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 didn’t first see Restoration Hardware’s new 616-page fall catalog. I heard it. In the form of my 6-year-old, groaning as he tried to yank it out of our mailbox. It wasn’t cooperating. I had to pull it out for him, it was so heavy. And my God, I thought, what on Earth??

One can’t casually flip through this catalog. It takes a commitment. It sat on our kitchen counter for the weekend, goading me. I kept looking over my shoulder at it as I walked by. Because there’s no way I could ever live with any of this stuff as they have it styled.

It’s like the set of a music video, or Dr. Jekyl’s castle. It gives me the creeps.

This room gives me a "Clockwork Orange" feeling, like I'm about to be interrogated, or maybe worse.

I mean, besides the fact that I could never own any of it because it’s all too big for my 1939 colonial, and I don’t have 20-foot ceilings, and there’s no room in Arlington (or most near-DC neighborhoods) for a castle on a hill (cue the lightning).

And really, do I want a desk made from airplane wings?

Now, there is probably a place for this in some of the new two-story loft condos being built around here, but this all-metal-and-leather thing really leaves me cold.

But it does make sense, I guess, in the “Lunatic Fringe” context of Restoration Hardware’s CEO, Gary Friedman, whose opening letter is titled just that. He invokes Teddy Roosevelt, of all people, to sell furniture.

“Are we a part of the lunatic fringe?” he asks. “If it means, as President Roosevelt said … that ‘our place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat,’ then put us in that arena.”

And here we see Gary’s beauty shot, not as a Rough Rider going into battle, but as some sort of rebel figure standing in front of his wares.

And here is precisely where he’s got us. Even as most online commentary of this catalog has trended negative, none of that matters.  He had literally printed the textbook on why Restoration Hardware’s appallingly huge catalog of gray, beige and brown will be a hit, according to Creative Direct Marketing Group:

“Catalog marketing presents tremendous profit opportunities right now. Huge growth and new launches in both B2B and consumer catalog sectors are creating soaring profits for manufacturers, retailers and mail order marketers,” the group says.

The story goes on to cite Restoration Hardware’s winning strategy: “Restoration Hardware says direct sales through their multichannel catalog/internet strategy grew 59% last year.”

And as you read the catalog’s dreamy stories about the artisans who craft metalwork, reproduction antiques, rugs, and linen for the RH line, touted proudly as written “by independent journalists,” just know it’s all part of the plan:

“Describe your products in detail and draw your prospects into the product descriptions. Long copy will help you to create a mouthwatering desire for the product…whereas short copy just looks like a boring, uninvolving list of products,” the Creative Direct Marketing Group says. “A great strategy is to give your catalog added-value. Your catalog should be more than a laundry list of the products you offer. Use a theme and compelling copy to carry the reader through the catalog instead of random flipping.”

The company filed to go public on Friday, according to Bloomberg Businessweek, with a goal of raising up to $150 million. It hopes to reposition itself “from a niche brand into a leading home furnishings company, with plans to lure wealthy customers from designer showrooms and smaller, independent competitors,” the story says.

Hence, the Vogue-like catalog, and the six-page ad in the latest issue of Architectural Digest.

Can you even imagine the millions it’s paid for this direct mail effort? And a six-page ad in AD? Hmm, $50 grand might be on the low end if I were to take a guess, and you know that there will be more ads to come, so you can put a multiplier on that 50k.

And how do they pay for it? They have to build it into the price of their furniture, of course.

But as you heave this behemoth out of your mailbox, think of all the amazing independent furniture makers in our own area, who don’t advertise beyond word of mouth, where what you pay for is strictly in the quality and craftsmanship of the furniture, not some fancy marketing campaign.

Folks like Caleb Woodard, who built a chest for us and delivered it himself — and then took it back for a week because he had to make the finish more perfect. Or the artisans represented by Well Built on 14th Street, or the incredible Keith Fritz, who moved to Ohio for lower-priced real estate and labor but continues to drive to DC to deliver his award-winning pieces to clients. Or Art Woodstone Studio, where the husband-and-wife owners are also artists, or Modern Rust, which produces sustainable furniture from reclaimed wood. I could go on and on, and I’m missing dozens of talented artisans in the DC region from this paragraph, but you get my point.

