I've moved! I have boosted my design blog . . .given it a little makeover and a new address!
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xoxo Allison Feldman Egan
http://www.spicerandbank.blogspot.com/
For a country as brand conscious and business oriented as Singapore, I was deeply surprised at the lack of home decor and furniture stores! Aside from IKEA, it is pretty slim pickings here - that's why I am so excited to have stumbled upon Taylor B. Design! A godsend! Housed in a warehouse (previously used for industrial grocery storage), expats Nicole Brandon and her husband have a fantastic selection of furniture, art, and accessories at really great prices! Sourcing directly from China, Thailand, and other SE Asian countries, Taylor B. sells to other shops but if you contact them, they also sell to public by appointment. The hidden location and long ride up in a dusty freight elevator are well worth the wonderful finds here (plus it feels like an exciting scavenger hunt)! I especially love their mix of Eastern and Western styles and the vintage and antique feel of many of their pieces.
The first image is of the exterior of the warehouse - what a surprise to find such beautiful things inside! I totally fell in love with the over scaled driftwood buddha but seeing as how he was almost as tall as me, I opted for a much smaller antiqued version in terracotta - happy to say he is settling in at home quite nicely!
Taylor B. Design has no website but here is how can reach them should you be in Singapore (and if so, give me a shout as well!)
Taylor B. Fine Design Group
43 Keppel Road, 4th floor
+65 6225-7090
taylorbdesign@gmail.com
Design Press . . . Allison Feldman Egan
www.designpress.typepad.com
While I still have images of France swirling in my head, I thought I would share my obsession with vintage grain sacks. . . I know, this sounds a bit odd but like almost everything else French, vintage grain sacks can look so chic and so relaxed - a combination I love! They remind me of all the amazing boulangerie in France and something about the faded, simple stripes is just so appealing and so timeless. Here a few of my favorite picks, as I think a vintage French stripe is a welcome addition to almost any interior!
{Above is a vintage homespun grain sack available through Touch Of Europe}
Striped feed sack pillows by Wisteria.
Free Trade Pouf by Urban Outfitters.
These hand painted Mag Bulletin boards from Oh My Goodness on Etsy are inspired by grain sacks!
A French bench in a natural wood finish from Wisteria - it would be wonderful in an entry or at the foot of the bed.
Feed sack from Simply French Vintage via Etsy - perfect for a DIY project.
The Cabana chair from Urban Outfitters - love the mix of the industrial lines of the metal chair with the stripe seat!
Lastly, a bedroom by designer Carolyn Espley Miller for her young son. The whole room is an homage to the vintage French stripe! I espceially love the weathered wooden shades painted with one set of stripes! {Image via House Beautiful}
Design Press. . . Allison Feldman Egan
www.designpress.typepad.com
I love the concept of these hand painted canvas pillows from Wary Meyers Decorative Arts! For $145, Linda and John Meyers will hand sew and paint your very own De Kooning, Pollack or Kline. I love the spontaneous and informal vibe these pillows lend! Wary Meyers is a quirky and truly creative studio but these pillows top their list I think. Or if you are feeling really brave, you can try your own . . . I think I will stick to their beautiful versions for now! {The one above is De Kooning-esque #4!}
Motherwell-esque #2
Pollock-esque #5
Kline-esque #5
De Kooning-esque #8
Kline-esque #7
I even love Wary Meyers' home page . . . So unique. I think sometimes we all feel like our house might burst at the seams with stuff!
{All images courtest of Wary Meyers Decorative Arts}
Design Press . . . Allison Feldman Egan
www.designpress.typepad.com
One my favorite inspirations in design is the inevitable link to the past. Especially since I came into the design world through a degree in the history of decorative art, I am so inspired when I see objects from so long ago which would are so perfectly in style and current today!
I fell in love with the above bowl from the collection of the Corning Museum of Glass; the beautiful translucent deep green glass bowl was created sometime between the 9th and 10th centuries in Western Asia, likely in Iran. I love the scalloped edge, embossed motif featuring birds (also so in right now!) and of course the stunning color. Even though this bowl is at least 1,000 years old it would be amazing in an interior today - just as it is!
Here are a few modern pieces I loved as a way to bring emerald glass into your home - as I am pretty certain the Corning Museum wont be letting this beauty go any time soon!
I would love to own these elegant emerald Murano glass and brass table lamps! They are Italian, circa 1970. From Amarcord Fine Decorative Antiques via 1stDibs.com.
Kawali green cut glass goblet by Christofle.
This dappled green glass vase is by Venini, available via Michael C. Fina.
Vibrant cut crystal emerald candlesticks from Marvin Alexander Antiques via 1stDibs.com from the late 19th century.
I thought these were an especially wonderful Etsy find! A set of 1950's vintage Anchor + Hocking plates in green glass. They would look great mixed in with a simple white dinnerware set too! From Tinted Vintage in York, PA.
A Boston Goblet by Villeroy and Boch in a lovely shade of green.
Pedestaled vintage candy dish - another great accessory steal on Etsy for just $8! From Easutton Vintage.
And lastly, I had to include this dining room designed by Jay Griffith - the green glass makes the room - oh, and the ibex head and driftwood table is pretty amazing as well! {Photo by Jeremy Samuelson for House Beautiful}.
Design Press . . . Allison Feldman Egan
www.designpress.typepad.com
{First image courtesy of the Corning Museum of Glass}
So, I have been adding to file of inspiration for the new apartment! I have settled on cobalt blues and purples as rich colors to add to my base of whites and neutrals! (I am getting so excited). Here are my latest inpiring images. . . .
Designer Ashley Whittaker in House Beautiful
Blue spongewear ceramics and a Raoul upholstered chair by James Rudin
Victoria Hagan - a real master of the white + neutral palette!
