Slim Aarons

Family Pool by Slim Aarons

 

I am a huge fan of the photography of Slim Aarons and have two at CCC. Slim Aarons was an American photographer known for photographing socialites, jet-setters, and celebrities. Interestingly, he never used a stylist or makeup artist. His most famous quote is that he liked "photographing attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places." Many of his iconic photographs were taken in Palm Springs in the 1950s to 1970s.

Inspiration for Decorating for the Holidays

Shelley Johnstone - Flower Magazine

Interior designer Shelley Johnstone, a favorite interior designer of mine, lives in Lake Forest, Illinois where I grew up. Her home, beautifully decorated for the holidays, is featured in Flower Magazine. Interestingly, her favorite color is chocolate brown which is probably my least favorite color, but she uses it deftly throughout her home. She does not like red for her own home for Christmas decorating, so she uses instead lots of green, white, chocolate brown, silver, gold, and touches of pink. The home is filled with chinoiserie including blue and white Chinese porcelain, rattan, wicker, Chinese Chippendale chairs, Greek key, framed chinoiserie panels, and bamboo flatware. She uses fresh greenery in her Christmas decorating and lots of fresh flowers like white paperwhites, amaryllis, and poinsettias, and pink and white tulips, peonies, ranunculus, and anemones.