If Money Was No Object: My Vintage Top 10

What would you choose for yourself if your budget was without limit? I was recently asked this question and was happy to shop with abandon for my dream room, selecting gorgeous vintage items from Decaso, Decorative Arts Society.

If you are familiar with the online vintage site Chairish, this new sister site is founded by the same stellar team.

About Decaso: “It is an ultra-curated selection of exceptional antique and designer furniture offered by the world’s most respected dealers.”

As a blogger asked to choose my “Bucket List” favorites, I fell in LOVE with the 10 vintage items above. Details for each item with links to more info are listed below.

My theme? A classically glamorous room to entertain guests, enjoy a cocktail or two, put my feet up and get cozy.

My fantasy budget? Just over $30,000 (without adding in the cost of the original art). Not unreasonable for custom and vintage, but certainly outside of my typical price range. A girl can dream, right? If I had to choose just one of the ten, I would probably take home the bar cart. What would your fantasy room look like?

1 // Still Life With Upright, Oil on Canvas by Anne-Louise Ewen

2 // Leaded White Glass Sphere Pendant

3 // Italian Brass Chiavari Chair in Mongolian Fur

4 // Regency Style Designer Taboret Bench by Randy Esada Designs

5 // Charles Hollis Jones Lucite Faux-Bamboo and Brass Serving Cart

6 // Four Capiz Star-Shaped Pendant Lights

7 // Italian-Inspired Settee by Stripe

8 // Early 20th Century Oushak Carpet

9 // Pair of Fishskin Covered Chairs

10 // Custom Mid-Century Coffee Table

Choose your vintage favorites at Decaso.com

Room of the Week: Tailored Grays + Citrus

One of my Bassett room makeover clients recently sent me the photo above of her newly furnished family room. I love it! Amy came in one weekend and together we pulled a palette of menswear inspired fabrics for a pair of tailored custom sofas. We dressed the Keaton Accent Chair in a handsome gray and yellow plaid while the extra large round ottoman – my personal favorite – is wearing a classic animal print in a luxurious gray and cream chenille. Embroidered-style citrus bright accent pillows add a lively contrast while a round Wakefield Lamp Table in a warm cream finish softens the corner between the two sofas. Amy’s addition of the white shag rug is perfection! 

I love working with people who have an idea of what they like, but are willing to step outside of their comfort zone to achieve a designer look. The best part? From design concept (Amy and I met over a couple of weekends to finalize details) to the actual date of delivery (with the room being painted in between with a Sherwin Williams color inspired by our showroom) took less than two months. #happycustomer #happydesigner

Are you ready for a room makeover?

Fall Home Fashion Trends via Bassett

Compass dining room collection

With the fall season approaching, Bassett showrooms are being decorated with new collections that inspire entertaining at home while getting warm and cozy. Granted it’s still in the 80s outside here in New England, but if you’re considering hosting Thanksgiving or out of town guests over the next few months, now is the time to figure out a design plan (or order that sleep sofa for the in-laws) in order to have your home ready for the holidays. If you’re in my area and need help with your design decisions, I’m happy to assist with floor plans and furniture recommendations (email me to arrange an appointment).

While you are putting together your wish list, here are some of my favorite new pieces now available at Bassett. 

Compass bedroom collection

“Compass represents the Casual Luxe design trend that works on both coasts and everywhere in between. The sophisticated design and finishes paired with knotty oak veneer brings an everyday softness to this collection.”

Sutton blend-down U-shaped sectional

with Compass accent pieces

Compass Cocktail Table with nailhead trim

Malachite inspired fabrics and canvas prints

A few of my favorites from our new rug offerings ...

Maddox: Hand Knotted 100% Wool

Manor:  Hand Tufted 100% Wool

Zahra: Hand Knotted 100% Wool

Gibson Accent Chair

Customize your own version online ...

Fabulous new fabrics from Robert Allen

Corinna Accent Chair: now available as a swivel glider

Gray geometric prints (another from Robert Allen)

My instagram sneak peeks ...

New “key” arm style with nailhead trim

Premier Custom Collection

Sutton blend-down U-shaped sectional

on display in our Burlington showroom

The artwork above, White Heron I, was featured in

Design New England Magazine, March/April 2014

 {see the article here}

design by Amber Price // photo by Joel Benjamin

My next project is to put together an album on my interiors facebook page to show all the room makeovers I have worked on over the last year. “Like” my page to see future updates!

And don’t miss your chance to win a room makeover of your own. Bassett is giving away one $5,000 makeover a week now through October 26th (with complimentary design service, of course!) Enter here. I have also heard that the next HGTV Dream Home giveaway is being built on nearby Martha’s Vineyard. If I can’t enter to win it, maybe I can at least help decorate it?!

My Bassett Makeover: Before + After

After sneak peek ... a favorite of mine from Bassett, the “Pippa”

Before: great architectural details, lots of natural light, plenty of room to entertain

THE CHALLENGE: with post-teenage children about to leave the nest, this family had outgrown the existing furnishings and were ready for a fresh update. The homeowners, a very nice local couple, came to Bassett to look for a new sofa and we ended up scheduling a room makeover in order to accomplish their goals of working with what they had. A number of pieces with sentimental value and some lovely decorative items were staying in the room. The wall color, a warm tone faux finish, plus the custom window treatments (which I discovered by coincidence were made by a very talented friend of mine!) were used as a starting point in choosing the color palette and traditional design direction for this family room makeover. 

