I was thrilled to get an invitation this year to the opening party of the annual Washington Winter Show, which kicks off Friday and runs through Sunday. What I really loved about this antique show, without even looking at all my photos, is that is wasn’t a mass of BROWN STUFF. You know, the 200-year-old brown mahogany pieces that seem to typify the concept of an antiques show. (NOT THAT THERE’S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THAT, BUT…)

We like some variety, too.

Like these incredible French bistro chairs — original paint and frames, with only the seats re-upholstered, fittingly with a fleur-de-lys pattern:

“We’re almost pathologically eclectic,” said Tim Brennan, who with Dave Mouilleseaux run Brennan & Mouilleseaux from Northfield, CT. Note the website address: antiqueseclectic.com.

Here’s what greets visitors to their booth:

And of course, I swooned over these Italian Mid-Century dining chairs, which Tim and I both agreed were quietly elegant and not the screaming, iconic, “look at me I’m Mid-Century!” kind of pieces.

I also fell in love with Antique American Wicker, whose booth takes you back in time so you think you’ve been invited to tea in the garden room at the Vanderbilt cottage in Newport:

I couldn’t adequately photograph the entire space, so I just shot the vignette above, but it’s worth a visit, for sure.  On the far wall of this same booth is a collection of framed vintage catalogue pictures of men’s fashion that I COULD NOT GET OVER. (yes, I had to use capital letters for that — because I was screaming it in my head!)

Antique American Wicker sells period pieces from between 1850 and 1930, and it somehow makes sense that it is based in Nashua, NH…

There are plenty of art/print booths in the show this year, but this one on the main floor (darned if I didn’t forget to write down the name!), really stopped me in my tracks:

Again, the painting really illustrates how this show has some incredible objects that are fun, whimsical, and NOT fusty.

And speaking of whimsical, these antique toys from Gemini Antiques of Oldwick, NJ are close to my heart, as we have some similar pieces in our own home:

While we’re on the children’s theme, I was also drawn to this “shape book” at Wm. Hutchison Books of Mendenhall, PA:

And I think the dealer thought I was being sacrilege when I noted that the pages of this book could be extracted and framed for a child’s bedroom, but…

Wouldn’t these pages just look SO FABULOUS in a frame??

Indeed, there is an entire book section at the show containing tomes on everything antique. Me? I just loved the signage:

Getting back to the brown stuff, I need to emphasize here that there are several stunning examples of it, like these pieces from Alfred Bullard Inc. from Philadelphia:

I ADORE the fabric treatment in the windows of this chest.

I was also impressed by the amount of Americana to be found throughout the show — my favorite has got to be this parade shield from Cunha – St. John Antiques of Charlestown, MA.

There’s a leather strap in the back of the shield that holds up to 7 flags, and it was meant to hang outside buildings during a parade. How cool is that??

More cool stuff: collections. Any good decorating expert will tell you to group and display your collections all together, so they have more visual impact. And there are plenty of examples at this show; I was most taken by these boxes at Rick Scott of San Francisco:

Of course, much of the fun in going to a preview party like this is seeing your friends. I was so excited to see that Bill Adair of Gold Leaf Studios has a booth here for the first time (I blogged about his enchanting Dupont Circle studio in 2010), with some of his greatest hits of historic frames on display.

Designer Barbara Hawthorn, Lauren Hillyard, and Bill Adair

Bill always says that the frame is almost more important than the art, the way he sees it. And the way he displays his frames leads me to agree.

Society photographer Kyle Samperton, who himself was named to the society list in the December issue of Washington Life Magazine, was (of course) working the party tonight. He shoots many of our events at the Washington Design Center too, so it was fun to put HIM in front of the camera for a change, along with two of my favorite designers, Kelley Proxmire and Frank Babb Randolph.

Kelley Proxmire, Frank Babb Randolph, and Kyle Samperton

The organizers of this year’s show designated “Celebrating the White House” as its theme, so as you enter the show, there is an incredible exhibit of White House artifacts that reach all the way back to George Washington. Here are two of my favorites:

A dish celebrating JFK Jr.'s birth, which I was delighted to see is the same day as my older son!

A toile raincoat with matching hat?! You GO, Mamie Eisenhower! (I need to let our Schumacher showroom know about this -- they produced the coat, which was designed by Elizabeth Draper in 1955.)

