DONT FORGET TO SEND FLOWERS

Photos courtesy of Karen Robertson

If you love sending flowers but want an option with a longer shelf life, consider Shellatier, Karen Robertson's newest collection of shell-encrusted flower designs. Made entirely of hand - applied shells, each flower bloom is a work of art. Creative and innovative, her unique designs have a permanence to them so the joy of getting flowers is extended indefinitely.

A Cay Cay Shell Viburnum a blue and white ceramic container.

A Baby Clam shell Hydrangea in a mossy terra cotta pot.

A Lilly of The Valley in shell flowers.

SWEET VALENTINE PRESENTS

If you want to surprise that special someone on Valentine's day or provide a few strategic hints, here are some suggestions to ensure a stylish heart-a-thon. With these goodies on your radar, no boring chocolates or bad flower arrangements will dare to cross your path again.

Photo courtesy of Iomoi

Iomoi's  Red Sweetheart canvas tote with leather straps spreads love and warmth all around. Spread the message.

 Photo courtesy of C. Wonder

Don't let anyone toss your heart around, give them a pillow to toss instead. C. Wonder's embroidered neon heart pillow is well suited to the job.

 Photo courtesy of Biscuit 

I collect Boudoir pillowcases, crazy but true. I like to switch em out for a little pop of color. Biscuit's scattered heart Grace print is a sweet way to show your love. This is another great Houston discovery, designed by Peppermint Bliss blogger and designer Bailey McCarthy.

 Photo courtesy of Roberta Roller Rabbit

Big and bold, oversized heart  - clad traditional button down  pajamas from Roberta Roller Rabbit will still yours.

 Photo courtesy of Mark and Graham

Love! These classic English Bone China mugs from Mark and Graham have a perfectly shaped heart on them. They are an elegant way to offer a loving cup.

Photo courtesy of Rifle Press

Rifle Paper Co. always knows how to say it better. You're The Cat's Pajamas, don't ya know?

STYLISH SHOPPING IN HOUSTON: FOUND FOR THE HOME

I went to Houston a week ago. I have gotta tell you, Houstonites, I had the best time in your fair city. Everything is bigger, especially the unbelievably chic home boutique, Found for the Home. A few people told me I needed to make a visit to this Highland Park shop, but the first time I tried to go on Friday, at 5:30pm they had closed (It's 5pm closings in design world, I had forgotten). I was late because I had spent too long across the street at Thompson and Hanson, the transporting compound that encompasses a landscape architecture firm/garden nursery/home shop and restaurant, Tiny Boxwoods. I went back Saturday after hitting the Houston MFA and Menil Collection. I am so glad I got to see Found, because it's elegant mix of vintage pieces, artwork, retro signage, upholstery, books and classic decorative accessories blew me away. The industrial mid-century space occupies 5,300 square-feet, with a wall of floor to ceiling glass windows and concrete floors. Add it to your list of must-shop stops in Houston.

Photos courtesy of Found

Started in 2006 by Aaron Rambo who came from special events and floral design and Ruth Davis, who joined him with a background in finance, the two collaborate on finds and arranging displays with style. Rambo's open design studio in the back means he can pull pieces from the floor to work with directly on a daily basis.

Woven wicker and more serious antiques together kept things light and a bit more casual, a la Marella Agnelli's living room.

Fresh fruit and flowers lend an air of photo-ready beauty to the shop.

The table at the entry filled with a vast collection of while resin  by Tina Frey. Seeing it all together is much more powerful than just seeing a few pieces- the hand-created designs and irregular shapes are so unique.

 The expansive store goes on and on. Exploring it makes every step an exciting discovery.

 A pair of Spitzmiller lamps on a wood console with bone inlay tables in front and an Italianate gilt-wood mirror above.

The latest design books on display in big piles.

 Most of the upholstery was covered in white, making the antique frames and pretty silhouettes really stand out.

Stone architectural salvage blocks make great end tables.

Combining reproduction pieces with fine antiques, design and line are elevated.

The space is filled with interesting pieces that push the boundaries of art and object, like a driftwood table.

My favorite thing there? A pair of vintage scroll arm chairs in a tortoise lacquer finish.

A terra cotta lion mid-roar is fierce. He would be great outside in a garden.

A sculpture made of barbed wire on a white base. Careful with this one.

STYLEBEAT'S MOOD BOARD SHOWS HOW TO PLAY UP A ROOM'S NATURAL LIGHT WITH HUNTER DOUGLAS

Photo courtesy of Town and Country and Hunter Douglas

When the marketing team over at Town and Country Magazine asked me to participate in a collaboration with Hunter Douglas, I jumped at the chance.  I created a Mood Board for the March issue, where I chose their new tailored Vignette Roman shades to play up a room's natural light. From there, I built a room around 5 key elements I think are essential to making a room great.

