design blogger's challenge: little augury

maison21 is pleased to announce our 3rd participant in the design blogger's challenge II, this time from little augury, a new to us blog. she's taken a few of the elements from our original OCDD challenge post, combined them with some fabulous japanned antiques, a little wearstler and a little hicks, and set it all against black patent PVC walls (LOVE)! another awesome entry- check out her "marquess of queensbury rules" here!
who's next up to bat? so far we have katiedid, studio annetta and topsy turvy penciled in as hopeful participants- why not you too? free fun in tough times- no deadlines, few rules, and a chance to show your stuff! get on it!

ikats, suzanis and adsense, oh my! (or buddy, can you spare a dime?)

pretty, right?

did these chairs get your attention? what blog reader can resist a colorful suzani, we ask you? maybe m21 could resist, as he isn't the biggest suzani fan in the world, but even he loves those chairs.
lovesssss.
by admitting he doesn't love a suzani, m21 is sure to ignite a firestorm of controversy. yay- love a decorating controversy! maison21 doesn't actually hate suzanis or anything, he just thinks they are a bit too granola-y for his taste, as well as terribly overexposed at the moment. ikat is different story- it's m21's go to fabric of choice for adding a jolt of color and some ethnic eclecticism to an interior. classic. never tire of it. not even pottery barn can ruin ikat. m21 loves ikat.
lovessss.

but this post isn't about ikats and suzanis, it's about adsense.

not nonsense. adsense. you've seen the adsense boxes in the sidebars of many a blog, including this one (on right, under our smiling face and amazon widget). the adsense widgets are kind of fun- whatever a blogger posts about, adsense picks up keywords in the post, and attempts to find ads that relate to those keywords. right now, our adsense widget has been filled with ads for OCD meds and therapists due to our recent "obsessive compulsive decorating disorder" post (funny); the adsense widget is also how we discovered the above site with the purdy chairs and pillows. after we made a post about the lovely ikat and suzani pillows at fabricadabra, our widget found the above link, so we clicked and liked what we found! fun, right?

and that's what this post is about: clicking for fun and profit. you see, while we're sure everybody has noticed the adsense widget on some of their favorite blogs, but m21 didn't know if y'all knew how they worked: every time you click a link in the adsense widget, your favorite bloggers (like moi) get a few cents, sometimes as much a dime. takes a few seconds of your time, but doesn't cost you anything, and while a dime may not sound like a lot, they do add up, and in this economy, we know every little bit helps, right? last year, maison21 made about a hundred bucks off his clicks, or about a dime for every hour he spent blogging about ikats and suzanis (oh my). ;-)

so do your favorite bloggers a favor, and click on a few adsense links next time you visit (or sponsor ads if their blog has them). they'll appreciate it, and you can feel good about helping your favorite bloggers make a little moolah (without spending a dime)! and trust moi- none of us are getting rich by blogging- we only blog because we care. (alright, that's a lie- we blog because we are extroverts and attention whores, but you wouldn't hold that against us would you?)

so hey, buddy- can you spare a dime?

design blogger's challenge: student edition

maison21 recently received an email from a design student, who though without a blog, was eager to participate in our design blogger's challenge, so we thought we'd post his entry for y'all to see.

Hi Maison! My name is Derek. I've been a long time follower and fan of your blog. You have such beautiful and inspiring work! Anyways, I just couldn't resist joining in on the fun of your obsessive compulsive decorating disorder challenge. I don't have a blog so I thought I'd email you my entry. I'm a student designer, so virtual design allows me to use my creative talent without having to break the bank! Your comments would be appreciated!

and here's his entry:

a beautifully schemed room with a hint of beige! I'm not big on neutral colors, but I managed to distract from the beige by using blue and green accents. Tell me what you think! Constructive criticism would be appreciated!

Black Granite and Steel Dining Table by Osvaldo Borsani Tecno, Italian Empire Wing Chairs by Decorative Crafts, Inc, sputnik inspired chandelier by InMod, Ikea curtain panels, walls are Dunn-Edwards' "White Sand" by (DEW-336), floating burl-veneer credenza, Marbro peacock feather lamps, extra-large blue steel mirror; stools, cerused oak floor and blond cowhide from original M21 challenge post (In the background, "Attention Cherie" by the stunning April March is blaring throughout the room... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2z83BakF-YE)

well done, derek! maison21 approves! you asked us to give our our opinion via some constructive criticism, and if there is one thing maison21 is never shy about, it's voicing his opinion. so here we go...

maison21 thinks the room is excellent student work, polished and professional- of course you had an excellent foundation to build upon from m21's original post (just kidding, btw- we're conceited, but not that conceited). the gaudy but cool empire chairs and floating milo baughman-esque credenza are true genius, especially paired with the table and stools; industrial and hi-tech modern, without being cold or stark- not always an easy task to pull off. we also liked the way the steel of the mirror frame is picked up again in the legs of the table, and while not a fan of black granite in general, we think the choice of it as a table top works beautifully to add to drama in this application, so maison21 is liking it here.

now here's what m21 didn't like: while we enjoyed the vintage touch provided by the marbro lamps, we wish you had echoed the vintage lighting approach with your choice of a chandelier- a 70's venini or mazzega crystal number would have upped the glam factor of the room considerably (similer to below, but maybe a bit bigger), or conversely, a vintage industrial or deco influenced modernist brushed steel fixture would have a been great choice too. while we understand you were trying to do the "cheap n' chic" thing (and we always like that), the $299.00 inmod chandy just isn't quite grand enough to hold it's own with the other fab elements of your room. so we recommend going a bit more upscale with your chandelier choice.

our only other criticism is relatively minor as well: while m21 used some inexpensive west elm curtains in our room, we can't say we love your ikea versions. both choices are off the rack pole pocket panels but the west elm panels are a bit more tailored up top, and hang without added fullness, whereas the ikea version in your photo collage, has that weird extra flange of fabric over the pole, and the gathering used for fullness makes them all bunched up and ruffle-y. that particular style of mass market curtain panel always reminds maison21 of a cheap home-sewn elastic waist granny skirt, so we avoid it like the plague, and recommend more tailored styles- like grommet tops or hidden tabs (like the ikea curtains below). the tailored tops are just a bit more polished, so don't look quite as store bought.
overall though, derek, we were highly impressed with your entry, and can't wait to see more of your work in the future! and we're also sure that your design future is going to be quite bright. good luck, and thanks for playing!

a note to anyone thinking about posting an entry in our design blogger's challenge- don't worry, dr. maison21, PoD (professor of decorating) will NOT critique your entry. we only did it in derek's case because he is a design student and specifically asked us to. the rest of the entries will be just for fun, k?

blogger cribs @ the material girls

m21 admits it- he is a big ol' voyeur. he loves nothing better then to get a behind the scenes peek into other people's lives. if you feel the same way, you'll want to head on over to the material girls blog a.s.a.p., as the charming young material girls have put together a virtual tour inside the homes of 9 decor bloggers, including the m21 atelier. go check it out here.

thanks, girls!

uh oh, capezios...

you all know maison21 lurves the 80's- c'mon, we named our blog after an 80's song after all...

but some things that died in the 80's, should NEVER be revived. case in point, we were horrified to find this picture of jazz shoes in the urban outfitter's catalog in our mailbox. first white wayfarers (hated them then), now capezios. please no. this madness must stop!we realize we are a little outside the urban outfitters demographic, but kids (like any read this blog), listen to your grampa m21:

just say no to capezios...

ps- you know you are really old if you remember "crayons", the version of a jazz shoe with candy-colored clear plastic soles. had them in several colors in junior high. they were totally hot with my calvins.