Highlights from High Point - Round 1

Last week I ventured out to High Point Market...my husband refers to it as a "furniture festival," which is hilarious and relatively accurate. Held in High Point, North Carolina, HPMKT takes place in the epicenter of the American home furnishings industry so it draws manufacturers from its own backyard and from abroad. Designers, shop owners, and buyers descend upon the area twice a year to see, feel (and sit on), and price everything from furniture to rugs, lighting, and accessories. It's a rare opportunity to see a massive quantity of goods within a few days.

I went out to shop for a few current and upcoming projects and I found lots o' great stuff. I took nearly 1,100 pics while I was there! After pounding the pavement for four days, I noticed a few trends that popped up in multiple showrooms...

1) Faux Shagreen - aka Stringray, this faux skin was wrapped around all sorts of tables and case goods. It's a great texture and the colorways I spotted at market were most often neutrals like gray and ivory.

2) Cerused Wood - There's an example directly below via Global Views, but basically it's a type of finish that highlights the wood grain and has a modern/rustic look.

3) Lacquer - high gloss, super saturated paint finishes were everywhere...even on lamp shades.

The two chests shown next are both by Bungalow 5...

4) Natural materials used to create unique, luxe adornments.

Pebbles/rocks at Lee Industries

Glass/Mirror/Resin at Made Goods

Bone at Mr. Brown

Pyrite at Emporium Home

Resin/Teak

And aside from the "trends" (I actually hate that word), here are a few other favorite items I spotted...

Linen-covered studded chest at Mr. Brown...

Platinum and gold toned fireplace screens...

Glass pineapple light fixture via Global Views...

Well-priced ceramic gourd lamps with trimmed shades...

Brass swing-arm sconce...

This lamp looks strikingly similar to my beloved Hermès' Balcon du Guadalquivir china...

Woven stools at Palecek...

Globe chandelier with wood beads at Regina Andrew...

Stunning mirror at Arteriors...

 COCOCOZY Bedding!

Chair with pull-out mini side table via COUEF

Embroidered arm chair at J. Douglas

Dining chairs + table from Made Goods

What do you think of the things I snapped? Any favorites? I want that first shapely Shagreen cocktail table for my own house!

In case you've fallen in love with something and want to buy, keep in mind that pretty much everything at High Point is trade-only, so you'd have to buy through a retailer or a designer.

New from Made Goods!

One of my absolute favorite purveyors of mirrors, lighting, furniture, and objets is Made Goods. They are always coming up with inventive new designs and they're known for using amazing materials and textures in their luxe product line.

Just yesterday, Made Goods released their latest wares, and as usual, there are plenty of lustworthy items in the mix. I'm pretty obsessed with faux shagreen because it looks amazing and wears really well, and they have some stunning new colors and pieces using that. And I've long been a fan of their Interchangeables, which is a collection of table bases and an assortment of tops that can be combined to create dozens of different table designs. In the new offering, MG has added some tops and bases to make the possibilities even more endless, so yay for that! I'm also really liking their new upholstered pieces, which are available in lots o' different finishes and fabrics/leathers.

Here are my faves from the new bunch...

Cool stuff, isn't it? If you're going to the New York International Gift Fair, be sure to stop by their booth at Pier 94 42030. Otherwise, you can shop Made Goods product at Clayton Gray.

Happy weekend!

2012 New Releases from Made Goods

I have fawned over Made Goods before and I'm going to do it again because they a) relaunched their website and it has been vastly improved, b) expanded their product line for 2012, and c) flat-out produce absolutely amazing things and should be commended for their efforts!

Made Goods has the coolest style and unparalleled quality of materials and craftsmanship. Their aesthetic blends lots of styles and is hard to categorize. You could call it funky, sophisticated, chic, exotic, natural...but definitely not boring or ordinary. In a world full of copycats (i.e. Wisteria and Ballard Designs), they really lead the pack and come up with fresh, inventive designs. Being someone that's always craving something novel, I appreciate their creative spirit and stellar execution of their vision. Here's a sampling of their creations...

I'm infatuated with Made Goods' interchangeable accent tables and tops. My favorite base is the Osten and I can't pick a top that I like best because they are all fab...

They've released new additions to their product lineup and many of them have made my covet list. there is lots of turquoise faux shagreen, inlaid bone detailing, and perfectly antiqued mirrored finishes. Have a look at some of my favorites...

I also adore the glitzy Paris mirror, which is encrusted with rhinestones. What are you lusting over? If you're itching to buy some of these lovely goodies, then head over to Clayton Gray. They carry a wide selection of the Made Goods line.