Ask: Gabrielle Blair of Design Mom

Gabrielle, Ben, Ralph, Maude, Olive, Oscar, Betty, and June -- this might just be the most well named family in the world, and absolutely one of the loveliest.  

Today's designer likely needs no introduction, but I will offer a giant thank you to the lovely Gabrielle Blair of Design Mom for giving us such a warm interview today.

The ever inspirational Design Mom is currently written from France - from La Cressonnière, the Blair's savory dream of a farmhouse in the Normandy countryside. In addition to all the French lovelies Gabby has shared with readers since moving abroad, you will find home tours, birth and adoption stories, parenting resources (her children's book collection is just the best), and great food for thought on topics ranging from differing parenting styles the world over to topless beaches. 

Beyond pleasing our eyes and satiating our appetites for craft and design projects, Gabrielle has such a grace in her writing, which I'm guessing for Gabby comes from a similar grace in living.  She and Ben Blair have crafted a life full of adventure, coziness and beauty for their handsome family of eight. 

You can read their six beautiful children's name stories here, complete with their middle names and the reasons for their selection,but first let's talk to Gabby! 

1. I've enjoyed reading the birth and adoption stories on Design Mom. All of our experiences are so varied yet, at the same time, there are those very familiar features which draw us into every woman's story and make us feel instantly and so easily part of it. Can you say a little about why it can be such a good thing for women (who are comfortable doing so) to put our birth stories out there and to read the stories of other women? 

 I wholeheartedly believe in sharing information, and I love others who do, too. Whenever I talk to women who've had a few babies, and hear how different - and usually exponentially more wonderful - their experiences were from their first to their last, there's often a common phrase uttered: "I wish I'd known then..." Between all the stories that have been so generously shared on Design Mom, I think we've taken away a lot of the mystery, don't you?  Plus, I just love hearing how babies came into the world! They always find a way, don't they?

2. Do you have any current name crushes?

 For the past year living overseas, I’ve heard so many French names that have made me gasp with their beauty. I bet they’re super-common among the French, but they sound absolutely magical to me! Like Océane and Archambault. Honore and Loyal because they are such incredible qualities. And anything hyphenated sounds twice as lovely.

3. What are a few names that don't really fit with the style you established for your own family, but which you love for someone else? An alter-Blair set?

 I lean towards names that don’t – at first glance – belong to a baby. I guess I like to name the person they’ll someday become. But when I hear poetic baby names like the ones she’s given hers and she’s given hers, I smile. Baby names are so full of hope, aren’t they?

4. Would you say the qualities you most appreciate in design mirror the qualities you most admire in names?

 Definitely! Sturdy and strong and timeless always win with me. The stuff that makes me smile and love it more as the years go by…that’s the greatest. I sometimes grin when I think of Ralph and Oscar carrying around their names and growing into them as they become men!

5. I've so enjoyed reading about your time in France! Has living in France altered your personal design aesthetic at all; how so? 

 It has definitely reinforced my long-held belief in quality over quantity, the timelessness of a good sweater, bag, and pair of flats, and never underestimating the power of a freshly-baked baguette and amazing cheese!

6. It's winter! Do you have any tips for those of us on a budget who would like to do a few quick, easy things to change out the decor of a room?

 By now, most of us have taken down our trees and seasonal decorations, right? We’re probably craving a fresh view, which is always when I change up my textiles. New pillow covers, cute tea towels, and maybe even bed linens, all in color combinations that startle you a little out of your comfort zone. Framed over-sized family photos are always a joy, too, as is displaying them like this. And January is also a really good month to start a new collection! Tiny bottles filled with mementos from all the places you’ve been – sand, dirt, or anything that reminds you of your travels, great and small – become such cool scrapbooks.

7. Three of your favorite words? 

 I enjoy sure in all of its definitions, insane but only when it means brilliance of the highest degree, and hope…especially when it means sure.

8. Three of your favorite smells?

 Babies. Overgrown lilac bushes. And Ben Blair.

9. I'd love you to create a name by doing the following:

For the first name: A name of a favorite designer

For the middle name: A color name

 Too fun! The first designer’s name that came to mind is Finn Juhl. His chairs, especially the Chieftain - bring chills all the way from my shoulders to my toes, and I think Juhl would be a great name for a boy or a girl. As for the color, I love any shade of grey. Juhl Grey, it is!

 Juhl Grey - such a beautiful and inspired name.  Thank you again, Gabrielle, for such a delightful chat - so much fun!