“Depressing” and “sad” were frequent adjectives I’ve seen used online to describe the latest look at Restoration Hardware. But more depressing is just knowing that this big thing staring back at me from the kitchen counter is designed to turn me into their “prospect.”

But Gary, as sexy as you clearly are, I’m just not that into you.

I don’t know where this comes from, but I have SUCH a thing for gorgeous quilts. When we were preparing the gift guide for Washington Spaces a couple years ago, I went searching for the perfect quilt, and found a delightful hole in the wall in Sperryville, VA. And thanks to Jennifer Bolger, who sent me an email recently about her mother’s shop in Lothian, MD, I have found another gem: Bellweather Dry Goods.

According to the Web site, Richard and Georgina Fries run the shop, which is near Annapolis, out of their pre-Civil-War-era home. They are apparently avid gardeners, and their home is filled with antiques. They say the drive out to their place makes a splendid day trip, and I believe them.

There’s something about a quilt that says everything will be alright, that you’re safe and warm — and happy too, which is heart-warming as I write this while Hurricane Irene is gearing up outside.

What you see on the Web site is just a taste of all that they have — and Georgina will create custom quilts, too. One of the things I adore about quilts (among so many!) is how they can take on such different personalities depending on the color and pattern you use.

They can either be somewhat traditional, as you see above, but these patterns below would be perfectly happy in modern interiors:

And not to mention children’s themes. This one is too precious for words:

And check out this detail:

As we ride out today’s storm, I can think of no place better to be than wrapped up, all warm, in a beautiful quilt. Once the weather clears, I need to put a day trip to Bellwether Dry Goods on my calendar.

I was at the beach over the weekend, and had a chance to visit the owners of the best little home shop on the Delaware shore: Carolina Street, which I have mentioned briefly in a previous post. Dee Dee and Paul Phillips have lived in Fenwick for-EVER, and they regaled me with stories about old Fenwick history and people. It was a great hour and a half on a Saturday afternoon.

Just walking up to the shop, which of course faces Carolina Street on the corner of Coastal Highway in Fenwick Island, makes you smile:

The couple has owned this building for more than 40 years, when they first opened as antiques dealers.

The store is now housed in two buildings, separated in the middle with a courtyard containing all manner of garden pots and decorative statuary. The Phillips live above the second building, and enjoy a hidden balcony that looks down on their garden courtyard.

Here is more of what they look down at:

What a great collection of pets!

I had the pleasure of meeting the Phillips because their daughter Julia, the incredibly talented decorative artist who runs Monkon Studios with her husband, spotted my reference to their shop on this blog (more on Julia in a future post).

Dee Dee and Paul deserve lots of praise — along with most other retailers who are still in business in this lousy economy — for keeping their store open as wholesalers have cracked down, demanding payments up front or within 30 days  on furniture and accessories. In a seasonal business, especially when they ramp up for the spring/summer rush before customers arrive to spend their money — it’s incredibly difficult to manage that kind of payment schedule.

But they have such great, whimsical taste, and that’s probably what’s kept them around — there really is something for everyone.

Their home is representative of what they sell — a mix of color, antiques, and artwork and old signs that bring a smile to your face.

Most people are afraid to fill up their walls like this, but when everything has a common theme like this menagerie of the sea, it really works.

Another view, looking into the dining room.

All the color in the living room is balanced with old pieces such as this table and chairs -- a sofa table that doubles as extra dining space for guests.

The Phillips have hung signs throughout their home, which are for sale in the shop below.

On the balcony.

More inside.

Above the kitchen entry.

Downstairs, the store offers a great mix of furniture, accessories, art and gifts.

This upholstery just screams "beach!"

The art on the left wall is by Robert Knutsen, which is a huge seller here.

