Monday, January 31, 2011

Shopping for Moi!

Today I ventured into Manhattan to attend the New York International Gift Fair at the Jacob Javits center and here are a few of the items I bought for myself.  When acting as buyer for my business, it is inevitably difficult not to splurge on a few items for me!  Here were a few favorites:

Alain Saint-Joanis silver.  If you hold it in your hand, you'll know why!
They have been creating and manufacturing collections for the table since 1876 (wow) in the purest tradition of the French cutlery.  We were in need of new everyday silverware and I love this brand.

Next I was on to purchase some limited edition prints by Jeremiah Goodman, being sold through our friends Dransfield & Ross.  The first one is "Tony Duquette, Dawnridge, Hollywood by Jeremiah done in 1987 (at left).  The next one is "Rose Cumming, Sitting Room, New York City, by Jeremiah 2004.  
Finally, I couldn't resist Diana Vreeland, by Jeremiah, 2005:
I am looking forward to receiving the prints, having them framed and finding the perfect spot for them in one of the halls at my house!  I plan to order a few more and do a big grouping of my favorite designers. Jeremiah Goodman is widely regarded as one of the finest illustrators of interiors and I couldn't think of a more fitting purchase for my home!
Please note that if you are interested in purchasing these, you can contact The Well Appointed House.  There are limited quantities, and they will be on the website soon.
Then I ordered some fun monogrammed plates - a bit more elaborate than these pictured, but I'll share once the table is set complete with cachepots, linens, elegant napkin rings and flowers!  The plates I ordered are trimmed in green and white and have a basket weave that is beautiful.  The initials are hand painted and are a charming way to personalize the table.   I ordered new placemats and glassware.  I suppose a casual dinner party is in the works?   A little fun for me while searching for new products for you all!
Posted by Melissa Hawks at 9:29 PM 1 comments Links to this post
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Guest Blog: From your handbag to your home accessories... Natural Elements

Fashion and Home Decor have always gone hand in hand.  From animal prints seen on everything ranging from sweaters and shoes to pillows and rugs and Ikat designs on scarves and upholstered furniture.  So, of course it would be no surprise that the home decor trend of natural, organic materials such as raffia, rattan, and wicker would be showing up on the fashion runways of Hermes, Salvatore Ferragamo, Stella McCartney and so many more for Spring 2011.  

These materials are a great way to bring in a warm texture into your home as well. I really like the idea of mixing it into whatever home style you currently have.  If you have high-gloss pieces, or lots of modern… the use of grain elements will freshen up your current decor.

I say... when in doubt - If you'd throw it into the mix of your home's interior design, you would probably carry it under your arm, or on your pretty feet!  

Check out some fabulous options in both fashion and home decor:



Sourcing:

Fashion Sources
1.   Dolce & Gabanna Raffia Bag – Neiman Marcus
2.   Anya Hindmark Raffia Tote – Saks Fifth Avenue
3.   Stuart Weitzman African Raffia Sandal – Neiman Marcus
4.   Michael Kors Dillon Sandal – MichaelKors.com
5.   L’wren Scott clutch – Barneys
6.   Bahnaz Sarapfour raffia  bracelet - Saks Fifth Avenue
7.   Nine West “telling” pump – Nine West
8.   Blouson Noir Fashion  Bra Top – Brownsfashion.com
9.   Ferragamo Darcy Wedges – Bloomingdales
10. Christia Louboutin Panier – Christian Louboutin


Home Décor Sources
1.     Avila Small Chandelier – Shinbysho.com
2.     William Sonoma Home Meade – WSHome.com
3.     Cane Umbrella Stand - The Well Appointed House
4.     Lucky White Raffia Shade Lamp – Lamps Plus
5.     Sferra Cane bedding coordinates – Horchow
6.     Agraria Golden Pomegranate Candle – Saks Fifth Avenue
7.     Raffia Yarn Coasters - Etsy.com/Cookieletta
8.     Twill organic flannel pillow – Burke Décor
9.     Oly Studio – Layla Grace
10.   Wicker Pendants – Plantation Design
11.    Grace Ottoman – Shinebysho.com
12.   Occasional Chair - The Well Appointed House

Posted by The Glam Lamb at 7:05 PM 1 comments Links to this post
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Sunday, January 30, 2011

