I’ve been thinking about Danish design today because I was at a furniture store in NYC and sent over a client to take a look at an original vintage Danish chair and ottoman…she didn’t think it worked for her home, but today I was flipping through a magazine and noticed that the exact chair I saw was being reissued. Just reminded me of how great and timeless Danish design is.

Jens Risom is one of my favorite Danish designers. He has great furniture, upholstery, cabinetry—everything—and there has been a recent surge in the reissuing of some of his old designs. I think this is a great time to snatch up some of his work. He’s still alive (going strong at 88!)…I really see his work going up in value, especially his original pieces.

The main reason I love Jens Risom and Danish design in general has to do with their beautiful, exotic woods and incredible craftsmanship…everything is just made so well and has such striking details. The Danish are experts at proportion, functionality and are often unexpectedly clever…I have a great Danish wooden oval table in my New York City home and the whole thing comes apart—you would never know by looking at it. 

Another great designer to keep in mind is Kaare Klint…once in a great while something of his will come up for sale on eBay…keep a look-out--his stuff is amazing. I especially love Klint’s Safari Chair and Ottoman. They were designed in 1933 and were inspired by traditional pieces that were originally meant for the British military..with that in mind, the chair has a simple, sleek wooden frame and a canvas seat. He actually did another piece I love called the Red Chair or the Barcelona Chair (not to be confused with the leather cushions, steel framed Mies van der Rohe one…). Klint designed this piece for the World’s Fair in 1928.  You can see some great Chippendale references in his work…the simple delicate nature, beautiful details which are signatures in a lot of Danish design.

Here are some great eBay finds that go along with the traditional signatures I just talked about!

http://cgi.ebay.com/JENS-RISOM-WALNUT-CREDENZA-SIDEBOARD-1968_W0QQitemZ130148270683QQihZ003QQcategoryZ63564QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem


 
http://cgi.ebay.com/MID-CENTURY-DANISH-MODERN-SAFARI-CHAIR-PAIR-EAMES-ERA_W0QQitemZ120140747282QQihZ002QQcategoryZ63568QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem


http://cgi.ebay.com/Skagerak-Denmark-Teak-Furniture-Set-Danish-Modern_W0QQitemZ120104052088QQihZ002QQcategoryZ79698QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

On a side note, I will be at the Country Living Antiques Fair in Morrow, Ohio this weekend…come say hi if you’re in the area!

The big trend I’m seeing for fall is COLOR and lots of it!

In going with that, I think paisley is a classic design that is too often overlooked in home décor..though it has received a lot of attention in the fashion realm as I’ve seen stores from Bergdorf to the Paper House carrying paisley quilted totes... in terms of home though there are some great new versions of the classic paisley designs that have interesting modern twists … a lot has come up in new fabric lines that I’ve come across and I especially love the large exaggerated prints--they make powerful statements without the risk of you feeling overwhelmed by the print or colors.

Speaking of colors--paisley always has a varied color palette, but there is usually one color that sticks out as dominant. I love the prints with pale soft greens and slate blues and even burnt orange for a little throw-back to the 70s…recently I’ve also seen some beautiful paisley carved pieces that only use two colors which is great for people who are looking for monochromatic looks.

Another thing about paisley is that while most people think of it for drapes or pillow cases, paisley can be found in everything from napkins to lamps shades. Years ago, I found a great paisley ceramic lamp on eBay that would spice up just about anyone’s home.

Here are some eBay options I have come across recently…I think these do a great job at demonstrating how flexible paisley can be. You can have a whole paisley couch in your living room and balance it out with solid fabrics on club chairs or you can add touches of color with paisley accessories anywhere in your home.

http://cgi.ebay.com/CROSCILL-ROYAL-PAISLEY-2-PC-TOWEL-SET-NEW-1ST_W0QQitemZ270126981313QQihZ017QQcategoryZ36012QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

 http://cgi.ebay.com/Aqua-Brown-Paisley-Room-complete-bedding-accessories_W0QQitemZ140151397695QQihZ004QQcategoryZ20467QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Parchment-White-Accent-Chair-w-Paisley-Fabric-Furniture_W0QQitemZ300147332270QQihZ020QQcategoryZ115763QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

http://cgi.ebay.com/108L-x-25W-SILK-DRAPES-PAISLEY-BEIGE-EARTH-TONES-PANELS_W0QQitemZ150161936859QQihZ005QQcategoryZ45526QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

I use a lot of matt glazed architectural pottery in my home décor—I especially love McCoy and Haeger. Though this type of pottery often comes in really beautiful craftsman style colors like green and yellow, my favorite pieces are the ones that come in shades of biscuit white.

The great thing about these pieces is that they are not only inexpensive, but they come in a range of shapes and sizes, making them great for building collections. Also you can go for the functional ones that you can use in your kitchen (think bowls and pitchers…) or you can get a large collection and use them as display pieces in your living room.

Haeger especially is great because there is so much out there. You can find really great pieces on eBay or you might even stumble on some at a thrift store or a garage sale.

