Marketplace: In the Kitchen with Kate Spade

February 11, 2016 | 1 Commentary

In the fall, I brought you news from High Point Market of Kate Spade’s new line of furniture and home accessories. While I don’t particularly love the furniture as much as a lot of other people do, there are a select few items that I do really like (e.g., pom pom throw, Afton coffee table, many rugs), but, overall, it’s too much “bow” for me to commit to.

Its kitchen collection, however, is right up my black and white alley. In keeping with true Kate Spade style, it’s peppy and pretty and polka dotted! Oh, and of course there are plenty of bows thrown into the mix, too. Obviously. This is Kate Spade after all!

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deco dot tea kettle, $50

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3 piece ice cream set, $40

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cookie cutter and storage tin set, $25

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bow trivet, $15

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Eat Cake for Breakfast cake plate, $35

Design: Jaipur Rugs at HPMKT

November 17, 2015 | 3 Commentaries

As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, two showrooms really stood out to me during my first visit to High Point: Visual Comfort & Co. and Jaipur. I already shared my experience at Visual Comfort and my meeting with Aerin Lauder. Today, I’m bringing you news from Jaipur Rugs.

One of the reasons that we put Jaipur on our must-see list was because of its newly released Kate Spade collection of rugs, throws, and pillows. What I wasn’t expecting was to be impressed by everything beyond the Kate Spade items. I was! It was an absolutely beautiful showroom, and there were so many items I wanted to lug home! Here, have a look:

And from Jaipur’s website, here are some of the poufs, pillows, and rugs that I think would look great in so many spaces:

Astor by Kate Spade – AKN10

Aston – ATO02

City – CT82

Flat Iron – Kate Spade – FKN04

Gramercy – Kate Spade – GKN20

Gorgeous, right? I’m sure you can now see why Jaipur really captured my attention at High Point.

Design: Aerin Lauder & Visual Comfort at HPMKT

November 6, 2015 | 1 Commentary

Okay, okay, so today’s title doesn’t really leave you guessing about my design-star-struck moment, does it? Yes, it’s true, I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Aerin Lauder at the Visual Comfort & Co. showroom at High Point Market just a couple of weeks ago.

Aerin & me

It was a complete treat to meet Aerin and to take photos of her with her gorgeous lighting designs serving as the backdrop.

Her collection of varied pieces is really quite stunning. I love the sleekness of the Clemente line, the sparkle in the Bonnington and Lynn pieces, and the texture on the Hampton lights. I feel like there is something for everyone in this collection (and I’m not just saying that because I met Aerin and her PR team!).

featuring Bonnington wall sconce

featuring Paix table lamp, Clemente table lamp, Charlton lights

featuring Trieste table lamp, Iveala single sconce, O’Connor pendant

featuring the Lilian table lamp

featuring the Montreuil chandelier and sconces

the Hampton collection Aerin Lauder

The collection is full of so many pretty pieces, isn’t it? You can click Aerin Lauder lighting collection to see all the pieces currently available.

Design: Visual Comfort Lighting at HPMKT

November 5, 2015 | 6 Commentaries

I’m back today with another update from my first High Point Market experience. I already shared my overall impression of HPMKT and my prediction of trends, but today I’m sharing a close-up look at one company in particular that really came to impress!

As soon as I stepped into the Visual Comfort & Co. showroom, I was pretty much speechless. The staff was extremely welcoming and informative, and I instantly learned so much about Visual Comfort’s place in the lighting industry and its many designer partnerships. Based in Houston, Texas, Visual Comfort manufactures lighting for the likes of Thomas O’Brien, Kelly Wearstler, Aerin Lauder, Alexa Hampton, and Suzanne Kasler (impressive list, right? See the full list of designers here.).

Visual Comfort & Co. showroom entrance at High Point Market

Here’s some of what caught my eye (warning, beautiful forms lie ahead):

E.F. Chapman

E. F. Chapman

Thomas O’Brien

Kate Spade

Aerin Lauder

Suzanne Kasler

Gorgeous, right? Every piece was even more beautiful in person if you can believe it. The showroom sparkled!

And…for your entertainment…here’s how I spent much of my time at Visual Comfort:

Action shot! Thanks, Corie, for snapping this one.

Come back tomorrow as I’ll be sharing my design-star-struck moment.

Photos by Jordana.

Event: High Point Market in North Carolina

October 27, 2015 | 2 Commentaries

My apologies for the lack of posts over the last few days. I didn’t mean to step away from my blog, but life has been hectic, and I couldn’t find even a minute to write. I have loads to share, but I’m not quite sure how quickly my news will come. My week is absolutely hectic (MBA life and work life are completely overwhelming this week!), but I’ll do my best to keep on writing!

Last week I had the pleasure of attending High Point Market in North Carolina. Oh man, was it ever interesting! I was only there for one day, so there was absolutely no way to see everything. That said, I had a fully productive High Point adventure, and I’m happy to share my recap with you.

I found High Point Market to be a very well-run operation. Getting to Market was completely effortless as was the parking and shuttle situation (side note: my TomTom came in handy once again and I discovered even more features that I like). After we parked our car in the free parking lot organized by the market, my sister and I hopped on the shuttle trolley which took us directly to the centre of Market. Effort-less.

I have quite a bit to share, but for this post, I’ll begin with what I discovered as I walked through the showrooms at the International Home Furnishings Center.

The furniture and accessories at Noir were cool, modern, and had a rock-n-roll vibe. Some of the accessories reminded me of Kelly Wearstler designs. I was smitten with the bookshelves and some of the side tables.

Selamat was chock-full of bamboo pieces, and the quality of the metal bamboo pieces really surprised me.

I wanted just about everything at Europe2You. As soon as I stepped in the showroom, I felt like I had traveled to France. The displays and styling were absolutely gorgeous, and the showroom staff was friendly. In this showroom, I was drawn to a lot of the art installations. I think the cameos (see photo below) are especially interesting and unique.

Speaking of all things French, Eloquence had a bed and a daybed that I adore! (and I realized only recently that I already featured the bed here). It was such a pretty and feminine space.

The acrylic pieces at B. Pila Design were unexpected, unusual, and definitely hip. They were unlike anything else I saw in my short time at the market.

Finally, Currey & Co. was full of so many beautiful items. Their selection of lighting fixtures was sort of overwhelming, but I was drawn to all the pieces that had shells on them. I think I need a beach house. As an added bonus, Currey & Co. generously offered food, so we were able to enjoy delicious bread pudding (among other things) while we were browsing the showroom goodies.

As you can observe, High Point Market includes items from across the design spectrum. Traditional, French, delicate, modern, rock and roll, refined, quirky…there was something for everyone!

To wrap-up today’s High Point post, I thought I’d share six trends that I spotted at High Point Market (regardless of the design focus). They are:
1. books without covers on them
2. navy
3. gold
4. shells (including oyster shells) on mirrors, furniture, lighting, etc.
5. bamboo
6. acrylic

Later this week (I hope!), I’ll share news about Visual Comfort & Co. and Jaipur, which ended up becoming my two favourite stops on my High Point tour.

Note: High Point Market takes place twice each year. The spring market is scheduled for April 16-20, 2016. Will you attend?

Photos by me.

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