Winner of $150 Gift Card to The Well Appointed House

Thank you again to all of our wonderful friends and followers.  I am so excited to be giving away a $150 gift card to The Well Appointed House.  It is just one way of saying thank you for supporting the blog, reading the articles and posting your comments!  I've been running the retail site and building the brand for almost ten years now and the blog has become such a fun addition to the well appointed house family.  There would be no purpose to this without some fabulous readers to inspire us!  So, with that said, I am pleased to announce that the winner is:

Vickie

Congratulations!  Please email us to arrange for your gift card and happy shopping!  For the rest of you who were not winners this time, you can rest assured that there are some incredible product giveaways coming up.  This week, I'll be giving away fabulous pillows, so make sure you are checking in daily!  If you haven't subscribed to our feedburner, simply enter your email address in the box on the right side of this page.  It is a lot easier to get the emails in your inbox than having to login to your dashboard and seek out the entries.  You won't miss out on giveaways and contests if you are receiving the feed.  Stay tuned for a fun-filled week. We have a guest blogger in the house and our fabulous Contributing Editor, Jenny Levin, won't disappoint with some great stories and interviews this week!  Stay tuned!
Posted by Melissa Hawks at 10:27 PM 2 comments Links to this post
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Friday, January 28, 2011

Bargain Basement Sale - Today January 28th 2011 - DAVID FRANCIS FURNITURE and SERENA & LILY BABY SLINGS

 Bargain Basement sale for today, January 28th 2011 
at The Well Appointed House

Gorgeous furniture items from David Francis Furniture!  This luxury furniture line is available exclusively through the trade.  David Francis is regarded for his exclusive handcrafted designs in styles ranging from traditional to contemporary to global to eclectic and beyond.  David Francis won a 2010 Pinnacle Award.  The Pinnacle is the nation's foremost furniture design achievement award, given by the American Society of Furniture Designers at a special awards banquet at the High Point Market.

Here's what's available in the Bargain Basement today.  There are very limited quantities left:



Charleston Bed in King Was $ 9100 Now $3900
Charleston Bed in Queen Was $7800 Now $3200

Charleston Oval Coffee Table Was $7410 Now $2340


Margaux Coffee Table Was $6870 Now $2160


Margaux Console Was $5220 Now $1670

Charleston Oval Mirror Was $3150 Now $1260

We all know and love Serena and Lily.  No introductions are necessary!  Moms, here are some great deals!
Peacock Market Sling Was $129 Now $65


Prague Market Sling Was $129 Now $65

Prague Market Sling in Grass Was $1290 Now $65

Good Luck!  Quantities are limited and there are no returns on Bargain Basement Items.  
www.wellappointedhouse.com
Posted by Melissa Hawks at 9:30 AM 0 comments Links to this post

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Pint Sized Kids Fashions at Carolina Herrera, Tory Burch, Milly, Phillip Lim & Chloe!

Clearly, no one is sleeping on the job, where kids are concerned!  The little ones are definitely not being "Seen but Not Heard"  at Carolina Herrera, Tory Burch, Milly, Phillip Lim and Chloe!
Check out some highlights from the Spring/Summer Children's Collection at Carolina Herrera where primary colors, nautically inspired stripes and comfortably preppy clothes that make sense for this age group hit the mark.  There is nothing fluffy or pretentious about these designs.  They look functional and made for play!




I'm a big fan of Tory Burch's new children's line.  First because the designs are classically preppy and somewhat age appropriate, and second because the price points are reasonable given her brand as compared to other children's brands being sold in similar geographical areas.   Shirts are in the $45-$55 range and this isn't far off other upscale kids brands such as Baby CZ, Burberry and others.
 
Since so many little girls want to dress like mom, Tory's line is a nice deviation from the Lily Pulitzer "mommy and me" dress options.


We are also excited to see that Michelle Smith, over at Milly, has a fabulously colorful new line of  "Milly's Minis" for little fashionistas ages 2-7, which will be available next month!  Typical Milly, we see bright, punchy grosgrain trimmed party dresses, a nod to mod, Eden Roc shifts in preppy colors and cute cabana bikinis and cover ups.  

More designer duds for trendy tots? Check out collections by Philip Lim 

Chloe's Spring Summer 2011 Kids Lookbook is beyond adorable and worth a peek!