LOVE this rug. WANT this rug. (and the chaise on the right isn't bad, either.)

Artwork is everywhere here, along with feathered friends. But what really caught my eye is the cool quatrefoil table in a driftwood-y finish.

The Phillips are great with product display -- this collection of lanterns is its own still-life.

What a fabulous birdhouse.

And many more birdhouses perch in the front window.

If you find yourself in Ocean City, Bethany or Rehoboth during this next month (or better yet, when fall’s cooler temps set in), please go visit Dee Dee and Paul — as much for the delightful conversation as for what they have to offer. You’ll come away happy.

]]> http://dcbydesignblog.com/shopping/at-home-on-carolina-street/feed/ 7 http://dcbydesignblog.com/shopping/designer-samples-at-the-loft/ http://dcbydesignblog.com/shopping/designer-samples-at-the-loft/#comments Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:39:54 +0000 Jennifer http://dcbydesignblog.com/?p=1459

Got to hand it to Sandy Steele — she’s persistent in the sweetest way! For months she’s been asking me to drive out to Frederick, MD, to see her new shop, The Loft at Antique Imports. Well, I finally went out there, and I CAN’T BELIEVE I didn’t go sooner.

Basically, she takes high-end custom furnishings and accessories from designers, who for whatever reason don’t need them. Maybe a client didn’t want it anymore, or it was used for a show house and is now languishing in storage, or a client is redoing a house and tossing a perfectly great piece to make way for a new look.

I especially love this sleek Shaker-style coffee table,

and armoire.

The prices are ridiculously cheap — sometimes up to 75 percent off retail. All styles are represented based on what comes in from week to week.

These vintage Hans J. Wegner chairs caught my eye.

These two tiny tables came from a designer whose client was getting rid of them to redecorate her $6 million house.

Anyone in the mood for Moroccan? This chair is one of a pair.

I love this farm table — its warm glossy finish evokes comfort itself.

Sandy also does great business with upholstered pieces. These sweet tailored chairs are ready for a tea party:

(note the cool mid-century end table, too)

And in this case, the client ordered the sofa below from her designer, but decided she didn’t want it after all. Sandy told me the fabric was $300 per yard.

The accessories are adorable, too.

This pair of elegant round tables would look great in almost any setting.

And as you wander the building’s two levels (soon to be three), you see great vintage relics from the old building that at one time was a tobacco barn. Sandy says they went through and painted all the walls in Ben Moore’s Navajo White, but left the piping as-is. An old fire hose also adds character to the surroundings.

So, if you’re unsure whether to commit to driving all the way out to Frederick (which is about an hour from my house in Arlington) just do it — frequently, because Sandy’s inventory changes every week, and the prices are seriously insane.

The Loft at AI

125 East Street

Frederick, MD 21701

301.662.6205

info@theloftatai.com

I had the pleasure of spending the morning at the Chevy Chase DC home of Loi Thai, the owner of Tone on Tone, the Bethesda shop known for its painted Swedish antiques. Ever since I saw a story about his house in The Washington Post last year (right after he and partner Thomas Troeschel moved in — the story is here), I’ve been enamored of his style. I got to meet him finally in the course of reporting for a freelance assignment, and he showed me his house — a bit more filled in than last year, with brand new, drop-dead landscaping.

Without further ado, here’s the eye candy from his renovated 1916 house:

The barrel tile and shutters are original -- Loi had his carpenter strip the shutters down to their original color.

The formal landscaping is modeled after European gardens.

Loi intends to square off the tops of the trees in front for an even more formal look.

What a fabulous front loggia. The front door used to be where the console table is.

The landscaping is still not fully complete, but this "white garden" on the side of the house was just planted in the last several days.

Moving inside, let's step into this unforgettable foyer. I will have dreams about this foyer!

The living room. Loi usually will take home the antiques the don't sell quickly in his store. He also swaps with friends: The striped chairs flanking the sofa came from designer Frank Babb Randolph.

