Atlanta Market Day 4... Pick a color, any color!

Day four completed, we are nearing the nearing the end of the planning stages. Our color stories have been decided and now the order writing will take center stage for the next few days. We always keep the color decisions a bit of a secret until we are ready to reveal them the week of setup each October.

I think you'll be happy with our 2013 designs and we feel excited to anticipate the craziest week of the year once again. One of our last stops of the day was a vendor we always look forward to placing an order with, Whitehurst. Ornaments from mini to extra large, any color, any finish. *sigh*

 You'll have to guess at which colors we ordered for our 2013 stories, but I promise them to be stylish and "oh, so Susan". 

And a little fyi, after a day of wearing flats, I returned to the room a full 10 + hours on my feet without a moment of aching feet. Tomorrow...back to my high heeled boots.

High Point Style Report Day 5

5 days of style sightings is a long time. A. Long. Time. As we head into day 6, my team of four is  wearing weary! Shoes are all hurting...rain is getting old...wind is irritating...early morning showers are not rewarding...Market snacks are getting boring...rolling carts are getting too heavy...shivering is making us cranky...note taking is a drag. All in all, we're about ready to call it a trip. Just one more day. Out of the 33 vendors we hoped to see today, we saw 5. Oh. My. Tomorrow, our plan is to split into two groups and make haste! 

I have a good bit of work to do tonight, so I'm only going to show you a few things from today. This new Blogger format is stretching my patience with the learning curve. We're going to help our friend Jan stamp 600 wedding invitations , make a wreath for her, download all the photos, review the new resources and record client accomplishments before turning in.

 Look at this creative display at our first stop, an ever favorite, Suyra Rugs. Giant balls of colorful yarns! So appropriate for a 26,000 square foot rug showroom.

This colorful find cheered us all! Vivid chrome yellow leather with charcoal accents. Wow.

Best bold contrast! Lime and charcoal bedroom. (Check out the bedside tables with circular opening).

This looks like a sepia photos, but actually it was in all neutrals of greys and creams! I loved this oval glass table. Great style. Great price! Watch for this as a new addition.

Couldn't agree more!

Cool modern headboard, but where are the lamps?! Sorry about the feeling of sepia...

At the end of the day, we saw this cool prop mantle with an insert of mirror!!! I'm going to get Sneelock right on that.

 

 

 

On the ride home, we took inventory of the square feet of showrooms we walked. 

GRAND TOTAL OF WALKED SHOW ROOM SPACE: 147,000. That was just today! We paled at the thought of the additional walking about town from center to center. 

No wonder our feet hurt. 

Style really takes a tole.

Underestimating Your Desires

Several years ago, one of the main vendors we love (Jim Marvin) introduced fabulously trendy colors in shatterproof ornaments. Now there are plenty of shatterproof ornaments on the market to find, but none set the bar as high has his. No seams. Bold colors. Delicate colors. Matt colors. Pearl colors. Shiny colors. Over the years, other vendors have stepped up and now we can find additional suppliers and assorted colors. Oh the beauty, charm and practicalities wrapped up in all sizes from soccer ball to baseball...

Since then, we have always offered an array of our favorite picks for indoor as well as outdoor use. Last year, we vastly underestimated the demand for this category! I even hoarded them in my stockroom, shielding them from employee purchases until my outdoor urn event (well into the first of December). Sadly, we sold out in one day. Wow. We grossly underestimated the demand!

So, today, we bought hundreds of shatterproof ornaments in the most delicious colors, finishes and sizes. 374 ornaments to be exact. Just wait till you see them. Cherry red, apple green, persimmon, burgundy, chocolate, and rust. We listened and we're prepared.

And look at this array of roses marrying all the colors together. Ahhhh. This one's for you, Mary!

Just as this was selected for our client, Mary, we can source your special requests too. Market trips always include a list of these "hearts desires" for many Black-eyed Susan clients. Feel free to add your name to the list!

I'm already looking forward to next years color stories and designs. Can't wait!

Chartreuse Trend!

A week ago or so, I reported that I had several favorite new fabrics and a new favorite color! How pleased I was to find that it appears that this is an overall trend in the design industry! It always surprises me when this happens...my favorite blues of the past few years are now the hottest color trends everywhere!

Just take a look at some of the "chartreuse sightings" as I like to call them...in every category!

Literally in almost every showroom, chartreuse showed up and caught my eye immediately.

Fabulously large chartreuse lidded vessel...

A wee bit smaller, still the same great color!

Candlesticks...chartreuse, of course!

Finials are a favorite category:: chartreuse finials; the best!

...even dishes

This grey and chartreuse rug...absolutely perfect with my favorite new pallet noted a few posts ago!

One more hip rug with chartreuse playing a major roll. My flash has distorted the color slightly, but take my word for it...oh, yea. Chartreuse!

We spent a good hour in a favorite showroom ; Whitehurst. They specialize in the finest imported glass ornaments from about an inch to 8 inches! For years, Black-eyed Susan has been known for having these unusual sizes (you know, bigger is better!). Last year, I was really missing the addition of the 1" accent ornaments in as many colors and finishes as you can dream of. This year they'll be back! These little darlings have hundreds of uses and you can expect to see them in unusual settings throughout the showroom.

