Frank Lloyd Wright - How He Got His Start in Architecture

Irwin Weiner ASID - Frank Lloyd Wright has not always been considered the world's greatest architect; at times during his own lifetime, he wasn't always appreciated. He sometimes rubbed people the wrong way, insisting on designing things "his way," and attending to the tiniest of details, from creating the furniture, fabrics, napkin rings, and even the dress design for what the hostess of the home would wear in his perfect residential space. Now that's micro detailing! I enjoyed this video on Wright's early career start - some of it rocky - put together by talented Meghan Carter of Ask the Designer fame. She walks around his first Oak Park, IL home (in the photo above; click on it for more information), and we learn some fascinating details of his architectural origins. For another intriguing Wright video, click here to see our Designers We Love tribute to his iconic Fallingwater project.

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2 Videos Highlighting Toronto Interior Design Show 2012

Irwin Weiner ASID - The Toronto Interior Design Show 2012 this January saw a resurgence in up-north style that spanned the globe. We were impressed with the imaginative use of shipping containers, with designers and studios turning them into living spaces (see above, from Mason Studio, Toronto), and the room that Piero Lissoni designed (see below, the show's official international guest of honor - what do you think of the bookshelf with books spine-in, showing off pages; it's a look!).

The official show overview video is directly above ... and delightful interior design blogger Kat Bell of Kat Bell Designs visited the show and took the video highlight reel (below) of some of the sights, designs, and innovative products that made an impression on her.

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Video Tour of Dawnridge - Tony Duquette's Hollywood Fantasy House

Irwin Weiner ASID - One of the major movers and shakers in American style is Tony Duquette. His over-the-top glam-on-top-of-glam accessorizing underscored the Hollywood chic of the Golden Age of Movies, brought over into personal style and home fashion. An influencer of the Hollywood Regency Style of glamourous interior design, Duquette was also a major jewelry designer - from homes to individuals, he was all about the jewelry and accessorizing ("More is More.")

The following video tour of his Beverly Hills home, Dawnridge, shows you some of the beautiful interiors and gardens as well as personal jewelry, brought out for visiting celebrity filmmaker and jewelry designer

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How to Safely Clean Mirrors

Irwin Weiner ASID - There are so many inexpensive mirrors available for home decorating; it's nice to finally see the prices going down on essential home accessories! But with the rise of popularity of inexpensive, cheaper mirrors - as well as the collectibility of antique mirrors - comes an epidemic of what's known as "black edge."

This is the condition where a chemical like ammonia from many window cleaning products seeps into the cracks or edges of a mirror and begins to eat away at the silvering on the back edge of the mirror. This can also occur on mirrored walls or on smaller mirror panels when the cleaning product is sprayed into the cracks where two pieces of mirror butt up against one another. And in the case of antique mirrors, you have enough spotting and silvering and natural streaking with age without ruining something beautiful and weathered through improper mirror care. 

The solution is to use a non-ammonia based or green cleaning product, or to make your own natural cleaner. Apply the cleaner to a cloth or spray it in the center of the mirrored panel and swoop down on it with a non-soy-based-in newspaper sheet or paper toweling before the drips get to the edge or in cracks and crevices. For more complete information, go to this thorough How to Clean Mirrors article from HowtoCleanStuff.net.

And today's featured video is from Julie Edelman, author of The Ultimate Accidental Housewife - learn a simple trick for how to keep a bathroom mirror defogged for several weeks!

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