I hope your holiday season is going well and finding you surrounded by warmth, good food and good company.

I love the history and the designers that comprise the collection of Fredericia Furniture.  Old names, such as Hans J. Wegner, Borge Mogensen, Nanna Ditzel, and fresh design talent infused by the likes of Christina Strand, Hans Sandgren Jakobsen, Peter Mogensen, Per Borre and Cecilie Manz.  Most of these designers are well known and deeply rooted in danish tradition.

The collaboration between the designers and Fredericia Furniture is based on a common passion for furniture design with a respect for quality.  These pieces illustrate a mastery of combining functional and aesthetics.

In their words, “Furniture that is needed and made to be used. Furniture that is a delight to the eye every day.”

I love the lines, the balance, the materials selection, the finishing quality.  These pieces would fold so well in both residential and commercial venues…..lovely vignettes.

Peace.

I sold her today…the chair.  I’m a bit melancholy about it.  I know, that is kind of goofy.  I put my heart and soul into each piece of furniture I design…especially those that are reclaimed and refurbished.  I do have the reupholstery and refinishing done professionally…it’s important to me that each piece reflects quality… obviously vintage pieces have their share of worn in charm.  

She was lacquered in a rich sea glass green.  I had her reupholstered in Marimekko linen with a complementary chenille welt.  Her cushions covers have zippers and the frame base is also covered with the Marimekko fabric; she was so cleanly finished.

I feel like a furniture rescuer of sorts.  When I originally reclaimed her, she was donning a  (I should have snapped pictures) dark wood stained frame, with russet orange velvet cushions…yikes…but I saw her potential and it was lovely.

She will be shipping off to Texas…I hope she’ll make her new owner as happy as she has made me here in the studio….very very happy.  It was sold via the online site Lushpad, where I recently listed a few of my studio pieces.   I will be listing a few more this week.  Feel free to contact me for more information on any of the items.  I promise they have all been very loved. :)

It’s a tad bittersweet, but mainly it’s just sweet.

Dror, is the brand extension for the work of international designer, Dror Benshetrit.  He is a multidisciplinary designer of products, interiors, architecture and art direction.  His background is quite diverse, his experience well seasoned. His client roster includes the likes of Kiel’s, Levi’s, Swarovski, and fashion designer, Yigal Azrouél, among others.

He’s recently launched a series of interior products for Target stores starting at an affordable $19.99 each. The products are stylish, smart, and incredibly easy to assemble.  The modular nesting bookshelves in walnut are sleek, functional, aesthetic and simple.

These are flexible and a nice alternative to higher priced comparable items.

I love how the look varies so nicely just by switching up piece configuration.

This simple, wood veneer and metal accent table could work well in so many small space applications and it’s smart compartmentalized design is quite appealing.

Shifting now to softer scape, he also released this graphic large scale humming bird bedding starting at $19.99 a piece.  (He also has wall art of a similar motif).

The butterfly collection is just as lovely, with a little quieter color palette for his large graphic patterned selection. (Again, wall art is available in this motif as well).

Initially impressed by the product and styling he’s offering for Target, I was inspired to dig deeper into Dror’s body of work.  His interiors are based on the philosophy noted above.  I got this vibe when looking through his portfolio.  One space in particular resonated with me and I am happy to share it with you.  

Lovely, inviting, mysterious, intriguing and evocative, I’d say :)  Old world brick, concrete flooring, low to high light flexibility, minimalistic with smartly unpredictable furnishing choices.  This smacks style through and through.

He also designed this custom piece for a wine bar—I love the lines, the use of strong, distressed materials.  The result is both substantial and shows quiet restraint at the same time; Pieces like these are so inspiring.  I can see variations of this theme working quiet well as an island in a residential cook’s kitchen, a retail cash wrap for a high end hand made metal jewelry designer, or a much smaller version working beautifully as a vanity for a beach house guest bath.

And last but not least, his recently designed Peacock chairs, for the renowned upscale Italian Company, Cappellini.  They are infamous Italian manufacturers of home decor furnishings, decorative objects, panel systems and area rugs and well as a full spectrum of product offerings within the commercial realm design.

Historically, Cappellini has been known to work with lesser known designers from all over the world.  Many of these designer’s have gone on to experience  a more fruitful following and expansive client base as a result of their collaborative relationship with this world renowned company.

One of the benefits of authoring this blog is learning a bit more about the inspiration, philosophy and life behind the people and products I feature here.  This post was no exception.  

If you get a chance, check out Dror’s full product offer for Target, here, or look for it during your next Target store visit.  Currently 18 products are available through Target, with several new products expected to be released within the coming months.   

Peace :)

I recently visited Century Furniture’s website, while researching some outdoor furniture options for a client. Their site is refreshing, their pitch is fresh and inviting.  I’m so excited to share a few of their pieces available within their leisure outdoor category.  The styles are timeless, but fresh, with a variety finish options.

