Trendy Monday

TRENDY MONDAY: ANIMAL PRINTS IN HOME FASHION

By |2010-10-31T21:02:00-04:00October 31, 2010|Trendy Monday|

How do you feel about using animal prints? Yes? No?


Animal prints are very popular, both in fashion and home design: has anyone out there missed seeing this? Whatever it is: from leopard to zebra to cowhide to cheetah to giraffe…it’s been seen on some product for the home.

So, where did this trend come from and why is it so popular?

“Animal print fabric has been a staple in interior design for many years. These wonderful prints were originally introduced as upholstery fabric during the 19th century. British colonists were travelling to different parts of the British Empire and discovering a new and relaxed way of life. During this time the design style known today as British Colonial was born. This style encompasses lots of dark wood, white walls and upholstery and touches of exotic animal prints.”

onlinefabricstore.net

Here is a variety of products:

Animal Skins3

The prints can (almost) masquerade as just another geometric print, in a non-traditional animal print color:

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to a more refined but not so subtle:

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to a textural, one of my favorite, looks:

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again, subtle and non-traditional:

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love, love the pop of color:

TRENDY MONDAY: POUFS

By |2010-07-25T20:12:00-04:00July 25, 2010|Home Design, Trendy Monday|


So, what exactly IS a pouf?

Here are some definitions I found on line:

a thick cushion used as a seat
a women’s hair style
a part of a garment gathered into a puff

Let’s go with the first one… and you will see that they are VERY much a trend and are seen all over design-land.

Poufs

Pouf Colors

I’m still on the fence with poufs…not too sure about them. In one sense they seem to be just another unnecessary, extraneous accessory to add to general clutter. Do we really need this piece of fluff?

Ok, on the other hand, they DO make sense! It’s always nice to put your feet up; in fact, I am always sitting on our sofa just because it has a nice, sturdy, feet-up-on-me table in front of it. And, of course, they make a great extra seat or casual stool. Some of them can even accomodate a tray for food.

Here are some room settings showing poufs:

from the formal to the sublime!

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{house beautiful}

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the white/neutral interior we are seeing so much of lately, with that great splash of orange (it’s all in the details, right?)

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{my home ideas}

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serene, peaceful, calming, formal: and then, the pink pouf!

TRENDY MONDAY: COLOR FUCHSIA

By |2010-06-20T21:00:00-04:00June 20, 2010|Color, Shopping, Trendy Monday|



It’s summertime and the colors are bright and fun:


Pink…fuschia…magenta. Some of the colors of summer. So here, for the next Trendy Monday, are some finds.


I have been over and over all the images here and for some strange reason, can’t get all of them to link to the sites; so you will not be able to click through. Well, at least I’ve given credit..

John Lewis

johnlewis.com

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Fuchsia Chair
Arial, sans-serif;font-size:medium;” > stylehive


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Fuchsia Pillow
pillowdecor


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Fuchsia Rug

[…]

TRENDY MONDAY: NAUTICAL

By |2010-05-23T21:00:00-04:00May 23, 2010|Trendy Monday|


By the sea, by the sea…


Nautical is a trend. It’s been around for years, of course, but you see it now being used in almost every product category. Nautical can be the traditional colors of flags i.e. red, navy, white, yellow; but more often these days we see it in all shades of blue, mixed with creams, naturals, and ochres. One of my favorite fashion items is the iconic French blue and white stripe “sailor” shirt. Oh so classic!

Here’s a trend board showing you a small, very small, selection of “nautical for the home”.

Nautical 1

Love this one! From the chalk board map to the Greek key rug, the blues aren’t too heavy yet the colors are varied.

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{House Beautiful}

Are we in a house, or a boat? The seating and storage are nicely done. The dark stained beam ceiling is great.

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{House Beautiful}

In Nova Scotia:

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Just a little nautical!:

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{House Beautiful}

And from the overtly, blaring nautical:


Screenshot […]

TRENDY MONDAY: GRAIN SACKS

By |2010-05-09T21:00:00-04:00May 9, 2010|Hand Crafted, Trendy Monday|


“Grain sacks” you ask?

Yes! If you’re not familiar with this vintage or antique “fabric”, take a look here.

Grain sacks, according to The Textile Trunk, would “have been used throughout

Europe to transport and store grain, flour and other agricultural products.”

First, let’s take a look at some vintage pieces:

Screenshot

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These were, of course, “fait main” (hand made) and were certainly made to last.

Some of them have been around for well over a hundred years, and that includes years

of heavy use. They did actually hold and haul grain. The different stripes, colors and

initials were used to identify the owner so that after the grain was taken to the mill to

be ground, each sack was easily identifiable.

On the other hand, here is one that looks like a ‘grain’ sack, and is a sack, but is

actually a pillow sack found in a dowry chest in Eastern Europe.

Screenshot

The grain sack look is everywhere now, from antique dealers to contemporary catalogues. Here from Pottery Barn:

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Love this bag:

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And from Ballard Designs:


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Bonnie Kielty Neiman has an antique business in Summit, New Jersey […]

TRENDY MONDAY: GARDEN FURNITURE PART 1

By |2010-05-02T21:00:00-04:00May 2, 2010|Garden, Trendy Monday|


Let’s go sit in the garden!

     It’s that time of year (thank goodness) when we can be out in the garden. Whether you have a large garden, a small terrace, a balcony, or a pool…you need some thing to sit on when you go outside.

    Rather than present you with the tried and true, I am showing you here some fun

and different kinds of outdoor furnishings. Umbrellas are a great way to make a

 (color) statement and they are available in so many great solid colors, stripes and 

patterns. A good source for these is Ballard Designs; also Crate & Barrel; Pottery Barn

and….I’ve found great ones by going to Ebay.

                       Garden 2
 

Here’s a cute idea I had never seen before: a finial for your outdoor umbrella!
 
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    To finish off, I thought I would show you some photos of a trip we took to 

Hudson, New York a few weeks ago. If you are ever there, you must go to 

Le Gamin cafe! It’s the northern outpost of the series of New York City bistros of 

the same name. Fabulous, delicious food in an authentic French bistro. 

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