I apologize in advance that my posting may become a little more intermittent and brief in the next few weeks.  I am officially in the third trimester, business has really picked up, we list our house right after Labor Day and still have to find a house in Dallas.  Finding a preschool there that will take a 2.5 year old child mid-year has been next to impossible (any Dallas readers have any leads in the Park Cities?); and oh yes, I am trying to potty train Maddie before baby #2 arrives…..and progress is slow at best!  How is that for keeping it real around here?

So, at the moment I am busy decluttering and trying to work my way through my ever growing “to-do” list while keeping my sanity.

But, I wanted to share this beauty I saw on Facebook earlier this week.  This chandelier is in new product development at Niermann Weeks and will reportedly hit showrooms soon.

Coquille Chandelier, Camel & Gold Leaf Finish

Now, this image lifted my spirits.  Isn’t it beautiful?!?  I think I’ll dream of it today as I am in my dark basement storage room sifting through and organizing what seems like more stuff than it should be humanly possible for a family to collect!

Fromental was established in 2005 with its main office and design studio in London and a team of artists in China.  Founded by Tim Butcher, previously the creative director at de Gournay, and Lizzie Deshayes, a textile designer, Fromental seeks  “to create the world’s most beautiful wallpapers.”  Based on the images below, I think they are well on their way….

Photograph by Colleen Duffley for Traditional Home

The above image from Traditional Home Magazine was taken at a Showhouse in Atlanta.  This image has been all around blogosphere, so this is likely not the first time you have seen it.  Below, I love the close up look at the paper.

Photograph by Colleen Duffley for Traditional Home

From Fromental’s 20th Century collection, the “Chinese Sparrow” paper comes in a number of standard colorways.  It is also available in custom colors, as above.  It is available in a number of different ways, from simply painted to part-embroidered on silk or painted backgrounds.  The sky is the limit (and, truthfully, perhaps the budget).

The below image is also from the 20th Century collection and is called “Prunus.”  Can you think of anything more luxurious than the texture that the embroidery on the petals would provide?

Photograph via Financial Times

The below image has been dog eared in my inspiration files for some time.  I love the entire Georgetown townhouse designed by Allesandra Branca.   I absolutely love the yellow in this living room, and how cheerful and cozy does this little corner look?

Photograph by Thibault Jeanson for Southern Accents

Fromental currently has three wallpaper collections available, in addition to custom work.  First is the Chinoiserie Collection.  This collection includes images of birds and flowers, lotus & carp and Singerie, where monkeys are “engaged in various human pursuits set in a fantastical landscape of mountains, rivers and pagodas.”  (All subsequent images are from Fromental).

I featured a couple of images from the “20th Century” collection at the top of this post.  And finally, Fromental offers a “Roomskins Collection,” which features plain paper backed with silks and velvets.  And, while they are unique on their own, they are also suitable for use above and below chair rails in coordination with other Fromental papers.

Geometric Roomskins

Textured Roomskins

Strata Roomskins

Finally, Italian silk and velvet are paper wrapped to be hung on the wall.  Available in 20 colorways.

I could have kept going on and on about how fabulous these papers are.  I have literally spent hours on their website reading about the various techniques and processes behind the various papers.  They are truly works of art.  What do you think, if money were not an object could you find a place in your home for one of their papers?  I’d love to hear about it.

Can you guess what the following images have in common?

Photograph by John Bessler for Traditional Home

Photograph by Jenifer Jordan for Traditional Home

Photograph by Michal Venera for Traditional Home

Photograph by Nick Johnson for Traditional Home

Photograph by Phillip Ennis for Traditional Home

Photograph by Nick Johnson for Traditional Home

Photograph by Michal Venera for Traditional Home

Photograph by John Bessler for Traditional Home

Photograph by Gordon Beall for Traditional Home

Image via Apartment Therapy

Image via Apartment Therapy

Image via Apartment Therapy

Did you guess it?  The carpet in each of the above images is from Stark Carpet.  Stark has been around for over 67 years and the name alone conjures up images of luxury.  It is a family business that has grown over the years to include fabrics, wall-coverings and furniture, in addition carpets under its large umbrella.

From natural textures like sisal and seagrass, to more contemporary designs by current designers, antiques and reproductions, to completely custom works that have graced such places as The White House and the Smithsonian, Stark has something for everyone.

Below are some images from the various carpet and rug collections at Stark.

Alexa Hampton Carpet Collection

A Favorite from the Alexa Hampton Rug Collection

David Hicks Carpet Collection

I have a sample of the Logo, Desert Night colorway here with me and I am dying to find a place to use it.  I am thinking a man’s office, the colors remind me of a pair of gray dress pants.  The actual sample does not read as black as the image above.

Other designer collections at Stark include Bilhuber, Diamond Baratta, Geoffrey Bradfield, Howard Slatkin, Nina Campbell, and Sherrill Canet.

Of course, Stark has a plethora of animal prints available for any number installations.  Having seen larger samples,  I am loving the antelope and the brown zebra loop.

I am also loving the Ebbe & Flow collection, which is a combination of wool/viscose/cotton.  It almost feels like shag carpet and looks like corduroy, the sheen is to die for.  It is another one I am dying to use.

And, at the risk of providing too much information (maybe I already have) I also love a few of these from the New Oriental Tibetan stocked rugs.

Stark Carpet has a fairly good consumer website.  And, the trade site is excellent (I didn’t even begin to touch on antique rugs, fabrics, furniture or wall-coverings here!)  So, if you are looking for something particular or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.  I am always willing to help.

Growing up we moved around a lot–and my parents built two custom homes.  My mom always had a designer, and Stark was a name I heard at various times.  My mom used a lot of their wall to wall carpets in the bedrooms.  So, when I first visited with Erica from the Stark Washington DC showroom, my preconceived notion was of products that would be very traditional and a bit predictable.  That notion was certainly dispelled for me–my sample library is brimming with inspiration from Stark.  I hope you like what you have seen as well.

**Note, my original post included links to the full collections I touched on here.  When checking all of the links, I realized they broke when I was not logged in to the trade portal.  So, if you want to see more, shoot me an email, it is no trouble.**

In a time where the home decor industry remains on shaky ground, Brooks Brothers–known for its striped ties and traditional American mensware– has announced it is expanding into the home furnishings market.  The Wall Street Journal reported it first on February 16, 2010.  According to the article, Brooks Brothers has long used its fabrics on home accessories for in-store and catalog displays.  And, customers have frequently tried to purchase them.  So, they  have finally decided to deliver.

Brooks Brothers via Wall Street Journal

Reportedly, the line will include pillows, towels, lampshades and sheets made out of the same materials and fabrics that have rendered Brooks Brothers clothes classics.  Look for the line to debut in the Fall 2010.

Could this be another foray into the mensware-inspired accessories for the home?

Photographed by Lucas Allen for Metropolitan Home

What do you think about the idea?  Do you have any great mensware inspired products we should check out?  Maybe I should not be so quick to rotate out my husbands worn shirts…….perhaps a pillow or two are in order?