International Contemporary Furniture Fair NYC

I spent the rainy day at the Javitz Center yesterday checking out some of the new  furnishings at the ICFF. The International Contemporary Furniture Fair  attracts both well known furniture vendors, as well as small up and coming  companies from all over the world. It was great to see how much was coming from Brooklyn. From furniture to lighting to wall coverings, Brooklyn is the current hotbed of Indie design and manufacturing companies. Knoll

There were so many interesting pieces for kids. It was truly inspiring! Loved this Dutch designer's storage units. They could work in a modern playroom or bedroom..

This Brooklyn company accommodates both commercial clients like kid spaces in  libraries to residential projects.

Love the light wiry feeling of this LA company.

Sculptural animal heads would look great in a kids room.

Beautiful English rug company.

So much wallpaper. Many had a very vintage feel..

This Canadian company's grand central wall paper and New York City subway map would be great in a transportation themed room.

Love these large animal ottomans. They will definitely be in my online shop shortly..

This Italian company's clocks were just so  whimsical. A chalkboard clock..

Knitted out of yarn. How nice for a baby's nursery.

Ok gotta go...

See you..

Christina

Trip to Saratoga ny

Last week we visited Saratoga Springs, NY for my son's crewing regatta, as well as a visit with family. You can see why Travel and Leisure magazine  calls Saratoga one of America's greatest main streets. It is just beautiful and filled with interesting small business boutiques.

One very inspiring shop was the Saratoga Turkish Bazaar. It is filled with color and style.

These slightly sparkly light fixtures would add ambiance to a Bohemian baby's nursery. They are a great alternative to the much used chandelier.

Use the lights as inspiration and build the room. Elizabeth Allen crib bedding works perfectly and is just beautiful.

A great Moroccan pouf for baby.

We could add a little more contemporary furniture, that still has more eastern design elements..

All products can be found at Cici Crib Main Street store. Find your design inspiration and build on it!

See you..

Christina

Cool Vintage for Kids Rooms

Strolling in NYC the other day, a very ordinary storefront lead us to a manly man jewel box of antiques.  Mantiques Modern is filled with the most intriguing oddities.  There were some really cool pieces that you could use to decorate your kids rooms..

I believe this head came from a playground merry-go-round. I had a very similar piece in my shop that sold to a couple in San Francisco for their baby's nursery.

So many interesting things...

Cool T-Rex model  for the dinosaur inspired children's rooms...

Dinosaur for baby scientist

Race cars frozen in a lucite cube..

What a great Robot lamp!

I've always collected oddities. Yes I practice what I preach! My older son loved T-Rex. A huge head still is on his wall.

My younger guy loved this hammerhead I found at a flea market, so he has it above his display case. It sits between old prints of mushrooms. He always loved to go mushroom hunting.

Sealife for a boys bedroom

I think kids get inspired by what's around them. So put some interesting items on a shelf or on the wall, it may have a lasting impression. Some of the great vintage pieces in our shop-

Diver Helmet Container

Real leather tiny cowboy boot

Original Train Print

train railroad decoration

See you... Christina

A Day in Chelsea

We spent a very relaxing day looking at art galleries in Chelsea.  Sometimes I feel I am looking at the Emporer's new clothes, other times it is just what you expect from NYC. Loved some of the paintings at the Stephan Haller Gallery. Works by Llyod Martin

Larry Vox

Red Hat print at James Cohan Gallery,artist is Sarah Rara.

How great to put original pieces of art in children's rooms. The pieces at Praxis International Art was young and fun...

See you..

Christina

Katonah Museum of Art

We visited the Katonah Museum of Art this past weekend to see my son's work in a student exhibit.  This museum is a little jewel in Northern Westchester.  There was an interesting outdoor exhibit by Joseph Wheelwright. You will never look at trees in the same way after seeing his sculptures. They are so seamlessly put together they look like they have emerged from the earth.  It was late afternoon on an  overcast day  when we arrived. Only silhouettes could be seen until you got up close to them. Then you could see the detail. A little spooky cool...

Most of the tree people were living amongst the evergreens on the back terrace. It couldn't be a more perfect setting..

