Five Interesting Interior Design Product Lines from the 2016 Westedge Design Fair

I have five interesting interior design product lines from my visit to the Westedge Design Fair last weekend that I wanted to share. I’m sharing these in random order but they share some commonalities. First, these are designed and produced by smaller, niche-oriented, artisanal design firms either wholly or in collaboration with more established brands. They are also unique offerings that you won’t find at your local big box store so these are details which enable you to differentiate your environment and express yourself. Many also have a sustainable or organic element – read on and enjoy!

Natural, sustainable lighting from Ango

 

The colors and shapes of these fixtures caught my eye at first sight. Upon closer examination, I realized that these pendant light fixtures were made from something organic with an interesting texture. That organic something it turned out was un-processed silk cocoons which are either left their natural color or dyed with a non-toxic fabric dye. The cocoons are woven with wire to create the shape as shown. There is also a version shown at the bottom of the photo crafted from Mulberry tree bark. Remember that silkworms eat mulberry leaves, which ultimately become the raw material for the silk fiber in the cocoon. The fixtures are handcrafted in Thailand where of course silkworms and mulberry trees are plentiful. These pendants would be terrific in a contemporary or modern interior.

P.S. – if you’re interested, here is the link to a short YouTube video which shares the process used to produce silk in Thailand.

Modern lighting from Thomas Cooper Studio

If you haven’t guessed it by now, I have a thang for all things sparkly, especially lighting and I found two fixtures from Thomas Cooper Studio that fit the bill. I wasn’t familiar with the company but learned that it is a local Los Angeles based firm run by a husband and wife team. Their design philosophy is built around original materials and artisanal processes. The first fixture I was drawn to is named the Sophia which comes in a few different flavors – you can get it as a pendant or a flush mount version which you could mount on the ceiling or as a sconce. It is also available in different sizes with either a polished bronze or polished nickel finish. The second fixture that caught my eye is called the Brutale. Made from organic glass, the hand-crafted glass baubles are strung with fine jewelers chain which adds to the elegance of the piece.

Fine Jewelry for the bath from THG Paris

Design legend Charles Eames was quoted as saying that the details make the design. The faucet sets from THG provide headlining details for a luxurious bath. I photographed a sampling of these while at the show, but THG provides a range of high-end faucets with exquisite handle designs from Baccarat, Bernardaud, Daum, and Lalique to name just a few. The various crystal manufacturers have rendered their designs in a wide range of colors. For example, the Baccarat Pétale de Cristal shown is available in a deep red, noir or black, a deep blue or clear. If that isn’t luxe enough, the hardware can be plated in a variety of finishes, including polished, matte, or rose gold. Seriously, with these crystal handles, I don’t think you would want polished chrome or brass…I’m not judging, I’m just sayin’. These sets are the equivalent of fine jewelry as opposed to costume jewelry if I use a fashion metaphor. I honestly have no idea of the price, but I have one of those little Halcyon Days enameled boxes from England which wisely states “never economise on luxuries.”

Revisit the stone age with Green River Stone Company

This is a unique offering that can be used in any number of ways. Green River specializes in recovering limestone fossils in Wyoming and them crafting them into murals, backsplashes, countertops, furniture, you name it. Basically, you give them an idea of the type of piece you want and the size. They then search through their inventory of fossils and prepare the slab to your specifications. I only photographed a couple of their pieces, but if this type of material appeals to you I’d encourage you to take a look at their website for more inspiration.

Mineralize your environment with Brenda Houston

So here is another geological find, but without the fossils. At the Brenda Houston booth, I saw three types of products either inspired by or crafted from minerals.   First are the tables and shelves, a couple of which are pictured here and make for stylish accent pieces. Second are the lamps (there I go again with the sparkly lighting). Finally, there are the wallcovering and printed textiles which are basically renderings of the minerals used in their hard surface products. A look at Brenda’s website to further explore the possibilities is a must!

 

Naturally, there is a lot of great stuff to see at the show with so many (over 140) manufacturers gathered in one place. If you’re in the LA area next fall, a trip to the fair is a great source of ideas and inspiration.  You can stay up to date on the event at the Westedge site.

So there you have my top five picks. Let me know what you think and where you fantasize about using these offerings in your upcoming design projects.

 

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The Seven Elements of Hollywood Regency Style

These in my mind are the seven big ideas to take away when you think about how to achieve a Hollywood Regency look. Don’t feel like you have to do all seven of these, but some combination of them will get you there. You’ll probably notice that in most cases the images I have selected exhibit multiple elements. That is the beauty of Hollywood Regency – it allows the “promiscuous mix” of design elements we talked about in my blog posts titled An Introduction to Hollywood Regency Design. If you have not seen them, here are the links to Part I and Part II. In addition, I am developing a series of Instagram posts with additional images selected to illustrate the best of this style. You can follow along on Instagram by following me — social links are embedded in this page.  Note that I cannot take credit for most of the images shown here. I identified the sources wherever possible, and for the most part found them through simple Google searches.  There is a lot of design porn here and out there on the internet for your enjoyment and creative inspiration.  My goal is to provide you with examples so you can see what to look for and what works with this style of interior design.