This long shot doesn't even do justice to the hundreds of selections available! Not only color, they are available in shiny, matt, and pearl ! We had to search the entire building to find them and query many vendors; voila! Success. You're going to love these as much as I do.

...and just one more happy surprise! A brand new color for this year! Chartreuse!

Oh, happy Chartreuse. My mother would love this new trend. So do I.


Tomorrow is our last day, 7 of 7. Whew. We're ready to get on the road to get home. We've found some great new offerings and look forward to presenting them to you. I'm thinking tomorrow will be a day for flats. Yes, flats for sure.

Everything Old is New Again!

There are always trends in interior design. Some come. Some go. Some come back. Some are classic. Some are way out there. Some are stupid. Some are timeless. But sooner or later, interior styles come full circle. What's old is new again.

Retro style is one of those. Modernism has a strong influence in almost all room settings today. Basically, I like it! Of course,you all know how I feel about orange...a totally retro color, back in full swing. 50's and 60's chairs are cool in any book. (Remember the chairs I had reupholstered for the Princeton Designer House this year?!)

Well, tonight, I paid a short visit to my cute friends Wayne and Bonnie. I couldn't help but look around their charming home and this is what I saw!

These vintage retro chairs upholstered in velvet...orange,of course!! Ah, my heart sings.

Okay, so the feet take them a little out of "cool"...but that's nothing my great upholsterer can't take care of. The modern, low profile of these lounge chairs speaks for style, and fairly current I might add!


I queried Bonnie about their age. Promptly, without a moment's delay, she told me she had purchased them in 1966. Brand new when they moved into the house. Orange. Velvet. Couldn't get much better.

And take a look at this lamp in the room! Bonnie just shook her head when I told her how popular this shade was! I rehearsed with her how many times I tell a client to update their rooms by changing up their lamp shades for drum shades. Yep, once again, perfect style! And natural burlap shades-so cool!

As a designer in the trade, it was so fun to see the "real McCoy" so to speak . Bonnie loved my stories of current style and felt amazed to have come full circle.

Look around your mother's or aunt's home. You'll find treasures of your own.

Thanks for sharing a little retro style, Bonnie! I'll take them all.

Possible Pallet!

After a few hours of local shopping, Suzanne, (our contest winner!), Jackie and I put together this possible pallet for the new bedroom! We're just beginning to finalize our ideas with our winner, but what do you think of this, so far?!

Suzanne is in love with the pallet we used several years ago for our Sullivans Island (Charleston, SC) project-aqua and soft lime green. We've gone off in a few directions, but always seem to come back to this one. I'll have to say that it is a beautiful and livable pallet.

We're going to consider one more possibility, and you'll be the first (well, maybe the second!) to see it. Suzanne will be first!

Give us your thoughts on this collection so far...

The Countdown Begins!

The official empty house party was held today for the Bucks County Designer House, and I guess that means there is no turning back! The participation in these events is always a two-edged sword. That being exciting, and stressful all at the same time!

This year, the house is really a fabulous property. It is an historic house owned by Solebury Township. The location is great from a close-to-home standard for me this year. The locations is the intersection of Street Road and Upper Mountain Rd in New Hope. There are multiple outbuildings, barns, and many garden areas. All in all, it has every promise to be a great show house.

Black-eyed Susan will be doing the main house living room! While the plans are in place, and the furniture ordered, paint colors selected and most subs on board to help, there is still much to be done! The work is all a donation, all in the name of charity for the Doylestown Hospital. Even though we have many of our subcontractors committed to help, there is so much to be done on our end that it at times feels a bit overwhelming.

This year, my painter is only on board for limited days and hours. This means that Sneelock (and most likely myself....) will be doing a lion's share of the work. The good news is, that the room is is relatively good shape. There are many things that go into selecting a room....(actually, the committee selects you. Each designer is asked to give first, second and third choices, submits ideas for each choice in detail, and then waits to get an assignment. We got our first choice!! That is always a coo.

Back to the selection process.....we try to take into consideration the general state of the room (i.e. areas that need refinishing, repairing, rebuilding......you get the idea!) I guess the bad news is, it's a rather large room----so Sneelock and I can count on spending a fair amount of time doing the special painting effects. It's been quite a few years since I, myself, have had to do the actual painting! It seems the economy has taken a hit on nearly all the subs and it's not so easy to get donated labor. Years ago, I can recall a rather large room that I did where I painted the entire thing myself and did a special rag glaze on the walls and ceiling!! Yikes! This year,I have in mind to do a wide awning stripe (painted). With all the new offerings we are embarking on at the retail location, this could be a real challenge!

I'll post updates as we progress. We have a great pallet and a wonderful design vision. (We sounds like quite a team......actually, so far, I have just a few!) I'll give you several hints.....Swedish washed oak sofa and chairs upholstered in natural linen and rich gray/brown walls. Just wait till you see the drapery fabric! Stay tuned for updates and photos along the way.

Here is what our room looks like as we begin!


And by the way, Black-eyed Susan will be selling tickets for the month long event. The opening gala is a large fund raiser and tickets are available to the public. It is aways a great event, with the first peek at the designer rooms and visits with the designers of each space. Check with the retail staff is you are interested in attending.

Here goes! I think you'll enjoy the ride.