I share some tips on how to get started with the design process:

- Consider your lifestyle and how you will use the room

- Chart the scale and proportion of furniture so it fits the space

- Determine which colors you like, and then use them in pillows, rugs, and lamp shades
I had a lot of fun including traditional pieces with staying power and those that best reflect what is most exciting about design today. Considering room use, scale, proportion, functionality, pattern, color, texture, surface finishes and the way you live are just the beginning!

To get more ideas, check out  The new Art of Window Dressing ipad app at Hunter Douglas or iTunes and follow me on Pinterest. Thank you T and C!

Photo courtesy of Hunter Douglas
Hunter Douglas Vignette® Modern Roman Shades lend a tailored sophistication.
I chose to start with Hunter Douglas Vignette Modern Roman Shades because of their clean lines.

Photo courtesy of Century Furniture
Tip Stylebeat Suggests: Think in terms of the space you have to work with, then aim to create harmony with scale and proportion.
When thinking about the right furniture for a space, consider the function of the room. A sofa is a major decision as well as purchase, so choose wisely. I chose Century Furniture's Carter Skirted Sofa for it's traditional lines, comfortable seat cushions and tailored arm.

Photo courtesy of Lee Jofa
Tip Stylebeat Suggests Determine which colors you like, and then use them in pillows, rugs, and lamp shades to tie it together.
Blue is one of the best loved hues. It reminds us of the water and the sky, so that might be why. Lee Jofa's Groundworks Bengal Bazaar by Kelly Wearstler in teal has a varied contrasting pattern like those you might find in an antique document fabric, giving it some soul.

 Photo courtesy of Lee Jofa
Tip Stylebeat Suggests: Test colors by daylight and lamp- light to ensure you like how they look throughout the day. This can ensure you are liking the overall effect.
Coordinating fabrics work if they have texture and pattern and can relate to one another. Lee Jofa's Groundworks Fuji Moderne in teal with a zigzag texture keeps things interesting.

 

Photo courtesy of Stark Carpet 

Stark Carpet's cotton Dhurrie with a soft blue ground and loose geometric diamond pattern added a soft textural element with color and visual interest. Every surface deserves consideration and attention.

Photo courtesy of Baker

I love this cocktail table's strong silhouette, dramatic ebony color and total functionality. Designed by Jacques Garcia for Baker the Saint - Tropez Cocktail Table is modern and cool but mixes with any style.

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Adler

Tip Stylebeat Suggests: Reflective surfaces maximize the glamour quotient. 

I can't get enough brass these days. Jonathan Adler's Ulu Convex Table with highly detailed brass looks vintage. It's substantial and delicate looking and adds pattern and lightness beside a sofa. 

Photo courtesy of Visual Comfort

Tip Stylebeat Suggests: A strategic mix of reading and ambient light sacrifices neither form nor function.

Proper lighting is so important. It changes the mood of a room in an instant. Visual Comfort's functional Paolo Swing Arm Lamp by Thomas O'Brien at Circa Lighting moves for from side to side providing targeted light where needed. The brass finish provides a warm glow.

If you want to partner on something, let me know!

ZEBRA'S ON YOU CHINA: SCALAMADRE BY LENOX TABLETOP DEBUTS AT BLOOMINGDALE'S

Last night Scalamandre debuted their new tabletop collaboration with Lenox at Bloomingdale's. Just up the street from the Scalamadre townhouse, they debuted Scalamandre's classic textile patterns interpreted on Lenox, American-made china. Adapting 5 iconic patterns, including the jumping zebra we all know and love, they created fanciful dinnerware and accessories for the collection. To launch with a creative bang, they asked celebrated interior designers Bunny Williams, Charlotte Moss, Richard Mishaan, Kathryn M. Ireland (who is in the midst of creating a fabric collection with Scalamandre now), and Jamie Drake to create festive windows around the patterns. And that they did. The windows were fantastic; sure to stop passersby in their tracks.

 Photos and descriptions courtesy of Scalamandre/Lenox/Bloomingdales

Renowned designer Bunny Williams created an exuberant, tour de force homage to Lenox's Toile Tale. Adapted from Scalamandré's Pillement Toile, the pattern features a fanciful Chinoiserie landscape of enchanting flowers, fretwork, figures, pagodas and parasols. Framed by antique gilded palm trees, a carved and painted curio pagoda cabinet showcases a selection of Toile Tale’s captivating dinner plates, bowls and accessories. Suspended above, a host of multi-colored silk lanterns herald the Chinese New Year. Scalamandré's warp silk Paradiso covers the upper walls and the striped silk Sunset adorns the lower third, each anchored with elegant fretwork molding. Turkish floor cushions covered in Scalamandré's luxe Tigre finish this exotic, enticing meal for two.

