The New Fall Catalogs

I have been exploring the new fall catalogs for you and I have found a couple you might enjoy. At this time of year the catalogs are so plentiful, as the holidays are approaching and they are all trying to entice us to buy.

If you try Catalogs.com, you will find a wonderful resource of so many different catalogs. And you can pretty much order all of them for free. I have been getting catalogs for years – as a designer they were part of my everyday life and they seem to follow me no matter where I live. Just for fun and just for you, I scoped out a few new ones I wasn't that familiar with.

Image Design and Furniture Company was chock full of great home décor items. There are so many categories on the website for you to try, like florals, vases, accents, throws and home accents. Themed décor wasn’t great – too many roosters, jungle and rustic lodge stuff. I clicked on picture frames, decorative bottles and vases and I found a treasure trove of fun stuff. They also have a group of home décor gifts under $25 which is pretty great. The “Old World Italian” section has some cool home lighting and rugs. Give this one a try!

My next stop was a website called Layla Grace. Wow, do they ever have cool furnishings. They have a gorgeous group of nursery furniture (not that same old Toys R Us stuff or even Pottery Barn). Check out their “Staff Favorites” which includs a pretty wedding book keepsake and some great candlesticks. I think this website is a keeper and I have already ordered my own catalog. They are showcasing beautiful Dwell Studio fabrics which can be ordered by the yard. While the prices aren’t exactly inexpensive, they do carry ordinary things with extraordinary designs, like oven mitts and tablecloths.

Try some updates in your home for fall. Broaden your horizons and instead of just shopping where you happen to live, check out a few new home décor websites and order yourself a catalog!! Happy Fall.

More About Emily's Redo

For all of you who are following Emily's NYC apartment redo here is a quick update.

While I was in NYC, I showed Emily a catalog I often refer to called Home Decorators Collection. It has some unusual and interesting accessories and some hard to find items too. They also showcase a large rug collection. The prices are fair and I have been generally happy with the quality. Emily chose a 6x8 rug with a black field (in designer speak this means background) with an updated white swirl pattern called Scroll. Since black is our classy accent color, it looks like the perfect choice. I would caution you on the Persian patterned rugs, since the colors are not always what you think they will be!

While shopping last week Emily went into Pier1 and coincidentally so did I! I was so happy to find that we both selected the same side chairs to replace her really, really old and really, really worn green club chair she has now. (Sorry, Em) SO! The big news is that we are moving forward, the rug is ready to be ordered and the chairs will get another look from Emily and she will choose her favorite. I personally loved all three she selected. AND Pier One is having a giant sale right now on all their furnishings!!

I was also recently at HomeGoods and found another fabulous chair for her that would work great as well. It was also selling at a nice price. Now we've got the paint, the rug, and the chair situations figured out.

Berber Basics

Kathy S. from Cincinnati writes “What do you think about a large loop berber for my family room? We are thinking of having it installed and want your input!"

Kathy is an interior design client of mine so I am very familiar with her family (big, busy and beautiful) including her dog, a chocolate lab named Millie. I no longer live in the same city as Kathy, but am happy to help her whenever I can – and we have had many a fun conversation about her design questions.

I am not a huge fan of berber carpet, particularly the large loop berbers. The loops get squashed WAY too easily, and any dirt or stains go directly to the carpet base. When you use a small loop or tight berber, your neighbors and friends can come over and have fun and have a few drinks. Anything they spill will sit on top of the loops, making it easier to clean. Kathy’s dog, Millie (who by the way always wears a cute seasonal kerchief) can get her paws stuck on berber loops, causing snags – and no one wants that.

One nice thing about a neutral berber is that the colors are often mottled, using a number of shades of beige and brown so traffic pattern discoloration (you know, walking from the family room to the kitchen and out to the grill) is less noticeable. I know berbers are still very popular, but if you are going to go this route, be sure you buy one with a manufacturer’s guarantee and question your salesman on the installation procedure. More on this in a future blog. There are a few “must ask” questions and they all are not about how cute the installers are.

There are a lot of options out there right now in carpeting – not just plush. There are cool patterns, wonderful colors and even sculpted patterns (NOT like your Grandma had). I vote for a dot pattern or a tone on tone geometric shape. Kathy, berber is fine, but a tiny bit boring and you certainly are not!