Posts

High Point Furniture Market Design Trends and More

Making the drive to Furniture and Accessory Market in High Point, NC is always an exciting time.  I’m very lucky as my husband, Rick, makes the journey with me.  Stopping over in Virginia to see our dear friend Lenora, we witnessed the beauty of the fall leaves turning. With paved walks gracing the entire development where Lenora lives, Rick and I took an early morning walk along the reservoir as the cool fall air danced upon our face. Enjoying a beautiful evening dining at The Boathouse at Sunday Park Restaurant, I captured the most beautiful sunset over the reservoir.

 

Upon arriving at the Furniture market later the next day, my senses were on overload with new and creative ideas overflowing. Having traveled there for the past 25 years, you get into an exciting but hectic routine. Walking through the doors of the IHFC Building (International Home Furnishings Center) one building out of hundred’s, not only enlightens your senses but, also renews my excitement of why I do what I do for a living. On the main floor called InterHall, some of the showrooms stage their entrances while others entice you in by the beauty created by lighting, props and their products.

Located in the lower level of the International Home Furnishings Center, this unique entrance to Imagine Home draws you into their showroom.

The Michael Lamb Interiors & Antiques showroom located in the Somerset Bay/Modern History Furniture building is full of glorious antiques. The owner’s dog, George, had apparently had a full day at market and did what we all wish we could do!

George had apparently had enough of market for one day.

So trending now, the hues of blue are artfully displayed in the MT Companies showroom.  I’ve represented this upholstery line for over 20 years and their attention to detail, craftsmanship and representation are impeccable. From unique ottomans to trim details on the sofas and chairs there’s so much you can do to make each piece uniquely yours.

I almost thought I would write a blog on, “The dogs of Market.”  Charlie, a Labradoodle and a star at modeling for a photo shoot, poses upon command on a super comfy chair in the MT showroom.

Located in Market Square, a wonderful complex listed on the National Historic Places was formally a manufacturing complex and has since been transformed into showrooms; some with the original beautiful planked floors. One of the showrooms, Thibaut Wallcoverings and Fine Furnishings does an incredible job with “staging.” Grass wallpaper in a stripe is displayed in this room below. The mirror, top of the end tables and the doors of the console are all embellished with a wallpaper inset.

Thibaut Wallcovering and Fine Furnishings showroom makes you want to redo your living room with this wonderfully cozy feel.

Still on an upward trend is the casual but classic modern.  It captivates a clean, elegant minimalistic styling.  So simple but so softly elegant as displayed in the Lexington Home Brands showroom located in a wonderful building 15 minutes from downtown.

Lexington Home Brands Sligh office furniture line casts a wonderful simple but elegant contemporary style.

Lexington Home Brands showroom featuring the Shadow Play line.

Trends I saw a lot of:  Mixing metals, such as dark bronze with nickel, brass with bronze, polished and brushed nickel; Brass is making a huge comeback; although white walls have their place, seems the jewel tones are very strong.  I saw a lot of white furniture and decor mixed with vibrant hues of orange, indigo and blue; Velvet fabrics making a comeback on sofas; Wallpaper in the living spaces – Geometric patterns are very big in wallpaper and fabrics; Still going strong is the Industrial Style – mixing of wood, metal and stone.  A sort of NYC loft feel with an inviting edge.

The Uttermost/Revelation showroom featured an industrial feel in this dining area. Notice the unique chandelier.

The definition of Trend is a general direction in which something is developing or changing.  You may feel you like the modern design and appreciate it but that doesn’t necessarily mean you can live with it.  If you like something from “the trend” such as a large geometric print, you can add that to your existing style as long as the colors flow well and the new fabric compliments the patterns in the existing room. Following the trends is not all that matters, it’s feeling comfortable with your style. Mixing your style with a trend edge creates a warm personal style and keeps you feeling fresh and new…I love my yellow floral chintz chair in my living room from the MT Companies with a velvet leopard print pillow on it.  Remi does too…

Remi catches a few rays coming in from the skylight on the yellow floral chair in the Living Room.

