EVENTS
56th Annual Winter Antiques Show
What: This annual benefit for the East Side House Settlement brings together more than 75 antiques dealers to showcase the best in American, English, European and Asian fine and decorative arts.
When: January 22-31. Open daily 12PM-8PM, Sunday & Thurs 12-6.
Where: Park Ave Armory – 67th Street and Park Ave
Admission is $20. For more info visit winterantiquesshow.com.
New York International Gift Fair
What: Open to the trade only, the New York International Gift Fair is the country’s premiere marketplace for home, lifestyle and gift products. More than 2700 exhibitors will feature an extensive range of design driven home fashion and giftware items at this biannual show.
When: January 30-Feb 4, 2010 9-6PM daily (early close on Feb 4)
Where: Jacob K Javits Convention Center and Pier 94
For more info visit NYIGF.com
Brad Ford is “The Accidental Blogger”
What: Join noted interior designer and blogger Brad Ford for an intimate discussion on blogging and social media. Hear how he came to launch his wildly popular blog, Designtherapy.com and get his take on how blogs are impacting the design industry.
When: February 9, 2010, 9:30AM
Where: D&D Building, ASTRA Cafe – 979 Third Avenue, NYC
RSVP 212.759.2969. Click here for more info.
“Connected”
What: The New York Design Center, Michael Tavano and a panel of editors, bloggers and social networkers host a lunch discussion about social media and how being “connected” is helping the design industry.
When: January 28, 2010, 12-2PM
Where: Michael Tavano Showroom at the NYDC – 200 Lexington Avenue, Suite 1212
RSVP to events@nydc.com. Click here for more info.
SALES
Ochre Winter Sale
Ochre, the source for modern yet timeless home accessories is holding their annual winter sale. Save up to 70% in-store and 20% off the purchase of in-stock items online with coupon code OCHRE1210. Now through January 31st. Visit Ochre at 462 Broome Street in NYC or ochrestore.com.
John Robshaw Textiles Sale
Save 20% off select items including pillows, bedding dhurries and more at johnrobshaw.com
This just in…Fashion designer, CFDA President and all around style icon Diane von Furstenberg is launching a home collection! She is collaborating with Springs Global, a worldwide supplier of bed, bath and home fashion products. The licensing deal was announced yesterday and Von Furstenberg’s collection of home accessories, bedding, bath and tabletop items will debut in select department and better specialty stores in Spring 2011. The designer’s first foray into the world of home was in the 1970s when she partnered with Sears on a line. That program did close to $100 million in sales, according to HFN. Von Furstenberg also partnered with The Rug Company in 2006 to design a line of signature carpets. I can’t wait to see her new products when they hit the market next year! I hear the line will be very textile driven, just like her fashion collections and I’m sure it will be as chic and sophisticated as she is!
Above, Diane Von Furstenberg’s designs for The Rug Company. Top photo by Douglas Friedman for Harper’s Bazaar
What: Eko Luxe Bath Linens by Kassatex
Why: They’re made of certified organic cotton and naturally sustainable bamboo fibers as well as all natural dyes which makes them completely eco-friendly.
How: I discovered these while shopping for organic cotton towels to replace the gnarly and worn towels I’ve had for the past 7 years. (Part of my attempt to start the new year of fresh) I absolutely love them…they’re extremely soft and plush!
Where: Available at Gracious Home in New York as well as on their website. And currently on sale at Sears.com!
I’ve always loved the look of X benches so when I spotted a vintage pair at the
Brimfield Antique Show a couple of years ago, I quickly snapped them up without thinking twice! Here is what they looked like when I got them:
The ugly pinkish-orange upholstery was dingy and dirty and the coiling inside was broken so when you sat on them you sunk down into the seat. Needless to say these needed an overhaul! I decided to re-cover them in a neutral yet textured fabric that was durable and I chose
this cotton blend fabric called “burnish” from Calico Corners in a light linen color with a textured stripe pattern.
Here’s the after shot. You can click on the photo to enlarge and see the detail of the fabric. I love how they look in my space and they’re great extra seating for when I’m entertaining. Below are some inspirational photos of X benches I’m loving as well as how you can get the look!
