Thomas Paul Octopus Shower Curtain

Image via Design Sponge

There is no word other than AH-MAZ-ING to describe this Thomas Paul Octopus Shower Curtain. Happy weekend!

Lulu DK Spring/Summer Collection

Right now I'd like to sail away on one of these boats featuring the new Lulu DK Sunburst fabric. Love! The miracle of Photoshop brings two of my favorite things together, being on the water and design.

Here's a look at the Sunburst fabric up close. What I love so much about Lulu DK is that they always nail the colors so well. I just want to soak them all up.

The Colors fabric reminds me of my seaglass collection that I've been gathering on the shores of our beach house since I was a toddler. This would make a great roman shade or shower curtain in a bathroom or draperies in a bedroom.

And not to be forgotten, the new collection of Lulu DK wallpaper is equally as fabulous. I love this coral and shell themed Sunshine wallpaper. Check out the complete collection at www.luludk.com.

Mod Green Pod's Special Edition 2011 Anticipate Fabric

Mod Green Pod, one of my favorite designers of eco-friendly fabric and wallpaper, has come out with a special edition of their Anticipate fabric for 2011. The print typically comes in a lovely gray and black color combination, although it can be customized, but the special edition print is colorful and has me thinking spring. The unlikely color combination of this rococo inspired large scale print includes light pink, fuschia, red, green, gray, and chartreuse. It would make absolutely fabulous floor to ceiling draperies which I can especially picture against a chic fuchsia paint. If you are a little bit of a color-phobe it would also make a great tablecloth or floor pillows. I needed a punch of color on this snow day.

2011 Pantone Color of the Year: Honeysuckle

I have to admit that when I first heard that Pantone chose Honeysuckle as its Color of the Year, I envisioned something in a yellow tone. In my neck of the woods, the incredibly fragrant bushes and hedgerows of honeysuckle bloom in white with a yellow center. But they were indeed talking about the even more lovely variety of pink honeysuckle, and there are few colors I love more than pink (and I don't mean that in an I feel pretty, I'm a girly-girl kind of way).

This pink is not a soft pastel pink, but a bold, powerful statement pink which is just the way I like my pinks. You'd be hard pressed to find a ballet pink in my house. The bolder the better in my opinion. Pantone says, "Energizing honeysuckle lifts spirits and imparts confidence to meet life's ongoing challenges." This is MY color, and I don't think there could be a better year for it as I feel like all signs are pointing to GO this year and I'm ready to meet every new challenge and opportunity.

Of course, if you live with any males, it's not always easy to find an acceptable spot in your house for pink, but if you can, I say go for it. Great spots are a dressing room, sitting area, powder room, office or even the inside of a closet (if you really have to hide it and HAVE to have it) or the back of cabinets with glass doors.

Of course, you can always be really bold like the folks who have this kitchen. High gloss bright pink cabinets are sure to put a smile on your face every day.

If you can't quite make the commitment to such a bold color as a wall color, there are plenty of other ways to incorporate it without having it be the focal point in a room. One easy way is with fabrics like the above Balinese Batik by China Seas. I want a chair or bench in this.

Another one of my just discovered favorites is Jackie Von Tobel's prints which include the above Circle Trellis in Candy.

Von Tobel's Paisley Pillow would also be a lovely addition and add a punch of honeysuckle.

And of course, I can't leave out my favorite lacquer trays by Jonathan Adler. Put this on an ottoman or bar cart and you're sure to attract the attention you're looking for.

It's going to be a very (good) pink year!


Image Credits:
Pantone, Gypsy Magic, FJ Design, Decorating Room, Quadrille Fabrics, Jackie Von Tobel, Jonathan Adler

Scalamandre Fabric and More for Less!

For a few years now, I've been driving by this tiny shingled storefront called LooLoo Design in Portsmouth, RI and have always been intrigued by it. For one reason or another, I've never had the time to stop in, that is until this past Saturday. I had seen in their ads that they had discounted Scalamandre fabric, and while that sounded wonderful, I assumed that discounted Scalamandre fabric would still easily be in the $50-75 range per yard.

Well, I was wrong! Sometimes I love it when I'm wrong. LooLoo Design goes directly to the Scalamandre warehouse to select the fabrics they sell. While some of them are only sold by the bolt, the prices are still fabulous. I believe I saw some bolts of maybe 7-10 yards for around $140, which is closer to what the price of Scalamandre fabric retails for 1 yard.

They also have fabric squares that sell for about $7-10. Fabulous for a small project.

And there are plenty of trims to go along with it all.

I loved this large square of crewel (which I adore) fabric. It was $50. I was trying to figure out if you could cut it to make pillows and still see enough of the design, but then I decided that the best thing to do with it would be to make an oversized square ottoman and upholster the top with it. That would be amazing!

Here are some of the bolts and bolts of fabric that you can purchase by the yard, mostly in the range of $18-30/yard.

More bolts.

This Turquoise Linen was just about the most beautiful thing I've seen. I bet this would make great curtains for my bedroom with that new headboard I just finished.

Red vases on black would make a great wingback chair or drapes or I would even be tempted to upholster a wall in this.

This strawberry fabric has just the right touch of vintage in it.

LooLoo Design also has drapery panels that once hung in the Scalamandre showrooms. Because they were sample panels, most of them are singles, but there were a few in there that had multiples. For $35 a piece, sometimes you can make anything work. If you only have one window in a room, a single panel pulled back with a great tieback is all you need. I actually almost bought one for my daughter's room, but decided the colors weren't quite right.

