Rustic Dining Chair

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We travel as much as possible and look for inspirations whereever we go.  One of our favorite places in terms of designing style is in the South.  Remember the magazine Southern Accents?  Oh my do we miss that magazine!  It truly showcases southern styles very, very well.

One of the reasons we like southern tyles so much is that it is so UNpretentious and creative. Like, you can actually live there!  It doesn't have that self-awareness that say, New York and Miami or LA styles do.  Southern style is warm and cozy and comfortable...

Here is a feature in Gun & Garden Magazine that you might want to check out...

If you like the galvanized  steel dining chair shown, it can be found in the dining chair section of our site.

To see more pictures and read the complete article, click here.

Modern Bar Stool

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We're working on a kitchen remodeling project and ran accross these barstools while looking for inspiration.  They are so cool, aren't they?  

Image via Houzz

If you are looking for something similiar, here is a barstool that you might like:

They come in two colors (expresso and walnut)and two different heights (counter height and bar height). You can find them in the barstools section of our site.

Decorator Showcase

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We decided to visit the SF Decorator Showcase in Pacific Height on Sunday because it was one of those glorious Sundays that you just can't waste.   It's a great place to get some decorating ideas.  If you have time,  you should go.  There were some very clever, creative things done.

Here are some of the images from SJ Mercury News:

This living is one of our favorite rooms.  It's a great mix of modern and old.

Another living room.

This is the gues bedroom. We love the purple as the accent color.

There are not enough pictures of this amazing kitchen.   It's gorgeous~

In case you are interested, we carry this chandelier from Arteriors.  Contact us if you are interested....

This bathroom is our favorite bathroom. It's divine!

This is her office which doubles as a closet. 

Love, love the stripe walls. This was painted, not wallpapered.  Somebody got a really good painter!

The showcase runs until 5/28. If you are interested, the house is on the market for $17.5M

Spotlight-Sugarboo Designs

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We just got back from the High Point market last week. For those who don't know, High Point market is the oldest and largest furniture show in the country.  It is shown twice a year--April and October.  It's huge, huge, huge.  Anyone and anything in furnishing business shows here.

We remember coming to the market 10 years ago and it was very busy, very hectic then.  Things have changed a lot since.  We've seen a lot of vendors come and go, especially the smaller ones. 

It's not an easy business, making things and trying to make a living at it.  That's why we are so supportive of new small vendors.  They are usually people who are really passionate about what they do, and most of them throw their whole life, if not their life savings, into these ventures.

So this is why we are starting the spotlight series, where we feature new vendors that make creative, fun, exciting products that worth exploring.

The first one is Sugarboo--how cute is that name?  They make hand-crafted logo products with inspirational quotes that are not cheesy like most.  

Cute, isn't it? You can find a link to their catalog here.

Faux Flowers

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We decided to treat ourselves to some fresh flowers a couple of weeks ago from the San Francisco Farmers Market at the ferry building. Have you been there?  If you haven't you must.   The market is full of fantastic vendors and amazing food trucks.  It gets awfully crowded on the weekends, so it's better to go on Tuesday or Thursday where you don't have to fight the crowd.

It's no bargain, mind you. They charge pretty much Whole Foods prices, but the quality is worth it.  Especially the flowers. 

We ended up buying some cherry blossom branches and tulips because it's such a springy thing to do.  By the time we done the bunch costs about $70 and lasted about two weeks.

Which got us to think, who can afford this every week?  Sure, fresh flowers are nice but they are expensive and impractical.  And what if you need some colors in your house but can't spare a couple of hundred dollars a month?

This is why our house has lots of permanent faux flowers.  Now, some people think faux flowers are tacky, but that's because they don't understand how much quality has improved.  Like everything else, technology has made better materials available and the standard for faux flowers have improved tremendously.  They look quite fantastic.

Here are some very nice, high-end faux flowers that we just brought back from the High Point market:

You can find more arrangements in the faux flower arrangements section of our store.

Ceramic Garden Stools

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We remember precisely the first time we saw our first garden stool.  It was at the Mondrian Hotel on Sunset ten years ago.  They were in the bar and they were all white.  They look really cool--all traditional in a very modern decor that the Mondrian Hotel is known for.

Now it seems ceramic garden stools are everywhere.  For good reasons too--they are really versatile, inexpensive, easy to clean.

