Special Order rugs

Well, West Elm has done it again.

Have yo noticed that they now offer special order rugs?
Six rugs that can be ordered in custom colors and extra large sizes.

That Andalusia Dhurrie is an old favorite, and I love the idea of ordering it in pink--very Madeline Weinrib on a budget.  That offset stripe might satisfy dome of my Indian dhurrie dreams, too.

There is a long lead time and no returns--but such is the case any time you have a rug made.

I'm always impressed with the ways this retailer innovates the shopping experience!

Retail Wallpaper

It's no secret that wallpaper is back in a big way.  So perhaps it should be no surprise that the most trend-forward big box. catalog retailers are getting in on the action.

There have been a few retail sources for to-the-trade papers for a while now, most notably Walnut Wallpaper, and Anthropologie was early to the table with a tight selection of some designed-elsewhere papers.

Now, West Elm and Serena and Lily are out with their own collections, available direct to the consumer.

Serena and Lily's collection has 25+ designs, most in various colorways, and retail for a reasonable $88/ 27' single roll, which is similar to many of the trade papers I sell.

West Elm's papers are pretty pricey at $299 for an 11-yard single roll, but they are low-VOC and, it appears, removable, making them an option for apartment dwellers and all you DIY types.

So, are you craving wallpaper these days?  I seem to be choosing a lot of it for clients lately.

And P.S., Serena and Lily is having a huge sale right now.  Just use code GOODSAVE at checkout to get $100 of $500, $500 of $1500, and various deals in between.

West Elm Summer Preview

As always, lots of good stuff coming from West Elm this summer.  A few of my favorites in color:

And black and white:

Check out all new items here!

Printed Upholstery

I find myself pinning a lot of pretty printed upholstery these days.

Peter Dunham

Better Homes and Gardens via The Inspired Room

Julie Nightingale Design via Centsational Girl

I recently got the latest West Elm catalog, and, always on trend, I'm loving their new fabric prints collection.  Have you seen?

from top, Everett, Victor, Bliss, and Oliver chairs.  All available in all of the prints.  There are butterflies, too!    Shop them here.

And for a bolder floral, how about the World Market Victoria?

What about you: do you dig bold prints on upholstery?  I still want to do this, but maybe using this.

Quick Change

The Kantha quilts are on sale at West Elm.

Is it weird that I want to buy them all?  That I want to find homes for them all?

Probably.

I started with this little guy.

Doesn't it do such a nice job of dressing up this Danish chair?

I almost think I won't need to do this!  (Or maybe I will use the quilt for the upholstery?)

Anyway.  These things are more versatile than you might think. (Remember my other one?)  Go out and get yourself a kantha quilt before they're gone.  (Only in stores, not online.)

Kudos

Three bits and pieces.

First.

Metro Magazine invited me to be this months "guest expert" for their "Feng Shui Rater," in which someone in the design field "judges random home design trends by their energy," and, naturally, I used DIY trends as my organizing principle.  Some of my choices may be controversial (I sent Union Jack-painted furniture way to the bottom of the list), but I'm so glad to see a shout-out to Danika and Cheryl at O'Verlays right there in print.  Metro, thanks for having me!

Second. 

West Elm knocked my socks off today. How, you ask? I installed a fabulous gallery wall using some of their gallery frames (okay, like 30 of their gallery frames), and I was sooooo happy to discover that they come with their own little mockups. In hot pink, no less.  (It's the little things, right?)

Usually I cut these myself from kraft paper (like this), and I'm sure having them pre-made saved me an hour of install time. Plus, they actually work for hanging. See the little illustration for the hook?

Shockingly, they are in the right place. Another chunk of time saved.

Third. 

I share my current color obsession on Monday over at Anne Marie's Blog 10 Rooms for her series, Crushing on Color. Be sure to check it out, then come on back here to see how I put one of the illustrated color pairings into practice when I rearranged some things in the bedrooms.

I'm working this weekend, but it's all fun projects. Which is good, because the alternative was a girls weekend in NYC with two of my best-ever girlfriends. (Have fun ladies--I will miss you!)  How about you--anything fun planned?

Oh, fourth.


Speaking of NYC, tomorrow night Dave and I are going to see The Moth live here in Minneapolis.  It's like a little slice of our New York experience following us out here, and I can't wait.  Here we are at a Moth event early in our dating days, I guess March of 2003?  I was WAY ahead of the curve on the brightly colored pants trend, let me tell you.  (Purple!)  And those yellow dangly earrings were an absolute fave.

Kantha Chair

I am loooooving the Kantha trend.  I called it here.  Still seems like the natural next step with other ethnic textiles (ikat, souzani) ever more popular and in danger of playing themselves out.  (have done them both, still love them both, but still.)

After all the little kantha pillows and throws (Pottery Barn, Jayson Home and Garden, West Elm), I love seeing Kantha upholstery on this limited edition chair from West Elm.



