Tag: <span>shops</span>

Published October 6, 2010 by

Hot New Shop! Shine Labs

bone china napkin ringsOut of all the new companies that were introduced at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair last May, Shine Labs is the one I’ve kept my eye on. Upon entering their booth, the porcelain collection had me drooling and asking a million questions–most importantly, when I could get my hands on it!

Well, the time has come. The San Francisco-based company has just opened its first online shop, Store.ShineLabs.com, and it’s as fabulous as expected! They have a ton of chic lighting and really unique accessories (the Nautica Votives are wild) but I’m still fixated with my original love: their porcelain bone china. Made by artisans using all natural materials, Shine Labs porcelain is not only durable and luminous, but down-right gorgeous.

A Few of My Faves
porcelain flower napkin ringsNapkin rings—especially the floral variety—often fall into the cheesy realm. But in the absence of bad silk or sequins, these solid, sophisticated shapes read like sculpture.
Rose, Moth Orchid, and Peony Napkin Rings, $12 each.

Tabletop ideasSaid to be leaf-inspired, I look at this pattern and see a series of whimsical hearts. However you’d like to see it, this piece would make for one impressive fruit bowl. Pelargonium Platter, $130

tabletop ideas votive holdersSold for a bargain $32, the Rocca set includes three naturally modern bud vases and a votive holder with the warmest glow.

porcelain planterI just love the simple lines combed through these porcelain planters. Place a fern here, and it will be one of the best thing about owning a house plant. Reef Collection, $22-$50.

Finds

decorative objects shops tabletop

Published July 25, 2010 by

Quirky Art and Matting Ideas

I’ve never purchased art for the matting, until now. Set a quarter-inch deep with a massive white border, the matting makes this tiny picture seem so grand. Prints rarely even come this small (or warrant such a big frame) but if you look into the collectible world of early 20th-century cigarette trading cards, you’ll find more. Scenes of beautiful women, baseball players, cinema stars, and other popular imagery used to be printed on stiff pieces of paper and slipped into cigarette packs to keep the fags from bending and add a little Cracker-Jack surprise to the smoking experience.
Art idea--cigarette-cards from japanThough I would have probably purchased this frame even if I didn’t adore the card inside, the 1940s subject matter was a definite selling point. A Japanese woman lounging nude in a living room, with jelly rolls proudly exposed, sitting on a side table admiring her red high heels—what’s not to love? Plus, the Marimekko-like blue floral carpet is pretty spectacular. The simple pen drawing is wonderfully graphic and the scene a bit mysterious.

I found this piece of art at this adorable boutique called Bucks County Dry Goods in Lambertsville, NJ but you can be sure to find antique cigarette trading cards on eBay, as well.

Finds

Anne's buys antiques art shops wall decor

Published June 23, 2010 by

Pacific Northwest Design Shops

Seattle space Needle with Sci Fi Museum
The Space Needle framed by the Frank Geary Sci-Fi Museum, sets the scene for a design-filled trip.

Sorry for long pause between blogs; Mike and I were away at a two-day wedding in Orcas Island that turned into ten amazing days in Washington state and British Columbia. We spent the majority of our trip hiking through old-growth forests and tide pooling along the rugged Vancouver Island coast but when it was time to hit the cities, we B-lined for the design shops.

My favorite home decor stores in the neighboring North American cities: Seattle and Vancouver

VANCOUVER
There is no other neighborhood in this British Columbian city as design-driven and charming as Gastown (despite the name) so if you don’t have much time in Vancouver, this is the hood to hit.

Koolhaus

Gastown design shopsKoolhaus sold fabulous furniture and accessories but better yet . . . they had brilliant display ideas, like this craft paper wall covering. With the right lighting and deep wrinkles, this crumbled paper becomes the most dramatic accent wall.

repuposing garage doorsPerfect for a studio apartment looking for some shabby-chic charm, this old garage door doubles as a room divider, showcasing a credenza on one side and acting as a headboard on the other.

LYNNsteven

book towerThe clothing at LYNNsteven was far too chichi for me but the dressing room was right up my alley. Made of over 5,600 books, this award-winning tower wraps in a circle around a cement base and reveals its many colorful titles when you go in to try on clothes.

dressing room book tower

Inform
inform design shop Said to be the ultimate modern design store in Vancouver, Inform feels like a cross between an art gallery and an architecture firm. The space is massive and airy, with fashion-forward window displays and an impressive rare chair collection (the kind that say, “Don’t touch!” and Mike proceeds to touch).

