Like most people I imagine, I get a great thrill when I can peek into someone's windows. Not in a pervy way, but I love seeing into the little boxes people call home, especially at night, lit by the glow of their TVs. The Selby takes anyone curious about living spaces on a hip, ultimate ride of excitement. Not only will you see stranger's (sometimes not so humble) abodes, but those strangers are the most styling people out there.
Mostly from New York and Los Angeles, The Selby profiles DJs, artists, designers, models, perfumers, hip grandmas?pretty much anyone that would have an article about them in Black Book Magazine and make you envious of their casual fame that seems to afford them amazing apartments and all the quirky knickknacks a crazy craft lady could ever want.?
These spaces are usually snazzy and innovative and will make you wonder why your place still looks like a dorm room by comparison. So just be warned, you will suddenly want to up your interior decorating budget from a possible “$0” to “whatever it takes”.
One of my favorite places is, of course, the hamburger memorabilia covered home of Jennifer Earle and Mike Gabel. Their life size portraits are in delightful bad taste and I plan on using their shelf of VHS tapes to beef up my netflix queue (here we come Brain Damage and Humanoid). I also love the work space of Ralph Lauren's Senior VP, Mary Randolf Carter.
Makes me wonder if my desk couldn't do with a few more tasteful collages of Willie Nelson and Vreeland Visionaires hanging around my desk instead of empty tissue boxes and dried up sharpies.
The man behind it all, who takes the lovely photos and doodles the quirky portraits is Todd Selby and it's his artistic touch and simple but great idea of profiling interesting interiors that is the heart and success of the site. His other work, which includes photo shoots for New York Magazine and W can be seen here.
But what do you think?