Chic Furniture from Noir

Being in the decorating business for a long time, we watch many manufacturers come and go. Sometimes it's heartbreaking, especially when a company has been in business for years and years. On the other hand, we also see some companies started out really small, and with sweat and tears and ingenuity, they grow it into something special.

Noir Trading is kinda like that. We first know them as a custom furniture maker. George, who came from Germany, makes the most amazing custom cabinets and furniture around. Then he started Noir Trading a few years ago. At first it wasn't that interesting, to be honest. Just the typical dark wood furniture and Budha--boring Asian import crap, basically. However, in the recent years their quality and style has gone up several quotients. If you like Oly Studio and think it's too expensive (which it is), this might be great alternative.

Here are some great pieces that we just love:

To see more of Noir products, visit the web site here. If you need help with pricing, drop us a line.

Is a deal really a deal?

We were looking through our closet the other day, contemplating an end-of-summer clean up. Now mind you, this is a task we perform say, once every five years. It's not that much fun, really, as it usually conjures up all kind of guilt and regret.

Let us give you a partial list of items here:

1. One Yoshi Yamamoto raincoat with THREE sleeves, bought for $800, never worn.
2. One 5" Gucci Platform shoes bought for $500, never worn.
3. One Narcisco Rodriguez black dress that was too tight to start with, but we were hoping we get into it one day. Bought for $800, worn for a minute and a half.
4. One Prada dress that really needs some alteration, for it is a bit too long and dowdy, but bought because it was Prada. Bought for $600, worn once.
5. One pair of Bruno Frisoni shoes bought for $500 at the Neiman Marcus pre Christmas sale that were way uncomfortable to wear except when sitting down.

What do these items have in common?

First, they were all bought on sale, and at the time, seem too good of a deal to pass up.

Second, they were bought because they were "designer" labels! A Prada dress marked down from $2000 to $600?

The point of all this is, if you buy something on sale, and you never wear it, is it really a deal?

Not really, because basically you are just throwing cash away. On the other hand, if you buy something you really like, and use it ALL the time, it is a better buy, isn't it?

Now excuse us while we try to unload this stuff on Ebay.

PS If anyone who is interested in a three-sleeved coat in a size 38, drop us a line!

House Foundation Footings

House Foundation Footings

Stepped footings can abutment a accurate block wall. Blocks accept nominal ambit of 8 by 8 by 16 inches (the absolute ambit are absolutely 3/8 inch abate than these to acquiesce for adhesive joints). They are alveolate back laid-up; animate reinforcing bar is added and the hollows in the blocks are generally abounding with concrete. They accommodate themselves to architecture area basic accurate is difficult or impractical . Concrete blocks are additionally acclimated for accepted foundation bank construction. Here they are accurate by a accurate footing; both are able with animate rods and the accurate blocks are abounding with grout.

A accurate pier, comatose on a footing, may be acclimated to advice abutment beams at mid-span. Though some earlier homes blow absolutely on piers, this adjustment has been phased out in favor of stronger foundations.

Design Minimalist interior

2009 Interior Design Minimalist Concept

Well-Made Dining Chairs from Jessica Charles

We were shopping for some dining chairs for a client the other day and we were surprised to see how much shoddy stuff is out there. Really. If you can pick an upholstered chair up with one hand it usually means it's not that well-made. In our experience, with most upholstered furniture, the more substantial it feels the better it is made. Solid furniture is made with solid wood, well-padded seat and sturdy construction.

So with that in mind, we recommend that if you are looking for high-quality dining chairs, take a look at Jessica Charles. It's a small division of Hancock & Moore, a very prestigious furniture maker in North Carolina. The style of Jessica Charles slants toward the more classic side, although they have introduced more modern designs of late.

Here are some samples:








The chairs are not cheap. They run about $650-800 per chair, but we think they are worth it.

To see the entire collection, visit Jessica Charles web site.

Modern Office Accessories

We were looking for something cool for our desk the other day, and let's face it, Staples is really not the place to go for stuff like that.

So we were thrilled to see a line called Prestige Identity at the LA Mart. Despite the boring name, it is actually a very hip European company specializing in modern gifts and accessories.

Take a look at some of our favorites:

This is actually a bookmark.

A magnetic for paperclips.
Don't you love these photo holders?
This is a USB card holder. Elephant bookends.

Most of the items are quite reasonable. You can buy them directly on the Prestige Identity web site.

Glamorous Furniture from Julian Chichester

We first saw Julian Chichester furniture about 10 years ago. At that time the line was really small and very quirky; it still is.

An English company, Julian Chichester furniture has that glamorous-but-not-too-chi-chi quality about it. Ten years later, they are still around so they must be doing something right.

Take a look:

You can see the full catalog here.

At this time we do not have pricing information yet, our apologies. If you need assistance, email us we'll be happy to contact the company for you. Just know that it's quite pricey...