A lovely vignette at the end of the living room.

My favorite piece the living room: the antique secretary.

And finally, the living room fireplace, along with Loi's dog, Panda. I love the plants that flank the mantel on their fabulous pedestals.

Here is the family room/kitchen where Loi and Thomas spend most of their time. I love how the soft green flows around the room in the form of the throw blanket, pedant lights, and artwork.

And the other side of the sofa, with the antique chest used to hold audio/video equipment. I like how the dramatic sconces complement the black TV.

The kitchen is so warm and welcoming. Loi used a table runner from at the bar stools to make one long place mat.

A closeup of the crockery on the sideboard -- both functional and artistic!

I’ll leave you with two images of the office that adjoins the kitchen/family room space (which used to be the old house’s kitchen). I adore Loi’s inspiration board, and the vintage industrial French rack he found to hold his enormous collection of design magazines.

Whew — it’s oppressively hot out there today. That’s when I start dreaming of large bodies of water, such as the Severn River, which forms Darryl Savage’s backyard near Annapolis.

What a way to wind down after a long day at work!

Darryl owns DHS Designs in Queenstown, very close to the outlets at the 50/301 split that we all pass on the way to the beach. He does lots of business for the second-home crowd, and his specialty is antique garden wares — especially in the heavy stone variety.

Another view of Darryl's deck, with items from his store, a converted 1940's dairy barn.

Darryl is an interior designer by trade, but he does less design these days as he focuses more on buying items for his store. His home gives you an idea about where his tastes lie, which are mainly in bringing the outside in. Here is a magazine picture that was taken of his soaring interior:

Here are some other (dreamy) views of his welcoming outside spaces:

Darryl has a marvelous collection of wares, from antique French mantels to art to an abundance of garden furniture and statuary. Here is a smattering of some of my favorite pieces he’s got on offer — they are so much more interesting than what you’d find at the Queenstown outlets, if you ask me.

Now that it’s summer, he’s got a huge collection of urns from Anduze, France, in Provence:

I also love these garden goddesses, representing the four seasons:

And this faux-bois Chinese garden bench:

This would be so great across my dining room wall: a triptych photograph on canvas of the Vizcaya Gardens in Miami. It’s like a dream scene.

And these framed 19th-century French wallpaper panels — also marvelous:

These Louis XVI armchairs call out my name — I love the color combo of olive velvet (which needs some TLC) and the turquoise frame. They’d also be excellent re-upholstery candidates.

And this quadruple pedestal table is just completely fabulous:

I’ll part with a final vignette from Darryl’s house, which combines his knack for garden scenes and antiques. His talents make the sweaty outdoors seem nearly bearable!

Visit Darryl’s store, DHS Designs, right here.

Apologies for my prolonged absense — I’ve been blessed with an abundance of freelance assignments, which have taken precedence this week. But in the course of reporting one of my stories, I was lucky enough to meet Jeff Albert, the owner of Decorium in Old Town Alexandria.

I drove there last week to meet Jeff and his partner (in business and in life), David Chenault, who is in charge of D2 — the interior design business upstairs. The store is hard to miss, as it’s dripping in artificial wisteria on the outside walls — which will be replaced this fall with some other seasonally fabulous hangings. You have to duck when you go inside, as there are more plantings hanging from the ceiling, along with all manner of chandeliers.

The store is stuffed to the gills with furniture, gifts and accessories — unapologetically over the top. (Jeff, at times, has carpeted the floors with sod, and in the autumn, customers have walked over crunchy fall leaves.)

So, you can imagine what their house must be like.  Here’s a tour of their 90-year-old farmhouse in Lorton, which was designed to resemble a Tuscan farmhouse — or maybe a psychedelic dream version of one.

The sweet and inviting entry, but modest compared to what you'll find inside.

Barry Dixon lovers will recognize the nailhead-lined stair runner, which Jeff said was designed in tribute to Barry's style.

The kitchen's eating area, with recycled limestone floors, burlap settee, and a mixture of chairs under a beamed ceiling.

