Thursday, August 7, 2014

Stanley Furniture Redefined

With High Point Market only a couple of months away, we wanted to share the showroom surprise of April 2014. We were dubious when Stanley Furniture told us a couple of years ago that they were moving to the Hamilton District in High Point, literally the 5th Avenue for wholesale furniture shopping. Completely skeptical,  I remember saying to my co-worker, Christine, "Just because they're moving to the high end neighborhood, doesn't mean the furniture is going to get any better." Well, I couldn't have been more delightedly wrong! Stanley has completely pulled off a strong transition to the top tier with accessible price points, better design, scale, finishing and construction.  Some of their pieces are absolutely beautiful. Running into Tori Mellott of Traditional Home Magazine at the bus station in front of the IHFC, I asked her what she thought was the most exciting story at market and without hesitation she replied: "Stanley Furniture." We were nodding, saying: "Right?" We weren't losing our Mojo!! So.... watch the video below to see this transformation in their gorgeous new Showroom at 200 N. Hamilton.  




Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Wedding Ideas

 With three girls in their 20's we have been treated to some spectacular wedding celebrations. Here are some of the most unique ideas, spectacular florals and special moments from weddings past and present. 


Make it personal! This family used their lovingly accumulated art collection for the reception tent. 


Narrow tables allow guests to include more than two people in the conversation. Round tables can make for some awkward moments if both of your dinner partners are conversing with the guests adjacent to them away from you. 



In large tents, create dimension by hanging votives and flowers at different heights. This wedding designer cleverly incorporated lampshades into the lighting scheme and the multiple heights from table to ceiling create intimacy.


Create other spaces outside of the crowded party area: Flowers and votives hanging from the trees at varying levels next to the party space invite intimate conversations away from the noise.


 Punctuation in scale creates rhythm, glamour and interest. 


If the dinner is a formal seated affair, unique displays for seating assignments add that personal signature all weddings large and small should exude.

 A perfect example of dimension in a large tent. 

Also, this bride who is an interior designer did not neglect the naked band space creating a focal point and distracting from the less attractive assemblage of microphones, instruments and music stands. 


 Insert a little humor into the mix. The groom's cake is the perfect opportunity for this. Hint: The groom is not fat!! 

This clever bride created a surprise for her new husband: A cake with his favorite books. 


 Loyal readers have seen this image before, but it is one of my favorite touches. Many weddings these days have a special monogram incorporating the last initials of the bride and groom's last names. In this case the groomsmen wore matching slippers with bespoke embroidery following the pattern of the boxwood maze at the bride's Grandmother's farm where the wedding festivities were celebrated. Dudes, take note: Real men can wear festive foot wear.


Watch the Royals, they hire the most brilliant stylists. A bride has her back turned to an entire congregation during the wedding ceremony, so keep some interest in the rear. This bride was channeling Kate Middleton's simple and elegant flowers in her hair.  Sometimes you don't want the traditional wreath. 


 Sense of Place: When planning your wedding, embrace your location.


Love the attention to detail here!!
But... the most important detail is....


That we all feel the love!!
Happy Wedding Day to all upcoming brides and grooms!! 

Need wedding gifts? 
We have wonderful lighting, mirrors and wall art and more 
for new couples! 
liz@dovecotedecor.com
336-705-1316



Saturday, April 19, 2014

High Point Market Highlights April 2014



After five straight days of hoofing it through market, I hopped a bus to Lexington, Kentucky with the High Point Garden Club and the Bienenstock Furniture Library. We visited beautiful historic houses not to mention Keeneland. More about that later... meanwhile let me send you a round-up on High Point highlights from the April 2014 market. Below we have the ever gracious and talented Mariette Himes Gomez of Hickory Chair showing her classic, clean and completely elegant line of furniture.  We just cannot help leading with one of our favorite furniture companies in the world!!

Mariette's luxurious Syrie Maugham sofa recalls the elegance of the '30's and 40's with a silk satin fabric articulating the luxurious glamor of the era.

You need to wear this on the sofa! 

Mariette's Porter Divan dons a creamy leather with impressive trapunto detailing on the back illustrating the virtuoso workmanship executed by the artisans of Hickory Chair.

Alexa Hampton uses her showroom as a design laboratory. Absolutely no designer at market shows such range in style, but the extra push creates great anticipation from High Point devotees. It trains our eye to visualize the elasticity of her line in a seemingly unlimited parade of genres.

We were all in awe of the fact that Alexa created all of the collages and paintings in her showrooms. This year her inspiration came from a book that she read as a young girl in her father's library: La Réussité de la Decoration Française, vols. I & II.  Channeling the unmistakeably chic Gallic aesthetic, these rooms speak of old world luxury layered and collected from past generations through the present.

