Homefield : Bringing Design Home HAPPENS THIS WEEKEND!

Coming this weekend -  I will be hosting a unique home design event and open marketplace called Homefield in Lenox, MA this August 10th and 11th.  All about bringing design home!

The event will bring together vendors and products that inspire the home, design, fashion, antiques and all the things that make our home environments better in one location - in the heart of the Berkshire mountains.

As a fan of "Downton Abbey" on television, I was thrilled to see that our event will take place in our own American version of that amazing location.  A step back in time at Ventfort Hall - one of the old mansions in an area that famed writer Edith Wharton called home and down the road from the amazing Tanglewood too.  Ventfort Hall was used in the film "Cider House Rules" (one of my favorite film soundtracks!).

I will be hosting the gala opening night event and preview of all the vendors at the house and under tents the evening of August 10th.  Plus, there will be an amazing selection of items at the Silent Auction - including products donated by Whirlpool, Benjamin Moore and even some great tickets to tapings of shows like The David Letterman Show and The Rachael Ray Show and so much more!  There will be amazing music, food and wine too!  A chance to enjoy the last few weeks of summer is an amazing setting for a wonderful cause.  All just steps away from the famed Tanglewood and Canyon Ranch.

Then, on August 11th the marketplace will be open to the public...Doors open at 10am.

I will be there on Saturday morning from 10 to 11am to sign copies of my book NO PLACE LIKE HOME.  

The event is benefiting CHP an organization that has been around for generations providing community health programs for children with developmental delays or disabilities.

I'm very honored to be a part of this wonderful weekend event.  I am only one part of the amazing creative committee of other individuals that are donating their own time, artistic eye and heartfelt support to a cause and organization they all believe in.

If you can attend - I look forward to seeing you there.  If not, please consider going to website for the event and making a donation.  

Thank you.

Please visit the Homefield website for more information:  Homefield : Bringing Design Home.

Behind-the-scenes at "Downton Abbey" PBS Masterpiece

Later this week, I'm hosting a charity event that will benefit an organization that provides services and programs to families with children with disabilities and special needs.  The location that the event is being held at reminds me of an American-version of Downton Abbey.  

So with that in my mind, I am revisiting my behind-the-scenes look at the PBS series Downton Abbey and my conversation with the series' executive producer Rebecca Eaton of Masterpiece.  

Enjoy!

As many of you know, I have been doing features called Designer Dad On Location...As someone that loves film and television homes - it has been a great way for me to talk to the creative people that bring those spaces to life such as Production Designers and Set Decorators.  I am a firm believer that the places we enjoy seeing on television or on the big screen - inspire us in our everyday lives...They show us new styles, new themes, new details we may not have experienced before.  They open up our world, transport us and inspire us in our own lives and environments.  

This time around, I'm taking a slightly different approach with this feature by talking to someone that is very much a part of the overall series that I have become a big fan of - "Downton Abbey" - Executive Producer Rebecca Eaton.

Rebecca is truly the force behind why this series came to life in the way that it deserved to here in America.  She has been at the creative helm of many MASTERPIECE productions over the years and is very integrated into the PBS family.  Hence, I was thrilled to be able to talk to her about this - now very well-loved production. 

Having worked with the film company famous for their own period costume dramas in the past - Merchant Ivory Films - I do have a love of content that can take you back in time and allow you to experience life in another place. It takes you out of your own daily life and allows to be immersed into another world for a time.  I love that.  In this day of reality TV, the chances to experience that kind of quality is rare - but this is exactly what MASTERPIECE's "Downton Abbey" on PBS has done.  A well-written, character-driven series, with sumptuous  production values and attention to fine detail.  

Though it's Second Season on PBS has just come to end as of last week, I am sure you have seen the media surrounding this series all over the place.  It has attracted a varied audience of all ages, it is loved by women and men and is cultivating a new appreciation for what PBS has always been about (all the more reason to support our PBS stations!).