Just like the show itself, which has all sorts of unusual, quirky, and colorful items on display, the White House exhibit features offbeat pieces such as a hand-written dinner invitation by Thomas Jefferson to a guest; the only china plate ever made for the Kennedys (the prototype was never produced into a full service due to his assassination); a White House fence finial; and President Ulysses Grant’s boot spur.

The show goes through Sunday, and there are some great talks during the run. The former White House florist is speaking Friday morning about three decades of flowers in the White House; designers Frank Randolph, John Irelan and Andrew Law are giving a guided walks of their favorite items in the show; and the former White House pastry chef is speaking on Saturday about “All the Presidents’ Pastries.”

The BEST feature might be an opportunity for you to bring in your own antiques for appraisal on Saturday; nine dealers will be giving verbal appraisals from 9 to 11 a.m.

The show is at the Katzen Arts Center at American University — check the Web site for details.

Have a great weekend!

I always joke around that I can frequently lose my train of thought if someone dangles something shiny in front of me. Imagine my meltdown, then, when Anissa Swanzy of SKD Studios sent me this photo of a newly renovated kitchen in Huntingtown, MD:

Besides the dramatic lighting, extending the shiny glass-and-stone-tile backsplash all the way up the wall is a great way to glamorize this space.

This shiny little jewel box of a kitchen is all the more eye-popping once you see what it used to be:

This is the story of a couple who has lived in this house for 14 years — neatniks who kept the place spotless but couldn’t do anything to avoid it becoming dated. Anissa gave them a stunning redo that, unlike so many of us with mess-making children, could preserve a showhouse quality in real life.

“They recognized that it was time to update the space and were not sure what direction to go,” Anissa writes in an e-mail. “We helped them to redesign the space to not only fit their needs but really showcase their great style.”

That means this:

Became THIS:

SKD eliminated the old pantry closet and installed tall cabinetry to surround new stainless appliances. They also narrowed the island to add more counter space on the side wall. The bar is zebra wood, crowned by its own crystal chandelier.

And this:

Became THIS:

The designers added a partition wall to break up the long, narrow space and also to house a television on the other side. The new warm gray tones (goodbye teal rug and mauve walls!) don't hurt, either.

And THIS:

The countertops are white Quartz, and the new cabinets are a chocolate-stained semi-custom maple. The flooring is Turkish marble.

Most designers get a little cagey when asked about price, because, ADMIT IT, it’s the first thing we wonder when we see an incredible project like this one. I was pleasantly surprised when Anissa offered the information right up front: About $68,000 for materials and labor — not surprising for a 100-percent makeover. Great job, ladies, and thanks for sharing!

Nirvana indeed. Just check out the entry to this place:

All photography by Ken Hayden

This is the Miami home of Todd Davis and Robert Brown, the talents of Brown Davis Interiors who are responsible for decorating the Clinton homes in DC and New York, as well as the ambassador’s residence at the British Embassy, among other A-list projects around town.

I received a phone call this month from Todd — out of the blue — who called me in my capacity as marketing director at the Washington Design Center to emphasize that they are still quite active in the DC market — which means we will continue to see their gorgeous work published from our nation’s capital.

Robert Brown and Todd Davis

There are local projects he can’t yet reveal because they await publication, in fact, so I asked for some “scraps,” — pictures that may have been published before but are still new to me! So here’s what I got: Villa Nirvana, Rob and Todd’s home down south.

These images by Ken Hayden (go to his site — I’m still wiping drool off my chin from his pictures!) come at a great time, as the dark winter is upon us and I’m sure we’re all dreaming of a breezy warm place for escape.

As Todd explains it, “when we purchased this home it had been built on spec and never lived in.  The home featured very large, cold and modern spaces.  The gardens had virtually no landscape.  The developer had built the house during the boom and then lost interest when the real estate market went bust. ”

That means they had, quite literally, a blank slate. “Our goal was to stretch creatively and show that a very cold modern home could be comfortable and inviting.  We have been collecting art over the years and the high ceilings and large spaces provided the perfect backdrop for our collection.”

Voila:

The living room, revved up with personality.

The other side of the living room.

The dining room on the other side of the wall -- there's nothing that adds warmth and texture to a cold modern space like furry chairs!

