Sites we Love: Catalog Living

Sometimes, taking the piss out of design is fun. Really fun. I love me a pretty Graham & Green catalogue as much as the next interiors fan, I even like a nicely designed lifestyle magazine (LivingEtc could rename itself Sian's Unaffordable Dream Homes Etc. but that's probably not as catchy). I spend hours on Apartment Therapy (to the point of probably needing therapy) and I'm amazed that I don't have Pinterest dreams.

"I’ll admit Elaine, it makes me a little uneasy when we come home and
 see the pillows huddled together trying to learn to read."

But sometimes it's all a little bit ridiculous and actually I'm not walking around a perfectly styled house with whitewashed hardwood floors and a small Picasso in the kitchen. Life isn't quite like a Plumo catalogue and I don't really want it to be.

"Not in this mug, not in this mug…Aha! Finally found my mini clothespins, Elaine!"

That's why I bloody love Catalog Living.

"Because Elaine, when the alarm goes off in the morning I need to be able to
quickly grab my arrows and my lucky hunting beads and GO. "

Meet Gary and Elaine. They live in your interiors catalogue. We like to mock them.

"Dinner’s ready, Gary! Find somewhere to put your crown of meadow grass
because I don’t want you wearing it at the table."

Gary and Elaine at the perfect antidote to stupid, pointless styling. I've lost a fair few hours to Catalog Living now, almost wishing that Gary & Elaine were real people. They make me happy.

There's a Catalog Living book, which you should buy, but while that's arriving, go and spend a little time with Gary & Elaine, laughing at their strange little lives.

Thanks for the tip, Nell Frizell. You've made my RSS feed loads funnier.