Names from today's interview:

Juhl Grey

Finn

Océane

Archambault 

Honore

Loyal 

Gabrielle 

Ben

Ralph

Oscar

Maude

Olive

Betty 

Flora 'June'

Blair

Finnian 

Blaise 

William 'Scout'

Reverie Lux

Boheme Shalom 

Archer Sage

Fable Luella 

(images: all courtesy of Gabrielle Blair at Design Mom, 1 & 2 by Paul Ferney, last image by Sarah Wert of modern kids)

Girl's Gone Child Twin Names

ETA: the twins have arrived.(See this post for musings on their chosen names, and keep reading below to see what we guessed and view names of a similar spirit.)

Sometime after our second was born, I discovered the world of Mommy blogs. Naturally, I stumbled across Girl's Gone Child and was so pleased to find some thoughtfully named children and the honest writing of Rebecca Woolf.  Woolf also writes for Huffington Post, Babble, and has written a book, Rockabye, From Wild to Child.

Some months later, I went back to discover that this family was expecting twins. I immediately began wondering about what they might be named, given that her first two kids are named Archer and Fable. and given I'm a name nerd.

I was lured back to the blog over and over when she enticed us with her throw-away name list, gave the babes the womb names, Rhythm and Blues, and continued dropping little hints as to what their names might be. 

Elisabeth at YCII opened up this discussion. It turns out that I'm not the only one to wonder and wonder about what other people are naming their children.

 Here were my guesses/wishes for this family (in the comments of Elisabeth's post):

Reve (rev)- French for ‘dream’.

Lullaby (Luby, Lulu, Lully)- If anyone can pull this off, it’s them!

Hallow (too close to Hal? or maybe a tribute?) 

Vigil (could see this paired with Reve.)

Fleet

Arrow (too much with Arher?)

Domino

Orchard (too close to Archer, but for someone…)

Maple

Vetiver (but for the ending.)

Yarrow (-o sound!)

Peace names:

Nitsa

Concordia (Coco, Dia, Cordi)

Zulema (Zuzu)

Poetry/music related:

Sappho

Meter

Wilde

Gita(song)

Ballad

From Myth:

Clotho (Clo) another -o ending! 

Anemone

Clytie

Calypso  

Cassiopeia 

I'd love to see these sets: 

Reve Condcordia Wilde and Vigil Verbena

Clotho Zulema and Thisbe Dove  

Yarrow Reve and Vesper Virginia  

Gita Pomeline and Maple Calliope 

Arrow Zephyrine and Reve Nitsa

Then Rebecca started giving us more clues;Here is a roundup of clues:

*The  names start with letters R and B

*Names have shorter nickname options

*Matching but not matchy-matchy 

 *the babes are forces of nature

*the names are "the essences of themselves"

*at least one has a 'peace' middle name.

My final(ish) guesses:

Reverie, Rhapsody, Rosalie, Romilda,  Rimona, Rapid, Rudelle, Rapture, Romance 

Ballad or the French Ballade, Bijou, Bernadette, Billow, Begonia, Beata, Beryl, Bedelia, Bael, Bravura, Bellamy  

For middle names, I'm putting my bets on:

Salome, 

Concordia, 

Zulema,  and 

Irene/Nitza 

 I definitely found some new names through pondering this, and dreamt up combos for her that I wouldn't mind using on my own future children, which is not all together surprising - something tells me one of her girls and one of mine are going to be sharing a name!  

We'll see shortly!  

And Rebecca Woolf, Happy remaning pregnancy, birthing and babymooning! I can't wait to hear these beautiful names! 

(all photos from Girl's Gone Child)

The names of J. Crew

Update: If you are here via The New Inquiry, welcome. Interesting article, right?  Unfortunately, I feel like my quotes were inaccurately applied. Sarah's claim that I have an "extreme passion to fetishize the named garment" was illustrated with something I said about naming human beings, not naming garments. More specifically, the quotes she used were plucked from a discussion on the so called "dangers" of giving unusual names to children. I invite you to read it so that you can appreciate the context of my featured statements. 

I have written on product names, to be sure, as you'll see in the post below, but my enthusiasm for naming people and my musings on naming products are not interchangeable.  

 In another post, I note the curiously stylish names of hurricanes - So let me say, for the record, that I am not attempting to fetishize tropical storms, either. I trust this won't be on anyone's radar, though - I don't recall Marx having written about hurricanes.  