More Victoria Hagan
Lindsay Bond
Design Press . . . Allison Feldman Egan
www.designpress.typepad.com
Lately I have been spotting a ton of antlers, both traditional and stylized, in the design world! Previously reserved for hunting cabins or men's lodges, antlers can also be used in more eclectic and sophisticated interiors. I love the organic element and texture they lend a space and especially like their contrast against a more modern interior. Plus, there are so many beautiful resin and faux options out there so you certainly don't have to use the real thing! Here are few of my favorites. . . {Above is a resin deer antler by Restoration Hardware - a great accessory to top a pile of coffee table books!}
A vibrant living room by stylist Lili Diallo, previously of Domino (Oh, I miss Domino!). The carved oak deer head works great with the collected feel of the room.
A stately study in the Chateau de Groussay, owned by Carlos de Beistegui - while perhaps the number is a bit overwhelming the antlers certainly make a statement!
The Ghost Antler Rack in snow white resin by artist Erich Grinder - you can even hang your coat on these guys! Available through Velocity Art and Design online.
Decorator Leslie Klotz designed this cheery kitchen featuring a carved wood cow's head. {Photo by Laura Resen via House Beautiful}.
Resin deer antlers mounted on a shield shaped plaque by Restoration Hardware.
I love the arrangement of these antlers and deer head in Haus Interior home store by Nina Freudenberger! {Photo via Lonny magazine}.
I am just crazy for these vintage brass antler table lamps on lucite bases! They are American from the 1970s and are available at High Style Deco Antiques on 1stdibs.com!
Lastly, a charming and colorful living room in Nantucket by designer Tom Scheerer - the stylized bull's head looks perfect flanked by windows!
Design Press. . . Allison Feldman Egan
www.designpress.typepad.com
Yes, even though his shoes are drastically out of my price range - I still love Louboutin shoes. After a recent visit to his first store front in Paris, I am even more drawn to those red glossy soles! A chic style and marketing move, the pop of bright red sets each pair of his shoes apart, making even the most simple style special. There is just something so energetic and fearless about the color - I was inspired to find interiors which boldly featured scarlet red! Just in time for the holidays! (above: Benjamin Moore's Redstone - a beautiful vibrant red!)
A living room by designer Miles Redd, showcasing red upholstery and red felt covered walls! Featured in Elle Decor.
A 15" cherry lacquered side table by Pacific Lacquer - the glossy finish really ups the ante!
A lively powder room in Napa California by designer Martha Angus - even the moldings are red, making the small space feel larger.
Designer Eldon Wong chose this lovely red for the interior of a built in china cupboard in an 18th century stone house. I love the contrast against the white china!
A selection of striking red glassware from Elle Decor - how perfect for the holidays!
Designer Ruthie Sommers found this great fretwork chair at a thrift store and gave it a new life with a coat of Benjamin Moore Relay Red and a new updated floral seat.
A shot of the Christian Louboutin store in Paris, with but of course a beautiful red lacquered floor!
This holiday season even if you are not receiving any Louboutins as presents - you can still enjoy the vibrancy and happy energy of his bright red!
Design Press . . . Allison Feldman Egan
www.designpress.typepad.com
On a recent afternoon wandering in Paris, I had the pleasure of discovering the beautiful home store Flamant. The window displays had an instant appeal - a chic mixture of rustic charm and polished details. The company was began in Brussels by three brothers and today boasts shops in England, Germany, France, Holland and even Japan and Russia. While the size of the company could easily make for an uninspired collection - this is far from true! I was especially taken with how nothing in the shop looked brand new - each piece had a lovingly worn and vintage element. To me, this along with Flamant's great color sensibility creates a winning home store! They even have developed their own custom paint palette in a range of beautifully dusty tones. Definitely a shop worth visiting (online, if not in person)! A beautiful reminder that retail does not have to equal cookie-cutter. . . Enjoy!
Bon Week-End!
www.flamant.com
For me, there are few things more festive than champagne! The holiday season is a great excuse to think about opening some bubbly, but I was further encouraged by a weekend trip to Epernay - the French town at the heart of the Champagne region. I loved the dusty, old world charm of the cellars we toured!
While most places chose to serve champagne in the traditional flutes, I would readily forgo them for the vintage style of a champagne coupe. The coupe, a wide saucer like glass, was first designed in England in 1663, expressly for enjoying the newly popular bubbly wines. Legend has it that the shape of the coupe was modeled after the breast of Marie Antoinette, but this is almost certainly false! The coupe came back into fashion in post-Prohibition era America and to me, certainly evokes a kind of Great Gatsby style. The shape of the coupe versus the flute, allows the bubbles to escape more quickly, but this can be countered by drinking from crystal coupes (instead of glass). The crystal has imperfections which glass does not, helping the bubbles to form! Well, enough of the lesson, here are a few especially chic champagne coupes!
Fete Twirl Saucers in Larabee Dot by Kate Spade, the gold rim is a beautiful touch for the holidays but would work year round.
Feast champagne glasses by Giarimi Designs, I adore the slightly tinted colors these come in - they would be perfect for an outdoor wedding!
Marc Jacobs Colette champagne saucers for Waterford Crystal.
Another beautiful champagne coupe by Marc Jacobs for Waterford - David champagne saucers. I especially like the modern feel of these!
A view from the road . . . approaching Epernay!
If you are in need of a little extra inspiration, here is a great champagne cocktail to try out for the holiday season!
Le Perroquet
Generous dash of Campari
Dash of gin
2 ounces orange juice
4 ounces chilled champagne
Twist of lemon and orange peel
Pour the Campari, gin, and orange juice into a champagne coupe. Top with champagne. Garnish with a twist of lemon and orange & enjoy!
Design Press . . . Allison Feldman Egan
www.designpress.typepad.com
