Salon/Espana Opens At New York’s Tribeca Grand Hotel: A Showcase For Spanish Designers

I can’t wait to sip a dacquiri (the real thing – not the frozen kind) at the new bar Salon/Espana at The Tribeca Grand Hotel. This hot and hip lounge brings the best of Spanish design to Tribeca and to a hotel that’s my favorite in New York.  The lounge features furniture and accessories Read More…

Interior Design Resources: Houndstooth

Have you caught the fever for houndstooth prints? This bold pattern is a terrific way to instantly update a room – taking it from blah to groovy, baby. Here are some options and inspiration.

Black and white houndstooth goes well with pinks and grays. Why not go bolder and team it with yellow or red? Purple would look smashing. Don’t forget a silver metallic wallcovering to complete the ’70′s look.

Here are some fabric options I picked up at the Design Center last week. Each comes in several colorways. From the left is: Schumacher’s Chatham Houndstooth, in Espresso (100% linen), Greeff’s Brayden Houndstooth, in Saddle (100% cotton), Schumacher’s Martin Houndstooth, in Onyx (100% cotton). Contact me for prices.

FLOR offers All Bark and No Bite ($16.99 per square) comes in five colors. It’s a subtle option.

Not so meek is Jonathan Adler’s Zebra Houndstooth Rug ($1,050.00). It comes in black and brown. Adler also offers the same prints in a rectangular shape.

This storage bench is from Target ($189.99). Buy two square trays and you’ve got a great coffee table. You can play it safe with black, or go crazy with screaming yellow.

Did you know that you can major in interior design and specialize in car interiors? There’s more to it than you might think. The designer behind Kia’s Soul, is one groovy hipster.

Here’s another colorway to consider. I found this lamp ($49.99) at Bed, Bath & Beyond. Stunned? I was.

This is a very nice chair from Overstock.com. Priced at a mere $295.00 I’d snap up two.

Two more fabric choices are both from Schumacher. On the left, Langley Houndstooth, in Pepper (a soft gray in 100% wool). On the right is Chelsea Chenille in Jet Black. Contact me for prices.

Finally, two pillows. The brown is from Bassett and is on sale for $39.99. The black option is from Ballard Design and sells for $119.00.

FLOR’s Spooky Halloween Carpet Tiles

Everyone has gone Halloween crazy. That includes FLOR. They’ve added a new design to their Halloween collection. Arachnophobia ($15.99) joins Skully ($13.99) in their collection of carpet tiles.

If you’re really into Goth, I recommend Skully for year-round style. Or, buy solid black and stencil it with crosses, etc.. For Halloween, either square would make a great floor mat just inside the door (called a walk-off in the biz).

Everyone is going wild over Halloween these days. At the Mitchell’s we don’t have to decorate because we live on a dead-end street. How about you? Do you have a graveyard in your front yard? Pictures please!

L’Aviva Home Textiles: handmade bedspreads from around the world

I’ve never heard of an online trunk show until I read about L’Aviva Home. It’s a great idea. They spot beautiful textiles and objects and bring them to our online doorstep. As they say, “both collections reflect the belief that the things we surround ourselves with should possess a soul, a history, and a purpose beyond mere decoration: they should help us connect to the world.”

These are my favorites form their current stock of textiles.

I’m starting with my favorite – the Suzanis. Their selection is pretty nice. One of them I’ve seen everywhere. But it’s a lovely design, so I guess that doesn’t matter. The prices vary, but start at around $310. That’s a very good price by the way.

These hand embroidered bedspreads are from Mexico and sell for $325. They come in eight colors. Love these.

Their Argentine runners are made from local wool and are hand dyed. They do custom work, so contact them for prices and selection. This one sells for $465.

L’Aviva’s Indigo throws ($155) are made in Mali. They’re hand-stitched and hand-dyed. Again, prices vary depending on the size and condition.

What better way to create your own unique space than to buy a one of a kind, handmade bedspread? Or use one of the pieces as a throw. Mixing up new with old adds character to a room.

I found wonderful rugs in Chile. My son brought home beautiful blankets and kongas from his trip to Tanzania. Do you have a favorite throw or rug that you found on your travels? Why not share it with us. Send me a photo, or describe it for us.

Bolivian Aguayos’ ($225)

FLOR adds Flora to their Alexander Girard rug collection

FLOR is introducing a new Alexander Girard pattern to their collection. Flora was inspired by Girard’s textile pattern Eden. Alexander Girard is widely known for his American textile design. He worked with Herman Miller where he created fabrics for the designs of George Nelson and Charles and Ray Eames.

FLOR offers a variety of carpet squares that can be mixed and matched to create your own one-of-a-kind carpet masterpiece. They‚Äôre easy to clean, and you can create a rug that’s just the size you want. Best of all, if you move just pick up the tiles and take them with you. I have one of their styles happily installed in my office.

Flora will be available as a 6 tile rug for $159.99 in their Summer/ Early June catalog and comes in 3 colorways.