The exhibit goes on until May. Try to make it out there. The kids will find them so interesting.. See you...

Christina

Baby Gifts at the New York International Gift Fair

I went shopping last weekend for new gifts for the shop. I came upon the O.R.E. booth and gave it a good pause. Always had their products in the back of my mind, today I decided to try some. I like small companies. I like to get to know owners. Tim Chauran and his wife Lisa Lowe are the team behind O.R.E. Tim told me that his wife is the designer. The inspiration for the products come from everywhere. Home, their son, their bull terrier. Strong graphic and product design make their products special. Their company started in their garage in Long Beach, CA. Tim was dressed very stylishly.

From their booth I meandered towards the section devoted to Japanese vendors. I found some little wash cloths with sayings that reminded me Haruki Murakami. I read the book, The wind-up Bird Chronicle last year. I love  the original humor. Not only are the washcloths made nicely, their sayings could spur much discussion at bath time...

I ended the day at the booth that sold art. A small company out of Georgia, they make the sweetest pieces that would fit perfectly in a baby's nursery. The frames are made out of reclaimed wood.

See you...

Christina

A Change in Plans

I was supposed to go to Austin, TX last weekend with my son for a fencing tournament. I did research on antique areas, food trucks, shopping, etc.. Would have been great, but our flights were cancelled and we couldn't get there in time for the tournament. Bummer... All our plans down the drain.  At the last minute I decided to take a quick trip to Pittsburgh to visit with family. My brother in law and I like to check out real estate in Pittsburgh.  One morning we crossed the river to check out the Northside- a spirited community that is up and coming.  The birthplace of Mary Cassatt and the Andy Warhol Museum . What a combo. It is like walking back into Victorian times. Every house and every  building is completely intact.  Coming from New York, the real estate prices in this area are so unbelievably reasonable.. Must be  what the meatpacking district was years ago.. What a great loft this would be..

An old coffee company and battery and flashlight factory is also nearby...

Just down the street it turns residential. Sidewalks made from brick. Houses painted in vibrant colors.   Woodwork  that is nothing short of spectacular. It is like this street after street in this area.

The other side of Northside borders the oldest park in Pittsburgh.

I can't wait to go back to discover more of this area...

See you..

Christina

Marimekko Store at Flatiron District

A couple days ago I got a chance to check out the new Marimekko store in NYC. I remember my mother's great Marimekko dress in the 1970's.  I saw it the other day in my sister's closet. As you approach the store, huge Marimekko umbrellas are clustered around Madison Square Park.

The entire store is filled with their signature prints.

Fabrics can be purchased by the yard.

Great inspiration for decorating kids' rooms...

How can you not be in a good mood after visiting the store. The evening seemed to get even better. As we stopped for a coffee at Stumptown, who walks by?  Yes, Anthony Bourdain from No Reservations.  My favorite tv show! I just about jumped out of the window to say a few words to him. You would think I would tell him that his sharp wit and writing is just so special. Something alittle more meaningful than" I love your show." I did mention that I thought Stumptown had the best coffee in the city. He said- " I know." I guess that was sort of profound.

See you...

Christina

Highpoint Part II

This is a story of two vendors. I saw them on the same day and they couldn't have been more different. Visiting  Bevera Design House, I felt like I was at my mother's dining room table raking over all the new acquisitions she had purchased at the latest auction.  I think I could have spent all day there sipping tea and chatting about their collection.  A very personable and inspired group of artists that sell a very well curated group of products and art. Each piece in their collection has a real story behind it.

I particularly liked the work of Rebecca Szeto. She took the thorns from the lower branches of  rose bushes and created Kiss. Not only  do the thorns make a statement, but notice how the shadows cast another element to the piece.

Szeto also recycled her old paint brushes and created little personalities. Just as a side note, the brushes below are sitting on a console made out of  discarded NASCAR parts.

From there we went to see the Lily Pulitzer Home collection. What a complete difference. Like going from an intimate theater production to Broadway. A sharply produced commercial production that was just  fantastic.

The entrance was inviting.

The collection was so Palm Beach sunny. It was too bad we couldn't get much more from the showroom staff as they were pretty indifferent to say the least.

