I was completely wowed by the incredibly beautiful textiles I saw at Sachin + Babi for Ankasa at the New York International Gift Fair. Best known for its intricate embroideries, Sachin + Babi for Ankasa was founded by husband and wife design team Sachin and Babi Ahluwalia who began their careers doing couture embroidery for fashion houses like Oscar de la Renta, Ralph Lauren and Valentino. The company is now a lifestyle brand that includes home decor as well as ready-to-wear and accessories. Their latest collections of pillows and bedding which I got to check out at NYIGF are exquisite, with elaborate silk and metallic embroidery, rich textures and elaborate beading. Have a look at my photos below and you can see more from Sachin and Babi here.
All photos by Nicole Gibbons for So Haute
One of the booths at the NYIGF that I was eager to check out was John Robshaw. I’m a huge fan of his ethnic block printed textiles and I especially love his bedding collections so imagine my delight when I approached his booth and found John himself making one of the display beds! A consummate perfectionist, John was re-making the bed because, as he says, “the quilt wasn’t laying quite right.” (I snapped a few photos of him in action so I could study his technique – He likes to stack his pillows, FYI!)
Robshaw’s booth showcased his bedding, bath, pillows, tabletop, travel, clothing, window coverings and giftables for spring and as usual his latest offerings for are perfection!
The bedding seen here is a new introduction called Matar. That sublime coral color was seen all over the spring fashion runways and now you can incorporate it into your home too! I think Robshaw’s choice of patterns and colors are always stunning!
This bed featured a mix of patterns but my favorite is the one near the front with the green, periwinkle and marigold colored Indian floral pattern called Ludoli. The others are a mix of Gent’s Stripe, Stitched (solid white with the moss green embroidery) and Metallic linen which can all be found at JohnRobshaw.com.
I loved this colorful mix of cotton ikat pillows. (I told you ikat isn’t over!)
The pillows on the left here feature hand painted Indian inspired floral and animal motifs while the black and white pillows on the right showcase traditional African mudcloth prints.
I also really like the idea of mixing a few of these colorful picture frames in with your traditional silver frames – it would make for an eclectic display of your family photos!
John’s inspiration for these stylish cotton and canvas travel bags was Jack Nicholson’s voyage through the Sahara in the movie The Passenger.
There were also plenty of travel pouches, passport covers, luggage tags and chic stationery travel accessories and accessories and paper goods. You can shop the entire John Robshaw spring collection here.
Bright Moroccan inspired tunics set against a bold suzani backdrop at Roberta Roller Rabbit
I spent the past weekend checking out the latest products and trends at the New York International Gift Fair. I often hear people saying that the ikat/suzani/eclectic bohemian trend is “so over” but based on what I saw at the NYIGF I think it’s safe to say that these worldy prints and patterns are definitely here to stay. There were ikats, suzani and other ethnic inspired textiles and accessories in bold colors and patterns everywhere I turned – on pillows, blankets, furniture – you name it. Rather than refer to this style as a “trend” I think of these ethnic inspired textiles and accessories as timeless elements with historical and cultural context that will never go out of style. Perhaps over time we’ll change the way we incorporate them into our decor, but for now my trip to the NYIGF has left me loving ikats, suzanis and other ethnic inspired decorative elements even more than ever!
Roberta Roller Rabbit
Roberta Roller Rabbit
Wunderley
Wunderley
Wunderley
Tessera
Tessera
RP Designs
Patrick Charles LTD
Oomph
Miami Mumbai
Badia Design
Bungalow 5 has just opened a sparkling new showroom in New York City to showcase its modern home furnishings and accessories to the design trade and I’m thrilled to give you a little sneak peek. The showroom officially opens today and is the brand’s first in New York City. What I love most about Bungalow 5 is that even though their offerings are decidedly modern, there is gracefulness and versatility to each piece that enables it to fit seamlessly into any interior. So Haute indeed! You can visit Bungalow 5 on the web here.
Bungalow 5
New York Showroom
251 West 30th Street, Suite 10W
New York, NY 10001
All photos by Nicole Gibbons/So Haute
Margaret Russell with A-List Designer Darryl Carter. Photo: Patrick Butler for Elle Decor
In Elle Decor’s June issue the magazine announced it’s first annual A-List which payed homage to 25 talented designers who define the way we live today plus 5 up-and-coming young designers to watch. The 2010 A-List included designers like Kelly Wearstler, Eric Cohler, Steven Gambrel, Charlotte Moss, Thomas O’Brien, Miles Redd, Michael S. Smith Jeffrey Bilhuber, Matthew Patrick Smyth, Madeline Stuart, Bunny Williams and many more! Among the 5 to watch were Jesse Carrier, Oliver M. Furth, Grant K. Gibson, Katie Lydon and Marie Turner. I was lucky enough to get to celebrate the occasion with Elle Decor at a party hosted at the McGuire showroom at the New York Design Center a few weeks ago. All but 2 of the honored designers were in attendance and all of the top names in the New York design industry came out to fete the honorees. It was a fabulous event set amidst the backdrop of McGuire’s beautiful furnishings and gorgeous floral arrangements designed by Bronson Van Wyck. Above is Elle Decor Editor-in-Chief Margaret Russell with DC based designer Darryl Carter who I was thrilled to see included on the A-List and I had the pleasure of meeting that evening. He was beyond humbled to be included on the A-List and is obviously very deserving of the honor. He filled me in that his book Below are a few more of my favorite snaps from the night!
Margaret Russell with Jesse Carrier and Mara Miller of Carrier and Company. Photo: Patrick Butler for Elle Decor
Designers Thomas Jayne & Bunny Williams. Photo: Patrick McMullan
The Atmosphere at the Elle Decor A-List party. Photo: Patrick Butler for Elle Decor
A beautiful peony arrangement by Bronson van Wyck. Photo: Patrick Butler for Elle Decor
Margaret Russell and Oscar de la Renta. Photo: Patrick Butler for Elle Decor
About a week after the A-List event Elle Decor also hosted an intimate cocktail party to celebrate Oscar de la Renta’s new upholstery fabric collaboration with Lee Jofa. I was thrilled to attend and was absolutely blown away at the beauty of his fabrics which mirror the elegance and sophistication of his fashion collections. The to-the trade collection includes beautiful ethnic inspired patterns in bold hues inspired by Oscar’s fashion archives. The fabrications include rich wovens, luscious silks and elaborate embroideries and brocades. Below is a peek of the store window of Oscar’s Madison ave shop which features ball skirts made of his gorgeous new fabrics! I also included a few snaps of my own! Designers, look out for the new Oscar de la Renta fabrics coming this summer to a Lee Jofa showroom near you!
Skirts fashioned from Oscar de la Renta’s new fabric collection. Photo: Patrick Butler for Elle Decor
Beautiful fabrics from the new collection