The farmhouse's original parlor combines rustic wood with velvet upholstery, framed by exuberant window treatments.

This corner of the parlor features an antique prayer chair, a brass Pope's crown, and tapestry against neutral walls created with seven shades of emulsions and glazes.

The library, which is about as contemporary Jeff and David get.

The art room, where Jeff and David display their art collection, reminds me of a setting from the house where the Bloomsbury Group of writers communed in England 100 years ago.

I love this vignette in a corner of the art room.

And finally, a lovely vignette in a corner of the couple's dining room. I adore the painted frames of these chairs.

So many people these days preach clean lines and minimal interiors, that it’s almost refreshing to see such an unabashed overabundance — the house is a good illustration of the incredibly generous personalities of Jeff and David, who greeted me with a lovely spread of coffee and muffins in the design studio over the store.

Decorium is worth a visit for the eye candy alone.

I don’t normally write about sales, because there are so many of them, but I couldn’t resist passing along news about this one, which I saw on My Notting Hill today.

This is what you will see at the tag sale of a home staging expert who is downsizing. I'm all over this.

Michele’s friend Lori, a home stager, is downsizing to move to Georgetown, and she is getting together with her friends to have a HUGE TAG SALE Friday April 30th 3 pm – 7 pm and Saturday May 1st 7 am – 12 pm at 2345 N Quincy St. Arlington VA 22207 (1 mile from Spout Run off of GW Parkway).

Here’s one more picture of this fab dining room — and Michele has tons more pictures on her blog — the link is right here. Mark your calendar!

Spring cleaning is in the air, because I finally went through the huge box of press kits I collected last fall in High Point, which means those new lines are now in stores. There’s no real theme to any of this — just stuff I really like, starting with bursts of orange from Global Views:

Global Views furniture can be ordered through local retailers such as Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, Theodores, and Random Harvest

Great mix of antique and modern styles, and the Arabesque rug in both photos is just, well, awesome.

Hands down, my new favorite secretary, called the French Key. Sorry, Thomas O'Brien, my heart is somewhere else now!

These pillows are so happy, I could just cry.

Let’s move along to Pierre Deux, which is next door to where I used to work in Tysons Corner — I guess it’s good I don’t have these temptations anymore!

These fabrics just kind of scream spring, don't they?

I'm a wing chair fan to begin with, but these lines are really smart and crisp -- the Le Duc Chair.

My kids’ school is currently looking for planting pots for its garden … If only they could have these from Kwilty. (On second thought, I would probably just save this for myself!)

Kwilty also sells sleeves for your Starbucks cups, quilted storage buckets, and pillows.

Now, here’s some great melamine from Working Class Studio, a division of SCAD — the Savannah College of Art and Design. Just in time for your outdoor meals. You can shop online, or find local retailers here.

For the prepsters out there, check out these new items from Annie Selke for Vanguard Furniture. Her fabrics and frames just make me happy. Vanguard can be ordered locally through And Beige, Decorium, Theodores, and Urban Country. You can find other local retailers here.

I don't have a daughter, but if I did, this would SO go in her room.

The bright fabric lightens the mood of the traditional, dark frame.

Here’s for my “dream” category — these exquisite lighting designs from husband-and-wife designers Stephane and Frouwkje Pagani for Baker Furniture.

Here’s from the press release:

The Paganis selected four mediums within which to express their Baker lighting designs: Italian Murano glass, cast bronze, French plaster and hand-sculpted marble.

“These four ancient mediums are rooted in history – coveted by craftsmen for centuries because of the lyrical qualities and natural beauty each possess,” said Frouwkje Pagani. “The luxurious noble materials nod to our past while the collection celebrates the contemporary design aesthetic of the present.”

I’ll end with something a bit more affordable, from a company called Schnadig, which is sold locally through Marlo Furniture (!) and Reincarnations on 14th Street.  This cool console caught my eye. Happy Tuesday.

The Smoke and Mirrors Sideboard

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