1. Play With Scale. Scale in this context refers to the size or level of something in comparison to what is average. When thinking about Hollywood Regency interior design, we could have furnishings, architectural details or other design elements that are larger or smaller than average. For example in a room with higher than average ceilings, you might have larger than average doors or decorative panels. When it comes to furnishings, you might have items that are lower to the ground. My beloved Brentwood chair as an example has a seat height of 15” which is a bit lower than average, while a canopy chair with its very tall back which provides additional visual height. Note the slideshow  images here from Kelly Wearstler’s 2006 book titled  Domicilium Decoratus which provides rich interior design eye candy with a mix of scales (and super elegant interiors). Mixtures of scales that are appropriate for your space are the first element of the Hollywood Regency style.

Brentwood Chair from William Haines website

Valentine Sofa from William Haines website

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2. Don’t Be Bashful — Color Boldly! Bold pops of color are used freely in these interiors. It may be used on an accent wall, key pieces of furniture, art or accessories. The options are almost endless. Just be careful to know when enough is enough (or not). In addition to the Domicilium Decoratus images above with that beautiful bright orange, here are two additional examples. The first is an image from Jonathan Adler that features a kelly green sofa against a creamy background with pops of black (yes, black can pop). The second image takes an entirely different approach by using a black background and the color pops come from the white sofa and accessories as well as the Kelly green patterned rug. The key is a bold jolt of color, and when used against a black background even white can be a bold choice.

From Jonathan Adler website

3. Use Patterns With Impact. Hollywood Regency interiors often get big impact through the use of pattern. If you look back at the black room from point two above you’ll notice the neo-classically patterned floor rug and side chairs combined with the subtle damask like wall covering.  The image below also shows the use of a large bold geometric pattern on the floor combined with a smaller scale geometric print on the chairs at left. Note also the bold pops of turquoise blue on the campaign chair and accessories combined with the deeper ocean blue on the sofa.  This is all set within a mid-century interior (the fireplace is a dead giveaway).  Notice also in the adjacent space the bold, complementary orange accent wall.

4. Accent With Chinoiserie. I will confess, I am deeply fond of Chinoiserie. Although my home décor doesn’t adhere to enough of the elements here to be considered Hollywood Regency, there is a place for Chinoiserie in many different interior styles. There are a number of ways to incorporate Chinoiserie elements. For example, you can use decorative items like ginger jars, lantern styled lighting fixtures, Chinese Chippendale chairs or beautiful hand painted wallcoverings. Here are some beautiful examples. Note the bedroom scene uses a couple of panels which are a lower cost way to introduce more expensive hand painted papers.  Notice also the pair of turquoise foo dogs on the bench.

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5. Bring On The Gloss. Glossy lacquered furnishings are so appropriate to the Hollywood Regency style. The little apple green chest in the slideshow above is a “three-fer”.  Not only does it have a glossy lacquer finish, but it features Chinoiserie motifs and a bold pop of color.  These are the types of pieces which really “bring it” from a style point of view.  Some of my favorite lacquered pieces at the moment are from Jonathan Adler a few of which are in the slideshow below. I love that he has a number of different pieces that have great hardware and can be made to order in as many as five different colors. He also offers lacquered Chinese Chippendale chairs which would give you a “twofer”.  Another approach is to use a high gloss paint on walls, old furniture or woodwork which is an inexpensive way to go. Yet another option would be a piece of furniture with a more exotic hardwood finish.   Naturally, there are many decorative accessories you can choose from to bring a bit of gloss into the room.

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6. Touchable Tactile Textures. There are a lot of ways to bring textured textiles into the room and delight the senses– textured wallcoverings, plush velvets on the sofa, silk pillows, leather, and fur throws are just a few. If you scroll back through the images you’ll find these in many of the previous examples in addition to the ones shown below.

7. Pretty Shinny Things.  Bring additional sparkle into the room with items like mirrors (may include mirrored furniture), lighting fixtures and reflective surfaces.  These items add instant glamor and drama, especially when the room is lit.  Don’t forget to create layers of lighting as they are needed in every room design regardless of the design style.  The four basic layers are ambient, decorative, task, and accent — I look forward to explaining these further in an upcoming post.  Your biggest bang (from a “sparkle” point of view) is likely to come from effective decorative and accent lighting.  This is very important, however with Hollywood Regency as these interiors are meant to be dramatic and glamorous.  If you look back at the previous images, you will see examples in addition to the ones shown below.