Here's one of my favorite new ideas from this Spring's Market:
Now, I'm not rushing out to buy this exact chair for any of my clients; I think the overall effect on this piece is a bit gaudy, but I like the way the chandelier fabric on the outside backs of the chairs has been embellished with actual crystal chandelier prisms for a three-dimensional effect. It's very tongue-in-cheek. We've been seeing these printed and woven chandelier patterned fabrics for awhile now, most cleverly used as dining chair upholstery fabric in contemporary or modern dining rooms that eschew traditional chandelier lighting, so the fabric alone is nothing new. But now I'm envisioning using a bold chandelier patterned fabric on an upholstered cornice, with large chandelier prisms stitched onto the chandeliers like you see on this chair, and maybe some draped crystal chandelier bead trim along the lower edge of the cornice as well... You can purchase a wide variety of crystal chandelier prisms fairly inexpensively at ChandelierParts.com, by the way. I've used them in the past dangling at the base of goblet pleats on drapery panels, like these ones that were just installed in a client's dining room recently:
I like the subtle glimmer of the crystal prisms against the silk taffeta panels; don't you?
So, back to the High Point show. Here's something that amused me:
At first, when I saw this table, I thought it might be a cool idea to have a favorite family blessing or food-related Bible verse carved into the dining table. After all, customization is huge in the design world these days, and this company will inscribe any verse or quote you want into their table for you, so it's a one-of-a-kind piece that could be very meaningful to a client. But then I thought of my own mischievous little sons, who are already guilty of carving their names and initials into their bedroom furniture and the walls of their toy room, and I realized that this table sets a very bad precedent! All it takes is one little boy who has chewed the eraser off the back of his pencil and, before you know it, this table would look like a desk that's been used in a middle school study hall for 25 years. I can see it now: "Lars was here, but now he's gone. He left his name to carry on..." and "Star Wars ROCKS!"
I really like this new collection from Fine Art Lamps, one of my favorite high end lighting companies:
The photo doesn't do this chandelier justice. As always with Fine Art Lamps, the finishes are exquisite and the materials and craftsmanship are unparalleled. What I like most about this style is how versatile it is. The bronzey-brown finish will coordinate easily with many of the existing fixtures and door hardware in many of my clients' recently-built custom homes, and there is a wide range of drapery hardware available that would coordinate with this fixture as well. This fixture would definitely be an upgrade over a builder-grade chandelier, and the styling would lend itself to a variety of different room settings as well. I especially love the unusual bead-shaped chain on this piece, and the aged, mottled gold finish on the acanthus leaves. Best of all, my Fine Art Lamps rep offered to open their High Point showroom during the off-season any time I have a client who would like to schedule a private showing of their line. These light fixtures are breathtaking in person, and you just can't appreciate their dramatic impact when you're looking at pictures in a catalog.
I hope you enjoyed those little gems; I'll try to post some more goodies from High Point in a few days.
2 comments:
Hey Rebecca!
What you think is gaudy I absolutely LOVE! I love that gray chair in your first pic and I think the jewels make it! Great post since I've never been to High Point and thanks for the link to the chandelier parts.
Bling looks great on your goblets too!
Well, maybe "gaudy" wasn't the right word. The chair is certainly fun in a kitschy kind of way, and it does make me laugh. I just meant that it's not at all the kind of thing any of my clients are looking for. But the furry boa chandelier chair could actually work in my own sewing studio, where my sewing cabinets are all painted red with rhinestone bling hardware and the lady head vase from the '50s reigns supreme with fake flowers growing out of her hat... It would also be fun to see my husband sitting in that chair when he comes to visit me in my studio. :-) One day when it doesn't look like a bomb went off in my studio I'll have to post photos!
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