Bouvier, based on a superb 18th century French design from Scalamandré and known as Jardin de Tuileries, has graced the homes of some of America’s great style doyennes, among them Jacqueline Onassis, Bunny Mellon and Marie Harriman. Designer Charlotte Moss took her cue from Jacqueline Kennedy's childhood in East Hampton and created an equestrian scene with boxwood hedges, pole jumps and an impromptu luncheon. Bales of hay serve as seating and are covered with tufted cushions of Scalamandré’s smart outdoor Boxwood Stripe. Miss Bouvier’s monogrammed quilted horse blanket is made of navy Guadeloupe with brown detailing and a monogram. An awning, also fabricated in the navy Guadeloupe appears above this sophisticated, sunlit setting. Placesettings of Bouvier and a complement of serving pieces, flatware and silver are displayed on a folding table.

 Bouvier

Richard Mishaan created a chic, urban dining aerie to showcase those iconic Zebras that once graced the walls of the late, lamented Gino's Restaurant in New York City. Lithely eluding arrows with grace, speed and endless charm, Scalamandré’s irrepressible Zebra wallpaper in the signature Masai red serves as dramatic backdrop for an intimate dinner. A complement of Zebra china, accessories and giftware is set on table with a red silk tablecloth of Scalamandré’s Shangri-la overlaid with the finely woven Herringbone di Lusso. Two cubes upholstered in the graphic Zebra linen emerge from under a console and a three-paneled screen featuring a dozen Zebra Accent plates finishes this dramatic and swank vignette. 

 Zebras

A painted English stately home with a requisite fountain and lake is the charming backdrop for Kathryn Ireland’s picnic vignette. Appointed with the enchanting Love Birds china pattern, this perennially fresh design is from one of Scalamandré's earliest and most cherished reproduction fabrics. Her inviting plein-air tablescape features pillows covered in Scalamandre's Love Birds, Bizarre, Sami Ikat and Lillian. A tablecloth in blue Serendipity is layered with a coral strié lampas, Uppsala and at the cloth’s edge, is a fetching parasol covered in Sami, in blue. A one-hundred-percent beautifully drawn linen, Baroque Floral is draped over the picnic basket. 

Love Birds

Jamie Drake selected Lenox’s striking Stravagante pattern, a hyper lush, ravishingly drawn Italian Baroque still life based on a document from Scalamandré's Medici Archives. In a distilled, graphic and dreamlike tableau, Stravagante imaginatively comes to life with five winding, serpentine stems, tendrils and leaves covered in Scalamandré’s Citrine Upcountry cotton velvet and Rasone, a solid cotton sateen. Five electric blue Morning Glory blossoms in the blue cotton Cento are adorned with butterflies and bear Stravagante plates. 

 Stravagante

HELP FIGHT CANCER: SUPPORT MY CYCLE FOR SURVIVAL RIDE FOR MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING CANCER CENTER

When it comes to fundraising and charity contributions, there are a few that I have always been loyal to. For design, there is the annual spring showhouse that supports the  Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club, the Upper East Side's Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, DIFFA Dining by Design Event in March, Housing Works Design on a Dime shopping event in April and Alpha Workshops cool wallpapers made by those living with HIV. I love these charities and the beyond amazing work they do.

Then I found something that I could really make a difference with that had affected my family. And plenty of those I know. Cancer.

The swag for raising the big bucks

 To give you an idea of how amazing the event is,  that's Seth Myers Wheeling for Healing at my location last year. He's a big supporter. And by the way,  the team that raises the most money between now and Friday, February 8th at midnight EST*wins a pair of tickets to Saturday Night Live. If you give big, I am taking you with me. True story.

Last year, a friend of mine from spin class invited me to join his team in a cycling relay called Cycle For Survival. Why Do I Cycle? I cycle with pride to honor my Dad who battled cancer. I cycle for the care providers, those suffering, and those that need hope. Cycle for Survival is a way for me to fight back. Held at Equinox (the entire gym is taken over by spin bikes), the CFS event raises money to research rare cancers and benefits Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. 100% of the donations directly fund rare cancer research, so every little bit counts. Last year's event was such an amazing experience, I have been looking forward to my second year since the event ended. 

With a month to go, I thought the timing was right to share my fundraising efforts with you. I am riding on March 3rd in honor of my Dad in my 2nd Cycle for Survival event. My father was a patient of Dr. Posner at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, for brain cancer. What they do to help patients and their level of care is just incredible. Helping the hospital and supporting their research gives me such pride. So i ride this March 3rd for my Dad, so others are able to survive and thrive.

