Interview: Television Host Lisa Roberts Finds Antiques Of The Future

By Stacey Gualandi

Twitter: @mydesignlife
Facebook: mydesignlife

Some people have it, some people don’t.  I, of course, fall into the “don’t” column.  I’m talking about an “eye for design.”  But Lisa Roberts, a former architect -turned-product designer, has what it takes to find unique products that gain value as they age. Her own collection of over 300 items is the subject of her first book  “Antiques of the Future.”

“Good design improves the quality of our lives…”  Lisa Roberts

Her expertise has landed her as host of a new television show called “My Design Life” on the Ovation Network, produced by Nancy Glass Productions. The ten episode marathon is coming up Sept. 28, 8PM EST and again on Oct. 1 at 12PM EST.

Part travel show, part “In Search Of”, this design doyenne travels the country in hot pursuit of the best new and old products.  What she finds will be in her next book: “Design Pop.”

So what makes a product museum-worthy? Lisa took time out from her travels to talk tv, her own designs, and just what exactly a Juicy Salif is…

Interview: Sandy Foster On Building Her Tiny Victorian Retreat In The Woods

Photo: Trevor Tondro/NY Times

UPDATE 11/30/11:  Shabby Holiday Tips and Inspiration Video

Sandy Foster has single-handedly given new meaning to “tiny house” and to Victoriana in 2010.  When I saw the photo of her on the porch of the sweet retreat  in the New York Times, I simply had to know more about her and this wonderful mini building.   I read that she was a fiscal administrator but how did that jive with this “shabby streamside studio,” as she calls it,  in a forest?

To learn more about Sandy, check out her website where  you’ll notice the amazing attention to detail and get a sense of her eclectic taste.

“It’s a balm for the spirit to have a place where I’m free to do what I want.  Like a tree house you run to as a kid and pull up the ladder once inside.”
Sandy Foster

She was kind enough to quench my curiosity recently and answer questions about how and why she created this unique treasure.