I’ve been on a quest for drapery hardware for my dining room.  I mean, I am finally getting curtains made – you know what they say about the cobbler’s children have no shoes, right? – and it just won’t do that I can’t put them up.  But it’s been a tougher search than I expected.  So many companies either don’t offer any finials that I like – too fussy!  too ornate! – or don’t have the finish that I need.  Until now.  Enter The Finial Company!  Seriously, with a name like The Finial Company, how could they not carry something that fits my clean and modern, yet classic aesthetic??  The Finial Company also offers an amazing array of finishes – really, I don’t know any other line at its price point that has such a great selection – so I knew I’d be able to find the finish I needed. 

What do you think?  It’s part of the Neo-Classics collection, which I think describes it perfectly.  I love how the finial is almost the “typical” crystal ball … but not quite.  I think the little “bubbles” are fabulous.  I’m still waiting on the finish samples – pewter is shown in the photo - but I will likely go with silver patina or platinum.  Now my drapery hardware really will be the jewelry my windows “deserve!”

Where did you find your drapery hardware?  Are you interested in drapery hardware from The Finial Company?  It’s sold to the design trade only, but I’d be glad to help you!       

Photo from Read Window

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I have been trying hard to answer a question emailed by Molly M. from Charlotte, but it has proven more difficult than I expected!  I’ll fill you in more later, but basically we are trying to match a paint color that I am fairly certain was custom-mixed … perhaps by Duron, which – now that Duron was purchased by Sherwin-Williams – no longer uses the same paint colorants that it used to use.  I’ve gotten sooooo very close  … but what I have needs a tweak.  So today’s post is unfortunately brief and tomorrow I’ll be headed to visit Frank at Eastway Paint for some of his expert mixing.  I look forward to giving Molly M. – and you – the answer in the near future, but – until then – I’ll let you contemplate “the foremost imponderables of all time.”  Ha ha! 

  Sign at Eastway Paint – because yes, everyone always wants to know where Frank is … and when will he be back!

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Hanging pictures can be a total pain!  I can definitely do it, but it’s far from my favorite task.  If I have a lot to hang, or am working on a complicated arrangement, I will often call Eric Olson.  Eric is an artist in his own right (who happens to be represented by my favorite gallery in Charlotte) but also a professional picture hanger.  It makes my life easier, and – because he is so good at what he does - it’s cost-effective as well.  He just hung some pictures for The Bachelorette (finally!), and it made a world of difference in the rooms.  Measure this, measure that, tap the nail, check to make sure it’s level … and it’s perfect every time.  Three cheers for Eric!

If paying a professional picture hanger is not in the budget, however, let me share an amazing DIY option for creating a photo gallery - The Picturewall Company and its signature product, the Perfectpicturewall.  With the Perfectpicturewall, you get 10 picture frames – in either one or two inch widths, with your choice of finish – and corresponding archival mats, hanging hardware, and fabulous templates for hanging the frames in a large rectangle (your choice of four different positions) or up a staircase (your choice of two directions).  To create larger arrangements, just add another set … or two … or three.  The easy guidelines will show you how to combine the templates.

Don’t have enough photos to fill the frames?  No worries!  The Picturewall Company also gives you access to their image gallery, so you can choose images that fit your style.  Replace them later … or maybe not if you like them that much!  I think they’ve got some really cool choices.  Wouldn’t this set be perfect in a modern nursery or playroom?   

Now this DIY is just my speed – the work has already been done for you!  Thanks to one of my favorite bloggers, Maria with Colour me Happy, for cluing me in on this product! 

Photo from The Picturewall Company

Like this post?  Be sure to subscribe to my RSS Feeds!  Or, to view this blog through Facebook, click "Follow this Blog" in the NetworkedBlogs box.  You can also find me on Twitter, @tracizeller, and on Facebook, where my fan page is www.facebook.com/TraciZellerDesigns.  Thanks for reading!  

Ooooooohhhhh, I just got word about Boyles Ultimate Furniture Clearance Sale!  They're advertising 60,000 square feet full of manufacturer-authorized markdowns on samples, overstocks, discontinued product and lightly damaged furniture from all of my favorite brands - Baker, Hickory Chair, Henredon, Ralph Lauren, Hancock & Moore and more.  The sale is Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Boyles Corporate Facility in Conover, North Carolina.  Download the flyer for all of the details, including a map. 

I'm heading up there on Thursday for a private preview.  Fingers crossed that I come home with something fun.  Let me know if you are looking for anything in particular, and I'll keep an eye out! 

warehouse sale ad.pdf (208.12 kb)

Charlotte is really lucky to be home to some fabulous high-end showrooms - Walker Zanger, Stark Carpet, Karen Saks, Brunschwig & Fils, and so on.  With the exception of Walker Zanger, however, all of these showrooms are "to the trade only" - meaning that you have to be with a designer in order to shop.  But here's something you might not know about the Stark Carpet showroom.  It also has a fantastic outlet, where you can find broadloom (wall to wall) carpet and area rugs ... and the outlet is open to the public!   Susan, my very knowledgeable sales associate at Stark, emailed me today to let me know that they are having a sale on everything in the outlet.  I'm hoping I might find something for The Bachelorette's living room.  Maybe then you'll get some "after" photos! 

Stark is conveniently located off I-77.  The address is 11415 Granite Street, Suite A - don't worry; you can't miss it - and they are open Monday through Friday from 9 to 6 and Saturday from 10 to 6.   So head over there and check it out ... and don't forget to ask for Susan.  Let me know what you find!  

Photo from Stark Carpet

Remember this post?  Well, Graham & Brown is offering 20% off the "Frames" wallpaper, now through August 31, with the code "SummerSale."  So act fast!