As you can tell, Robert and Todd are channeling their inner ’70s disco voice: “Our design theme was one of updated 1970′s sexy Miami modern.  Each decade has its good and bad design elements, and we wanted to focus on the oversized comfortable aspect of 1970s interior design.”

Not bad, guys. I also appreciate how they retain a firm hold in the 21st century:

WHAT I wouldn't give for this kitchen, where nature infuses the color to accent the white and steel. Wow.

I think we’ve clearly established that they have a flair for drama, but just in case there’s any question, they’ve designed their entry to make that statement right away to visitors who come through:

Less public, of course, is the master bedroom, a space that generally reveals a person’s real passions and aesthetic.

Clearly, you're not dealing with dull people here.

The styles in Miami, of course, are quite different from what one generally sees in DC, but Todd reports that attitudes are changing. What they’re doing here these days, he says, are the homes of children of longtime clients, who as clients themselves are asking for more updated looks.

So they are back, helping our younger generations update the more traditional notions of their parents, but still keeping within a DC vernacular. I can’t wait to see the results. Thanks, Todd, for sharing.

It’s amazing what designers can do when they are unencumbered by the wishes and whims of a client. Julie Dastvan, whom I had the pleasure of meeting earlier this year when she was nominated as an up-and-coming “One to Watch” at the Washington Design Center, completed her first decorator showhouse this fall.

Anyone -- like Julie! -- who can combine red and green shades in a way that doesn't look like Christmas is truly talented. I love how she did that here. (All photos are by Angie Seckinger.)

I am completely bummed that I never got the time to go out to Ellicott City, MD, this fall to see the Holly Manor Show House, where Julie was chosen to do the master suite. But she was kind enough to send these photos over with detailed descriptions of the resources she used.

"I've had the pleasure to watch patrons come in on the horribly cold, dark and rainy afternoons we had a week ago and see their shoulders immediately drop with relaxation when they stepped in - I couldn't ask for a better reaction," she wrote in an e-mail. "A great first solo show house experience for me!" 

I couldn't agree more. 

I first thought the ceiling was covered in a lovely wallpaper, but it's actually painted with a handcut stencil using flat and gloss paints -- the work of decorative painters Anna-Marie Gallart and Karen Furman. She used a combination of fabrics from Kravet, Lee Jofa, Duralee, and Brunschwig & Fils, and trim from Samuel & Sons, on the bed, drapery and canopy. 

One of the things I really admire about designers is their vision and ability to pull colors and patterns from such a wide variety of sources into a combination that feels as if everything was made to go together. And on another note,the upholstered bed and ivory lamps came from Hollis & Knight, the wonderful shop on antique row in Kensington, MD. 

The elegant desk is Barbara Barry for Henredon, while Julie found the chair in Lucketts, VA (a great source of vintage and antique shops) and reupholstered it herself. The art above the desk comes from Avery Fine Art. 

The chair and ottoman are by Hickory Chair (and if you don't know about this company, whose furniture is sold through Henredon at the design center -- you should! All of it is produced in North Carolina). The surveyor's lamp is by Uttermost, another great company that sells accent furniture and lighting which in this area is sold through Annapolis Lighting. 

I LOVE this detail, particularly the mirrors (also by Uttermost) over each bedside table. Whether it's mirrors or art, I think the effect of "crowning" your bedside tables this way lends more weight to the focal point of your bed. And not least, this scallop-edge table from Kravet makes such a sweet accent. Julie tells me that the framed photos here and also on the desk are of her aunt and uncle, whose travels inspired this room design. 

Julie really made this design personal, from those family photos to these old suitcases that quite literally illustrate her aunt and uncle's travels. Even better, her father painted the two smaller paintings here in the center above the suitcases, and her sister painted a picture that hangs to the side of the bed. 

And if it weren't enough to have a master suite big enough for a seating area by the fireplace and a corner for a desk, here's what you get on the balcony: this serene outdoor setting with gorgeous outdoor furniture by Century, which has a showroom in the design center. 

