All roads leading South...

in the next 10 days I have something like 24 hours of driving in my future...and I couldn't be more excited about it because all roads are leading back home to good ole' North Carolina for two weekends in a row to see family and friends and witness one of my very best friends tie the knot to the man that couldn't be more perfect for her! So yeah all that driving kinda stinks but oh well...you can now buckle up in style with the "seatbelt chair" released this week from the Phillips Collection. Or if you are one of those hopelessly bad with directions people you can always find you way home by lighting it up with a compass inspired light fixture...

Visual Comfort

Cyan Design

Visual Comfort

But really what could be better than North Carolina? Home of the Tarheels,  barbeque's best, krispy kreme donuts,  and of course FURNITURE! in a world where we create very little stateside- North Carolina is still home to a few furniture manufacturers including my favorite- Hickory Chair. Yes- I am biased, I used to work for them-but I really have never hated a job more than being a sales rep- amazing company, horrible job. Hickory Chair has been producing fine furnishing in North Carolina for 100 years!!! this market was their big anniversary and so in that honor they introduced their new 1911 collection. They looked to their oldest catalogues  for inspiration and classic pieces that could be updated for today's world and the result is nothing short of amazing- for a company that continues to be a major draw at market and continues to out do itself, has done it again- this collection is classic and elegant and above all else- timeless.

Their variety of finishes allows a classic piece to decidedly chic in Ash with Antique Bronze hardware

and as always- having top of the line fabric to choose from never hurts 

twin beds! yes canopy twin beds- a classic but yet so amazingly modern

being made in NC with actual real live people doing the work you get flawless case goods that really show off the beauty of the simple curve front of this mahogany chest

So yes- I am biased- I love the company, their designers but more than anything that such an amazingly fashionable and elegant company is still making over 87% of their line right here- in North Carolina!

I mean really- little ole' Hickory NC is looking mighty chic these days- you would never know from just driving through!

pulling on the thread that unravels the whole sweater...

Did you notice that once you make one change suddenly everything else starts to look old and tired? How if you paint one room you start to notice the scratches on the hallway wall or if you get a new faucet then the light fixture looks dated...I refer to it as pulling the thread.



I work with customers everyday that have some aspect of their house that they hate (normally brass hardware) and that one thing tends to then dictate the finish of other things and it isn't the finish they want to use. You know- the grass is always greener! And it is hard to make the shift to satin nickel or bronze when you have polished brass and lets face it times are hard...you don't want to make the switch all at once. But finally there is a solution!

Last lighting market there were 2 new finishes that started popping up in showrooms that I loved, Rustic and WinterGold. They are cool combination finishes







These pictures don't really do them any justice at all...you just have to trust me on this one. Rustic is not quite bronze as it has more depth to it than a true oil rubbed bronze with highlights that make it work perfectly with brass hardware you might not be able to get rid of just yet. WinterGold is not silver and not gold but somehow both at once... it is a lovely romantic fresh finish.



Back to market, I fell in love with these finishes, especially since they are not in the crazy expensive lines only! I bought some pieces, you know a kind of dipping my toe in, and I love them, my customers love them so I felt I needed to share the love!


So if you are looking for a way to dip you toe in and start the transition to changing finishes, these are a great transitional finish option. And the feedback I am getting from my customers- they love them even more when they get them home!











photos: Capital Lighting Fixture

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Fog is rolling in...

I was up early again this morning...well not as early as I hoped so instead of making the drive south in the early morning darkness I got the pleasure of driving through eerie but beautiful fog for the majority of my 4 hour drive down to High Point. Let me just go ahead and put it out there that this whirl wind trip to market was a mission...I was desperate to find some lighting fixtures for a client so I didn't get to do a real "scout the trends" of the furniture showrooms. The vast majority of my day was spend wondering up and down the halls and stairs of the accessory showrooms. 

The funny thing was as I got to market the sun came out and it ended up being a beautiful day however as soon as I entered the main building the fog seemed to have rolled back in and taken over all the showrooms! Every direction I looked I found fog tones with muted greens, browns and purples. From ethereal flowing textures like the pendant shown here that was made of silk blossoms, to rugged white and grey washed woods the muted tones were everywhere. 

And combined with these gorgeous "greige" tones (yes I made that word up but I think it works!) was the most beautiful array of purples! From very light subtle purples that almost look grey to deep rich purples- they were everywhere! I loved the selection of lamps that Arteriors had in the purple tones!

When I got to the second floor of Oly's showroom I literally stopped in my tracks because they had created the foggy bedroom of my dreams...and frankly by that point I was ready to jump in that bed for a nap! The picture (very bottom) really doesn't capture the subtle purple used but trust me it is there!

        I will admit I have not always been the biggest fan of the color purple ( the actual color not the play) but today I became a believer! Purple has so much depth and variety to it! All in the same showroom I witnessed purple to add whimsy while on the opposite wall it was sexy and mysterious.  And while I doubt you will catch me buying purple paint any time soon you can be sure I am going to be be snatching up some purple accessories or linens!