I'm Loving It - Lonny Magazine

I pretty much missed out on the Domino phenomenon (I know, I know, shame on me!) but I'm loving Lonny Magazine, which for many people is filling the hole left by Domino, but for me is just a really awesome online magazine full of gorgeous quirky interiors. The release of Lonny Magazine has fuelled a whole new discussion in the blogosphere about the demise of traditional printed mags compared to the phoenix-style rise of their online sisters - for example, check out the thriving discussion on Abby Larson's new Backstage at Style Me Pretty venture.

When it comes to the whole paper versus virtual issue, I'm kind of on the fence. On the one hand, I could not begin to conceive of a house that wasn't filled with books. I grew up in a house with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves in every room - that's what happens when pretty much your entire family are English teachers - my parents have thousands of books, and recently achieved a major milestone when, after a mere forty years of marriage, they have finally merged their separate book collections into one alphabetical collection - gasp! So my Mum's Virago Modern Classics are now snuggling up against my Dad's crime novels. Digression - I recently ordered a whole pile of crime novels on Amazon for Dad's birthday, and now every time I log into Amazon I am presented with a list of 'books that I may like', all of which have titles such as The Cold Grave, or Beyond The Dead Moon, or The Place of Skulls - delightfully cheerful, I must say.

Anyway, it will be no surprise to hear that I have myself accumulated hundreds of books over the years, which all live happily on our fantastic Expedit bookcase in the spare bedroom (organised in a complex and highly personal genre system - to be covered in a future post), and would never even consider exchanging any of them for a Kindle.

When it comes to magazines, however, I do still love snuggling up on the sofa on a Sunday afternoon with a pile of fashion and design magazines and dogs (we operate a strict Dogs Are Allowed Not Just On the Sofa, But Anywhere They Fancy policy here in the Nest) - and in particular I love the ritual of buying a big pile of magazines in the airport prior to a flight - but I have to say, right now I'm just finding so much more inspiration online these days - everything is more immediate, more current, more frequently updated, with infinitely more variety - and the content of the paper magazines just seems a little tired and outdated in comparison.

Penny taking full advantage of the Everything Is Allowed In The Nest policy:

So I was delighted to read about Lonny Magazine on Design Sponge Online - and having checked it out, I think it beautifully spans the gap between printed and virtual material, especially with the clever page-turning technology. In particular I was delighted to see an interior created by Rita Konig - I've been a huge fan of Rita's style since discovering her through the design columns she wrote a few years ago in the Daily Telegraph magazine on Saturdays - and I also love her home and lifestyle books, which contain words of wisdom along the lines of decanting washing powder into pretty vintage bottles, and keeping a box of violet creams in the laundry cupboard to brighten up the chores. Well, in our house Andre does all the laundry, so perhaps he wouldn't thank me for decanting the washing powder into such a non-manly receptacle, but you get the general picture.

Here are a couple of my favourite pictures from the Rita Konig-styled house in Lonny Magazine:  

 

Loving the contrast in the first photo between the masculine colour-scheme with the dark walls and windows, and the more feminine element added by the delicate furniture, vintage lamp, and pretty patterned blind. I'm also coveting the antique dresser in the second photo - and am planning to arrange create some similar wild-flower style arrangements in the Nest this weekend - this type of casual elegance has to be my favourite way of arranging flowers.

I'm going to finish this post with a quote from the same feature in Lonny Magazine: "Use your best things everyday, don't wait for special occasions. This is your life; enjoy your good silver, china, fancy soaps and bath oils, these things aren't for decoration, they're for using". Couldn't agree more! And with that, I'm off to break out the crystal glasses, the ice, and the cointreau - it's cocktail hour, people!

Have a great weekend, and thanks for reading!