Thanks to your incredible support, I have raised over $2000 for my team, Gear Up 2 Fight Cancer. This year, I am really kicking things up a notch, and am upping the ante with an $8000 ask. There are teams that have raised well over $100,000, so I am fired up. Sadly, almost all of us know someone whose life has been affected by cancer, so lets keep the groundbreaking research going. You can give HERE.  And forward this along to those that might want to also give.

Together we can make a difference, so thank you for all of your support and go team.

SLEEPING BEAUTIES: STYLISH BEDDING GETS COLORFUL FOR SPRING

Crisp, pressed bedding is one of those things that I just adore. I have loved printed and patterned bedding from my first "big" bed all done up in Marimekko circa 1977. Beautiful bedding is a little luxury I enjoy more and more, especially as the array of prints and patterns get more sophisticated and exciting. This spring, companies are turning the color dial up a notch, so expect textile-influenced prints in bright coral, fresh turquoise, deep indigo, the perfect shade of lavender and more fresh tones that will look great in the sunny days ahead.

 John Robshaw's new collections included a lot of blue. Nazar, the bed above, features bold large scale feather-like diamond-pattern motifs in a wonderful shade of teal against a white ground. It is so lively and fun, but it looks even better mixed with a variety of layered patterns.

 The Pipal pattern showcases the impact of indigo and white with a continuous quatrefoil flower pattern. Block printed in India, his prints go away sometimes after their season, so get them while you can.

Mixing patterns fearlessly is one of the things Robshaw does best. This bed combines blues and browns with pops of pattern and geometric impact. The circular patterned Puffer pillow in front is sure to do well, it's such fun. If you love the headboard, either upholstered or in wood that's available too, through his website.

Mixing pink and yellow, a mandala pattern in the JR Collection's Nikolo pattern works with the zig zag hot pink and white Patmos quilt at the foot of the bed.

The ever-popular Lulu DK debuted her latest design for Matouk at the gift show.  A naturalized sprig of green and blue leaves, the loose watercolor quality is really unique and rarely seen in bedding. It has a wonderful free hand to it, and is reminiscent of a plant you might see growing wildly in the South of France. Captured on a white quilted ground, the print has a charming softness.

The entire ensemble feels very Provencal.

Matouk also showcased Lulu's Lyford pattern in a new spring green. Lulu's collections are always unexpected, fun and just what you never knew you needed, but all of a sudden, you have to have that print in your life. Her work just creates that need. The white tiny flower print looks like fireworks exploding while the new duvet and shams have an all-over pin dot sprayed pattern that becomes neutral next to a bold pattern.

Solid bedding with bright contrast trim also caught my eye at Matouk. They do great quilting, and these new white pique Boudoir shams are just the thing to calm a busy patterned bed, they add a dose of calm.

Sferra, the classic Italian bedding house also introduced fresh spring colors, which they haven't done for some time. Their new graphic patterns (finally!) are really in tune with what is happening in upholstery fabric prints. Chain links and interlocking graphic geos set this collection on an exciting new path. The dressy navy and white Andover link above is ideal for a seaside retreat or a crisp city bed.

Smaller curvy lines form a wonderful geo Andover mixes beautifully with coordinating solid shams with wide color-banded borders. The coral color is divine and I see this bed really taking off in warmer climes this spring.

Photo courtesy of Peacock Alley

Even Peacock Alley turned over a new leaf, showing classic old-school preppy flanges with brightly colored teal and coral borders with embroidered round monograms in the center. By mixing it with Eloise, a small ditsy impressionistic print, the ensemble takes on a younger feeling.

I found a company at the gift show, Stamattina, that  I was totally charmed by. Their blush pink and palest blue printed bedding had a sweetness and lightness to it that it stopped me in my tracks. Stamattina means "a fresh new day" in Italian. And every day is waking up to these sweet patterns that are printed in Italy, but finished in the US. Chiara is the tiny geometric pattern and it is mixed with Lucia, a large scale watercolor-effect damask on a white ground.

The Lucia and Chiara in the palest blue from Stammatina.

Photos courtesy of Julia B.
Custom embroidery and bright wavy borders on Paris, Julia B's traditional-with-a-twist pattern can be done in 23 linen colors. I know how many of you love orange, and this pattern reinforces that for sure. If you missed her at The New York Gift Show this year, she showed at Maison Objet.

 Adding variety to a scallop edge, Julia B.'s Calais has such charm with it's triple edge flange and embroidered dot detail. Add a custom monogram in a wide array of styles, and create something totally custom to your color scheme.

Photo courtesy of Serena and Lily

On the other side of the spectrum, bold sophisticated embroidery decorates the flange of Serena and Lily's new Savoy Link bedding in a rich purple. Since inspiration can strike anywhere, it is no surprise that the border motif came from a banister design the creative director spotted on her travels.  Shams tipped in matching purple tie the solid sheets together, making it a nice choice for the minimalist that appreciates a touch of color along with a dash of visual interest.