Rebecca Eaton : Executive Producer

of "Downtown Abbey" MASTERPIECE/PBS

So I am excited to share with you:  Designer Dad On Location : Downton Abbey with Rebecca Eaton...

As a huge fan of Downton Abbey, what was it that initially got you excited about this series early on as Executive Producer of Masterpiece?

I think it was when I heard that Julian Fellowes was writing a period family saga set in a beautiful country manor house.

As Season 2 comes to an end and with Season 3 now filming in England, did you expect that this series would have such a fan following that seems to have been generated by word of mouth?

Downton Abbey has become the closest thing to water-cooler television that MASTERPIECE has done in a long time. By that I mean, the kind of television that people talk to each other about the next day, and now with Twitter – they actually talk to each other during the broadcast! And we have a tremendous new audience of young people. 

In the world of reality television, I must admit this series is quite refreshing and timely.  What is it about this period costume drama that has made it different from other Masterpiece productions?

Actually, we do SIMILAR period drama, week-in and week-out. It’s what we’re known for. Downton Abbey is SPECIAL because it hits all the high points – great storytelling, brilliant casting, and gorgeous production values. And it has the added advantage of being an original story.

You have been Executive Producer of a great many Masterpiece productions - what is the best part of what you do everyday? 

I’m an Anglophile, a bookworm, and the daughter of an actress. So, to come to work and spend most of my day reading scripts, screening programs, and talking on the phone to my British colleagues – it’s like a dream come true.

What captures my attention as a viewer is the "sense of family" that is created with both the main family at Downton Abbey, but also the family that is created amongst the house staff.  I do believe this is a big part of what draws everyone into this series. How does that translate on location?  Is that mood the same as what we see on television?  

The cast works from February through July, so they are together day-in and day-out for a very long time. When I visited the set, my impression was that they are genuinely fond of each other, and even though they are working terrifically hard, they have fun. The costumes are challenging to relax in and the hours are long, but the actors seem comfortable and fond of each other. Of course who knows what happens when I’m not there!

There is a certain romance about this simpler time in history that Downton Abbey captures.  At the same time, the series is very good about showing us how far we have come and also illustrates the interesting turns of human nature and character.   For someone that may not be familiar with the series YET - how would you describe the essence of what the series is about?  

That’s a tough question to answer, because Downton is about a lot of things. But to reduce it as simple as possible: It’s a portrait of a group of people in England, in a beautiful house, at a time of tremendous social change. There are many stories in these characters’ lives - about love, money, loyalty, betrayal, revenge. Writer Julian Fellowes is interested in creating characters trying to do the right thing. There’s a certain sense of morality and community at the heart of Downton Abbey.

What also draws me into the series is the production design and the overall style.  The main location for Downton Abbey is a real location.  What was it like for you going to the location the first time?

It took my breath away. I came around a bend in the road and saw Highclere Castle with a British flag flying at the tower, and I was very moved. The house is in a beautiful setting, and knowing what was going on inside made it a very special experience. The actual house is smaller than I thought it was, but the grounds go on forever. And then I went inside!

At what stage was that location chosen?  Was the house chosen once the script was written or was the house somehow the inspiration?  

I think Julian Fellowes always had Highclere Castle in mind, but you’d have to ask him.

How much of the series is filmed at the house?   Are there sets built somewhere else?   How far is that location from other sets?   

All the downstairs scenes are filmed at a set at the famous Ealing Studios, just outside London. The kitchen, Mrs. Hughes’ sitting room, and some of the upstairs bedrooms have been built there. But the main upstairs scenes take place in the actual drawing room, library, dining room and central hall of Highclere Castle. The percentage between the two locations is roughly 50/50.  Highclere Castle and Ealing Studios are about 90 minutes apart. 

How much of the main house had to be modified for the production?  Was the furniture and artwork already there - or is a great deal of that brought in?  

The drawing room, dining room and library are exactly as you see them in the television show – it’s real furniture, priceless paintings and books that are the property of the Carnarvon family, who live there. And the cast and crew have to be extremely careful in those rooms.