Suzanne Kasler revived these fabulous DeGournay panels from years ago. Known for her serene and feminine spaces, Suzanne adds exquisite dressmaker tapes, nail heads creating rooms that are livable, finished and fresh.

French inspired twin beds kick into the millennium with a slightly elongated headboard. A bold Phillip Jeffries painted graphic wall covering, hung on a single surface, energizes the space without dominating the scene. Bright tribal patterns with a casual striped area rug balance elegance with a low-key interesting collected sophisticated vibe. Suzanne's interiors are like meeting a famous person and discovering that they are highly companionable!

We love Chelsea House as their line ticks all our requirements for our online store and residential clientele. Great Prices--check...Great Workmanship--check....Great style--check.....Multi-tasking transitional pieces--check. Lisa Kahn is the guiding light of design in this atelier and we hit it for several days at market. If you don't go, its like going to New York and eating fast food--you'd be missing the boat!

There's a small new crop of 19th century reproduction casino chairs popping up in various showrooms. C.R. Laine's version has the best leather, scale and price of the few I'm grooving on lately. I start to think that I am crazy, but Shay Geyer did Style Spot it, so another set of eyes share my quirks. May I add that it is wonderfully comfortable as a dining, desk or occasional chair.

All of design and media land came out for the Mary McDonald launch at Chaddock. It was fabulous, and I hadn't been in Chaddock since they showed their fare up on Hamilton. Things have changed... I can only identify Newell Turner of Hearst and Mary McDonald in this image, but it was slammed with "The Talent." We loved seeing our old friend Jay Reardon, previously of Hickory Chair and current chairman of the executive committee at Chaddock also sitting on their board. Margaret Russel and her stable of editors was there as well as the Traditional Home girls. 

I was excited to meet David Easton and view his collection. He's a charmer that one, but in my humble opinion his work is in The Great Tradition, confirmed by the fact that he knelt down and kissed my hand. I was blushing.....

More Later!! 
Come by and
Visit our Online Store!!
We are starting to load new market finds!!

Scroll Down to see our videos from last market!




Monday, March 31, 2014

Getting Ready for Market -- All Eyes on Modern History

As we are getting ready for The High Point Furniture Market, we wanted to share our interview with Michael Beaver, the hands on owner of Modern History.  He is a second generation furniture manufacturer with a trained eye for style, finish and scale. We follow the history of these exquisite pieces as they travel from the flea market in Paris, overseas to their artisanal factories where meticulous detail is executed. Within the vast array of product offerings at market, this line is exemplary on every level. 


Visit The Modern History Showroom
430 N. Wrenn Street
Contact Karen Kepley
336-259-9198
or 
Liz at Dovecote Decor 
for an appointment
336-705-1316
Visit Our Online Store

More Later!!

Monday, March 24, 2014

Alexa Hampton Tutorial at High Point Furniture Market October 2013: A Fresh Take On Traditional Floral Chintzes

Alexa Hampton's showroom at Hickory Chair in October 2013 was a style lesson in how to create fresh young rooms for today's new home owners. Color is rich, finishes are varied and graphic patterns are sophisticated combining to create a completely comfortable individual design statement. With a myriad of custom options Alexa explains how she approaches a project and explains how to mix multiple patterns and colors for a collected layered room with both variety and flow.



Fabric and Wallpaper Links

If you would like to buy Hickory Chair  Furniture
or fabric from any of these vendors
please contact Dovecote Decor!
visit our online store
liz@dovecotedecor.com
336-705-1316
More Later!! 

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Junior League of Winston-Salem Tour of Fine Spaces 2014


On Saturday, March 22 2014 The Junior League of Winston Salem will present their Tour of Fine Spaces from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Ten houses showcasing stellar collaborations between home owners, architects, interior designers, cabinet makers, flooring/tile specialists and builders are open to inspire your next project. Our starting spot will be at Schiffman's, as ticket holders may mingle there from 9-11 a.m. enjoying mimosas and other culinary treats from local chefs, wineries and artisan coffee brewers. So we will start and finish at 137 S. Stratford Rd. across from the Midtown Cafe and Dessertery.

