Wine Shelf

We don't know what to call it, so it has become the Wine Shelf by default.

German made by a former Brit (he Brexited??) out of wine crates from the Bordeaux region of France.  It has a rustic wood top and whisper quiet slide out drawers. 
We started calling it the Wine Storage but we are not storing wine it it - although you could.

Here in the studio we are storing fabric samples. The top is perfect for laying out design schemes.
These wine shelves are available for order in all shapes and sizes. Some are double sided and make a great kitchen island. Some even have wheels. Let me know if you need me.  I assure you, you do!

Small project - Big impact

Watch what happens when you choose gorgeous fabrics.

This was a very small project that we finished yesterday.  My client needed a finishing touch for her newly renovated basement.  It turns out all she needed were some pillows to tie two seating areas together.
She was befuddled by this mishmash of pillows on her leather sofa. (There, I said it: befuddled.)

An adjoining seating area of four chairs circling a round table looked stark.

We had one blue and brown pillow made from a graphic chenille from Clarke & Clarke and four pillows were created with a chic metallic printed velvet from Kravet. We tied them together using the same Kravet metallic beaded trim in a copper color.We chose copper to coordinate with the trim detail underneath the bar. (see the bar behind the sofa in the first photo) We used down pillow inserts.

 Kravet trim: T30638 - color 66

For the leather sofa we removed all the pillows and simply put two slate blue velvet pillows the client owned back on, topped by the blue/brown pillow. There was already so much symmetry going on in the space so we only used that one extra pillow.
We placed the four lumbar pillows on the white chairs. Voila!  Much more inviting!

Check out the hide rug under the coffee table.  Beautiful!

Pairing Wine with Furniture (huh?)

Last week I took a whirlwind 30-hour trip to New York City to attend an event where wine was to be paired with furniture.  Imagine!  I couldn't. So I had to see it for myself.
The event was held at the Flatiron Design Collective on West 21st St. (There was a minor snafu when I received 2 separate email confirmations with 2 separate addresses, but I am not easily beaten by that sort of thing.)  The Flatiron Design Collective is comprised of 3 different businesses that share a showroom.
The first is JLCreate, which is John Lyle's company.  I had to pleasure of meeting and talking with John and learning just a little bit about his design process.  He designs luxury furnishings and accessories and approaches design with a sculptor's eye.

 John Lyle and Cleo the dog.  Fromental wallcovering behind us and in the small office.

It was fascinating to learn the different mediums (media?) he works in:  metal (all kinds of finishes), wood, shagreen, glazed linen in all kinds of colors, tobacco leaves and cow bone.  COW BONE, you say?  Yes, it sounds so strange but John mostly uses it as an inlay.  It looked a bit like ivory.  And tobacco leaves?  I asked him if he was from Virginia, and he said no, Mississippi. The tobacco had the look of veneered wood on table tops.  It was all gorgeous. You've heard of a bed of nails? Well here is a table made of nails:

 JL Create table made of nails.  CL Curated rug.

Underneath the table is a rug from CL Curated, which designs and creates site specific rugs.  I wish I had learned more about CL Curated while I was there.  The samples were beautiful, in rich graphics and saturated colors.
The third collection in the Collective was Fromental, maker of swoonworthy handmade wallpapers and fabrics.  The pictures do not do this collection justice.  Think about silk, which is hand painted and then hand embroidered. After paper backing it, it is applied to the wall.   Some of the embroideries included beads, making a unique 3-D wallcovering that is truly a work of art!

On to the wine pairing!  Adam Japko of Esteem Media led this unique presentation.  Adam writes the blog Wine Zag (click here) He's a super friendly guy whom I've met several times before.  Adam has a open minded approach to wine tasting, with an easy going curiosity.

 Adam Japko discussing a slide.  Fromental wallcovering in the background.  All furniture and accessories by JL Create.

He was sent several pictures of John Lyle's furniture to which he had to assign a wine. So, unlike pairing wine with food, he tried to assign wines that spoke the same language or had a similar quality to a piece of furniture.  His insights were engaging and dynamic. For instance he paired a wine with a specific table because they both "make you think".  (I think he meant they were complex.)  In any case, the whole event "made me think".  So many elements of any art form, be it furniture making, painting, wine making, sculpture, music or food, are similarly described. They conjure emotion.
Elizabeth Ralls, Editor in Chief of Atlanta Homes and Lifestyle magazine was also on hand to show examples from the pages of the magazine for the various styles of furniture.
Here are the wines we tasted:

I wish that I had the slides to show you what was paired with what.  But I wouldn't remember anyway! I was a little preoccupied drinking the wine!
Click on the links to see some truly inspirational people and products.
CL Curated
JL Create
Fromental

Barn Wood Shutters

With so much emphasis on rustic finishes right now, you might want to consider these:

                                                    Not shown is a driftwood finish.

We are so excited to carry this new shutter line in the studio! And the best part? Made in America! They are the highest quality but at a competitively appealing price.

Maybe you like shutters but feel that they are a bit too traditional looking for you. Then you will LOVE these!  Contact us if you'd like to drop in to see all our shutter options.  Or, we can also bring them to you!
 

Water or Wine? 

Toni said,  "Look at this multipurpose fabric from RM COCO that is water repellent!" 

       Called Piper--this luxurious matte multipurpose retails for less than $50/yard.

Ruth replies,  "Does that mean it's wine repellent too?"

Cantonese Jars

Look at the Dana Gibson wallpaper from Stroheim in our Connecticut powder
room project --- so thrilled that we forgot to move the ladder! 

 

Would you put this wastepaper basket 

from Dana Gibson in the powder room?  

High Point Highlights

Yes, I am really late with this post and you have already forgotten that I even went to the High Point Furniture Market in April and saw lots of cool things.
This year I did a little more shopping for clients than I usually do, but as in years past, I also went to see trends in interior design, see what's new with my favorite vendors and get inspired.
Here are a few of the photos I took:

I think everyone took this picture.  It was a display for a bedding company.  Don't you love the real tree branch hung on the wall with the fake birds perched on top?

More bedding. In crisp red and white.

One more bed in red, white and blue.  The tennis racquets give it a fun touch.

The barn door is such a trend, here it is used as a wall treatment to hide the TV.

When you slide the door in front of the TV, the storage shelves are revealed! Who doesn't need more storage?

In keeping with the rustic wood theme, here is a console from Dovetail that would be perfect for a project we are currently working on.

Detail of the console front.

If you are a fan of Chip and Joanna Gaines and their show, Fixer Upper, (and who isn't?) you will recognize the name Magnolia Home as being the other brand they own.  They have licensed their name to a furniture line, accessories, rugs and now PAINT!

I simply MUST HAVE this antique chandelier.  I've been looking for this style for awhile and don't really want a reproduction.  The amethyst crystals are a bonus.

Another antique chandelier - this one for a client - that features glass grapes.  Stunning!

As you can see, I took very few pictures this time.  I was too busy looking and walking and talking. I will say that we are about to see a lot more color in our interiors.
One of my favorite new finds was Lexington Home Brands.  I had to take a bus to their off-site showroom.  It was a total WOW, so much so that I forgot to take any photos. And as luck would have it, one of my favorite clients works for Lexington and he happened to be standing in the lobby when I arrived.