My haunted chairs; fabric advice

A few weekends ago I was driving through Georgetown and stumbled upon an estate sale.  I've been attending a lot of these lately in order to feather my new nest and was excited to find a set of 4 18th century English dining chairs which I was able to scoop up for a bargain as it was the last day of the sale.

The chairs have seen better days and need a good cleaning and polishing (Murphys oil soap and some furniture polish) and the upholstery contains 40 years of dust and grime (or whats left of the upholstery). But the chairs are sturdy and in excellent condition otherwise and of a diminutive scale perfect for my apartment.  One chair is in such bad condition that I'm just leaving it in my storage unit for another future owner to deal with -and here is where the story begins!

Unbeknownst to me, the house is one that hosted a media frenzy a year ago when a society matron was murdered by her much younger husband.  Years before the murder, some violence forshadowed the death involving a chair.  My chair with the horribly bashed in corner perhaps??? oh my! That chair  will forever be called my haunted chair and will stay untouched in my storage unit!
However, whats to be done with the 3 others? In my posession I have a length of grey cashmere upholstery fabric from Ralph Lauren Home as well as beautiful plaid wool, also from Ralph Lauren.  I'm thinking of using the plaid but thought I would ask some of you what you thought?  Orange plaid, grey cashmere or something new?

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Jonathan Adler opens in Georgetown!

 I'm very excited to report that one of my favorite design shops, Jonathan Adler, has opened in Georgetown!

I've always loved Adler's fun pots, accessories, and furnishings, and it makes a great addition to my neighborhood.

 Midcentury with fun pops of color and whimsy is his base design guide.

 This bed looks pretty cozy though, no? The store is HUGE with lots of furniture groupings.

 I loved this zigzag sofa.

 Everything looks great against navy blue.

 I love love these candlesticks.

 And his pillows are the best and most fun around.

 I loved this fun art piece; sunny yellow feathers that look like a giant dandelion on the wall.

Don't forget to stop by the shop while on your holiday shopping run in Georgetown. The shop is located at the corner of Wisconsin and N Streets NW.

And if you'd like to meet Jonathan Adler himself,  he will be in the shop all day Tuesday, November 27th signing copies of his newest book.

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Fall 2012 TRAD HOME

Don't miss the latest addition of Traditional Home's TRAD HOME online which features an article I wrote in conjunction with my friend Raji Radhakrishnan, designer extraordinaire!

In the article we feature some of our favorite shops and haunts in DC, beautifully photographed by the talented Colleen Duffley. Many thanks to editor Ann Maine who says of my Hirshhorn description in her Editor's Letter "With a flair for words as well as design, Stefan descibes this hidden gem as a round building nestled in a classical square city".  It was a fun if exhausting day and I'm happy to share it with all of you! Article begins on page 114.

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The Scottish Country House

Just in time for the holidays is James Knox's release of The Scottish Country House from the Vendome Press. This lushly filled tome features a number of estates which have been in the same families for hundreds of years, in some cases since the houses were first built.

Because of this familial longevity, these houses have layers added over time in their decoration and architectural additions. An example of this is seen at Balcaskie where the gallery above was decorated in the 19th century (I love the paisley wallpaper) and many bedrooms (one seen below) were redecorated in the 1930s.

The gardens in many of these houses reflect the beautiful but rugged Scottish landscape.

Also because of this progeny and layering you also get televisions in rooms decorated in the 18th century, microwaves on top of Edwardian stoves and other adorable quirks (notice the modern silver framed photographs in the room below).

These are living, breathing houses with so much character and soul it makes you want to hop on a plane and spend your next vacation in Scotland.

Many of the houses feature sumptuous public spaces, fit for royalty. Actually in many cases they actually WERE built for royalty and their summer visits. The histories featured in the book are astoundingly interesting - it's more than a pretty picture book!

This is the perfect gift for any travel, photography or design enthusiast and would make an invaluable addition to any library; it is in mine!

All photographs by James Fennell for The Scottish Country House.

