Wish List: Home Textiles from Bandit Queen Designs

Irwin Weiner ASID - I think it's good to have a "legend," a mystique. And one of the most intriguing comes from the textile workroom Bandit Queen Designs, Mumbai. The combined brainchild of Sudita Namjosi and Valerie Barkowski, BQD produces divine bed, bath, and table linens as well as fashion accessories. I've included a few of my favorites below; click on the company's link to see the few select retail outlets they manufacture for (lucky stores). Long live the Bandit Queen!

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Napkin Art for Setting the Perfect Holiday Dinner Table

Janet Ramin - A sign of the well-dressed table setting is the use of napery or table linens. Yes, it’s that time of year to take out those cloth napkins from the recesses of your cupboard drawer and practice the age-old art of folding napkins. 

Napery may seem antique, so nineteenth century, but every formal dinner table still shows off its crisp napkins. We’re displaying here some of the popular styles of folded napkins, including some holiday versions. 

Our first napkin fold on top is the fleur-de-lys napkin, after the French lily. Below is a video on how to create the fleur-de-lys napkin. 

For the everyday table, there's the standard pocket or envelope napkin. A half fold creates a pocket to place your flatware or a few decorative touches like flowers or evergreen (see photo above).

We also have a more elaborate napkin, the rose napkin, also called the basket napkin. Its folds create petals but the napkin could also hold decorations in its center like a basket (see photo above, and see link below to Design2Share's first post on napkin folding and Irwin's video demonstration of folding the rose or basket napkin). 

For the holiday table, we have a tree napkin from Better Homes and Gardens. Its folds stand up to resemble an evergreen tree. Place a small tree topper on the napkin and voila - a Christmas tree!

(Tree napkin, courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens)

DESIGN2SHARE RESOURCES: Read our Napkin Folding Resources column and watch Irwin fold the Rose or Basket Napkin. 

Thanks to the Sheffield School in NYC for permission to reprint this article. Are you interested in learning more about decorating and accessories?  Take a look at Sheffield School's Complete Course in Interior Design.  At Sheffield, you'll learn how to transform a space, create color schemes, and select furniture, lighting, and accessories. 

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Wish List: Artwork and Framing - a Bicoastal Thing

Irwin Weiner ASID - I love the framing services and artwork from Mike McClintock's Lambertville, NJ based store Artfull Eye - and he runs a very successful eBay storefront, too. Mike's work is exceptional, and I always take client framing into him, and have the chance to often browse his packed-to-the-gills shop for artistic goodies, from sculpture and old photographs to paintings and etchings. So that takes care of the East Coast.

Artfull Eye: Abram Molarsky gouache landscape

I have a new client that I'll be doing some framing work with on the West Coast, at Rick's Custom Framing in La Mesa, CA.

Rick's does lovely work with French Mat, and it's a technique that can help you create a lovely Old World look under-glass. I'm purchasing some lovely etchings and woodcuts on eBay around a favorite theme my clients picked out, and using Rick's French Mat materials to add impact and beauty to each framed piece, and also reducing the size and expense of the outer frame so as not to detract from the art and artistic mat themselves. It saves cost on the entire job, and the results (I predict) will be smashing. Click on the photos below for more information on artwork from Artfull Eye, and click on the links above for more info on Rick's Custom Framing.

Artfull Eye: S. Pinto impressionist still life

Artfull Eye: W.W. Swallow Red Pottery Bowl

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Wish List: Libratone Wireless Stereo Speakers

Irwin Weiner ASID - I am definitely not a tech head, but I don't like the way my clients and I are required to set up a room with speakers embedded inside the wall to create a specific acoustic grid within a room. It's sometimes difficult to decorate around in-wall speakers, and external mounted wall speakers look clunky and call too much attention to themselves. And speaker wires - forget about it. 

Enter Libratone, a Scandinavian stereo accessory that provides wireless sound based on Apple computer technology. It's a great way to stream music from your iTunes collection or Pandora subscription - get music from your computer, iPad, or iPhone wirelessly to a chic single speaker (yes, you don't need two speakers) for full-room sound. The speakers are covered in sensuous Italian cashmere in colors that will suit your decor. You can move speakers around or have one per room for a house filled with music. Order through the Apple Store in the U.S. (online or brick and mortar), and watch the video below for a basic introduction to this chic sound system - and decorating - solution. 

CLICK HERE to see Design2Share's Favorite Holiday Decorating Trends for this year.

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