City Girl Farm Chickens

Hmmm, why would I post a picture of a bunch of chickens in a corn field? Because these chickens are in fact furniture! City Girl Farm makes these amazingly life like wool and bronze chicken footstools. They get filed under smile inducing objects because it is virtually impossible not to smile when you see these guys.

When I saw them at the New York Gift Show in August, it was also almost impossible not to touch them as they are upholstered in incredibly soft hand felted Kansas grown wool. They are sturdy with cast bronze feet and beaks, and are available in a variety of colors.

The "grass" rug is also available and would be incredibly amazing under foot when you step out of bed each morning. Each piece is hand made to order by sisters Emily and Sally Ebright. The only problem is that I'm not sure I would want to put my feet up on them as they are each an amazing piece of art.

Carolina George: Chic Multi-functional Furniture

While there was lots of great furniture at last week's New York International Gift Fair, there was one company that really stood out as being truly unique and innovative, and that was Carolina George. The company is the artistic collaboration of Caroline Cummings and Georgia Tapert who have a combined experience in art history and interior design as well as furniture design. The duo's web site says, "We believe that good furniture and design should be able to adapt to your ever-changing life and tastes."And I'd say they are off to a pretty good start with their current collection.

The 5 O'clock Slipper Chair (above) is sleek and modern while still being comfortable, and you never have to worry about where to put your drink (should you be one to put it down) with the built in side table. I'm hoping they have plans to make this chair as part of an outdoor line of furniture. I just want to sink into it with a cocktail and watch the sunset.

So many people have the need for a little office in their home, but don't have the space. Well, that excuse no longer exists with the School Girl Desk and Chair. This petite desk could easily double as a side table or a place to rest your keys in an entryway.

But it then turns into a sweet little spot to sit and write letters (yes, some people actually still correspond via snail mail) or hop on your laptop.

The Sideboard Dining Table isn't quite as glamorous as some of the other pieces, but it might just be the most ingenious of them all. I am a firm believer that houses should have dining rooms, but so many people gave up on them in the '90s in exchange for the "great room" that opens into the kitchen. This table allows you to turn any room into a dining room easily.

With shelving in the sideboard to store your dishes and glassware, you simply slide out the table (on the hidden locking wheels) and can configure it a few different ways, and then set the table with the items stored on the shelves. The table seats up to 6 people, but you also have the option of leaving the sideboard in place and only opening up one side of the table to seat up to 3 people.

Clearly, this furniture is great for anyone who lives in a tiny apartment, but still likes to entertain, but I have a feeling we'll be seeing it far beyond city abodes. And with several different finishes and fabric choices, you can truly create your own look with it whether you want a lacquer finish or one in high gloss mahogany. I can't wait to see what they think of next!

Tempaper: Temporary Wallpaper

Based on the amount of traffic I've seen on the Byrdie Graphics Wall Decals, it appears that there are a lot of people out there looking for temporary wallpaper or decals that can look like wallpaper. So when I came across the booth for Tempaper at the New York International Gift Fair last week, I knew there would be a lot of people out there who would love it.

Edie (top) and Damsel Tempaper

Tempaper is temporary wallpaper that is self adhesive and repositionable. And while we've seen lots of options in the area of wall decals that have these features, this is full on rolls of wallpaper that come 20 1/2" wide x 11 yards long.

Edie Tempaper

Apartment and dorm room dwellers no longer have to fear a lack of color or interest on their walls. Tempaper offers sophisticated patterns in pleasant color palettes, creating a look that is more chic than most of the other wall decals I've seen.

Damsel Tempaper

In addition to these grown up patterns, a line for Tempaper Tots is also available which includes the adorable Tusk and Currents patterns. Tempaper was founded in 2008 by set designers who were frustrated by not being able to find a repositionable wall covering. This was their solution which just so happens to be great for home decorating as well. This was their first NY Gift Show, and I have a feeling we'll be seeing a lot more of them in the future.

New York Gift Show Roundup: Jonathan Adler

I couldn't have been any happier than to see the Jonathan Adler booth meet me at the top of the first escalator I went up as I entered the New York International Gift Fair on Monday. If I haven't made it clear before, I am OBSESSED with his products. His designs are the epitome of smile inducing objects. They are just the perfect mix of preppy, modern, and fun. I don't know if I am suddenly loving turquoise because it's the Pantone color of the year, but the Mrs. Godfrey Chair (above) is awesome and comes with an equally fabulous name. I'm also totally digging the Talitha Rug under it.

