Pillow Details

I had to show the detail of the swirling rosette on the origami pillow. The written description was just not working! Also, I wanted to say that the white slipcovers on the wing chairs are a cotton duck and are very washable! Just pop them in the old Maytag and pop them back on the chairs if you get a spill! We pre-washed this fabric prior to making the slipcovers. It make for great function...but still has a fabulous look.

Latest in our Showroom/Outlet

We have the first wave of merchandise installed at our showroom/outlet at the Galleries at Southside in downtown Chattanooga. Here is a quick snap of what some of it looks like. The going colors are deep ORANGE, bright white, and rough natural linens. We've thrown in a bit of spice with a deep aqua color called "Rain" as well as some muted greens. The small pillows you see in the white slipcovered wing chairs are part of our "origami series". There is a highly dimensional, swirling rose design with some incredible mitered corner work surrounding it. I'll be posting more pix of the origami babies soon!

Pillow and Cushion Details!

Here's some more details from the job I've been posting about lately.

The kitchen chair cushions are covered in a classic Cowtan and Tout check in the dark brown color the decorator repeated throughout the kitchen, dining room and den. We created a paper pattern of the chair seat and had a high-quality/high-density foam cut to match the shape before covering them with zippered covers with ties. This foam will give good support for years to come and not go flat & lose their spring after a few months of use. When it comes to foam quality, you really do get what you pay for! A while back, when the price of petroleum based products soared, foam prices went right along. But it is always worth investing in a quality cushion insert.

The pillows for the living room sofa were divine. We especially love the flanged, boxed lumbar pillow in the coral stripe you see in the foreground. Lori has a secret "magic trick" to stitch those babies!

Roman Shades with Grosgrain trim

Here are the Roman shades that were shown in the last post after installation! The wide, chocolate brown grosgrain ribbon on the creamy white linen fabric was a totally genious decision. I'll be posting pictures of other window treatments and pillows for this job in their new home in the next few days!

"House Beautiful" Fabric

This is how a job can look before going out the door to be installed! Here the window treatments and pillows are gathered on our drapery horse in the shop. The fabrics look great together and were carefully chosen by the decorator...in this case, Susan Lesourd of Chattanooga. Notice the main print fabric she chose? It is featured on page 124-125 of the December/January 2010 issue of House Beautiful. In the magazine, its shown in a blue/brown colorway. It is great stuff with a fabulous feel to it.

Window Treatments Dramatic & on Display!

Well, while we are on the subject of dramatically colored and high impact draperies.....
We had a comment posted here on the blog by a recent shop visitor wanting details of a top secret drapery project we had squirreled away in a corner. Since the cat is partially out of the bag, I've decided to post a "teaser" shot of this venture. This is a fabric swatch of some amazing window treatments we are making for display. The fabric is a pumpkin-colored stylized print from Duralee. It is very young and fresh. It will look sublime against our brownish-gray walls.

They are part of our new Spring collection that we are unveiling late February or early March at The Brick Path Mercantile. For those who don't know, "The Mercantile" is our design showroom & store located at The Galleries at Southside. The Galleries is a home decor mall located in the 1400 block of Cowart Street in downtown Chattanooga (It's 2 blocks West of the Historic Chattanooga Choo Choo Hotel and Train Station.)

We will be be stocking a fresh batch of distinctive pillows (some outlandishly striking) that we've dreamed up (as well as elegant traditional ones.) Past purchasers of our pillows have enjoyed and appreciated the luxury of the 25/75 down/feather pillow forms as well as the zippers on the covers that allow for removal for cleaning.

The collection will also include our standards like the beautiful white table cloth and napkin sets, tea cozies, neck warmers, and unique grommeted bags we call Astro Bags. New will be some out of the ordinary shopping bags you won't be able to resist! We have more "Chattanooga Made" items that we will be putting out as surprises...but for now, they will remain that - surprises!

Window Treatments - Red Drapery - WOW!

These incredible red, faux silk draperies were designed by a local decorator for a client in North Chattanooga. Becky Wilson of Galleries at Southside wanted a dramatic dining room in this adorable, light filled home that was built in the 1930's. When Becky showed me the fabric sample, I suggested she line and interline them with a product called Bella Notte Duet. It is a light-blocking lining/interlining combination that has the bonus feature of turning window treatments into something closely akin to a ballgown...with a crisp, flowing elegance. We chose this mainly so that light wouldn't pass through the red fabric and cast a red glow into the room. The bright red color is an energetic choice that will make for lively dinners... but an overly bright red glow would have created an almost "surreal" effect that might have been a bit over-the-top! This is the type of technical advice a workroom like ours can offer designers, decorators and homeowners. Unless you've had the experience with certain products and materials, it is easy to make a decision with an unexpected consequence --- like an unearthly "science fiction" feel to your dining room!

Also, note the beautiful iron hardware Becky selected and the long, thin wrought iron wands used to open and close the drapes. They become a design feature instead of a strictly utilitarian characteristic.