Monday morning tea with Matthew Mead...

Well, I had promised you a surprise this early Monday morning, and since I have morning tea instead of coffee, I thought I would invite you all to pour yourself a cup and enjoy a chat I had with one of our favourite style icons, Matthew Mead, of Country Home magazine. He is the first to kick off my December interview series, and I think you are going to enjoy learning more about the man behind the magazine, so to speak! I didn't want the interview to be just another rehash of what you know already, so I hope you enjoy the more personal spin I put on the questions that he was such a great sport to answer...

Oh, and by the way, Matthew has just updated his website to focus on the upcoming holiday season! I think you will be a bit surprised by the refreshingly non-traditional approach to the holidays that he has chosen to showcase, so reset your links, girls! More great recipes, downloads, entertaining ideas, and decorating ideas..all wrapped up in one pretty package. Oh, and please click on the heading Magazine in his sidebar to show your support for a future magazine where we could get our monthly "fix" of Matthew's incredible talents!! Now...on with the show...

RH (Restyled Home):You have said before that design and styling has been a part of your life since early childhood, although obviously in a natural and inherent way. What is your favourite aspect of your job/career and if you couldn't be in this business, what would you be doing?

M.M. (Matthew Mead): I love being inspired by vintage objects... color, shape, design... I love finding quality style throughout the ages... and I love great things from every era. There must be a curator in me somewhere and I think perhaps that if I wasn't doing this, I would probably work at acquiring and curating items for a museum. I have been a serious collector for over 20 years and have dabbled in selling antiques... a roving dealer might also be in the cards.

RH: You obviously see beauty in the dog-eared and previously cherished treasures of the past. What is your favourite piece, and what is the one collectible you covet, but can't seem to get your hands on? Maybe I'll get it for you...LOL!!

MM: It is so hard to choose... I feel like my collectibles have tangible spirits and are hardworking comrades in all the work that I do... It is very difficult to pick just one thing because I am drawn to colors and styles and that's what really draws me to collecting. I have a small secret place where I keep my very favorite items and it is filled with all kinds of colors and styles of just my very favorite things. I have a Venetian glass compote that is very close to the top of the list and I love early Leed's platters with a green feathered edges (they are hard to find but if you do, I would certainly accept it with great joy).


RH: The holidays are near and you will definitely be inspiring us with your fresh take on decorating for the season. What is your favourite personal holiday tradition and why? What is your most prized Christmas decoration or tree ornament?

MM: My favorite tradition is delivering gifts on the 24th to all the people that help and aid us in our work... it is so much fun to drop in unannounced for a couple minutes to present a bouquet of holiday flowers or a country ham wrapped in burlap... people love it and so do I.

My very favorite ornament is a silver mercury glass piece from my wife's antique ornament collection. It is three sided, very shapely and has flat central circles in the center... not a lot of flash but very sophisticated and special.I also have a vintage circular sign with Santa on it that I hang on the front door... just pure fun.

RH: What is on your Christmas wish list this year and what will you be on the hunt for, for your wife? You must be a fabulous Christmas shopper...

MM: I have so much and I am very, very grateful. I love cakestands and certainly wouldn't mind a giant glass one from an old general store with a dome to match... I had a giant cheese dome once and broke it by mistake... I've always wanted to replace it.

For my wife, I always amass some vintage holiday items and in our dining room where we have open shelves, create a 12 days of Christmas display with wrapped and unwrapped items... She very much enjoys opening them through the holiday and I certainly enjoy wrapping each item with special gift wrap and tags made just for her... I relish the whole experience.

RH: Speaking of marriage, I have joked (?) before that you would make the perfect husband (if you weren't already spoken for). I even detailed what I imagined a typical day with you would be like. What is a typical weekend like for you and are you good at creating a good balance between work and family?

MM: It is very, very hard to not work... especially since work mimics lifestyle so closely. When we have a chance during the holiday season, my wife and I like to stop at artisan fairs and see the wonderful handcrafts made by skilled artisans. I truly hate the mall, so we really focus on finding great antiques shops and good food while we are out on the road. Love gourmet stores as well... we find many of our best one of a kind items on these weekend forays.

RH: I am obviously a big fan of your work, as are many of my fellow bloggers. Has the home decor industry taken notice of the untapped market of talented homeowners who showcase their "before and afters" and design talents through blogging?

MM: Not like it should... but I think it's coming... the bloggers are so engaging and current and just out there doing it and doing it well. Its inspiring to me because never before has there been such community connectivity than through blogs. I read many and respond often just to be part of such a great circle... I am awed by the medium and the talent.

RH: Do you ever have creative block; and if so, what do you do to overcome it?

MM: Not really, I have so many things to inspire myself... and a talented staff that works hard to embellish and grow my vision... we do so many different things as well that I often change gears and take a whole new direction based on the medium or season I am working in... Life is like a candy store with not enough time to try it all...

RH: You have so many great projects on the fire. What is your creative goal for 2008 (please say a magazine!), and what parts of your job do you prefer to delegate?

MM: Yes; a magazine and more books and I am working really hard on that... the corporate mumbo jumbo and money are huge barriers. I am dedicated to breaking them down. I want to have a product line, television show and more interactive web site... we are working on all of it. As far as delegating... not much. I have a very strong creative vision and trust it only with my longtime staff members. One has been with me for 10 years. Besides, I like to be involved in everything.

RH: In the spirit of yesteryear, the power has gone out. What will you rustle up from your pantry for dinner, and what creative Christmas project will you pass the time doing?

MM: Do I have a wood stove or cooking device? I am very simple when it comes to preparing food... I would roast a chicken in the fireplace with rosemary potatoes and serve melting ice cream over fruit pie or apple crisp. As far as Christmas projects... I do like to wrap gifts and create gift tags in my photo shop program... (I would definitely have some well charged lap-top batteries hanging around).

RH: Your Christmas tree...who picks it and is it bushy and perfect... or "Charlie Brown" imperfect and (in my opinion) charming?

MM: My wife, Jenny picks out the tree and it is a sparsely branched Charlie Brown tree in order to hang and see all of her antique European ornaments. It is very beautiful and I indulge her in this custom each and every year.

RH: This is a question some of my married bloggers want to know: how do you and your talented wife compromise on style issues at home, and is your own home decor always changing...or do you get most of your creative energy out at work?

MM: That has evolved for us over the years. We have lots of ledges and shelving so we can move around and change out our collections. We have certain things that bug us about each others style, but I think we have compromised well. We work very closely together and have lots of respect for one another so I think that helps. We also fight like every couple and then put our differences aside. Our home is very casual and loose because we really need a place to crash at the end of a long day.

RH: Throw us an early Christmas gift: what do you think will be the hot collectible for 2008 and what lingering design trend do you wish would go away forever?

MM: Early painted items in great washed but saturated colors will be very big... people crave that uplift that color gives them and I think early country pieces are so familiar and casual and grounded... old pieces painted bright white are at the end of their existence. I favor warmer tones like creams and brown based grays.

RH:Thank you so much, Matthew, for taking the time to answer these question for me and my readers.

MM: I want people to know that my true goal is to help people see the joys of the seasons... that these gifts are truly what life is about and if you understand and pursue those gifts... you will never have another unhappy day.

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Well, I hope you all enjoyed Matthew's thoughtful responses, and I will be back with the next interview in my series next Monday...I have some well-known and very talented people on hand to share their thoughts with us!

Oh, and Happy 7th Birthday to my sweet girl!!

Sophie...age four...couldn't resist a "baby" shot!!