CasaSugar

Gift Guide: Serving Trays For the Party Girls

CasaSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:00:24 -0800

Since I'm a design fiend, I think my friends expect to receive decorating gifts from me. But it really can be just as hard to shop for décor gifts as it is for clothes. Year after year, I struggle to find something that appeals to their tastes and lifestyles.

I think I'm onto something, though. A few of my friends are big party girls, in the sense they that they are constantly hosting get-togethers and cocktail parties of all sorts. I've decided that a serving tray would be a great gift for these ladies. It's obviously great for entertaining, but can also be used as wall art or to organize knickknacks day to day. I've rounded up a wide range of serving trays to fit the aesthetic of every party girl you and I know. Take a look!

Gift Guide: The Party Girl

CasaSugar — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 04:30:01 -0800

Everyone's got one good friend who simply loves to throw parties. For many of my friends, that person is me! Aside from delicious grub, some upbeat dancin' tunes, and a well-stocked bar, I've found that every party needs festive lighting, linens, coasters, versatile furniture and trays, and an eye-catching invite to reel the crowds in. But you don't need to splurge to throw a good bash; remember college? You don't need a beer bong apparatus either; you can help your partying pals be the best hostesses ever by picking up one or two easy gifts. Lucky you, I've picked a few out at varying prices.
To check out my finds for your party-hosting pals, read more.

Make sure to check out HolidaySugar for all of our holiday coverage.

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Inspired: Marchesa NY 2010 Fall Fashion Week

CasaSugar — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 09:00:28 -0800

Glory, glory to the world! New York Fashion Week is here again! Marchesa's 2010 Fall collection has transported me to a faraway fairytale dressup land filled with rich electric hues, oceanic ruffles, pleated tulle of little girl's dreams, black bows galore, and embroidered paisley motifs finally, finally done right. I thought I'd try to capture this collection in a room, so I can wake up to this dream daily! See how I've translated these pretty party dresses into interiors when you read more.

Get the Look: A Gossip Girl Thanksgiving

CasaSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 12:00:34 -0800

The sets of Gossip Girl are always stylish, so it's no surprise that a special occasion with the Humphrey/Bass/van der Woodsen clan is seriously glamorous. Check out this slideshow to learn how to get the look of Lily and Rufus's Thanksgiving dinner party in your home!

Photos Courtesy of The CW

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Found It! Gossip Girl Bamboo Folding Chairs

CasaSugar — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:00:32 -0700

In last night's episode of Gossip Girl, beautiful bamboo folding chairs were used for seating guests at Lily and Rufus's wedding. When it comes to folding chairs, this is probably the most chic design you'll come across. But they're also good-looking enough to use in your home, not just for when you're having a party or extra guests. Wondering where you can buy some for yourself? Then read more.

A set of two Bamboo Folding Chairs ($89, reduced from $99), available in tortoise, black, or antique white, is currently on sale at Ballard Designs, and the store always seems to have them in stock.

A set of two Tropica Folding Chairs ($59.95, reduced from $128), in a black color, is also on sale at Anthropologie, but the shop doesn't always stock them.

And, you can also find a set of two Bamboo Folding Chairs ($75.99) at Target, where you'll save 15 percent and earn free shipping if you spend $125 on furniture. So, you'll only spend $129 for a set of four!

Photo courtesy of The CW

Have You Ever Rented Dining Furniture?

CasaSugar — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:59:59 -0700

In last night's episode of Gossip Girl, the Manhattan crew headed to Greenwich, CT, for a polo match. The fields (as well as the characters) were dressed to the nines in blue-blooded style with crisp white table linens and white folding chairs under white tents, which would have been rented for the occasion. Have you ever rented dining chair or tables for a party at your house?

Photo courtesy of the CW

Casa Interview: Vern Yip

CasaSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 08:30:47 -0700

Designer Vern Yip is a household name for many Casa readers, thanks to his judging on Design Star as well as his hosting and creativity on his tear-inducing show Deserving Design. Vern is currently contributing his design expertise to two very worthy community organizations, the Tenderloin Family Apartments, which are home to 4,000 low-income San Francisco families, and the West Oakland Boys and Girls Club, which has been serving youth in this neighborhood for over sixty years. I was thrilled to talk to Vern about his design renovations for these two community spaces.

CasaSugar: I’ve been out to both the Tenderloin Family Apartments and the West Oakland Boys and Girls Club, and they’re very excited about their renovations.

Vern Yip: This is such a wonderful and amazing opportunity for me. The renovations are being funded by Bank of America. This is part of their celebration of renovating their 118 Bay Area banking centers, so as part of the celebration they’re renovating two spaces for two Bay Area non-profits. Having been there, I’m sure you can tell that these are two organizations that are really deserving and could really benefit from a facelift.

To read more of the interview, read more.

CasaSugar: What's happening with the Boys and Girls Club?

