Spring Edition

Spring is a time for birth, renewal, freshness, and the amazing energy that comes from seeing bright green leaves unfurl and fragrant blossoms bursting with their tempting scents!  I have been so inspired lately by the lengthening and warming days - and it seems like there is a lot that's fresh and exciting on the design & fashion scene, too:

GR Home/University Village neighborhood

Brainchild of Graciela Rutkowski and overseen by the stellar Diana Paradis, this breathtakingly beautiful store is a necessary indulgence.

Not only does GR Home have gorgeous wares (found objects, the best furniture for all rooms in the home, unique accessories) but these women are obviously having fun.  Shopping here is a mini party - but all business, of course.

Many of the lines we designers have come to know and love are found here:  Lee, Hickory Chair, Rosanna, Arte Italica, and a bevy of stunning, one-of-a-kind pieces.

Gracious House to Home

Near GR Home is Gracious House to Home - wonderful "almost antique"furniture, jewelry, vintage table wear - there's a lot to decide among here.  Tracy and Deirdre are knowledgeable and friendly - great stuff!  Gracious House to Home, near U Village.

Altstadt Interiors


I've written before about this jam-packed consignment store and interior design firm, also near U Village (is there a trend here?) and their incredible finds.   But time to revisit!

I recently helped my son furnish his 100-year old studio apartment near downtown Seattle (more on that in a subsequent post) almost entirely from Altstadt Interiors:  this Deco bed frame, a vintage 9 x 12 Oriental rug (virtually wall-to-wall in his space), deco sofa, etc.  Budgets were spared and it was an adventure in shopping!

  
Inspiring Fashion

Not to rush things, since summer isn't even here yet, but I am head over heels in love with this look for fall 2012 from Dior: 

....and this current "Street Chic" item spotted on the streets of Paris by Elle Decor...

Details

For those who love innovative design as well as traveling abroad, some of the most fun pages to peruse are found at MODULE-R.com.  Are these the most exuberant dual voltage adapters, or what?  And they'd be easy to find in luggage.....

 Or, how about this Highland Court fabrics advertisement?  Stunning!

Books

I'm intrigued by a new design book called, "Be your own decorator", by Susanna Salk, published by Rizzoli.

My eye was initially caught by the cover because it's actually the same photo - of a Paris apartment, naturellement! - that I ripped from a magazine and pasted to my Vision Board a while back.

But this excerpt from Ms Salk drew me in:  "Unlike many artists in other mediums, interior designers never hoard their secrets.  They are a gloriously generous bunch, much more concerned with making the world a more beautiful and livable place than worrying about whose idea it was to put that vase over there."

Mais, oui!

The Art of Textiles

I recently had coffee with Pat Nugent, owner of Patricia Nugent Textiles, in her charming. light-filled cottage/studio.  I was treated to a private trunk show featuring her extensive collection of antique textiles (dating from 1790 to 1970), vintage clothing, and hand-painted design documents.  The design possibilities were endlessly flowing!
(We had a delightful time, and had earlier discovered that we not only had many acquaintances in common, but that our children went to school together - what a small world!)

Garments from mid- 20th century, above, seem like new. 

The metallic and watercolor hand-painted design, above, is one of the first steps in a textile design - and is perfect for my living room just the way it is!

The samples, above, date from the late 18th century to early 19th.  They look so modern, particularly the geometric pattern.

Pat tells me that a certain national clothing retailer has recently purchased cabbage rose designs from her - think Ralph Lauren circa 1980's - and they will likely be used in new and different ways than the original, similar to the one below.....This is such a gorgeous, intricate pattern when viewed up close and like an Impressionist painting, becomes more clear at a distance.

The meticulously cataloged antique textiles are kept away from light and dust to maintain their pristine condition, like the sample below...

Even the bathroom at Pat's studio is filled with vintage books and artifacts......

 I can't help dreaming about the designers, the patrons, the lives involved in the production of all of these wonderful textiles - and how little things really change; they're just ever so slightly tweaked to become "modern".  Thanks for a glimpse into the past, Pat!