Sunday, July 12, 2009

Los Angeles Taste Makers

The Los Angeles Time Magazine today has an excellent feature on the up-and-coming taste makers in Los Angeles, primarily in the field of fashion, interior design, architecture, arts and entertainment.

We find it so inspiring...It's so nice to read about people who are so incredibly creative. It's also nice to discover people & names we never heard of.

Featured here is Sally McQuillan:



"She doesn’t like to drop names—McQuillan prefers to let her résumé do the talking. But ask any number of decorating heavyweights, and they’ll tell you the fiercely inventive fabric designer, known for setting trends in color and pattern, is a home-furnishings sensation."-LA Times Magazine

Read on...

Smith & Hawken Closing All Stores

One of our favorite garden stores, Smith + Hawken, announced that it will close all of its 56 stores by the end of the year.

Another victim of this horrible economy....

Sales starts this week at all stores. The online store has been shut down.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Very Modern Lighting from Nuevo

We just saw some very cool lighting fixtures from Nuevo that we thought you might want to check out. This is a Canadian-based company and they make amazing barstools, modern furniture and lighting. We like their lighting collection quite a bit. It's are not too expensive and they are very unique. If you have a modern theme for your home decor, it'll be a great fit.

Here are some samples:








Now, because these are not too expensive they are not made of Murano glass or crystal or anything like that. They are made of acrylic, actually. They do look pretty cool though, and if you are in the mood for something fun but you don't want to spend a lot of money, it might be a good choice.

http://www.nuevoliving.com/ (this is a trade site only and you'll need a password to get in).

Fresh & Clean- White Home Accessories from Zodax

We just got back from Mexico lately and for some reasons, we are just so into white! Maybe it was because it was so hot in Tulum, the only appropriate thing to wear is white linen. And the only thing that looks good in a home is white furniture and white accessories.

So we were thrilled when we saw these home accessories from Zodax at the LA Home Show this week. This is a small home accessories company based in the LA area. They have very cute stuff!

Here are some samples:

This stool is adorable. It comes in blue/white and yellow/white...


This set of box is perfect for storing jewelry...



This lamp is adorable, don't you think?



We like this side table for setting down a drink or a book...



For some reasons this set is really pricey (like $750!), but we like the way it looks..



This mirror is adorable. The elephant is actually a table...




We'll be loading these items up on our site shortly...


Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Announcing the launch of Second Showroom

The idea started out with an epiphany.

Let us explain.

As an operator of an online store, we have our fair share of both pleasure and pain. The pleasure part is going to trade shows and buying all these wonderful things. The painful part is sometime we buy too much or when we have returns. What do we do with all these beautiful items that are brand new and absolutely too beautiful to sit in the warehouse?

So we are so excited to announce the launch of SecondShowroom.com.

This is the site where you can get overstock, showroom samples and excess inventory directly from the manufacturers, retailers and showrooms throughout the country at amazing prices, and we mean AMAZING prices. More often than not you can get new items at savings of up to 75% off. What's more, by buying directly from the retailers and the manufacturers, you'll get the added assurance of buying from a reputable source; and that the merchandise will be in good condition when you receive it.

Now, the site is fairly new and we only have a limited number of items up so far, but keep checking back as we add more dealers and more merchandise.

It'll be a great hunt! We guarantee it.

NOTE: RETAILERS, DESIGNERS, STORES AND MANUFACTURERS-WE'D LOVE TO HAVE YOU JOIN US. THE SITE IS ABSOLUTELY FREE. GO TO WWW.SECONDSHOWROOM.COM TO REGISTER.



Monday, May 18, 2009

10 Things You Must Have in The House

We love lists, don't you? We love reading other's people list too, mainly because we're lazy and sometimes it's nice to have other people to do the work so we don't have to think so hard.

We recently saw a list of 100 things you should do in LA before you die by Caroline on Crack and we thought it was great. For those who live in LA, it's a really fun blog to read. For those who live outside LA, it's a great resource to find things to do in LA if you visit.

So we thought we come up with our own list. Since this blog is about the home, we'll focus on that theme. And since 100 is way too many for our brains, here is a list of 10 things you should have in the house:

1) A fantastic bed. This is where you spend of your time and this is where you should splurge and buy the best possible mattress you can find. Hotel mattress are the best! We like the ones from Westin. They even teach you how to make up the bed at home.

2) Fantastic bed sheets. They don't have to be expensive. We find amazing ones at Nordstrom Racks that have very high thread count and get softer after each wash.

3) Fresh scented candles, and please, none of that Glade cheap stuff. Scented candles are like perfume, the cheap ones just give you a headache. We love Votivo and Dyptique.

4) Amazing wine. Even if you don't drink wine, have some anyway. Your guests would appreciate it.

5) A great sofa. This is another thing you should splurge on. Buy the best one that you can afford. You can always reupholster it later. We like ones from Moroni and Burton James.

6) Great books. Even if you don't have time to read, when you see books that you like buy them anyway; then stock them on the bookshelves to read later. Books give soul to the house, and they make you look smart, even if you are not (well, that kinda depends on what kind of books you buy...)

7) Great music. CDs are gone to the way side, and good things too, because they are messy and unattractive. Invest in an IPOD and a good sound system. If you have great wireless Internet, Pandora is amazing for free music.

8) Gorgeous home accessories. By home accessories we means things that add character and style to your house, like rugs, artwork, flowers, decorative pillows and such. Of course we will plug our own site, InsideAvenue.com, but we like ZGallerie too... Again, our mantra is less is more, and quality is better than quantify.

9) Fantastic cookware. Cooking is amazing relaxing and creative. Having great cookware inspire you. We love Sur La Table for high-end cookware. Williams Sonoma is a great store too.

10)A dog. Yes, a dog. A cat if you are not a dog lover. We're plugging dogs because they are so sweet, so loving, so adorable. There's nothing more comforting that coming home to a dog who is so happy to see you, all the time!

What about you, do you have a list of must-haves? Email us your list and we'll publish it.

Irrational Exuberance to Irrational Desperation in 60 Seconds

We don't know about you, but we have had enough with whole frugality thing that our whole country is in. Oh my god, can we do without one more article about how to make one chicken into three meals, how we can have all kind of fun doing free things like taking a walk in the park ? How many walks in the park can one possibly take anyway?

Now, we have nothing against taking a walk in the park, or cutting back for that matter. The economy still sucks, people are losing jobs--that much is clear. But all this cut back is DEPRESSING! Not to mention, if everyone stops spending, we'll have a serious stagflation problem. Look at what happened to the Japanese--their economy has stood still since the 80s.

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stagflation–noun

an inflationary period accompanied by rising unemployment and lack of growth in consumer demand and business activity.

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While we don't encourage living beyond our means, we think everyone should spend a little, if they still can. No, we don't advocate spending your rent check on a pair of Pierre Hardy shoes, but if you can still afford it, and if you really, really want it--why not?

Buy less, but buy quality. Eat out less, but eat well. Spend less, but spend wisely.

And yes, do take that walk in the park, but in some cute shoes... You'll feel much better.