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

Vintage Crystal lamps for a little girl's bedroom

Crystal boudoir lamps were very popular from the 1940s-1960s.  They can be  the perfect touch for a little girl's bedroom. They make some reproductions today, which for the most part are made of plastic. The vintage lamps are twinkling crystal. At Cici Crib they make a transformation from dusty, rusty lamps to beautiful table lamps. I take the lamps apart, replace old pieces and CLEAN them. Then they are sent out to be rewired. Finding the correct shade is a whole other story. The lamp bases are too big for chandelier shades and too small for most lamp shades. Eventually we find the correct drop and have them custom banded in pretty colors.  Tons of time and love are put in before they reach their final destination.

The lamp below is trimmed in one of the most beautiful calm lavender  linen from Rogers and Goffigon. It is going into a nursery that  I will photograph shortly.

See you..

Christina

Nursery for a special baby girl

I got a call from a dad who wanted to do a surprise nursery for his wife and new baby daughter. Both mother and daughter were having a bit of a rough go, and were in the hospital when he called me. I could hear his worry and love for his family over the phone. His wife admired a little girl's room, that I had decorated and blogged about.   There was no one to make design decisions. He wanted a nursery like the little girl's bedroom and it had to be pink. Be positive and move quickly forward. We got much of the room together in 6 weeks.  It was entirely custom. A huge feat, which I must really thank my vendors for making such accommodations. It was a nursery that would grow into the little girl's bedroom.  The changer would be very temporary. They needed adequate storage and a comfortable glider to feed the baby.

This was the room before...

I decided not to wallpaper the entire room, as the wall's quirky angles  would hinder the look of the paper. We did one wall. It looked like an outline of a house. Perfect. I chose a sunny yellow crib to welcome the little one home.

This very traditional armoire  looks a bit more transitional, when we added the lattice fabric.  It will be nicely centered against the wall when additional muscle arrives. It is a solid piece.

So sweet...

It was really a very rewarding job. Baby is just thriving and I've gotten to finally know the lovely mom.

See you...

Christina

Secret rooms and Playhouses

This morning the New York Times Home section has a story on playhouses. I remember going over to my friends house and playing in her playhouse all day. It was even decorated with little curtains. The Times showed little houses that are completely over the top, yet very traditional. Like these from Treasured Heirlooms.

But there are so many different secret spaces that can be created for kids that are both inviting and very dreamlike. I keep a file of inspiring little spaces. Here they are...

Love this little house My Shabby Streamside Studio...

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 Consoling Surprise

Today I met with a client at her home to work on her two boys' bedrooms.  I sometimes ask to see the rest of the house to get an idea about my client's tastes.   We went into a space that is specifically designed  for hanging out with friends. Kind of a den..  Kind of not.  There was a huge collage of Bruce Springsteen in concert  on the wall. Made by Lynn Goldsmith,  andpurchased   at an art gallery in Chelsea, it is the center of attention in the room.  I recognized the photo immediately. It is actually comprised of many tiny photos put together.

A close up of  the collage...

A moment of sadness came over me and my client at the same time. Clarence Clemons died last week. The E Street band will never be the same.  A little piece of our life had changed.  It was nice to commiserate with another fan of the band.

See you...

Christina

A little shop, a big production

A month or two ago, I received a call from a high school student. He wanted to film a segment of  a short film he was creating in the shop. I asked how long it would take. He said 2 hours.  Since he is a local student who was very polite,  I said yes. Well the filming happened on Friday morning. Ofcourse the kids were running late and went well over their allotted time. I should have figured that, given my own kids concept of time.   I expected to see a few student actors, a kid with a camera and maybe a kid holding up a light.  I was wrong. The student hired a camera crew, sound, lighting and makeup and adult actors.  He even presented me with a waiver against future claims.  I guess, in case the film hits it big, I would have no right to earnings? I didn't even asked to be paid a location fee.   I thought this was a high school project.  Boy was I naive. Live and learn...

I appreciate my very accommodating customers.

See you...

Christina

Girl's bedroom with lots of Flair

A mom asked me for help in finishing the decorating of her daughter's room. She already purchased the furniture and some fabric and wallpaper. Now she asks me to make it all work. This can be a very difficult task and  sometimes it can really work out smoothly. Her new furniture  is fairly modern, but the new wallpaper is pretty traditional. Here are her items. The top piece is the wallpaper and the fabrics below the wallpaper  are all very raspberry.

I chose some  fabric, trim and carpet to pull it together. The new carpet to me is so very important. The client is  unfortunately on the fence about it.

I would really like to use this lamp that I did for another customer. This client loved the lamp. She described it as a girl in a ball gown..

I chose some additional pieces that would complement the client's pieces.

A great ball chair...

And a nice bench for the foot of the bed...

There is a dressing room that is sandwiched between the bedroom and bathroom.  It is somewhat small and has a built in vanity with a green marble top.

It is a great little space that right now looks so ordinary. I want it to pop. Like opening a jewelry box of fun little  trinkets. I want it to to be Dorothy Draper inspired. I chose this crazy fun  wallpaper..