Julie, whose works from Darnestown, MD, should get lots of great business from this inspired design, which definitely fits the mold of "traditional with a twist." She is still working on a new Web site, but in the meantime, here is her contact info: 

DASTVAN DESIGNS, LLC

Interiors for your lifestyle

14840 Poplar Hill Road

Darnestown, MD  20874

301/330-9595 office

301/254-1279 cell

JDastvan@comcast.net

I was sad to see an obituary in the Washington Post this morning about longtime news photographer James Atherton. I never knew him personally, but my godfather, who for decades served as superintendent of the U.S. Senate Press Photographer’s Gallery, did know him quite well, so I’ve always heard stories about him.

Since my background is in news, I’ve always been so taken with really great news photography, and Atherton was certainly among the best.

Here's a photo of Atherton at work, party of a gallery of images that ran in today's obituary.

It’s a shame that so often we don’t get to study someone’s work until they’ve died. I’m just glad The Post included a great gallery of images from Atherton’s career along with his obituary online. Here are some of my favorites:

I found a wonderful interview with Atherton that was recorded in 2008, in which he describes this image as “what I call my greatest Hail Mary,” he told The Candid Frame blog. That’s because the camera was perched in a bracket on top of a bamboo pole, and he used a cord the snap the shot of Martin Luther King delivering his famous speech. “You shoot blind,” he said, “so you pray a little” that you’ll get the shot.

“I had such a love-hate relationship with him,” Atherton said in the Candid Frame interview, referring to President Kennedy. “You couldn’t like him and do your job, so if he did something dumb, you would make [the picture], you wouldn’t hesitate.”

Atherton was photographed here shooting behind Kennedy as he delivered a speech in the summer of 1963. He said he was always looking for clever angles to shoot the news, because he was constantly competing with a scrum of other photographers each day, most of whom shot photos from the same angle and perspective.

Atherton also spoke of cropping as an art — coming really close in on a scene, or a face, to get to the core of an image’s meaning. I found another version of the above photo in the Corbis archive — uncropped with a much wider angle.

Pretty interesting difference in perspective, huh?

Here are some images that are cropped mightily to capture the emotion and personality of some of the 20th century’s most memorable political figures:

Former FBI Director L. Patrick Gray III, during the Watergate hearings in 1973.

John Mitchell, President Nixon's attorney general who was sentenced to prison for his role in the Watergate scandal.

Former Fed Chairman Paul Volker's smoking habit gave Atherton an amazing shot.

You don't need to see President Johnson's eyes to see into his soul here. Atherton's photo won a top prize from World Press Photo for this shot.

Atherton’s heydey most certainly intersected with my grandmother’s — Dorothy McCardle was a reporter with The Post’s Style Section, covering the first ladies, embassies, and Washington’s official party circuit from the Kennedy to Ford administrations. On top of that, my mother, Marcia Maddox, worked in Lady Bird Johnson’s press office. And my godfather Maurice and godmother Lanny Johnson were another rich source of stories behind the scenes of history. Lanny STILL covers presidential inaugurations for GermanTV here.

So news relics from those decades are especially dear to me; images from those times are a family album of sorts, as it’s hard to differentiate between what I’ve read, and the stories I’ve heard from my own family.

I think I’m going to have to give Lanny a call now, and go over to her house in Chevy Chase to see the wealth of what Maurice left behind, a lifetime of equally special imagery from last century’s political figures.

But for now, let’s celebrate the work of James Atherton, and remember that news photography can rise to the level of art in an expert’s hands.

Atherton in a press car, no doubt in front of a motorcade. This photo ran with his death notice on the National Press Photographers Association Web site.

Atherton with his press credentials to cover President Eisenhower's 1953 inauguration.

I feel so cleansed. We just spent two days DIGGING out of our storage room. Multiple trash bags, an impromptu yard sale and a carload of stuff bound for Good Will later, we have a room that works.

OK, not a storage room you would find in any magazine, but an organized pantry, appliance shelves, and coat racks with only coats that we currently wear.

The cabinets (formerly our kitchen's before the renovation years ago) now ONLY contain dishware, placemats, and serving pieces we like and use.

There is a point of design to be made here, even if the storage room is far from beautiful. The reason I have such an incredible lightness of being about this project is that we have gotten rid of so many objects that were taking up space and — yes — emotionally weighing us down. Knick-knacks given to us over the years that we never used; a million picture frames (I’m not a picture frame person); outgrown toys; old coffee pots that for some reason we never got rid of when we purchased a new one; the creme brulee torch that never made it out of the box.

