Princeton and Red Bank, New Jersey–Carter & Cavero, Old World Olive Oil Company is happy to welcome best-selling life style author Mary Randolph Carter to sign her latest book—A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of a Misspent Life —in Carter & Cavero’s Red Bank, New Jersey store on Saturday, November 13th from 3 pm to 6 pm and in Carter & Cavero’s Palmer Square/Princeton, New Jersey store on Sunday, November 14th, 2010 from 12 noon to 3 pm. To highlight a special chapter of the book, Rumson resident Geri Roper, who is featured in the book with her four wonderful spaniels, Henry, Wylie, Elle and Dash, will also be present at the book signings.
The dedication in A Perfectly Kept House is the Sign of a Misspent Life (Rizzoli, October 2010) says it all: “For my mother who always believed a perfectly kept house can’t compare with a home filled with living.” Best-selling author and ‘junk’ maven, Mary Randolph Carter has spent her life fully embracing this family motto and exalts the art and joys of living well in this latest inspired design tome. Featuring the living spaces and offices of real-life tastemakers—photographers, textile designers, fashion designers, writers, artists, as well as her own—Carter shows readers how to integrate their passions, collections, and obsessions to into highly personal interiors without being overly concerned with achieving the intimidating ‘perfection’ often lauded in other books and magazines.

Extolling the many joys of living perfectly in “imperfect” homes A Perfectly Kept House’s chapters cover Housekeeping, Clutter, Comfort, Ambiance, Entertaining, and even Unmade Beds brought to life in a charming and useful series of case histories demonstrating how to live creatively with collections, work, kids, clutter, pets, art, and all the other things you love. Throughout the book Carter’s thoughtful essays, many tips, personal anecdotes, and intimate photographs are evidence that a house’s artful disorder often creates the most inviting and welcoming places to call home.

The book’s liberating philosophy of “a cluttered house is a lived-in house” calls for knocking the mud off your boots at the door, tossing your hat on the entry table, merrily making your way to the kitchen to fill a favorite chipped mug with a warm cup of cocoa, and hunkering in for the evening with a favorite book and your dog by your side. The laundry and window washing can wait!

Check out this great blog posting by Style Court on Mary Randolph Carter’s new book!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: The doyenne of collecting an all things loved and worn, Mary Randolph Carter is a photographer and author of For the Love of Old (Rizzoli, 2006) and the Junk series of books. For over two decades Carter has overseen the creative areas of advertising and publishing for Ralph Lauren. She has been featured in publications including Vogue, Elle, Elle Décor, Cosmopolitan, Country Living, O the Oprah Magazine, Town & Country, Interview, Good Housekeeping and The New York Tim-es. The mother of two grown sons, Carter lives with her husband in New York City and in upstate New York with all her beloved junk.

Reached at her home in New York City at the time of the publishing of her last book, For the Love of Old, Carter explained her connection with Carter & Cavero. “I particularly love the idea that at Carter & Cavero I can taste and choose my own oils and vinegars and purchase them in their beautifully etched bottles that, of course, I never throw away, but reuse and re purpose.” The “Carter” in Carter & Cavero’s name is not just a coincidence. One of Carter & Cavero’s founders, Sam Berg, calls this Carter “Mom,” and Sam asked her if he could add it to Cavero which is the maiden name of Mercedes Wall, the company’s Director of Communications and the wife of another one of Carter & Cavero’s founders, Chris Wall.

These special events in Red Bank and Princeton kick off the holiday season at Carter & Cavero which, as always, features a feast of olive oils& balsamic vinegars to sample and explore along with other unique food and gift items for a memorable holiday season.

For more information on this event or on other events at Carter & Cavero, Mercedes Wall can be reached at (732) 492-1226 or by email at info@carterandcavero.com.

You can visit Carter & Cavero at their stores in Red Bank, Pier Village/Long Branch and Palmer Square/Princeton, New Jersey or you can shop online at www.carterandcavero.com. Carter & Cavero will also be returning to the Holiday Shops at Bryant Park in New York City this holiday season.