First Things First

September 16, 2009UncategorizedProductMrs. Blandings

It’s a great indulgence when I am in New York to be able to stop in the showrooms and shops that I usually admire from a computer screen. John Robshaw’s fabrics always delight and the only problem is picking which one I would want to adorn the bed or pillow in question.

But the beauty of going to the showroom in New York is that you can see many pieces that are only available to the trade. Robshaw offers furniture that he has produced for the company including these bone inlaid chairs.

The idea of a pair of these chairs in different patterns sends me over the moon.

But it is not all about me. (Well, mostly it is, but..) Rosie would be oh-so-cozy and chic on one of the new dog beds.

It seems we see a lot of the bedding and pillows but are less likely to get a peek of Robshaw’s fabric used in upholstery.

He has recently produced some pieces through John Derian’s line with Cisco Brothers and Rosselli & Associates to craft furniture using his prints.

More chairs. I know, I can’t help myself.

While Robshaw’s block printed pillows are a great accent, the showroom has a wide selection of pillows made from vintage fabrics.

Yep, terrific. I did mention “the customer” might want to see a little more black. Or me. I would like to see a little more black. I might have mentioned it more than once.

Some of the new prints were inspired by the block printing process itself.

A piece of fabric is laid under the fabric to be printed and absorbs the colors and patterns itself. Used over and over these base pieces are a fantastic montage.

There are a few of these on display in the showroom. You want these, too, don’t you? I know.

Equally engaging are the fabrics they inspired.

You can find retailers in your area here. I’m sure a local interior designer would be happy to follow up on any piece that you are interested in that is to the trade only. Follow what is up with John and his crew through their blog here.

p.s. Courtney brought to my attention that the bed, top, can be seen in the home decorated by Michael Smith in the September issue of Elle Decor.

The loveseat, sofa and chair with the jaunty plaid pillow are John Derian for Cisco Brothers; the remaining chairs are through Rosselli. Many thanks to John and Laura Stanley for taking the time to show me around.

Bright Eyed

September 14, 2009UncategorizedMusings from the Dream HouseMrs. Blandings

I was in New York last week and got home last night to piles of mail, hundreds of email messages and 152 blog posts to read (you were busy while I was away.) Oh, and to hear them tell it, the three best behaved children in the world.

I thought I’d be all caught up today but find the Family Fun Fest schedule and a soccer game over hill and dale after school will impeded a post even tomorrow. Certainly by Wednesday.

These images are stand alone pieces from a shop we visited. It is a pretty easy do-it-yourself. Most of the bulbs are not wired, but just looped over the grate from which they are suspended. The ones that are lit are wired directly into a box which rests on top of the grate and does not need to be hidden because it’s an industrial jumble already. There were about a dozen different kinds of bulbs. Figuring out which ones are burned out might take some concentration.

I asked permission to take the photo and was denied. The enchanting sales person then mumbled, “But I don’t have any control over what you do on the sidewalk,” and turned to straighten some stock. I like people like that.

As the World Turns

September 10, 2009UncategorizedAntique Dealers, ArtistsMrs. Blandings

When Christopher Filley called last week to say, “Come see the windows,” this was not what I was expecting.

Forgive the glare, but Christopher has displayed an installation of televisions painted by Kansas City artist David Gant.

The televisions are functioning, though show only snow. They are always “on” and Chris tells me that the window at night is a knock-out.

Chris has had some of Gant’s pieces for a while. I have noticed this series of portraits on cardboard before.

They are encaustics, which I understand to be a process that is a combination of wax and pigment. Gant did them when he was 20. There are twice again as many as this and they would be fantastic in a large grid.

The images were taken from obituary pictures.

You can see Gant’s work here or at Christopher’s – 816/688-9974.

More is More

September 9, 2009UncategorizedArtistsMrs. Blandings

I received a comment last week on the post about Jacques Grange’s rooms for Yves Saint Laurent in Tangiers directing me to Ivan Terestchenko’s blog. Terestchenko is the photographer of the images in the newly released, “The Private World of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Berge.”

Terestchenko has images on his blog from the book and from his many interior projects for European shelter magazines.

In addition, he is keeping something of a visual diary.

There are still lifes and street scenes and portraits.

And there are personal pictures of home and garden and family.

And not a lot of text, which in this case is a good thing, because all I want to do is look at the pictures.

Belle Aventure, indeed. Learn all about Terestchenko here. Give yourself a little time; you’ll want to linger.

All images, used with permission, are his work.

Cartoon Network

September 8, 2009UncategorizedAntique DealersMrs. Blandings

Christopher Filley called me last week to tell me that he and Rich Hoffman had redone the window at the shop.

I thought he had added the newly framed aubusson cartoons to the others in the window. He had not.

A few had sold to a very lucky gal here in town so he had installed something else entirely (tune in tomorrow.)

But there were some pieces back from the framer. The two tall panels would be terrific flanking, well, flanking something. Flanking nearly anything if your ceilings are high enough.

You can reach Christopher at 816-668-9974.

I turned that second to the last image sideways so you can see the panel as it should appear. Just in case you were wondering how that bottle was suspended in mid-air.