Although they are called stools, we don't think we ever see anyone ever sitting on them.  They are probably too delicate for that.  More frequently, they are used as side tables, as you can see from some of the examples here:

Photo Credit:  House Beautiful

Photo credit : Sothebys

Some of our favorite ceramic garden stools:

To see similiar stools featured in the images above, check out our garden stool section. We just added a bunch of new stuff!

Refresh and Renew- Spring Cleaning

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Well, spring is upon us and we all know what that means... spring cleaning. This international tradition is about refreshing and renewing our homes, not just getting out the Windex and calling it a day. Spring cleaning allows us to throw out the remnants of any unfinished projects, missed goals, and start fresh.

When I find myself in a darkly decorated (dark curtains, walls, furniture) room, I tend to feel lethargic and unmotivated. So, when it was time for me to start my cleaning spree, I traded my blacks for whites and my deep colors for those that inspire.

Barbara Barry gives us some great ideas for brighter designs with stunning linen fabrics. Try making some pillows with her Kravet fabric In Bloom or some new drapes with Linen Leaf. These linen fabrics are a wonderful base for a room that allow you to add your own accents.

Another staple of spring decor is, of course, flowers. For those of us who work around the clock, or those with bad allergies, running to the market to pick up a fresh bouquet of tulips every week just isn't going to happen. And that is why silk flowers are our best option. That's right, I said it...silk flowers. These arrangements are made to order and actually look and feel very realistic (none of that cheap waxy finish we hate). These brightly colored silk tulips are my favorite and make for a wonderful centerpiece.

So, overall, spring cleaning may not be the albatross you expected. Small and simple projects and additions to your home make a huge difference, now decorate with a spring in your step!

Designer Spotlight- Alexa Hampton

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With one of the most recognizable names in the world of Interior Design, Alexa Hampton continues to amaze us with her tasteful and timeless designs. Alexa Hampton’s fabrics for Kravet bring a breath of fresh air to any room. The subltle linen Galena pattern is just one of many exquisite patterns in this line.
  
Following closely in her father Mark Hampton’s footsteps, Alexa’s tendency to bring comfort into a traditional design is hard to come by, making her one of our favorite designers. But we’re not the only ones who love her work! Hampton was selected by the Trowbridge House Foundation to be the interior designer for Trowbridge House, the official guest house for former Presidents of the United States in Washington D.C.

 

There’s no wonder why Cosmopolitan Magazine named her one of twelve “Fun, Fearless Females”! Cosmo wasn’t the only one to recognize Alexa Hampton for her work. Since 1999, she has been included in House Beautiful Magazine’s list of “America’s 100 Best Designers,” as well as international recognition from Architectural Digest’s “AD 100” every year since 2002. One of her most cherished accolades was the honorary Ph.D. she received from Moore College of Art and Design in June of 2009. 

 Alexa Hampton’s woven fabrics (check out this elegant pattern) for Kravet are under the label “Alexa Hampton for the Mark Hampton Signature Collection.” A more expansive line of fabrics, “Alexa Hampton Designs,” was launched in 2004 with new introductions in 2006 and 2010.  She also offers a collection of trim for Kravet which features aqua, blue, gold and orange tones (inspired by the Greek pantheon.) A beautiful example of her style is represented in this viscose and linen pattern. Not only does she master the art of designing fabric, but she has her own furniture, carpet, and lighting lines as well. 
 
Hampton is the president, owner, and featured designer of Mark Hampton LLC, the world-famous design firm established in 1976 by her father in New York City. I think we can all agree that this woman is a true inspiration to all of us in the design world. House Beautiful said it best in their June of 2002 issue, “Alexa Hampton is a modern spirit with a soft spot for old-fashioned good taste.”

Industrial Chic

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Lately everywhere we look industrial chic seems to be the trend.  The idea is to take an  industrial element and convert it for home use.  It looks pretty cool in the right environment, like the house most recently featured in the NY Times below:

You can see the rest of the house here.

To get this look, check out these items from Nuevo.  They are made from reclaimed materials, contributing to that "aged" look.

This works wells either as a dining room table although we prefer it as a desk.

Wouldn't you love this as a kitchen island?

These stools can be easily tucked under if you want something that doesn't take up much room.

These can be found in our furniture section.