber for a few years now, and for a design neophyte like myself ELLE DECOR has been a visual bible and a blueprint that I've used…

Culture club After nearly a decade of bringing the vibrant colors and patterns of his native Nigeria to the fashion world, Duro Olowu is working with a company that is as American as apple pie: J. C. Penney. The London-based designer has developed a limited-edition collection, Duro Olowu for jcp, that encompasses everything from dinner plates and journals to women's fashions and umbrellas, all with the eye-catching stripes, squiggles, and splashy hues that have put this talented designer on the high-style map (jcp.com). Outside(r) art At Cumulus Studios, landscape designer Nathalie Karg always likes to put an artful touch on her outdoor-friendly furnishings. So for the company's debut collection of weather-resistant textiles she commissioned playful designs from contemporary artists including, clockwise from top, Rob Wynne, Marcel Odenbach, and Jim Drain.…

DISPATCHES FROM THE WORLD OF DESIGN PICNIC CHIC A new nautical-themed picnic set by HermÈs brings high style to alfresco dining. The service for four includes stainless steel flatware, a cotton tablecloth in the firm's classic Accostage pattern, and coordinating enameled-steel plates, soup bowls, and cups. The set, which fits inside a striped cotton-toile tote, costs $4,300. 800-441-4488; hermes.com 1 TOP BRASS The Small Reflect wall light by O'Lampia Studio pairs a conical sconce with a reflective disk that can be raised and tilted as desired. The brass fixture measures 17" h. x 6.5" w. x 8" d. and costs $975; custom finishes and sizes are available. 212-925-1660; olampia.com 2 DESK JOB Hickory Chair's Alice secretary by Alexa Hampton updates the classic flip-down desk…