{groovy musings from Jonathan Adler}

I am an admitted Bravo TV junkie, and such a fan of Jonathan Adler on Top Design. We have decided to forgo cable once school starts, so I may be in Bravo withdrawls next week! Most celebs disappoint after you continue to watch them on various shows or read about them, but after a CBS Sunday Morning {a Picky Pair must!} interview with Adler and his famous partner, Barney's window designer, Simon Dooney, I still really loved his quirkiness and reverence for everything FUN. Yes, fun! Does that mean my own home?

I am trying to look past the toys sprawled out on the ground, my boring beige walls thanks to the previous owner, and I'm thinking - Why have I not painted this house!? Why do I still have this rug that I hate?? I know I've had my own musings about redecorating, but as most of us know, it has to be that dreaded and ugly word to us gals who love shop...b-u-d-g-e-t. {Cringe} We may have to supply a before and after challenge for this {PP}! Stay tuned!

I hope you take his advice with a grain of salt and are inspired to juice up summer, or what we have left of it!

There is nothing more depressing than a GREY GARDENS grunge scenario. Mortgage your house, do whatever it takes, just make sure that there is a team of at least 15 (possibly 20) very serious cleaners to scrub every square inch of that house and erase all the grit and grime of the winter. CLEAN! Stock your fridge with more booze than you could ever think you’ll need. I don’t drink and neither does my husband – we’re like a couple of old grandmothers downing cup after cup of herbal tea. But we love to watch our pals get toasted on copious amounts of hooch. Nothing says "Summer fun!" quite like fridge full of beer.

In a fabulous stain resistant fabrication e.g. my graphic Alpaca and wool classics. A fresh, fluffy, and frisky pillow is the perfect bit of punctuation for your living room. Look no further than my new Acapulco range of embroidered pillows – they were designed with your beach house in mind. Every house needs more lamps always. I believe in lots of light sources and very dim bulbs. This is very very important for us as we age. More lamps and less watts = Diva Lighting.

Candles, candles, candles, and still more candles. Make your house smell like summer (I’m rocking my Capri candle which has a citrusy freshness) and you’ll be happy. Added bonus: candlelight erases the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

RE-PAINT! Something needs repainting – a shelf, a bureau, possibly even your whole house – and you keep putting it off but now is the time to paint. You’ll be glad you did it. In our Shelter Island A-frame we have white painted floors and every May we re-paint them with Benjamin Moore marine deck paint and they’re gorgeous! JUST DO IT.

Take any money you have left after the cleaning crew and invest in brand new extra fluffy towels. Towels are one of those things that people wait too long to replace and they get all frazzled and gnarly.Replace them now. And if you’re feeling like fiddling while Rome burns, why not spend $550 each on GORGEOUS Hermes beach towels? The cheapest and best way to get your house ready for summer is to just re-arrange your furniture into a new and groovy configuration. How about a semi-circle? Think "conversation pit!"