CasaSugar

Sale Alert: Marimekko's Semiannual Sale

CasaSugar — Sun, 05 Jul 2009 05:30:40 -0700

From now through July 15, save big on some of your favorite Marimekko designs. I'd make haste, though: sale prices are limited to supply on hand, which is quite limited! I'm very tempted by this Marimekko Kissanminttu Fabric (on sale for $31.50). Designed by Erja Hirvi, this girly, tulip-adorned print would make beautiful panel curtains for a girl's bedroom. The soft color palette and floral pattern will make your home feel like Spring all year round. Shop the sale!

Home Library: Plants and Their Application to Ornament

CasaSugar — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 07:00:01 -0700

Anyone with a little design savvy, flower-philia, or an appreciation for the way that flowers' shapes lend themselves to pattern will covet Plants and Their Application to Ornament. This reprint of Eugène Grasset 's 1897 design book features amazing botanical illustrations of a variety of flowers, from water lilies to lilacs. Each flower illustration is adapted as a pattern for use in such home design applications as rugs, stained glass windows, metalwork, and tile work. While I was smitten with nearly every illustration, I'm particularly partial to the gorgeous use of nasturtiums (seen on the cover), a flower that I often think of it as a pesky weed here in the Bay Area. A celebratory merging of the beauty of botanicals and art nouveau style, this book is sure to be a favored distraction on anyone's coffee table.

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Midday Muse: Flowers for Tomboys

CasaSugar — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 11:53:43 -0700

The inspiration I'm getting from this limited-edition print by Oregon artist Yellena? A floral design that manages to be tough and dainty at the same time. I love the combination of girly colors, like hot pink, with tomboy shades that remind me of dirt. What do you think?

via Apartment Therapy San Francisco

Nice and New: Black-and-White Ikea Billy Bookcase

CasaSugar — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 07:34:01 -0700

Chances are, you or someone you know has owned an Ikea Billy Bookcase ($59.99 to $79.00) at one time or another. The shelves are perfectly basic, big, and sturdy, and, therefore, wildly popular with bargain-seekers everywhere.

Now, in addition to black, silver, white, and various wood stains, you can get the Billy Bookcase in a black-and-white floral pattern for a mere $59.99. I think it's very adorable and also quite unique. What do you think?

Nice and New: Barbara Hulanicki Flock For Graham & Brown

CasaSugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:00:54 -0700

Legendary fashion designer Barbara Hulanicki, who founded the iconic London boutique Biba in the '60s, is taking her signature art-nouveau style to the walls. She has created Graham & Brown's Flocked Collection, including five exclusive flocked wallpaper designs - Skulls, Ophelia, Shoes, Baroque, and Antoinette. Flocked wallpaper has a history over three centuries long. But like Hulanicki, it did have a heyday in the '60s and '70s, so it's a very fitting collection.

The papers go for $125 for a double roll, which is pretty reasonable for such luxurious material. Baroque, with a Victorian-inspired geometric pattern, and Ophelia, with a sophisticated floral pattern, are the most tame of the designs. Meanwhile, Skulls, Shoes, and Antoinette have more playful, eccentric imagery. Maybe it's just because Halloween is near, but I'm really drawn to Skulls. It has a mischevious quality that's almost shocking, because you don't recognize the pattern right away; I'd love to use it in a small dark corner of my home.

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Ask Casa: Help Me Find an Affordable Rug That We Both Love

CasaSugar — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 07:00:10 -0700

Hi Casa,
My boyfriend and I are furnishing his apartment, and are having trouble finding a rug we both like! The furniture we have already bought is modern, but I like to mix modern with more traditional accents so that in five years we don't hate the look we created. To do that, I want to get a rug that isn't too modern, but isn't very traditional (I've ruled out ultra-geometric patterns and he's ruled out florals). We both like this rug from Crate and Barrel, but the 6x9 ft size is really out of our price range at $600, plus, we we would need something closer to 5x8 feet. I also like this Angela Adams rug, but it's also out of our price range!

I want to find something with ocean-inspired colors to go with our green tea colored couch, and complement how I envision the living room evolving over time, but I'm having difficulty finding something we like that doesn't cost too much! I think I would be willing to spend $400 maximum on the rug. To make it more difficult, I'd prefer that it be made with natural materials! I know, it's a tall order!

It would be awesome if you could help me!

Many thanks in advance,
Dr. No

To see my suggestions, read more.

Hi Dr. No,

That's a tall order, but I like a woman who knows what she wants! So, natural fiber, under $400, not too modern, somewhat undulating wave/stripe pattern, ocean-inspired colors, and something that will work with your green-tea-colored sofa. I think I got it.

My first suggestion is to look at the Pottery Barn Teen Side Stripe Rug ($299 for a five-by-eight size). It's made of wool with a cotton backing, and has a deep blue color and striped pattern that might work for your boyfriend's pad.

Or, you might want to try the Ikea Hellum Rug ($129 for five-by-eight size), which is a more turquoise blue color and features wool construction and stripes, too.

For a more undulating pattern, check out CB2's Camo Rug ($299 for five-by-eight size). Don't be turned off by the name: the wavy stripes, color pattern, and wool construction are all points in its favor.

I hope this helps!
Casa

Roundup: Flower Power

CasaSugar — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 08:00:22 -0700

Want to add some blossoms to your home that will never fade? Then try using floral-patterned furniture to put some flower power in your personal space. I'd start with this Celery Sofa ($2,899), which features a birds and blossoms print that looks strikingly similar to the Thomas Paul Lovebirds print. With a cotton/linen blend fabric and maple legs, this sofa is a standout, but its classic shape will help it stand the test of time and trend.

Curious about my other favorite florals? Then read more.

Casa Interview, Part II: Domino Founding Editor Deborah Needleman (and an Awesome Giveaway!)

CasaSugar — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:00:39 -0700

Deborah Needleman, the founding editor of Domino, is a goldmine of savvy advice on decorating your home, honed from years of experience heading up the style-centric magazine as well as decorating her own home. You can read the first half of my interview with her here. Deborah's tips and thoughts on decorating continue in the second half of this interview.

Our homes are really personal spaces. Considering that most of us are shopping from the same few décor retailers and finding inspiration in the same shelter magazines and blogs, how should we go about personalizing our homes?
Every home definitely needs a few old things and a couple unique things. And when most of what we have is mass-produced, it's more important than ever to have some things made by actual human hands, whether it's pottery, rugs, pictures, whatever. It is essential to find a few things that no one else has, whether you find them in a shop, at a tag sale, bring them back from a trip, collect them from nature, or even make them - like just tacking up drawings or notes from friends. Stuff that is meaningful to us, what we love or collect or find is interesting to our guests. I also do think it's really nice to have one really good piece - whether that's a table, rug, chandelier, whatever. It gives your room some substance, some weight - and also ensures it doesn't look like anyone else's.

To read the rest of the interview, read more.

I love your home, which I saw featured in New York magazine a few years ago. I know that you’re a big fan of neutrals and white, or at least you were when that article was written. Are you still a neutrals gal?
Thanks. It's funny, in New York City which is so chaotic and where I get easily overwhelmed, I need to be a neutral gal. It totally calms me down, and keeps my head clear. But upstate, where I feel more relaxed, I love layering patterns and color - florals, suzanis, chintzes, Indian prints, etc. I'm covering my sofa there in purple linen, my study is painted black, and one room is the craziest color green I've ever seen.

I love how your home is elegant and adult-oriented, yet still kid-accessible. What is your advice on and personal experience with creating gorgeous spaces that are also kid-friendly?
I have never understood dumbing down design for kids. No one had kid-friendly homes when I was growing up - people just had the homes they had and their children lived in them! A family home is for adults and children - why on earth would anyone give over their living room to let it look like a play room?! I'll probably get hate mail for this, but aside from a gate so children don't tumble down the stairs, and maybe a lock on the cabinet if you have the kind of children that want to eat the Ajax or whatever, children can be taught that table edges are sharp and that food is to be eaten in the kitchen and that open markers can't be left on the rug!

Other than that, if you have a fairly light palette like I do, you have to accept that you won't have the cleanest house in the world. Fortunately I like a bit of a patina on things! I like that the floor is scuffed by skateboards in part because I love a house where children feel free to run wild, have loads of friends over, and make forts out of the sofa cushions, but also where they have a sense of responsibility and respect for things. Oh, and I have cheap rugs, so if they get destroyed, I won't be sad! And I certainly wouldn't choose a linen velvet sofa fabric if I had to do it again! Kids don't rule the roost, they share it.

Your HomeGoods StyleScope tool helps home decorators find their style. How would you describe your own style?
I think I'm fairly conventional at core - I couldn't have furniture at funny angles or a bed floating in a room or anything too wacky or "fun." I dig symmetry. I like things that are classic in shape and form - not overly embellished, but I appreciate many kinds of design. I think I take this fairly classic base and mess it up a bit. I'm certainly not traditional. I like to layer on personality and quirk with ethnic textiles, cushions, interesting objects, fabrics, and art. I love stuff from India, Morocco, England. Thus, Bohemian Classic.

And to revive a favorite Domino feature of mine, what are 10 things that make you happy?
Hilarious question! Well, first of all, we never let people say their children or their dogs!!! Too boring and obvious.

Nearly all Santa Maria Novella products (if I could only choose one thing, it'd be their potpourri. But I'm crazy about the milk body cream, the honeysuckle perfume, and the pomegranate soap and bath salts). I am obsessed with scent - on my body and in my home!
My veg garden. (Really, seeing my children eat their way through our veg garden, but at Domino I would've edited that out as too sentimental!)
Making flower arrangements for the house.
My white parsons table (I have two) - and a brilliant new parsons side table in the pitch-perfect green color.
Comfy chairs in kitchens and bathrooms.
Cheap weekly blowouts from walk-in, no-appointment places.
Summer dinner outside with friends.
Staying in a lovely hotel room (never a trendy hotel, I like old-school, old-fashioned hotels). I love that nothing belongs to me and the beds are perfectly made. The Duc du St. Simon in Paris is pretty excellent.
Bobbi Brown makeup. Makes you look sun-kissed, not dolled up.
I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't say this, but having a decorator!! Specifically having the genius Rita Konig as a decorator!

Thank you, Deborah! We have a special giveaway for you CasaSugar readers on the way. One of you lucky readers will win a $500 gift card to HomeGoods! Check back for more details about the giveaway later on today!

Cool Idea: Wallpaper Wainscoting

CasaSugar — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 07:00:12 -0700

Wainscoting can definitely add a beautiful architectural element to your home, but unfortunately the costs add up and it's tedious to install. You can still achieve the visual effect of wainscoting by adding the same character with wallpaper, though. Cover the top three-quarters of your walls with an open patterned wallpaper, perhaps florals. Then, for the lower quarter, hang a linear pattern horizontally instead of vertically, to mimic the look of the boards of wainscoting. For instance, here a horizontal lace design was used. And, you can make more of a statement by trimming the paper with a scalloped edge.

Source

Inspired: Big, Bold Florals

CasaSugar — Tue, 19 May 2009 15:00:43 -0700

I love this informal painting from artist Cy Twombly, which was featured during the preview of the newly built Brandhorst Museum in Munich, Germany. Inspired by the big, messy floral pattern in the painting, I thought I'd see if I could find anything similarly inspiring in the home decor world.

One favorite that instantly came to mind was the Terai Folding Chair ($198) from Anthropologie. While I was skeptical of this chair when I saw it in the catalog, after checking it out in person, I have to say that I'm crushing a little on the design and textile patterns used in the Terai. It's also surprisingly sturdy.

To see my other favorite florals, read more.

Source

Blacksmith Blossom Chair - $248.00	Iannone Design - Flower Long Dresser - $3,000.00
Driade - miss lacy chair by philippe starck for driade - $3,369.00	CLOSEOUT! Morning Magenta Accent Chair - $999.00
Remy Chair, Amarantha - $1,298.00	Moroso - closer chaise lounge by tord boontje for moroso of italy - $7,704.00
Crewel Blue Chair - $1,999.00	Terai Folding Chair, Floral Tapestry - $198.00
Celery Sofa - $2,899.00	Monica Chair - $999.00
Floral Chair - $1,029.00	Moroso - Nest outdoor chair by Tord Boontje for Moroso of Italy - QUICKSHIP - $699.00

Pucker Kimono Throw - $198.00	Mum 18\" Square Pillow in Orange - $119.00
Merida Meridian Geometric Florals Hydrangea Red Star Modern Modern Rug - $609.00	Essenze Floral Pendant - $500.00
Thomas Paul Lighting Medium Drum Pendant Lamp - Botany - $230.00	Teal Floral Block Print Micro Jute Rug - $99.00
Merida Meridian Geometric Florals Dandelion Breeze Modern Modern Rug - $609.00	"Fashion Floral" Rug - $149.00
Effektiv Door - $55.00	Thomaspaul - Parasol Orange Floor Lamp - $416.00
Quarter to Pink Outdoor Print - $159.00	Terai Folding Chair, Floral Stripe - $198.00