Showing Off

I almost hate to post these very dreary photos, but I thought you might like to see how far the shop has come since the very beginning.  After this no more ugly pics I promise.

Pretty dismal huh?  Well, way back in November, we were so excited about opening our shop that even this image of our space was not enough to stop our forward motion!

After the carpet came up, our first little "project" was to give the wood underneath a coat of white, and then move on to sanding some of it away.  It looked SO much better right away.  Well, not right away . . . it actually took about 2 weeks of sanding and lugging the huge shop vac all over the floors to remove the dust ALL OVER EVERYTHING, including us.  But, here's how it looked when we were done. . . .

Kind of cool and funky, with some of the old wood showing through  as well as some of the green and blue paint underneath!  The great thing about this floor is that you cannot kill it.  Nothing shows up despite us constantly moving furniture all over.  We LOVE this floor now.

Our next step was trying to put some architectural detail in place; as you can see there wasn't any.  Did we call a carpenter? Noooo. . . we did it ourselves.  Took ourselves to Lowe's, bought some trim pieces and started measuring and hammering away.  

Who needs a framer when you have two determined chicks with some tools?

Much better.

So. . . this is the room now where the sander was up above.

And this is the front window before 

and after.

Now for some shots of the shop pretty much as it was at the opening. But . . . it's different again now.

  

One more before

And after.

Stop by the shop soon and see what we've found over the weekend . . . and if we can help you re-design your space, stop in or give us a call!

Have a wonderful day,

SOHO Afternoon

Sometimes a place you visit leaves more than just a passing memory. On a recent visit to NYC with Mary and two of our combined five favorite daughters, we had an amazing look at one of the area's newest hotels.  No, we didn't have a room, but we did have an awesome lunch in a very cool hotel restaurant. . . .  at The Crosby Street Hotel.  


Kip Kent designed the interior spaces which were TOTAL CHIC,  but the thing that really amazed me was the film documenting the entire building process, directed, filmed and edited by Jean Roman Seyfried.  I've never seen anything like this, and the music is so beautiful it could make you cry . . . If you have a few minutes, "A Reconstruction of My Views",  a parking lot-to-hotel re-construction, is really worth seeing. You can view it by going to:

http://www.firmdale.com/index.php?page_id=31&sub_page_id=184

image from Crosby Street Hotel

Is this bedroom amazing?  The thing I love is how each room has an art piece that SO relates to the overall scheme.  

image from Crosby Street Hotel

I don't even drink tea, but I'd have some to be sitting on this ultra gorgeous sofa.  Wool, color, pattern, wow.

Image from Crosby Street Hotel

Where we had lunch . . . I could not stop taking in the color. The food was pretty excellent too!

  

Love to hear about your favorite NYC beautiful spaces! 

Healing Dill

Can anyone possibly venture a guess as to what a story about dill and ice might be doing on the blog today?  Is there some remote connection here to the shop and to design?  Well. . . yes.  Kind of.  I told you Mary and I were designing one of our shop neighbor's windows.  All was going great . . . paper was down,  chairs, table and props were beginning to be placed.

 The color story and theme were established.  We were just about to call it day and finish a last few things when, I did something stupid.  I walked headfirst into the header of the backdrop glass doors above me.  Stars for a few seconds,  and in the next minute I think I opened 20 stainless steel doors in search of ice.  I mean, there must be ice somewhere in a food establishment, right?  My instincts told me to stop looking and grab the first thing I could find that was not ice, but that was frozen.  There it was . . . a huge blue plastic bag which looked an awful lot like the things you use when you sprain an ankle or hit your head.  Plopped it ontop, and continued looking, until . . . Mary finds the dill. 

Smaller and more contained, it fit perfectly on the spot where I hit, and it was icy cold. If not for that dill, I might not be writing this post today.  So,  just for clarification, if you think you saw someone that looked like me outside or inside the window of Contemporary Foods yesterday with a container on her head, this will certify that you are not crazy. It was just all in a day's work and me.

Some of the colors we'll use on the tabletop.

The window is coming out great. . .  think it will be done today and we hope Rich will love it!  Btw I am going to suggest to Mary that we pot up some dill for the tablescape somewhere.  Healing. 

Special thanks to our neighbor Mel who pointed out the very obvious ice machine in the back that we both forgot about!

