Sweet Details

This grand piece is in the family room portion of the great room I have been telling you about. I showed you a beautiful detail in my last post and now I will show you a sweet detail. As you can see this media cabinet that I designed follows the contour of the stairs and enables a great amount of storage and display. Let's take a closer look...

Here is the contents of the left cabinet next to the television. Do you recognize them? These are another Cyan Design find ~ the game pieces from Monopoly ~ a game that my client enjoyed playing with her family while growing up. She has many fond memories of those times.




I love the antique silver finish against the dark walnut wood. I also love that she smiles every time she looks at them. That is the best part of all!

William Yeoward

I have to say I am truly smitten. I had the pleasure of attending the debut of William Yeoward furnishings in the United States the other day. It was a lovely event held in the Edward Ferrell & Lewis Mittman Showroom at the Washington Design Center. William did a "dry run" of his presentation on his new fabric line with Osborne & Little. He was going to NYC for the formal bash ~ we were his "guinea pigs" as he put it. I was happy to be one. First I'll say what I love about William; then I will tell you what I love about his creations.

William was the most gracious host I have ever seen. He was rearranging furniture to ensure people would be comfortable; he was taking the guests empty plates away; he wore jeans. I would live in jeans if I could. William was self-depreciating and humble. I have met people with half of his talent and success with egos the size of Minnesota; who wouldn't look at you when they spoke. I assure you I will not use their product lines in my designs. But William was down right endearing AND he is incredibly talented. His new fabric line was inspired by where he grew up ~ Cornwall, England. He treated us to pictures of Cornwall and how the fabrics relate. His brother was also in the pictures, which, of course, made it all the more personal.

William has many product lines. Sometimes when designer get too diversified, the magic can be lost. Not so here. Here has upholstery, case goods, pillows, accessories, and crystal. Now that is a man after my own heart. You know I have an affinity for glass and crystal and William did not disappoint. I also love embroidered pillows. William's are gorgeous and all done by hand.

His fabrics are lush and real. The cottons and linens he introduced were amazing. They are robust and beautiful.


I fell in love with his Pila Chair. Here's an important point ~ I sat in many of his chairs. They are comfortable! The Pila Chair in particular was very much so. Here is another point I love ~ you can dress his upholstery up or pare in down to accommodate any room in your home. Take a look...

The Pila Chair on the left is currently displayed in the EF & LM showroom. That is a fabric for last year's collection (I love it!). This version is formal. Now look at the one on the right ~ this is casual done with his new earthy fabrics. Each equally lovely. Why? It's the shape of the chair. Graceful. The back wraps around you. Look at this detail picture...

I love the little touch of the solid fabric surrounded by the nail head. Beautiful!

William seems to often use two fabrics on his furniture. That is another detail that I enjoy. It makes the piece interesting and can provide a gentle pause to a highly patterned fabric.

William has wonderful books as well. Click on each to get them...

He is mindful and talented. I definitely will be using his lines.

He's just that good!

Sophisticated Funky ~ Brocade Home

I was just perusing Brocade Home for a specific funky item and couldn't help but take all the wonderful pieces. Here is sophisticated funkiness at a reasonable price. They have everything from ceiling to floor...


I found what I was looking for. Did you?

Wouldn't these be wonderful in.....

The other day I posted about Elizabeth Lyons. When I was reviewing photos that I have saved for inspiration I couldn't help but place her glass art in the rooms. You know when something is fresh in your mind and you think about how it would relate to what you're currently doing? It was like that. I found two rooms compliments of Architectural Digest where the glass art above can easily be placed.

Some of the pieces would be a lovely addition to these rooms. What about these chic ones?!
Can you see them in this sophisticated space?!
I have to admit ~ my favorite colorways by Elizabeth in her latest and greatest are what I had on my mind when I was looking through pictures. It's funny how these things stick with you. I suppose that is how fabulous pieces usually get placed. The piece lays in the subconscious of the designer and a room can be designed just for it. That happens often to me after Market or after perusing one of my favorite hautes for antiques. And now it just happened with Elizabeth's work. I wonder where they'll end up??!!

In the Real World...

There are times when an apothecary jar or large glass vase with fruit is a nice display item. In an ideal world real fruit or vegetables wouldn't spoil. In the real world filling a jar with real fruit can be costly and icky after a while. What does one do?? Well I have used manufactured fruit replicas on occasion. Some replicas are better than others. Take these for example...

Are they real or are they manufactured?!!

They are manufactured. I recall my mom and hubby having a heated discussion over whether the fruit in a bowl were real or not. They were not but my mom didn't believe him. That's what I'm talkin' about...

These are made by a leader in the 'fake food' industry ~ Humphrey Farms.

Moral of the story ~ sometimes manufactured do just fine and stand the test of time and believability. Just look for the ones that will start an argument about whether they are real or not. Those are the keepers.