Trina Turk Fabrics for F. Schumacher

Designer collaborations are everywhere nowadays. You see Pierre Hardy designing shoes for the Gap, Alex McQueens for Target--all designed to bring high-end designs to the masses. Although we have to say, we're not that impressed. Has anyone seen the Vera Wang collection for Kohl? Cheap looks cheap, no matter what name you put on it.

For Schumacher though, the designer collaborations are quite successful. A good example would be the Kelly Wearstler fabric collection for Schumacher, especially the Imperial Trellis pattern. It sells like hot cakes. Come to think of it, it's the only pattern that seems to do well.

Trina Turk just did a collection of indoor/outdoor fabrics for F Schumacher that we thought is quite pretty. It has her signature of bright, bold colors and retro look.

Here are some samples of it. You can view the rest of the collection here.


This is a clever use of the fabric shown at the Pasadena Showcase House 2009.









Most patterns retail for $78-80/yard. You can get it for considerably less at our fabric store.

Pretty Fabrics from Thomas Paul for Duralee

We love Thomas Paul. Started out as a pillows line, Thomas Paul has now taken off like a rocket with a rug line with Chandra and recently, a licensed fabric collection with Duralee. His stuff is casual, colorful and reasonably-priced--a perfect combination when you want to brighten things up a bit without spending tons of money.

Here are some samples from the lines. You can see the rest of the book here.









Thomas Paul fabrics run about $50/yard retail, but you can get about 30-40% off the retail prices at our fabric store.

Fresh Colors for Spring-Furniture from Bungalow 5

We saw Bungalow 5 at the New York show last February and we just loved it. The colors are so fresh and fun. The prices are reasonable too (under $500 for most pieces). They are just perfect for spring.

Here are some samples from the line. Most come in different color combinations.

You can see the rest at Bungalow 5 web site. If you need help with pricing or availability, please drop us a line.

Love This House

Elle Decor did a feature on Monica Lhuillier's house a while back. It's one of those houses that you'd just said, I wish I live in that!

Here are some pictures from the feature.

When you browse through the pictures think about how neutral colors can be used so elegantly. Notice also the lack of clutters and the well-edited accessories.

Furniture manufacturers that makes this style of furniture are plentiful. From the high-end, ultra expensive range you got Baker, Hickory Chair and Christian Liagre. In the more reasonable range, but still very similiar, there's John Charles Designs (now owned by American Leather), Michael Weiss for Vanguard and Bolier.

Source: Point Click Home

Loft Living Inspirations

We just love the idea of living in a loft. There's something kinda cool, kinda chic about it. Now, to actually live in a loft is a different story. Have you tried it? It's often cold, uncomfortable and hard to decorate.

Still, loft living is a popular concept especially in the cities. So if you are into it, here's are some inspirations from the New York Times to get your creative juice going...

(click here to see more home portfolios from the NY TImes ).

Hollywood Regency Furniture from Worlds Away

We came across this line a while back and thought it was really nice. If you are into the Hollywood Regency look, you might like it.

Here are some products samples. Please forgive the quality of the pictures. They are pretty awful. We can assure you that they look much better in person though.

You can see the rest at Worlds Away's web site. They don't sell to the public-- so if you need help with pricing, drop us a line...

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Isn't this console table wonderful? Finished in a polished nickel, it is so sophisticated-looking.

We like this bench set for extra seating...

This is our favorite mirror. It's so glamorous...

We get tons of inquiry on this chest...

This end table is so adorable. The top is in brown glass...

This console is adorable. We've seen it used as a china buffet or a console in a living room. Either way it looks great...


Love this mirror too. It is finished in a polished-white, although you can hardly see it. It's so pretty in person.
A nice change from the typical boring planter...

Five Things We Can't Live Without

Running an e-commerce business requires that we are on the computer CONSTANTLY, ALL THE TIME. We find there are a few things that don't cost much, even free, that help keep our work environment more fun and relaxing.

We thought we share them with you.

1) Free Music. Have you heard of Pandora? If you haven't you must try it. It's a free Internet radio service where you can enter an artist or a song that you like; then Pandora will create a whole station full of similiar music for you. This way you get new music, all the time. The service is free but you have to click on the site every hour or so. You can also pay something like $36/year to get longer session to 5 hours and no ad. Awesome site.

2) Free workout. In order to prevent that "muffin top" from sitting so much in front of the computer, we usually take 30 minutes or so to do excercise in our office. Self.com has some amazing free exercise videos you can do at home with just a pair of dumbbell. Excercisetv.tv is good too for free work out videos.

3) Nice scented candles. Our favorite is from Votivo. It has several elegant fragances and the candles last a long time....

4) Fresh flowers....Now you might think this is an indulgence but it's amazing what fresh flowers can do to your mood. We just buy them from Fresh & Easy for $10-15 or plug them from the gardens...depending on the season...

5) Free entertainment: Our favorites- NY Times, LA Times, The New Yorker, Newser and ok, we're a bit embarassed to admit it, TMZ. The first four keep us informed and in touch with the world; the last one is just mindless entertainment...