I really see these pieces as great fall accents, especially the off-white, earth green and soft yellow ones.

Here are some examples of accent pieces that will be great to spice up your rooms for the fall!


http://cgi.liveauctions.ebay.com/090325-MCCOY-RED-WING-ROYAL-HAEGER-POTTERY-VASES_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ28221QQihZ006QQitemZ160154700301QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW


http://cgi.ebay.com/Art-Deco-ROYAL-HAEGER-White-16-1-2-inch-Vase_W0QQitemZ170147621529QQihZ007QQcategoryZ589QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-McCoy-Art-Pottery-Matte-FLORALINE-Vase-Ohio-USA_W0QQitemZ120159064313QQihZ002QQcategoryZ89QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

http://cgi.ebay.com/Zanesville-Art-Pottery-Matt-Green-Vase-Arts-and-Crafts_W0QQitemZ220146412399QQihZ012QQcategoryZ4232QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


On a random side note…I’ve recently been getting inspired by Josef Frank pieces. He has some amazing furniture…his cabinetry in particular is beautiful. He uses these great exotic woods that I LOVE…he’s also designed some great textile prints which you can find at Svenskt Tenn an amazing shop in Sweden that has a very rich history—a must stop destination if you ever find yourself in Stockholm!
 

I try to use wallpaper whenever I can. In the past I’ve been a big fan of the more textural wallpapers-- the sort of sexy, cool, velvety textured flock wallpapers have always been a favorite. Recently though I’ve also gotten into large vintage wallpaper prints. I think William Morris is really great. He was an English artist and one of the founders of the Arts and Craft movement and I’m sure you’ve all seen his signature design with willow leaf on wallpaper.

I also love, love, LOVE multi-colored large palm leafs and flowers papers. I think they’re great for fun touches. A way to incorporate wallpaper in your bedroom is to line the area behind your bed. This kind of anchors the room and serves as a decorative gesture…a faux headboard of sorts…

Wallpaper is also great for bathrooms and powder rooms. I’m actually working on this very modern apartment right now and the owner’s bathroom is black and white…we’re leaving his bathroom pretty much as is…I’m just adding this really bold graphic black and white printed wallpaper to spruce it up and add a little bit of a design statement.

In keeping with bathrooms, if you are working with a small space and want a dramatic touch—wallpaper the ceiling! The only thing to keep in mind is if you are working with a bathroom that has a shower and the space is getting a lot of steam or there is little ventilation, it is best to use vinyl covered wallpaper instead of paper wallpaper as the latter won’t hold up as well.

Another great thing about wallpaper is that there really are no rules—you could go over-the-top and add artwork over your wallpapered walls, or you could let the wallpaper be in-and-of-itself the statement or you could do something minimal by decorating the walls with black and white photographs.

Also, wallpaper is so easy to change up if you ever get tired of a particular print. With that in mind here are some great eBay options I’ve found!


http://cgi.ebay.com/1940s-Vintage-Wallpaper-Green-Plaid_W0QQitemZ290158706886QQihZ019QQcategoryZ42140QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/3-DOUBLE-ROLLS-Vintage-Eames-Era-Wallpaper-Foil-Flock_W0QQitemZ200150573874QQihZ010QQcategoryZ50364QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Oriental-Motif-Tropical-Forest-Palm-Leaves-Wallpaper_W0QQitemZ230167898815QQihZ013QQcategoryZ50364QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Wallpaper-Large-Green-Tropical-Palm-Leaves_W0QQitemZ280150636130QQihZ018QQcategoryZ52348QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

On a side note, I will be at the Country Living Antiques Fair in Morrow, Ohio from September 28th to the 30th. More details to come!
 

I tend to favor a very sleek and modern look and often use a lot of off-white, black, and beige in my interiors. Recently though I saw some bright colored leather pieces in a showroom that really caught my eye. In particular I absolutely loved this club chair that was a sort of citrus yellow with an ever so slight touch of green—I just thought it was really cool and it got me thinking of bright colors…apple red, orange…these are great colors for any interior.

I think they are especially great for traditionally styled rooms since they can really add freshness. For rooms with lots of patterns I think colored leather is a great accent for the pattern colors by combining them with coordinating colored leather. You don’t even need to get a big leather couch to do this—think pillows, side chairs, desk chairs…

 I’ve also noticed more and more parallels between fashion and home. All these preppy blues and reds really bring to mind Ralph Lauren and the whole preppy look…I think it’s so fun and refreshing to introduce those kinds of colors and move away from the white-beige scheme for moment.

Here are a few great eBay colored leather finds!

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/Great-Looking-Bright-Red-Leather-Chair-Ottoman_W0QQitemZ170050410343QQihZ007QQcategoryZ115763QQrdZ1QQssPageNameZWD1VQQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Leather-Black-Swivel-Upholstered-Arm-Chair-3-Colors_W0QQitemZ230165070742QQihZ013QQcategoryZ115763QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/Yellow-Leather-Sofa-Modern-Contemporary-Furniture_W0QQitemZ330158235455QQihZ014QQcategoryZ4960QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem