Better Homes and Gardens' Annual Stylemaker issue Highlights Artists & Tastemakers in Gardens, Food, Fashion, Home Design, & Entertaining

Better Homes and Gardens September Stylemaker issue

Better Homes and Gardens (BHG), the leading lifestyle brand reaching 50 million consumers a month, today announced the release of its sixth annual Stylemaker issue, highlighting creative forces and tastemakers who influence the worlds of fashion, food, home design, and entertaining. The issue is available now.

For the first time, seven of the BHG Stylemakers grace the issue's cover in a striking gatefold image shot by renowned celebrity photographer Robert Trachtenberg. They join 22 other Stylemakers who shape the way we decorate, cook, garden, organize, dress, and celebrate.

"We are thrilled to share our 29 trendsetters with our readers in our September Stylemaker issue," says Better Homes and Gardens Editor-in-Chief Stephen Orr. "Our Stylemaker issue showcases creative ways our readers can infuse their lives with inspiring food, fashion, entertaining, and gardening ideas."

To celebrate the issue, Better Homes and Gardens is hosting over 80 bloggers and tastemakers for a day of classes, workshops, and speakers on September 29 at the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City. Sponsors of the event include Crate and Barrel, Dunkin' Donuts, thinkThin, and Triscuit. According to BHG, the magazine considered a variety of factors when selecting who to invite to the 2016 Stylemaker event, including a nice mix of new vs. returning bloggers; the size of the blogger’s social following; the topic area of the blog (aiming for an overall mix of home, food, beauty, garden, and general lifestyle); editorial recommendations; and the blogger’s BHG Insider status. Want to be considered a BHG Insider? (Who wouldn’t?!) To keep posted about future events and opportunities with the brand and the magazine’s editors, the magazine recommends you apply here

"The September 2016 issue is a celebration of style, creativity, and inspiration for all aspects of the home," says Christine Guilfoyle, Senior Vice President and Publisher of Better Homes and Gardens. "Each year, this special issue elevates our readers' and advertisers' style inspiration." Guilfoyle notes that the gatefold cover includes an organic integration of furniture products from lead sponsor Crate and Barrel.

The September issue also features fantastic recipes from celebrity chef Jacques Pépin, practical entertaining tips from Top Chef host and author Padma Lakshmi, (a fellow author at a post East Hampton Library fundraising and dinner party hosted by Hamptons Magazine), and aging and wellness advice from movie star Cameron Diaz.

The 2016 BHG Stylemakers featured in the September issue include:

Chris Benz –Creative Director for Bill Blass

Chris's mix of furnishings, accessories, and art follows the new-meets-old trend of his newly renovated Brooklyn house—with some high-low mash-ups thrown in for good measure. "My style is bold, casual bricolage," says Chris.

Justina Blakeney – Designer, Author and creator of The Jungalow blog

This Los Angeles designer mixes fun patterns with boho-meets-tropical color choices. Her top advice for mixing patterns is simple: repetition. "I like to pick two or three colors and pull those into each piece," she says.

Steve Woodward – President and Chief Merchant for Crate and Barrel

"Clean, thoughtful, timeless design makes me happy," the retail guru says. On watching trends, he adds. "I'm addicted to decorating shows, and I think you can learn a lot from them about your own personal style. Trends open your eyes to new possibilities."

Grace Bonney – Design*Sponge Founder and Author

Her new book, In the Company of Women, brings together the collected wisdom, passion, heartache, and savvy of 100 women business owners, each of whom she thoughtfully interviewed and photographed in their work spaces.  

Elsie Larson and Emma Chapman – Creators of the blog A Beautiful Mess  

The sisters have been creating together since they were little, so crafting, writing books, and creating photo apps was a natural segue beyond their blog. "We just get out of each other's way and get stuff done," says Elsie.

Roman Alonso and Steven Johanknecht – Commune Design

The Los Angeles-based design team behind Commune, Roman and Steven have partnered with West Elm to create a new line of beautifully crafted pieces with approachable price tags, so everyone can have access to their high-style California breeziness.

Katie Armour Taylor – Creator of Style Blog The Neo-Trad

A California girl living and working in Denmark, Katie's style inspiration spans the globe. Focusing on the surge of the color-blocking trend, Katie says, "I love bold color, especially pairing unexpected combinations. Today we favor more balance by mixing up the trend with natural materials or metallics."

Alec Babala, Bruce Kim, and John Humphrey – Founders of Greycork furniture

The trio started Greycork with the mission to provide affordable furniture shipped free in flat packs and assembled without tools. "We chose the name Greycork because it was our blank canvas," says Bruce.