The Andalusia and Riviera lines (like most of their styles) allows you to work with their basic canvas options, or easily customize each piece with the fabric of your choice. Cast and extruded powder coated aluminum frames, with finishing that resembles a hand forged appearance result in a freshness that is stylishly spot on.  These classic frames have the quality that Century is long been known for, but the finish is engineered for full time exterior use.  I honestly could see many of these pieces working beautifully in both indoor and outdoor applications.  

The sleek clean lines, generous scale and proportion, variety of customization options with both frame color and fabric selection opens up the possibilities for so many gorgeous looks.

Finish options are as essential to the success of a look as the style and quality of construction.  For my client’s money, Century does a phenomenal job on all fronts in creating pieces with options that allow designer’s creative freedom to reflect their client’s dream looks.

The functional and attractive chaise canopy and tassel add a sense classic style…aren’t these just lovely?

There is something so fresh, comfortable, versatile and classic about this chaise.  Again, this would work beautifully in an outdoor poolside setting as well as in a corner reading nook in a large master bedroom suite.

Century also offers many other leisure outdoor styles.  I found so many that were appealing.  Here are a couple that speak volumes on style and remind me, quite refreshingly, of the longstanding, geometrically sexy McGuire furniture line.

I love the masculine scale, precision of stylizing within the frames, and the finishes that reflect a richness that will last and last.  Designing pieces that are generous in scale, reflect style longevity, offer finish flexibility and are timelessly tasteful is something Century does quiet well.

Nothing speaks style like the classic lines of the renowned Oscar De La Renta.  This piece, the quintessential lounge chaise, reminds me of a few nap filled afternoons poolside in my younger years. Cushions and throw pillows are beautifully dressed in a whitewashed acrylic.  These woven frames are a reflection on the classic scale, quiet finish, rich textural quality that serves so many design looks well.

Lastly, I’ve included a sleek option with their Gulf Stream, maritime look.  This is reflective of yacht railings with their stainless steel frames crafted in forms that combine striking vertical and horizontal planes with soft curves.  These read a bit more modern in spirit and would fold nicely in many indoor or outdoor design settings.  I can see seats covered in many fabric styles from small textural quiet weaves to rich, bold, large graphic patterns.

I will be featuring a few of Century’s mirrors in another post.  This is a ‘to the trade’ vendor, but one that offers design sensibility, classic quality construction, a continual commitment to customer service, and an investment in maintaining style freshness that is so important in an ever changing design climate.

Thank you for being here; it really does make me smile.  

Peace.

I got slammed the latter part of this week and didn’t get a chance to be here.  I have some fun things lined up for next week…this visual gives you a little taste…couldn’t you just fold right into this room and read, nap, sing, sip tea or just look at the ocean from your window.  This company has been around a long time, and I’ll be featuring some of my favorite selections of their furnishings in two different posts.  The first will be a few outdoor/leisure pieces that are fresh, clean lined beauties that I could also see working within an interior setting.  The second will illustrate a few of my favorites within their mirror line…I’ll disclose the vendor (image source) in my first post… :)  The image above didn’t really fit either theme, but I had to share it with you because it speaks volumes on quiet tasteful use of sexy shaped furnishings, a quiet tone on tone color palette, layered smartly with varying textures and finished with the perfect value of sea glass blue to soothe the eye.

I hope you have a lovely weekend.  We will be having a bit of family over tomorrow to celebrate father’s day and my boyfriend’s birthday, which was earlier this week.

I’ll leave you with this thought:

Progress always involves risk; you can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.                                                                                                                                                           Frederick Wilcox

One of the vendors, Phillips Collection has an interesting array of products, their large scale pieces work well in select residential projects, larger hospitality projects and certain contract clientele.  Their showroom space illustrated some repetition from summer market, with some interesting new product introductions.  Overall, their pieces seemed grander to huge compared to what I had remembered.

One of their signature products is free form wood console and side tables.  These pieces are incredible in person, each one unique in shape, size, wood type and footprint.  The use of strong, natural elements in thoughtful moderation is a perfect addition to many interiors.

 I wanted to share a selection of visuals that illustrate the balance of organic free form wood elements offset against cleaner, simpler elements.

See full post here

See Grace’s writeup here

In closing, I’ve added a mix of the other items  that Phillip Collection offers; they have a mix of products including furnishings, wall decor, mirrors, sculpture, lighting, accessories and outdoor decor.

I am drawn to the sculptured, cut out lighting, and the back hole chair is masculine, yet sexy somehow. The Frog table is a nice scale, reflects a playfulness evident in some of their items.  Their newest releases are not available for visual download as of yet, but I’ll follow up and keep you posted.