1.Head northeast on S Stratford Rd toward Miller St - 0.1 mi
2.Take the 1st left onto Country Club Rd/Stratford Rd N - 46 ft
3.Turn left onto Country Club Rd - 0.8 mi
4.Turn right onto Westview Dr N - 0.2 mi
5.Take the 2nd right onto Forest Dr
Destination will be on the left
 - 207 ft
Arrive at Stop 1 - 2655 Forest Dr. Winston Salem North Carolina
 Sponsored by Icon Custom Builders
6.Head west on Forest Dr toward Westview Dr N - 207 ft
7.Take the 1st left onto Westview Dr N - 0.1 mi
8.Turn right onto Reynolds Dr NW
Destination will be on the right
 - 0.1 mi
Arrive at Stop 2 - 2747 Reynolds Drive Winston Salem North Carolina

 Sponsored by June DeLugas Interiors, Custom Homes by Hamrick and Twin City Custom Cabinets
9.Head west on Reynolds Dr NW toward Pine Valley Rd - 167 ft
10.Take the 1st left onto Pine Valley Rd - 492 ft
11.Take the 1st right onto Country Club Rd - 0.3 mi
12.Turn left onto Plymouth Ave
Destination will be on the left
 - 0.2 mi
Arrive at Stop 3 - 2935 Windsor Rd. Winston Salem North Carolina
Sponsored by Emily Taft

13.Head north on Plymouth Ave toward Fairfax Dr - 0.2 mi
14.Turn left onto Country Club Rd - 0.4 mi
15.Turn right onto Sherwood Forest Rd NW - 0.4 mi
16.Turn right onto Silas Creek Pkwy - 0.6 mi
17.Turn left onto Pennington Ln NW
Destination will be on the left
 - 0.2 mi
Arrive at Stop 4 - 3320 Pennington Lane Winston Salem North Carolina

18.Head west on Pennington Ln NW toward Yorkshire Rd NW - 0.2 mi
19.Turn right onto Archer Rd - 0.4 mi
20.Turn left onto York Rd - 46 ft
21.Take the 1st left onto N Peace Haven Rd - 1.9 mi
22.Turn right onto Mountain View Rd NW - 0.4 mi
23.Take the 2nd left onto Rockmont Dr NW
Destination will be on the left
 - 210 ft
Arrive at Stop 5 - 305 Rockmount Dr. Winston Salem North Carolina

24.Head north on Rockmont Dr NW toward Laurel View Dr NW - 210 ft
25.Turn right onto Mountain View Rd NW - 0.4 mi
26.Turn left onto N Peace Haven Rd - 2.1 mi
27.Turn right onto Robinhood Rd - 1.6 mi
28.Turn left onto Kearns Ave
Destination will be on the left
 - 0.1 mi
Arrive at Stop 6 - 936 Kearns Ave Winston Salem North Carolina

Sponsored by Susan Bradford Designs and timberwolf designs
29.Head north on Kearns Ave toward Dearborn St - 0.2 mi
30.Take the 1st right onto Dearborn St - 338 ft
31.Turn right onto Vernon Ave
Destination will be on the right
 - 318 ft
Arrive at Stop 7 - 968 Vernon Avenue Winston Salem North Carolina
@Day 0 
Sponsored by timberwolf design and Susan Bradford designs
32.Head south on Vernon Ave toward Robinhood Rd NW - 0.2 mi
33.Turn left onto Robinhood Rd NW - 0.3 mi
34.Turn right onto Roslyn Rd
Destination will be on the right
 - 400 ft
Arrive at Stop 8 - 830 Roslyn Rd. Winston Salem North Carolina
Sponsored by Cabinet Studio, Emily Taft, Quinn N. Pillsworth, JALA, and QFC inc
35.Head north on Roslyn Rd toward Robinhood Rd NW - 400 ft
36.Take the 1st right onto Robinhood Rd NW - 1.0 mi
37.Turn right onto Reynolda Rd - 0.5 mi
38.Continue onto West End Blvd - 0.1 mi
39.Turn left onto Brookstown Ave
Destination will be on the right
 - 0.2 mi
Arrive at 1204 Brookstown Ave. Winston Salem North Carolina
Sponsored by McCullough Tile

40.
Head southeast on Brookstown Ave toward W 5th St - 0.3 mi
41.Turn left onto 2nd St W - 0.6 mi
42.Turn right onto N Liberty St - 0.4 mi
43.Continue onto Old Salem Rd - 0.5 mi
44.Turn left onto Walnut St SW - 354 ft
45.Turn right onto S Main St
Destination will be on the left
 - 292 ft
Arrive at Stop 10 - 921 South Main St. Winston Salem North Carolina


Sponsored by Wilson-Convington Construction Company

Buy your tickets online HERE. Let's meet at Schiffman's at 10:30 and go together!
We will have great fun while supporting the hardworking and wonderful women of the Junior League of Winston Salem

For more design inspiration
Visit our online store!