Room by Meg Braff as featured in House Beautiful. Photo by James Merill
Room as featured in Domino
Room by Jonathan Adler
X-Bench from Ballard Designs, from $179
If you want to get the look, Ballard Designs offers this stylish x bench which is available in a wide array of fabric selections. They even have an option where you can send in your own material for a custom look. You can check it out here!
Along with a new year comes a desire to get myself more organized at home! To start the year off fresh, I decided to pare down my belongings, clear out the clutter and rid my home of things I hardly use which were taking up valuable space. My goal was to create a greater sense of peace and clarity going into the new year so I could feel more content and focused. I’ve already begun the process of purging and organizing. Here’s what I’ve tackled so far:
The Refrigerator & Freezer. I threw away anything that was expired or that had been in my fridge or freezer for too long. Next I completely cleaned out the inside…Something I probably don’t do often enough but it makes a huge impact. It looks super clean and I can find anything I’m looking for easily.
The Medicine Bin: I had Peptol Bismol tablets that expired in 2008 (and many other similar offenses) so I did the same as above and threw away anything that was expired. I had loose cough drops and packets of Theraflu all over the bin, so I piled them together and stored them neatly in tiny ziploc snack bags.
Toiletries & Beauty Products: I keep these items in my linen closet and the toiletry shelves were filled to the brim with products, some which I’ve never even used. Working in fashion, I always get free beauty products in gift bags or from friends who work in the industry. So I had tons of unopened hand creams, makeup, hair products…you name it. Anything I had never used was tossed into a giveaway pile and I threw away anything that was old, almost empty or barely used. I had multiples of lots of items such as shampoo, so I kept the ones I used the most and tossed the rest.
My Clothes: I went through all of my drawers, closets and storage bins and cleared out anything that seemed outdated, that I hadn’t worn in the past year, or that was simply a fashion mistake (we all have those!). This was the hardest thing for me to do since my thought is always ” I never know when I’m going to want to wear it.” But where I live space is at a premium so I had to compromise and part with some of my clothes. One guideline I used was that If I haven’t worn it in the past year, get rid of it. I filled up a garbage bag full of clothes and you know what? I don’t miss a thing. Now my closets and drawers feel much more spacious.
Tip: When you’re clearing out clutter in your own home, a great tip is to do what I do and sort your things into four categories of piles: The garbage pile, the giveaway to friends and family pile, the donate to Goodwill pile and the consignment pile. I recently started consigning some of my things that I no longer want but that are a bit too nice to donate. A great online consignment resource is Christabelle’s Closet or you can also do a Google search to find a local consignment shop in your area. Why not make a few extra bucks off your old stuff? Consider it a bonus for the time you spent organizing!
After completing the big purge, I called in a pro to help me organize my apartment and make my life a bit easier. Enter Lisa Zaslow, professional organizer and founder of Gotham Organizers here in New York. Lisa is an organizational guru and has been featured on HGTV, in The New York Times, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, Self magazine and many more. I knew she would have great storage and organizational tips to make my
current organizational systems much more efficient. And honestly, even after I purged my belongings I had more stuff that I knew I could get rid of so Lisa was the perfect neutral voice of reason to help me determine what else to toss and what to keep. Example:
Lisa: Nicole, do you really need 37 canvas tote bags? You should decide which ones are your favorites and then donate the rest.
Me: But they’re all my favorite! And they’re eco-friendly. And each one could work with a different outfit.
These statements were followed by a list of other reasons why I needed to keep all of the totes. (Yeah, the things I get attached to are sometimes pretty ridiculous!) Lisa finally convinced me to toss some of the canvas totes. (And for the record, 37 was an exaggeration for effect, but you get the idea.) Another thing Lisa helped me with immensely was clearing out paper clutter, because sometimes I feel like this:
Am I the only one? Next week, I’ll talk more about my 3-hour organizing session with Lisa and she’ll share some of her top tips for organizing, including how to conquer paper clutter. (She even wrote a book on the subject!) Check back next week for more!
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