New and Inspired Fresh Summer Garden Colors

 

A glimpse into Benjamin Moore’s refreshing colors will inspire you to repaint.  Their fresh pales awaken the senses.  The light muted tones of grays, lavenders, blues, yellows and greens invigorate us all.  Benjamin Moore’s 2015 color of the year is called Guilford Green which, has a hint of mint just in time to be inspired by the summer garden.

BM color of the year

Benjamin Moore’s color of the year 2015

 

dried flowers

Dried flowers from my garden mimic the colors of Benjamin Moore’s Guilford Green.

 

Benjamin Moore Colors

 

With all the rain this summer, my small gardens live large with an abundance of flowers dancing in the breeze.  Light colors of yellows, purples, whites, and a collage of greens intermix with  deeper tones while the grass and sky  seems to become their scenic backdrop.  

dogwood tree

My small front garden lives large this year with the abundance of rain.

 

front garden

The front garden flowers dance in the breeze while the grass and sky become it’s scenic backdrop.

 

front porch

My front porch invites people in with flowers cascading over a stone hedge hog meant to bring good luck within.

 Not only do textures add interest to the garden, but in furniture and on the walls as well.  Making a grand comeback are natural wallpapers such as: natural palms, bamboo, grasses and paper weaves.

Recently remodeled, our master bath, has a light colored textured paper weave by Thibaut Wallpaper. In contrast to that, I recently installed deep colored Java Grass on the walls in my client’s lower level media/bar room above the judges paneling.  The Java Grass boasts deep rich colors of blues, grays and browns adding a rich color and texture to the contrast of the white trim, Benjamin Moore’s Acadia White OC-38. Natural wallpapers not only look great on the walls but also installed into the sections of  coffered ceilings or on the walls behind a bookcase.

Brad lower level

In the process of being built, I installed java grass wallpaper in tones of blues, grays and browns against the backdrop of white trim in my clients lower level media/bar room.

Master Bath 2

Our recently remodeled master bath has a light colored textured paper weave by Thibaut Wallpaper.

Textured furniture, when mixed in with non-textured not only adds interest but invites the senses to be alive.  Lexington Home Brands, Ivory Key, is finished in a crisp white coloration with subtle parchment highlights.  Drawer fronts and a headboard of woven raffia create a natural look and also create a wonderful room for a backdrop in a bold color such as Benjamin Moore’s, Carter Plum CW-355 or a beautiful rich beige tone such as Pale Oak OC-70. 

BM HC

Featured as a back drop against a graceful fern, Benjamin Moore’s color Carter Plum CW-355 would create a wonderful contrast against white or cream furniture.

CCF07172015_00000

Lexington Home Brands, Ivory Key adds texture to the nightstand and headboard.

If bold color is not to your liking, try an elegant airy gentle white color from Benjamin Moore such as powder sand OC-113.  Lexington Industries new line, Oyster Bay, captures the style and feel of the new whites in a light oyster shell coloration.  Lexington states in their catalog that, “Today’s casual transitional styling blends lighter wood tones, natural textures and relaxed shades of ivory, taupe and gray, with designs that embody a feeling of laid-back sophistication.”

BM Gentle Whites

Benjamin Moore’s gentle whites

 

Lexington Oyster Bay

Lexington Home Brands, Oyster Bay, ” Blends lighter wood tones with natural textures and relaxed shades of ivory, taupe and gray, with designs that embody a feeling of laid-back sophistication.”

Whether your desire is lighter walls with rich toned furniture, a more monochromatic feel or darker walls with a lighter natural feel in furniture, the combinations abound.  This summer and fall, get inspired by the backdrop of the earth and sky mixed with the colors of a beautiful garden with textures from grasses, ferns and plants and colors naturally created from the earth, sky and flowers.

