Motherly Love

This is my mom. As you can see, she is kind of, well, awesome. And not just because she is holding what appears to be the world's largest (empty) bottle of wine. Here are some other reasons:

She makes me laugh.

She still talks to me after I told her her I hated her about three billion times during adolescence.

She does things for me that I know she doesn't want to do, just because.

She is wicked smart and could do anything she wanted to, and chose to make motherhood her full-time profession.

She taught me an appreciation for beautiful things and good manners but was not above driving a Delta 88 when the need arose.

She is beautiful.

Until I became a mom myself, I never fully appreciated what moms have to give up (or, in turn, what they get in return) in exchange for motherhood.

Thank you, Mom, for what you gave up for us. It hasn't gone unnoticed.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there, the true unsung heroes of the world.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Spring is finally upon us here in the Pacific Northwest (well, sort of), and in that spirit of renewal, we've decided to do some re-imagining of our own.

You may not have heard (she said sarcastically), but there's a recession underway, one that began, oh, around the same month we opened last year....the same month I was six months pregnant. Yes, we've always had impeccable timing.

In spite of aforementioned economic hardships, we've had a successful initial year--received to-die-for press coverage, met incredible people, designed lovely spaces, and sourced some fabulous finds. But we've had to face the realization that, over the last year, people's buying habits have changed, and as a result, we're redirecting the focus of our business.

Over the passing months, we've observed more and more that customers continue to seek out one-of-a-kind vintage treasures, and they value the investment of time and resources in redesigning their homes, in small or large degrees. But random (albeit cool) tchotchkes? Not so much.

In light of this, we've taken a hard look at ourselves and realized these two most successful areas of our business are also the ones we most enjoy. This realization, paired with our desire to stay lean and mean, means something great for us both: WE'RE MOVING!

Where are we moving, we ask? We don't exactly know just yet. But we promise you will be the first (or at least in the top ten) we tell.

One thing we do know about our new location? It will be much smaller, to enable us to be more intentional with our product offering (with a nice side benefit of keeping our overhead down). And because of this, we are clearing out the shop with merchandise priced to move.

Beginning Friday, May 8, all items in the store (except for a few pieces on consignment we can't discount) will be 30% off. Yes, that's right: almost EVERYTHING. Design books? Yep. Kenneth Jay Lane jewelry? You betcha. Vintage furniture? Uh huh.

So, if you've had your eye on anything, now's the time to act. There will be an additional markdown or two with passing weeks, but many of you will recall from our last big sale the sadness of discovering your beloved items snatched out from under you by someone more risk-averse. Don't let it happen again!

Those of you who know us know how much we love Georgetown, and we have mixed feelings about closing our doors there, but we are also so excited to discover what lies ahead. We hope you are, too.

Antlers and Donkeys

In a strange twist of irony, posting about feeling uninspired and talking with people about feeling uninspired has..well...inspired me a bit. Who knew?

For the last few weeks I haven't been able to get these donkeys from Graham & Brown out of my mind (now THERE'S a sentence I never imagined myself writing); I've asked myself a few times if their primary appeal is their insanely affordable price, but I don't think so--of course, that doesn't hurt their case. My attraction to them is primarily twofold: 1. They are pink donkeys. 2. They have no tails. 1 + 2 = weird but strangely wonderful.

I'm thinking of covering one wall with them in my youngest daughter's room, perhaps in place of the polka dots that I loved four years ago when I selected them for my older daughter, who has since moved up and out to the "big girl room."

I figure it's as good a time as any to teach her what it's like to sleep at night surrounded by asses -- it'll be good practice for living in a sorority house one day.

Now to the antlers.

We've all seen them. And seen them. And seen them. And today we saw them again in an e-mail about the stylish eco-friendly Q Collection Junior and thought them worth mentioning; even though they're ubiquitous, we still kinda love them.

And yes, we're still selling them at the store. You're not going to find that peaceful expression on a real stag head, so don't even try.

Isn't it time you got your own set? C'mon, everybody else is doing it.

Little Cat Feet

Chalk it up to tax season, the end of winter, hormones (the men love to pull out that last one, don't they?) -- whatever the reason, I am trapped in THE FOG.

Apologies for the lack of exciting blog posts, absence of new product mentions and customer mailings, and excess of tardy e-mail responses. I'm working on finding my way out of the darkness (Doesn't that sound like a celebrity self-help book, "Out of the Darkness"?) and returning to our regularly scheduled program.

We have lots of exciting things in the works -- some fabulous new items, improvements to our design center, and forthcoming in-store events -- and very soon I'm going to have the energy to tell you about all of them.

But first I just need to take a quick nap...

How Much for the Room?

Interior from The Rug Company; rug design by Suzanne Sharp

Maybe it's just me, but sometimes I find myself perusing catalogs and falling in love with all the things that *aren't* for sale. There are a few retailers out there with a supreme knack for putting together magical interiors and spectacular finds to offset their products, and some of their catalog pages inevitably find their way into my design inspiration folder.

My all-time favorite catalog interiors? The Rug Company. Not coincidentally, their rugs are also among my all-time favorite. (And can I state for the record that one of their designers, Suzanne Sharp, is a rug goddess; hers are always the ones I drool most over, without even knowing the designer.)

Naturally, the company is British, which gives them a leg up in the style department. (We Yanks will catch up with you one day, you just watch...)

If you've never seen their catalog, it's actually a thick hardbound book, always with an amazing graphic cover in vibrant colors....honestly, you'd be proud to display it on your coffee table.

Take a look at some of my favorite Rug Company interiors:

Another retailer who excels at interesting interiors? FLOR, the maker of the ubiquitous carpet tiles in vast arrays of colors and patterns. I have several at home in my kids' rooms--with little humans and canines, these are invaluable for their ability to be pulled up, rinsed off, and even replaced, if the stain is too egregious.

I invariably spot furniture or accent pieces in FLOR's catalogs that I covet and have more than once tried to no avail to track down. They also do a great job (especially for a mass retailer) at combining unexpected colors to create really interesting vignettes. Take a look at some of their recent shots to see what I mean:

How much do I want this desk? A LOT.

Who are your favorite catalog "designers"?

From the Mouths of Babes

Decorating advice from an 8-month old:

Be bold.

Don't be afraid to mix patterns and colors.

Shop vintage, then make it your own.

Buy what you love, then enjoy it! (Life's too short for too-precious things.)

Be confident, and you'll pull it off.

A little drool never hurt anybody.

At least, that's what I think she said.

How to Survive a Seattle Spring

If you're here, you know exactly what I mean.