Monday, May 28, 2012

New Obsessions, thanks to ICFF

I know I'm completely delayed in spreading the word about what I found at this year's ICFF, but hey, you know... Life happens.

First of all, can I just say that I am NOT a regular to the show or many of these shows for that matter.  Generally I don't attend these things every year; I normally skip them for about a year or two, so that when I do go, I am feeling like I'm seeing something new! And, can I tell you, I feel like it was worth the wait!

So I just wanted to give a shout out to a few vendors which I thought just brought a great spirit to the show, and I can foresee definitely working with in the very near future... Let's start!

First off, Palo Samko was one of the first booths that made me stop... I liked his apparent love of design, and his aesthetic.


The piece that actually drew me in was this gorgeous leather lounge chair. Just the attention to detail with regards to the subtle shapes in the wood, and of course that amazing grey mink colored hide on the upholstery just beckoned to me.


Venturing further into the beast that is the International Contemporary Furniture Fair I came upon a booth with the most interesting abstract papers.


Eskayel is an all around design source with not only wallcoverings, but fabrics, rugs and more... Some of my favorite things were the ready made pillows.  From $95-155 per pillow, I think it's a wonderful source for non-traditional pillows, and ready made! Hey, you can't beat that!

Galileo Glass Pillow from Eskayel

As I weaved my way up and down the numerous aisles I turned, and stopped in my tracks when I gazed upon this!...


I seriously can't even tell you how wonderful this was! This wood wall which was really more of a wood sculpture was simple yet complex all at the same time. Peter Glassford had created a huge jigsaw puzzle of individually shaped wood and interconnected them in the most divine way. This is such a genius interpretation of a focal wall! LOVE!

I was starting to feel as if I needed another coffee, but then an array of colors and patterns called to me... It was the Trove booth... Aahhhh, it was just a heavenly collection of unexpected wall surfaces!


I am so going to be spec'ing these guys out! I'm all about these super fun and original papers!

Lastly, but not leastly is a vendor that is taking recycling and repurposing to a complete other level! Art of Board is just bad ass! Really!... Taking old skateboard decks right from donation and drop off sites, then cutting them up into various sizes, and mesh mounting them, making it ready to install as a backsplash or focal wall immediately... How awesome is that!



The best thing about this tile product is that that all the history of the individual boards are left, meaning every scratch, ding, dent and hole is left in the tile to show off the life it once lead! I'm already in the process of rocking this out on a new project! I'm psyched!

So check all these guys out, because they are all ridiculously amazing and I'm just so happy to now know about them!

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Brimfield...

So yesterday I got back from a day's excursion to Brimfield, Massachusetts where one of the largest flea markets in the country takes place 3 times a year! I was fortunate enough to be invited up by Robert Allen, which is one of the most complete and appealing fabric lines whether you're a die hard Traditionalist or the staunch Modernist. They wanted to introduce their new line "Naturals" to a handful of bloggers.

I have to say I was quite impressed with a number of their new offerings... Here are a few of my faves coming out of their new launch!







The full collection is coming out very soon, so stay tuned if you're already pre-shopping what you could use where! Cause I could tell you about quite a few applications that these gorgeous textiles could work with!...

Being a part of the Robert Allen group allowed us access to the VIP tent sponsored by Benjamin Moore, Fashion + Decor, Company C and Aubuchon Hardware; and can I tell you how lovely it was! Especially with cocktails invented and perfected by The Cocktail Whisperer aka Warren Bobrow.

Just to give you an example of the extreme festivities, this is how the morning started off!  Yes, those would be delish liquors that Warren was perfectly mixing into the morning coffee!


Now that I'm feeling good at... Wait, what time is it? What's in this coffee?... Oh, it's 9:00am!... Whatever! Let's go shopping!

What's amazing about Brimfield is that it's HUGE! There's literally something for everyone, every style and every budget... There are DIY projects around every turn, hidden treasures that are just wanting to be discovered, WTF items, and just things that you fall in love with...

Industrial Lamp made out of spare parts

Old columns with their gorgeous natural patina

An alligator barstool, yeah, WTF moment

Handmade and sort of creepy bookend

Uh-mazing deer hide satchel, I was dying over this one!

All in all though this was a wonderful experience! I learned about the Naturals collection of fabrics being launched by Robert Allen, had incredible cocktails, met some really talented people and yes, had an awesome time browsing the miles of fields chock full of finds!

Cari Cucksey of HGTV's Cash and Cari and I getting excited over our vintage find, and the possibilities of reupholstering with the Robert Allen Naturals fabrics.

Sherwin Williams rolls out a new high-end line

This past Tuesday I had the pleasure of being one of the first few to experience the new line of paint being rolled out by the good people over at Sherwin Williams! It's called Emerald and will be changing the way you think about paint. The coverage is amazing, and the colors are extremely saturated and rich! The consistency is like nothing you've seen. The stir stick practically was standing up in the can, but remarkably the paint glides on with ease.

The Emerald line will be offered in both Interior and Exterior finishes! This is all about beauty, wash-ability and sustainability. It also has anti-microbial properties making it resistant to mold and mildew. This is their introduction in the high-end market and it is approximated between $60-70 per gallon.



One of the most exciting breakthroughs with Sherwin Williams is the new ColorCast Eco Toner colorant that they've developed! It contains absolutely no VOC's! This is the ideal for anyone worried about fumes and harmful chemicals... Not only is this amazing news, but it can be used in over 1500 of their colors and all custom colors, basically meaning if you need a color is can be colored with zero VOC's.

Now, this wasn't just a conference on paint, it was a gorgeous luncheon held at 620 Loft & Garden at Rockefeller Center! Yeah, one of the most iconic and beautiful treasures of the city! Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan who is the CEO and Founder of Apartment Therapy insisted he take a picture of me, and I was more than happy!


Then the take home gift, I just have to mention is one of the most creative! They gave us all a DIY terrarium! So cute, chic, and the mosses included were of course all in beautiful shades of green! You might even call it EMERALD!