A blog just wouldn’t be the same without a picture of one of my abyssinians…..My star photogenic Aby, Sami, recently posed for me.   In the heat of a 90 degree day, she was looking for relief on a cool glass top in our summer screen room……Loving my new camera….(visit my blog prior to this)sami on table

My Home…..Recently Featured In The Post Standard

Marcia Philipp Interior Design. Syracuse Post Standard Article

Syracuse Post Standard Article

 

Design Inspiration

Need some design inspiration?  I know I could use some right about now…..we’ve all had a very long winter.  What better way to start than by visiting Lexington Home Brands Facebook Page to dream and awaken your sensesWhile you’re there, you’ll see they picked up and posted my last blog…https://www.facebook.com/lexington

We recently travelled to the Turks and Caicos where the water is picture perfect and so surreal.  Longing to open my windows and allow a beautiful breeze to come passing through as it did where we stayed, I’ve been inspired to recreate some of my spaces.

Caicos 2

View from our room.

Whether you’re looking to surround yourself with inviting comfort, longing to spend time in a cozy outdoor space or transforming a room into a timeless living space, Lexington Home Brands furnishings will inspire you.  Call me so we can get started!

turks 1

I felt like I was standing in a photograph the water was so surreal.

DELIGHTING THE SENSES

I frequently receive calls from new clients to help them combine two households.  Marrying at a later stage in your life can be a real challenge especially for an Interior Designer.  In the summer of 2005 I married for the first time in my late forties.  I was lucky though, the moving van pulled into my new husband’s driveway and they loaded a grandfather clock, an antique Stickley bookcase and his television.

Ellen Griffin, a New York based Interior Designer married later in life as well and her husband was moving from a 400-square-foot bachelor pad with no furniture.  “The perfect husband for a decorator,” she jokes.  My thoughts exactly!

 

My husband Rick, will tell you, it’s an everyday adventure being married to me.  I replaced an antique table in a room located off, what I call, the heart of the house.  The room has a beautiful bay window with a view of the lake.  This room,  I have deemed my husband’s man cave.  It has his favorite worn leather chair and ottoman and his television.  A quote by Mary Sarton states, “A house that does not have one worn, comfy chair in it is soulless.”

Somerset Bay

A table that added storage for my husband’s books and paperwork in the den also worked in my clients kitchen giving her additional storage and a place to place a lamp.

Needing a place to store his paperwork and books,  I replaced the antique table with a piece from one of my companies, Somerset Bay.  It has a small drawer for pens and chargers and two doors for storage.  It made him very happy.

Ok…so here’s the downfall to being married to an Interior Designer.  I was at a client’s home and saw a glass plant stand against one of her kitchen walls.  I thought wow, wouldn’t that piece from Somerset Bay look fantastic there!

Yes, you guessed it… The next day, I said to my husband, “Can you help me load your new table in my car?”  I got the “look” from him.  “Don’t worry honey,” I said, “I’ll order you another one.” The piece worked beautifully in my client’s kitchen and she loved it.  A table that added storage for my husband’s books and paperwork in the den also worked in my client’s kitchen giving her additional storage and a place to place a lamp.

I’ve always felt that rooms should be welcoming spaces that delight the eye and put you at ease.  Whether they are a blend of neutrals or vibrant colors, minimalistic or organized clutter, you want rooms that invite you in revealing their beauty slowly.

Dina Kitchen

A refreshing space soothes, surprises and delights.

Jonathan Pond

My garden pond soothes and delight’s your senses.

The most refreshing spaces, whether a bright kitchen or a classic garden, soothe, surprise and delight.

Properly placed furniture leads you into a room without creating walls.   Properly placed, it should invite conversation.  A beautiful home that’s loved and cared for immediately puts you in a good mood.

Lexington Ivory Key

Lexington Home Brands Ivory Key invites conversation.

One of my favorite things to do is helping clients rearrange their furnishings.  I love visualizing where pieces could be moved to create this feeling of surprise and delight.  With my vision,  I see moving an extra table with two chairs away from the dining room table and chairs to a location in front of a window that’s across the room and has a beautiful view of your garden.  The table now has its own space and in the winter on Sunday’s you could enjoy your newspaper and coffee at the table.  Yes, we will have to move your baby grand piano but, I have a great spot for that too!

