linens

If you're on the hunt for beautiful block-printed and handmade textiles for your home, check out a relative newcomer to the market, Allem Studio. Founded as a design collaboration between friends Mitali Seth and Lovisa Shergill in 2009, Allem Studio creates lovely hand-embroidered and block-printed textiles for the tabletop, bedroom, and living room. Their collection of pillows, bedding, and tabletop items including napkins and place mats features vibrant, colorful designs that reference ethnic-inspired crafts with a modern twist.

Seth and Shergill work out of a studio located in Shrewsbury, MA, and source manufacturing of their products through socially responsible vendors, including SEWA, India, a women's only co-operative.

You can purchase Allem Studio's products through a variety of merchants across the country, as well as online. If you're in New York, make sure to check out Allem Studio at Booth 7962 at the New York International Gift Fair this weekend.

Last week, I attended a fantastic cocktail party at the home and office of San Francisco-based designer Ken Fulk (right), hosted by Ronda Carman of All the Best, to celebrate SFERRA's 120th anniversary. The luxury linen brand was founded in 1891 by Gennaro Sferra when he first opened his linens factory in Venice, Italy. In 1977, it was purchased by CEO Paul Hooker (left), then a young 20-something, and has grown to include an extensive collection of fine linens for the bedroom, bathroom, and tabletop and become one of the most respected names in the arena of luxury textiles.

When Gennaro launched the company, his focus was intricate handmade laces and embroideries. As you can imagine, a lot has changed since then, so I was eager to learn more about the progression of the brand and where it's headed next. Luckily, Hooker gladly obliged to do a little interview with me. Read our conversation below!

CasaSugar: You bought SFERRA in the '70s, and it's since become one of the finest linen brands. How has the market for luxury bedding changed since then?

Paul Hooker: When I bought the business in 1977, there was no such thing really as "luxury bedding." SFERRA offered no bedding at all in our collection. We made tablecloths and napkins, mostly handmade lace from Italy. The changes in both have been dramatic.  Today, it’s all about luxury bedding, and fewer and fewer people over the years have been having traditional dinners with lace tablecloths, so the change has been dynamic indeed.

CS: What growing trends do you see in the world of luxury linens?

PH: The buying trend today among the affluent consumer is one word: VALUE. She is not overly impressed with labels, to the contrary, she wants to know why she is being asked to pay a premium price for what is being touted to her as "luxury." What makes it so special? What is it made of? Will it last? She will pay for quality, no doubt, and she still aspires to owning luxury products, but today, she needs to be shown the reason for "paying up" for luxury. The importer and the retailer who doesn’t have those answers may not be around long enough to find them.

CS: What are your most successful products?

PH: Our customer loves the color and design, but she generally selects the "basics." She knows that she is spending one third of her entire life in bed, and combining the wonderful experience of a great mattress and luxurious sheets makes it all so wonderful. She wants to be pampered in bed, feeling the very finest cotton in the world next to her, to give her the ultimate sleeping experience. So, when it comes right down to it . . . "Would you like Percale or Sateen, white or ivory?” It’s quite simple what she wants, so we strive to give her several choices of the finest "basics" in the world.

Click to read the rest of our interview!

The New York Times recently sat down with Eddie Ross to chat about flea marketing. Ross is an incessant flea market and antique fair shopper and even gives guided tours of markets around the country, so he's really an expert when it comes to sifting through the goods. He's also made a habit of styling gorgeous tablescapes and vignettes throughout his home using his finds, and he works wonders on vintage décor that may have seen better days. So I couldn't help but pass along his must-have solutions for cleaning up flea market finds, which he shared with The Times. Check them out below!

Old Linens

If you've picked up antique table linens that have yellowed over time, Ross recommends The Laundress All-Purpose Bleach Alternative to safely whiten, brighten, and disinfect them. The solution is nontoxic, nonabrasive, environmentally friendly, and can be used on all colors and fabrics except for wool and silk. You can also use it to clean your kitchens, bathrooms, and hard, nonwooden surfaces and floors throughout your home. Just mix 1/4 cup with water.
Continue reading to see what Ross recommends for silverware and painted furniture!

There's only so much we can do to make our storage look pretty without calling in California Closets for a pricey custom mahogany masterpiece — like Debi Mazar's shoe paradise. But just because you gotta work with what you got doesn't mean you're at a loss. When it comes to storing towels, roll them and stack them instead of folding them. This is not only the tightest way to store them, but the prettiest. And if, like me, you care about things like wrinkles, you'll be happy to know that "rolling with it" prevents those pesky creases and folds.

Source: Flickr User the_amanda

Stripes are the little black dress of tabletop décor. They're always in style. You can never go wrong with a good striped or broad-plaid tablecloth. For instance, I'm absolutely in love with the Designers Guild Dickenson print, and I don't see that changing . . . ever. It's a good thing, because a table cloth and six napkins will cost me $195. For now, I might have to treat myself to a set of four napkins ($40). But why stop there? There are so many striped table linens to love. See my other beautiful finds when you read more