The Estate of Things

Remember when I mentioned that I was flying down Lincoln Blvd and passed a store with my beloved fireplaces out front!? This is it. Live Style Marketplace & Gallery.

Kate and I had a big moving day on Sunday and on the way back from picking up a dining table in Venice, we decided to stop in and see what it would kind of money it would take to get one of those fireplaces set up in the corner of our new huge balcony. I choose this orange guy! We met with the fantastically friendly shop owner (Francesca), and she was ready to let me take him home for $1000. (too bad I’m poor).

Not all was lost though. This was a really fun visit. There’s much to see at Live Style: Inspiring furniture and accessories mostly from Indonesia and all of it at a REALLY fair price. When I inquired with Francesca about this show stopping couch, she told me that it was her own personal design, including the textile - which was a yummy velour. It wouldn’t normally occur to me to want a floral couch, but this one was special.

If you’re in the area, I’d recommend popping in to see what’s going on here. I’ll definitely be going back.

Duty calls and so I must travel to LA to work in the office for a couple of weeks. I can’t wait till this heinous project is over.

So Sarah and I spoke on the phone today about taking this Sunday to try and hit up a few boutiques. I’m thinking I’ll be staying on the East side so I may easily stop into this shop in Los Feliz. Plus its near Palermo’s, where you can get a slice of the best most cheesiest pizza and a generous glass of chianti for like $8. (A favorite poor girl’s dinner when I was living there).

Also on the list is Reform School, and I’m sure I’ll hit up a few others in SilverLake. Any suggestions?

This is my new favorite find in Hickory, The Hickory Tree Consignment. Its been open a little over 2 months. My first visit was over a quick lunch break last week and I can’t wait to go back and give it some more time. They had some really great stuff (new and old) and the prices are quite fair.  You can check out the website for inventory, though I saw items that were more impressive than the web offerings.

I spoke briefly with the shop owner (a former Real Estate Agent that studied Interior Design) and she says that she doesn’t have to do much in the way of curating. People are bringing her great stuff, all she has to do is put it out.

Please check out her website, and definitely stop in when you are looking for great decor items.

I wonder how many of you out there actually use Domino Magazine’s shopping guides? I’ve considered it a few times and decided to put it to the test.

I travelled to Savannah, GA on business but managed to squeeze in a little pleasure. Briefly touring around Savannah Thursday afternoon with my friend Laurie we decided to hit some of Domino’s suggested spots for all things home.

How did we fair with the guide?

We were short on time and we were occassionally seduced by some storefronts that weren’t on the list and so unfortunately we didn’t make it to what the shopkeeper at Satchel called the “Downtown Design District” which makes up a block or so on Whitaker Street. How ridiculous is that….we didn’t make it to the design district.

First stop was…

DC2 Design (Not in the guide)

We encountered DC2 on our way to another store and quickly ducked in. I liked several of the occasional chairs among the furniture selection, but what really sparkles at DC2 are the chandeliers and bountiful accessories– mostly ceramics. Small, medium and large foo dogs and a fabulous orange ceramic horse head are part of a wide selection. I personally fell in love with two white ceramic floor lanterns which I purchased because not only were they a great price but they were also 20% off along with all home accessories. They are going to make a great statement on either side of the fireplace during the day and aglow at night. All of their holiday decorations were 50% off and I purchased some fabulous birds for the tree with feathered tails for my Mom. Apartment Therapy posted about DC2 here, offering some additional photos and a short review.

The Paris Market

The Paris Market is a must stop while in Savannah.  There were so many things to adore here especially the oversized linen light fixtures, well-stocked book selection for the design enthusiast and industrial french furniture.

The Paris Market has been featured in various shelter titles like House Beautiful, Cottage Living and Savannah Magazine.

This is Laurie and I standing next to a dining room setup, a mirror was mounted on the ceiling with a hole cut for the chandelier. You have no idea what an incredible impact the mirror makes on the whole table and really maximizes the chandelier and the glassware. Easy DIY bling!

ShopScad

The highlight of the excursion and also an absolute must is ShopScad. SCAD is an acronym for the Savannah College of Art and Design.  SCAD has managed to brand itself internationally and they have maintained this shop and website for several years. The shop itself is beautiful with arched windows, hand-painted walls and artful ceiling displays. It’s a visual feast.  I snapped a couple of pictures not even thinking about the anti-photography philosophy in the store because of the original artwork. The shopkeep quickly scolded me and I stopped immediately.  But I did eyeball a painting in the shop, Meredith Pardue’s Lotus Pond II, that I blogged about previously in my build-a-bedroom post, the painting was available online but I cannot locate it on SCAD’s website now.

Le Paperie

In the “downtown design district” La Paperie is snuggled in with most of the other stores in Domino’s Guide. La paperie offers lines by Kate Spade, Snow & Graham, WhoMi, Vera Wang and William Arthur just to name a few.  All of their holiday stock is 50-75% off. If you need a paper fix, La Paperie is your place.  I purchased their last Snow & Graham 2009 letterpress calendar. The image below is from their website.

@home Vintage General(Not in the Guide)

@home was also a visual treat that was impeccably merchandised.  I am a sucker for all things modern country and this was the place for me. Beautiful, thoughtful new and vintage inventory.

Liz Demos, the owner, has this to say about her amazing shop,

For those that love weathered furnishings, @home is a great place to find stylish yet affordable items for your lifestyle. Known as a “vintage general store,” the shop is filled with one-of-a-kind finds as well as vintage-inspired new items. @home is a mixture of modern country and cottage styles. Creatively matching old and new is the forte of our unique shop. The store is stocked with hard to find goods and gifts in the following categories: antiques, textiles, fine ribbons, stationery and gift wrap, bed and bath products, jewelry, garden accessories, kitchen items, furniture, children’s items, lighting, architectural, industrial and old school artifacts.

Liz’s blog, alternative country and industrial country.

Images are courtesy of @Home’s blog.

Some other stores we visited that were not home related:

Red Clover, 53 Montgomery Street

James Gunn, awesome sales right now!

Satchel

Urban Outfitters

I’ve been gathering information about Small Businesses in town for a project that I’m working on and Wow! was I surprised to see the shockingly LOW amount of area home decor resources that I could find online. Where are you!?

Hickory, NC is seemingly brimming with opportunity for great Design Finds. Nestled amongst our sock factories and textile mills - we have a booming population of experienced furniture manufacturers employed by the companies whose products we drool over on our Design Blogs… (Mitchell Gold & Bob Williams, Williams Sonoma, West Elm, Broyhill, Hickory Chair, etc. etc.) So - these products make their way into Furniture Outlets peppered throughout the county, and if you are a super deal scavenger (like me), you can visit local thrift stores or Manufacturer Sales and steal furniture…….

Its all very fantastic and I really want to be able to tell you when its happening, and I wanna know when its happening in other cities here in my great state. Right now I’m relying on Indie N.C. to keep me apprised and well, I’m over here on the Western side of the State.

SO - This post is a plea to any North Carolina readers to take a few moments to jot down the retailers, thrift shops, and events that I shouldn’t miss in your area. It’ll be a long time in the making - but TEOT’s Official North Carolina City Shopping Guides for the Home Decor & Design Enthusiast are in the making! Please email me with information you think I should have at betsy@theestateofthings.com