Fun Friday ~

Today I get to announce the winner of the Halloween E~Design Giveaway Contest!!!!!

Drum roll please...........

And the winner is Stefanie! YAY! Stefanie is also know as Mrs. Limestone from the wonderful blog Brooklyn Limestone! In case you didn't see it, here is her entry ~

YIKES! Now that's scary!!

Stefanie, please take a bow!

And now for an encore.....
This is her home this year! This photo is from Stefanie's blog. OMG ~ This is best Halloween design I have ever seen!! Double YIKES!

So what does she win?? Take a look by clicking here. I'm emailing Stefanie the packet right now. She would like a fresh pair of eyes for her master bedroom and some touches for her living room.

That was fun! Thank you to all that entered. I loved all the submissions! I certainly got some fabulous ideas!! A big thank you to the 257 folks that voted ~ you all made it really fun!!!

Now for my final Fall High Point Market 2009 coverage, I'll bring you to the funnest place there ~ Interhall. Interhall is located on the first floor of the IHFC building ~ this biggest building in Market. In Interhall, there are isles and isles one walks up and down much like an outdoor artisan market. There are some heavy hitters there, like Barclay Butera, but also smaller companies that don't really need or want to pay for a full size showroom. It's almost competitive with creativity ~ 'how can I stop folks in their tracks and entice them to come inside?' Well here's who caught my eye and I ended up inside.

There is a well known relationship between fashion and interior design. This Emdee International takes full advantage of it and plays it up!


The next seven photos are from Natural Curiosities. The name says it all. Inside there are so many interesting things to look at, to place in clients' homes to add that special creative touch.

Barry Dixon had a few of these in his Green Show House.







Very cool shelves with words of wisdom to inspire.



How wonderful is this?!! One may display in a three dimensional manner pages from well loved books or love letters from an old flame... anything paper that you love!



You saw these before. Still loving it especially for pillows and small ottomans. Very, very FUN!

This photo is from Halo Styles. The base is a propeller from a large boat. They had several items that were repurposed from that boat ~ how green!

Halo Style ~ gorgeous carved mirror.

You also saw this ~ lovely texture, bold feminine designs ~ fantastic!

Luna Bella ~ wonderfully different lighting. You saw the pendants. Here are a chandelier and a floor lamp.

This floor lamp will need some space but it is spectacular. Two of them flanking almost anything (sofa, bed, my husband) would be something special to see.

That concludes my High Point extravaganza. For one day ~ I did alright ~ if I do say so myself!

Happy Weekend!

Fall High Point Market ~ Part III

The Sustainable Furnishings Council was well represented at this Market. They have three heavy hitters as their spokesmen. I attended their Summit. The Council's president, Jeff Hiller, moderated the round table discussion with Vladimir Kagan, Thom Filicia, and Alexander Julian. When the Council went in search of their spokesmen, they researched them. They wanted people that didn't just start being green with the latest trends but folks that have been practicing it, demonstrating that it can be done well. Thom Filicia, as many of you know, has begun a green line of furniture with Vanguard. I plan to look into his line in much more detail. I wasn't able to see it due to my unexpected departure. Still I want to give a nod to those that went through the long training day (missed that too but I am taking the webinar version right now) and to the companies that have passed the Council's strict guidelines. When I am finished with my training in December, it will render me a 'Certified Green Designer' for clients would like to work with one. How wonderful!

In addition to Thom's line at Vanguard, here are a few more furnishing lines that are recognized by the Sustainable Furnishings Council.....

Boulevard Echo Upholstery


Palecek


West Brothers


Lee (natural Lee)


Tomlinson/Erwin-Lambeth


Ibolili
Plus many more ~ easily find what you need on the Council's website.

Ok, I have completed my moral greening behavior.

Now its time to sin with shameless name dropping.

This is how I started my day.....

Thom Filicia was the kind soul I remembered him to be. Full of hugs and kisses. We discussed his green Vanguard line and wondered out loud to him why they didn't have a designer program. Thom did not know. Hmmm... I wonder if he'll mention it to them?! After seeing the line, which I'm sure I'll love given what I saw in his show house, I'll bring it up again with Vanguard.



This how I ended my day....
I met Margaret Russell from Elle Decor at her book signing soiree. She was lovely and patient. She was also cold. It was chilly in the tent and she had on short sleeves. I commiserated with Margaret as she kept removing her throat lozenge from her mouth to smile for pictures. We both look a bit like deer in the headlight as my friend has minor technical difficulties with the camera.

