Spring is a time of renewal and rebirth, so it’s only appropriate to announce in our Spring issue that this magazine is being revived: We’re going from twice a year to quarterly, and I couldn’t be happier! Home magazines are by their very nature seasonal publications, and so having one issue per season is ideal.
Spring and summer are very different seasons in New Orleans, and although I happen to be the rare soul who prefers the summer – 100-degree days, thunderstorms and 100 percent humidity – this issue is devoted purely to the gentler, sunnier season.
We start the issue off with a refreshingly different recipe: bubble tea made with tapioca pearls and crushed fresh fruit. This (along with Abita Strawberry, of course) is a delicious way to get your daily dose of fruit with a twist.
Then we celebrate the pure, primal joy of growing your own food with Pamela Marquis; explore a different kind of rebirth in metalsmith Ellis Joubert’s cluttered workshop with Laura Claverie; and dive headfirst into the lighthearted whimsy of Sarah Wheelock’s costume business with Sarah Ravits. We also have a spring fashion TrendWatch full of fresh looks, luscious cosmetics and fabulous jewelry and, on the practical side, tips from Peter Reichard on how to keep your home in tiptop shape.
Our featured home in this issue is also perfect for spring: The light, airy home of Kimberly and Clint Szubinski makes me want to go straight home and declutter everything. I am not brave enough, however, to attempt the Szubinskis’ color scheme: pure white. I absolutely love it; I love the way it looks, I love the simplicity and the starkness. But I can’t even be trusted to wear a white blouse – coffee, tomato sauce and ink are drawn to me like a magnet. There is no way that I, plus my 4-year-old, could live in a house surrounded by white. I have a burgundy bedspread, and between the two of us, Ruby and I have still managed to stain it. And yet the Szubinskis have not one but four kids, and they just embrace the inevitable stains as part of life. Forget about the beautiful home; that kind of mindset is what’s truly enviable and inspiring.
Also enviable and inspiring are the luxurious kitchens on the Junior League’s annual Kitchen Tour, the lush gardens on the Secret Gardens Tour and the carefully and lovingly renovated homes that won the Renaissance Awards that we give in conjunction with the Preservation Resource Center. I am honored to be a part of each and every one of these partnerships.
Spring is a wonderful time to be in New Orleans. Of course, summer is also a wonderful time to be here … and so are fall and winter. I’m so excited to have a chance again to relish everything each season has to offer in the Crescent City, and I hope you all will join me along the way!
On the Cover: Kimberly and Clint Szubinski furnished their renovated home with an eclectic and charming mix of furniture and knickknacks against a backdrop of brilliant white. p. 32
Photographed by Sara Essex