Hana Getachew – Textile Designer

A love of her native Ethiopia led Hana to launch Brooklyn-based Bolé Road Textiles. Ethiopian weavers turn her colorful designs into fabrics for pillows, curtains, and more. She describes her style as "eclectic minimalism."


Katrina Hernandez and Josh Greene – Interior Designers

The push-pull of their personal styles—she's boho and he's classic—has made an ideal design union. They started in the fashion world, but joined forces to create elegant interiors with bold colors and patterns and high-style furnishings.

Marlien Rentmeester – Creator of the Style blog Le Catch

"Indigo is intrinsically easy," says Marlien, explaining how the distinctive shade that's synonymous with your favorite pair of blue jeans is just as versatile in your living room.

Erin Flett – Pattern Designer

For screen printer and home-goods designer Erin, growing a business means working hard, loving what you do, and adding a little color where you can. "Collect things that you love, and eventually your space becomes your story," Erin says.

Greg Salmeri – Garden Designer and Store Owner

The co-owner of Rolling Greens Nursery finds the way to inner peace with a mix of sculptural plants accented by carefully placed outdoor ornaments and salvaged pieces. "Style is important in every single thing you do. An outdoor space is no different to me in that regard than an indoor one," Greg says.

Fay Wolf – Professional Organizer and Author

Fay believes most messes can be fixed with recycled containers and commonsense labeling. "Embrace the imperfection of it all, and forget being Pinterest-perfect."

Michele Michael – Elephant Ceramics Owner

This creative pro used to be a decorating editor, prop stylist, and the owner of a prop house. But after taking a ceramics class in 2010, she realized she loved working with her hands to create something uniquely her own.

Jim Franco – Photographer, Video Director and Ceramicist

Jim says his ceramics style is simple and quiet. "It's about crafting a piece with a form that is almost plain… If I'm lucky, it might also satisfy my sense of design and proportion."

Asya Palatova – Gleena Ceramics Owner

Asya specializes in soft, sugary colors and vintage illustrations transferred in metal ink.

Kat Teutsch – Photographer and Claykat Ceramics Owner

When she started making too many ceramic pieces to keep, Kat launched her own store. For inspiration, she says, she looks to the things she loves, "from the ever-changing green of the forests or the blues from the ocean and sky."

Adina Grigore – Skincare Entrepreneur

The author of Skin Cleanse and the entrepreneur behind Brooklyn-based S.W. Basics takes us through her daily routine, focusing on keeping things simple.

Selina Lake – Interiors Stylist and Author  

"There's no such thing as too many plants," says London-based Selina. (I Couldn't agree more but good garden editing should also be considered...) 

In her new book, Botanical Style, she shows how to use plants and nature in interiors.

Plant World Inspiration: Radiant Orchid is named Pantone Color of the Year

At the root of it, plants inspire all of us. 

(How otherworldly and magical is this orchid?)

Plants especially inspire art and artists.  

This year, a most exotic plant inspired the Color of the Year selection. 

While the 2013 color of the year, Pantone Emerald, served as a symbol of growth, renewal and prosperity, “this year’s Radiant Orchid reaches across the color wheel to intrigue the eye and spark the imagination,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®.

“An invitation to innovation, Radiant Orchid encourages expanded creativity and originality, which is increasingly valued in today’s society.”

“An enchanting harmony of fuchsia, purple and pink undertones, Radiant Orchid inspires confidence and emanates great joy, love and health. It is a captivating purple, one that draws you in with its beguiling charm.”

According to the company, “the captivating, magical and enchanting Radiant Orchid is an invitation to innovation, it’s modern and versatile. 

How to use Radiant Orchid

Pantone offers insight and tips for using Radiant Orchid in three key lifestyle arenas:

Fashion, Beauty, and Interior Design.

The company omitted landscape or garden design (!), which is most curious seeing how the Radiant Orchid – a Plant -- inspired this year’s color choice…

No worries, though, as I will take the lead on this pursuit-of-beauty lifestyle element and offer a guide to some equally inspiring purple flowering plants to use in your garden.  

Pantone: Radiant Orchid for Fashion
- Radiant Orchid’s rosy undertones radiate on the skin, producing a healthy glow when worn by both men and women. A dazzling attention-getter, Radiant Orchid permeated the runways during the spring 2014-fashion shows and is already making its way onto the red carpet. Fashion designers featured in the Pantone Fashion Color Report Spring 2014, including Emerson by Jackie Fraser-Swan, Juicy Couture and Yoana Baraschi, are incorporating Radiant Orchid into their spring collections and variations of this hue will carry into men’s and women’s clothing and accessories throughout next year.

Pantone: Radiant Orchid for Beauty
- A modern and surprisingly versatile shade, Radiant Orchid enlivens the skin, making all who wear it feel more healthy and energetic. Blending both cool and warm undertones, purple is an appealing hue for distinctive combinations and flattering to many hair, eye and skin tones.