To the point where you couldn’t even walk a straight line when you came into this room. Mostly because of STUFF that falls into the category of “well I can’t just throw it AWAY….” So it all sat and sat… and built up into a virtual hoarder’s lair where it became harder and harder to find the things that we actually needed and used.

Which brings me to Baltimore designer Kim Eastburn.  I met her nearly two years ago, and was absolutely transfixed as she told stories about clients whose desire for “a new look” were really the result of a much deeper longing for a new emotional space — that these were people in some sort of transition in their lives — divorce, kids moving out, you name it — that all of a sudden made their surroundings seem “off.”

Kim has the power not only to beautify your home, but to clear away your emotional cobwebs, too.

Fast forward to this fall, and Kiim’s perceptive talents as well as her design skills are being noticed for this approach. For one, Baltimore Style magazine recently featured her in a wonderful profile titled The Design Shrink;  “You can’t underestimate the impact of a physical environment on your well-being,” she says in the article. “If it’s stagnant and stuck, chances are you are, too.”

What woman wouldn't have instant peace of mind in this boudoir?

Kim has a blog, also called Interior Design Shrink, where she muses about all these topics. Her most recent posting is about how there has to be a certain amount of destruction before you can reconstruct what’s truly important to you in your home: If there were a fire, for example, what would you grab before running out the door? Some have surprised themselves with the answer.

She quotes one woman whose home was threatened by wildfires in California: “Turns out, all the clothes, jewelry and paintings she labeled important, really had little value to her in the big picture. Seems the wildfires were a blessing in disguise. It was the catalyst that made her ask, ‘If all this stuff isn’t really worth saving, then why is it cluttering up my closets, bookshelves and fireplace mantel? What are all those clothes in my closet doing there anyway? And why do I save all those snow globes?’ ”

A beautiful illustration of what you get when you pare back to only the essentials.

When I met Kim last year, I was really struck by her powers of perception. She has never been to my home, but after talking with her for over an hour, she said she was seeing a yellow room with white trim. Our bedroom is a soft butter yellow with white trim! She really can see through someone’s personality and quite literally turn it into color and fabric — kind of like how some people hear music and immediately see a color along with those note patterns.

I would really like to meet the person who lives in this space!

I spent a long time last night reading through Kim’s blog posts, and I started to see why small changes we’ve recently made in the house have had such a huge impact.

For one, I took down a painting next to our front door that my mother had given to us a long time ago (sorry, Mom!), which had a huge garish frame that never felt right for me. I had found an old painting that my great grandmother had painted, dusted and dirty, and recently I took it to Evelyn Avery to be cleaned, refurbished, and framed. Here is the glorious result:

The painting hangs over a chest that my husband had built for my by Caleb Woodard, whose shop is in walking distance from our house. The combination of two pieces that have so much meaning to me makes this small little vignette perhaps the most important part of our whole house. I recently told Jim that these things constituted the first “real” part of our house, and Kim’s writings certainly explain why.

The frame is so perfect for this painting, and the paint has a new glow to it. Look closely at the lower right corner to see my great grandmother's signature -- Jennie Artz. I was named after her.

I run into some people who complain that this or that decorator created a design that was to the decorator’s style, not the homeowner’s — that the decorator didn’t listen to them. Kim is all about listening, and when you are with her, she makes you feel like there is no other person in the world besides you.

Another of Ki'ms dreamy designs.

“We can learn so much about ourselves by reflecting on the space that houses the life we build there. Whether it’s an update or total gut job of the physical or metaphorical ‘home,’ it is always up to us whether or not we will live happily ever after,” she writes in this post.

These are lessons we all should remember the next time we are moved by a desire to redo a room, or even the whole house. Thanks, Kim, for helping me think in a new way about the meaning of  interior design.

WELL, why do your own work when someone else can do it for you? Arcadia Home, an online retailer, approached me about doing a guest post. I get approached a LOT about that, but mostly it’s by marketing people who want to hawk their own brands. Susi here is just writing about desgin she loves, in exchange for using the retailer’s link. Fair enough, I say. Here she goes:

Hi, I’m Susi Prescott from Arcadian Home Decor blog. Since I get to visit design blogs around the world to write guest posts about interior design and decorating, I’m always on the hunt for interesting interior spaces to share with readers. The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and their local chapters, like the one here in Washington, DC, can always be counted on for lots of inspiration from their national and chapter interior design awards.