I especially love that they chose a sort of mid-century inspired chairs with angular lines and narrow legs to set off the blue stitched quilts.



If I had space, I would totally put this in the guest room- the little bit of masculinity and less-than-serious upholstery would be just what the slightly-formal room needs.

Okay, the kilim sofa, also limited edition, is pretty hot, too.



I've also just been noticing that Pulkhari is fast on Kantha's heels, what with pillows all over One Kings Lane and Serena and Lilly's Bazaar, for all of $500 a pop.

[here]

What do you think about upholstering pieces with exotic textiles?  Any calls on what's next?

West Elm: My picks from the new collection

I'll admit it: I have kind of a love-hate relationship with West Elm.  I never have success when I go to the actual store, I think their furniture is, by and large, uncomfortable, badly made, and over priced (hmmmm... laying the groundwork for future blog sponsorship), but I do think they do an amazing job with accessories, accent furniture, and textiles.  They manage to be very fresh and current without feeling too trendy.  When they send me emails about what's new, I actually open them.  Such was the case last week.  There's some good new stuff.  Ready for my picks?

I've really been loving small-scale checks (remember the lampshade fabric for the guest room?)  This grey and white palette feels fresh enough to work in a masculine or feminine setting, and of course I love the quilting and the way they styled it against a navy wall.

This table reminds me a bit of the World Market campaign desk I put in Melissa's living room plan, but I love how airy and delicate the metal legs are.

The almost-African pattern on these new woven rugs feels just right.

I am 100% in love with these vases, especially the big one.  I was just thinking that I needed pieces that were a little off-kilter, I'm such a squarer of corners and believer in symmetry (or balanced asymmetry.)  They're even called "Discord vases," and while I don't need any more discord in my life, I could use just a touch more of it in my decorating.

And then on the other hand, the appeal of perfect symmetry, perfectly gorgeous colors, and the exact right finish to the surface.  These are called "egg vases," and are, appropriately, teeny.

Have you ever used a sun print kit?  I gave one to my husband for his birthday once.  I love the application here, and if I was in the market for some china (I decidedly am not), I would LOVE to pair these with my royal Copenhagan Blue Fluted Mega. 

  

It would be such an organic counterpoint to the graphic pattern of the china, but the equally saturated blues would balance nicely.  I may not set the table with them together, but the West Elm ones would be such an unexpected grace note for dessert.

Have you seen the new collection?  Any favorites that I skipped?

All images westelm.com
Oddly enough, I can't share the prices on these because the day I was browsing their site, the prices were coming up in an unknown currency and everything numbered in the thousands. Weird, right?

Happy Monday!

Kantha

Is kantha the new ikat? Feels like it's popping up all over the place.

Elle Decor featured these pillows from Jayson Home and Garden in the last issue
And West Elm is offering a very similar version for much less money (though if you live in the Twin Cities, you're out of luck: they only have two left in the store and they won't get more until June. Plus, if you ordr online you have no control over the color or pattern that you get. Booooo.)


These came from TJ Maxx (but they're too pink and will be going back)


And this screen was on display at Home Goods yesterday.


"Kantha" actually refers to a type of embroidery popular in Indian, and while all of these pieces are embroidered, it seems that the most "authentic" take on kantha uses vintage saris that have been embroidered. If you want to be authentic, try these, from ebay.


What do you think: will this be a flash in the pan, or a global trend with staying power, like suzanis, ikat, and beni ourain rugs?

A Fluorescent Edge

Speaking of painted furniture legs, I just stumbled upon these amazing outdoor benches from the Summer Snow line by Uhuru design in Interior Design Magazine. They are custom made in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and probably out of my price range (isn't everything these days?) I think you could DIY the look. It works because of the tension between the natural element (that gorgeous reclaimed wood) and the hyper-artificial (neon, as a category, does not often happen in nature!) I would consider buying a natural slab of wood, like this one that I just saw on craigslist for $100 (or better, yet, snag one from my in-laws property for free),

and adding metal table legs with a nice coat of neon spraypaint.

Or customize an already-in-one-piece table from craigslist. I think this little side table from West Elm would also look killer with some neon legs.
The effect would be super sexy, and chances are, you wouldn't run the risk of having the same thing as everyone else.

Deal: Mongolian Lambswool Pillow

Today on One Kings Lane, the Mongolian Lambswool Pillows are on special for $59 (retail $150), but they're all already on hold.


You could get the same thing at West Elm, where the 16" square is always $59 (above), or you could do what I did: snap one up at Target for just $12.99 for an 18" square. There it is, on the new loveseat:


That's right, $12.99. It's not actual lambswool, but hey, isn't that maybe a good thing?

You should definitely sign up for One Kings Lane if you haven't already (and if you're in the market for all kinds of home goodies at substantial discounts.) Here, I'll invite you.

You're welcome.