In the mood for more than wallpaper?  Baker Furniture (you know I love them so!) is having their Fall Sale through October 19, with special discounts on Baker, Milling Road and McGuire furniture, lighting and accessories.  For an even better deal on Baker, head to Boyles Distinctive Furniture ASAP!  Boyles - probably Charlotte's largest Baker dealer - is offering a special "tax break sale" through August 31, during which they'll give you a discount equal to the sales tax amount on your furniture, bedding or accessory purchase. 

Happy shopping!   specistorewide discount equal to the
sales tax amount on your furniture, bedding or accessory purchase

I may have stumbled across the perfect housewarming gift.  (Well, technically speaking, Daily Candy turned me on to it.  Whatever.) 

But how cute is this?  What a fun way to always know which key is your house key ... among all of those others that you aren't sure what they belong to any longer!  You just buy the blank and take it to your local locksmith to cut to fit your door locks.  Love it!   

Photo from Stat Key Company

I am so not a morning person!  Ever since my twin boys arrived, my alarm clock has been banished to a nightstand drawer.  After all, I have two built-in alarm clocks!  But every once in a rare while, I pull my trusty alarm clock out ... and last Friday was one of those days.  Why, you ask?  The Baker factory sale, of course!  Despite having a late meeting the evening before, I woke up way too early, rolled out of bed and into gym clothes, and hit the road to Connelly Springs.  It's an easy hour and fifteen minutes from Charlotte, especially easy when you are on the road way before the morning commuters.  Ths time, I remembered to bring a folding chair (although I forgot to bring it home - oops!) and a magazine, so I passed my time in line reading the latest InStyle and eating a hot Krispy Kreme doughnut generously shared by another shopper.  Yum, yum!  Thank you, whomever you are!!

And guess what was waiting for me???

Can you believe it?  A Barbara Barry iron tripod table, exactly what I daydreamed about!  I cannot even express how excited I was.  As I made my way through the rows of furniture, I was thrown off for a moment by the marble top (Emperador Light, I believe).  I haven't seen the tripod table like that before, and the website doesn't show marble as an option.  My best guess is that this was a custom piece for a customer who changed her mind or perhaps just a one-off for a showroom or other display.  Either way, I scored!  And here's the best part - the marble top is not attached to the table, so if I want to use it "plain" (which also makes the table much smaller), I will simply have a antiqued mirror top cut to fit, et voila!  Pricing-wise, I paid about 1/3 of retail for the "standard" table (with an antique mirror top).  I have no way of knowing what the additional charge would have been for the marble top.  Most of the tags at the sale indicate the sale price and the regular retail price, but the regular retail price on the tag for my table was blank.    Regardless,  I'm thrilled!  

Overall, the sale was great.  I didn't come home with anything else - I got what I came for! - but there were a number of pieces that I really loved ... and a few incredible deals.  If I were furnishing a home from scratch, I would have come home with more than a few things!  No news yet on the next sale, but I'll let you know when I get word.  I wouldn't expect another for six months or so.   

Oh, and a big hello to Kathleen, a fellow designer from Charlotte.  Kathleen and I were neighbors in line.  We hadn't met previously, but she recognized me from the blog.  Kathleen, email me your contact info if you get a chance!      

I just love corporate "families."  It's so interesting to me how a company uses different brands to appeal to different market segments.  I'm fascinated by the similarities and differences you see in the brands.  For instance, with Banana Republic, Gap and Old Navy, Gap, Inc. hits three different price points ... and presumably three different consumers (although I shop at all three - mainly Banana Republic but occasionally Gap for me, Gap and Old Navy for my twin boys).  There's also Janie and Jack, Gymboree and Crazy 7, as well as Martin + Osa, American Eagle Outfitters, and 77 Kids.  In the home arena, you have Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Williams-Sonoma and West Elm. Oh, and I almost forgot Crate & Barrel and The Land of Nod. 

Well, I guess Restoration Hardware got jealous!  Not only did they debut Restoration Hardware Baby & Child (which I love) a while ago, now they are going more upscale.  According to an article in the New York Times, Restoration Hardware is opening The Flatiron Gallery in NYC on September 10. The Times quotes Gary Friedman, the company's CEO, as saying "With the unsettled economy, a lot of retailers are going down-market.  We decided to go in the opposite direction."  I find that to be an interesting strategic choice - especially considering other recent news - but I'm excited to see the store (both its merchandise and its price point) when it opens!  You can bet that's on my list for my next visit to the Big Apple.    

Now here's a design philosophy that I can get on board with.  How refreshing to read this from an editor of a major shelter magazine! 

"[I]n the real world, outside the design-magazine bubble, I prefer to avoid saying that the light fixture someone has just purchased is now a bit overexposed or that this style rug should stay and that one must go because it's currently out of favor with the decorating gods.  Because truly, none of that really matters if you love it."

"While there are certainly always new products and trends that capture our attention, we try to bring you the ones we think will endure beyond a turn in the calendar year or a fickle heart, because we firmly believe in the value of design that lasts.  More important, the real key to having a home you think is beautiful is surrounding yourself with whatever speaks to you, regardless of what the latest big thing may be."

- Karen Carroll, editor of Southern Accents (July/August 2009 issue)

I couldn't agree more!  While we all want to stay current, that shouldn't come at the expense of your comfort or style.  In my view, the most important design feature of a home is that the owners love and feel comfortable in their space. 

Of course, it just figures that Southern Accents would be the latest victim of this economy; Time, Inc. announced earlier this month that it would shutter Southern Accents magazine.  SouthernAccents.com will remain online, however, so at least that is some small consolation. 

Consider this my vote to have Karen Carroll or Dominique Browning - someone a little more in touch with reality! - replace Paige Rense at Architectural Digest.  Thanks to Heather of Habitually Chic for letting us know that might be in the works.  I've got my fingers crossed!