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

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

Trip to Blauen

A few weeks ago, Blauen invited me to visit their atelier.  So fun to peak behind the scenes of my vendors. Blauen is an old world baby bedding company. With European roots, it is perhaps the most luxurious and fine baby bedding company that this world offers.  It is known for a very, very  traditional look  that is often times embellished in fancy lace and trims. Located in Long Island City, amidst the many warehouses and art studios, Blauen's home is sun filled and clean. Every item is lovingly made by seamstresses that have worked there for many years. It is so wonderful and unusual to see how proud the employees are of their products.

Boxes of trims and laces are nicely organized and are ready to use...

I saw many finished products...

I wanted to design a crib set for the shop in a way that was alittle more modern. I wanted to use Blauen's sensibility and update it a bit. So I picked some fabrics for inspiration and thanked the lovely people.

The bedding arrived and it is just beautiful!

So lovely!

See you...

Christina

Sonia Delaunay Exhibition

I got a chance to take some time off and check out the Sonia Delaunay show at the Cooper-Hewitt Museum.  Called Color Moves, it is just a geometric wonderland.  Delaunay was an artist and  textile designer, originally from the Ukraine, who worked in Paris from the 1920's onward. She was full of life and ideas.

I wish someone would reproduce her textile designs as they would work in so many interiors..

The main painting was so amazing.  I would love to use it in a foyer I am working on...

What great inspiration!

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

1st Dibs floor at the NYDC

I am so ready for the flea market season. Begins in April. In the meantime, I visited the 1st Dibs floor at the NYDC recently, and saw some great inspiration. Prices are high, but pieces are so well edited and condition is perfect.  It was a pleasure..

Oh for the love of vintage!

See you,

Christina

The beauty of Sferra

It's  all about beautiful old world luxury.  I love  Sferra linens.  Opened in 1891, in Venice, Italy, Sferra has always been known for their quality and elegant design.  Kelly Wearstler livens up their traditional design, but always in keeping with their tradition.

Maybe one day she will do baby  bedding.

In the shop this week came the Sferra order. Great classics. Hand embroidered quilts from Italy.

Super soft cotton flannel crib blankets..

And of course the cashmere bambino blanket...

I even love the tag on the cashmere blanket.

With another snowfall last night, we still need these warm blankets!

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

Vintage Finds in Vermont

I always think I am missing out, when we pass signs  along the road that say Antiques.   I would never even think to stop as it would disrupt the family plan to reach our destination.  This year for the first time, the kids skiied and Miles and I actually checked out a town  that was not connected to the ski resort. We were in Bennington, VT for the afternoon. We checked out the college. We checked out the covered bridges. But the most fun of all was actually making an unplanned stop to an antique mall. What a nice surprise to find some fantastic little things for the shop. Love this lamp for a dresser in a little girl's room. How sweet is her face ...

These hand colored 19th century French fashion prints are really special. The frame is as lovely as the prints. Completely hand carved..

I couldn't resist these children's busts. I am trying to figure out what to do with these. They would look great  in a modern kids room. People generally purchase items that serve a purpose for children. I am thinking of making them into bookends..

Doesn't the little girl look a bit like Hailee Steinfield?

The last items I purchased were these teeny tiny pictures. About 3"x4".  Perfect for Cici Crib..

See you...

Christina

Last Blast of Winter

The kids are off this week from school.  After a winter of continuous snow storms in the northeast, we welcome Spring. But first let's get in our last blast of winter skiing. We are in Vermont for most of the week. The boys are just crazy about it. They only ski with me for a few runs. I am way too boring and slow.  I would like to mention that I did go over one jump in the terrain park last time we went skiing. Felt like a huge jump. James told me I barely caught air.. Let's just ponder the decorating side of  winter sports..

Love this bed by ducduc with it's snowboard headboard..

A very European little boy... I 'm sure his playmobile people have taken a ride in the gondola...

Time to get the last bit of skiing in..

See you..

Christina