It's hard to believe, but LooLoo Design actually considers their main business to be vintage bath fixtures. In fact if you go to their web site, that is pretty much all you'll find. Despite the fact that most of the walls are lined with fabrics and wallpaper (I found amazing wallpaper for the 18th Century Colonial Renovation we've been following), they do have some fabulous fixtures as well, like this swan neck faucet.

They also have some great antique frames and artwork. The above frame would be great to frame out some chalkboard paint if you didn't have a piece that needed framing.

More bath fixtures.

Brackets for shelving, including some really unique shapes.

They also have lots of vintage lighting fixtures ranging from modern to very traditional.

I loved these knobs.

These are vintage birthday candle holders. How cute are they! I think these would be an amazing christening or baby gift.

Vintage hand held vanity mirrors

Large spools of thread from the Scalamandre warehouse.

In case you couldn't tell, I was pretty psyched that I found this place. I have many more pictures beyond this. The owner, Jill, told me that a lot of designers try to keep it to themselves so that other designers won't find out about it. And I have to admit that the thought crossed my mind, but my feeling is that it's important to promote businesses that provide great products and services, especially in this economy. I want them to be around for a long time and so I want to encourage people to go there to make sure that they stay in business and keep offering these goods for both the benefit of myself and others so I'm letting the cat out of the bag and hopefully those other designers will inderstand why.

Etsy Pick of the Week: The Vintage Supply Co

Etsy is not all brand new crafts. You can also find some amazing vintage pieces on their site. And The Vintage Supply Co. is a pretty good place to start. They offer everything from vintage Lilly Pulitzer clothing to lamps and furniture. While I'm generally not a fan of vinyl upholstery, the colors and shape of these mid century modern tufted button chairs caught my eye. I love the lines and they actually look pretty comfortable.

You can't really go wrong with a pair of vintage Eames chairs.

And I love this vintage chrome chair, although I would definitely reupholster it in something fun and fabulous, maybe Hable Construction's Sky Beads on oyster linen. Oh, how nice that would be!

Josef Frank

Butterfly

As you may have noticed today, Google's home page pays hommage to the fabulous textiles of Josef Frank in honor of what would be his 125th birthday. With most of his patterns being created in the first half of the 20th century, he was well known for defying the standards of mondernism in the 1940's and beyond.

Green Birds

What I find most striking about his textiles is the amazing use of color, and the fact that they are so timeless. One can just as easily envision them in a house in 1940 as they could today.

Blue Jungle

The widest selection of these textiles that I've found for retail sale is at Just Scandinavian where you can choose from over a dozen patterns and purchase the fabrics by yard ($250/yd).

Dixieland

It's always nice to take a look back at the work of the masters. Enjoy!

Etsy Pick of the Week: Rubbish Rehab Chair

As far as I can tell, the only problem with this chair is that there is only one of them! As you know, I love revamped furniture and that's exactly what Etsy store Rubbish Rehab does. I must admit that it's probably the fabric, which is Thomas Paul for Duralee, that really sells this chair for me. But I think it would be a perfect desk chair or extra chair tucked into a corner of a living room or bedroom. The store sells smaller objects as well and as their motto goes "Everything deserves a second chance."

China Seas Outdoor Fabric

Aga

Tis the season to move your living space outdoors, but no need to rough it. I am head over heels for all of the China Seas Suncloth fabrics for outside (they are available as interior fabric as well). With so many choices of pattern and color, it is hard to choose my favorites, but here are just a few.

New Batik

Conga Line

Ziggurat Reverse

Double Cross

Island Ikat

Lysette Reverse

Whether you are looking for a few throw pillows, outdoor curtains or chair cushions, you will certainly find something you love in the collection. And even though these patterns are available in interior weight fabrics, don't forget that outdoor fabrics are great for interiors if you have kids, pets, or just want something really durable. Beautiful long lasting fabrics...doesn't get much better than that.

Serena & Lily: Not Just Kid Stuff Anymore

Throw Pillows

Many of us who are moms are already familiar with the fabulous nursery and children's bedding designs of Serena & Lily. The company launched their first line in 2004 with bedding and added upholstered furniture such as gliders and headboards as well as lighting, rugs and custom paint colors to match their fabrics, but always a bit more geared towards chidren.

Tess Bedding
But over the past year, I've noticed that they have started adding more home decor that isn't baby or kid oriented, and I must say they are doing a spectacular job at it.

Custom Upholstered Furniture
In addition to their fabulous bedding, you can now get custom upholstered furniture for your bedroom, living room or dining room using the fabulous Serena & Lily fabrics. Whether you are looking for something calm and traditional or bold and modern, they have something for you.

Lucky Lacquered Table
Plus, they have added unique pieces to add that pop of color or eclectic feel to your home.

Greek Key Lamp

Their lighting selections have always been great, but now they have more sophistacated offerings.

Navy Deco Frame Rug

And the Serena & Lily rugs are simple but still make a statement.

Leaf Diamond Fabric

You can also buy the Serena & Lily fabrics by the yard to add coordinating curtains or to reupholster an existing piece of furniture.

Punch Paint

And of course, the Serena & Lily paint ties it all together. Whether you are a design diva or design challenged, Serena & Lily couldn't make it any easier to create a beautiful room for yourself or the kids.