5 French Style Furniture Favorites from Roche Bobois

The Ferre table adds welcome color notes to the otherwise bland outdoor furniture scene.

Irwin Weiner ASID - We're heading to Paris in mid-October, and today the trip has us thinking all about fine French contemporary design. That immediately puts to mind Roche Bobois, a leader in contemporary French home furnishings. Here are some of my favorites from their current collections; as usual, please click on each photo for more information.

The BLOGGER 3-seat sofa's plump profile is daring and innovative.

Love the PLI chair's crisp plexi folds!

Hail the VICTOR 4-door dresser for its wake-me-up-happy color blocks.

These KOBE armchairs are both comfortable and fashionable, a 1-2 punch.

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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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Design Video: Is Art Essential for Every Home?

Jay Johnson - It's hard for some interior design clients to "go the extra mile" and accessorize their home once the bones of the space have been improved and key furnishings have been added. Accessories and artwork are the finishing touches, those essential "jewelry" items that make a room special. Today's featured video takes us to the recent ArtHamptons gala - don't forget that the Hamptons has always been an art enclave (heard of Jackson Pollack?). Thanks to James B. Fairchild, this helps us all think about the importance of art in the home by looking at art as something fun, engaging, and highly creative.

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UK Furniture Designers Struck Gold Designing the Olympic Torch

Janet Ramin - By now you've seen it light up the London's 2012 Olympic Flame, but did you know who designed the torch? The brilliant British design duo, Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, of course!

Barber and Osgerby - known for clean, minimalist modern furniture - designed the golden aluminum Olympic torch. Pierced with over 8000 holes, the triangular torch was sleekness defined. On the opening night, young budding athletes carried the Olympic torch and lit the lily-shaped copper petals. Then the petals rose up on long stems to create a gigantic shimmering bouquet that became the Olympic Flame. Wow!

The view below the Olympic Flame transformed to a starburst of indvidual torches. Then Paul McCartney serenaded the audience with Hey Jude ... a lovely ending to a memorable night.

Reprinted with permission of Sheffield School. Are you interested in learning more about furniture and home design? 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.