Below is a jewelry and lingerie station . Can you believe how useful this is..

Talk about storage. Looks like an "ordinary" Lilly Pulitzer ottoman.

But no, shoe storage as well..

The spirit was bold throughout the showroom...

Lily is a major fan of pink and green. A favorite decorating palette for a girl's bedroom..

It was a fun day at market! See you...

Christina

Highpoint Part I

Wow is just about all I can come up with when describing Highpoint. Highpoint is the largest furniture show in the country. With more than 10 million square feet of showroom space, it was a race to see as much as we could. I went with a designer friend. We felt like kids at camp! We started out the day with a discussion on global trends by Hermine Mariaux. She just returned from Maison & Objet in Paris. In a nut shell- She believes the future of color will move away from grays, turquoises, acid greens and pinks and gravitate towards  browns, golds, spice and other jewel tones. Deep reds and blue ultramarines will be significant. It's just a forecast....

From funky to traditional to modern, Highpoint has everything.

From the invisible...

To super saturated color with out apologies...

I love these pod stools for kids rooms. So comfortable for an adult as well as a child.

Lots of interesting rugs. Always looking for rugs, that work in tween bedrooms..

Upholstery with solid direction...

And ofcoarse beds...

To interesting dressers...

By the end of the day we were so tired, but couldn't resist taking this pic of these glasses  for a giant...

Day one at the market was so much fun. . More to come ...

See you...

Christina

A Peak at Whats New and Next at the NYDC

A spur of the moment change in plans, coaxed on by a fabric vendor, lead me to a very interesting evening at the New York Design Center. Oh I wish I had more time to spend there. That is the story of all aspects of my life right now. Never the less, it gave me a nice decorating  jolt. I saw some interesting new lines...

The highlight of the evening was listening to a talk given by Carlton Varney.  I am afraid to say that my limited knowledge of him was a crazy Dorothy Draper inspired wallpaper that I wanted so desperately in a dressing room of  a little client. The client's mom did not like it at all.  Read more... I loved his crazy color. I saw a man with a crazy tie, and I said to a friend of mine, that must be him!

He is inspired by nature. But not the sand, the driftwood, or tree bark. The true brilliant color of strong brilliant flowers. Mix it up with true Hollywood glam and you have Carlton Varney at his best.

He teaches design students to recall their very first room as children. What do they remember about it?  That memory will form them into the designer they are today. His first memories were the colors of forest green and red. My first memory of my room were my Alice and Wonderland window treatments. Hmm. That makes sense.

See you...

Christina

Summer at the New York International Gift Fair

I spent the last few days at the NYIGF in NYC, looking for inspiration and new products for Cici Crib.  There will definitely be  some new stuff coming into the shop.  Here is what I saw.. Start with the best. An Italian company playing up on pantone colors. Love these for a playroom or kids bedroom.

Over and over we have see  little storage units made to look like lockers. Most of them are so cheaply made that I can't bear to put them in the shop. These metal units are a tad costly, but the quality was just fantastic. Colors are great and the cabinet styles are numerous.

Their furniture was fun..

Love these  little card tables..

I am doing a teenage girl's bedroom right now. Saw a lot  of inspiration. Check out  this very cool jewelry box..

Lot's of industrial for boys. These bookshelves are made in Indonesia. All the wood is recycled from old boats.

Love this art for a budding scientist...

Lots of ethnic influences from American Indian to Moorish. These Pendelton blankets were a great inspiration. I am working on a boy's bedroom that we are doing in gray and acid green....

Loved these Picasso pillows....

The ultimate kitsch with a twist of fun was the dog lamps from London. The ridiculous undersized shades together with these very serious models, just made me smile..

I will be taking some needed  time off for the next 2 weeks. Looking forward to spending time with my boys!  See you soon.. Christina

The sofette

I posted about a little girl's bedroom  I was working on in April.  It was the room with the poodle lamp. I will show it shortly, as we are still waiting for a few key items. Mainly the  poodle lamp itself.  Backordered since April,  the waiting is driving  me crazy. We also needed  a very small sofa. Not really a loveseat, more like a sofette. Something so very petite, but can fit an adult as well as a child.  There are really no little sofas out there that work for a child. Why is furniture so oversized??  We liked the Jonathon Adler junior lampert sofa. But the dimensions are for a child. It is tiny and very uncomfortable for an adult.