SEATTLE
I won’t get into Seattle’s touristy design destinations (the Space Needle, Sci Fi Museum, Olympic Sculpture Park, Pikes Place Market) because any tour book will to tell you to go there–and you should. They are all worth the trip but here are some must-see shops that Foder’s might not mention.

Velocity Art and Design
design-shops-velocity art and designVelocity Art and Design may be one of my favorite online stores of all time so to go into their physical store was like a pilgrimage of sorts. Seeing amazing boutique companies like Ferm Living, Yellow Owl Workshop, Publique Living, Ibride, Teroforma, all perfectly mixed and styled together in real life made me love the website that much more.

Design-ideas-velocity-art and design

SAM Shop
SAM shop You can always count on city art museums to have a pretty solid design shop—and the Seattle Art Museum Shop was no exception. They carried some of the typical trendy décor but the mix of local art kept it interesting.

Kurt Cobain memorabiliaPreparing for the Kurt Cobain exhibit, they had grunge rock memorabilia and unexpected tributes like the Converse hightop wallet.

Pacific Northwest Native American ArtNative American art, like carved wood totem poles and painted masks, was a reoccurring theme across the whole northwest.

Antiques at Pikes PlaceSeattle antiques You’d expect an antiques store next to one of Seattle’s most touristy destinations to be full of junk—but this shop around the corner from the legendary public market definitely bucked the trend. With over 65,000 square feet of stalls, Pikes Place Market was something for everyone—even those with good taste.

vintage can labelsI loved these vintage can labels. These designs in the round never made it onto a tin so to see the wrapping patterns on one plane made them a whole lot more interesting. In the event I get a bigger kitchen, I may just frame a series of these.

Places

Seattle shops Vancouver

Published October 7, 2008 by

Antiquing Getaway

RhinebeckStreet.jpgAfter spending the last few weeks doing decorating and renovating grunt work, it was time to get to the fun part: antiquing. I have always heard Rhinebeck, NY, was filled with incredible antique stores, flea markets–even the yard sales were supposed to be phenomenal. The tiny historic town is located about two hours north of New York City in Dutchess County and, not only were the antique reviews true, but the town itself was adorable!

/Rhinebeck_Terrapin2.jpgWe spent the day walking up and down the main drag of Montgomery and Market Streets, stopping by Beekman Arms, the oldest inn in America, eating at Terrapin, a restaurant in a converted chapel (above), picking through yard sales on side streets, browsing home design stores (Hammertown Barn and Paper Trail were particularly cute) and, of course, milling around antique shops. Behind the Beekman Arms Inn is their Antique Market and Gallery–a definite must. It is filled with about 25 dealers stalls and the pieces range from neoclassical to Americana. Asher House across the street had a great collection of refined Americana as well but the more we walked around the town (which is about 3 blocks big), we realized that the real origin of the Rhinebeck antique fame stems from the dealers off their highways.

Rhinebeck_antique_french_ch.jpgI almost bought these sweet early 19th century French side chairs at the Beekman Antiques Market but since they were wobbly and a bit expensive, I passed (though I am having serious regrets).

Rhinebeck_OldCountryStore.jpgWe drove down Route 9 towards Red Hook and hit Cider Mill Antiques, Red Hook Antiques Center and the Portly Pug, but the gem of all gems that we found was the Old Country Store on the way to Red Hook. Store is a bit of a glamourization, since the majority of the display is on the owner’s lawn, but a gem none the less. After living in a practically unfurnished home for the last two months, we shopped like there was no tomorrow. We bought a desk, two mirrors, a chest of drawers, andirons, and antique windows. (Those purchases and the furniture projects that will ensue from them are for whole other blog. Stay tuned!).

Rhinebeck_CountryStoreSideV.jpgThe only disappointment of the weekend was that we were one weekend too early October 11-12 is the true Rhinebeck Antiques Fair! I suggest a Rhinebeck shopping venture any time of the year but if there was any particular weekend, it would be this Saturday and Sunday. I wish I could be there, so if you can, shop and think of me.

Places

antiques eats shops