Last Day To Enter This Week’s Giveaway!

This week’s giveaway, a copy of the newly published book, The Vintage Table, is over at the end of the day today! If you haven’t entered, follow this link to get the details and enter now!

Mastering the art of French tabletop d?©cor is not my fort?©. That’s why I found this book so inspirational. But I promise to send it to the winner when I draw the lucky name tomorrow. And, no, it hasn’t been dog-eared! No coffee cup marks either. :-)

Good luck – check this site tomorrow.

DH Giveaway: The Vintage Table

Don’t forget to enter this week’s giveaway! Win a copy of the brand new book by Jaqueline DeMontravel, The Vintage Table.

If you’re a collector of vintage tabletop items, you will LOVE this book. I do. I’m giving away the one the publisher sent me to review because the book doesn’t release until after Christmas. Rest assured, I’ll be replacing it on December 29th. It’s about vintage with a French twist. What’s not to like?

For all the details about how to enter, follow this link to yesterday’s post. The winner will be drawn at random on Saturday. Good luck!

Friday Favorite: Helen Beard Ceramics

Helen Beard is a watercolor and ceramics genius. I adore her work.

What’s not to love? Her work is one-of-a-kind.

I’m scooting out the door to a client meeting. I’m working on her kitchen right now and am looking for accessories, like these, to dress the room. The project is winding up, so I’m looking forward to having a bit more time to write more posts. Stay tuned.

Belvivere Linens

I’d like to welcome my new sponsor, Belvivere Linens, to Design Hole. Their online shop sells fine linens including some beautiful tablecloths.

Tablecloths seem to be out of fashion. I see most tables dressed with runners and placemats. I have a collection of heirloom linen cloths and like to layer them in various ways.

For example, if you have a beautiful, vintage cloth with a few small holes in it, don’t throw it out. Simply place a plain cloth, in the same color, under it. You’ll see the beautiful features and the holes with disappear. Or, make the holes work by setting an eclectic table setting. Think Anthropologie. The holes go with that look.

I think the reason most people don’t use tablecloths is because they need to be ironed. No one irons anymore. And there isn’t any way to get around it. A linen cloth needs an iron. My solution is to send it to the cleaners. They’ll fold it carefully and hang it on a rounded hanger to keep creases to a minimum.

Do you agree that placemats are more popular than tablecloths? Is it the ironing issue, or an aesthetic one?

Out And About In Detroit: Love Hugh Long Time!

Last week Detroit added a new home store to its list of fabulous shopping destinations. Hugh is aimed toward young bachelor types. But girls are welcome, too. Owner, Joe Posch, held a grand opening party last Thursday and the place was jammed.

The shop, located at 2233 Park Avenue, has a hip, ’70′s edge to it. Because it’s next to a very hip martini bar, Centaur, and right down the street from jazz club, Cliff Bell’s, late hours are de rigeuer. Hugh is open from 4:00 to 10:00 PM, Wednesday through Friday, and 4:00 to 11:00 PM on Saturday.

An even better idea is the price tags. Joe’s shop sells a nice mix of contemporary and vintage pieces – most under $200 – and a lot of things under $100. Here’s what Joe had to say about his merch.

Let’s see, there are kind of two tiers of lines. There are some fun inexpensive items like barware by Nuance of Denmark, notebooks by Leuchtturn of Germany, and personal fun things by Kikkerland. We carry greeting cards by Offensive & Delightful, glassware by LSA International and soon the titanium crystal stemware by Schott Zweisel will be in stock.

As a man matures he needs to upgrade his lifestyle so we carry some higher end lines too: glassware by Rosenthal, Alessi and the Japanese craft-glass house Sugahara. Bar accessories by Stelton, Alessi and Richartz of Germany. Cufflinks by Stewart-Stand, Simplicitas of Sweden and Detroit designer Christine Bossler. Decorative accessories by Jonathan Adler.

And there is always the vintage. I  strived to bring in cool vintage barware and decorative items at great price points, so there should always be something groovy going on with that. Right now we have cool vintage Italian 1950s glass, vintage bar sets, and vintage Hiram Walker playing cards.

Now Detroit bachelors can outfit their pads without breaking the bank.