Lexington Twilight Bay

Lexington Home Brands/Twilight Bay table and chairs invites your senses to sit and enjoy the view.

Delight your senses.  Have me come and take a look at your room.  I’ll leave you with a quote by Samuel Johnson.  “To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition.”  I second that emotion.

 

 

A Fresh Eye – Sometimes that’s all it takes

Dina Livingroom

Dina Chairs Livingroom

Dina Kitchen

Dina Bedroom

Recent photo’s taken by my ever so talented photographer, Jonathan Beach.

Do you love some of what you have already but need help pulling it together.  I can help with accessorizing and styling your rooms.

Sometimes a fresh eye can yield incredible results.

Manlius Home Featured in the Syracuse Post Standard

House of the Week: Beauty Queen Status

By Marnie Eisenstadt | meisenstadt@syracuse.com on March 08, 2013 at 6:00 AM, updated March 08, 2013 at 12:47 PM

The Hepburn has all the features you’d expect from a home named for a film icon — beautiful finishes, granite countertops and California closets throughout.

Post Standard Photo Gallery

But there’s a detail that’s carried throughout the house that might escape a first look: Every corner is rounded. Every angle is smoothed.

“It’s comforting,” said builder Dave Zellar, running his hand over one of the rounded corners. The entries to most rooms are arches instead of square angles.

The house had local beauty queen status: it was featured in the Parade of Homes in 2010. It’s tucked in the Manlius hills in what’s technically a condominium development called Villas at Mallards Landing. That status means the taxes are 40 percent lower than what they would normally be on the property.

There’s a homeowner association fee of $190 per month. That takes care of snow plowing, lawn mowing and landscaping.

The three-bedroom, two-and –a-half-bath home was built for the specific lot. There’s a morning room off the kitchen that looks out over the hills and fills up with sun. It was designed with that effect in mind, Zellar said. And when there’s no sun, the walls make up for it. The wallpaper in the morning room is bursting with pink, yellow and red blooms. The house was decorated by Marcia Philipp.

The ceilings are 11-feet high with crown molding throughout the downstairs. The great room has coffered ceilings, so you get the grand impression without losing that comforting feel. The dining room has a tray ceiling.

The home’s arches extend to the hearth and built-ins in the great room. They all have rounded edges.

And the arched feel continues into the master bath, where the soaking tub with air jets sits in a windowed-nook under a comforting arch. There are stacked pieces of stone around the tub and on the shower wall. Zellar said people questioned whether it would be hard to clean during the tours of the home when it first went on the market.

“Look at it. It still looks perfect,” he said.

One of the home’s most unique details is the upstairs loft area at the top of the stairs. The wallpaper has trees on it and the branches have been painted up onto the ceiling. The window treatment is held up by twigs instead of a curtain rod.

The floors in the loft and throughout the home are oak. Zellar promises they’ll be creakless forever. Even the home’s furnace and ductwork is done so it doesn’t make any of the rattle you might find in another house with forced air heat. The home’s appliances and insulation make for a utility bill that average $220 a month.

The details:

Address: 147 Gadwall Lane, Manlius  Price: $549,000  Taxes: $12,955  Size: 3,200 square feet  Monthly Mortgage: with the standard 20 percent down, the payments would be $2,131.97 a month based on 20 percent down with a rate of 4.125 percent based on the recent national Freddie Mac average. With 24 percent down, the loan moves out of the “jumbo loan” category. Then, the payments would be $1,901.73 with a rate of 3.625 percent.  Built: 2010  School District: Fayetteville-Manlius

Great room: The front entry opens into the great room with 11-foot coffered ceilings. The room has built-ins and a gas fireplace, all with rounded edges that match the homes many arches.

Dining room: The dining room has a tray ceiling, fabric chandeliers and faux painting on the walls.

