May 22, 2011

Anna French’s New Aria Collection of Fabrics for Thibaut

Inspiration, Products

Looking for an easy way to freshen your rooms for spring? Then consider making some cushions or easy-to-sew curtains from fabrics from Anna French’s new Aria Collection by Thibaut. The fabrics’ poetic patterns and beautiful colors have been woven into luxurious cut velvets, gauzy madras, and embroideries, and printed on luscious linens. The lovely fabrics also balance masculine and feminine tones that work well in both modern and traditional settings. Known for her courageous use of color and flair for the dramatic, Anna French has been designing and producing fabrics since 1976, when she and her husband, John French, moved … Read Post

April 10, 2011

A Tea Towel To Commemorate the Marriage of William & Kate

Inspiration, Products

Two weeks from now, designer Maggie Carey plans to wake up at 4:30 in the morning to watch the royal wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton at Westminster Abbey on April 29. “Maybe it’s my British background,” she told us, “but I just can’t miss it.” She woke up early to see the wedding of Princess Diana and Prince Charles in 1981, too. In addition to sharing her passion for royal weddings, she also showed us tea towel commemorating the marriage of William and Kate. Designed by Emma Bridgewater, a well-known English potter, who has produced a line of earthenware … Read Post

February 15, 2011

Trends in Residential Stonework

Products

Last week representatives from Charles Luck, the Virginia-based supplier of exquisite stones from all over the world, were in town and shared their thoughts on the kinds of stonework we’ll be seeing in residential settings over the next couple of years. They see new economic realities leading to a new way of thinking, living, and working—and consumers are yearning for a new sense of positive energy, simplicity, and a wholesome moderate way of life with products that have relevant, lasting value. Here’s a look at the trends they’re predicting and a taste of the ideas and inspiration behind them. Heritage: This … Read Post

December 30, 2010

Fresh Colors to Watch For in 2011

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As one year comes to a close, it’s always fun to start imagining possibilities for the next. Like music, movies and haircuts, one of the most distinctive markers of an era is color. Wanting a glimpse of the hues we’re most likely to see in homes across America in 2011, we talked with interior designer and Benjamin Moore color expert Sonu Mathew to find out which colors she and the paint company expect to see emerging in the months ahead. She started with Benjamin Moore’s color of the year called Vintage Wine, which, she says, reflects the idea of balance. “Whether you’re balancing work … Read Post

December 13, 2010

Affordable Handmade Ornaments

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If you haven’t decorated your Christmas tree yet—or even if you have and it needs some finishing touches—then consider visiting West Elm, which is having a sale on its handmade ornaments from all over the world. The charming handcrafted felt balls (below) are made with New Zealand wool by women artisans who live in a village near Kathmandu, Nepal, and the adorable painted wooden birds were made in El Salvador using a folkloric technique unique to the La Palma region. There are plenty of others, too, including some by the talented designer David Stark. The ornaments start at just $2. Plus … Read Post

December 3, 2010

Easy Seasonal Accents

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Each new season calls for a change of scene inside, too. Consider switching out wool carpets and velvet pillows for a woven jute rug and some zippy woodblock-printed, indigo-dyed and embroidered pillows from John Robshaw. The designer describes the pillow making technique like this: “You touch a woodblock to wet clay and then to the fabric. After the clay dries, you dip the cloth into the indigo vat and the clay stays on. One dip gives the fabric a sky-blue color, two dips and it deepens to cobalt, three dips and its a saturated midnight blue. Then the fabric is laid out to dry in the … Read Post

September 30, 2010

Italian Ceramic Tile Trends Report

Inspiration, Products

The Cersaie show of ceramic tiles, which is going on now in Bologna, Italy, showcases the most beautiful tiles from more than 500 international companies—and many of them become available in the U.S. Danielle De Vita, the senior account executive from NovitaPR, which represents the Ceramic Tile of Italy association, offered to write up a trends roundup for us. A thorough and inspiring report it is. Here’s her summary:   Don’t you just love sneak previews, especially when they involve designer trends? Here’s a great one for you: Cersaie, the international exhibition of ceramic tile and bathroom furnishings, is a … Read Post

September 24, 2010

Instant Inspiration

Inspiration, Products

Earlier this week, Elle Décor’s new editor, Michael Boodro, hosted an event at the Century Furniture showroom in the New York Design Center to celebrate the site’s new LookBook, which is incredibly helpful for people who are in the midst of a remodel and want instant access to inspiration. The LookBook offers hundreds of photos of beautiful rooms organized by style or room type. It also includes source information on the designer and the issue in which the room originally appeared. In addition, a shoppable feature (powered by 1st Dibs, the online market place for antiques and mid-century furniture) provides … Read Post

September 23, 2010

Furniture with Soul

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Touring the aisles of the International Gift Show a couple of weeks ago, we came across the tiny booth of a new company called Bourgeoisie 3d that stopped us in our tracks. The beautiful furnishings it showcased were at once familiar and fresh. There was a kind of purity and perfection about the wooden chairs, tables and stools that drew us in and made me want to find out more. After chatting with the owners, John Bourgeois and his wife, Emily, who is the lead designer of the furnishings, we learned about Emily’s thoughtful and inspired approach to design, which … Read Post

September 14, 2010

Eco-Friendly Paints in Beautiful Colors

Inspiration, Products

    Wow! What a difference a coat of paint makes! And if you choose to paint your walls with an eco-friendly paint, you can sit in your home office do your work while the painters do theirs. The best eco-friendly paints have no VOCs (the volatile organic compounds, or toxic vapors, that get released into the air as the paint dries). These paints definitely have that fresh paint smell that makes a house feel new, but not the overwhelming fumes that can bring tears to your eyes (and not in a good way). Among the eco-friendly paint options are … Read Post