Take a permanent vacay!

Some of my favorite vacations that I've been on are those that have been just a few miles from my own house! Last August I took a quick "trip" to the W Hotel in Dallas for a weekend. I only had a couple of days to get away and it seemed like a fun alternative to going through the whole rigmarole of flying somewhere.

I stayed in the smallest room that they had available of course, but I can only imagine what the larger rooms and suites must have looked like!

Two days was certainly not enough time at the glamorous hotel, so when I found this website, the W Hotels Store, I thought what a great alternative to staying in the W....you can actually live in the W! Well not quite, but you can purchase their sheets, bedding, accessories, Bliss bath products, books, and electronics for your own home.

I love this acrylic Magino side table- use it as a stool, seat, side, table or magazine rack


Are you like me and love to curl up in crisp white, luxury hotel bedding? Their classic bedding comes in a satin stich embroidery- black on white or ivory on white


I thought these colorful lamps were cute- especially the hot pink!

The next best thing to their hotel bedding is taking a trip to Bliss. They sell their products on the website- the Soapy Sap is great as is their Body Butter!

You don't see faux flowers like this at P Barn! I thought these were definitely different and interesting- can get them in silver or 24 k gold plate


This gold loop candelabra was inspired by the Fibonacci curve in nature.


The Ring Node Bowl is another intriguing accessory that the W store sells. Would look super cute with yellow lemmons in it!

If you like anything we've shown you, visit their website to get 35% off sitewide!

Use this code: R5GC6

Design & the City

I just returned from a week in New York City!

I had the opportunity to visit a few things design related but there is so much more to see! While there, I picked up this little architecture and design guide book. It's small and lightweight, a perfect book to travel with. The book features all that is design (architecture, offices, retail stores, bars, hotels, and restaurants). It's very current and lists the latest and coolest in design trends to see. The book is full of pictures with just enough text to describe the address, website, designer, architect and a brief description. Thanks to the book - I need to take another trip back to see all I didn't get to see!

ABC Carpet & Home | NYC

I've always wanted to visit the ABC Carpet & Home Store located in NYC. Finally, I had the chance! It's really an amazing store and there is so much to see! I only covered the 1st Floor, Mezzanine, and the 5th Floor. Now I need to take a trip back to see the rest of the floors. Next time, I will have to plan half a day to visit! (Nevermind, I didn't even get to the building across the street which houses the carpet section.)

A beautiful glass chandelier over a glass table:

The first floor had a ton of great lighting. I noticed a lot of decorative floral chandeliers and pendants. Loved many of them!



A chair fit for a President:

Loving the crystal chandeliers:


My friend Tanya and I loved this bed for a little girl's room...well, actually I loved it for me!

Vintage chairs:

6 Columbus | NYC

On my trip to New York, I enjoyed three nights in a suite at 6 Columbus Hotel which is part of the Thompson Hotel Group. It's a boutique hotel located near Columbus Circle (it's actually on 58th Street and 8th Avenue) across from the Time Warner Center on the Upper West Side. It's an ideal location and an exceptional stay for a boutique hotel. The lobby is intimate, the bar serves both food and drinks, and the restaurant serves three meals a day along with room service. There is a rooftop bar but that was not open at the time I stayed. I look forward to going back for another stay!

View of our suite from entry to bedroom.

The living area of our suite featured a Saarinen table and chairs.

The bedroom was modest in size for a New York hotel room. A full height wood headboard with lighting behind that "glowed" from the top when turned on was a design element I really liked.

The bathroom in our room featured black subway tile (quarter turned) with carrera mosaics on the flooring. Vanity countertop carrera marble and a Kohler sink with Waterworks fixtures.

Keith Haring | NYC

For those who have known me forever, most know I am a huge huge huge fan of Keith Haring's artwork. Since high school, I have collected his works: lithographs, prints, posters, and all else that is Keith Haring (Pop Shop: calendars, books, postcards, toys, watches, etc.)

So on my recent trip to New York (where I spent the day with my friend Tanya - whom I've known since the 7th Grade!) it was only fitting that we came upon the building that houses the Keith Haring Foundation. I was so happy to find his (original) artwork in the lobby of the building.

What a great find for me - my love of Keith Haring along with experiencing it with my friend Tanya - both I've had a "relationship" with for over the past twenty years! (Pictured above: Jill & Tanya)

Bundled up and NOT loving it!

Still whining about the winter as a whole new pile of snow lay at our feet this weekend in Chicago.  Saw some pink salt being distributed over the streets outside the Merchandise Mart and that was a brief, colorful moment.  Loved the color burst...made from beets!

Always searching for design inspired by nature, I fell in love on that same visit to the Mart, with the Tony Duquette designed organic "Baroque" chair.  First designed in 1965, this sensuous biomorphic piece is crafted entirely of wrought iron.  Viewing the tear sheet at the Baker showroom, I conspired with myself about where I was going to place this baby live with one of my clients.  Started to feel a bit warmer already.
You may have grown weary of this image, as I have seen it absolutely everywhere...but a post on chairs inspired by nature would not be deemed complete without this "David and Edward" chair designed as a one-of-a-kind gig by Margaret Elman at Chair Couture.  The image of the grass was digitally transferred onto a recycled oxford weave polyester.  Green in every sense of the word.
This whole image hits the spot.  A stylishly upholstered chair with fabric named "Foret" is based on a watercolor by French designer, Philippe David for 6, Mandel.  The plum color is right in line as a top trend color for 2009.

Another example of a massively creative chair inspired by nature is the Patricia Urquoila designed "Crinoline" outdoor chair for B + B Italia.  The chair features coiled flower bursts on an updated wing chair frame.  Plenty of storage space underneath for all of your extra pool accessories.  Sweet.

Calico's Cut to Order

About a year and a half ago, I was helping my grandparents redecorate their living room. There wasn't a question in my mind where I could go to find affordable fabrics for them. Calico Corners always seemed to have that (to put it nicely) "mature"/"grandma" look to their fabrics. In my mind, that included ones that were safe and a little passe. It was painful for me to go there and sift through their mass amount of primary colored plaid or check patterns. When oh when will they target designers and clients who covet the geometrics, the bright, the fun, the stylish, I wondered?


Fast forward just a year or so later and their inventory seems to have transformed (for the better). It now includes fashionable and fun "cut to order" fabrics at an incredibly low price. These patterns are a lot more cutting edge than you would have previously seen at Calico and you don't have to spend an arm and a leg on them either.


I am now helping my sister and brother in law out with their new home. She wanted custom drapes for their dining room- something sophisticated and classy but didn't want to spend a fortune on expensive fabric on top of having to pay for a professional to make them.
Enter: Calico. We found this pretty cream, brown, and blue floral for only $29.99/yard and had my sewing work room make two goblet pleated panels out of the fabric. It looks fabulous!

Location: These fabrics are hanging up below the normal fabric bolts (categorized by color- which makes them nice and easy to locate!) You can also check them out...just make sure you don't lose the samples- they cost $50 a sample to replace! (Trust me, I KNOW!) :(

They ship right to your door- takes about 7-10 days

I am using this lively dark brown fabric for a playroom valance in one of my projects

Calico actually has a great "purple" fabric selection. I've realized that it's very hard to find fashionable purple fabrics that don't look like they have been sitting on the shelf for 20 years.

You just never know what you might find there...definitely worth a stop over!