After visiting the clients home, I used the measurements that I took while there to create a revised floor plan with Room Planner which is a free design tool available to anyone who visits the Bassett website. Most of the furniture and accessory pieces from the extensive Bassett collections are loaded into this easy to navigate program, allowing them to be efficiently dropped into place to check that a layout works best for desired function while keeping traffic flow in mind.

THE BIG REVEAL: to accomplish this makeover, we selected the very comfortable New American Living chair in a crisp striped fabric, a tight back Custom Classics sofa in a warm olive green with two sets of designer pillows, a pair of Pippa classic spindle chairs in a richly woven gold fabric accented with leopard print kidney pillows, a tufted chocolate brown leather ottoman with storage shelf, then anchored this updated sitting area with a more appropriate sized hand tufted wool carpet in a colorful, bold print.  

THE KEY: choosing patterns and colors that would complement the existing fabrics and finishes in this open floor plan.

THE BONUS FEATURE: all Bassett makeovers are delivered in around 30 days. For the custom furniture industry, this is quite a feat. How does Bassett do it? The majority of the custom manufacturing takes place in North Carolina. Beautiful on-trend fabrics plus strong built-to-last frames are at the ready. A highly-trained custom upholstery team is in place. The delivery process is streamlined. Customer service experts are in house to ensure complete satisfaction. Design consultants like myself follow each project, from beginning to end, as we would if running our own individual businesses. As a group, we just happen to have the support of the Bassett/HGTV Design Studio behind us : )

What did my Bassett clients think of their makeover? “It looks absolutely beautiful. We are so happy!”

Are you ready for a custom makeover? Email me at Bassett in Burlington to schedule a home visit, or stop by our showroom to see what we have to offer. This weekend, starting on Friday, July 18th, we are having a 3-day Summer Sale with one item offered at 30% off original price. Bassett is also hosting a “Pin It To Win It” event on Pinterest. Click here to find out how you can enter to win a $5,000 Gift Card to Bassett! 

Follow me on Houzz to see the Bassett makeover above, plus lots more to come ... 

And watch for my regular posts on Instagram to see what’s new in our Bassett showroom and elsewhere in the world of design.

Get the Look: HGTV Smart Home 2014

kitchen pictures from HGTV Smart Home 2014

The latest HGTV Smart Home was introduced this week online. I’m super excited about it because custom designs from Bassett Furniture are featured throughout this Nashville based home. The pieces are fun and functional, dressed in rich colors and fabulous patterns. A lot of the accent pieces are from the HGTV Home collection which is manufactured by Bassett. Take the virtual tour online and then come visit me in Burlington to get the look for your own home. Below are some of my favorite Bassett pieces from the HGTV Smart Home’s great room.

P.S. The Smart Home has some great examples of stylish and dramatic draperies. Custom windows available via Bassett.

custom Counter Stool

with geometric print fabric

custom Counter Saddle Stool

in Dolphin paint finish

great room pictures from HGTV Smart Home 2014

Premier Custom Sofa with blue velvet fabric

and geometric pattern accent pillows

extra large Custom Ottoman in maize fabric

What is your favorite room in this year’s HGTV Smart Home?

New Home + Design Studio

For the past month, I feel as if I have been in design boot camp! Today I finally have a moment to catch my breath and share why I have not posted for weeks ...

At year’s end, I was offered a full-time position as an interior Design Consultant for the newest location of Bassett Furniture in Burlington, MA, which has its very own HGTV Home Design Studio! This new collaboration between the solid Bassett brand (in the furniture business for over 100 years) with the very colorful “we make decorating fun” culture of HGTV, offers me the opportunity to design complete living spaces utilizing an incredible amount of available products, design resources, and support. Having recently moved out of my suite of rooms at the Glen Magna Farms Designers Holiday Show House, I knew that working alongside a group of creatively focused peers was an experience I wanted to continue. And as much as I enjoyed many of my creative roles at Designer Bath, from coordinating events to handling all the advertising, marketing and social media details, I knew I needed more hands-on design time and less screen time. I just couldn’t pass this up! 

The newest Bassett Furniture location in Burlington, MA

photo courtesy Bassett

Meet the Bassett Burlington team here

I am happy to say that my new home at Bassett is just what I needed. After completing over 30+ classes via Bassett University, training in two of their Massachusetts locations, assisting in the set up of this beautiful two-story design studio, and surviving my first sale on the floor, I can truly say I feel at home. I will share some of the details of my recent Bassett design makeovers later! In the meantime, come visit me – and the rest of the Burlington Bassett design team – at 90 Middlesex Marketplace. And for those of you who were able to join us for our Grand Opening celebration last week, thank you! It meant so much to have you there!

Ribbon cutting with the Burlington Area Chamber of Commerce

at our Grand Opening celebration // photo courtesy BACC

The HGTV custom design studio at Bassett in Burlington

photo courtesy Bassett

Follow me on Instagram to see whats new at Bassett!