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Patrick Aubriot for Rue de Seine at Century Furniture

One of the greatest pleasures of Highpoint Market is not only seeing what's new, but also meeting the designers.  While touring Century, French interior architect/designer Patrick Aubriot and his wife Nathalie took us through their new collection which harks back to one of my favorite periods, mid-20th century French design.

Patrick and his wife are no stranger to American furniture companies.  A few years ago they collaborated with Baker furniture on the fantastic Andre Arbus collection.

The lines and style of these pieces are admittedly similar to the Baker collection in that they have simple forms which rely on the strength of the line and the balance of proportions.

I loved this desk chair from the collection.

And who wouldn't want this beautiful bar cabinet in their living room or den? I love the mirrored interior.

These elegant upholstered chairs would look fantastic in my new living room! Note the sheen on the selected fabric.

The details on these pieces are really what make them special - check out the inlays on the Rue du Bac martini table.

The clean modern lines of the end table below could fit in with any number of styles from arts and crafts to contemporary.

 This upholstered bed had some incredible detailing while still remaining simple.

 Notice the upholstery built into the wood frame.

The inlays on this wood bedframe were incredible too. What do you think of the collection? I obviously loved it!

Look for this collection soon!

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Highpoint Fall 2012: Hooker Furniture

Once back from Highpoint the question everyone has is "Whats new this season?". I find this hard to answer for 2 reasons. 1: nothing is ever really 'new' and 2: there is SO much to see and it's all over the map!

That said, one finds certain general trends and my sponsor, Hooker Furniture, was right on point. 

One of the biggest trends was nailhead trim on everything: upholstery, casegoods, and even on walls as seen at Hickory Chair by Alexa Hampton (follow the link to a post by Habitually Chic on that space). The new Alicante collection at Hooker incorporates nailhead trim with a Spanish flair, as seen in the pictures above. 

Most uphostered pieces featured the trim also as evidenced by the stylish Beckley swivel chair. Loved the lines of this chair and the fabric too.

And the attention-grabbing Red Croc Console from the Melange collection was also studded! It really reminded me of the 'costumes' on the cartoon characters from Mary Poppins -remember that?

As has been said all over, the color of the year is blue and it was seen everywhere at Highpoint both in fabrics,

And even in painted wood furniture.

I loved this chaise lounge with blue fabric and nailhead trim.

And this blue leather couch had classic lines but a fun color.

This updated mid-century influenced wingchair had a fun bright blue fabric as well.

Blue cased goods were also to be had such as this turquoise chest.

 
Smaller scaled furniture was another trend as the market shifts towards moderate scale again (thankfully).  I loved the B-Y settee.

And these small Lyric sidechairs in a graphic patterned fabric were great.

Smaller scaled furniture was also shown in the new Chic Coterie collection based on Pinterest.

Designers at Hooker studied "what women really want" based on their Pinterest profiles and likes. Do you follow me on Pinterest?

I loved seeing this mood board put together by their team for the Chic Coterie collection.

The look is vintage, charming, eclectic and casual.

Metallics were also big and fashion forward. The silver/gold finish on this estate nightstand was really fun.

I loved the clover shaped accent table from the Melange line.

This metallic finish is just one of many available for the bombe chest.

I loved the chinoiserie detailing on the Rhapsody bombe chest.

And what better metallic is there than mirror. This Sanctuary bed was such a huge hit last market an entire mirrored collection was based on it.

How about this mirrored nightstand?

Or the Sanctuary fretwork chest.

I loved the detailing on these pieces.

The estate bed is also convertible in that the posts are removeable.

Desk chairs have had a makeover too.  The lines on this chair would not be out of place in an open home office or even a kitchen breakfast table.

Of course, I was shopping for myself too.  I'm in the market for a sofa for my new place. I loved the Eaton sofa -either as a sectional

or just a sofa.  It sits so comfortably.

But I really loved the similar Davlin sofa, particularly with this mixed leather and velvet upholstery.  What do you think, should I get this?

And did you see the Rhapsody Urn Console as one of the 'picks' in the November 2012 House Beautiful magazine?  I noticed it at Market too! Congratulations are in order for Hooker furniture!

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