Kitchen: There are painted wood cabinets that close automatically. There are sunflower granite countertops and a matching backsplash. There are built-ins for knick-knacks at the end of the kitchen island. The stainless appliances are Kitchen Aid and include a double, convection and warming ovens. There’s also a built-in wine rack and bookshelves for cook books. The kitchen opens to a morning room/breakfast nook that’s full of windows and light. There’s a door onto covered veranda made from Stampcrete.

Powder room: The powder room is off the mud entry and is sizable for a half-bath.

Downstairs back hall: There’s a California closet for storing gear, shoes and anything else that needs to be hidden. There’s also a laundry room and office with built-in desk off the back hallway.   Master bedroom: The best feature of this room is that it opens to the same veranda as the morning room. There is striped wallpaper and large his and hers California closets.   Master bath: features a Jacuzzi tub in a quiet windowed nook. There are stacked stones both there and in the shower. There are double sinks and granite countertops.

Upstairs: The loft area has tree wallpaper and faux painting that extends the branches to the ceiling. There’s a window treatment that uses twigs instead of traditional curtain rods, completing the nature theme of the area. There’s another full bath with a single sink and tub-shower combination.

Second bedroom: The second bedroom is painted red and is wired to also be used as a media room. It is a sizeable closet.

Third bedroom: The third bedroom is larger and has a nook that’s the perfect spot for a desk. It has the same sized closed as the second bedroom. The window treatment in that room uses belts instead of curtain ties.

Contact Marnie Eisenstadt at 315-470-2246 or meisenstadt@syracuse.com. To nominate a house of the week, send an email to meisenstadt@syracuse.com.

Love the styling

 I love the styling of this line, Monterey Sands, from Lexington Home Brands – A wonderful furniture line I’ve been selling for years.  Their showroom at the Furniture and Accessory Market I travel to in October in High Point, North Carolina is amazing.   I remember once, to show off a new line of furniture they were introducing, their stylist created a cornfield in the middle of the showroom.  As you meandered through the cornfield you came upon a wonderful imaginary facade of a wrap around front porch complete with rocking chairs.   As you stepped through the screen door into the kitchen, there was coffee brewing and a woman baking pies. You just wanted to sit down at their new kitchen table they were featuring.  You couldn’t wait to “experience” the rest of the house.  I wanted to buy the furniture because it had a warmth to it and I could pass that warmth along to my clients.  The stylist had put personal style into the showroom, inventing a character – let’s say conjuring up an imaginary client’s personal style.

Carrie Donovan’s description of personal style in the magazine section of an old New York Times states, “A chair, if it’s the right one, can have it.  So can a room, a house and possibly everything in it.  Even a tree can be said to have it (though that is certainly not the first thing to consider when planting).  Many people go happily through life without a trace of style, but just as many others are continually pleasured by their ability to create it or appreciate it.  One person’s idea may be abhorrent to another.  And styles in style shift with the times.  But what is constant is a certain idiosyncrasy or quirk that distinguishes the stylish from the mundane.”

I couldn’t agree with Donovan more.  You want rooms to exude harmony, a special air of grace.  Such decorating springs from the fundamentals of good design.  For designing and decorating, I believe, is an endeavor that combines equal parts of technical know how and innate artistry.  The fundamentals of a well-built, well decorated home should consist of comfort, suitability, warmth, contrast, and of course, personal style.

You shouldn’t go into a home and experience just one thing – a great ceiling, a great sofa or a great facade.  I believe it should be an integrated environment.  Detail can be wonderful, but not to the point that it’s lost.  Often, it’s more important to subtract than to add.

The builders personal style is passed on to the potential buyer whose own personal style matches that of the builder’s.  Then, the buyer places their trust and confidence in the designer who can make the interior of their home as special as the surroundings.  In other words, tying all the elements together.

A quote by T.H. Robsjohn-Gibbings say’s it all, “Why do we love certain houses, or why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in our surroundings.”

                                  What’s your personal style?