For you, was it like stepping back in time seeing that house staged for the production and seeing the cast in costume?   

Because of all the lighting and camera equipment, and the countless behind-the-scenes crew, it’s hard to lose track of the 21st century.

What is your personal favorite space or location? Why?

My favorite is the library, because I’m a bookworm, and there are comfortable chairs just calling out to me to sit down and read in.

When you return home from the period location and come back to America - how does that production influence your own personal style or life?  

I start wearing a tiara and ordering my staff around – when I ask them to wear starched uniforms, they rebel. Just kidding! Actually, my posture improves.Those Edwardian ladies sit up very straight. Also, it makes me want to give more dinner parties.

Has the set decoration of your productions overall found its way into your day-to-day settings?  For example, your office - if we went into your office today - does it illustrate a certain style or look?  Do you find yourself wanting flowers around or beautiful details that bring you back into that world that you just left on location.

This is the question of the chicken and the egg. I’ve always loved books and flowers, all things English. I can remember as a little girl in California, rearranging my room so it looked like an English girl’s bedroom. And I definitely have books, flowers and antiques in my own house.

I tell everyone that has not seen the series to go to your website to see the series from the start to get everyone ready for Season 3.  As filming begins for Season 3 - are there some things you are excited about?  

I’m very excited to see Shirley MacLaine as Cora’s mother go toe-to-toe with Violet, played by Maggie Smith. What a match-up! 

What's next on your creative agenda at Masterpiece aside from Downton Abbey?  

2012 is the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’ birth, so we’re celebrating by co-producing (with the BBC) two new adaptations which air this April: Great Expectations, starring Gillian Anderson and David Suchet; and Dickens’ great unfinished work – The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

A special thanks to Rebecca Eaton and the team at Downton Abbey for taking the time to talk with me.

  

Above Featured Photos:  © 2011 Carnival Film and Television Limited for MASTERPIECE

Check out Rebecca Eaton talking about why Americans have connected to Downton Abbey here: 

Watch Downton Abbey: Why Americans Connect With It on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

For those of you that have not seen the series yet.  Now is your chance.  You can watch the entire series (full-length episodes) of Downton Abbey - Season 1 and Season 2 (which just ended Sunday, February 19th) online at Masterpiece/PBS and you can also purchase the DVD collection.  

Here is the original preview from Season 1 to get you started:

Watch Downton Abbey Season 1 Preview on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

You can also watch cast interviews and behind-the-scenes videos from the series.  Plus, you can check in on all other creative programming that MASTERPIECE is bringing to life.  

Check out my recent posting showing videos of the behind-the-scenes at Downton Abbey.  

All I can say is thank goodness for Masterpiece and for PBS.  Excellence and great attention to detail...Great television does exist in our modern world.  

Still can't get enough of the series?  Check out this beautiful book The World of Downton Abbey (St. Martin's Press 2011) written by Jessica Fellowes with a Foreword by her uncle - Julian Fellowes - the creator and writer of the series.  It provides a great look into the creative journey and story of the series - but it also is filled with behind-the-scenes information and amazing photographs.  Beautiful!  

Enjoy!  More to come...

Diane Keaton Conversation (Revisited)

Since everyone loved this conversation with Diane Keaton - here it is once again...

As a designer, I am always talking up how favorite movie homes have long-been an inspiration for me creatively.  As I a kid I would draw the floor plans of the classic, black and white films I loved from the 1940s.  When I grew up and started working in film and television - settings and environments continued to inspire me and catch my eye. Now, as a designer that produces and designs projects on television and in magazines - as well as in private homes - I always use homes from films as a favorite tool.  To me, I'm always asking people that do not know what their home style is to think about what film home they have seen and have responded to.  

Just mention the films "Somethings Gotta Give," "Father of The Bride" (Part 1 and 2), "Hanging Up," or "Baby Boom" and "The Family Stone" - people's faces light up and they start remembering those great homes in those films.  It's a great way to get a creative conversation going about home and design.  I talked about this at great length in my book No Place Like Home.

