Inspiration Board - Al Fresco Dining

Memorial Day weekend is just around the corner and we view that as the holiday that kicks off the outdoor dining and entertaining season.  In this season the dining table is the center of attention and activity so we thought we would bring you a week about how to design with, style and entertain on dining tables.  This week's posts will be full of photos of dining tables in a variety of styles and settings so if you are in the market for a dinning table there will be plenty of inspiration.  Here is a taste of things to come this week.

Click to read more ...

Get The Look - Ceramic Garden Furniture

Photo Inspiration Celerie Kemble

Before we unveil the new contemporary look of ceramic garden furniture tomorrow in our Discover post, here is one more look at classic ceramic garden stools.  This classic and global style outdoor space incorporates a couple of different styles of the current look of ceramic garden stools which are a twist on the classic Chinese garden stools.

Click to read more ...

Top Topic - The Artists' Version of Ceramic Furniture

Ane Davidsen Ceramic Sofas at Grimmerhus - Museum of International Ceramic Art - Denmark

It is said that trends get started and disseminated to the masses by a select few individuals who have been coined connectors, mavens and salesman.  I view artists and designers as the elusive group at the tippy top of that food chain that give the connectors, mavens and salesman something to talk about.  We keep a close eye on what artists and designers are producing because as a general rule their avant-garde version of something will eventually make it into the products market where we can snag it and make it available to you.

Click to read more ...

Inspiration Board - Ceramic Furniture

We had been following the trend of ceramic stools and side tables creeping from interior spaces into outdoor spaces.  When we headed to the Casual Living show last summer we expected to find evidence of the growing outdoor trend but we didn't see the traditional ceramic garden stools that we expected to see.

Click to read more ...

Design 101 - The Fathers of Modern Design

Le Corbusier - Villa Savoye in Poissy

There are volumes written about the modern art, architecture and design movement so I'll leave it to you to go as in-depth as you wish on your own.  The basics of the movement are this: there were three major schools of modern thinking - De Stijl, Bauhaus and International Style.

Click to read more ...

Exceptional Spaces - Modern Design

Modern design is a look that is immediately recognizable but one that I find hard to define. I find myself saying things like sleek, lots of glass, white, minimal, stark.  Perhaps those are decent descriptors but I don't feel like that defines the design term well.  As a lover of but a neophyte when it comes to architecture and design I started to wonder how many of you also have a hard time talking about modern design let alone designing with it confidently.  This week we are going to being talking about modern architecture, color palettes and furniture design and placement in hopes to demystify this design term.  To start the week off a selection of exceptional architect designed modern outdoor spaces to inspire you.

Click to read more ...

Top Topic - The Original Pod

Henrik Thor-Larsen Ovalia Egg Chair

Like so many contemporary furniture designs the pod was inspired by a previous design concept.  The modern pod has its roots in the mid-century designs of Henrick Thor-Larsen and Arne Jacobsen. For Today's top topic I went in search of these space-age designs in hopes that I might find them in their 'native' mid-century habitats. To my surprise I didn't find many vintage photos but rather found some great examples of contemporary designs that had incorporated this vintage design.  Pods are back!  How will you incorporate one into your current outdoor space?

Click to read more ...

Top Topic - Famous Chaise Lounges

Warren McArthur Jr. - Chaise Lounge Designed for Arizona Biltmore Hotel

The chaise lounge has been interpreted by many famous furniture designers.  The result: recognizable, highly sought after and collectable chaise lounges - designs that can't help but inform contemporary chaise lounge designs for indoors and outdoors.  Today's Top Topic search, Famous Chaise Lounges, returned some famous furnishings that I'm sure you'll recognize.

Click to read more ...

Design 101 - Using a Daybed in Your Outdoor Space

Chad Oppenheim

With so many distinctively different shapes and sizes of outdoor daybeds now available we wanted to get the designer perspective on how to incorporate them into an outdoor space. So we spoke with Angie Thornbury owner and designer of la-Fete™ Design about how to incorporate a daybed into your outdoor space.

Click to read more ...

Design 101 - Courtney Cachet on The Versatility of Sectional Seating

Smog Shoppe, LA

I have always been a huge fan of sectional seating. In the beginning, it was pretty awful. But like most things, sectional seating has evolved into something that can be, are I say, quite fabulous.

Click to read more ...