The 2011 ASID Washington Metro Chapter Interior Design Awards were presented on May 25 of this year. The ASID Washington Metro Chapter sponsors a biannual competition that recognizes outstanding design projects in several categories of residential and commercial design. Winners are judged by members of other chapters. This year’s competition, with 26 nominations, was judged by the Tennessee Chapter of ASID. (See complete list of recipients below.)

I recently had occasion to take another look at photos from these award-winning projects and would like to share some of them. Here are eight of our favorites from the 2011 Celebrate Design! Awards.

ASID DC Metro

Charles Larry Horne, FASID, of Horne International Designs, Inc., won the Residential Single Space Award for his design for the Paul Residence Dining Room. This warm-hued traditional room has a pair of square tables under twin chandeliers; the smaller tables create a more intimate dining experience.

ASID DC Metro

The award for Residential Kitchen/Bath was given to Suite 4511, designed by Baron Gurney Interiors. This incredible contemporary bath is a minimalist masterpiece. We love the inset marble floor and dark woods.

ASID DC Metro

For the Residential: Detail/Small Unique Space Award, Baron Gurney Interiors also won for this sleek wine room. The glass- enclosed space looks more like a high-end wine boutique than home cellar. Beautiful!

ASID DC Metro

The Lorber/Tarler Residence was given the Residential Multiple Spaces Award. Also designed by Therese Baron Gurney, ASID of Baron Gurney Interiors, this contemporary home is replete with high tech touches and amazing use of space. This small bedroom feels like a boutique hotel with surfaces so beautiful, no wall art is needed.

Arch Daily

The dining room for Lorber/Tarler Residence, winner of the Residential Multiple Spaces Award, has a strip of glass floor that lets the natural light from the oversize windows flow into the room below.

Arch Daily

The kitchen in the Lorber/Tarler is high functioning despite its smaller footprint. Love the mix of natural woods, stainless steel and dark floors.

Arch Daily

An exterior view of the Lorber/Tarler house shows the unusual layout of the narrow home. The mostly neutral interior is highlighted with colorful table decor.

HMSHost

DC designer Claire Tamburro, ASID won the Commercial: Detail/Small Unique Space Award for the Wicker Park Seafood & Sushi Bar design for Chicago O’Hare. It’s hard to believe this super-chic space is in an airport.

Image credits: [ 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 ]

Complete list of 2011 winners from ASID Washington Metro Chapter:

Residential Multiple Spaces Category: The Lorber/Tarler Residence, Baron Gurney Interiors
Corporate Office: InScope International, Barbara Slater Magistro, ASID
Government/Institutional: Carnegie Institution for Science, Interior Revivals by Beth Leas, ASID
Residential Single Space: The Paul Residence Dining Room, Charles Larry Horne, FASID
Residential Kitchen/Bath Category: Suite 4511, Baron Gurney Interiors
Health Care: The Dr. Cyrus & Myrtle Katzen Cancer Research Center, Huelat Parimucha Ltd.
Commercial Detail/Small Unique Space: Wicker Park Seafood & Sushi Bar, HMSHost
Residential Detail/Small Unique Space: The Wine Room, Baron Gurney Interiors
Hospitality/Retail: Beaudevin, HMSHost
Commercial Sustainable Design: Perkins Will’s Washington, DC Office, Perkins Will

This is a story of extremes — from the couture home collections of fashion houses Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein to the vintage warehouse settings of Bobo Intriguing Objects and Golden Oldies, which share a building a few blocks out from central High Point.

Once again, Ralph Lauren makes us all long to be a WASP of the F. Scott Fitzgerald variety, with grandparents in a Newport cottage filled with wicker and slipcovers. No surprise, then, that this particular collection is called “Heiress.”

Yes, this is the heiress that we all long to be, right?

Our heiress' living room -- RL is brilliant at expressing the lived-in, old-money look. No wonder, then, that this group sells well with retailers in coastal communities.

Ah yes, this is where I sit when I pen my daily letters. See the picture to the right? That's our racing yacht; it was a finalist in last year's Americas Cup.

