Discovering John Dickinson

I like to think that I know everyone and everything but sometimes things slip past me. One being the designer John Dickinson. Now I knew of him, atleast through his designs, but only recent discovered who he was and what he had created. Born and bred in California, John Dickinson is considered one of the most influential and interiors and furniture designers of the 20th century.

You might know him from his classic plaster furniture, created in the 1970′s. There has been a huge influx of interpretations over the last few years. One of the companies who does it best is Oly, who I’ve carried in the store since the day I opened. John’s most known pieces are his footed stool, his faux bois 4 poster bed and his footed bench.

And check out Oly’s pieces…..

the true genius of john dickinson was how ahead of his time he was. He was one of the first designers to utilize inexpensive fabrics in elegant applications. (think of restoration hardware, elegant styled furniture but slipcovered or upholstered in basic cotton, linen or burlap)

For this alone, I will be forever grateful to mr. dickinson. So next time you are perusing through your favorite design blog or your favorite magazine (House Beautiful!) keep an eye out, i bet you’ll see his influence somewhere in those pages…

Have you met…….

Welcome to the first of our weekly ‘have you met….’ series. This will be a weekly blog entry to introduce all of you to new product lines, and even lines we’ve carried since day one that you might not know. This week I am happy to show you all our new custom line of Hudson designed ceramics made exclusively for us by Jill Rosenwald.

I built upon classic horizontal stripes (which are starting to be my signature) and kept with Jill’s classic color-filled interior and painted gold rim. Last season I had created this H buckle design which was great, but ended up being a bit specific. Alot of people purchased those because of an affilliation with the letter ‘H’. This design is across the board, and simply put – timeless.

We are offering a variety of sizes – large serving bowl, tall vase, pencil jar, nut bowl and a long pencil tray. all the season specific colors are intermixed throughout. I actually leave that up to the Jill Rosenwald studio to choose placement of colors etc..

I hope you all come in and check out all the pieces in person, but hurry up because they are already going fast. Though no worries, a new order is already in the works. And if you want to learn more about Jill Rosenwald and her pottery please go check her out at www.jillrosenwald.com

High Point Heaven…

So After a long absence from the High Point Furniture show due to pregnancy and baby, I finally made a return last weekend! And how excited was I to see such a great assortment of vintage and new products. I go down to see our near and dear furniture vendors but also do a great amount of vintage shopping that will help to tide me over until spring. So check out some of my purchases and some of the showrooms. And if you like something, don’t hesitate to let me know!

I saw these old signage letters, that spelled out OUI, and had to take them home!

Walking into this one showroom was like heaven for me! Vintage as far as the eye could see….

And the Hickory Chair showroom was unbelievable, fresh as ever, they are celebrating a huge anniversary this year. Look at these hot, upholstered bookcases by Thomas O’Brien…heart stopping…

And the daybed!!! Honestly loved it so much, I ordered one for myself. (But putting it on the showroom floor for everyone to see before I shove it in my office)

My favorite spot is Bobo Intriguing Objects. They do a killer sale on Saturday, opening their doors at 8am. We were in line at 6:45, a bit crazy to say the least, but well worth it! Got a ton of vintage furniture, but had to also grab this linen covered trunk-beautiful.

These are reproduction BUT the bottles with the knob lids were too cool, I ordered a ton for the stores..

They bought all these old ship mirrors off a grand steamer…I bought a few for the store. I think the history and age will be so great in someone’s powder room. Or even cooler in a young boy’s room!

Definitely could of lost my footing while staring at the packed walls…

Shangri-La! The Verellen Showroom, always beautiful, always perfect and always leaving wanting to buy everything on the floor! We ordered a few of their new items, but have also started the process of creating a “Hudson” line of pieces. Starting with a sofa and bench..can’t wait to show you…

Vintage children’s cars. Things were made so much better back in the day, there are actual leather seats in those…

OK, saw this vintage parsons game table in orange and made a fool of myself. Screamed out loud that I’ll buy it! And now can’t decide if Ishould sell in the stores or take home. This is a table I can’t stop thinking about, unfortunately I don’t have enough room in my condo….

Around the corner from the parsons table was this gorgeous pair of tree scenery from the 1930′s…so cool, 11′ high. Going to place them on either side of a wall in the Boston Store. Should really set the stage…ha ha, I’m such a dork!

A set of 6 vintage chairs at Bobo. I couldn’t resist. The leather is aged to the perfect patina…

More ship items, these lights could be so great in a bathroom, or hallway or entry!! so many options! I bought 8 but think I should have bought more!!!

Hope you liked some or all of the things I posted…I’m hoping that it will all be up here in the next 3 weeks!

Million Dollar Decorator, oh my!

So I’m not sure how many of you were watching last night, but Bravo premiered ‘Million Dollar Decorator’. It stars some of the most known talents in the design world – Mary McDonald, Nathan Turner, Kathryn Ireland, Jeffrey Alan Marks and Martyn Lawrence Bullard.  I’ll be honest with you, I did not want to watch…I’m a bit uncomfortable watching shows that deal with my profession. But there was nothing on tv so i put it on. Let me just say that the first impressions they gave of these designers were horrible! Editing is everything, and they edited this show to make these people seem obnoxious!  I was tempted to change the channel, but decided to hold on..and glad i did, after about 20 minutes into the show, these designers became a bit more grounded and easier to handle.

But they definitely had their moments – Mary McDonald not concerned for her client when told they were getting a divorce, but more concerned that they were going to sell ‘her’ house, Martyn Lawrence Bullard spending alot of money to be very tacky, and Kathryn Ireland throwing herself a birthday party with her kids sneezing into their hands then preparing the dinner without washing them! Of course, most of this show was not about design, but about them – i guess if it was about design it would be on HGTV.

In the end I finished the episode with the love of one thing – Nathan Turner!  He was nice, playful and also has a beautiful store which inspired my plans for the future. Sad to admit, but I will be watching the next episode – let’s admit it, it’s summer and all reruns, nothing better to do!

dunes and duchess

Our friend, Stacy Kunstel who is a stylist and editor for top design magazines, recently added another notch to her resume, an amazing new line of 100 % pure, high-quality, artisan made candelabra’s and lamps. Along with the help from photographer and beau Michael Partenio, the duo are playing the roles of Dunes and Duchess, dreaming up widly romantic goods for the home. Stacy and Michael based the design off of a vintage candlestick they used in a photo shoot once and then sourced a Mennonite woodsmith to create the turned wood pieces. Featured in our Boston location’s front window is their glossy, white, four candle candelabra, tres chic! Congrats Stacy!

Great idea for a kid’s bedroom!

This is such fun idea for a wall (or 2) in your kids bedroom or playroom.
Easy to hang without having it framed, great nautical images. Fun and easy as one, two, three!
Posters measure 24×30″ and are $60 each.