4 Furniture Studio Faves from AD Home Design Show

Cabinet on Stand from Bart NiswongerJanet Ramin - Whenever I visit the Architectural Digest Home Design Show, I make a beeline for the furniture displays. The AD show has everything a home design addict would love: artwork, furniture, lighting, tabletop displays, kitchen, and bath – so much so that it can be overwhelming. But furniture is the heart of every room, so I love to check out the latest furniture lines from the big, established firms to the new work from the smaller furniture studios. 

Just as bold bright colors were the top trends in fashion, brilliant colors were also seen in many furniture designs. The cabinet on a stand – seen above - from Bart Niswonger is a perfect example with its red-hot and yellow colors and floating yellow-green flowers. Made of ash, cherry, and cast urethane, the cabinet provides that pop of color and touch of unexpectedness to any interior.  Another whimsical piece is the ball side table.  Floating orange urethane tops the table as red balls pop out from its sides.

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3 Key Rules for Interior Design Online Shopping

Jay Johnson - Shopping online for furnishings and home goods? Well, good luck to you. Some people need to sit in a chair or sofa in order to experience what it would be like to use the furnishings in everyday use situations. But most people love the convenience of online shopping, and it's a great way to shop around from store to store while saving gas, driving time, parking, and in-store jostling. Do you remember when most people went into book stores to buy books? Now 60% of all books are bought on Amazon.com - and online stores are growing in popularity and sales that outrun their brick-and-mortar counterparts.

In a recent guest post I wrote for Williams-Sonoma Designer Marketplace - which, by the way, is an excellent collection of advice for anyone interested in interior design - NYC designer Irwin Weiner and I checked out Pottery Barn online; he selected some favorites and we applied three criteria for picking out excellence in interior design purchases in an online experience. Read the Williams-Sonoma piece here: How to Shop Online for Your Clients. (It actually applies to purchasing home goods for yourself, too.) Check out the items we loved during our online shopping spree, and click on the photos in this article to see my current favorites from the store. Happy online shopping!

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