We are excited to share this recent ‘at home’ feature from Gentry Magazine* about one of our McIntosh & Murphy endeavors, DecorMetro.com Also, a few of our favorite decor bloggers were highlighted in the article. We hope you enjoy your search for favorite hot spots!

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Read this full feature below or in Gentry Magazine’s Online Digital Edition, pg. 76 >>
Written By Lindsey Schauer

Two local women launch a website that all décor-savvy web crawlers ought to bookmark.

Navigating the worldwide web and its bevy of blogs in search of one or two sought-after bits of design advice can sometimes feel a bit like wandering through a cornfield maze. “It’s easy to feel lost, and that’s such a frustrating experience,” says Redwood City’s Jodi Murphy, one of the web-savvy women behind DécorMetro. “We thought, wouldn’t it be cool if we could capture and map the blogosphere?” That’s exactly what she and business partner Lea McIntosh have done with their new website.

On DecorMetro.com , they’ve brought all the best design blogs together in one easily searchable system.Type in “crown molding” or “small spaces,” and immediately the most current and relevant blog posts appear on your search page. “What we hope is that it’ll be people’s first destination—they’ll go there to start their design searches and use it as a launching pad,”Murphy explains. She and McIntosh also encourage their users to bookmark favorite blogs and to rate searches and articles based on their value.The most valuable blogs (as opposed to the most popular) will come up highest in searches on their site. “Eventually, there will be more sophisticated tools for saving and using what you love on the web,”Murphy says. “Bloggers see us as a real asset.”

With Murphy’s strong background in writing and marketing, and McIntosh’s social networking and graphic design skills,we’ve no doubt this duo will revolutionize the way design aficionados search the web. “DécorMetro is a design hub,” adds Murphy. “We love the blogosphere, we love bloggers, and we think the diverse content out there is so interesting.We are hoping this will make it all more accessible for people.” To discover it for yourself, log onto www.DecorMetro.com.

BOOKMARKED

DécorMetro’s “daily feed” allows you to scan the headlines of the day and discover blogs that speak to you. Here are a few they think Gentry readers might enjoy:

• Design*Sponge (designspongeonline.com).
Grace Bonny started this blog in 2004 and it’s grown to be one of the most read in the blogosphere.

• (The Style Saloniste (thestylesaloniste.com).
Best-selling author and Gentry Magazine contributor Diane Dorrans Saeks is now blogging with passion
about the people and places behind fine design.

• Sfgirlbybay (sfgirlbybay.com). In this local blog, you’ll find beautiful imagery and ideas centered around bohemian modern style.

• Anh-minh (anh-minh.com/weblog). A great blog about what’s happening in the design world throughout the Bay Area.

• Chinoiserie Chic (chinoiseriechic.blogspot.com). This blog is all about the timeless world of chinoiserie—European design with Chinese artistic influences.

• A Cup of Jo (joannagoddard.blogspot.com). Pure inspiration from a stylish New York writer.

The masterminds behind DécorMetro are also launching similar blog-search sites for brides-to-be and new mothers. Visit www.omnibride.com to find out more.

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*About GENTRY Magazine Peninsula
Gentry Magazine Peninsula is a gorgeous, tabletop magazine for the premier executive homes of Silicon Valley. Going to every home in such prestigious cities as Atherton, Hillsborough, Woodside, and Los Altos Hills and the premier addresses of Palo Alto and Menlo Park (the venture capital of the World), and Stanford. The homes that receive Gentry are located in some of the most expensive zip codes in the United States according to Forbes Magazine. In 2009, Forbes ranked Atherton the 2nd most expensive zip code in the country, Los Altos Hills ranked number 8, while the remaining zip codes in the Gentry distribution placed in the top 38. Quite simply, Gentry Magazine Peninsula offers advertisers access to the wealthiest audience in the United States.

Have you noticed the amount of Internet information available on design topics over the last few years? It’s incredible—and overwhelming when it comes to trying to find it. That’s why we created DecorMetro, the first all-inclusive search-find-share destination solely for the online design community – designer, architect, homeowner, journalist, avid enthusiast, or manufacturer of home and garden products.

The DecorMetro mission is to bring the entire design community together so no one has to wander aimlessly through the Internet to find great ideas, inspirations, and resources for their homes and gardens.

For homeowners and enthusiasts: You’ll find that DecorMetro is the most comprehensive destination for researching and finding resources and “how tos” for your design projects.

For bloggers: Your voices will be heard by an exponentially greater audience. If the community loves your content, your stats will grow—and so will your fan base.

For industry: You have the opportunity to find out what the online design community is saying (or not saying) about your goods and services. You can engage in the community dialogues.

For journalists: This is your tool for researching and uncovering the latest buzz and resources.

You have the power to rate the value of a search result by either voting it up or down; so, unlike a general search engine, the community determines what rises to the top. Participate often and let your voice be heard throughout the design Internet metropolis!

But there’s more to DecorMetro…check out our feeds for the daily news and the most current design-related contests and giveaways. And if it’s being talked about—DecorMetro will find it!

You may have noticed that this is our BETA version. This means that Version 1 is out in the metropolis. But our vision doesn’t end here—count on an explosion of features and functions in the near future. For now, enjoy your first tour…

Have you noticed the amount of information available about weddings over the last few years? It’s incredible and overwhelming when it comes to trying to find it. That’s why we created OmniBride, the first search-find-share destination solely for the wedding and events community, a bride-to-be, wedding or event planner, wedding blogger, journalist or avid party enthusiast.

The OmniBride mission is to bring the entire online wedding & events community together so no one has to wander aimlessly through the Internet to find great ideas, inspirations and resources.

For brides: You’ll find that OmniBride is the most comprehensive destination for researching and planning your wedding.

For bloggers: Your voices will be heard by an exponentially greater audience. If the community loves your content, your stats will grow, and so will your fan base.

For industry: You have the opportunity to find out what the online wedding community is saying (or not saying) about your goods and services. You can engage in the community dialogues.

For journalists: This is your tool for researching and uncovering the latest buzz and resources.

You have the power to rate the value of a search result by either voting it up or down, unlike a general search engine, the community determines what rises to the top. So participate often and let your voice be heard throughout the wedding universe!

But there’s more to OmniBride…check out our feeds for the daily news and the most current wedding-related contests and giveaways. And if it’s being talked about, OmniBride will find it! The OmniBride blog will point out trends, favorite topics, and industry news.

OmniBride.com is in BETA, but count on an explosion of new features and functions in the near future. For now, enjoy your exploration!