Friday, May 20, 2011

The Hour of the Flower

Flowers are everywhere it seems. Just budding across the spreads of fashion magazines and right into our clothes and accessories . . .
photo via Elle - Spring 2011 Fashion Essentials
It is spring afterall, and it's time for gardens, weddings, sun dresses and even flowy flowery hair (see coco+kelley)

Feminine, flirty and fun. These flowers are adding just the right pop of color in a very sweet way.
And guess what. . . 
photo via free people 

I've got some fun little flower treats for you. We took some floral fabric and mixed them together to create some baskets and rugs to bring some flirty fun to your life. Because who doesn't need a little of that to remind us that those warmer, sunny days are just around the corner. . . right?
spring mix floral rug - cmi

spring mix floral rug - cmi
spring mix floral basket - cmi
Contact cmi for more info and where to get some. thanks! or email here

Friday, May 13, 2011

Porch Punch

It's Friday and the sun is shining. . . finally!
Busy week and I am so grateful to be sitting here on my front porch with my daughter (upstairs having "quiet time.") singing to herself about flowers and coloring. 
Been a bit since I posted so I figured why not just jump right in. 

The truth is I've been wanting to post about my porch makeover that was focused around my new rug, but I've been waiting until I get all things in place. Well. . . sneak peek into my daily life. . . it's not all in place.
At least the RUG is in place. 
Here's where we're at so far. . . 


I chose a color palette that had various neutral tones with just small pops of color to liven it up a bit and be a nice contrast to the wood floors and slatted ceiling, but compliment the white trim as well. I'm thinking of even painting the shingles white.
The yarn itself is a mix of both Sunbrella acrylic and polypropylene. They are both stain-mildew resistant and extremely easy to take care of. First color and then content were my priorities and I actually like how the softness of the acrylic and the slight sheen of the polypropylene work together. 
Also, I chose for the braids to run the length of the rug so as to really expand the space and tie the two ends of the porch together. They've always seemed to function so separately and now the space is far more cohesive, and even feels larger. The rug brings you from one end to another.
The size is a bit narrower so that it functions somewhat like a runner and allows for the floor to show. 


Enjoy the weekend! Off to get ready for my porch cocktails. . . 

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

ESKAYEL Fabric Baskets

Eskayel Dynasty fabric

Eskayel Dynasty-Galileo basket


Very excited to be writing about these new baskets created for NY based design studio, Eskayel.
I first came across founder, Shanan Campanaro's designs when her new Era Collection was featured on design*sponge.
Immediately I was drawn to the intricate and detailed patterns and thoughtful use of color. Her collections are modern and elegant, yet calming and artistic. Beautifully done.
So you can imagine my delight when we got together to create these one of a kind baskets using her fabrics.
Shanan hand selected some of her fabrics and grouped them together according to pattern and color to create the overall look of each basket.

Eskayel Aquarius - Sapphire fabric

Eskayel Aquarius - Sapphire fabric
Fabric sliced and in cord form ready to be sewn into basket
 
Fatima sewing the base of the basket
Finished - Eskayel Aquarius Feudal Facet basket

The fabric itself is pretty amazing so it was cool to see how it would translate into this form. I'm loving it.
You can view and shop Eskayel's entire collection of fabric, wallpaper, wall hangings, artwork, pillows and baskets here.
A huge thanks to Shanan for being so great. . . and talented!
Check Eskayel out at the ICFF May 14-17. more info here
For more photos follow after the jump. . . 

Graham & Brown

Super stylish and easy to use wallpaper from Graham & Brown can be seen here in the displays and vingettes of our updated showrooms which debuted in Atlanta and Las Vegas this year. 
cmi's Atlanta showroom using Graham &  Brown's Nottingham Cream wallpaper

Graham & Brown - Nottingham Cream wallpaper

I loved this wallpaper for many reasons. At $60 a roll I was able to find something that was both stylish and incredibly easy to use. We had a fairly tight budget for the redo of our showroom interiors and were doing all of the work ourselves. Therefore, we need something that was going to be quick and easy. And of course. . . it had to look good!
The interior space was to introduce our 7 new collections, our stunning photography (Adam Schneider) and reflect cmi's fresh new image.
I wanted the space to act a bit like a home. So when you walked into the showroom you really felt you were experiencing a space you could live in. The wallpaper worked to tie all of this together and give it an additional dimension. And with Graham & Brown's paste the wall technique, you just had to stick it on. Granted . . . I was not the one that did the actual pasting of the wallpaper. But, my "workerbee" (boss) did say he was impressed with how easy and quick it was. Wish I could say the same for all the painting we did.
The first vingette, shown above, highlights rugs from our Perspective Collection, offering a more modern look through construction and content.
Shear Natural, a 100% un-dyed all natural wool adds a wonderful element of texture while being eco-conscious, a very current trend in design. (see Nature + Texture = Responsibile Style) The modern contoured rectangle shape with small accent stripe keeps the form simple, yet updated.
The Allure collection offers a striped, rectangle design in a sophisticated color palette of grays and neutrals with gentle pops of muted green, teal and mauve. All wool blend adds to the softness and warmth of this collection.
The organic and natural feeling of it all made the Nottingham Cream wallpaper a perfect fit with it's forest-like design, neutral tones and soft metallic highlights for a bit of contemporary flare.



cmi's Atlanta showroom using Graham & Brown's Frames wallpaper

Graham & Brown - Frames wallpaper

The first time I saw this wallpaper was quite a while ago, but I couldn't wait to use it somewhere. So I just bought a roll thinking I would put it on a wall in my daughter's playroom at some point. At $45 a roll. . . why not?!
As I began developing our product line and concept for the showrooms, I realized this would be the perfect fit for our Generation Collection display. It's funky, fun and creative.
The softness of the chenilles and gentle ticking colors in our juvenille rugs offer a nice balance next to the black and white of the wallpaper. And with the uneven edges of the frames, the playfulness really comes through.
It also creates a space for visitors and customers to leave their mark! I can't wait to see how the wall develops over the next markets. 
In Las Vegas, our 2 national sales managers (who I will leave nameless) chose to get a little creative with the wall as we will be moving spaces for the August 2011 market. Quite entertaining. But, don't look too close. . . they were in Vegas after all.  

vegas

For a full peak at our showroom makeover with before and after photos follow after the jump
Let me know what you think!