by Melanie Jones on June 2, 2010
If you’re like me and your green thumb is the very lightest shade of the hue, you’ll love how easy it is to add a little color to your garden, thanks to some spectacular outdoor furniture offerings that Richard Schultz and John Kelly introduced at ICFF.
New from the iconic Schultz, the seating in the Fresh Air Collection re-imagines the classic Windsor chair in powder-coated sheet aluminum. Available in three highly polished classic colors, the chairs can be customized with either a tubular-steel base or an aluminum-panel base.
Equally cool is the Fresh Air table, with thick square legs crafted of powder-coated extruded aluminum that complement beautifully both leg styles of the dining chairs. The table is available with a porcelain, glass or fiberglass top. I would love this in an office or studio in a screened porch.
The Rho Series from John Kelly Furniture owes its sleek silhouette to a perfect combination of smooth curves and precise angles—and is available in 10 fabulous colors! A well-edited selection of chair and table styles allows for contemporary dining and conversation areas, not to mention a stylish way to relax by the pool.
And if you can’t choose from all the great colors, consider the stripes! I loved this chaise lounge; the striped fabric makes for a great punctuation mark within the color palette.
by Patti Boker Elkon on June 1, 2010
Utilizing color in design can be a challenge, but Corita Rose, a young home furnishings company from England has got it down to a tee. I found this company at the ICFF, which was a real smash this time around. What caught my eye in the last row of the fair, was this brightest-of-bright couch that you see above.
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by Tammy Thiébaud on May 30, 2010
If France is the French gastronomy epicenter of the world, then E. Dehillerin, the famous centuries-old Parisian pastry and cookware seller, is its capital.
Located in downtown Paris’ first district, this store is niched on a street corner not far from the Louvre, the French Stock Exchange, and the Church of Saint Eustache. Though if you walk by too quickly, you may miss its unassuming window displays which look more like a general hardware store on the main street of a Midwestern town than a famed purveyor of cookery wares for world-renowned chefs.
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by Judy Weiss on May 28, 2010
Dwarfed by Tel-Aviv’s downtown skyscrapers this little house of worship still manages to thrive.
The Ohel Moed synagogue was part of the Houses from Within tours that I was at the beginning of May.
In 1925 Joseph Berlin was commissioned to design a synagogue for the Yemenite Jewish community. Founded and funded with the help of Adeni Jews, it became the largest Sephardi synagogue of Tel Aviv.
Today the building is used for daily prayers by employees of the Electrical Company who work nearby and some 15 regular worshipers who come on the Sabbath. The place is kept alive thanks to an entrepreneur who operates it as a trendy family occasion hall. [click to continue…]
by Patti Boker Elkon on May 20, 2010
Pets deserve the best when it comes to every whim… loyallux.com makes sure that a cat has a home with it’s paper house designed especially for those felines that like shelter. My visit to the ICFF this past Sunday was a much needed blast of inspiration from some of today’s young designers. This small but mention worthy product was such an inspiration.
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by Melanie Jones on May 19, 2010
The 22nd annual International Contemporary Furniture Fair has come and gone, and it was a complete overload of spectacular color and innovative design. While there were a few things my cohort and I deemed “same thing, different colors,” the majority of the show offered a uniquely original perspective on the modern home. And one thing that particularly caught my eye was the fantastic lighting that was showcased. So while I finish processing everything that’s bouncing around in my head, here are a few pieces that were, for me, love at first light.
Salvadoran designer Eugenio Menjivar’s breathtaking Loto lamp series—organically inspired by the lotus flower and crafted from recycled plastics—is best described by his statement on the collection: “An eco-experimental body of work that transforms discarded household materials into precious objects, allowing plastic to be reborn to educate consumers about sustainable design.” Be sure to check out his website, a whimsical work of art in itself.
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by Patti Boker Elkon on May 16, 2010
Photo by Bizrate
What’s not to like about a color that hides dirt, dust and almost every unattractive substance that could come your home’s way? Gray is the color of your dreams when it comes to hiding unsightly business around the house. I recently installed a gray rubber floor in my basement and it is an outstanding choice. Between the “Kitty Vomit” and the outdoor track that comes in through the garage, I am one happy camper!
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by Judy Weiss on May 14, 2010
It’s that time of year! Tel-Avivans (or is it Tel-Avivians?) open their homes, studios and offices to the public as part of the Houses from Within weekend tours. Last Friday (May 7th) I managed to see a few of the more than a hundred locations! This is the first of a series of posts. [click to continue…]
by Patti Boker Elkon on May 13, 2010
Photo by Fliker
The outside is my passion these days and all I can think of is my yard. The next big project is designing an outdoor space that is inviting, and doing the research before hand is integral for a successful outcome . What I really want is an area where I can host and entertain guests with food and drink comfortably. This means that by day, there must be a shade source and by night, a light source. The photo above seems like a good start.
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by Tammy Thiébaud on May 10, 2010
Dear Miss Manners:
Why can’t I use paper napkins — the heavy kind — at a dinner party? They look alright, do the job, and it’s more practical to be able to throw them away instead of cleaning them, but some people are fussy about them.
Gentle Reader:
The identical claims were made, a few years ago, for paper underpants. How come you don’t wear them?
– Judith Martin, from “Miss Manners’ Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior”
For those who still sit down at a table to eat a meal at home — whether with your mate, children, family, friends, or just by yourself — a napkin is an integral part of the place setting.
Its role is not just for decorative purposes. You use it to wipe your mouth and fingers throughout the meal. You have the choice of using cloth or paper napkins, though the obvious “eco-friendly” and economic choice would be cloth. For daily use at home, a cloth napkin for each family member can be re-used after each meal and changed weekly or bi-weekly, depending on the level of slovenliness.
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