5 New Lighting and Decor Favorites from Rejuvenation

Meteor Mid-Century Modern Chandelier

George industrial pendantIrwin Weiner ASID - As a manufacturer, Rejuvenation is dedicated to historic authenticity in its products and eco-sensitivity in its raw materials - and that's a compelling combination. If all vendors treated the trade and home design clients with as much sensitivity, we would be living in a much more beautiful, sensible world. I like to celebrate the past while looking forward to the future in my decorating projects, and I've chosen a few exceptional new items from the latest Rejuvenation catalog to bring to your attention. Click on each photo for more product information.

Ironside industrial gas-style wall sconces

Skidmore cloth-cord pendant with prismatic shade

Dunbar towel ring, cup holder, and soap holder in white porcelain

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Tips for Haggling and Navigating Local Flea Markets

Irwin Weiner ASID - Flea markets are irresistible to me. The concept of finding home decorating treasures amidst trash is compelling. It's even better if you can find a great deal - "the steal" - and drive home with something absolutely amazing that you purchased for a song. While visiting my new grandson Oliver James Joyce in Minneapolis, I found some great tips for flea markets in the inflight magazine (an excellent one, at that, with a focus on design: for a free subscription, go to Complimentary Cambria Style Magazine); here were some of my favorite tips from their Navigating the Flea Market article.

1. Bring some helpful supplies with you whenever you "flea." Cash is an essential, naturally. But bring a measuring tape or retractable steel tape so you can size up potential purchases. I oftentimes know that a client will need a specific size console, dresser, sofa, or painting to accommodate a certain dimension within their decorated space; without measuring, there's always an element of doubt (so eliminate it!). Also bring a cell phone. I snap photos of an object and email them with a description to my clients; they're usually eager to okay a purchase on the spot. Courtesy tip: Always ask a vendor if it's alright to take a photo before you take it.
2. It's a worthy goal to practice civility and friendliness at your local flea market. Create a dialogue with a vendor if you're truly interested in a certain piece. Ask questions about how they found a certain object, how they started out in business, and the like. The Cambria Style article quoted Manhattan vintage shopper Lauren Linton: "Ideally, you both want to leave a transaction feeling like something positive happened." And isn't that great advice for the workplace, your family life, and living in general?
3. No price on an item? Ask for the vendor's "best price," then be quiet and let them do all the talking. Many times the price will surprise you because it will be lower than you expected, so never be the first one to offer a dollar amount. 

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5 of Our Favorite Flooring Finds

Irwin Weiner ASID - I can't resist a reclaimed wood floor. First, you're reusing natural materials from an earlier structure. Second, the warmth of wood is undeniable - just look at the beautiful Carlisle reclaimed chesnut floor in the California kitchen pictured at top! It's a wide-plank wonder. Here are three other beautiful flooring finds I wanted to bring to your attention. Click on each photo for more product information. Adding a great floor covering to a room is such a basic step, we oftentimes overlook the decorating impact it provides (not to mention the functionality of selecting the right flooring for spaces that receive a lot of high traffic, wear and tear). It's all about the Floor Show!

Designer Inghua Ting's ingenius recycled leather belt flooring

Drops concrete tile flooring from Mutdesign

Bolon's woven vinyl flooring now comes in an exciting range of Missoni patterns (shown here: Flame Black)

It's difficult to find anything to match the luxurious look of Devon & Devon flooring

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Bunny Williams Video: Eclectic Decor Shopping in Belgium

Bunny Williams: Treillage Retail Store

Irwin Weiner ASID - Bunny Williams is one of my all-time favorite designers. Her eye for design is unerring, and she mixes it up like no other interior designer in the business today. I can't get enough of eclectic design, but it takes skill to make a mash-up of styles and periods work well together - and she pulls it off beautifully. In today's featured video, Bunny is whisked away on a shopping trip by Susan Feldman of One Kings Lane.

I learned from this video that the dealers in Belgium poke around for treasures in nearby countries, so you can get a good mix of styles and different national takes on design, all in one place. For eclectic shoppers like you or me, that's a great tip (Thank you, Bunny!). Check out One Kings Lane for their well curated home goods sales; you're sure to find special pieces to help complete your design scheme. And a must-shop experience is to be had at Treillage, Bunny and John Rosselli's great antiques and home goods store online (and also brick-and-mortar retail stores) - and check out Bunny's BeeLine collections for distinctive home goods, furniture, and accessories.

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