Hi! It’s me, Erika. Perhaps you’ve noticed that there are a lot of fresh faces on GlamNest. As I mentioned earlier, we at Glam have been busy expanding the lifestyle content so that you will be able to find much more of what you love in our new sections.

And with all of the new editorial comes more behind-the-scenes work for me, which is why you will find me contributing on a less frequent basis. But you should also note that GlamNest, now dedicated to home & design, and GlamDish, which is all about food, drink, and entertaining, are being manned by some exceptionally talented people with loads of experience and expertise in the subjects at hand.

I will continue to contribute on a somewhat regular basis, and will also begin blogging on my personal sites, TheRealDealGuide and LastMinutePartyGirl, when I have the chance. (That’s probably at least a month away.)

Meanwhile, I really want to thank you for continuing to read this blog. Writing it has been one of the highlights of the past year–second only to knowing that you are reading it. I look forward to inserting my two cents a lot once I get out from under launch details.

While you’re here, why not check out the new GlamLiving sections? You’ll find fantastic content in the following sections:
Food & Drink
Home & Design
Travel & Leisure

Erika Lenkert

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Didn’t get to Milan for the International Furniture Fair last year? The Toronto Interior Design Show this weekend may not be as swanky–or warm–as the Milan confab held every Spring, but some of the cutting-edge European designs that debuted in Milan last April, like Dutch designer Joris Laarman’s fantastical radiators for Jora, above, will be on hand, as well as notable speakers and work by internationally known architects and designers. And the show’s Prototype exhibit showcases pieces that Canada’s up-and-coming talent have constructed in hopes of catching the eye of a manufacturer. If Toronto feels no closer than Milan, you can still check out the fair’s blog for show highlights.

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Luxury is taking a backseat to sustainability in American homes, according to a report released this month by The American Institute of Architects. The slowing real-estate market hasn’t cooled our desire for new kitchens, but those kitchens are more likely to incorporate bamboo, cork, concrete and other renewable materials. In the bathroom, too, water-saving toilets and LED lighting are said to be replacing plush add-ons like towel-warmers and infrared saunas. These are hopeful signs that Americans are becoming more eco-conscious at home, as sustainable materials become more widely available.

But the greening trend won’t last if we think of luxury and sustainability as mutually exclusive. Many high-end home design companies saw the value of sustainability early, and the chicest bath and kitchen furnishings are often as green as any on the market. Villeroy & Boch’s Aveo line of toilets, pictured above, features their water-efficient DUO system, while kitchen designers have been reaching for Earth-loving glass, ceramic and even recycled aluminum tiles and countertops for years.  The real trick to successful sustainability is going green without leaving luxury behind. –Paul O’Donnell

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There are some designers you just don’t get tired of, even when they’re having one of those “It” years. Kelly Wearstler is like that for me. The Los Angeles decorator is one of the hardest working women in the business, with books, television (Bravo’s “Top Design”) and now her own boutiques at Bergdorf-Goodman stores. Yet every venture is full of Wearstler’s relaxed but impeccable style, which somehow conveys glamour without being uptight.

That spirit is evident in her new designs for The Rug Company. (”Zephyr” is above.) Her collection ranges from Art Deco to Op-Art, updating each of its inspirations with colors that manage to be classic, even as you imagine how they’d freshen a room’s look. The Rug Company has been responsible for a lot of revolutionary thinking about rug design since it was founded a decade ago, and their Wearstler collection just seems to epitomize their approach. Why didn’t these two think of partnering before? — Paul O’Donnell

Technorati Tags: kelly weartsler, rug, rug company, designer, new, modern, contemprary

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This is an exciting week! Soon GlamNest will divide in two, with GlamNest solely dedicated to home and design and a new blog featuring all things food and drink.

Kicking off our new daily dose of design is our wonderful contributor Paul O’Donnell. Paul was previously at House & Garden and the guy knows his stuff.

Check back later today for his first post, and visit again this week for a link to our new food blog GlamDish.

Erika Lenkert

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