A few years ago I went shopping in Paris for a client and bought a pair of beautiful French chairs. I had them shipped over and reupholstered. Randomly, I was at an antique show a few weeks ago and saw the same French antique dealer I’d bought the chairs from in Paris…he actually had a few chairs in the show that were very similar to the ones I bought, but instead of reupholstering them he dyed the leather.

I’d  never thought about dying leather before, but it’s a great way to save on cost and it’s a lot easier than going through the whole reupholstering process. Most leather furniture is coated in a protective leather glaze, but you can deglaze them so that the dyes will take.

There is actually a great guide on eBay that gets into all of the details --

How To Dye Leather

So, now I’m about to start my first leather dying project – turning my red leather chair black!

Metallics are popular– this has been obvious in fashion but now in home décor as well. I actually read an article in last week’s New York Times’ Home & Garden section that reinforced the idea that fashion trends are increasingly being translated for home.

I’m loving gold flecked glass—like what I talked about last week with Murano glass. I am also crazy about metallic leather and fabrics. The thing is that it’s really fun to mix and match. You don’t necessarily need everything to be brass or everything to be chrome. I love the idea of a bronze coffee table mixed with some silver accessories; I think this just creates a great visual picture.

I’ve actually done a lot of mixing in my Westchester home…chrome lamps, gold gilded benches, brass furniture…

A furniture designer that does very interesting metallic work is Paul Evans. He’s really perfected the art of mixing and matching metals. His work is kind of like patchwork: his creations are made out of small pieces of a variety of difference metals.

Here are a few metallic pieces I recently found on eBay that I like:

Modern Side Table

Paul Evans Dining Set


Stacking Chrome Glass Tables


Modern Dining Chair

I recently took some time off and went to Europe for a vacation, however, design is always on my mind and after spending some time in Venice where I saw glass everywhere – jewelry, charms, and of course spectacular chandeliers and vases—I’ve been feeling very inspired by Murano glass.

Murano is an island just off the coast of Venice and has a world-renowned reputation for exquisite glassmaking. Craftsmen there use centuries-old techniques to craft everything from wine stoppers to contemporary art made from glass…the pieces are always amazingly delicate and colorful. Actually, other than vases, which tend to be heavy, Murano is very fragile, so I wouldn’t display it in a room where kids will be throwing balls around!

However, for an elegant dining room, Murano chandeliers are great. I’m particularly fond of the more subdued ones. I saw some chandeliers made of clear glass with gold flecks. I also love the idea of adding smoky-toned gray vases, drinking glasses or other decorative accessories in a home space or office. Of course, the downside to anything made with exceptional craftsmanship is price, BUT Murano is one of those things that you can always get a great deal on when shopping on eBay. In fact, as some of you may know, eBay collaborated with Cynthia Rowley for her fashion show during Fashion Week, providing her with jewelry that was purchased off of eBay. The jewelry was included in her show and one of the pieces provided for the show was a beautiful Murano ring that sold for only $17.99.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=190136256153&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT&ih=009Here

Here are some other great Murano pieces I recently spotted on eBay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Modern-Contemporary-Murano-Art-Deco-Glass-Chandelier-86_W0QQitemZ160173104458QQihZ006QQcategoryZ20698QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
 
http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-MURANO-ARTGLASS-BOWL-HOME-DECOR-ANTIQUES-OFFICE_W0QQitemZ130167347608QQihZ003QQcategoryZ994QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem