Office Update

If you follow me on Instagram, you might've have already caught wind of the fact that I've been giving my office a much-needed facelift. It's the room that I spend the most time in and it desperately needed to function better. For too many moons there was no effective storage in the space. After listing out my wants and needs, I tinkered with unit design. And finally after working on the project for months (in the start-stop fashion that I do everything at Chez Knight these days),  I had a cabinet unit installed at the end of May. Shortly thereafter it was lacquered and Thibaut's Etosha wallpaper went up. The lacquer was color-matched to the wallpaper so I don't have a formula name/code to provide. Here's a look at the current state:

This shot shows a bit of my organized chaos...

Also, I got my battered old Eames Time Life chair recovered in a Quadrille design that was printed on Perennials indoor/outdoor fabric...

I'm also having a massive custom desk built (that will be over 7' long) and I can't wait to get that into the room. My current desk is a hand-me-down from my parents and it just doesn't offer enough desktop space. I need to be able to spread out the samples, plans, and paperwork that consistently litter my world. SO excited to get my desk...hopefully it will be ready next week.

Other factors that I'm still figuring out are the hardware, artwork, rug and lighting. I'll drill down on those things in another post though so this one doesn't drag on and on.

So, that's where I am with my half-baked office! What do you think so far?

Dotted Fabric Love

I saw a Hotel Maison sofa on Horchow, called the Parker Sofa, that reminded me how much I like a small pattern for upholstery...especially when it's a dot print. The dots are fun and mod but subtle enough to not detract from the sophistication level. On the utilitarian side, the dots are great at camouflaging spots or stains too!

The fabric on the sofa above looks like Hable Construction's signature print, Beads, but I'm not sure if it actually is. Here is the Hable Construction Beads fabric in Green Bean as seen on a fab Apartment Therapy home tour... 

Image via Apartment Therapy

I absolutely adore both of Hable's dot prints, Checker and Beads, but they wouldn't work well in a formal setting. Here are more examples to give you an idea of the range of styles of dotted fabrics that are out there:

From a Domino 2007 issue, here's China Seas from Quadrille Rio (and Nairobi) in action...

So, what are your thoughts on using dots on upholstery? Love it, hate it? I think it's a great way to use pattern on a large piece of furniture without committing to a specific style or color palette. As some of the images above illustrate, dotted fabric is so versatile and can be paired with geometric, ikat, animal, and floral prints. 

If you don't love the idea of covering a whole sofa or chair with dots, then consider it as an accent fabric. If that sounds appealing, check out Hable's super cute ready-made pillows. They sell them in linen, cotton, and outdoor fabric. Here's the Lemon Beads/Oyster pillow paired up with a floral and an ikat....

Pomegranate0101 by Spoonflower seller Eva_the_Hun
Hable Construction Lemon Beads/Oyster Pillow
Fabricadabra Silk/Cotton Ikat Pillow Cover

New Rug, New Color Scheme

I've been toying with the idea of adding some color to our big guest bedroom for a while but haven't really had the time to put into plans into motion. Now I'm glad that I didn't do anything yet because I have a new, colorful rug to work with! It's a hand-me-down from my in-laws and I think it's really fun and unique.  I have it layered on top of a greyish-taupe jute rug as you can see here...

Now I need to make some changes in the room to incorporate the new color scheme. For starters, the old black bedskirt and the b/w euro shams had to go. I'm planning to have an upholstered headboard and a coordinating tailored bedskirt made. The wing chair will also need to be recovered. The room might have to be painted too, depending on what direction I take with the fabrics. I'm currently in recon mode so anything is possible at this point!

Lulu DK's Color Wheel has a similar color palette and I thought it might work for an accent pillow so I did this digital rendering to see and I like it. What do you think?

After looking at the rest of the Lulu DK fabrics, I found my way to her line for Matouk to see what ready-made bedding options were available. I think Chant in Coral looks cute with the rug too. Here's the digital mockup...

 I also pulled some fabrics from Quadrille including Tree Peony and China Seas' Trilby...

I like the idea of using the Tribly, in the French blue with Navy dots colorway, for the bedskirt and headboard...

I also grabbed a few samples from Schumacher. Here is Temple Garden in the Clear Skies colorway. I think it would make a gorgeous headboard...

After seeing the coral mockup above, I like the idea of using a reddish tone. This is Schumacher's Maracanda Vine in Berry. I love this fabric, and again, it would be great for the headboard and bedskirt or even the wing chair. The floral print contrasts nicely against the geometric patterns going on in the rug and in the bed linens.

I'm still going to keep looking but I like a few of the aforementioned options. Do you have a favorite from the above?

Hope you all have a safe and happy Labor Day weekend!

Quadrille-Inspired Bedding by Z Gallerie?

I ran across Z Gallerie's new Zuri bedding and instantly felt like the fabrics used were familiar. As it turns out, both the ikat and the zig zag patterns are pretty similar to two of Quadrille's signature prints, Kazak and Tashkent II.

Here is Quadrille's Kazak print which resembles the duvet and standard shams...

Photo via Quadrille

Image via Annie Loveridge

And here is Quadrille's Tashkent, an all-time favorite of mine...

And they have a nifty two-toned Tashkent II that in a blue colorway, would look quite like the fabric Z Gallerie used for the euro shams...

Dear Quadrille, please provide LARGER photos on your website...thanks :)

Wherever their inspiration came from, I like the Zuri bedding, however, I wouldn't use the whole set since it's the print is so bold and saturated. All together it looks too busy but when paired with crisp white sheets like Serena & Lily's Navy Gobi Embroidered set and a simple coverlet or quilt like Donna Karan Home's Quilt. I really like the zig zag euro shams best and could skip the ikat altogether and go with a floral accent pillow like the Finishing Flourish pillow from Anthro...

What do you think of the Zuri bedding? Do you think that ZG might have knocked off Quadrille? Both ikat and zig zags have been trendy patterns over the past few years so they might have come up with it independently.

Also, if you do like the bedding, would you use the ikat and the zig zag together or would you divert from the ethnic pattern family and go with a floral like I did above?

Rose Colored Glasses - Pink Is Everywhere!

Have you noticed how pink is incredibly ubiquitous these days? Besides seeing it in fashion throughout the spring and summer, I've definitely been noticing it popping up in every facet of home decor over the past year. I'm usually keen on keeping my interiors gender-neutral so I don't suggest using too much pink in any room, however, pink is a fantastic accent color. It brings vitality and playfulness to a space and it complements a wide variety of colors. I probably like it best with blues, as illustrated below by the Nate Berkus rose gold lamp with the navy shade and the Quadrille Tree Peony fabric.

1) Antique Pink Armchair - Jayson Home and Garden

2) Flamingo Greek Key Bolster Pillow - Furbish Studio

3) Pink Florence Chandelier - Layla Grayce

4) Rio, acrylic on canvas, by Michelle Armas

5) SOLBRÄND Champagne flute - IKEA

6) Kikoy Towel - Calypso Home

7) Organic Painted Swirl Duvet cover + Shams - West Elm

8) Nate Berkus™ Handcrafted Orbit Table Lamp in Rose - HSN

9) Tree Peony fabric in Multi Blue Red on Tint - Quadrille

10) Anatolian Rug - ABC Carpet

What are your thoughts about the pink trend? Does anything from the above lineup suit your fancy?

Accidental Fabric Pairing

Last week I had a bunch of fabric samples out on the sofa in my den because it's a good place to look at them in natural light. During the process, I couldn't help but notice that Quadrille's Henriot Floral (in Blues on Ecru) fabric looked pretty amazing on my sofa with my embroidered Greek key pillow. It was inadvertently placed near Schumacher's Chiang Mai in China Blue and it looked pretty amazing with that too. So I decided to play dress up with my pillows and show you the pairing...

The Henriot Floral also looked cute near my cloisonne lamp...

Quadrille is annoyingly stingy with their sample cuts. As you can see from the above, the sample is less than 14" square which makes it impossible to see the whole repeat, especially with a design like Henriot Floral. In the HF sample I have, you can't even see the main floral design. So to give you a better idea of what you actually get when you order yardage, here are more images of the fabric in use...

All images from Quadrille.com, the blue chair is from Southern Accents, the dining area is from Coastal Living, and the pink bedroom was designed by Judy Cormier 

The Henriot Floral is pretty, isn't it? It's amazing how different my sample looks from the full repeat. I still like the cropped section that my sample shows though because it's not as in-your-face as the main floral is. 

What's you favorite colorway? I like the blues, the turquoise, and the pink.

Also, my Greek key pillow shown in the first set of photos is no longer available, but if you're looking to buy something similar, check out my friend Abbe's site Shop Ten 25. She has lots of great options like these...

A Bedroom Built Around a Benedict

I've recently been fixated on the paintings of accomplished contemporary artist, Sally King Benedict. Her work is perfect for a few of my clients and my friend Bradley (of the fab fashion blog Luella & June) is also hankering for one of Sally's pieces, so I've been keeping my eye on her online inventory over the past few weeks. By merely viewing her art online, it's easy to tell that Sally is an outstanding colorist. While digitally soaking in the beauty of her creations is a fabulous experience, I'm sure that it's a million times better in person! Hopefully I'll be able to get up close and personal with a piece in the near future and can report back :)

It would be nearly impossible for me to pick a "favorite," however, one piece that I just can't get out of my head is called Cool Water. I love the movement and the fresh color palette...

Cool Water - 2011 - 36" x 48" (framed) - oil, acrylic, and guache on canvas by Sally King Benedict

As an homage to the piece (and a way of visually representing my daydream of owning the piece), I've created a bedroom mood board around the painting...

Serena & Lily Perfect White on walls and Pool on ceiling

Arteriors Duke Iron Glass Chandelier

Horchow Ocean Glass Side Table

Pottery Barn Antonia Canopy Bed

Clayton Gray Sconce de Mer Light

Crystal Base Dome Task Light 

West Elm Mirror-Framed Mirror

Anthropologie Windsor Love Seat

Quadrille Terrace Watermelon on Tint

Williams-Sonoma Home White Hotel Bedding

Wisteria Navy Greek Key Dhurrie

Layla Grayce Regina Andrew Aqua Glass Ripple Lamp

Crate & Barrel Cubix 8-Drawer Dresser

What do you think of the painting? What about the board?

I also wanted to share a few snapshots from one of Sally's recent shows...it's nice to be able to see the pieces on actual walls. There's also a glimpse of a few of her works on paper, which are also gorgeous.

There's Cool Water on the right!

Fabric Crush: Quadrille's Tashkent

For quite sometime now I've loved Quadrille's lively printed fabrics, especially Tashkent. I'm considering it for a project and needed to verify the available colorways. On the Quadrille site I quickly found the information I was looking for and spotted a fantastic photo of the fabric in action. The photo is from the April 2011 issue of Coastal Living.

I love how the Tashkent euro shams provide a modern and exotic twist to the otherwise cozy setup. I'm also very into that shapely headboard and the unique nailhead trim treatment that so dexterously adds contrast and highlights the curves of the piece. Those little details make such a difference, don't they? Anyhow, I'm pretty excited to get the new issue of Coastal Living so that I can see the rest of this house!

Image via Quadrille and Coastal Living

Despite the fact that I was a little disappointed that Tashkent doesn't come in a black or orange colorway, I was thrilled to discover that the print is available in Suncloth. This would be an awesome fabric to use outside, don't you think? I'd also opt for the Suncloth if I were using the fabric on a hard-working indoor item like an ottoman or on dining chairs.