Finally, I invite you to browse the archives, where you will find a blog about human stories, craft, design, and names - names from any place I can dig them up and analyze them (a somewhat nerdy and fringe interest, but not a capitalist one), amongst various other topics, ranging from homebirth to surfing. 

You will find that "the fetishization of named products" is neither an accurate description of the reaches of this blog, nor is it even the point of the post on J.Crew product names below. With one exception (in the opening paragraph), no products are even mentioned. In fact, Sarah and I are noticing many of the same things regarding the savvy employed in naming products - where her article asks "why name products?" so that she may focus on consumer psychology and ever evolving marketing tools (noble focus), mine asks "why those particular names", in an attempt to illustrate something about the names themselves (not to celebrate products). I blog about names - any product I mention in conjunction with a name is to ultimately say something about the name, itself.   

   Ultimately, these things happen. I think the The New Inquiry is staffed with conscientious thinkers and writers, which is why I will return to read it's articles. 

Update end  




That's dancer Ellen Bar (above) wearing J. Crew's 2010 Delphinia gown. I'll say here,unabashedly, this photo is what launched the variation Delphine onto our short list of potential names for our second daughter; I even toyed with the name Jane Delphinia. We didn't short list the name to honor the image, the dress, or the woman -- we don't know this women and don't honor dresses, no matter how stunning they may be! -- but I was reintroduced to the name by seeing it printed here and fell in love with it's sound and mythical associations.  

This March 2010 issue featured other real women (and a bit of their stories) wearing the company's clothes: designers, writers, dancers, all clad in some of J.Crew's most beautiful garments.

  

It was here in this very issue of the J. Crew March 2010 catalog that I had the idea to take a look at the names of designers and artists as a possible focal point for a blog.  

This woman's name is Naomi Beckwith, a curator. How fantastic is her name? From start to finish, it's magic. I would love to know her middle name.

 Photographer, Carolina Palmgren (what a fantastic name!)  I read that baby ended up being called Sol - another great one.

 Molly and Lily, beautiful names on beautiful ladies.

Other names from this bunch of inspiring women: Mei Tao, Dianna Lunt, Amanda Brooks and Cellerie Kemble.

Since this issue, I've kept a close watch on the names of J. Crew's garments, as well.  I've noticed a real cohesion of the names chosen and the particular images in the catalog. 

 You guys have seen the names, right?  Well, perhaps you've also noticed the change in the line, itself? 

Everyone can readily recognize the changes that have occurred with the brand in the latter portion of the last decade.   Here's an article on new direction, featuring Jenna Lyons, president and creative director. 

The new look, from J.Crew's photography to prop styling to the clothing itself has gone a bit more fashion forward, as have, I would argue, the names in their catalogs. 


I sure would love to know who picks the names.  

It's definitely the work of a serious name nerd and someone who well understands the cohesion of sound and image. or perhaps someone who well understands the role of names in a consumer's expectations?  

Not only are they opting  to name their garments, but they are picking very particular names to match (and further promote or even suggest)a very particular style. The idea that names can connote a certain style or feeling is certainly not lost on them. 

At any rate, the names are worth examining further for their own merits, one of which may simply be being stylish. It was this particular trait that landed them on the pages of J.Crew: 

Edie 

Dahlia

Tulip

Suvi 

Farrow

Bonnie

Betsy

September

Mona

Plum

Delphinia (Delphine) 

Reve 

Miki

Nouvelle

Valentina

Adrianna

Paley

Nanine

Alisanne

Fawn

Meade 

Biella

Elodie

Arabelle

Zadie

Liberty

Colette

Indigo

Pearl

Georgine  

Selma 

Flores

Lula 

Quorra

Cece

Padgett

Darby

Lomellina

Blythe 

Oralie

Fleur

Rory

Kristen 

Kendall

Juliet

Jilian

Mika

Dorrie

Lunette

Minnie

Salina

Whisper 

Campbell

Beaumont

Bowery 

Winslow

Booker 

Bennett

Albertus

Hutton

Meander 

Ludlow

Claude 

Gifford

Thomas

Sawyer

Crew

and from the artists in today's post:

Ellen

Naomi

Molly

Dianna

Lily

Carolina

Amanda

Celerie 

Mei 

What do you think about this set?  Would seeing names on a product take them off the table for you, or would you entertain using a name you came across this way?  

 (image 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)