CasaSugar

Nice and New: Kate Spade Holly Heights Tidbit Plates

CasaSugar — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:00:07 -0800

You can count on Kate Spade to infuse full-on girliness into her holiday décor. Spade's candy-colored Holly Heights Tidbit Plates ($50) are good enough to eat! The set of two green/yellow and two red/pink plates has ample festivity for holiday entertaining, but the central starry snowflake pattern is subtle enough that you can pull off the plates all year long. I adore the little dove border and repeated diamond pattern. I think they'd make great jewelry catch-alls for your bureau or coasters even!

Casa Poll: Battle of the Blues

CasaSugar — Thu, 08 Nov 2007 05:15:48 -0800

Both design duchess Kate Spade and homemaker extraordinaire Martha Stewart have been playing a blue note in their homeware collections for large retailers. Kate's Gwinnett Lane Turquoise Dinnerware is for sale at Bed Bath & Beyond, and Martha's Lorraine Stencil Dinnerware (along with a slew of turquoise items) is available at Macy's. Which do you prefer?

Source, Source, and Source

Casa's Must Haves for September

CasaSugar — Tue, 04 Sep 2007 09:40:04 -0700

Depending on your lifestyle, September can mean many different things: welcoming the start of Fall, sending the kids off to school, or making your way through piles of very thick magazines. So for my must haves this month, I'm chasing a few trends, readying my garden and home for cooler weather, and expanding my magazine storage.

Magazines get quite fat in the Fall, and this ever-expanding Mxyplyzyk Magazine Rack ($24), coming out in mid-September, lets you add capacity while you catch up on your reading.
Bright yellow accessories are a must-have this Fall, so choose one sophisticated accent, such as this Kate Spade Perry Street Clock ($40).
As the mercury drops, be sure to have a cute throw to curl up with, such as this Autumn Leaves Jacquard Throw from Wrapables ($37.95).
The chandelier trend isn't going away anytime soon, and these ornate but modern fixtures are a great elegant light source as the days get shorter.
Keep your flower garden full of cheerful color by planting a few autumn perennials, such as mums.

Link Time!

CasaSugar — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:00:00 -0800

Get the scoop on one of Nicole's fave rug resources. - Making it Lovely
Assembling store-bought furniture any time soon? Check out these six tips. - Charles & Hudson
Embellish your accessories with some easy ribbon rosettes. - Craftzine
Reuse skate decks as furniture and décor. - ReadyMade
Kate Spade will debut a bed and bath collection! - ShelterPop
Add some oomph with gorgeous tables, chairs, and pillows. - Simply Stated

Check Out the New Issue of Lonny!

CasaSugar — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 10:00:08 -0800

The December issue of Lonny magazine is hot off the web presses today and online for viewing.

Lonny is in the running in my Best of 2009 poll for Favorite Shelter Magazine, so if you haven't already, go vote for Lonny or another mag that you love. I adored the first issue of the magazine, which was launched this Fall by former Domino editor Michelle Adams.

In this issue, you can indulge in plenty of interior design eye candy and get inspired by textile designer Lisa Fine, the firm MasonGray, and the chic retail design of Kate Spade and J. Crew. Check out some of the pages from the issue below, and then head over to Lonny to read to your heart's content.

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Link Time!

CasaSugar — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:00:58 -0700

I love these blue and red rooms. AT:NY
Try some woolly DIY projects this Fall. AT:SF
I adore Kevin Waldron's children's book illustrations. Peacock Feathers
Swoon over this ostrich feather chandelier. Shelterpop
Kate Spade's new store in Japan is seriously chic. Happy Mundane
I like the polished masculinity of Lori Andrews Interiors. Grassroots Modern

Cool Idea: Fabric-Painted Curtain Panels

CasaSugar — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 08:00:15 -0700

For an accent that's often merely decorative, curtain panels are expensive. You can buy affordable ones from shops like IKEA, but that means you only get the pick of the rather generic litter - and the same ones as every other penny-pinched decorator in the world.

So I was excited to see how High-Heeled Foot in the Door personalized a set of solid white IKEA panels using fabric spray paint. Inspired by a sunny yellow skirt she'd seen at Kate Spade, this resourceful lady painted 7" wide horizontal stripes on her basic panels. Want to get a peek at the project in action and learn how to do it yourself? Then read more.

She first taped off the stripes before painting, but all the project really requires is paint, tape, a tape measure, construction paper, and scissors. Learn the steps here.

Good, Better, Best: Chic Backgammon Sets

CasaSugar — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:00:49 -0800

Even if you haven't a clue how to play backgammon, these chic boards will put you on top of your design game. Laid out on a coffee table, backgammon sets are like the leisure-time equivalent of a pretty art book or an elegant bowl. Here are three to suit your budget, whatever it may be.

The Ballard Designs Backgammon Set ($70) looks like it could have been designed by Kate Spade. It's perfect for whiling away the days at a Summer retreat, or just making your living room feel like one.

For the even better backgammon boards, read more.

I can't get enough of the Barneys Handmade Psychedelic Lacquered Wood Backgammon ($795). Something about combination of hoity-toity and hippie-dippy puts me perfectly in the mood to roll some dice.

This luxurious Ralph Lauren Dawson Backgammon Set ($1,299) could easily be a set piece in a Gossip Girl Upper East Side living room. It's masculine and just a tad sinister.

In the News: Sofa Studies

CasaSugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 05:30:38 -0700

Faced with renovating a crumbly brick townhouse in Manhattan's East Village, and building a home for her children that they could participate, ex Kate Spade partner Pamela Bell abandoned the tendency to create a "trophy home" and invited her daughter's 7th grade class to graffiti her John Derian muslin sofa with fabric markers. The result is an example of ideal imperfection, the kind that's engaging because of its flaws, that wins you over because it can't be reproduced. Bell's home is full of furnishings with this laissez-faire attitude towards design — spray-painted bittersweet from the farmers market for a chandelier, a pile of suitcases for a side table, walls embellished with Marimekko stickers, and a chalkboard-covered fridge — and it's all the better for it. Read more about it in The New York Times' "When Perfect Is Not the Goal."
Source

Casa Craving Recap: Awesome Alarm Clocks

CasaSugar — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 14:00:51 -0800

I hate having things plugged in next to my head when I'm sleeping, and I hate the glowing digits of digital alarm clocks even more. Thus, I've been on the hunt for a good alarm clock for a while now, but I haven't found anything yet that really inspires me to shell out some cash. In light of these facts, for last week's Casa Craving Challenge, I asked you to hunt down and bookmark the best-looking, coolest, most retro, or most contemporary alarm clocks you can find. You chimed in to my call for clocks with some seriously cool choices, like the Kate Spade Perry Street Clocks that TeamSugar member Gruaig_Rua bookmarked. See the other time-tellers below.