I love the combination of the chunky wood and lucite in the Bond Collection Tables. And the gold side tables are an amazing piece of functional art.

One of my favorite Jonathan Adler pieces are his fish platters, but I think all of his tableware adds a nice splash of color to every day.

Hollywood Lamps, British Flag and Anchor Rugs, and pillows galore. Yes please!

I love a splash of fucshia lacquer mixed in with all the white. And the Ropes Wallpaper will make its way into my house some day.

The only thing that could be better than his products, are his products in miniature. The Jonathan Adler Junior Collection is to DIE for. I seriously can't decide what my favorite piece is, but I'm pretty fond of both the Junior Lampert Sofa and the ultra chic Junior Templeton Chair.

I'm also really keen on the Anchor Blanket, Zebra Rugs, and those adorable animal puzzles on the shelf. The Dinosaur Lamp is also in the running to replace the Giraffe Lamp as my favorite. I could probably change the name of this blog to the "Jonathan Adler's Biggest Fan Blog" so I better stop now before I go too far!

New York Gift Show Roundup: John Robshaw

John Robshaw's beautiful Indian inspired linens and pillows were lovely as always at the New York International Gift Fair. And while I'm a big fan of his bedding, my favorite items in the booth were his floor pillows.

These oversized pillows are a great alternative to the old beanbag chairs that kids love because they are both way more attractive and refined while still being comfortable.

They would be great in a teen's bedroom or a kids playroom or even to grab for outside as extra seating. Comfortable and chic!

New York Gift Show Roundup: Lighting

I had the wonderful pleasure of leaving my children and spending 24 hours in New York by myself so that I could attend the New York International Gift Fair on Monday. I have been to the gift show as an exhibitor, a buyer, and now as press. Most people are very overwhelmed by it because it is really soooo much stuff, and so very much of it is-shall we say- less than desirable. But one must cruise the entire show at the Javitz Center and Piers 92 and 94 to make sure that there isn't something new and fabulous that has popped up this round. It's also always fun to see who is there, and while it's my dream to catch Jonathan Adler while in his booth (yes, he does stop by), I would probably freeze and not know what to say to him. This time around I happened to pass by the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten (that woman could not create a bad tasting recipe if she tried) at the Stonewall Kitchen booth, and got to rub shoulders with Tory Burch at the John Robshaw booth which was pretty exciting.

Anyhow, while there was lots and lots to see, and I have many posts to share on the NYIGF, when going back through my pictures, I realized I was clearly drawn to all the lighting. Ceiling pendants, lamps, chandeliers, you name it, if a required a light bulb, I seemed to have it covered. At the Jamie Young booth (top), I fell in love with the navy ikat lamp shade and the cream linen drum pendant with monotone stripes, among other things.

You may recall the Jill Rosenwald vases that I wrote about a few weeks ago. Well, the above two images are of her lamps which are to DIE for! I am going to start saving my pennies now for one (or two, or maybe even three) of these. Jill was so nice to talk to and I'm super excited to let you all know that sometime in the coming months we'll be doing a special Jill Rosenwald offer just for Chateau & Bungalow readers!!!

These Juliska Harriet globe pendants caught my eye at Lou Lou's Decor in Portsmouth, RI a few weeks ago so I was happy to see them again here. They would look so amazing anywhere from an entryway to a kitchen.

A good friend recommended I check out Lazy Susan, and they certainly didn't disappoint. While I have a lot of things to show you from that booth, here are the lighting highlights. The silver cylinder pendants (above) are sleek but versatile enough to fit into a more traditional home.

The petal pendants don't cast a lot of light, but they would be great in a cozy dining nook.

Also, by Lazy Susan, this great oval ring pendant light. I love this style because it reminds me of a modern take on the traditional "club" decor found in places like Bailey's Beach Club in Newport, RI and the Gasparilla Inn in Boca Grande, FL where you aren't sure if the decor has been pristinely cared for since the 50s and 60s or completely overhauled in the past year. This pendant is like wicker with a twist.

Another fabulous lighting booth was Stray Dog Designs who does a lot of their work in paper mache. They also use lots of bright colors which I love. The oversized drum pendant (above) stopped me in my tracks.

Yes, even this artichoke inspired lamp is made of paper mache!

And the shades here are made of repurposed maps. I love the glass finial on that green lamp too.

Another longtime favorite is Artecnica. They always have the most inventive pieces, and this show was no different. If you're looking for a truly unique conversation piece, chance are you'll find it at Artecnica.

I could literally go on forever on the lighting, but tomorrow we'll cover something else. Lots more to come!