Indoor-Outdoor is one of the hottest trends in design products. But I find many fabrics and goods advertised to be suitable for both inside and outside use are just that - suitable for both but really great for neither! Dash & Albert's indoor-outdoor rugs are an exception! They are made of polypropelene and are thus super durable, come in beautiful colors and are soft under-foot. Amazing for terraces, children's rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, or any high (or low) traffic area. The woven rugs are scrubbable, bleachable, and UV-protected to prevent fading. On top of it all they are well priced - all things in life should be as simple!

 Here are a few of my favorites. . . 

Pond Stripe, all indoor-outdoor rugs are $495 for an 8.5' x 11' and come in a whole array of sizes.

Diamond in light blue and ivory - how great would this work in a beach house! 

Dash & Albert is a Massachusetts based company that sells to retailers all over the country and is available online at many sites - I use http://www.lavenderfieldsonline.com  

Cozy up to Burlap

A week ago I attended the beautiful wedding of my best friend, held on the picturesque Michigan property of her soon to be in-laws. She is very, very chic of course and decided on burlap fabric to compliment the countryside setting. For the ceremony we even sat on bales of hay covered with burlap! It was so cozy and rustic it inspired me to include some burlap pieces which would be great fall accents at home!

View of the dining tent at the wedding with burlap table runners . . . those small brown bakery boxes were filled with French macaroons!

Cocktail table with orange, peach and cream wildflower arrangement and tea lights in mason jars on a burlap overlay – just beautiful!

 
A table set for a terrace dinner party at the home of designer Janet Simon. Burlap can be a homey accent but also very elegant and is very affordable compared to other table cloth options.

Stretched burlap lampshades from Pottery Barn. Not only to they look great but they cast a soft, warm light too.

 
Round occasional table with a Wisteria burlap table cloth. This would be perfect in an entry or library piled high with books!

Lastly, a Ballard Designs burlap wrapped glass beaker vase – I would love this filled even just with tall branches. 

Happy Fall! 

Racing Beauties

As this past weekend was the Formula 1 here in Singapore, it got me thinking about cars from a design viewpoint, but especially vintage cars since those appeal the most to me! Not that I know much about any cars in general mind you, just that I love the classic lines and colors.

I especially adore the British racing green from the 1960’s.  This 1962 Jaguar E Type is for sale if any of you are on the market! Beautiful!

Designer Miles Redd was also inspired by vintage racing green when he designed this small gem of a kitchen. As the original color was a bit dark, he brightened it up a few shades but made sure to keep the effect of the glossy automotive finish. Certainly a glamorous place to cook!

To include in your own interior, try a model car on a bookshelf or sitting on top of a pile of books. Your little guests will like it too. My favorite company is Motor Mint, www.motormint.com, who make high quality, beautiful scale models. 

A Motor Mint Corvette 1967 model car 

Happy Sukkot!

It’s Sukkot, the Jewish holiday celebrating the fall harvest season, which involves constructing a temporary sukkah, as a place to gather, eat, and celebrate.  Currently 12 competition winning sukkahs are on display in Union Square, New York – all created by young architects. I love it! 

Sukkot are traditionally formed of sticks, leaves, and twine but these are far more modern and creative! As it is by far the most interior-design oriented of all the Jewish holidays I could not miss it!

Organic and so beautiful, “Gathering,” by Dale Suttle, So Sugita & Ginna Nguyen was by far my favorite!

Enjoy the New York Times article . . .

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/17/arts/design/17sukkah.html

Vintage Lamps & Oliver M. Furth

L.A. based designer Oliver M. Furth suggests using vintage lamps as a way to inject character and history in a room full of otherwise new things – I could not agree more! I am a bit crazy for lamps and this is just one reason why! 

He picked this striking pair below…

 
 

But I was even able to find this beautiful petal pink and gold Murano lamp on Ebay!

  

I like the layered and collected look Oliver assembled below - its a great example of mixing vintage and modern … perhaps a bit cluttered for some but engaging none the less!

You can see more of Oliver’s vintage furniture and lighting picks currently on One King's Lane (a great online sample sale for high end accessories and furniture pieces) … you have to become a member but its free and I think very worth it! 

Wedding Travels

I am off to my best friend's wedding in Michigan! Can't Wait! Will post next week! 

Bon Week-end! 

Lobster Fever

Now I know that summer is over but I could not help posting this photo of our recent girls' trip to Martha's Vineyard - the best part of course being the lobster. How could something a color this beautiful not taste amazing! 



This got me thinking about a lobsters indoors . . . just a piece or two can be great. Here are few of my favs:

An ivory and red lobster print linen pillow from Thomas Paul.

A vintage Mid-Century solid brass lobster from Flessas Design - a great antiques store in New York.

And a vintage lobster crate from Jefferson West Antiques . . . great as a side table or at the foot of a bed. 

Yum! Already looking forward to next year's trip to the Vineyard! 

I heart Bulgar USA Ceramics!

Bulgar USA Ceramics makes beautiful traditional Bulgarian pottery. I like how decorative but earthy these piece are. Add a few to your solid dinnerware set to give a hit of pattern and interest, and infuse a vintage style too! 

 

I especially love the simple brown and white combo. And how great would this pitcher look in your kitchen holding your spoons and utensils? 

Those in New York, you can purchase at Todd Antony Romano's chic home store . . .

Oval Office Makeover!

The Oval Office redesigned! Interior designer Michael Smith recently gave the Oval Office a subtle update.... perhaps too subtle? I love the mica coffee table and deep blue lamps but rug should go! Thoughts? You can read the New York Times design piece here...

Artist Spotlight: Carolyn Carr

One of my favorite contemporary artists is Carolyn Carr. I first saw her beautiful paintings at Spanierman Modern in New York in 2008 when shopping for a client. I love the natural, un-dyed linen backgrounds and organic but contained shapes. I especially adore her choice of colors! Very inspiring! Even far away here in Singapore I just keep coming back to her...

Carolyn Carr