I’ve been writing a weekly column about home style for over twenty years. So it isn’t unusual to encounter readers on the street or customers in my store who ask how I come up with a topic each week. My standard answer is that I’m working on it in my head at all times and my antennae is up, always aware of what style changes are in the wind. Most weeks I have no problem coming up with an idea, but there are those Friday mornings when I sit at my computer wondering what in the world to write about. This is one of those mornings. What to do? It doesn’t take long to find inspiration, especially when you’re surrounded by much beauty and creative activities on the island. For example, in June our local film festival was practically played out right under my nose, as my store is directly behind the Starlight Theatre where most of the films were presented. I had a lovely week talking to film buffs about their favorites, both past and currently being shown. It got me to thinking about the films I most enjoy and was surprised to find that period pieces like those produced by Merchant/Ivory are among my favorites. I love to see lavish sets and can watch films like Gosford Park or Remains of the Day, over and over, finding details of design I hadn’t seen before. Read More
