Mantles are for decorating… it’s the heart of the living room, and usually the heart of the home. Back in California, we never used our fireplace (at all), but here in North Carolina, we turn it on and actually use it! Here is our current Christmas mantle (in our very first home!)…
And here is 2008′s mantle…
At the store, we had a few fake mantles sprinkled around… Here are a few Christmas Mantles from the years gone by….
… and our very first Christmas tree back in 2003…
Here are some random mantle displays..
Birthday mantle
Explorer mantle
Valentine’s Day mantle
Valentine’s mantle close up Halloween mantle
Ocean-themed room mantle
Hard to see, but this is a handmade freestanding mantle that we had in the store (made by Robert… who we miss!)
Here is my Mom’s mantle and Christmas Cupboard…
I love all the pink and green! She has a pink Christmas tree, too… hopefully she’ll get that picture to me, soon :)
If you have an awesome mantle display, email it to me and I’ll post it here! :) Happy decorating!!
When I found out we were moving to the “furniture capital of the world”, I had no idea of the scope of such a statement.
A few weeks ago I attended the Highpoint Market in High Point, North Carolina and whoa… I think I want to go back to school for interior design. I think I DO want to know the difference between Rococo and Georgian… in excruciating detail, too :)
My pictures aren’t fantastic because I didn’t know the exact etiquette of the show… I thought a flash or our good camera would certainly bring too much attention. Around every turn a new genre of furniture and style feature… and booze. We enjoyed cheese and wine but really, I was getting punch drunk on design :)
Rachel has the catalog from this company… can’t remember the name. Their items were so wonderful. The wood was stained with deep shades of gray. Clean lines and simple design.
Amy Butler designed rugs by Chandra Rugs… I want one of each, please.
And you know the day is almost finished when your bags are full and your partner in crime looks exhausted :) Those are Rachel’s feet in one of the two pairs of shoes she carried around all day.
We actually started the day with a Designer luncheon with Michael Payne, host of the HGTV show “Designing for the Sexes”. He’s launching his new line of furniture and interiors. He was showing us pictures of cars, architecture and chairs… and from his slideshow, I do believe he may live in Pasadena (a few houses looked familiar).
Here’s one pic of him and a few of our luncheon friends. Michael explained that nothing in design is new… someone is always knocking off someone else… including mother nature. He showed several slides of leaves and flowers and how he incorporated nature’s designs into his own line.
The outside of the Market was impressive, too… gorgeous buildings… almost 150 in total in the area. All dedicated to furniture, furnishings and decor. At the end of the show, we sat on the balcony of the Showplace, sipping wine and looking down at the buildings… I could have easily been at the LA or California Mart in Downtown Los Angeles. It was great.
The interior of the Showplace building was amazing, too…
This year, the High Point market turned 100 years old… they had a Beatles cover band called 1964 The Tribute and random food in small quantities… all under a huge tent. It was fun to see all the sales reps in bad suits cut loose after the busy day ;) There were catalogs and complimentary bags strewn everywhere…
And a short video of 1964, the tribute…
The nine hours we were there felt like 20… it’s such an overwhelming experience and really taxes all of your senses. (See us getting giddy and stupid/silly at the LA Mart back in ’06 Here). We only went for one day so I still feel like a complete newbie. I’ve been to shows, but nothing like this. It was my “first time to market” as the other designers would say.
Next time, I’m getting a hotel, bringing a pack mule to carry my catalogs and going to the market every single day.
Sidenote… I found this a little sad and strange… Every entry to every major building had a large magazine rack filled with assorted design periodicals… alas… nobody was picking up the “Rug News” as it was full in every rack that I saw. I’m sorry Rug industry!
My usual definitive sense of style is hiding from me. I used to think I was locked into a shabby-chic-beach-cottage-vintage-kitsch vortex but as of recently I’m gravitating towards more modern and sleek furniture with scary elements of the 60′s and 70′s oozing out. Maybe it’s because I’ve been watching the Brady Bunch before bedtime? I think this started with my collection of acrylic grapes. My grandmother, Bobby, had them all over their lake house and I used to sit in the corner and fondle them when I was a kid. A week ago we had a two year old in our living room who was just as fascinated with the drift wood laden acrylic balls and I told her father, “Yep, in about 25 years she’ll be looking for these on Ebay… just like I did. We now have a new fan”. I need to point out, these handmade gems go for at least twenty bucks at thrift stores now. Ugh. Are we all products of our grandmothers’ taste? ;) And like many of you 30-somethings, I’d naturally pick up a magazine from the 60′s and fall in love with every over-the-top representation of pattern, color and gelatin product.
House and Garden, May 1965
I like the modern twist on the 60′s that we’re seeing a lot of these days. Very similar, but taken down a few notches. The moment I stepped into the Viceroy Hotel in Palm Springs, I wanted to live there. The trifecta of yellow, black and white was unusually comforting in my little blue/green-centric head. They call the style “a modern interpretation of the Hollywood Regency style”. Love it. (And ohmigosh you can buy chic hotel interior stuff from the Viceroy and other hotels on Kor Hotel Group’s website! Only $300 for three rolls of wallpaper!)
And take a look at the similar style at the Santa Monica Viceroy location (below)… too cool.
And all the color in design these days… the deep blue hues, rich pooling draperies… so neat… this calls for a montage.
In the past, more than one customer has come into the store with several decorating elements very seriously wanting to know the decorating style they are trying to achieve. “Is this French Country, English Country or Farmhouse?” Ohmigosh. I have no idea. Toile curtains, blue walls, ocean elements and white wood and you live in a 1930′s California ranch house bungalow. Ummmm… Catalina French?? I dunno! Makes me so nervous to put a label on such things. But it’s all sorts of entertaining.
With that said, would you say the above is this Rococo modern with elements of Victorian, Georgian and a twist of Minimalist chic? ;) In my house we call this “eclectic”… I was quoted in the local paper as saying my store was a baby nursery meets Fantasyland at Disneyland meets… was it…. a Tim Burton film? Wow. How very out of touch of me :)
So, I will continue to obsess on design… and hope to evolve with it :) Or, with my incredibly short attention span, I’ll be onto the history of sod tomorrow. Never can tell.