I love this Frances Elkins chair

It's definitely an interesting and challenging project. See you...

Christina

Girl and Boy Bedding

Custom kids bedding is awaiting pick up this week at Cici Crib. These pieces are good examples of putting  together  bedding that suits the customer's desires.  I feel design is sometimes about solving a puzzle. It is sometimes about figuring out a path to get to the right outcome. The customer used very traditional fabric for her daughter's window treatments. I believe it may be an old Ralph Lauren fabric.

The mom wants to update the room, but keep the window treatments.  She wants to make the room a little more hip.  We chose a headboard like the one below. The body fabric was almond basket weave from Serena and Lily. We covered the buttons in raspberry fabric.

The bed skirt was done in the same fabric.

The bedding was punchier, but still happy to be with the window treatments.

I wish I had a pic of the completed bed. Oh well...  I think this little dresser would also look great in the room..

Another mom was shopping for her son. He wants an orange room. She painted the room a taupe. She didn't want it to be too orange, but enough that it would make her son happy. We came up with this  custom bedding from Bebe Chic and mixed it with a dog pillow from Serena and Lily. It just looks great.

Now on to her next son. He wants a purple room. Another puzzle to figure out.

See you..

Christina

Diamond Mirrors

I just couldn't resist these vintage diamond shaped mirrors at the flea market. How great would they look over  nightstands in a very chic girl's bedroom. Their design is so clean. A very fine beveled edge makes them even more refined.

Diamond shapes are everywhere. Great David Hicks fabric..

The diamond mirror would look just perfect  above the this very fancy half circle..

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

Change of Scene

It's sometimes really hard  to change the store around for a new display. Everything seems to move when one new item comes into a small shop.  Lots of  new boy stuff  have  come  in lately.  The final push for change came last weekend when  I purchased a great poster at the fleamarket.   The space poster dated 1967,made by NASA,   celebrating Project Apollo  is just fantastic. It was taken out of an old school.

Headboards,nightstands, chandeliers, bedding, bedskirts,  mirrors and artwork all had to move around the shop.Looks great once it is done. So now  the space poster is a happy neighbor to the vintage space rocket sled.

 

New bedding comes from Israel.  Each bedding set comes with a duvet cover, fitted sheet, pillowcase and standard sham. That's a nice set.

 

The world pillows have been a big hit.

 

New  animal heads came in from Haiti. Hand made  from paper mache. The elephant head is the largest.

Check out the vintage Ringling  circus poster with the animal heads and wooden silhouette animals..

It's looking good.

See you...

Christina

Traditional with a Flair

I have been working with a lovely  client who subtly shows her refined Texas roots and her flair as a jewelry designer.  We have been working on her daughter's room. The design is a bit in the transitional phase. The toddler is quickly moving into the world of a big  girl. We planned for a future bed, nightstand and desk. For now it works for her age. She loves to sit and  read with  her mom on the double glider. She loves her crib. And she loves her dollhouse. We wanted a timeless design that the little girl could grow with. The carpet is a delicate pink and green lattice by Schumacher.

There was much discussion about the window treatments.  The client wanted very soft formal treatments. We exactly translated her wish.  I so love the chandelier that was chosen. When she saw the electrican putting toThe client had to take out her jewelry making tools to put it together. It is perfect.

For the window treatments, we decided on a  Hinson & Co. fabric and splurged a bit on the Schumacher trim.

We did a fairly large bulletin board that will eventually hang  over a desk.

I love the pushpins the client found. Made from vintage earrings...

The bookshelf was custom Newport Cottages.  The metal fairies  that flank the venetian mirror are vintage. I am not sure where the fairies came from. Maybe they were a part of a weather vane.  I purchased them from an antique mall in Ohio.  It is the unexpected element in the room.

On the bookshelf are crystal lamps from the '50s. We purchased the vanity tray on ebay. It reminded the client of her grandmother. The vintage  porcelain southern bell is actually a music box.

For now it is room for a little girl. I will take more pics of this room as it evolves into a room for a big girl.

See you..

Christina

Playtime in Soho

Yesterday was a busy day in NYC.  I had to meet a client at a showroom. Then  went off to  2 trade shows and ended the day talking with my embroidery guy  about a project. The highlight was a small international kids trade show in Soho.

Really, really small companies showing their products. It felt a little like an etsy exhibition. The exhibitors' products were mostly made by themselves. So gentle and soft.  Made from the heart.

Soft sculptures from h-luv.

Completely hand embroidered, Coral and  Tusk's pillows make for some interesting bed time stories...

Jess Brown dolls show some real attitude..

I don't recall who this next vendor was, but love the whimsy and what a great take on the tutu..

The last vendor was a Japanese transplant to Brooklyn, her company Atsuyo et Akiko is less than a year old and is thriving. Decoupage is her main medium. We had a nice little chat.

Have you seen a softer step stool?

A welcome relief to see these handmade products. The show was like a breath of fresh air..

See you..

Christina