glassybaby - the perfect gift

I had never heard of glassybaby until recently when a friend, originally from the Seattle area, gave me one as a hostess gift. Instant love. Mine is called Hudson and it's beautiful to hold and to look at. Don't you often find that beautiful, well made things often have a wonderful story behind them?
"When the first glassybaby was created in 1998, Lee Rhodes, glassybaby creator and founder, was raising her three small children and fighting what would become a 7-year battle with a rare form of lung cancer. She had endured surgery, countless rounds of chemotherapy, and was searching for a few moments of serenity to escape the fear that encompassed her life. Inspired by the beauty of these elegant vessels, Lee filled them with tea lights and scattered them throughout her home.

A favorite description of glassybaby was written by Lee's 12-year-old son, Mericos, and given to her in the early morning one Christmas. "A glassybaby is physically a small, colored glass cup, candleholder, or vase. But the light of a candle coming through a glassybaby generates more: it gives warmth to a cold day, a calm token of peace in the busy world."It takes four glassblowers from glassbaby's team of 70 to create just one unique, handmade glassybaby.

Isn't this photo brilliant! To see more glassybabIES, go here.

*If you noticed the lion statue from the first picture, it's one of a pair from Flat Earth Designs.

(please note this is my personal opinion and I receive no form of compensation of any kind.)

Haute Fabrics Now in Georgetown & books ON a wall

I mentioned this briefly in another post but this news warrants more coverage than that. Haute Fabrics (Marshall, VA) has opened a location in Georgetown at 2603 P Street NW Washington, DC, sharing space with Jean Pierre Antiques. The selection of fabrics has grown since my first visit two weeks ago and the ones I had my eye on were in the range of $16 - $26 a yard.



Haute Fabrics, 2603 P St. NW, Washington, DC, 202.965.1123 (*they're closed the day after Thanksgiving but I will update this post w/their hours tomorrow)

Earlier in the month, I posted on the amazing concrete books created by Richard Taylor of Flat Earth Designs. Check out the creative way Debra Phillips of Scentimental Gardens and SG Grand displays the ones she has for sale. Ask you would expect, customers are first surprised to see them on the wall and then to discover they're concrete to boot.

Meeting Grant and Scot & Sue Fisher King

It's always great fun when a business trip can include a wonderful design-focused diversion. A few weeks ago I was in San Francisco for work and was very happy to have a chance to meet Grant Gibson and Scot Meacham Wood. As a long time fan of their work and their blogs, I really appreciated their willingness to take time out of their day to meet-up at Sue Fisher King and then on to a cafe for coffee and conversation. Charming, funny, interesting and a great pleasure to talk with - it was the highlight of my trip. Thanks Grant and Scot!
Sue Fisher King seems to top everyone's list for a must-visit while in San Francisco. Grant mentioned it in his piece in Rue magazine and the store has an impressive and beautifully selected range of linens, towels, bedding and other wonderful home accessories. I don't think I've ever seen a wider selection of cashmere throws in one place.


Genius packaging.
Love this fresh, light table setting. Some people are sticklers for white candles, but colored candles, like these blue ones, are really beautiful here.
Outside there's a display of Lavastone tables and samples of the range of saturated color options for both tabletops and counters.
This was my 4th trip to San Francisco but my first trip to Sue Fisher King. I really missed out those other 3 times!

Jean Paul Gaultier & Roche Bobois

A few weeks ago I had a chance to attend a party celebrating the Washington D.C. launch of the new Jean Paul Gaultier collection for Roche Bobois, which marks its 50th anniversary this year. The blend of high fashion and interior design is evident in the mix of nautical stripes and striking patterns in the pieces for this limited collection. Gaultier updated the Mah Jong sofa, originally created for Roche Bobois by Hans Hopfer in the 1970's, with glam fabrics. Along with being hip looking, this sofa was extremely comfortable and included adjustable cushions that lengthened the seat back.
This press release image does much better justice to the crisp coloring than my photos.

My favorite - this Roman chariot inspired chair. So fun!!

Scott Fazzini of Domicidal Maniac did an in-depth post with very interesting information about the designer. The DC area Roche Bobois is located at 5310 Wisconsin Ave, Washington DC (Maza Gallerie area)

Kelly Wearstler's Fern Tree for $28 a yard!

Last Friday I made a quick trip out to the amazing fabric store Haute in Marshall, VA (www.hauteonline.com) hoping to find fabric for the family room couch I'm having reupholstered. JACKPOT - Kelly Wearstler's Fern Tree for Schumacher in charcoal grey/ivory at $28 a yard. (Later I read on Pink Wallpaper that this fabric retails for over $200 a yd)

I had a brief moment of hestitation so I'm so glad my friend Anne was there to encourage me to get it - especially since a number of other shoppers started eyeing my prize. Now the only question was would there be at least 12+ yards? I wasn't sure as the bolt didn't seem that large. After 5 yards we found the fabric was cut. My heart started pounding a bit (I know - it's "only" fabric) Well we got to 12 yards and I saw there was more so I kinda shouted out "I'll take it all!" I felt like I was in a casino putting all my chips on Red. My winnings - 18 3/8 yards. Although my husband reminded me it technically wasn't a "winning" but a purchase. Don't quite agree with that...

So now, here's my dilemma. Which way do I run the fabric? Vertical or Horizontal??
( Horizontal Repeat - 3.5", Vertical Repeat - 18.875")


This is not my couch (mine is more straight lined) but it gives an idea. So, what do you think?

(image of couch via Pink Wallpaper. Sorry for the lack of links. I'm posting from my ipad and forgot how to do this)

Barn Sale in Vienna

Sharon Hayden of Fabulous Finds is holding one of her well known Barn Sales this Saturday September 25th from 8 am - 4 pm, 1870 Hunter Mill Road Vienna, VA. I went to the last one and came home with some beautiful vintage Italian sconces. A portion of the sales will be given to the Susan G. Komen Foundation in honor of her friend Lucy, a cancer survivor. Go here to see more of the vintage items that will be available. (If you can't make this barn sale, Sharon also offers her finds via her website between sales)

Great Jones Home - If Elle Decor Was a Store...

If Elle Decor was incarnated as a store I think it would look just like Great Jones Home of Seattle. Luckily when I was visiting last month I had a chance to meet owner Carrie Hayden, the creative force behind this amazing store that would be just as home in NYC or Chicago as it is in Seattle. The store is comprised of beautiful vignettes - each with their own unique look. I love how she's stacked these prints; something a bit different from the side-by-side symmetrical placement. The lantern is perfect in this space too.
A little pop of chinoiserie red on the pillow. (I'm still rooting for red as the color of 2011)
Now, for an old money chic look. It always seems that a vintage portrait adds importance to everything around it.
Carrie mentioned that these make these wonderful metal sculptures on lucite bases and they're available in 3 sizes at 3 price points under $100. Perfect for you or a friend! (hope I'm remembering the pricing accurately) When I go back to Seattle in September I'm planning for space in my suitcase to take one of these home.
Gallery style mix of prints and mirrors. Notice the tortoise shell off to the right.

Carrie and her staff also provide full service interior design. A beautiful vintage bathroom Carrie designed was featured in the June 2010 issue of House Beautiful here.

I've been noticing alot of brown sofas in stores recently but that might just be because my family room sofa is out being reupholstered in a brown linen. Love the velvet on this sofa - so welcoming.
Thank you to Carrie and her staff for letting me wander around snapping pics. If you're in Seattle, Great Jones Home is a must visit!!

1921 Second Avenue Seattle, WA

Rare Finds at Seattle's Red Ticking

Years ago I can remember reading in a number of magazines about the Seattle store Red Ticking and hoping someday I would have a chance to visit. That was before blogging and any aspirations I might have had of meeting the owner, Pam Robinson. Well, I recently had the pleasure of doing both those things and couldn't be more happy about it. Pam left a corporate career in fashion design to pursue her passion for vintage and rare European textiles and opened Red Ticking. Not only is it full of beautiful fabrics but also unique furniture pieces found on shopping ventures on the East coast. Love this settee in the purple gray fabric.
A life preserver with character! Pam mentioned these are hard to come by as of late.

The selection of vintage fabrics is vast. Pam finds these primarily in the south of France. The prices can range from $95 - $900+ depending on the size and rarity. Pam made an analogy between these textiles and works of art - which made a lot of sense to me. The number of these pieces is finite in supply and in some cases there are few pieces left.






At the end of my visit, Pam generously gave me one of these lavender sachets made by a friend of hers in France from a rare indigo dyed fabric. It's like having a little piece of history and I love it! I recently emailed Pam to let her know how handy it came in when we were stuck behind a dump truck in the tunnel out of Boston's Logan airport. Beautiful and practical - the best combination.
Pam's gorgeous home appeared in the April 07 issue of the much-missed Cottage Living. You can check out the complete spread here (Photography by Roger Davies)

*Update - I was just visiting Pam's blog and noticed she now has a presence on 1st Dibs!