Paris Trip Envy: Volume Five!

And the conclusion of Allison and Louis' trip to the Maison et Objet show...

Our 4th day at Maison et Objet and our last in Paris (sadly!) was full of more great finds!

Seletti, the famed Italian design house, has a collection of every-day throw away objects- milk cartons, take out containers, egg cartons and more- that they have cast in white porcelain.

Now they've done a limited edition collection of Spring in shiny gold glaze & it's fantastic! A bit of sparkle for your breakfast table.

After finishing up the last pavilion, we headed to the Le Marais area. Sort of a cross between the East Village and the Lower East Side of Manhattan, the area is full of chic boutiques, unique home stores, fantastic flower and chocolate shops, and cozy brasseries.

We loved the tiny shop Kulte for great, graphic tees for men & women.

We loved the 'Stand by Me' and 'Last Night' floor lamp and chandelier from Damien Langlois-Meurinne.

We loved the beautiful florists with fresh, colorful loose flowers and arrangements that were artfully packaged in clear cellophane tied with raffia and filled with water (a sort of soft vase to go- so clever!)

We loved the hip, kooky mix at Fleux.

And we loved that Obama fever has caught on in the form of a special pizza adorned with grilled bacon and pineapple chutney at the Pink Flamingo Cafe!

Most of all, we loved sharing our trip! A final picture from the back of Notre Dame.

Au revoir from Paris,

Allison & Louis

New Trend Alert: Butterflies

I've read in a few different publications lately how the new decor trend is "butterflies"

I can't say that I am entirely convinced of the butterfly trend...I've never been a huge fan of them- they remind me a little too much of Mariah Carey. But as I see more of it in home decor, it's starting to grow on me a little

Photo from Domino magazine via Design Public blog


Butterfly pillow, Tracy Porter


Lucite and glass console, 1st Dibs


Coasters- John Derian for Target

Art Insert, Butterflies, West Elm

Butterfly Mirrors, PB Kids
Cloissonné Butterfly Box and Bowl, Gumps

Butterfly rug, Design Within Reach

What do you think about butterflies in home decor? A yay or nay?

Olivia Palermo living in The City!

Have you been keeping up with The Hills spinoff, The City lately? I must say, The City isn't nearly as good as The Hills but of course I'm still tuning in each week!

I googled one of the "characters", socialite Olivia Palermo to see if I could find pics of her home. A girl this well off has to have some pretty nice digs, wouldn't you think?

Olivia stands in her 63 square foot closet atop a funky zebra print rug. Look at all those clothes! Apparently she owns at least 100 pairs of shoes.

At the young age of 22, Olivia just settled in to her first apartment in Tribeca. Her mother, Lyn Hutchings, helped her decorate the apartment (she is a partner at interior design firm Hutchings-Lyle)

I love her vintage Hermes tray! Her mirrored pillows, from Calypso Home add some much needed sparkle and excitement to the predominantly white setting. The white leather coffee table looks oh so chic trimmed with nailheads.

This glam, tufted chair was a housewarming present from her aunt...coupled with a metallic side table, it makes the perfect seating nook.

Olivia told the New York post last year that reality TV wasn’t for her. “I want to be a serious actress,” she says.

Well apparently someone changed their mind!

Greek Week (or Month or Year?)

I spotted these Greek Key side tables in a shop window called Trovare Home located in Cos Cob, CT!

Their website doesn't seem to be up and running yet but I found a press release with the help of google:

The shop was closed when I was in town so I couldn't browse but I will be back to check it out!

"Furniture with a soul"

The first time I ventured in to Nadeau Imports, also known as "furniture with a soul", was last Summer when I was looking for a brightly painted console table for the pediatric dentist office I was working on. I ended up finding the perfect green console for the space and for $150 wholesale price. What a bargain! That was back when it was to-the-trade only.

But just a few weeks ago, Nadeau opened up its doors to the public. Having thought Nadeau existed solely in Dallas, I was very surprised when I opened up my Elle Decor this month and saw that the winner of Season 2 Top Design, Nathan Thomas, had used chairs from Nadeau to place around his dining room vignette in the winning episode!

He also used some other furniture of Nadeau's in the Living area. Apparently there are 15 other Nadeau Imports in the country! (Atlanta, LA, Chicago, etc, etc) Who knew!

I decided to venture out to Nadeau (on probably the coldest day of the year) and see what they had in stock. This place has incredibly decent prices and if you are in the market for handcrafted solid wood furniture, this is the place for you! Tons of bright painted pieces...these make for such fun accents in a room.

The good thing about the Nadeau warehouse (in Dallas) is that it's just a hop skip and a jump away from the Crate and Barrell outlet...having both of these discounted stores in one area is great, but can certainly be dangerous for my wallet!

Paris Trip Envy- Volume Four!