What a wonderful day ~ that is until I drove home to be with my daughter. No worries, Lauren is fine AND my coverage is not yet done. I saved the best for last. It will be part of my Fun Friday post. First, the winner of the E~Design contest will be announced (you can still vote until 8:00 pm EST tonight) and then on to the best part, the very fun and inspiring part of Market!

Stay tuned.....

Fall Highpoint Market ~ Part II

We all have our usual haute showrooms when going to Markets. I wanted to show you a few of mine and then another trend I was seeing. One of my usuals wasn't at Market this time. These things concern me because the economy has put such a strain on the industry that I wonder if all will come out the other side. I hope so. There are some smaller companies out there that make exceptional furnishings that are struggling. Even some large ones too but they can restructure, sell off or drop components so their large corporation may gain capital. Not so for the smaller ones. That's what concerns me; makes me sad really. But on with some usuals that seem ok ~ for now.

Up first, Palecek. You saw the top photo yesterday (worth repeating). Here's a fact about Palecek ~ their a green company ~ and always have been.

This is a beaded leaf motif.
Etched wood.

They introduced a glass series that is gorgeous at a very nice price point!
Love this new introduction chair ~ front and back.
I also adore the table next to it. Simple and beautiful.

Next, Global Views. You saw a lot of them yesterday with the gray and orange color trend. Here's a few more interesting pieces.....

Here is a new take on wall decor ~ a open rose. Its extension is about 10" so it can't be placed in a narrow hallway but wow, these were awesome. They have small buds and open roses. A grouping of these on a tall wall would be quite interesting and lovely.
Wonderful crystal ball sconce.
They have a collection of bronze ~ brown pieces that I adore. That's my favorite neutral.
Accent table ~ quite sculptural.
Gorgeous new dining table.

Worlds Away. They are known for their metal and mirror but are also gaining popularity with these accent pieces. What I really like about these ~ they all offer storage and can be used in many applications......
A demilune wow factor.
Organized glamour.
Asymmetric glamour ~ these come in mirror images so they can be symmetrical with one on either side of a sofa. I particularly like these ~ they add interest. You can see me taking the picture... mirror.... what are you gonna do??! The star burst are also a reflection ~ not part of the piece :-)

Hickory Chair. I only took a few pictures ~ you saw some yesterday. For in depth coverage, check out Habitually Chic ~ Heather covered them very well. I'll be going to Hickory Chair University in November. I'm looking forward to that.
I love this soft pink bed. Very feminine.
An Alexa Hampton chair ~ wonderful, front and back.
You may wonder why I keep showing and saying front(s) and back(s) of chairs. Each are equally important for aesthetics. Chairs often float thus seeing 360 degrees of the chair. Look at Alexa's chair. It is a tub chair but note the wood embellishment and nail head, the extension of the 'arms' out as if stretch out to catch or embrace you. It is quite inviting by its shape and form. I kept coming back to this chair (or maybe I was just going in circles ~ it is easy to in their showroom :-) I doubt it though. This was my favorite piece in Hickory Chair. Double click on it to see the detail.

Now for a trend I saw. Yesterday, I covered the color palettes. Today ~ pendants. They were everywhere. I saw many, many pendants made of natural materials. All were simple shaped. The ones I liked the best were at Jamie Young....
They are soft and elegant. I can see using these is many rooms ~ sun rooms, powder rooms, flanking a bed.....
These glass pendants were introduced at last Market but I did not see them. They are beautiful glass enchanted with silver and banded at the bottom. Quite retro too! Again ~ many places these beauties can go.

These little numbers below are from Arteriors Home.....

The thing I like about smallish pendants is they may be hung as a solo piece or in a grouping at varying heights for interest, in a straight line for organization ~ but all add interest and a bit of sparkle even if being used for general or task lighting. I'd like to mix the glass pendants from Jaime Young with the first Arteriors' pendants in a grouping. I think those forms together would be harmonious ~ united by the silver and light ~ divergent by material, concentration of silver, and shape. Yum!

Lastly, we have Luna Bella. I wish the picture wasn't so dark ~ sorry!
These are glass beads hanging in acrylic spheres with gold and pewter distressed castings. I know, I know, your thinking Halloween but they aren't as dark as they appear. I love them. They have funky powder room written all over them!

There you have it, Part II of Fall High Point Highlights. Tomorrow I will drop names and report on green resources ~ I figure I'll still go to heaven if I behave in a sinful and moral fashion in the same post ~ right??!

If you have not voted on the E~Design Giveaway ~ click here and cast your critical vote!