Vern Yip: The Boys and Girls Club is providing such a huge service and a lot of these boys and girls would not have a space to go to otherwise. We’re giving them an activity room facelift so they can have a beautiful, and functioning place to hang out. That’s a really great thing. I’ve been talking to some of the people involved with the boys and girls club and gauging what they need . . . Initially I was looking at the floor in pictures and thought it was nice, but apparently it’s really worn, so we’re doing a top to bottom renovation including new flooring, new lights, and of course great new paint colors and a new space plan so this space can work much better with a new layout. We’re also going to do some really functional things like a new check-in desk and a new media corner. We’re going to use really durable materials so this facelift will hopefully last a good long time.

CasaSugar: I was reading up a little bit about your plans for the Tenderloin Apartments. What are you excited about with this project?

Vern Yip: You know, the really great thing about this space is that it’s used by the entire community. Everything happens in that space, from weddings to birthday parties to meetings and movie nights. So you want that space to really pull people together and feel celebratory. Right now it doesn’t feel celebratory. It’s a little dour and office-like, so I was talking to some of the Tenderloin Family Apartments staff trying to gauge who lives there and what are there needs. And it’s really a wide array of people, a mix of Russian, Asian American, Chinese, African-American, and Hispanic people.

I was doing some research to determine what were some key colors that represented all of those communities, and oranges and reds are two colors that are represented in all of those groups. So we’re putting in a new floor that’s going to be beautiful and patterned, but it will be made of VCT [vinyl composition tile], so it will be really durable. We’re going to do a custom mural on the wall that’s a tree with a large canopy done in a white silhouette on top of these wonderful warm orange walls, so it’s really going to stand out. A tree to me is really symbolic of bringing community together, it’s that life force. Another issue was, just like the boys and girls club, the residents didn’t feel safe hanging outside, so I thought, if we can’t bring them to the trees we’ll bring the trees to them. And then we’re hanging these incredible George Nelson lamps in a series, in two shapes, in a saucer shape and a cigar shape. We just want to make a space that the residents can be in and enjoy. That’s the goal and the purpose. I’m really excited that Bank of America made all of this possible because certainly these two non profits definitely deserve it.

CasaSugar: Definitely. And of course without outside funding they could’ve never done such an extensive renovation. Is this renovation going to be on Deserving Design?

Vern Yip: No! I wish it was. I wish we could fly our whole crew out and shoot this. I do hope it will be an inspiration to the show and network to tackle community-oriented spaces. We’ve been focused on individual spaces, and we’re just starting to branch out to community spaces. As you can imagine, it’s pretty cost-prohibitive to renovate such a large space. It really takes someone like Bank of America stepping up to the plate and saying, “We’ll do it as part of our renovation celebration.”

I’m very excited about this. My whole show and my heart and soul is all about giving back to the community through design, and the power of design to affect people’s lives. This is such an amazing opportunity to affect so many people’s lives in just two spaces.

CasaSugar: It’s going to make a huge impact. Thanks in advance for flying out and making such a wonderful contribution on the Bay Area community.

Vern Yip: I’m thrilled for the opportunity and thrilled that Bank of America brought me on board to do it. It’s a wonderful opportunity to change people’s lives.

Source

Steal of the Day: Pottery Barn Kids Thanksgiving Leaf Garland

CasaSugar — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 14:00:11 -0800

I think garlands are totally underrated. They only seem to make an appearance on Christmas fireplace mantels or at the birthday parties of five-year-old girls. It's totally discrimination. I think we should welcome cute garlands like the Pottery Barn Kids Thanksgiving Leaf Garland ($39.99, reduced from $59) into our homes whenever possible. The festive garland is made of felt leaves on a grosgrain ribbon. So much easier and safer than pricking your fingers sewing hundreds of pieces of stale popcorn together for hours on end, don't you think?

Coveted Crib: The Bass/van der Woodsen Apartment

CasaSugar — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:30:32 -0700

I recently showed you how to get the look of some of Gossip Girl's fabulous interiors, and mused over the Waldorfs' choice of chairs. But surely that's not enough to satisfy your desire for Gossip Girl style. InStyle was recently welcomed into the new fictional home of the Bass and van der Woodsen family, and has an awesome 360 degree virtual tour of the fab digs, as well as a shopping guide to help you get the look. Shown here is the Bass/van der Woodsen living room, sure to be the scene of many parties. As you can tell, it's very modern, with some traditional touches like turned wood. And of course, the fashion-centric show makes a nod to the design gods with a Prada sign hanging by the entrance.To see a sneak peek of the set, check out this slideshow. Source

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Nice and New: Lisa Stickley Tablecloths

CasaSugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 06:15:01 -0700

I just came across the Lisa Stickley Custard Cream Tablecloth ($287 and up) and Duck Plates Tablecloth ($287 and up) at Rose & Radish, and I'm completely smitten. Stickley has incorporated a trompe-l'œil effect onto her printed textiles, giving the illusion that her tablecloths are topped with traditional British tea plates. The Custard Cream Tablecloth is printed with floral china patterns with painted rims, and the Duck Plates Tablecloth is based on her own grandfather's duck-themed tea service. I love this twist on vintage British style, and think it's the perfect fit for a tea party among modern girls.