5 Best Things—Matthew Patrick Smyth , Wenham Museum, Wakefield Design, Brimfield

It feels like summer and summer’s not even here yet! So many events, activities, opportunities! Here’s a glimpse of my week!

1. Brimfield was a blast! It wasn’t the antiques and flea market finds that made it such a treat though, it was my hosts—Cynthia Bogart (The Daily Basics) and Gretchen Aubuchon (Fashion+Decor) and the amazing group of people they assembled in their tent for the Brimfield Tweet Up. A few of my favorite people that I got to catch up with last Saturday include Raina Kattelson (A Stylist’s Life), Gretchen, Cynthia, and Tamara Matthews-Stephenson (Nest Nest Nest).

2. Last night at New England Home’s networking event at the Antique & Artisan Center in Stamford I met one of my favorite interior designers, Matthew Patrick Smyth, and received a first edition copy of his new book Living Traditions. Matthew talked about how he got started in the business (he worked his tail off, living at the YMCA and then working for David Easton) and what he loves about what he does. Completed inspired now. FYI, the aforementioned Raina Kattelson was the stylist for the book!

3. Last Friday night I was the Honorary Chair at the Wenham Museum’s North Shore Design Show, featuring installations by a few dozen interior designers. The event is open through the weekend and I highly recommend that you go for some amazing interior inspiration! One of my favorites was the living room by Wilson Kelsey Design. Here I am with John Kelsey and Sally Wilson.

4. Last week I got to give a talk at Wakefield Design in Stamford about how I go about styling a room. I had a ton of before and after photos that I showed side-by-side so people could see what goes into creating those perfect pictures you see in magazines. I look like I’m really seriously explaining how I’m going to attack this kitchen in this photo.

5. People tend to think that magazine photo shoots are glamourous. That may be the case if you’re with Bruce Weber shooting fashion in some exotic (and catered) locale, but in my world you sometimes end up on the floor, backed into a corner, providing support for a piece of artwork that just happened to be hung in the wrong place. This was my only down time during the Traditional Home photo shoot I did last week!