NY NOW 2017

HOME FURNISHINGS AND TEXTILES

Time for the semi-annual tour of the New York gift fair retitled NY Now. The fair is broken up into sections like handmade, gift, and baby & child. Home furnishings and textiles is the only division I'm interested in so since this is my tour that's about all you're going to see.

Home has a rather wide interpretation at NY Now. Somehow jewelers and perfumers seem to squeeze themselves in between candles and cashmere throws but it's easy to skip by them and search for items more worthy of taking up space in the home section.

These candles I've highlighted in previous visits by Zodaz were once again amazing. The candles range in size from five inches to twenty inches tall with a burn time of plus three hundred hours.

What they did this year was to introduce these woven candle basket holders that for me were the height of elegant ethnic design.

A big part of my going to the fair this year was to do a little shopping research for some clients and one of the things I was most in need of were pillows.  Callisto pillows had just enough bling to satisfy my customer without going over the top.

But after looking at the fare offered by Callisto I then rounded the corner and  walked into V Rugs & Home and found another avenue of attack for my client in their marvelously designed pillows and mini ottomans.

They organized their displays by color: pastels in one bank, whites and off-whites in another, leather trimmed in yet another area and warm and cool greys cuddled together on an open shelving unit. They used feathery fringe, strips of ultrasuede and all sorts of braiding in ways that were both fun and sophisticated.

Hides also played an important part in many booths. My daughter would probably kill me over this but I loved the look of these benches and rugs by Madsions, Inc. There was such variety in color and texture that I saw as really appealing just as long as I didn' t have to think about how they were acquired.

Another favorite of mine was a British import that also has a showroom in the New York Design Center, Mr Brown. They coupled with Julian Chichester to come up with lines that are both young and spunky.

This year they're introducing a new line labeled the Belmont line based on this accordion design that showed up in beds, desks, coffee tables and this daybed.

A vendor we've been purchasing from lately I had originally found online but they had a huge presence at NY Now this year.They're called Worlds Away. They're a modestly priced brand with designs that are both provocative and intriguing.

I found this bench offered in a silver or brass finish and in several velvets. They were showing it in a royal blue in their booth but I loved this piece in chartreuse. The thing you have to deal with with Worlds Away and similar companies is there is no customization. What they offer is limited. If you want what you see in a different fabric it's on your dime but if you love the way it comes their designs are nicely priced and well designed.

A new find for me was EurDecor, an accessory company out of the Netherlands. I particularly liked their ceramic and glass pieces, each one handmade and beautiful and shipping was relatively inexpensive.

But my favorite go to place for accessories and small furniture is still Global Views. Instead of showing at the Javits they did a big reveal at their NYDC showroom.

Like Worlds Away, Global Views is a moderately priced vendor with great accessories and furniture. I am a constant visitor to their showroom because I know I find the perfect final touches to fill out the look on many of our design projects.

From crystal obelisks to ceramic jars and objects that seem to make a project pop they are my favorite design vendor.
And they have incredible end of season sales where pieces are almost giveaways. On top of that add in they have two showroom managers Maura and Sharon who are two of the most helpful and accommodating people I know and you end up with a win-win situation.














THE GALLERY

Le-Chien-a-Roulettes, 1977
Robert Doisneau, photographer
Represented by Staley-Wise Gallery, NYC