This multifaceted hue is seductive when combined with red and pairs well with its sister shades of lavender, purple and pink, which provides an assortment of lipstick and blush options. Radiant Orchid’s exuberance also acts as a brilliant finishing touch to nails.

Pantone: Radiant Orchid for Interiors
- Spruce up interior spaces by incorporating this eye-catching hue in paint, accent pieces and accessories. As adaptable as it is beautiful, Radiant Orchid complements olive and deeper hunter greens, and offers a gorgeous combination when paired with turquoise, teal and even light yellows.

Likewise, the vibrant color is sure to liven up neutrals including gray, beige and taupe. Uplifting and bold without being overpowering, Radiant Orchid reenergizes almost any color palette and provides a unifying element for diverse spaces"

Garden Glamour by Duchess Designs: Radiant Orchid for Garden Design – I use quite a bit of purple in my garden designs.  It’s a cool, restful color and regal at the same time.  I frequently pair it with shades of yellow for a striking English garden look – or with shades of orange for a more Mediterranean style. 

It works equally with white and all the different blues. 

And greens, of course – from lime green to deep hunter.   

The Agastache is not only a pretty purple to look at with its at-attention spires but also the faint waft of licorice-scent is a bonus.   

Agastache

There are many plants that show off purple-veined leaves and stems too that make for complementary plants in the garden, easing the tension that an over-planted ornamental garden too often display.  These plants work the same way to balance good container compositions.

Nepeta comes as close to a no-care plant   as you can get – and it comes in two sizes.  

Nepeta

Sea Holly Eryngium maritimum

  

Sea Lavender/Statice - Limonium

Lavender

Spiderwort: Tradescantia pallida

Baptisia - Photo courtesy of "Dave's Garden"

Lilac

Bulbs – from Crocus to allium to sweet, redolent Hyacinths – love the Grape Hyacinth

Grape Hyacinth

– get a bonus with them as they bloom in the spring – go away/hibernate for the summer and then shoot up green, feathery foliage in the autumn…

Hyacinth

Crocus

Allium 

Water Gardens – water hyacinths and lotus and water lily in purple tones distinguish any water garden to make the sight as sensual as the sound of a water garden of any size. 

Climbers - Wisteria, Passion Flower, Morning Glory, and Clematis are the climbing plant “accessories” of the garden that make arbors, pergolas and arches so glamorous with their punch of color punctuating various levels and niches.  

Wisteria 

Clematis

Passion Flower

And of course, Orchids themselves are undeniably the most exotic of plants.  I’ve grown many and love them all. 

The Vanda orchid

Vanda Orchid

and the Slipper orchid are two extraordinary beauties I’ve had the pleasure of showing off. They look like jewelry…

Slipper Orchid

And for those who can’t even muster a moth orchid, try these orchid-looking perennials that bloom in the autumn.  

Toad Lilly – Tricyrtis hirta  - is a perennial flowering plant for the shade garden.  A charming plant – especially when it pops open in the fall when many of the summer beauties have faded. They are great paired with ferns or bamboo.

They are easy to grown and as one of my garden design clients wrote me, “They are crazy beautiful!”   

Don't you agree?

Toad Lily

Below is the link to the video of Pantone’s Eiseman being interviewed by David Shah, publisher at Metropolitan Publishing in London (Pantone HQ is in The Garden State/New Jersey so not entirely clear about this connection…)

But here is Eiseman - on a rooftop overlooking buildings and construction crane. 

The obvious question is why? 

With the gorgeous color and fashion, interior design tips, why oh why didn’t they tape the interview in a garden?  Surrounded by Orchids – Radiant Orchids --  dripping behind Eiseman. 

Or in a room designed and decorated with the energizing Radiant Orchid?

Why isn’t she wearing radiant orchid-inspired fashion?

http://www.pantoneview.com/pantone-color-of-the-year-2014

Eiseman does introduce the color describing how the name alone conjures up the image of its radiant, shimmering, exotic beauty.

And that the color is complex.

She goes on to say that purple is also very symbolic. 

Purple is magical.  It draws you in.  

“It speaks to creativity and wearing it enhances innovation and imbues uniqueness,” says Eiseman.

And that the color also has a beguiling charm. 

It does indeed.

Eiseman and her team claim to comb the world looking for future design and color influences, watching out for that one color seen as ascending and building in importance through all creative sectors. Influences can include the entertainment industry, upcoming films, art, emerging artists, travel destinations and socio-economic conditions. Influences may also stem from technology, lifestyles and playstyles, new textures and effects that impact color, and even upcoming sports events that capture worldwide attention.