Now this brings me to a common link to these films - actress, creative businesswoman and mom  - Diane Keaton.

I have been a fan of Diane Keaton as an actress - but also as a creative person that wears many hats.  I respect and admire that.  I also know that she loves design and architecture too - as she has renovated many homes over the years.  So it is no wonder that the films mentioned above - that she starred in - all have great environments in them too.  

There is bit of synergy to this whole feature today that I will take a moment to share with you...

I had heard that Diane Keaton had launched a line of home products with Bed, Bath and Beyond in 2011 called K by Keaton.  At the same time, I was finishing up the gathering together of my own creative venture for my canvas art and photography collection which launched at the end of 2011.

The synergy came when I heard Diane talking about her concept for the her new home collection and the vision for what inspired her...

Diane Keaton on WhoSay

Those classic, weather-worn, American barns that are found across our country.   Ironically, I too was inspired by those old barns that show so much character and a certain style.  Barns are a big part of my art collection - because as I traveled doing photography - barns and our American landscape were a big influence for me personally.  So I was very excited to see her collection of home products first hand - as they seemed to be in line with what I inspired me in my travels.  

So the day came when the products arrived to my studio for an upcoming makeover project. The first two things out of the box were big bowls and big coffee mugs in a great ceramic off-white tone.  Great texture and feel to them - so I was sold right off.  I have a thing about big bowls for salads and soups.  The collections of K by Keaton consist of "Eat" and "Dream" - tabletop and bedding. Of course, when I opened the box with the reclaimed barn wood style serving trays - I knew she had done it right. I love the patina of faded barn wood and the richness it can add to any space.  

The pieces also all arrived when I was in the midst of reading Diane's new auto-biography THEN AGAIN which was given to me for Christmas. I like how she writes and thinks.  Weaving her own personal history as a creative person - but also that of her mother's own life/creative journey. One family's journey in essence.  

All-in-all - the timing was quite right as I planned my upcoming makeover shoot featuring her home collection (the images incorporated into my photo collages shown here are from the room makeovers that I designed and will showcase later this week).  I think having her book in my mind as I was planning the design/shoot also made it all the more powerful for me - insight into what has brought to her where she is in life now.

As many of you know, as Designer Dad, I've been doing a series called Designer Dad At Home With...As a husband, dad of two boys and a homeowner - I know what home means to me and how our environments are the foundation of our everyday lives...So I am fascinated by what home means to other people.  So it seemed only natural that the next chat about what home means should be with Diane Keaton.

So I present to you that conversation with Diane dissolved in amongst my collages from my shoot of her collection, some of my own art work of barns and landscapes from my collection - but overall a sampling of the inspired environments that were influenced by all things Diane Keaton and, I suppose, America too.  

Your Profession? 

Actress, Designer and Mom.

Any special project you are focused on now? 

Most excited about K by Keaton! The possibilities are endless. 

What was the inspiration for the home collection? 

The inspiration for K by Keaton comes from the heartland.  I’m obsessed with barn structures and the textures and colors that surround them. It’s all about loft living these days and I think we’re going for traditional Americana design pieces that we can put a modern twist on.

I know you love photography and design, like I do – what is it about the classic American barn that you love so much?  

The simple shapes, the warmth, the patina of the wood. 

What do you love about American home styles? 

We’ve now entered this new imaginative stage in American design. I really love the juxtaposition of clean lines of the new... with the textures and materials of the old... reclaimed, re-used materials...

As a creative person, what was one of the most satisfying projects you have been a part of?

To me, as a creative person, K by Keaton has been it. Because the atmosphere is productive and because we’re celebrating what’s great about something that exists... this idea of Americana. I love really looking at what is already around us and taking the time to appreciate it.

What do you surround yourself with to generate a creative environment for the many creative hats you wear?  

Creative inspiration... I cut and paste magazines. I have binders and binders of imagery and inspiration.. like collage for my brain. I also have big bulletin boards so I am always surrounding myself with visuals. What else… I’m listening to JayZ and Kanye West’s new album. It’s unbelievable… "Watch the Throne." 