Something you may notice as you leave the shop hanging on the door . . . a Prosperity Bell, given to us on the day we opened by my nieces Hannah, Isabelle & Ellie.  Made in India by local villagers,  it came with good wishes to all who pass by for peace and prosperity. So nice. . . thanks girls!

Stop by and check out our new shipment of hand done vintage pillows.  All in whites, some with vintage buttons & pins.  Beautifully made one-of-a-kinds by Carol . . . perfect for a shower, birthday or wedding gift!

Keep smiling.

Windows

Windows always give us a peek of what's beyond . . . inside, or outside.  We are SO excited to have been asked to design our shop-neighbors window, and hopefully we can get started on it today or tomorrow.  Rich Millman is the owner of an absolutely fabulous catering business, Contemporary Foods, (foodie alert!)
http://www.contemporaryfoods.com/ , and since he is literally running all over from the Hamptons to all parts of NJ and NYC, he hardly has time to breathe let alone do a storefront window.  

We'll be using some of our own pieces to stage it, and have some great ideas to showcase his own sense of style as a super "food designer." If you haven't attended one of his events like I have,  (he did my daughter's best friends wedding,) you are in for a food experience like no other.  We're thinking an outdoor garden theme right now, and we'll keep you posted as the window unfolds . . . 

In the meantime, a pic of one of Rich's creative presentations.   

We're thinking some garden pots from the shop, 

Maybe some cool lime chairs . . . 

and . . . 

whatever else we can come up with.  Can't wait to get started!

Have a great day,

Greens

Yes it's April Fools Day.  I know what you're thinking.  What are brussels sprouts doing on the blog?  I guess it's the gorgeous greens and the fact that I am dying for some color to sprout after this incredibly long cold winter.  Spring will arrive as it always does, but slicing up this great vegetable and just seeing the texture and color made me feel kind of organic, which of course reminds me of the outdoors, and the gardens & farmer's markets to pop up in a few weeks.  If you haven't had these sliced, tossed in olive oil and sauteed with a little garlic you are missing one of the wonderful tastes of spring.  Your mother was right . . . eat your brussels sprouts! 

Here are some of my favorite earthy elements for inspiration in organic home decor. . .  

image from Elle Decor

A collection of nature things in a beautiful still life.

image from Elle Decor

White plates and serving dishes always work great with organic themes.  Fresh.

image from Digging Decor

A simple bunch of gathered greens from the roadside and one gorgeous bloom!

image Organic Home Design

 An amazing Frank Lloyd Wright designed home.  Proof that mother nature is the best designer of all.

Some things from the shop to add some organica to your home. . . 

Great New Pillows

A Funky Bench

Pair of Sweet 
Leather Wrapped Lamps

 Beautiful Garden Pot

What are some of your favorite nature inspirations?

Waiting with you for Spring!

The Master

I've been thinking about this quote for awhile now. . . and I'd say Steve pretty much says it all about what we want to achieve in our homes as much as it does about the most amazing (huge apple fan here) company ever.  As much as a beautiful room creates a sense of comfort and stability in our lives,  if the elements in it don't function as well as they could, then the point is missed.  How often have you sat yourself in a super comfy chair, put on your favorite music and realize for the millionth time that there is nowhere close to set down your coffee cup? Or the bedside table you have slept next to for years is just fine to hold the reading lamp, but why are all your books and mags on the floor?          

image from House Beautiful

Although I love love the color scheme and the cottagey feel in this bedroom, the end table, although a great style in itself, looks good but doesn't seem functional. I'm picturing a bigger table with just a bit more room for a few good reads or a cup of tea.  

image from House Beautiful

This table, similar in style, is in better proportion to the scale of the bed. It serves to hold some of the necessary luxuries nice to have on hand and is pretty to look at at the same time.   Design and Function.

In the shop now:  a beautifully shaped & graceful console table.  Too pretty for behind the sofa . . .  use it as a bedroom desk, or reserve it as an elegant table for coffee with a friend.  

I have to keep revisiting my own spaces at home as the family lifestyle changes as well as the furniture plan.  What is this space best used for now, and how can I make it work well and look great at the same time?  Maybe adding the one thing that I've been meaning to for years . . . 

What do you think?