Ralph Lauren has a plan for us all; if our heiress’ Newport shabby chic doesn’t work, how about Desert Modern?

We’ve clearly moved from Newport to Santa Fe. I’m an east-coast girl myself, but this is working for me!

"Desert Modern." What a perfect description for this collection.

Do you count yourself more glam than Newport beach-y or Santa Fe chic? No worries. Ralph offers all the lacquer, Deco, and shine you need with One Fifth.

Faux-fur throws are definitely a trend here in High Point this fall.

Let’s switch runways now and head over to Calvin Klein, which has spent the past year revamping its collection. The furnishings echo the minimalism of CK’s fashion, naturally:

I love love love, want want want this screen!

A very spa-looking bedding vignette...

Calvin is the king of neutrals, but he always throws in a touch of subtle color, as you see here. And bonus: these chairs are extremely comfortable.

A surprising burst of hues at the end of our showroom tour! I love how shiny they are -- what a great accent for a room.

Alright, we’ll leave the world of high fashion and step into some vintage dreams, with New York dealer Mark Weinstein’s Golden Oldies antiques and, as many of you are probably familiar with, Bobo Intriguing Objects. I was immediately impressed with Weinstein’s fanciful objects when we walked into his building today:

A mini Ferris wheel and old silver trophy cups in front of a cabinet full of hands: props for a Tim Burton movie?

Setting aside for a moment the antique carnival animals, old dock pilings, and ship lights, how about those AWESOME Sesame Street street lamps??

More fun than this whimsical antique children's carousel from India is wondering where on earth someone would place it once purchased.

Right next door is Bobo Intriguing Objects, where you know you’re going to see some cool stuff even before you enter:

The drama continues inside:

This pretty much concludes the High Point tour — I’m headed home tomorrow. Let’s hope we start seeing all these glorious new pieces shown here next spring, when they begin arriving in retail stores and trade showrooms. And considering all the DC designers who flocked down here, no doubt their own finds will be showing up in client projects soon!

WHAT a day. I have to reiterate from yesterday how heartening it is to see DC designers around every corner — it’s like we’ve taken over! Victoria Sanchez, Brad Weesner, Justine Sancho, Skip Sroka, David Mitchell (more on him in a sec), Patrick Sutton and Barry Dixon (again!), Ashley Spencer from Casart Coverings in Alexandria, my wonderful friend Michele Ginnerty, author of the AWESOME My Notting Hill blog and also my neighbor in Arlington, Barbara Franceski, Jennifer Parker, Nancy Colbert, Lauren Liess of Pure Style Home and Mary Drysdale (again!). I don’t think I’ve every come here when I’ve seen so many people from home. I hope this means that Washington is coming to earn its due in the design arena, as it should!

And as always, it’s really cool to see the celebrities. I had a “Million Dollar Decorators” day today, shaking hands with Martyn Lawrence Bullard, and passing by Mary MacDonald at the Architectural Digest party. Although I didn’t get a chance to talk to Mary, Martyn is a dream — what a delight! I think I will always hear his voice inside my head when he called me “daahling…” Awesome.

Ok, on to the pictures. I’ll start with the local connection: DC Designer David Mitchell (and author of the wonderfully irreverent blog, Uncensored, has a licensed collection with another local, Barry Remley of Salvations Architectural Furnishings, to create a gorgeous collection of metal-framed tables and a drop-dead metal-and-wood etagere. The first prototypes were on display at Lee Industries, and they will be coming soon to the AmericanEye showroom at the Washington Design Center.

David Mitchell and Barry Remley

David already has the etagere in his new home, which he posted recently on his blog. (You should look at his full post, with before and after shots of his recent renovation. Amazing.)

This small dining table is also gorgeous. And of course, it can be customized to any size:

His accent tables are also lovely:

Moving on, I am always excited to see the new offerings at Hickory Chair, where Creative Director Ron Fiore is an absolute GENIOUS at merchandising. At each High Point market, he outdoes himself from the previous one. Keep in mind that his tableau is wiped clean after each market, and he has to create a new showroom from scratch twice a year.

(of course, with collections from designers Suzanne Kasler, Thomas O’Brien, Alexa Hampton, and Mariette Himes Gomez, he’s got great tools to work with!)