You are a parent - how many children do you have?  

Two.

Has that changed since you have had children?

Since having children, how about my LIFE has changed. Everything you can imagine has changed.

What does coming home mean to you at the end of the day?  

My favorite time of the day, dinner, on my K by Keaton plates!

What is the mood or style of your home?  Has that changed since you have had children or even as you have grown up too?

Eclectic. It’s even more eclectic. My vision has just grown because of the influence of those children. And it’s become even simpler… and how about we have more fun with our homes? I think kids have definitely made my home more like a place we have fun and being together and remembering to laugh a little. Design does not have to be always serious.

What do you recall from your own childhood home?  Is there anything that says “home” to you that you have brought into your own family home?

The shared experience of gathering together for dinner, conversation. Home is about surrounding myself with an ever changing array of visual stimulation. That big family bulletin board that always has evolving images and quirky reminders of what’s going on... it’s about change and changing together as a family.

What is your favorite room or area in your home now?  Why?

The office and the kitchen/living area. And I cannot highlight enough the importance of tables.

(In keeping with Diane's thoughts on the importance of tables - the table below is one that I designed and am featuring in my upcoming makeover later this week.  Tables are key for me too.  I wanted a table that could serve several purposes and one that you could pick up and move for an instant home office, a breakfast bar or take it outside for an impromptu dinner in the garden - easily. So we created it to change easily from a dining table, to a kitchen island and also into a coffee table - all in one combo. It's made from reclaimed barn wood from a nearby farm.  Casual and beautiful.)

These industrial-style chairs in silver are from Overstock.com

Where do you turn to for inspiration to make your home better?  

When I was young I always got my fashion inspiration from the street as well as magazines... it’s a  combination... you have to look at everything that’s available for you to see. It’s about expanding your vision.  I think it’s important to stay observant and get around. It’s amazing how things change when you leave your designated spot. Recently I have taken to jogging in different neighborhoods and it’s so interesting to see the different styles and what’s going on. There is always something going on when it comes to design and architecture. You have to expand yourself.

What was the last thing you bought for your home?

I bought a couple of signs in Texas.. One letter says “I” and the other says “Q”. So I framed them together and put my I.Q. in the dining room so I could remember to think.

If I walked through your front door, what would be the first thing I would notice about your home?  

My brother Randy’s collages… Entitled "Stymied By a Woman’s Face." They are amazing. And books. I have a ton of books. Of the art and architecture sort. You really can’t miss those.

A special thank you to Diane Keaton.  The products, her vision and voice - certainly inspired the hundreds of photographs I shot of her products in the makeover I designed and styled.  I will share those with you later this week (I won't share hundreds of photos with you - but certainly there will be ones that you can use as visual inspiration for your own vision boards!).

I love how just hearing how other families live in their spaces can be inspiring.  It's not about fancy stuff or going over the top - it's about the good, simple, basic moments of everyday life.  That's what I'm talking about.  That world that we create on the inside of our homes with our families is key.  It's a place for laughter, meals, music and connection.  Enjoy it and be in those moments - fully.  So turn up the tunes, go make dinner together and talk about each of your day's adventures.  Then, after dinner, create a family vision board together!

I leave you with one of Diane's favorites words that she talks about in her book:  THINK.

My favorites would have to be the combo of:  BE CREATIVE.

Check back in later this week for my "Barn-Wood-Inspired Makeover Project" and a Visual Sampler Video from that project featuring all the products - including great industrial-style metal chairs and stools from Overstock.com, faux barn wood wall coverings from York Wallcoverings and the artwork.  Better yet, sign up to Follow Me via email or Subscribe to my Designer Dad Blog...Plus be sure to check out these great companies.  More to come...

A special thanks to Bed Bath and Beyond, Artistic Photo Canvas , York Wallcoverings and Overstock.com for being a part of my upcoming makeover feature and whose products are also seen in the images above.