Take a peek here!
Don't forget, The Well Appointed House is "THE" destination for decorating kids rooms, and we are currently having a 20% off sale, so buy now - gifts and decor!  If you like Carolina Herrerra's room shot above, check out some of our fabulous kids play tents, play castles and wig wams.  Enjoy and here's to fashionable kids!
Posted by Melissa Hawks at 10:02 PM 2 comments Links to this post
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Welcome The Glam Lamb! Our Newest Guest Blogger!

In addition to our fabulous new Contributing Editor, Jenny Levin, I am pleased to welcome the newest addition to The Well Appointed House community, Guest Blogger "THE GLAM LAMB"!

Hallie Cahan is a 20-something girl living a glamorous life out in Los Angeles and reporting on the latest trends and fashions and having a lot of fun doing it!  When not blogging, she is in marketing and sales for three clothing lines.  Her eye for design caught my attention and I thought she would give a fresh, young perspective to our audience.  Living The Well Appointed Life is what we are all about and since our blog is growing, we figured it would be fun to invite some of our favorite bloggers on board to truly create a blogging community.  Stay tuned for Hallie's post!  Bookmark the blog, become a follower if you aren't already and stay tuned for some great tips from our rapidly growing team!  If you haven't already, be sure to throw your name in the running for our $150 gift card drawing tomorrow!


Best of all, if you are one of our friends and fans and you have a fabulous blog and would like to come on board working with us to promote a luxurious lifestyle and you love The Well Appointed House, contact us to apply to join our team!



Posted by Melissa Hawks at 8:57 PM 0 comments Links to this post
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Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Design Darling: Alexandra Von Furstenberg


Alexandra Von Furstenberg

Undisputedly glamorous globetrotter, Alexandra Von Furstenberg has channeled her uberchic aesthetic and international background (having lived in Hong Kong, Europe, New York and now LA) into a line of luxurious acrylic furniture and home accessories. “I studied fashion and costume design as well as art history so, design was innately in me,” she says. Alexandra is credited for helping her mother-in-law Diane Von Furstenberg relaunch the iconic wrap dress and worked at the fashion house for 10 years, but now her passion is in home design. Alexandra’s stunning collection makes its debut here at the Well Appointed House. To celebrate her introduction to the site, we spoke with her on furniture, fashion and freshening up a room. Here, she offers her insight on how to capture her signature style.

Describe your personal style when it comes to your designs: Modern, clean, slightly luxurious -- for my furniture and home accessories. It’s all about the quality of workmanship and craftsmanship. It’s functioning art.
For the way your dress? I like clean lines, solid, bright colors as well as earth tones. But modern and clean.
Every day staples? J Brand jeans, skinny, to-the-ankle. All Diane Von Furstenberg. Balenciaga flats. I mix-and-match a lot – I am not a one designer person.
Photo: Stephanie Diani for the New York Times
J.Brand jeans from shopbop.com; Balenciaga flats from Balenciaga.com
Evening look? A dress or skirt and blouse from Diane Von Furstenberg or Victoria Beckham and heels.
Alexandra with her mother-in-law Diane Von Furstenberg
Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress from dvf.com; Victoria Beckham dress from net-a-porter.com
Style mantra: Less is more. It is a lot harder to portray a modern, well-edited layout for a room and than to overclutter and overaccessorize. Each piece in a room should have a really strong identity without being cold, you still want to achieve warmth in a room. With furniture and the way I dress, each piece should be finely edited.
Simple way to turn a plain room into something special: Pops of color. Through soft goods like pillows, throws, blankets and also trays, bowls, candles. Also, by adding one piece of colorful furniture or strong art pieces. Finding the gem piece and adding it to a very plain room, they become strong.
Alexandra Von Furstenberg XOXO Acrylic Occasional Table $3,800.00 (USD) excl tax
What advice can you give women who so admire your effortlessly chic look? Don’t over accessorize. You want it to look like you are not trying too hard. Avoid over-mixing and matching too many different textures and prints. Keeping it on the simplistic side is far more elegant than the overly trendy.
The Well Appointed House is thrilled to carry the XOXO Occasional Table in five candy colors (red, pink, yellow, green, blue) for $4800. It can also be ordered in clear Acrylic for $3800.


Posted by Jenny Levin at 12:33 PM 2 comments Links to this post
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