So we changed the dimensions, and angled the seat to make it more comfortable. We had it made by a great workroom in Mount Vernon, NY. I got a little tour of the place. From carpentry to upholstery a piece which starts out on paper comes to life...

So many interesting custom made pieces. Much of their work is for hotels and restaurants...

Then there was our sofette..

And finally in the room. Perfect for a little girl and her mom...

See you... Christina

Studio Four Showroom

I stopped into Studio Four Showroom in NYC for research.  A boutique showroom filled with Indie designers. It was inspiring to see a showroom that is so different.  So very interesting...

Wallpaper of different varieties...

We will be using this one for a little girl's bedroom that will be decorated in  pink and yellow.

Beautiful fabrics..

You can custom color some of their fabrics...

A new rug collection just came in from Denver..

I took away many ideas..

See you...

Christina

A Hot Opening

Last Monday I was driving down 30th street from the west side highway to get the kids to fencing. Rising out of  a grimy, dirty  silent spot on the far west side  was this island of colorful madness. What was that! I had to go back. So yesterday I returned to the crazy island.  It just opened in celebration of  the new extension of the  High Line. Well it was  almost 100 degrees in NYC when I finally got to check out.  It was simply too hot to take a nice walk along High Line.

But what was great fun was this island. It  is called Rainbow City  created by Miami art duo FriendsWithYou.  The sculptures move with the breeze and some are even  interactive. It is made especially for children in mind. Kids can crawl into some of the large inflatables...

My favorite guy..

So great. It made for a perfect afternoon when I saw one of my favorite food trucks. Ok not really a food truck. But they have the best ginger mint slurpees! I was looking for Kelvin earlier in the day around their usual Union Square spot. Well they moved here for the next month, along with other food trucks. There is  a huge picnic area set up.

The installation runs until the end of June.  Go if you get a chance.

See you...

Christina

Hooray for Kips Bay!

Finally went to my first Kips Bay Decorator Show House.  It was a moment of great fun in a pretty stressful week! Rooms were  interesting and very dramatic.  I did have favorites. The entrance foyer was by Mary McDonald.  Where lipstick red meets masculine black. I wish I could have photographed the detailing of the window treatment trim. So very tailored.  But the docent was a bit of a robocop.

Amanda Nisbet's maiden's bedchamber was also a bit of 2 worlds clashing. Pretty and proper meets the wild side.   Pictures of Amanda Nisbet's head were superimposed in the portraits of 18th century ladies that were scattered through out the room. The walls are upholstered in Nisbet's own fabric. The area rug is actually cow hide by the super talented Kyle Bunting.

What you can't see so well are the small delicate and luxurious touches. The pillow on the chair is a fine gold weave with a mini pink flange. Fabric is by  Hinson and Company.

The little vintage table next to the chair is from Nisbet's private collection. With flecks of gold imbedded in a lucite, the soft lines of the piece added so much sparkle to an already glowing room.

We ended our tour in the ladies library created by Celery Kemble. A fantastic chaise anchored the room.

Notice how she replaced the wooden shelves with lucite ones.

Speaking of lucite. Love this lucite table..

Of coarse there were touches of green.  The faux painted malachite chair was purchased from 1st Dibs.

To complement the chair, a little side table was purchased from ebay and was perfectly faux painted by Alpha workshops.

So many interesting details....

See you...

Christina

Art to the Avenue in Greenwich, CT

Although I was sad that I missed opening night because of a client meeting,  I quickly got up to Greenwich to see my friend, Beth Saffer's show at Stuart Weitzman. Every year local artists are chosen to show their work at retailers along Greenwich Avenue. Sponsored by the Greenwich Arts Council, the show runs through May 30th. It was was wonderful to see how Beth is developing her style. Her work is always so uplifting and fun...

My favorite work is her newest pieces. This one is called Family.

Boy was my all time favorite...

You can learn more about Beth on her lively blog. See you...

Christina