Here are some of his vignettes, which I was able to capture before the masses descended on the showroom to celebrate Hickory Chair’s 100th anniversary tonight:

More is more: he tufted the WALL to echo the headboard!

Upholstered screens were everywhere this time.

The hand-painted detail on the table is an illustration of a new program in which Hickory Chair employs artisans to paint pieces to match any fabric or paint color submitted by the design client. They can either repeat the pattern on the fabric, or create a design that is complementary. HOW cool is that? Here’s another example:

More great vignettes:

Oh, I would sleep SO WELL in this bed.

Ok, this was hard waiting, but I saved the best for last. Hickory Chair now has a line of fabric from Hable Construction, and I got to have a long, pleasant chat with sisters Katharine and Susan Hable themselves.

Susan and Katharine Hable

I adore how they set up their display, complete with an inspiration board that includes artwork from one of their children:

Hable's great range of fabrics

On other stops today (and I’m so glad that I’ve being coming here long enough to know to wear comfortable shoes!), I saw some more super-colorful themes in the collections. Maybe through these vibrant colors, we are collectively trying to cheer ourselves up in this gloomy economy. Here are a couple examples:

Lillian August:

Here’s a new line I had not been familiar with before: Massoud, a Texas company.

The mood boards at the front of the showroom are comprised of magazine photos and other cutouts, the colors and styles of which led to this market's new introductions.

What an unexpected look: turquoise tooled leather on black. It's like a great weekend outfit.

Alas, my eyes are so tired at this point that they sting, so I’ll stop here. More to come tomorrow!

I’ve had a big event and travel schedule lately, which is why I haven’t posted, but now I’m in High Point, surrounded by gorgeous new collections, so I thought I would share my favorite finds from our first day of pounding the pavement with the team from Merchandise Mart.

When we first arrived, we saw a beautiful new “Made in America” exhibit anchored by Century, whose award-winning collection was featured at the Washington Design Center earlier this year. It was like coming back to an old friend:

Century had created this vignette at the design center, using a red, white, and blue theme of course, when they were honored with the BEST: Made in America award for their longstanding commitment to keeping manufacturing in the United States — right here in North Carolina, actually.

I also loved this flag, from the Karen Robertson Collection, that was also in the Made in America area here:

I can't get over the painted starfish that make up the stars and stripes!

The real drama didn’t start until we visited Christopher Guy, which is housed in a building a little farther out from the main market area, so I had never ventured there before.

Right when you enter, you are greeted with these two ginormous chairs, and if you watched “Alice in Wonderland,” you will recognize that Johnny Depp, playing the Mad Hatter, sat upon this very style.

Their new collection this season is centered around looks inspired by Coco Chanel, hence it is called Mademoiselle, as she was most often called. And, even if it wouldn’t work in my own house, I had the same wide-eyed reaction to it as when I was 2, and Mom took me to the Plaza Hotel in New York to see a display of Eloise’s clothes.

white on white on white -- WOW

This chair is apparently an almost-exact replica of one that Coco herself owned.

Here's the vanity she inspired -- note the crossed legs of the chair, which resemble the high heels of an evening shoe.

This bedroom totally blew me away -- have you EVER seen a headboard like that??

You can't be shy and own these sconces -- or, for that matter, this mosaic. CG makes a large series of these, comprised of thousands of tiny hand-painted glass tiles; they can take up to six months to make.

Equally as delicious — in a much more modern and playful way, was this InterHall booth from Worlds Away:

I really NEED one of these wastebaskets!

Design is in the details, as you see with all these wonderfully stacked accent tables.

We went to the fabulous annual House Beautiful party tonight, where I got to chat with Alexa Hampton, Bunny Williams, Thom Filicia, Eddie Ross, Magazine Editor in Chief Newell Turner — along with what seemed like the BIGGEST DC designer contingent I’ve ever seen here: Barry Dixon, Ann Lambeth of our own J. Lambeth showroom at the design center, Patrick Sutton, Erin Paige Pitts, Jana Abell, Mary Douglas Drysdale, Zoe Feldman, Lauren Liess of Pure Style Home (and her darling husband Dave), Gloria de Lourdes Blalock, and Paul Fogg of Janus et Cie in Georgetown. I know I’m probably missing someone, but I can barely keep my eyes open at this point. More High Point updates coming soon — I’m here until Tuesday!