Jill Rosenwald Union Jack Lamp

We know Jill Rosenwald for her amazing pottery featuring fabulous ikat and chevron designs, but now you can add her to her go-to source for the ever popular union jack look without having to cross the pond. It would be fabulous in a boy's room, office or den, and I love the accent ribbon on the shade. Available at www.jillrosenwald.com.

Twisting Koi Candelabra

If you want to make a statement in your living or dining room this Twisting Koi Candelabra from Anthropologie ought to do the trick. I just love the juxtaposition of all the fish and flowers against each other, and it holds six candles so it would be great as a centerpiece or on a sideboard or mantle. If you love the look, but the price is a little too steep for you ($598) then you can also enjoy the single Twisting Koi candle holder which is also quite lovely.

Glassy Baby Will Light Up Your Life

I've seen many colored votive holders in the past, but very few have rivaled the beauty of the Glassy Baby. Perhaps it is the fact that with nearly 100 colors available, you can find exactly the shade of blue you're looking for or perhaps it is the fact that it takes four glass blowers to make just one of these glasses that consists of three layers of glass. No matter what the reason, they are sure to provide plenty of smiles whether you use them for votives, as a bud vase, or even to sip on something. Of course, something that requires such care to make isn't going to come cheap. The Glassy Baby retails for $40. That's each. HOWEVER, one of my most favorite things about this company is that they rent these beauties out for your special event at $5 apiece. If you are looking for an alternative to your typical table setting, these sure would do the trick to add that extra something. Oh, and just to make it even better-I bet you didn't think that was possible-Glassy Baby also donates a portion of their proceeds to charity. Founder Lee Rhodes developed the Glassy Baby while battling lung cancer and is using her product to give back to people in need. Be sure to check out GlassyBaby.com, and if you are in WA state or NYC, you can check out one of their stores too.

Bright Idea: Crate and Barrel Mack Lamps

As I've mentioned in the past, I love the look of all the clear glass lamps out there, but one of my biggest pet peeves is the ugly annoying cord that nobody can seem to hide. At last, a fabulous solution to the problem. Crate and Barrel's Mack Lamp makes the cord an integral part of the glass lamp's design by adding a splash of color to it. While it might not be the look you're going for in every setting, it sure is the first attempt at fixing this "cord issue" and I think it would be quite fun in a lot of different rooms. I love good ideas!

D.I.Y. Lampshades With the Lampshade Lady

I keep thinking that I'm going to make my own lampshade for a dining room project I've had on the brain for some time now, but I hadn't quite figured out how to do it. Well, I have no excuse anymore. Lampshade Lady Judy Lake of Lake's Lamps in Pawlet, VT has come out with a new book called "The Lampshade Lady's Guide to Lighting up Your Life", making it easy to create your own masterpiece. But what's even better is that you can get many of her tutorials for free online. Last week, the Hartford Courant ran a step by step guide to making your own drum shade courtesy of the Lampshade Lady. Lake's own blog also features many tutorials and she offers in shop classes as well. But if you aren't the D.I.Y. type, Lake can also custom make lampshades for you using your own cotton or linen fabric or postcards. She can even make shades out of sentimental items such as a favorite shirt or your grandmother's scarf. If you are in Vermont, you may want to stop by and pick out your own fabric and trims from the many options she has to offer in her store. The possibilities are endless!

Etsy Pick of the Week: Fabulous Mess

Vintage Art Deco Mirrored Credenza
I know that my last Etsy Pick of the Week (which was sadly a few week's ago) was for The Vintage Supply Co. which specializes in vintage furniture, and I generally try to mix it up, but when I happened upon Fabulous Mess, I just had to share it. I don't really know where to begin and narrowing it down to only eight images was hard because they have so many A-MAZ-ING vintage pieces, from furniture to lighting to accessories. I don't even really think there is anything to say since they all seem to speak for themselves (at least they are all telling me to buy them!) so just enjoy.

Vintage Bamboo Lacquer Dining Table

Vintage Brass Owl Trays

Vintage Brass Nautilus Shell Bookends

Vintage Brass Sea Creature Andirons

Vintage Moroccan Wicker Shelving Units

Vintage Lucite Demilune Tables

Vintage Lucite Table Lamps

I hope you all like these as much as I do. Be sure to check out the dozens of other selections at Fabulous Mess as well. You will not be disappointed!

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.

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: 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!