Greetings from Paris! Unfortunately, it's not from me....but from Allison and Louis as they continue their trekk through the Maison et Objet show....just a tad bit jealous over here!

Another great find for dinner was Bouillon Racine (the sign at the entrance is Bouillon Camille Chartier but it was listed in our guide book as Racine).

In a historic building, the restaurant's decor is all art nouveau that was beautifully restored a few years ago. The menu is classic French and everything (especially dessert) was so delicious.
Our Day 3 itinerary was to see all of Scenes d'Interieur and Hall 6 (mission almost accomplished).

We are obsessed with all things Keith Haring and surprisingly there are many European vendors that license his designs for their products. We already carry Quark chairs, vases, paperweights, & pillows with his iconic pop graphics and today we found the most adorable children's chairs and a pop 'baby' rocker plus wooden yo yo's and domino sets. They're so colorful & cheerful!

White Dragon is a vendor we found last year and we couldn't wait to get to their booth to see what's new. The booth was decorated in an arresting kelly green, black, and white combination which was highlighted by lots of gleaming stainless steel furniture and accessories. Amazing zebra murals in gold, black & white added to the ambiance.
We loved the Chartres chairs, chest of drawers, and small occasional tables that looked like they had a silver leaf finish but are actually covered in thin silver metal. The fabrication is so unique and the pieces are incredible looking!

We also love the sweet little stools - perfect for the foot of a bed or in a dressing room - covered in dark grey wool flannel with nickel nail head trim.

On a side note if prizes were handed out for the best dressed booth, White Dragon would definitely win first prize! All the men are striking, dressed in dark navy blazers, french blue shirts, navy ties and perfectly tailored khaki trousers. And the women were wearing beautiful deep purple silk dresses. We met the booth designer and assume he is probably responsible for choosing the outfits too - kudos to him for an impeccable job on both!

One more day to explore the show & hopefully we'll have time to explore the Marais district too - - we hear its full of great home furnishings stores, unique fashion boutiques and galleries.

Domino Closing Its Doors :(

This is indeed a very sad day! I just got word from CocoKelley that Domino is most likely shutting down their mag...I was hoping that this was just a rumor going around and then I came across this article...

“Although readership and advertising response was encouraging in the early years, we have concluded that this economic market will not support our business expectations.”- Conde Nast CEO- Chuck Townsend

WOW. One of my favorite magazines shutting down for good? It can't be! First O at Home then Cottage Living and now Domino...

But alas, the news is true- the March issue will be Domino's last.

Just read this post at Maison 21 last night that really made me think- he quotes "at least hopefully we bloggers will continue to inspire and entertain, and fill any of the voids left by the shrinking publishing industry." So true Maison- now it's up to us and our fellow bloggers to keep providing our readers with daily inspiration...although with the absence of some of our favorite magazines, it still just won't be the same...Sigh.

Brown and Yellow, Eh?

I'm always anxious to see what color pairing will be hot next (like the new grey/yellow).  When I saw this bedroom by Phoebe Howard I wondered if I would ever think to put these two colors together.  I think the repetition of the fabric and the graphic statement made by symmetry and rhythm (to throw out some ol' elements of design) make this bedroom really work. 

And the votes are in....

Our last MG poll got the most reader responses out of all of the polls we've ever done...

The question:

Which stylish celeb would you want to start an interior design blog or magazine?

The contendors: Sienna Miller, Drew Barrymore, Heidi Klum, Kate Hudson, Mary Kate and Ashley Olson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Charlize Theron, and Eva Mendes...

The results? Sarah Jessica Parker! Most people thought that this fashionista should start her own interior design blog OR magazine! Sarah Jessica- if you are listening, we'll take either one!

Her stint on Sex and the City was the turning point in this fashion maven's career. Not only was she an incredibly talented actress, she also knew how to dress...on the show, and off!

Her daring fashion choices leave some people bewildered, and others in awe...this gal is not afraid to experiment with her wardrobe and does it in a colorful, unique way.

She's just so freaking cute that SJP....

She definitely knows how to work the red carpet!

{Carrie Bradshaw's revamped NYC apartment in the SATC movie}

We hope Sarah's real NYC house has as much pizazz as Carrie Bradshaw's did!

{Sarah leaving her home to take James Wilkie to school...}

I often wonder what celeb homes look like inside...thanks to MTV Cribs, The Real Estalker, design blogs, and reality shows, we are often invited into a celeb's home.

{SJP's dining room in her Hampton's home- photo via So Chic book}

Colorful, unique, tasteful, and laid back are words that come to mind when I think of Sarah Jessica.

I believe we are going to be waiting a long time for SJP to start her own design blog, so in the meantime I compiled a few images of unique and electrifying spaces that I imagine SJP (or even Carrie Bradshaw) might flock to.