paper trails
I'm a sucker for wrapping paper of all kinds, and
eieio studio's new holiday designs are some of my favorites so far this season. The prints have the appearance of lush, silk-screened fabric— too-cute-to-tear for sure. I especially love the textural feel and deep, saturated chocolate, blue and cream tones, which would easily work for wrapping presents all year round. Hopefully the gifts I buy will live up to the wrapping around them!
xxx
mad for plaid
Oh my god, how cute is this
green plaid pea coat from Fred Flare? It looks perfect for wearing over a pair of jeans on cold city days. And are you ready for this—it's only $36! (I know!) Just throw in these crocheted
pink arm warmers and you're style-set for winter. Love it!
xxx
wall to wall
I have a big, blank wall in my apartment that has been the source of much debate in my head. It's about 12-feet long, and just aching for some design TLC. But with so many options out there for dressing up empty wall space, I'm stuck in the land of the indecisive decorator. (Drat!) But there's one idea that's high on my list of possibilities—instead of going the framed artwork or stretched fabric route, I love the idea of adding subtle texture to the space with
Mio's three-dimensional wallpaper ($28/12 pack). I can create my own pattern and shapes by rotating the tiles or painting them to match my accessories. And if I hate the look? No problem—they can be installed temporarily with double stick tape or permanently with wallpaper paste. Love it!
xxx
glass act
Hey, all! Sorry I've been MIA the past few days—I hate when work gets in the way of my blog-time! Anyway another tabletop market is finally over (phew!), and there are lots of fun new designs and products coming our way this spring. One of my favorites from the show was the Riedel/Spiegelau/Nachtmann trifecta showroom.
Riedel, whose
O glass still has my vote for the ONLY stemless glass worth owning, is now offering drink sets complete with a decanter and two or four O glasses. They're starting with sake (shown below) and merlot, which make perfect engagement presents or shower gifts. They also are introducing some sleek new decanter designs, which I swoon over.
Spiegelau, whose wine glasses are used in restaurants all over the world including NYC's Babbo and TK, produces high quality artisan glass pieces at really affordable prices. But all that aside, it's still the little things that wow me. I'm obsessed with their new chip-and-dip/cake stand marvel (shown below). One one side, it's a beautiful cut-glass cake stand. Great. But flip the buddy over and voila—the pedestal of the cake stand becomes a dip bowl and the flat surface holds chips or crudite. Genius, I tell you.
I'm not really a coffee drinker (I get my caffeine cold, thank you very much) but the adorable cut glass espresso cups from
Nachtmann have a certain effect on me. Each cup and saucer has a unique geometric design, and feel amazing in your hand. And the same goes for their intricate-cut glass tumblers and vases. If I had the display room, these guys would definitely have a spot on my mantle.
More from tabletop to come soon!
xxx
market values
It's amazing how many new ways there are to design a fork! And so another tabletop market continues, and so far the real ooo-ahhh debut from the show is Marc Jacobs' new tabletop line with
Waterford. (Gorgeous!) The collection includes fine china, glassware, flatware, barware, stemware and crystal and glass objects. And given Marc's love of the understated don't look for anything to over-the-top. All of the designs are elegantly modern, with an eye on lasting style. My favorites include the Misia (gold leaf border), Elizabeth (colored clovers and flowers) and Jean (art deco lines and dots). And to really make the collection personal, he named the patterns of his collection after his closest friends.
xxx
